Alastair Beach
Egypt’s Copts alarmed by rise in young female converts to Islam
Egypt
August 8, 2011
Egypt’s Copts alarmed by rise in young female converts to Islam
The video footage is blurred and shaky, but there is no mistaking the identity of the two young girls.Sitting in…
For now, electronic surveillance projects stalled
Egypt
June 7, 2011
For now, electronic surveillance projects stalled
Despite being one of the most celebrated cities of the ancient world, Luxor could soon fall prey to one of…
Salafyo Costa aims to put a new face on fundamentalism
Egypt
June 5, 2011
Salafyo Costa aims to put a new face on fundamentalism
As a symbol of the triumph of Western-style capitalism, Costa Coffee takes some beating. Founded 40 years ago in south…
Israel nervous, but major change in Egypt relations unlikely
Egypt
May 31, 2011
Israel nervous, but major change in Egypt relations unlikely
Before Egyptian President Anwar Sadat signed the 1979 peace treaty with Israel, bringing the Sinai Peninsula back into Egypt’s possession,…
Internet activists stage online day of protest against military council
Egypt
May 23, 2011
Internet activists stage online day of protest against military council
The Twitter updates kept on coming, sometimes at a rate of ten a minute. “The sheer spite they had for…
Opinion polling set to thrive in Egypt’s new political climate
Egypt
May 22, 2011
Opinion polling set to thrive in Egypt’s new political climate
The fall of Hosni Mubarak has triggered a rush by political parties and foreign organizations to use opinion polling to…
Amnesty International report slams Mubarak govt abuses
Egypt
May 13, 2011
Amnesty International report slams Mubarak govt abuses
The uprisings against authoritarian regimes across the Middle East and North Africa are a reason for hope, "sending a signal…
Fearing Islamists and chaos, some Christians opt to flee
Egypt
April 11, 2011
Fearing Islamists and chaos, some Christians opt to flee
Since the toppling of Hosni Mubarak in February, many Coptic Christians have begun making plans to leave the country, fearing…
Postcard from Kassab: Arak in Syria’s Middle Earth
Life & Style
April 10, 2011
Postcard from Kassab: Arak in Syria’s Middle Earth
It had been a breath-taking journey: leaving behind the parched confines of the capital and then winding our way up…
Campaign calls for canceling Egypt’s debts amid credit rating downgrade
Business
March 31, 2011
Campaign calls for canceling Egypt’s debts amid credit rating downgrade
In an effort to ease its US$35 billion debt load, Egypt is hoping to change loan conditions and salvage the…
Prisoners demand conditional release as violence continues in prisons
Egypt
March 28, 2011
Prisoners demand conditional release as violence continues in prisons
Distraught families demonstrated outside Cairo's State Television building on Sunday to demand the release of relatives they believe are being…
What’s left of Egypt’s Left
Egypt
March 26, 2011
What’s left of Egypt’s Left
Gehan Shaaban has come a long way since her youthful days as a radical Trotskyite student. In the early 1990s…
Frustrated Zamalek residents leave three-hour queue
Egypt
March 19, 2011
Frustrated Zamalek residents leave three-hour queue
Frustrated Zamalek residents were refusing to vote at the local polling station after being faced with a three-hour wait at…
AUC hosts heated Doha Debate on timing of elections
Egypt
March 15, 2011
AUC hosts heated Doha Debate on timing of elections
Activists and political heavyweights locked horns last night during a televised BBC debate in Cairo, asking whether elections scheduled for…
Streets of Cairo: Antiques, cars and kebab on Hoda Shaarawi Street
Life & Style
March 12, 2011
Streets of Cairo: Antiques, cars and kebab on Hoda Shaarawi Street
A five-story Ottoman-era apartment block above Louvre Meuble furniture store looms over Hoda Shaarawi Street like a cantankerous old grandfather.On…
Fallen faces of the uprising: Gameel Hussein
Egypt
March 7, 2011
Fallen faces of the uprising: Gameel Hussein
Naeema Abdel Mageed Sharaf sits cross-legged on the bed cradling her seven-week-old grand-daughter.“My son was so happy when Fatima was…
Constitutional amendments: Agreements and concerns
Egypt
March 4, 2011
Constitutional amendments: Agreements and concerns
The Armed Forces set 19 March as the date for a national referendum on the constitutional amendments drafted by a…
AUC embarks on post-revolution endeavors
Egypt
March 4, 2011
AUC embarks on post-revolution endeavors
Since its establishment nearly 100 years ago, the American University in Cairo has developed an enviable array of programs. But…
Army tells activists parliamentary elections will be held in June
Egypt
February 28, 2011
Army tells activists parliamentary elections will be held in June
The army told one of Egypt’s main activist groups that it intends to hold parliamentary elections in June.During a marathon…
Revolutionary youth group demands ousted president’s departure from Egypt
Egypt
February 22, 2011
Revolutionary youth group demands ousted president’s departure from Egypt
The presence of deposed president Hosni Mubarak in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh is “suspicious” and represents the…