Arabic News .com Front Page for Arab News

Today's Headlines

• Jordan: King Abdullah to free-trade zone in disguise Jordan, Politics, 7/30/99
• Boutaflika, Vedrine meet in Algeria
  Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and Prime Minister Smail Hamdani held separate meetings today with visiting French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine. Algeria, Politics, 7/30/99
• Amr Moussa to upgrade cooperation with COMESA countries
  Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa is to start at the end of October a tour of South and East African countries that belong to COMESA (Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa), chairing a delegation of businessmen to activate cooperation between Egypt and African states. Egypt, Economics, 7/30/99
• German nuclear submarines sales to Israel harmful to peace
  Syria expressed yesterday its resentment toward reports of the sale of three German nuclear submarines to Israel, describing this news as a barrier in the way of the European role in the peace process. Syria, Politics, 7/30/99
• Opening of Moroccan-Algerian borders depends on technical arrangements only
  Morocco said on Thursday that the opening of its closed borders with Algeria depends only on some technical arrangements. Morocco, Politics, 7/30/99
• Qatar prohibits possession of unlicensed weapons
  Qatari official sources said that a law was issued to punish individuals who hold unlicensed weapons by imprisonment. Qatar, Politics, 7/30/99
• US welcomes progress in Sudanese peace
  The US State Department on Wednesday issued a statement welcoming an agreement reached between the Sudanese government and rebels during negotiations last week in Kenya to establish a permanent secretariat for Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in Nairobi, to form committees to address key issues in negotiations, and to appoint a Kenyan envoy to the process. Sudan, Politics, 7/30/99
• Yemeni opposition considers boycotting elections
  The main opposition party in Yemen said yesterday that it is examing the possibility of boycotting the first direct elections in the country in September after its leader did not qualify to enter the elections. Yemen, Politics, 7/30/99
• Economic study criticizes inequality of Arab - European relations
  A modern economic study criticized Arab - European trade relations, describing them as unequal and imbalanced, especially after the trade balance has strongly inclined toward the European Union. Regional, Economics, 7/30/99
• Berri meets with Habash
  Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri met yesterday with the secretary general of the opposition Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, George Habash, the Lebanon National News Agency reported. Lebanon, Politics, 7/30/99
• Morocco profoundly grateful to Algeria's Bouteflika
  Morocco said it was profoundly grateful to Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika for his feelings of sympathy following the demise of the late King Hassan II. Morocco, Politics, 7/30/99
• King Mohammed performs Friday prayers
  King Mohammed Ben Al-Hassan, Commander of the Faithful, performed this Friday his first public Friday prayers at Ahl Fass Mosque (near the Royal Palace of Rabat), a week after he was proclaimed king of Morocco. Morocco, Politics, 7/30/99
• Egyptian businessmen delegation head to Britain Egypt, Economics, 7/30/99
• Levy: Bouteflika-Barak handshake was positive for acceptance of Israel
  "The warm handshake" between Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak was favored by the funerals of the late King Hassan II, said Israeli foreign minister, David Levy. Algeria, Politics, 7/30/99
• Morocco denies king's marriage, insists that all maters will be public
  "The government flatly denies the rumors on the marriage of King Mohammed Ben Al-Hassan," the spokesman for the Moroccan government, Khalid Alioua, said at a press briefing held at the end of the weekly meeting of the government council, chaired by Prime Minister Abderrahmane Youssoufi. Morocco, Politics, 7/30/99
• Endorsing an agreement between Egypt, Microsoft
  The faculty of engineering at Egypt's Ein Shams University endorsed yesterday an agreement for educational and training cooperation with the Microsoft Corporation. Egypt, Education, 7/30/99
• Call to the AL to form committee for Kuwaiti prisoners of war Jordan, Politics, 7/30/99
• Iraq protests attacks to UN
  Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammed Sa'eed al-Sahaf sent a letter to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan holding the US and Britain responsible for "acts of aggression" against Iraq, the Iraqi News Agency said yesterday. Iraq, Military, 7/30/99
• Egyptian budget spending reaches 34.9 billion the first six months
  The total expenditures from the Egyptian budget during the first six months of the fiscal year 1998/99 amounted to 34.9 billion pounds, 49.9% of the total that is estimated to be expended during the whole fiscal year and an increase of 6.1% comparing to the same period of the previous fiscal year. Egypt, Economics, 7/30/99
• Morocco will continue with its policy on Sahara issue
  A Moroccan minister has affirmed that Morocco's new king, King Mohammed Ben Al-Hassan, will follow his late father's (the late King Hassan II) footsteps regarding the Moroccan Sahara issue. Morocco, Politics, 7/30/99
• Outpouring of grief in Tindouf compels Polisario to circulate release hailing late Hassan II's qualities
  The outpouring of grief in the Tindouf camps (southwestern Algeria, where the Polisario front is headquartered) compelled the Polisario's leadership to circulate a release, hailing the great qualities of Late King Hassan II, a London-based daily reported on Thursday. Morocco, Politics, 7/30/99
• Moroccan government approves sale of 2nd GSM license to Medi-Telecom
  The Moroccan government approved Thursday the sale of the 2nd GSM mobile phone license to the consortium led by Spain's Telefonica (TEF.MC). Morocco, Business, 7/30/99

