مدونة ام النور omelnor jesus

CAIRO: Egypt’s Coptic Christians mourned their dead at a Cairo cathedral today after last night’s deadly Maspiro clashes. At least 24 people were killed in last night’s clashes, including 17 Copts.

Egyptians tear down wall around Israeli Embassy   tear down wall CAIRO: Tens of demonstrators started to destroy the newly-built wall around the Israeli Embassy in Cairo today. The wall, built by the Egyptian government amid rising anti-Israeli sentiment after Egyptian soldiers were killed by the Israeli military, has received much criticism from Egyptian citizens.

Video: Army vehicle runs over protesters in Cairo (GRAPHIC)  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ps0cZESV-ec&feature=player_embedded WARNING: THIS VIDEO CONTAINS GRAPHIC VIOLENCE

EgyptAir’s new flights to China By MAHER ABDEL-WAHED - Translated by BISHOY RAMZY REYAD EgyptAir Company will have a new flight to Guangzhou starting Thursday so flights to China will increase to five flights per week. "The company is scheduled to run four flights a week to the Chinese capital, Beijing, in December," Egyptian head of EgyptAir Ayman Nasr said. He added EgyptAir’s recent decision was made in a strategy aiming to restore rates of operation and to execute marketing programs to activate tourism in Egypt. He stressed EgyptAir Company believes China is a central market, especially since it enjoys notable economic and trade relations with Egypt.

Solo travel offers unique perspective for women   Travel Women By KRISTI EATON,Associated Press Three years ago I embarked on my first solo travel experience, a nine-day reporting trip to Samoa. I was 23, fresh out of college and eager to see what the world had to offer. Looking back, I marvel at how eager people were to strike up conversations with me, invite me to an activity or offer tips on a hidden gem not listed in my guidebook. But I also cringe at some of my decisions, like getting in a car alone with two men who offered to show me around the island of Upolu. Fortunately that adventure turned out fine, and overall, my visit to Samoa opened up my eyes to a whole new way of traveling. I've since gone on solo trips to Vietnam, Hong Kong, Thailand, Australia and Antigua, and I've learned to make safe choices while experiencing destinations in ways that traveling with others migh...

Lebanon’s Nakad Winery: strife, perseverance and love   Nakad Winery By SAM HOLDER JDEITA, Lebanon: Cut into the gentle slope climbing up away from the chaos of a crowded Jdeita motorway is a quiet, gentle Bronze-age homestead where a livelihood and a way of living remain in homeostasis. It hasn’t always been that way for Salim Nakad, co-owner of Chateau Nakad, a family-owned winery in the heart of Lebanon’s wine region. While business and life remain peaceful in the Hezbollah stronghold in the Bekaa Valley, sectarian and national tensions continue to haunt the valley. “We simply would survive,” Nakad says of the period during the Lebanese civil war. “Money was essential for survival; checkpoints at the entrances to our villages were under siege and the only protection was purchased.” The honesty with which Nakad offers his experience of the Lebanese conflict – with itself, with Syri...

Italian tour operator seeks bankruptcy protection   Archive AFP MILAN - Italian tour operator Valtur said Thursday it was seeking protection from creditors following a slump in tourism in Italy this summer as well as political upheaval in north Africa where it operates. Valtur said in a statement that its restructuring plan would ensure "corporate continuity and the safeguarding of jobs" but sell off non-core assets and holiday villages for a value of 110 million euro ($151 million). It said it would also increase its capital by up to 50 million euro. The company, founded in 1964 at the height of Italy's post-war boom, has a turnover of around 200 million euro a year. It has built up debt of 303.6 million euro to banks, suppliers and state institutions. It employs more than 4,000 people and has 22 holiday villages in Italy and abroad including in Eg...

