A network of women's rights associations in Egypt is expected to introduce a draft Personal Status Law on Monday. The draft will deal with a number of issues, including engagement; marriage; marital obedience; alimony; Khul (a woman's right to file for divorce under Islamic law); divorce; polygamy; child custody; and wealth sharing, along with othe […]

Ahmed Yassin actively looks forward to a drop in his business. The owner of a kiosk on Mourad Street in Giza, Yassin makes a decent living selling potato chips, soft drinks, mobile-phone cards, and lots and lots of cigarettes. Now, thanks to a new tobacco tax, "People have already cut down on smoking," Yassin said. "The customer who smoked two […]

Informed sources said that President Mubarak received a report from the Central Auditing Organization (CAO) days ago concerning the allocation and selling of state lands for agriculture purposes. […]

Three lawyers have raised a lawsuit before the Administrative Court against a decision by both Prosecutor General Abdel Meguid Mahmoud and the advocate general of Alexandria to try the two policemen accused of killing Khaled Saeed at the criminal court. The lawyers are asking that the two be tried before the Emergency State Security Criminal Court instead. […]

On Wednesday, Shahbanu Farah Diba Pahlavi paid tribute to her late husband, Mohamed Reza Pahlavi, the former Shah of Iran, who died 30 years ago. More than 250 Iranians came to Cairo, where Pahlavi is buried, to attend the service. "I thank the Egyptian people for burying my husband here," the Shahbanu said. "The Shah is always on my mind. […]

Supporters of Mohamed ElBaradei for president launched another round of their campaign in Alexandria on Tuesday. They are collecting signatures for the campaign's petition, entitled "Change." "We have received an 85 percent positive response so far," said campaign member Mohamed Samir. […]

At a two-day conference held this week in Cairo entitled "Prospects for Political Reform in the Arab World," organized by the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS), Arab and western rights activists expressed concern about what they see as waning interest on the part of the US and EU in promoting human rights reform in the region. […]

The Arab Peace Initiative Committee will meet Thursday at the Arab League's Cairo headquarters to hear a report by Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas on the outcome of three-month-old indirect negotiations--or "proximity talks"--with Israel. Abbas will also brief the committee on a proposed move to direct negotiations, in light […]

A recently-launched campaign in support of a possible presidential bid by Gamal Mubarak, the 47-year-old son of President Hosni Mubarak, has drawn angry reactions from opposition parties and movements. "My party will launch a counter campaign against the so-called Gamal Mubarak Popular Support Coalition," said Ghad Party founder Ayman Nour. "I […]

At a press conference held at the US embassy in Cairo on Wednesday, US Attorney-General Eric Holder said he had discussed a number of issues with Egyptian officials, especially the case of Khaled Saeed--the young man from Alexandria allegedly beaten to death by police last month--and the Mercedes […]