Newcastle Jets stars Michael Bridges (left) and Emile Heskey have been rested for the clash with Melbourne Victory. Picture: George Salpigtidis Source: Herald Sun

Newcastle Jets aim to bring Harry Kewell back to the A-League after his time with Melbourne Victory last season. Picture: George Salpigtidis Source: Herald Sun

السودان يتهم الجنوب بإيواء متمردين - متمردين بالسودان بايواء

اتهم الجيش السوداني الاثنين جنوب السودان يإيواء من وصفهم بـ "المتمردين" من ولاية النيل الأزرق السودانية ومن بينهم جرحى أصيبوا في المعارك الأخيرة.

الجنايات الدولية تحث ليبيا على اعتقال البشير

حثت محكمة الجنايات الدولية الجمعة دولتي تشاد وليبيا على اعتقال الرئيس السوداني عمر البشير إذا قام بزيارتهما خلال عطلة نهاية الأسبوع.

Ismaily beat Algeria's CR Belouizdad on penalties to reach Arab Cup semis

smaily, who held the Algerian side to a 1-1 draw in Algeria two weeks ago, opened the scoring after 14 minutes via a goal from Amr El-Soulaya but Belouizdad's Islam Silmani leveled the aggregate score on the stroke of halftime
The hosts had the upper hand in the penalty shootout, converting four to their opponents' one

Tennis: Federer outwits Granollers as he eyes Djokovic showdown

On Wednesday, after the first five games went with serve, Granollers stumbled, a double fault gifting Federer three break points.

The 31-year-old needed only one, passing Granollers at the net with an arrowed forehand down the line for a 4-2 lead.

Federer, seeking a first title of 2013 and a sixth Dubai crown, was relentless, regularly opting for serve-and-volley tactics, and wrapped up the set with a love game.

"I thought I was sharp, I knew what I wanted to do and I was able to do it," the world number two said in a courtside interview.

"He was going to come in, so I thought I would rather hit a volley than a passing shot - when the courts are so fast, you want to play offensive."

Federer broke again for a decisive 3-2 lead in the second set courtesy of a deep forehand that the Spaniard thought had landed long but his appeal fell flat.

Earlier, world number seven Juan Martin Del Potro pounded Somdev Devvarman 6-4 6-4.

The Argentine saved three break points in his opening two service games but was otherwise largely untroubled in dispatching India's number one.

"It's good, but I need to improve  if I want to have a chance of winning this tournament," Del Potro said in a courtside interview.

The former U.S. Open champion was taken to a deciding set tiebreak by Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis in Tuesday's first round, saving three matches points along the way, but the Argentine was steadier against Devvarman, sealing the first set with an ace.

Roared on by a raucous Indian following in the stands, Devvarman provided more resistance in second before a long backhand sealed his fate.

Del Potro, 24, lost a year of his career with a wrist problem and he admitted the fear of aggravating the injury was causing him to change his playing style.

"Sometimes I get frustrated because I can't hit the ball like I want it," the Argentine told reporters. "I'm not going to put myself at risk again."

Third seed Tomas Berdych, 27, was also through to the last-eight, beating Germany's Tobias Kamke 7-5 6-1 under a searing desert sun.

The Czech toiled more than the score line would suggest, squandering five set points in the first set against the world number 90 and saving 12 of 14 break points himself.

Djokovic will play Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut in Wednesday's late match

Zamalek's regular keeper handed hefty fine as row escalates

The cash-strapped side, who made an impressive start to their Egyptian Premier League campaign, are struggling to afford the monthly payments of their players, who made no secret of their frustration.

"We have decided to fine team skipper Abdel-Wahed El-Sayed LE75,000 for criticising the board of directors in statements released to the media," Zamalek said on their website.

"Right-back Ahmed Samir was also fined LE35,000 for criticising board member Ibrahim Youssef. The player's apology was taken into consideration and the punishment was lenient."

El-Sayed accused the board of not supporting the disgruntled players following Monday's 2-1 comeback victory over Arab Contractors.

The 35-year-old was quoted by local media as saying that he, as a team captain, had the right to speak about the players' problems.

Zamalek garnered maximum 15 points from their first five league games as they chase the elusive Premier League title which they had not won since 2004

FIFA extends match-fixing bans for 70 Italians

FIFA said that 70 bans from the Italian Football Federation, including 11 lifetime ones, had been extended after players and officials had been sanctioned for match-fixing in various hearings.