  Swan Migration By DAN JOLING,Associated Press ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Alaska sees plenty of visitors, but few draw local paparazzi like the guests that fly south every October: trumpeter and tundra swans. Hundreds of swan pairs, some with gray juveniles, stop at lakes and ponds on their annual fall migration, drawing bird watchers to viewing areas such as Potter Marsh south of Anchorage. The birds stand out in the narrow urban marsh. Photographers line up for a shot of swans flying against a background of golden birch trees or making long glides to land among reeds turned tan from frost. "It kind of encapsulates the end of the season for me," said Phil Pringle, who has been driving to the marsh for most of his 40 years in Anchorage. "Fall's just about over. We've got a couple more days of leaves on the trees. The swans are migrating from above the Arctic Circle and th...

Russain experts encourage tourism to Egypt   Pyramids of Giza By MENA - Translated by BISHOY RAMZY REYAD Russian newspaper, Trud, said workers in the Russian tourism sector support are encouraging Russian tourists to visit resorts in Egypt. The newspaper quoted tourist experts saying all political powers, including the Muslim Brotherhood, realize the importance of tourism to improve Egypt's economy. Experts added Russian travel agencies will provide offers to tourists who want to spend their vacations in resorts in Egypt.

  Louis City Museum By SCOTT MAYEROWITZ, AP Business Writer ST. LOUIS — Do not expect to find the Mona Lisa here. Or a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton. Instead, this museum features a 10-story slide that whizzes guests of all ages from the roof to a subterranean cave. Welcome to City Museum, an ever-evolving art project that is unlike any museum you have ever seen. In fact, calling it a museum is a bit of a stretch. The converted shoe warehouse is closer to a mad scientist's workshop than a cultural institution. That does not mean it isn't fun. There is an oversized ball pit, a miniature railroad, rooftop Ferris wheel and countless hands-on exhibits. Throw in a 1924 Wurlitzer pipe organ, neon signs, preserved butterflies and the world's largest pencil and you have one of the world's most eclectic collections. "It's hard to describe. It's really just an evolving scu...

By GAMAL GIRGIS EL-MOZAHEM, EUROPEAN BUREAU - Translated by HEND EL-BEHARY AMSTERDAM: Head of the Dutch Coptic Authority John Sedrak said that a closed meeting was held on Wednesday at the Dutch parliament with representatives from many political parties in Holland. The closed session discussed Sunday night’s violent Maspiro clashes , "Members of parliament listened to what happened to Copts in the Maspiro incident, which led to the death of 25 people and left 350 injured," said Sedrak. Sedrak said the delegation was surprised that the Dutch parliament seemed to be fully aware about the difficult situation for Coptic Christians in Egypt, specifically since the attack on the Mary Gorges church. He said the Dutch parliament also recognized that Copts face increasing sectarian problems since the beginning of Egypt’s January 25 Revolution . Members of parliament said that the Copts’ st...

  Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf By MOHAMED AL GALI - Translated by ANAS HABIB CAIRO: Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf issued a call to create a forum for religious unity, called the "The Egyptian Family House." The project will be co-headed by Grand Imam Ahmed al-Tayeb , Sheikh of Al-Azhar, and Pope Shenouda III , head of Egypt’s Coptic Christian Church . The Family House headquarters will be in Al Azhar Sheikhdom. The official spokesperson of the cabinet, Mohamed Hegazy, said the Family House aims to protect the social fabric of the Egyptian people, as a result of concerned state ministries. He also said that the Family House will include Muslim and Christian scholars and clerics and other related experts. According to Hegazy, the Family House will have a board of trustees headed alternately by al-Tayeb and Pope Shenouda, and it will be assigned to outline public polic...

By MOHAMED EL-BEDIEWY - Translated by HEND EL-BEHARY A number of movements organized a silent protest today to mourn those killed in Sunday night’s violent Maspiro clashes. The April 6 Movement , Tahrir Youth Movement and the Communist Revolutionaries organized a silent protest in front of a Cairo University building on Thursday, wearing black clothes to mourn the Maspiro martyrs. One Muslim student raised a crucifix and a Quran together and other students raised the red card in symbolic protest against Egyptian State TV, which they believe inaccurately reported Sunday night’s events. Some students held banners that said "I swear by Islam and the innocence of the Virgin Mary, all blood is haraam [religiously forbidden] by the order of God". Protesters organized a blood donation campaign called "Students still the solution” in coordination with a blood bank administered by the...

