Exactly one year ago, I tried to take a break from my intense news production life style and daily stress. I headed to Southern Spain, with the intention of staying for a couple of weeks or maybe months, a break from big and overcrowded cities full (...)
Some of us might consider the acquittal of Mubarak, the failure of state-building in Libya, the civil war in Syria, the sectarian war in Yemen, or the international silence and approval of crushing protesters in Bahrain the death of the so-called (...)
Since its launch in 2005, The Daily News Egypt has consistently served as Egypt's free and independent voice to the world. Over nine tough years, members of its teams have never balked at risking their lives and dedicating their time to providing (...)
The Daily News Egypt is not only Egypt's sole and last locally produced independent newspaper in English. It has also always been a school for young Egyptian journalists, a place where one generation after the other learn from older colleagues how (...)
A few days ago while walking in Tahrir Square, I heard a young man shouting at two bearded men: "Out, out." It was not clear to me, nor to anyone else, what they had actually done wrong.
The poor bearded men, one in his early twenties and the other (...)
Almost a year ago, in an article called Brothers and generals, a phase of coexistence, I argued that the dramatic decision by ousted president Mohamed Morsi to "sack" Field Marshal Mohamed Tantawi and his deputy General Sami Anan was actually a (...)
Three months ago I wrote my weekly editor's letter and named it "The real countdown to the Brotherhood's fall." I think I was too conservative in my analysis, basing my argument on an assumed progression of negative attitudes held by average (...)
Our very professional Bedouin driver takes us across the desert in South Sinai. Whenever he sees a vehicle passing by smuggling subsidised fuel for the informal black market, he gets very angry. At the first police checkpoint we approach, he stops, (...)
A countdown to the fall of the Muslim Brotherhood's rule started over two years ago, when they first turned against the revolution by siding with the military in manipulating the people for a yes vote in the March 2011 referendum for the (...)
People tend to believe that 25 January 2011 is the date when the revolution started. I am one of those who believe it actually started earlier when the labour movements decided to step in and fight against injustice on the ground. The beginning can (...)
The current hot economic topics of the IMF loan, floating the Egyptian Pound, increasing taxes and inflation are all symptoms of a crisis of denial that the Muslim Brotherhood government is schizophrenically going through. They tend to pretend to (...)
For some reason, towards the end of every year I feel emotionally detached from the many wishes and hopes of a happy New Year. I always wonder what difference it would make waking up the following day in a year that has a different digit to the (...)
Why does commemorating the anniversary of Mohamed Mahmoud massacre hurt? It's a simple and valid question to ask in trying to better understand the deadly violence that broke out again on the clashes' first anniversary and put things in context.
I (...)
Dombrovskis foresees continued high level cooperation between Egypt and Latvia. (Photo courtesy of Latvian prime minister's office)
When he was first elected at the age of 37, Valdis Dombrovskis was Europe's youngest prime minister. Now 41, (...)
Going through Hesham Qandil's plan for development until 2022 makes you feel that Ahmed Nazif, Mubarak's prime minister currently imprisoned for corruption charges, was a genius after all. Qandil's plan is basically jsut an Ikhwanised imitation of (...)
Maher Hamoud
Belgium is one of the “very developed" European countries, whatever this means, that keeps a decent touch of humanity in their communication with each other, and in my case with the stranger. As a different looking foreigner, it means a (...)
No, it is not an editorial typo. It actually seems that President Mohamed Morsy has stumbled upon Mubarak's governance manual somewhere in the presidential palace and found it interesting to follow. Why not? We should not forget that Mubarak had (...)
There are currently four entities fighting to see the media controlled. The Muslim brotherhood, currently in power through its political interface the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP); remnants of Mubarak's regime, popularly known as feloul, funded (...)
Maher Hamoud
A very straightforward response by some non-Muslims in different contexts, who did not comprehend the amount of anger in the Muslim world expressed against the offending film Innocence of Muslims.
The simplicity of such a comment (...)
Maher Hamoud
With parliamentary elections slated to take place within a few months, news of the formation of a new political coalition has become an almost weekly occurrence. In most cases, such alliances seem to be motivated by an (...)
Maher Hamoud
Sexual violence or harassment, a highly visible phenomenon which has infected and spread within Egyptian society over the past ten years, is a complicated issue. Suggested reasons for this social disease have included sexual (...)
Maher Hamoud
“Down, down with military rule!" A simple and beautiful chant that encapsulates the dream of many Egyptians to rid the country of the generals who have ruled from 1952 until today. The recent decisions of President Morsy to “fire" (...)
Maher Hamoud
Theoretically speaking, we could argue that the one month President Mohamed Morsy has spent in office is not enough to judge his performance as Egypt's first leader after the revolution. However, practically speaking, it seems (...)
Maher Hamoud
Advice to women to cover up in order to protect themselves from horny men is readily available in this part of the world – sometimes stated indirectly, and very often fought against. Sometimes you win and other times you lose the (...)
Maher Hamoud
It is definitely a game, what is happening between President Mohamed Morsy and the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) headed by field Marshal Mohamed Tantawy. A game that both parties do not want to turn into direct confrontation, (...)