CAIRO: Western European tourists have new competition for hotel rooms in Egypt. For the first time, Russians are expected to surpass other visitors, with 2 million projected to arrive in 2008. The Egyptian tourism industry has benefited from the shift. According to a report by lastminute.com, an onl

CAIRO: Bolstered by cash from tourists and foreign investors, Egypt's balance of payments — an accounting yardstick that tracks the flow of a country's global transactions — edged up by about $100 million to post a surplus of $5.4 billion last fiscal year, the Central Bank of Egypt announced this we

CAIRO: Mostafa Gaafar has apologized to Zamalek fans for deliberately skipping the team's trip to Abidjan to face ASEC Mimosas in the CAF Champions League.The out-of-favor striker infuriated Zamalek officials by declining to take part in the African encounter, which Zamalek subsequently lost 3-0.Gaa

CAIRO: Mahmoud “Shikabala” Abdel Razek has resumed training with Zamalek ahead of his expected return to action on Oct. 3 after serving a six-month ban.The Zamalek player has been out of action for more than a month and now he will be submitted to an intense fitness program to get in shape.The 21-ye

CAIRO: Zamalek president Mamdouh Abbas expressed his confidence that his team will bounce back to form following their 3-0 defeat at ASEC Mimosas in the African Champions League.The humiliating loss raised a lot of concerns about Zamalek's start of the season, and earlier reports suggested that the

CAIRO: Ahly sweeper Emad Al-Nahhas should resume training with the Egyptian champions within four weeks, the club announced on its official website on Saturday.The former Ismaili player has been out of the game since suffering a torn ligament in Ahly’s draw against Ismaili last season.However, the c

CAIRO: ENPPI board has given assistant coach Hani Ramzi the green light to leave and work with Egypt‘s U-20 team technical staff.Ramzi has been offered the job of assisting coach Miroslav Soukup during the 2009 World Cup on home soil.But despite given the approval of ENPPI’s board, former Egypt defe

CAIRO: Zamalek's handball team clinched the Super Cup title for the third successive season after beating arch-rivals Ahli 24-23.The White Knights, who finished the season unbeaten, capped a perfect campaign by overcoming Ahli at Cairo stadium."The fans' support was pivotal in helping us to the Supe

LA PAZ, Bolivia: Bolivia's leftist president says he's moving the country's lone Middle Eastern embassy to Iran as he builds increasingly warm ties with one of Washington's least-favorite countries.Until now, Bolivia had its embassy in Egypt.President Evo Morales announced the change at a news confe

ASSUIT: Egyptian police says four farmers died in a five hour gun battle in southern Egypt between rival families over water rights.Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Sabir, security head of Egypt's southern city of Assuit, says the battle took place early on Sunday between rival families over access to an irrigatio

CAIRO: The Doctors Without Rights movement denounced the pay raise offered by Minister of Health Hatem El Gabaly to doctors, Dr Mona Mina, official spokesperson of the movement told Daily News Egypt.The movement deemed the raise “an underestimation of doctors’ deteriorating conditions and a horrible

CAIRO: A Minya judge has ruled that 15 people involved in the violent Abo Fana monastery clashes last May be detained for an extra 45 days.The ruling ignored the defense committee’s request to postpone the ruling for one week when the final settlement is to be signed. “As a representative of Pope Sh

CAIRO: Former Defense Minister Mohamed Abdel Halim Abu Ghazala passed away Saturday in Galaa military hospital at the age of 78 after a long struggle with cancer.He was in a coma through the entire week preceding his death after returning from France where he was sent for medical care by presidentia

TANTA: The trial of 49 people accused of committing offences during clashes with police on April 6 and 7 resumed Saturday in the Tanta Emergency State Security Court, when prosecution witnesses were heard.On Saturday members of the police force involved in the arrest and investigation of the case ag

CAIRO: Casualties continued to rise Sunday as rescuers frantically attempted to dig out people crushed in the rubble following a rockslide that flattened over 30 homes in the shantytown of Duweiqa early Saturday.So far, 37 bodies have been dug up with another 47 injured and an estimated 200 still bu

VENICE: Darren Aronofsky’s “The Wrestler,” starring gritty survivor Mickey Rourke, won the coveted Golden Lion at the Venice film festival on Saturday.“I’d like to really thank the jury for making the right decision,” said Rourke, 51, making a comeback after years in the cinema wilderness with his p

At this time of year, I always look forward to a cool change. But going back over my climatic records from 2007, I notice that it didn’t get cooler until Nov. 11, when the temperature dropped from the low 30s to 26 degrees. I am really looking forward to my Singapore Airlines flight to Brisbane, Aus

BERLIN: Russia’s strategy to revise the post-Soviet order in what it calls its “near abroad” will be pursued with even more perseverance following its victory over Georgia. Europe should have no illusions about this and should begin to prepare itself. But, as the European Union ponders what to do, c

NEW YORK: The Iraq war has been replaced by the declining economy as the most important issue in America’s presidential election campaign, in part because Americans have come to believe that the tide has turned in Iraq: the troop “surge” has supposedly cowed the insurgents, bringing a decline in vio

NEW YORK: During her visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged Israel to stop expanding settlements on occupied Palestinian territory. Hours before, a new report had come out from the organization Peace Now stating that Israel has nearly doubled set