By AHMED HARBI - Translated by SAMAR SAMIR CAIRO: Ousted president Hosni Mubarak 's daughters-in-laws were inspected before entering Torah prison to visit their husbands, Alaa and Gamal Mubarak to ensure they didn’t carry phones or money for their husbands. Former First Lady Suzanne Mubarak did not accompany her daughters-in law. Gamal’s wife Khadija's father, businessman Mahmoud al-Gamaal accompanied the women, who were permitted to visit by Public Prosecution. During the-two-hour visit the Mubarak family discussed their legal situation and the health of Hosni Mubarak.

  Archive By NADER SHOKRY - Translated by NOURHAN MAGDI The Aswan bishopric said a mistake occurred in an interview published on YouTube, where Bishop Hedra, discussing the Marinab Church incidents, said mistakenly that the building hosting the church was a house before it was converted to a church. The bishopric, a Coptic jurisdiction, ensured it was an old church, where religious rituals were practiced under police guard. “This is a response to what was mistakenly understood from the record of the Bishop Hedra on the El-Karma Channel,” Aswan’s bishopric said in a statement released Wednesday. “The video was recorded Sep. 18 and was published Sep. 20, while the attacks were on Sep. 30. This means it was 12 days before the burning of the church.” The statement added that the main purpose of the video was to reassure Christians that the church’s cross had not been taken, because it had...

  VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI called on Egypt's political and religious leaders Wednesday to protect the Copt minority after clashes in Cairo renewed Vatican fears for Christian safety in the Arab world. Egypt must resist "attempts to sabotage" relations between Christians and Muslims and "safeguard" peace in the wake of clashes between protesters and security forces on Sunday which killed 25, mainly Coptic Christians , he said. The pope voiced his support for the interim government -- which has become the target of mass public anger over the handling of the transition from ousted president Hosni Mubarak's rule to leadership elections scheduled for November. The Vatican fears that a government crisis and a setback in the Arab Spring revolution in general will weaken the hand of tolerant Muslims and strengthen extremist minorities who are determined to force Christians out. The pontiff carefully avoided plac...

  Pope Shenouda III By: NADER SHOUKRY - Translated by: HEND EL-BEHARY - Photos: TAREK ELGABAS “Our martyr's blood is not cheap. They were peaceful in their march from Shubra to Maspero and they were not armed,” said Pope Shenouda III in his weekly sermon. The Pope said the killed demonstrators would go to heaven and that the church resorts to God’s Justice. The Pope refused to answer any questions, which usually precedes his speech, saying it is not the day to answer. Hundreds of members of the Coptic Christian Church organized a protest, wearing black, carrying candles inside the cathedral and laying photos of those who died to mourn them.

  Cathedral St. Mark in Abbassiya By NADER SHOKRY - Translated by BISHOY RAMZY REYAD CAIRO: Hundreds of Coptic Christians organized a protest today at St. Mark Cathedral in Cairo. They called for demonstrators to wear black and light candles to mourn the souls of Maspiro’s martyrs. The demonstration was set to take place before Pope Shenouda III , head of Egypt’s Coptic Church, gave a sermon at St. Mark’s on Wednesday. At least 26 people were killed in Cairo on Sunday when violence broke out between the Egyptian army, Coptic demonstrators and unknown persons. There are also calls to organize a march after the sermon in protest against Sunday night’s violent Maspiro clashes . Others call to prevent or delay any such marches. In related news, Pope Shenouda received phone calls and telegraphs of consolation from high-profile personalities including Egypt’s former Deputy Prime Minister Yehia...

  Pope Benedict XVI AP VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI says he is "deeply saddened" by the recent violence in Cairo, referring to protests that left 26 dead, most of them Coptic Christian demonstrators. He condemned what he called attempts to "undermine the peaceful coexistence" among Egyptian communities. Egypt's Coptic Christians, who represent about 10 percent of the 85 million people in the Muslim-majority nation, have long complained that they are second-class citizens in their own country. Benedict, speaking at his weekly public audience Wednesday, said he supports efforts to protect the human rights of all, particularly the minorities, in support of national unity.