It said this involved either a "direct involvement or omission to report match-fixing, illegal betting or corrupt organisation (association to commit illicit acts)".

FIFA said bans were also extended in the cases of four South Koreans.

FIFA has been especially keen to be seen to be cracking down on corruption since European anti-crime agency Europol announced on Feb. 4 that around 680 matches were suspected of being fixed in a global betting scam run from Singapore

Tennis: Nadal hints Indian Wells pull out

Nadal said he loves the tournament he won in 2007 and 2009 but has to think about protecting his knees and staying healthy for the European clay-court season, which ends at the French Open.

He didn't say whether he would play at Key Biscayne, Fla., where he's reached the final three times, after the Indian Wells tournament.

''My intention is to go to Indian Wells,'' Nadal said after reaching the second round of the Mexican Open late Tuesday. ''This is the truth because I love this tournament and the priority is to play. But if I don't feel comfortable playing and decide to wait to play on the hard courts, that's how it will be and I'll rest for the clay-court season (in Europe). But today I can't answer.''

Nadal has been critical of playing on hard courts, suggesting it has caused the knee injuries that are threatening his career. This month in Brazil, he said the ATP was not doing enough to protect players' health, saying the increased number of tournaments on hard courts will lead to long-term injuries that will affect the players even after they retire.

''I said the truth. I don't know if I'm going to go or not,'' Nadal repeated. ''It will depend on how I feel every day and every week.''

Asked about rumors he would not play, he replied: ''The media can't know more than I do.''

Nadal said the condition of his left knee was still day-to-day.

''Even when the knee is perfect I had some days better than others. Right now I have had three days in which the knee has felt fine and that makes me happy, that we're going in the right direction,'' Nadal said.

Nadal has so far restricted his comeback after more than seven months out with knee trouble to events on softer clay. This month, he reached the final in Chile and won in Brazil

AFC probes Lebanon football matchfixing report

We have received a report today and our disciplinary committee are looking into it," an AFC spokesman said.

Dayoub, who along with Ali was fined $15,000, denied the allegations and said he would fight to clear his name.

"I am not guilty. They have suspended me and accused me of matchfixing without any evidence or proof," Ramez told FOX Sports. "This is a serious allegation and I have no doubt there's something behind this.

"If I really am guilty of matchfixing, FIFA will investigate and suspend me, not the Lebanese FA."

The news is a further blow to Asian soccer which has been hit by numerous cases of matchfixing in recent years, limiting its development on the world stage.

European police shone a spotlight on the region earlier this month when they said a Singapore-based syndicate had directed matchfixing for at least 380 soccer games in Europe alone.

Lebanon are still in the running to qualify for their first World Cup finals with three matches remaining but any punishment from the AFC or world governing body FIFA could see their hopes dashed

Real Madrid’s Casillas expects more success at Old Trafford

United manager Alex Ferguson was watching from the stands at the Nou Camp on Tuesday when Real romped to a 3-1 semi-final second leg victory, helped by a double from the outstanding Cristiano Ronaldo.

Real reached the May 18 Cup final coming back from a 1-1 home draw, the same result United achieved at the Bernabeu in the first leg, to triumph 4-2 on aggregate with a commanding display against their arch-rivals.

Despite an inconsistent league campaign which has left Real third, 16 points adrift of leaders Barca, they proved they could rise to the occasion when required and batter a side who have beaten United twice in European Cup finals in recent seasons.

"We hope this will be a pivotal moment for us," Real captain Iker Casillas told reporters, when he surprisingly appeared to speak instead of coach Jose Mourinho.

"We are level at 1-1 (with United) and we have to try and score, and to keep a clean sheet. We need to do what we did here at Old Trafford," added Casillas, who is out of action recovering from hand surgery.

"The team played to their strengths very well. I think Madrid have beaten Barca tactically and are deserved winners of the tie."

Madrid let Barca dominate possession but denied them the space to work their magic, as AC Milan had done when surprising the visitors 2-0 in their Champions League last 16 first leg last week.

Ronaldo outshone World Player of the Year Lionel Messi, scoring in a record sixth consecutive 'Clasico' away from home, the first goal coming from the penalty spot and the second after a trademark fast counter-attack.

The Portugal forward, a former United player who was applauded by visiting fans at the Bernabeu where he headed Real level two weeks ago, hailed the result for it's morale-boosting effect.

