On June 22nd, a fire ripped through Cairo’s Souq el-Gomma, destroying shops, merchandise, and livelihoods.

Story published July 1, 2010 by Daily New Egypt

Story published June 3, 2010 by GlobalPost:

RAFAH, Egypt — Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, a target of public outrage following the deadly weekend raid by Israeli commandos on a Turkish-led aid flotilla, kept the Rafah border crossing with Gaza open Thursday to people and supplies.

Since the May 31 raid, international pressure has mounted on Israel and Egypt to ease the three-year blockade on the Gaza Strip, prompting Cairo’s move Tuesday to open the border to Palestinians seeking medical treatment.

High-ranking security officials inside the Rafah border terminal said that more than 500 Palestinians had been allowed to enter Egypt on Wednesday.

The land and sea blockade on Gaza was imposed by Israel in 2007, after the violent takeover of the strip from the Palestinian Authority by Hamas, an Islamic resistance group that had once vowed to “wipe Israel off the map.”

For its part, Egypt has also largely kept the Rafah border crossing sealed, except for the most serious humanitarian cases.

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Voters in the Helwan constituency alleged electoral fraud during the Shoura Council elections held Tuesday.

Story published April 15, 2010 by GlobalPost:

CAIRO, Egypt — Egyptian security forces have clashed with demonstrators in downtown Cairo for the second time this month, in a sign that foment over a worsening economy and political uncertainty is growing.

Plainclothes security officers beat at least one protester before bundling him into a car during clashes on Tuesday, witnesses said. The demonstration, which also saw hundreds of protesters physically taunt riot soldiers, was aimed at challenging police brutality that occurred at a rally last week. During that protest, activists and journalists were attacked and about 100 people were detained.

Egypt’s excessive use of force to quell political assemblies — which are illegal under the country’s controversial emergency law — is nothing new, especially during a parliamentary election year.

In spite of the threat of violence, a worsening economy and concerns over the health and future of 81-year-old President Hosni Mubarak have led to increasing unrest on the streets of the capital.

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It’s Ramadan again in Egypt. And nothing symbolizes the fun and festivity of the holy month like the fenous, or lantern. But now, a flood of Chinese imports is threatening the traditional fenous – and the lantern-making industry.  [Produced for The Daily News Egypt]

Last Saturday, I attended Pangea Day, the global film festival and live music event simulcast through the internet from six locations: LA, Rio, Mumbai, London, Kigali, and Cairo, Egypt.  The goal of Pangea Day was to unite people from around the globe through the power of film, using new technology for global storytelling on a large scale.  Surprisingly, it was pulled off with relatively few snags – there were only one or two breaks in the live feed.

But what started out as a normal film festival – with the requisite crowds of black-clad Bohemians smoking cigarettes through plastic holders - quickly turned into an open-air brouhaha the moment waiters notified the audience in the VIP section there was an open bar.   Read the rest of this entry »

The whole world is watching the US election process. People from all countries are equally excited – if not concerned – about the decision we Americans have to make in November. So a few days ago, I hung out with some college coeds (it’s a tough life) at the American University in Cairo. I asked them some questions about the presidential candidates and the current administration.

What do Egyptians think about the possibility of the first African-American – with Muslim roots – president of the United States? Or how would the Arab world react to having a woman in office? How would a McCain administration affect the Middle East?

Their answers (produced in an Egypt segment for Current TV’s ‘Election Fever Abroad‘) weren’t exactly surprising based on the demographic, but interesting nonetheless.