  Hussein Salem By MAHMOUD MAMLOUK - Translated by SAMAR SAMIR CAIRO: The Cairo Criminal Court today sentenced Hussein Salem , a close ally of ousted President Hosni Mubarak , to seven years in prison and a U.S. $4 billion fine. The fugitive businessman, currently held in a Spanish prison on money laundering charges, was found guilty in absentia of money laundering through selling Egyptian natural gas to Israel at below-market value. Investigations revealed that Salem received money from foreign banks, including the National Societe Generale Bank and the Arab African International Bank. Salem transferred some of his money and assets to his son and moved other assets abroad on his private plane, according to investigations. Spanish authorities have not issued a decision on whether or not to deport Salem to Egypt, according to Magdi el-Shafei, director of the Egyptian Interpol. El-Shaf...

  Hillary Clinton  By MENA - Translated by BISHOY RAMZY REYAD Egypt’s military rulers have a time table to transfer power to a civilian authority, said U.S Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. She added that the U.S. supports the military’s steps in this regard. Clinton added that Egypt's ruling military council has much to do during the current transitional stage, such as restructuring the police institution to protect the people and implementing the law. She added that the Armed Forces should not take on the role of the police. During an interview with Reuters, the top U.S. diplomat said that the U.S. supports the Egyptian leadership’s efforts achieve its objectives during the current stage. She added that the army deals with a complicated process, clarifying that lifting the emergency state is needed while the military rulers try to confront the criminals in the street. She said...

By MAHMOUD ABDUL magnitude and AHMED HAMADA -Translated by AMANY SABER The mother of Khaled Said , whose death is considered one catalyst of Egypt’s January uprising, offered her condolences to the mother of Mina Daniel, who was killed during Sunday nights’ bloody Maspiro clashes in Cairo. "We both suffered same pain because our sons were killed," said Khaled's mother. She also said she had seen Mina before in protests in Egypt’s Mediterranean city of Alexandria, where Khaled was killed. Regarding the Maspiro clashes, Khaled’s mother said there is something vague about these events. She said they are similar to the Qedeeseen church accident in Alexandria. She accused those who instigated the Qedeeseen church incident of causing Maspiro clashes. Khaled Said was died while in police custody on June 6, 2010. His death became a rallying point for Egyptians, and is considered on...

  Archive By ASHRAF AZOZ - Translated by SAMAR SAMIR CAIRO: Around 150 people praying today threw stones at approximately 60 activists protesting the Egyptian army and the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) outside the al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo. Those praying accused the demonstrators of sabotage after chants like “Oh Sheikh, tell our Pope; they will never divide us” and “It is not sectarian violence, it is a military massacre” were heard. The praying Egyptians responded by chanting, “The People and the Army are One Hand.” The demonstrating youth marched to Saint Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Catheral in Abassiya. The Imam today called for unity and cohesion in the Friday sermon.

By: MAHMOUD ABDEL GHANI - Translated by: HEND EL-BEHARY A group of a hundred media professionals, members of revolutionary parties and the Maspiro youth union, held a march from Akhbar al-Youm newspaper to Maspiro today. They called to purge the media from corrupt officials and condemned what they claimed as miserable coverage on Egyptian state television of the Maspiro incidents. Protesters also demanded the ouster of minister of media Osama Haikal. Protesters repeated some slogans that said, "Egyptian national unity is against sedition." A statement was spread throughout the crowd that Haikal is responsible for encouraging sectarian strife and was the main person inciting the media against peaceful protesters at Maspiro on Sunday. The statement also added that Egyptian television lied to Egyptians when it reported false news about the death of three Egyptian soldiers at the ha...

  Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, By MAHMOUD SAAD EL DIN - Translated by NOURHAN MAGDI Ahmed Omar Abdel Rahman, the son of the detained Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, died today in an air raid in Afghanistan, Spokesman of the Islamic Gama’a Islamiyya Mohamed Hassan told Youm7. Gama’a Islamiyya offered its condolences to the Sheikh’s family. Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman has been detained in U.S. prison for over 18 years after being convicted for participation of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Rahman received a life sentence.