"We want to continue in the same vein," he told Spanish television. "This game gives us enormous confidence for the trip to Manchester."

Real are seeking a 10th European Cup, and Mourinho a third with different clubs, and he has made it clear the domestic trophy and the Champions League are his priorities this season with the defence of their league title all but over

Egypt football to show ‘new faces’ against Qatar

The squad will combine new faces especially as the European-based players have apologised for the game,” goalkeeper coach Zaki Abdel-Fattah told Ahram Sports.

Egyptian champions Ahly approved the release of their players for national duty despite earlier rejection as the game is not approved by FIFA.

The winners of seven Africa Cup of Nations are bidding for their first World Cup finals since 1990 when they meet Zimbabwe in the African qualifiers on 26 March.

“I am sure Egypt players are capable of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. I can see enthusiasm and determination in the eyes of the players,” American manager Bob Bradley told media Wednesday.

The Pharoahs top qualifiers Group G with six points from two games, three ahead of second-placed Guinea. Zimbabwe and Mozambique hold one point each

Manchester United to play in Thailand on 2013 tour

There are over 19.5 million Manchester United followers in Thailand and the club has been lucky enough to visit on a number of occasions," chief executive David Gill said in a statement.
The match will open United's 2013 tour which includes games in Sydney, Yokohama, Osaka and Hong Kong

Real Madrid's Benzema caught speeding 60 mph over limit

In June 2011, Benzema was fined for reckless driving when police caught him racing through the city on the Mediterranean island of Ibiza.

Madrid plays Barcelona on Saturday in the Spanish league before visiting Manchester United in the Champions League on Tuesday

Benitez gets little sympathy from former Chelsea players

Instead, they rallied round their old club with former defender Jason Cundy saying Benitez had orchestrated his own downfall at Stamford Bridge by failing to adopt an attractive brand of football which would have won over the fans.

Former midfielder Craig Burley said Benitez and the club should go their separate ways as soon as possible, while bookmakers William Hill were offering short odds that he would be out of Stamford Bridge before Chelsea play West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League on Saturday.

The bookmakers also installed former boss Jose Mourinho as favourite to return to Stamford Bridge as the club's next permanent manager following another week when the image of the European champions has taken a pounding.

Burley told Talksport radio on Thursday: "Maybe it would be in the best interests for the club and for Rafa's own sanity if they go their separate ways as soon as possible."

Cundy said: "Benitez has not helped himself because if Chelsea were winning and had been playing attractive football over the last few months, it would have quietened the fans. The trouble is they have not been playing well.

"He should never have been offered the job and while I have a little sympathy with him for what has gone on, you cannot come out and attack the owner and have a go at the fans. You cannot get away with that, you can't," he said on Talksport.

Benitez said on Wednesday he was surprised and upset to be called "interim manager" and blamed the fans for creating a bad atmosphere at the London club.

Cundy responded: "I cannot accept that Benitez was surprised to be called interim manager because at the end of the day, Avram Grant and Robby Di Matteo had that title and they both got Chelsea to a Champions League Final."

As well as dealing with the Benitez outburst after the club's 2-0 FA Cup fifth-round win over second-tier Middlesbrough on Wednesday, Chelsea faced criticism for airbrushing former manager Di Matteo out of a mural at Chelsea's West Stand.

Di Matteo led Chelsea to Champions League success last season when they lifted the European Cup for the first time, but was sacked in November and replaced by Benitez.

"I said last summer that if Chelsea finish third and win a trophy, then that would have been a decent achievement," Cundy said.

"Di Matteo could not have done better than that, Benitez could not have done better than that, but the style of football is not as good now as it was at the start of the season."

Cundy, who described the situation at the club as "crazy", said captain John Terry could emerge as a shock contender for the manager's job

Benitez gets little sympathy from former Chelsea players

Instead, they rallied round their old club with former defender Jason Cundy saying Benitez had orchestrated his own downfall at Stamford Bridge by failing to adopt an attractive brand of football which would have won over the fans.

Former midfielder Craig Burley said Benitez and the club should go their separate ways as soon as possible, while bookmakers William Hill were offering short odds that he would be out of Stamford Bridge before Chelsea play West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League on Saturday.

The bookmakers also installed former boss Jose Mourinho as favourite to return to Stamford Bridge as the club's next permanent manager following another week when the image of the European champions has taken a pounding.

