On the the eve of World Press Freedom Day, Greste's speech from Cairo is delivered by his father in Sydney Imprisoned Australian journalist Peter Greste has called for continued vigilance around the world to protect press freedom on the the eve of World Press Freedom Day . On the day before Grestes next appearance in an Egyptian court and on the 126th day of his incarceration his father, Juris Greste,...
Team behind £420,000 facsimile, created using 3D technology, hope it can prompt rethink of tourism at historic sites "Can I tell the difference?" wonders Tish Chapman, a teacher from Nottingham, standing in the latest tomb to be opened to the public at southern Egypt's Valley of the Kings. Chapman's answer could be a pointer to the future of mass tourism. For the tomb in which she stands...
Cairo-based journalist and strategist for liberal party Dostour was respected for his analysis of regional politics One of the voices of Egypt's 2011 revolution and its aftermath, Bassem Sabry, has died in an accident aged 31. A Cairo-based journalist and political strategist, Sabry rose to prominence during the Arab uprisings of 2011, achieving widespread acclaim for his analysis of regional politics...
Broadcaster issues 'notification of dispute' with Cairo's interim authority as four journalists remain in custody Al-Jazeera Media Network has served Egypt with a $150m (£89m) compensation claim on the grounds that its investments in the country have been damaged since July 2013. On Monday, the network lodged a formal "notification of dispute" with the country's interim government....
Patrick Leahy of Vermont called Egypt court decision to sentence 683 to death an 'appalling abuse of justice system' US senator Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Senate subcommittee that oversees foreign aid, said on Tuesday he would not approve sending funds to the Egyptian military, denouncing a "sham trial" in which a court sentenced 683 people to death. "I'm not prepared to sign off...
Hundreds of men, including the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, have been sentenced to death in two trials in Egypt. Relatives of the men, who police say have been involved in violence following a crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood, claim the accused were not given a chance to defend themselves Continue reading... ...
Broadcaster demands £89.2m from government for subjecting it to 'unacceptable treatment' after ousting of Mohamed Morsi Al-Jazeera served Egypt with a $150m (£89.2m) compensation claim on Monday for what it said was damage to its media business inflicted by Cairo's military rulers, a step likely to worsen Qatari-Egyptian relations. In a move aimed at drawing attention to what al-Jazeera calls...
Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Badie among defendants in mass trial amid crackdown in which 16,000 arrested More than 1,200 men face the death sentence in Egypt, as a judge deliberates on whether to uphold the sentences he gave 529 defendants in March. The leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, Mohamed Badie, whose colleague Mohamed Morsi was removed from Egypt's presidency last July, is among the defendants...
Lawyers and rights campaigners say ruling infringes basic law after defence unable to present case and witnesses not heard A judge in Egypt has sentenced to death 720 men, including the head of the Muslim Brotherhood, in a pair of mass trials that were both completed after two brief court sessions. In the first case, 683 men including the Brotherhood leader, Mohamed Badie were sentenced to death on...
Ayman al-Zawahiri urges unity in audio interview Expresses solidarity with Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood The al-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahiri has called on Muslims to kidnap westerners, particularly Americans, who could then be exchanged for jailed jihadists including a blind Egyptian cleric convicted in 1995 of conspiring to attack the United Nations and other New York landmarks. In a wide-ranging audio...
Toppling of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood has left territory out in cold as residents consider life under Palestine unity government In his haberdashery, Saleem Salouha tracks the ups and downs of his business against events beyond his control. The good times for his shop in Gaza City were when Mohamed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood were in power in Egypt. The bolts of cloth stacked behind Salouha came...
Blair's simplistic formula for tackling radical Islam is leading him to support some of the most oppressive forces in the region Tony Blair's speech this week at Bloomberg in London reveals a growing support for authoritarian regimes in the Middle East . A decade ago, Blair was justifying wars in the Middle East on the grounds that they would launch a democratic revolution and sweep away Arab despots....
The ever-looming spectre of 'Them' distracts us from the deeper, systemic causes of the Crisis of Civilisation Yesterday morning, Tony Blair - former Prime Minister and current Middle East envoy for the UN, US, EU and Russia - delivered one of the most Orwellian speeches of his career at Bloomberg London HQ, on the subject of 'Why the Middle East matters': "When we consider the defining challenges...
Washington says helicopters are to help quell militancy in Sinai desert and should not be seen as US giving its blessing to Egypt's political process The US has given the go-ahead for the delivery of 10 Apache helicopters to Egypt that the Obama administration had withheld since the military-led overthrow of Mohamed Morsi last year. A spokesman for the US defence department said the helicopters would...
Rolling coverage of the day's political developments as they happen, including Tony Blair's speech on the need for the west to fight Islamist extremism, and reaction to it 9.41am BST Anyone familiar with Tony Blair's thinking will not be surprised by the Bloomberg speech he delivered this morning. It reflects concerns that he has been articulating repeatedly since at least late afternoon on Tuesday...
Former PM, who supported Egyptian military's overthrow of democratically elected government, to urge west to take sides Tony Blair will warn the west it needs to take sides in the Middle East and move the battle against Islamist extremism to the top of the political agenda. In a speech to Bloomberg in London on Wednesday, the former Labour prime minister will say: "The important point for western...
Egyptian judge admits being unable to make out what is been said in recordings presented as key evidence against journalists The judge presiding over the trial of three al-Jazeera journalists in Egypt temporarily ejected all reporters from the court after a chaotic session in which he admitted he could not understand several audio recordings presented as key prosecution evidence. Prosecutors played...
The continued detention of Australian Peter Greste and his colleagues sends a message to all journalists working in Egypt: 'no one is safe' In just a few hours, Australian journalist Peter Greste and his colleagues are due to face court in Cairo, charged under terrorism offences for a crime that normally warrants praise, not a lengthy prison sentence. The last time we saw Greste and his co-defendants...
Interim government paints election as important step towards democracy but opponents have concerns about integrity of vote Abdel Fatah al-Sisi moved one step closer to Egypt's presidency on Sunday as nominations closed, leaving the retired army chief and the leftist Hamdeen Sabahi as the only two high-profile candidates in the race. Sisi is widely expected to easily win the election, which will take...
Security official says bomb detonated next to traffic post in Lebanon Square in Cairo's Mohandessin district An Egyptian security official says an explosion has rocked a busy square in central Cairo, killing one police officer and causing panic. The official says the bomb detonated late on Friday next to a traffic post in Lebanon Square in Cairo's Mohandessin district. Security forces sealed off the...