Short Takes

• A four-year old Egyptian girl won a kilogram of gold, one of the prizes presented by Egyptian companies taking part in the second festival for tourism and merchandise currently being held in Egypt. By coincidence, the mother of the girl, named Hadir Hesham Mohammed, had bought a gold present for her daughter valued at 100 pounds ($30) when the family won a gold bar weiging one kilogram worth LE 135,000. Go
• Executive measures are currently taking place to establish two cultural exchange centers between Egypt and Turkey, where an Egyptian cultural center in Ankara is to be established and another similar center is to be opened in Egypt, in light of the measures taken by the two countries to boost bilateral relations. An Egyptian diplomatic source told ArabicNews.com that the two centers form a civilized modern form for bilateral relations between Egypt and Turkey. Go
• Regular train trips between Syria and Jordan started yesterday, the Jordanian news agency, Petra, reported, adding that there will be three trips weekly for passengers and one trip weekly for goods. Go
• Japan has presented a grant for Syria valued at 47.8 million Japanese yen ($400,000) to buy visual and sound equipment for the natural history museum that is to be built at Khan Assad Basha in the middle of old Damascus in light of mutual scientific and technical cooperation between the two countries. Go
• King Mohammed Ben Al-Hassan will chair over his first ministers council on Monday, the spokesman for the Moroccan government announced on Thursday where the king will address the King's orientation on polivy matters said Khalid Alioua at a press briefing held at the end of the weekly meeting of the Government council, chaired by Prime Minister Abderrahmane Youssoufi. Go
• Yemen and Germany signed two cooperation agreements, the first to extend the German Technical Cooperation Agency's activities in Yemen, and the second to provide 40 million marks in German financial aid for Yemeni public service projects, Saba reported. Go
• Syria and Iraq have signed a telecommunications agreement that will boost telecom and postal cooperation, Bahrain Tribune reported. Go
• Palestinian President Yasser Arafat met yesterday in Ramallah with Jordanian Agriculture Minister Hashem Shboul, Petra reported. The report added that Arafat and Shboul discussed increasing Jordan's economic and agricultural cooperation. Go
• The Palestinian - Israeli joint steering committee met yesterday to discuss implementation of the remaining portions of the Wye River agreement, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak's media advisor said today in a statement. Barak and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat agreed to a two-week period during which the committee will "consolidate recommendations for the needs and mechanisms to implement their mutual commitments," the statement said. Go
• Canada and the UAE are considering an arrangement under which a national of one country who committed a crime in the other would serve their sentence in their home country, Khaleej Times reported, adding that the program would be aimed at reducing recidivism. Go
• Iraq called for the removal of restraints imposed by UN sanctions that obstruct its use of the scientific developments and technology in field of exploring space and using it for peaceful purposes. Baghdad radio said that the permanent Iraqi deputy at UNESCO, Ali El-Mashat, has informed the UN's 3rd conference concerned with exploring outer space and using it for peaceful purposes, which is currently being held in Vienna, that the sanctions caused great harm to the Iraqi space program and other scientific programs. Go

Old Daily Page · Selection From Recent Days: