Sheikh Tantawi, Egypt's top cleric dies aged 81
BBC News
March 10, 2010
Egypt's foremost Muslim cleric, Sheikh Mohammed Sayed Tantawi, has died, aged 81, while on a trip to Saudi Arabia.
Sheikh Tantawi was the Grand Imam of the al-Azhar mosque and head of the al-Azhar University, Sunni Islam's centre of learning and scholarship.
Egypt Moves to Recapture Its Recent Economic Growth
Wall Street Journal
March 10, 2010
Egyptian officials have laid out an ambitious set of economic targets for the Arab world's most populous country, hoping to recapture the fast growth of the middle of the last decade and to lift living standards.
Egyptian officials are promising 5% gross domestic product growth this year and 6% in 2011, eventually matching the growth of 7% and higher that Egypt enjoyed for three years before the global economic crisis hit in late 2008.
Egyptian researcher receives women’s science award
Daily News Egypt
Egyptian researcher Rashika El Ridi received the UNESCO-L’Oréal Foundation award for Women in Science “for paving the way towards the development of a vaccine against the tropical parasitic disease bilharzia, which affects over 200 million people.”
El Ridi received the award at a ceremony in Paris last week. The annual L’Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science honors five eminent women scientists, one from each region, for excellence in research.
Egypt’s attraction from an institutional investor perspective
Daily News Egypt
“This is the most interesting stock market in the region,” Vera Trojan, senior vice president, partner, and equity portfolio manager for Wellington Management Company, said Sunday
“We are impressed with the efforts of the leading companies on the stock exchange, and [their] progress in transparency, disclosure and investor relations efforts,” she added.
What Haiti Needs More Than Charity: Egypt’s QIZ Deal
NPR
As part of President Clinton’s effort to promote peace in the Middle East, he brokered an important trade agreement with Egypt that many believe saved the Egyptian textile industry. The deal established Qualifying Industrial Zones (QIZ), and Haiti now wants its own version of the successful U.S. – Egyptian partnership.
Egypt’s Ambassador at the US Naval Academy: “Egypt-US military cooperation is strong”
Egypt’s Ambassador to the United States, H.E. Sameh Shoukry, visited the US Naval Academy on March 4, 2010, to address the Academy’s midshipmen on Egypt-US relations and recent developments in the Middle East.
In his lecture at the Academy’s Chauvenet 100 Hall, Ambassador Shoukry reiterated Egypt’s commitment to further strengthening its strategic partnership with the US, adding that Egypt brings unique strengths to this partnership with its large valuable human resources, its diverse well-known political and cultural impact on the Middle East, as well as its geo-strategic location and control of the most important waterways in the world. Ambassador Shoukry said that the chances of increasing areas of cooperation and understanding between the two countries were extremely high given the Obama Administration’s efforts to deal with global issues on the basis of dialogue, cooperation and mutual respect.
Path to the Top
Business Today
March 2010
Loula Zaklama, a highly sought after advertising pioneer, Neveen El Tahri, chairperson and managing director of Delta Holding for Financial Investments, Sisters Hind and Nadia Wassef and Nihal Schawky, founding partners of successful bookstore chain Diwan, are five of the most prominent entrepreneurial women in Egypt. In an interview with Business Today, they reflect on their success and discuss why more women haven’t reached the upper echelons of the corporate world.
Muslim-Christian dialogue: An Islamic view
Washington Post
March 4, 2010
By Dr. El Tayeb, president, Al-Azhar University in Cairo
For Muslims, peaceful coexistence is an obligation rather than a matter of choice. Prophet Muhammad was not only encouraged to engage the followers of Islam, Judaism and Christianity - the three monotheistic religions - in meaningful dialogue; he was commanded to do so.
This week in Washington, leaders of different Muslim and Christian faiths came together to discuss reconciliation between Islam and the Christian West at the Christian-Muslim Summit. I was honored to be a part of this dialogue and to join a myriad voices, from eminent religious leaders to the general public, to discuss ways to work together to promote peace efforts worldwide.
Arab States Back Israel-Palestinian Peace Talk Proposal
Voice of America
March 3, 2010
Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo have agreed to support a U.S. proposal for indirect peace talks between Palestinians and Israelis.
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat told reporters Wednesday that members of the Arab League will back the talks for a period of four months.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who is attending the Cairo meeting, has said he would abide by the Arab League's decision.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also welcomed the decision.
Egypt to Export Farming Expertise to African Neighbors
The fields along the Nile basin have supplied Egypt with an abundance of food for centuries, providing farmers with enough expertise to know how to grow the land properly. But that’s not the case for many of Egypt’s neighbors.
Egypt is well placed to help countries across Africa that struggle to feed their people, since it is rich in food supplies.
Poverty and food scarcity are crucial problems facing African nations, which is why leaders of the African Union met recently and approved a joint plan of action to enhance food security.