Burley told Talksport radio on Thursday: "Maybe it would be in the best interests for the club and for Rafa's own sanity if they go their separate ways as soon as possible."

Cundy said: "Benitez has not helped himself because if Chelsea were winning and had been playing attractive football over the last few months, it would have quietened the fans. The trouble is they have not been playing well.

"He should never have been offered the job and while I have a little sympathy with him for what has gone on, you cannot come out and attack the owner and have a go at the fans. You cannot get away with that, you can't," he said on Talksport.

Benitez said on Wednesday he was surprised and upset to be called "interim manager" and blamed the fans for creating a bad atmosphere at the London club.

Cundy responded: "I cannot accept that Benitez was surprised to be called interim manager because at the end of the day, Avram Grant and Robby Di Matteo had that title and they both got Chelsea to a Champions League Final."

As well as dealing with the Benitez outburst after the club's 2-0 FA Cup fifth-round win over second-tier Middlesbrough on Wednesday, Chelsea faced criticism for airbrushing former manager Di Matteo out of a mural at Chelsea's West Stand.

Di Matteo led Chelsea to Champions League success last season when they lifted the European Cup for the first time, but was sacked in November and replaced by Benitez.

"I said last summer that if Chelsea finish third and win a trophy, then that would have been a decent achievement," Cundy said.

"Di Matteo could not have done better than that, Benitez could not have done better than that, but the style of football is not as good now as it was at the start of the season."

Cundy, who described the situation at the club as "crazy", said captain John Terry could emerge as a shock contender for the manager's job

Bayern back at top after snapping Dortmund curse

The Bavarians advanced to the German Cup last four after eliminating holders Dortmund, who had also won back-to-back league titles in 2011 and 2012, with a sparkling performance.

They are now odds-on favourites to claim the domestic cup as well as a first Bundesliga title since 2010 having carved out a 17-point lead over second-placed Dortmund.

Bayern are also enjoying a sensational season in Europe and are all but through to the Champions League quarter-finals after their 3-1 first leg win at Arsenal earlier this month.

"My team deserves a great compliment because it showed that it is not only capable of playing beautiful football at the moment but that it can also fight," coach Jupp Heynckes said.

Bayern's performance so far this season may have pointed towards a win on Wednesday but they have endured a dismal record against their opponents, failing to beat Dortmund in any of their last six encounter and losing five in a row.

With the 'Dortmund curse' finally snapped, Bayern bosses breathed a sigh of relief.

"The issue about supremacy in Germany has now been cleared. I had asked myself how I will survive this game," Bayern president Uli Hoeness confessed.

"But it worked out fine because the team played very well. We have now taken a big step to be back at the very top in Germany."

Hoeness admitted the competition with Dortmund in recent seasons had also helped Bayern improve.

"I have no problem with Dortmund and they are doing superb work," he told reporters. "Borussia lifted us to a new level and we saw the results on Wednesday when we played perfect football at times."

Bayern this season have bounced back remarkably well after a bitter Champions League final defeat last year in Munich and losing out to Dortmund in the German title race.

"We want to win titles," said Robben, who scored the winner and is eager to re-establish himself as an automatic starter after playing mostly as a substitute of late.

"We are strong and stable and the organisation within the team is perfect

Lebanon coach 'broken' after matchfixing scandal

The German coach has been the driving force behind Lebanon's fairytale run to the final stages of World Cup qualifying for the first time as the West Asians chase an unlikely place in Brazil.

"A whole country was hoping to do something different. Now everything has been demolished," the German told United Arab Emirates newspaper Sport 360.

"I'm looking in the next two or three days to have a meeting with the federation to talk about my position.

"I don't know yet what I will do, I need to speak to the board and the president. I can't say whether I will continue or not," Bucker said.

"Inside, I'm broken. I really need to think things over and make the right decision, that's it."

Bucker has guided the team to memorable World Cup qualifying victories over regional heavyweights Iran and South Korea despite the team being ranked a lowly 178th by FIFA less than two years ago.

A 1-0 defeat by Qatar in November hit their hopes of taking one of the two qualifying spots from the five-team Group A with another defeat away to pool leaders Uzbekistan next month likely to end their Brazilian dreams.

It is not the first time Lebanon has been caught up in a matchfixing scandal.

"The tragic thing is when I came to Lebanon 12 years ago, I was facing the same situation," Bucker said.

"Lebanon got kicked out of the federation because of match fixing, now after 10 years I come back and there is exactly the same situation."

The Lebanese FA said the players were entitled to appeal the decision but added that some of them have directly confessed to their involvement in rigging games.

The second incident leaving the much-travelled coach at a crossroads.

"Personally, I'm very disappointed with a couple of guys I really trusted," the 64-year-old said.

"I don't know what to think. Me, personally, I was putting a lot of effort, a lot of time, a lot of work into making a path in this country, and some really stupid idiots have destroyed everything

Tennis: Nadal reaches quarterfinals in Mexico

The second-seeded Nadal needed just 85 minutes to beat Alund at the clay court tournament and will next face another Argentine in Leonardo Mayer, who defeated Russia's Andrey Kuznetsov 6-2, 6-2 to advance.

Top Seeded David Ferrer earlier downed American Wayne Odesnik 6-2, 6-1 to book his place in the final eight.

Nadal is making a comeback after being away from the tour for more than seven months with a left-knee injury.

He made the final of the VTR Open earlier this month in Chile before losing to Argentine Horacio Zeballos.

A week later he beat David Nalbandian to claim the Brazil Open title

Tennis: Djokovic swats aside Seppi to set up Del Potro showdown

Del Potro is a fantastic player, he's very powerful and has a great serve," Djokovic said in a courtside interview. "He likes this court, plays very aggressive, so I'll have to be on top of my game."

The Serb had been lax in the closing stages of his second round match and he began Thursday in a similar fashion, perhaps complacent due to a 9-0 winning record against Italian Seppi.

Djokovic's first serve was rarely on target in the opening game and a netted forehand left him facing a break point, but the 25-year-old escaped with a venomous serve and eventually held.

That scare seemed to refocus the Serb, who broke immediately by exposing the Italian's limitations - an erratic serve, short returns and a limp backhand.

Seppi won just 11 points in a first set whitewash.

Djokovic dominated from the baseline, slugging out the few rallies before injecting some extra pace into his ground strokes that Seppi had no reply to.

When the world number 20 did win his first game to make it 1-1 in the second set, he was greeted with rapturous applause from a crowd who did not want to see such a mismatch playing out before them.

Djokovic, seeking a fourth Dubai crown in five years and 36th tour title overall, broke decisively for a 3-1 second set lead as a flat-footed Seppi played a forehand that did not even trouble the tram lines.

Earlier, Del Potro's thunderous serving helped the Argentine overwhelm German qualifier Daniel Brands 6-4 6-2.

"If I am ready and I'm very solid with my forehands and serve … it's going to be a very big chance for me," Del Potro told reporters when asked about the prospect of a 10th meeting with Djokovic.

That confidence is a reflection of the former U.S. Open champion's improving form in Dubai following a scare in the first round in which he saved three match points before beating Marcos Baghdatis. He has eased through the next two rounds without losing serve.

Cheered on by pockets of Argentine support decked out in the blue and white stripes of the country's football team, he conceded just 10 points on serve against Brands in the volcanic afternoon heat.

The opening nine games all went with serve but then Brands faltered, bludgeoning a wayward forehand to concede the set.

Del Potro sublime ground strokes also proved lethal and he broke again for a decisive 2-0 lead in the second set.

Third seed Tomas Berdych continued his imperious form, swatting aside wildcard Dmitry Tursunov 6-3 6-2.

The Czech, ranked sixth in the world, has yet to drop a set in Dubai and will play Roger Federer or Nikolay Davydenko in the semis

Champions League gives Juventus first-half profit

Juventus, set for a place in the last eight of the Champions League, made a profit of 11.3 million euros ($14.81 million) in the six months to the end of December, having lost 34.6 million euros in the same period a year earlier.

Juventus have been revitalised by a move into their own new stadium. That is a rarity in Italy where big clubs often play in shared grounds owned by local authorities, limiting their ability to build money-spinning corporate boxes.

Revenues at the Turin-based club leapt by 75 percent to 149 million euros in the first half, helped by an additional 42.8 million of television money from the Champions League.

Juventus won the Italian league last season without losing a game to complete their recovery after the most successful club in Italian soccer history were relegated in 2006 over a bribery scandal.

The club expects to make a loss for the 2012-13 season as a whole but it would be significantly less than last year's figure of almost 50 million euros.

