Lots of veggies...
Fascinating Time magazine photo of an Egyptian family meal...

FOREIGN
Trying again...
Thinking about sending a new ambassador to Iraq...

Dangerous seas...
"Gunmen are holding 23 Egyptian fishermen after attacking their boat in international waters off Eritrea's Red Sea coast..."

40 years...
On BBC, an Egyptian pilot remembers the tragedy of 1967... Various other memories from Gulf News.... Earlier: Looking back at the 1967 war...

Plus, much more in Arabic on zahma.com...

Washington Post dedicates a special page to Shaalan, with tributes from readers... Earlier: "The graduate student was planning on bringing his Egyptian family back to Virginia Tech but a rampaging gunman prevented that. The young man lost his life but was credited with acting to save a fellow student." Details from the AP article: Shaalan called home in Zagazig over the internet a day before the massacre... He is credited with distracting gunman Cho Seung-Hui to save the life of a fellow student... His roommate says "He was the simplest and nicest guy I ever knew." Plus, a wedding photo...
 

Best of best... Cairo Metro gets rave Toronto Star review...

An agreement between Saudi Arabia and Egypt to recruit 120,000 Egyptian women to work as maids in the Kingdom has caused controversy among Egyptian expatriates.

Not just a ring... Reuters examines the rented "shabka" phenomenon...

Culture vendors... Another very interesting community arts experiment at the downtown Townhouse gallery...

Just this once... Egypt's seven Ferrari owners take a cool drive towards downtown...

Man tries to bring 700 snakes onto a plane with him...

Rare view... Cool satellite image of a sandstorm...

ECONOMY
Optimistic, for now... Record 10 billion in foreign direct investment this year...

Is tourism really fulfilling its potential...?

Too much too soon? Oxford looks at the fast-changing mortgage situation...

Debating the downtown effect... LA Times on Cairo's emerging suburbs...

What's enough?
Unveiling a plan to raise people's living standards by 30 percent...

Opportunities galore... Egypt gets major outsourcing nod, suggestions on how to be the India of the Middle East...

Morgan Stanley is coming to town...

Third mobile provider Etisalat gets 3000,000 subscribers in 20 days...Earlier: Etisalat planning major investments for its mobile network...

Egypt might cut export tariffs on steel and cement

An industrial outlook... Speaking to the Times of London, Trade Minister Rachid is enthusiastic about entrepreneurs...

ARCHAEOLOGY
Can't stop... New controversy in the pyramids and the new wonders saga...

Another new tomb discovery in Saqqara...

You know it... Oldest bowling alley in history found in... Fayoum... Just a little more here...

Exploring new theories about how the pyramids were built...

FOREIGN
Pushing for the formation of a truce monitoring body with the participation of the rival Palestinian factions...

Earlier: Egypt not happy with quartet's neutrality... Meanwhile, a request to the Palestinian factions...

Welcoming Iran's statement about restoring ties... More... Earlier: Iran claims Egypt is ready to normalize ties... Iran ready to restore ties with Egypt in a day... Plus, Cairo's reaction...

More peacekeepers to Darfur... Meanwhile, peacekeeper found dead...

Diplomatic mishaps in Somalia...

Hamas on their way to town... Earlier: The heart of the matter... CS Monitor explores Egypt's role in helping Fatah fight Hamas... while Reuters looks at its attempts to hold talks between the two Palestinian groups... Earlier: EU wants more control at Gaza-Egypt border...

HRW suggests improvements to human rights record now that Egypt is on official UN rights body... Earlier: Not everyone is happy about Egypt getting onto the UN Human Rights body...

Looking the other way... Egypt hosts a China-Africa conference...

Sending up to 2000 troops to Darfur...

Cheney's lightning talks with Mubarak... The president dismisses report of Egypt dropping Iraq's debts...

BBC says Egypt-trained Fatah loyalists have returned to Gaza.

Tragic MFO plane crash in Sinai... More on the peacekeeper victims... France to investigate...

Diplomacy overdrive... Talks with Israeli foreign minister in Cairo... Some call it historic... Earlier: Israeli foreign minister in town... Plus: Egypt does Darfur roadmap... and Cheney on the way...

Thanks for a conference... AFP says Bush phones Mubarak to wish him a happy birthday, and talk a little politics... Earlier: Sharm Iraq summit tidbits.. Iranian minister boycotts dinner where he might have had a conversation with Condi because of Ukrainian violinist's sleeveless red dress... Meanwhile, Iraq conference sidelines will also feature talks on North Korea... Plus, tourists' movement limited by Sharm events... Earlier: Sea side deal time... Big Sharm El-Sheikh Iraq conference begins... Could be site of historic US-Iran meeting... Meanwhile, Iraq maneuvers... Plus, a Malaysian site does an interesting ode to the Red Sea resort... Earlier: UN chief to help launch big Iraq meeting in Egypt... Chinese media faithfully follow Egyptian vows of serious support for Iraq and Sudan....

AP suggests "Egypt and other Arab countries not willing to pressure Sudan on Darfur"... Congressional delegation tries to get Egypt more involved in Darfur...

Reaction to Riyadh? News of a diplomacy overdrive... A big Iraq stabilization conference to take place in Cairo next month... Plus, random incident at the Egyptian embassy in Baghdad... And: Pre-empting a potential problem?
Tighter procedures for Iraqis entering Egypt...

Israel to discuss Arab peace plan in Cairo... Arab League asks Egypt and Jordan to bring Israel to the table... Earlier: "Egypt poured cold water on speculation that an Arab League working group would start negotiations with Israel..." Earlier: Still working on the Shalit Palestinian prisoner swap... Meanwhile, uncovering tunnels at the Gaza border...

Palestinians lawmaker Azmi Bishara resigns from Israeli Knesset while in Cairo... More from France 24...

Different sort of tension... Latest from the latest Israeli spy trial... VOA looks at the proliferation of Israeli spy cases... Egyptian-Canadian convicted of spying... Accused nuclear spy's family defends... Authorities have arrested an engineer who works at the country's nuclear energy agency for spying for Israel...

Photo of US Defense Secretary in Cairo...

Neo-Nazis attacked an Egyptian diplomat in the Ukrainian capital Kiev...

Russia to help with nuclear power?

Basin talks continue... New Nile water sharing deal in the works...

MISC
Good deeds galore... Egyptian deli manager in US heroically stops robber...

Another runaway seaside romance... A Scottish child custody case has a Dahab-based twist...

Shocking gang murder trial comes to a close...

Multi-colored veils... CS Monitor looks at the all-new dynamics of modern hijabi fashion sense...

Just a rumor? Shock: Mubarak rejects Egypt-Saudi bridge idea... Plus, a little more from AFP... Earlier: Big bridge... 50 kilometer bridge to link Saudi Arabia and Egypt... Construction was to begin next week; take 3 years to build... Egypt entry at Sharm El-Sheikh... Turns out the ferry disaster revived the idea...

Going native... American tourist comes back from Egypt wearing a galabiya, gets a bit too much attention from airport security...

Multi-conferencing.. Not enough details in this otherwise interesting report about a cross-cultural bridge attempt...

Another bird flu case... Earlier: Bloomberg bird flu reporting: "We are dealing with a society where chickens are part of the family..."   WHO is happy with Egypt's efforts to fight bird flu... Bird flu finally comes to Cairo... Indonesia is looking to work with Egypt to produce a human bird flu vaccine... 32nd bird flu case... Fear of bird flu spreading beyond Egypt's borders... Bird flu controls need work... Village ways fuel bird flu spread in rural Egypt, Reuters says...

Muslims who took part in clashes with Coptis over church construction in a village south of Cairo have been arrested. Earlier: Fighting over a church in a village outside of Cairo... More from AFP and Reuters...

Another building collapse...

Prison fire death toll rises... Earlier: Fire in prison...

Big gain... A 68 percent improvement in child mortality rates places Egypt second only to the Czech Republic in making progress caring for mothers and infants... More from AP...

Healthy link online... One of the oldest and most effective organizations grouping together Egyptians living abroad -- the Egyptian-American Cultural Association (EACA) -- recently launched their new website; it features a variety of items relating to the group and its activities, including a radio feed and podcasts of recent Washington DC based political & social events...

Egyptian-American Dina Powell quits State Dept to work for private sector...

Lost then found... More twists and turns as teenage UK runaway gets Hurghada internet cafe owner in trouble... More and more details on the saga... Runaway British teen's Hurghada romance tale continues to get UK press play... Earlier: Runaway British teenager found in Egypt...  Hurghada hunt... BBC reports that "an international search is under way" for a British teenager who might have run away from her England home to meet a secret boyfriend in Egypt. Plus, more from the Evening Standard...

Royal gesture... An 80 olive tree gift from Egypt to Thailand's king...

Tuesday sandstorm wreaks havoc... More from Pravda...

Potentially effective? Road safety awareness to become key element of Egyptian Sesame Street...

Odd focus... Turkish media takes a very close look at Egypt's dwindling frog population...

Surprise discovery.. Geologist Farouk El-Baz finds evidence of a giant ancient lake in Darfur...

Egyptian cannabis seizures more than quadrupled in 2006

Lots of tots... Latest census says Egyptian baby is born every 23 seconds... Plus, more figures from Reuters...

All about spring... Find out more about Sham El-Nessim here...

That's the news... Gamal Mubarak's wedding date has been set....

For professionals only... Driving in Egypt gets bad rap in new US State Department guide...

MEDIA
Harpers weighs in on blogging and politics...

Back in Cairo, blogger Wael Abbas gets major space in the Washington Post... Earlier: Abbas, writing in Slate, says he thinks he's going to be jailed... Earlier: More blog commentary from the Sunday Telegraph... Plus: Shades of reality... Report finds no evidence of Egyptian filtering of Internet content... Earlier: Blogger Sandmonkey's decision to quit attracts attention...

Saadeddin Ibrahim helps new press freedom group...

Jazeera producer gets 6 month sentence for torture documentary; is currently in Doha deciding her next move... More from AFP...

BBC journalists in Cairo rally for release of kidnapped reporter in Gaza...

Bold press move... Specialized Arab press site covers Destour newspaper's switch from weekly to daily...

ECONOMY
Finally heading away from haphazard? Egypt Air branches out, seems to be planning for a brighter future...

Not just a rumor...? Abu Tarek to serve diet koshari in the summer-time...

Going global... Egyptian Al-Ahly Bank to open up first branch in Shanghai China...

Finally "formalizing" the Manshiyet Nassar slum, with the help of Germany...

More gold than originally estimated...

More cars okay? Oxford has the latest on car sales...

Gulf News provides a very studied analysis of why most Egyptians aren't feeling the fruits of economic reform...

Watch out for this... Egypt on copyright piracy watch list...

Egypt Capital Market Authority head presides over opening bell at stock exchange in NY...

Gulf News overview of big UAE investments...

A close look at the growing grape export business...

Third operator on... Etisalat to launch May 1...

Selling point? Egypt amongst least expensive destinations worldwide...

A different view... Washington Post op-ed provides a nuanced look at democracy and reform: "Critics have thoroughly savaged Egypt for its dubious elections and constitutional reforms," the article says, "but few have recognized the import of the recent mortgage finance laws passed in 2006 which could reestablish a vibrant middle class. Business Today Egypt heralded the breakthrough writing, "Mortgages could revolutionize not just the financial system, but also the nation's very social fabric.""

Strange beer ruling in an Egyptian court gets press overseas...

Egypt is opposed to idea of establishing OPEC-style natural gas cartel...

Big pump jump... AFP: "Egypt plans to hike its oil output by 100,000 barrels per day to 800,000 bpd in 2008..."

Easy flights... Direct Dubai to Sharm trips to resume...

Gulf News says bank shareholders are interested in UAE bid... Earlier: Central bank rejects UAE bank bid... Saudi - Emirates bidding war for Egyptian bank...

Big plans... BBC takes a careful look at Samih Sawiris's very big plans for doubling the size of a Swiss alpine village...

The first Burger King restaurant is scheduled to open in Cairo during the first half of 2007.

Trouble in paradise...  Dubai construction giant tries to resolve its Egypt property issues...

Energy subsidies gone within 4 or 5 years, finance minister says...

Ruby Tuesday restaurant coming to town...

CRASH WATCH
Horrific crash kills 16 children on their way to school...

2 separate car crashes kill in Sinai...

Bus crash kills...

ARCHAEOLOGY
Interesting new ancient tomb found near Minya...

An African mask? The "Tutankhamun was black" protest movement follows the boy's king's traveling exhibit to Philly... Plus: An interesting accompaniment to the traveling Tutankhamen treasures show...

More on the new 7 wonders contest, and the Pyramids' role...

King of quotes... Hawass: "We are not the pirates of the Caribbean..." Earlier: Not heading home just yet..  Asking another German museum for a valuable antiquity loan... Egypt officially says it wants Nefertiti, Rosetta and other top antiquities abroad temporarily back... Egypt's quest to host a 3400-year-old bust of Queen Nefertiti -- despite Berlin's resistance -- heats up... Germany says the Nefertiti bust is too fragile to travel to Egypt... but Cairo wants the statue back for the opening of a history museum near the Great Pyramids in 2012. Antiquities director Zahi Hawass even warns of forming an international alliance to retrieve artifacts if Germany doesn't change its mind... Earlier: No more antiquities exhibits in Germany if Nefertiti bust can't temporarily come home...

Ramsis hair back from France, unveiled at Egyptian museum... Plus, much more from AP...

Problems with Khufu's funerary boat...?

Are Joan of Arc relics actually Egypt mummy remains?

Old time climate change... Ancient lava found near Qantara town...

New French theory Were the Pyramids built from the inside out...? Plus, a photo

SHOWBIZ
Rise of an Islamic-style theater troupe...

Cultural connections... Kennedy Center launches major culture exchange project in Cairo...

Shaking things up... Sawiris sounds off about his new OTV channel...

Egyptian Tarantino? Violent follow up to Yacoubian Building hit for young director Marwan Hamid...

Time-out time... Funny Mohamed Sobhi impressions of Jazeera (on Jazeera...) (courtesy of blogger Senefru and YouTube)

She can't speak Arabic: Another critical review of the Miss Egypt contest.. Earlier: More fun... Good review of Miss Egypt contest's ups and downs... This year's Miss Egypt is crowned... Earlier: Photo of contestants...

Bloomberg gets the lowdown on the Shakira concert at the Pyramids...

A few more details on new Egyptian movies about Osama bin Laden, and more...

SPORTS
No replay of Mauritania match...

Egyptian is the finest referee in Africa... More...

Plus: Celebrating a successful Egyptian mountain climber...

Couple of champs... Egyptians still top world squash list...

Mido not happy at Tottenham... Earlier: Mido dropped from national team lineup... New national team lineup does not include Mido...

Portuguese coach Jose opts to say with Ahly for at least another two years..." Ahly continued their centenary year celebrations with a record-breaking 32nd Egyptian premier league title..." Earlier: 75,000 show up to watch Ahly lose 0-4 to Barcelona... Ahly-Barcelona friendly opens celebrations marking the club's hundredth year... Plus, BBC interviews a 98-year-old fan... Pics from the Ahly and Barcelona press conference... Ahly to play a friendly against big time Barcelona...

Egypt to host 2009 under-20 soccer world cup...

Egypt FIFA ranking now 41... Earlier: FIFA ranking plummets to 42nd...  Egypt move to 19th place in FIFA rankings...

Egyptian boxing remains king...