ABU DHABI — Shaikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairperson of the Family Welfare Foundation, received a delgation of diplomats’ wives from Dubai and the Northern Emirates here yesterday. They had come to extend Eid greetings to Shaikha Fatima.

By Kate Gaier 6:45 pm January 1, 2007 An arrest is made in a year old murder case in Cairo... but the motive is still anyone's guess. Neighbors say Pearl Johnson was a kind-hearted woman. Even though she was disabled, she would help anyone.

Al-Qaida's number two man is aiming some New Year's criticism at the leaders of Egypt and the Palestinians. But Ayman al-Zawahri's statement hasn't been authenticated.

Panaji, Jan 1 Muslim brethren celebrated Bakr-Id with ritualistic fervour in Goa. Friends and relatives besides people from other faiths wished the members of Muslim community Eid Mubarak on the auspicious occasion. Prayers were offered at mosques throughout Goa during the day.

Israeli officials on Monday denied claims that they were close to a deal that would secure the release of a captured soldier held by Palestinian militants, citing excessive demands by the Islamic Hamas.

Egypt Stories

The Egypt:

official name: Arab Republic of Egypt,

in Arabic: مصر (romanized Misr, or Masr in Egyptian dialect)

kemet in Ancient Egyptian.

Misr, the Arabic and official name for modern Egypt, is of Semitic origin directly cognate with the Hebrew מִצְרַיִם (Mitzráyim) meaning "the two straits", and possibly means "a country" or "a state." The ancient name for the country, kemet, or "black land," is derived from the fertile black soils deposited by the Nile floods, distinct from the 'red land' (deshret) of the desert. This name became keme in a later stage of Coptic. The English name "Egypt" came via the Latin word Aegyptus derived from the ancient Greek word Αίγυπτος (Aiguptos). This word may in turn be derived from the ancient Egyptian phrase ḥwt-k3-ptḥ ("Hwt ka Ptah") meaning "home of the Ka (part of the soul) of Ptah," the name of a temple of the god Ptah at Memphis.

General information about Egypt:

Official language: Arabic

Other widely spoken languages: English, French, Armenian, Coptic

Capital and Largest City: Cairo

President: Hosni Mubarak

Prime Minister: Dr Ahmed Nazif

National anthem: Bilady, Bilady, Bilady

Egypt shares land borders with Libya to the west, Sudan to the south, and Israel and the Gaza Strip to the northeast and has coasts on the north and east by the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, respectively.

Area

• Total: 1,001,450 km² (ranked 29th of countries by area)
• % water: 0.6%

Time zone

• general: EET (UTC+2)
• in summer: EEST (UTC+3)

Currency: Egyptian Pound (LE/£E/EGP)

The vast majority of Egypt's people live less than a kilometer away from the banks of the River Nile (about 40,000 km²), where the only arable agricultural land is found. Large areas of land are part of the Sahara Desert and are sparsely inhabited. The majority of Egyptians today are urban, living in the great Arab population centers of greater Cairo, the largest city in Africa, and Alexandria.

Population

• Total (2005): 77,505,756 (ranked 15th of countries by population)
• Density: 75/km²

Egypt is famous for its ancient civilization and some of the world's most stunning ancient monuments, including the Giza Pyramids, the Karnak Temple and the Valley of the Kings; the southern city of Luxor contains a particularly large number of ancient artifacts. Today, Egypt is widely regarded as the main political and cultural centre of the Arab and Middle Eastern regions.

Independence from the UK

• Partial granted 28 February 1922
• Total Independence: 18 June 1953

Internet TLD: .eg

Calling Code: 20

More info about:

Egyptian history
Egyptian economy
Egyptian geography
Egypt state and politics