Juventus have paid 11.7 million euros to buy a plot of land adjacent to their new stadium from the Turin city council. They plan to build a new training and media centre on the site, along with hotels and other leisure facilities.

Top European clubs are under pressure to get their finances in order to comply with UEFA's new Financial Fair Play rules that could lead to teams being barred from European competition if the make excessive losses.

Juventus are top of the Italian league by six points ahead of Friday's match at second-placed Napoli.

They are also on course to advance in the Champions League next week after beating Celtic 3-0 in the first leg of their last-16 game in Glasgow.

Juventus maintain close ties with the Agnellis, the family who founded car maker Fiat. Their shirt sponsor is Fiat unit Jeep and they are controlled by Exor, the holding company of the Agnelli family

Setubal honours 'Special One' with street Jose Mourinho

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho is to get a street in Setubal named after him in honour of his sporting achievements, the town hall of his home city said on Thursday.

Mourinho, the 50-year-old self-styled 'Special One', is arguably the most successful ever Portuguese coach.

He has won league titles in four different countries with Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid, and has led teams to two Champions League trophies.

The Setubal town hall said in a statement it had made the decision because of Mourinho's "extraordinary role in international sport".

"He is, in all fairness, one of the coaches in the world with the most prestige and qualification."

The exact street or avenue has not yet been chosen but the town hall's general assembly voted unanimously to approve the naming.

Setubal, located just south-east of Lisbon across the Tagus, is a former industrial hub that has become one of Portugal's most impoverished and unemployment-stricken cities

Former France midfielder Brahimi to play for Algeria

Former France youth international Yacine Brahimi is now eligible to represent Algeria at a senior level after receiving clearance from FIFA, the international football governing body.

"FIFA have transmitted to the Algerian Football Federation (FAF) the official decision of the eligibility of the player Yacine Brahimi to play for the Algerian national team," a statement read on the Algerian football federation website on Thursday.

Brahimi has represented France at all youth levels. The 23-year-old Rennes midfielder has been on loan since last summer to Spanish side Granada.

Algeria are looking to rebuild their team after recent debacles, including a first round elimination from the Africa Cup of Nations 2013.

Last year Algeria secured Valencia midfielder Sofiane Feghouli, and Brahimi now seems ready to make his debut with the team when they will take Benin on 26 March in the third round of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers

Amr Zaki terminates contract with ENPPI

I will reveal my new club within hours,” Zaki has reportedly said Thursday afternoon following complications sparked between him and ENPPI manager Tarek El-Ashry ahead of Bani Swif Telephones league game.

Last month, the former Zamalek star also terminated deal with Turkey's Elazigspor by mutual consent less than five months after signing.

The 29-year-old forward, who joined the Elazig-based club late August and was supposed to stay for two seasons, had agreed last month with the club to leave amicably and joined ENPPI in a free transfer.

He made eight appearances in the Turkish league. His last appearance came on 24 November against Galatasaray when he was substituted due to injury.

Zaki scored 36 goals for ENPPI during his previous stint at the petroleum club before moving to Zamalek in 2006, where he was loaned to English Premier League side Wigan Athletic in 2008-2009 and scored 11 goals in 33 matches.

He also had a short spell at Hull City where he made six appearances

Arsenal without Sagna, Diaby doubtful for Spurs clash

Abou has a calf problem, a minor one. He will have tests and then we will see if we can use him or not," manager Arsene Wenger told a news conference on Thursday.
Diaby's fellow Frenchman Sagna has a knee injury and missed last weekend's Premier League win over Aston Villa.

"He is not ready for Sunday. It is too short for him," said Wenger.

Arsenal are fifth in the league on 47 points, two behind Chelsea and four adrift of third-placed Spurs

El-Hodoud outclass toothless Ahly in biggest-ever victory

This loss is the heaviest Egyptian league defeat for Ahly since 2007 when the African Champions lost to Ismaily 3-0 in Cairo.  

In a night to forget, the defending champions threw away their lead in Group A to their hosts, who managed to capitalise on their visitors' defensive howlers.

First, Ahmed Shedid Qenawy made a short back-pass that was intercepted by striker Ahmed Hassan Mekki, who scored the opener after 5 minutes.

Then Moetaz Eno doubled the lead in the beginning of the second half after a poorly-cleared ball, and finally unmarked Mekki completed the rout from close range in the 78th minute. 

Ahly coach Hossam El-Badry had to play without key central midfielders Hossam Ashour and Shehab Eddine Ahmed, both injured, and their absence seemed to be devastating.

Rami Rabea  and youngster Mahmoud "Trezeguet" Hassan  who had his first starting role this season couldn't provide the compactness and parsimony the team needed.

But the military side's victory over Ahly was fully deserved, even if the visitors gave them a big helping hand.

Haras El-Hodoud revealed quickly their intention to clinch the three points of the game with a close-range header from striker Ahmed Hassan Mekki denied by keeper Sherif Ekramy  in the third minute of the game.

Two minutes later Mekki snatched a short pass from Ahly’s defender Ahmed Shedid Qenawy who tried to return the ball to his keeper, rounded Ekramy and slid the ball into the empty net.

The in-form striker forced Ekramy to another heroic save as he skipped past defender Mohamed Naguib to strike from close range.

Ahly seemed to be regaining their composure at the half hour mark and seemed to be closing on the equaliser, but poor efforts from strikers Emad Meteb and Ahmed Abdel-Zaher kept them trailing in the scoreline at the break.  

Just after the interval young midfielder Mahmoud Hassan was sent on a one-on-one with the keeper, but his ball went over the bar.

Haras El-Hodoud reacted quickly on scoring their second goal, thanks to a nice 25-yard shot from Ahly’s former midfielder Moataz Eno, who picked up a bad clearance from Rami Rabea.    

Ahly attacked en masse trying to bounce back and coach Hossam El-Badry brought in all his attacking cards - Mauritanian forward Dominique Da Silva, striker El-Sayed Hamdy and forward Ahmed Shoukry.

Mekki hit again as he coolly finished off a low cross from Ahmed Sabry, who dribbled past Qenawy in the 79th minute.

Following their victory, Haras El-Hodoud advanced to the first place in Group A on goal differences, as the military club, Ahly and ENPPI  all have 9 point

Zahraa Maadi Investment profits hit LE 111.6 m in 2012

zhraa Maadi Investment & Development - (ZMID) reported financial results posting a net profit of LE 111,611,928 for the period from 01/01/2012 till 31/12/2012.

Noting that, it posted net profits of LE 111,430,478 for the period from 01/01/2011 till 31/12/2011.

Delta Construction & Rebuilding 2012 profit jumps to LE 9.3 m in 2012

Delta Construction & Rebuilding - (DCRC) reported financial results posting a net profit of LE 9,360,532 for the period from 01/01/2012 till 31/12/2012.

Noting that, it posted net profits of LE 5,500,267 for the period from 01/01/2011 till 31/12/2011

El Arabia Engineering Industries profits hit LE 9 m in 2012

El Arabia Engineering Industries - (EEII) reported financial results posting a net profit of LE 9,049,094 for the period from 01/01/2012 till 31/12/2012.

Noting that, it posted net profits of LE 7,601,190 for the period from 01/01/2011 till 31/12/2011

Ezz Steel 9 months profits dip to LE 95 m

Ezz Steel - (ESRS) reported consolidated financial results posting a net profit of LE 95,560,000 for the period from 01/01/2012 till 30/09/2012.

Noting that, it posted net profits of LE 449,498,000 for the same period of the previous year

Egypt developer SODIC posts 2012 net profit after loss in 2011

Egyptian property developer SODIC said on Wednesday it made a net profit of 257 million Egyptian pounds ($38.1 million)in 2012 after a net loss in 2011.

The companys net income for the fourth quarter of 2012 was 125 million pounds, it said in a statement, without giving a comparative figure for the same period in 2011.

Egypts real estate industry was thrown into turmoil after a popular uprising ousted President Hosni Mubarak in 2011, hitting demand for high-end property.

SODIC has been spared much of the legal uncertainty over land bank ownership that damaged investor confidence in the sector since the revolt.

An agreement with authorities in March last year to develop projects on its land bank in West Cairo within three years protected SODICs assets from possible legal challenges.

The company said it made contracted sales of 347 million pounds in the fourth quarter of 2012, and total revenues of 564 million pounds in the same period

Egypt gas exports up 4% in 2012: IDSC



Egypt exported $22 billion worth of natural gas last year, 4 percent more than in 2011, according to a report on Economic and Social Indicators released in February by the state-run Information and Decision Support Centre (IDSC).

The country exports dry and liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe, the US and South Korea. It also continues to supply a handful of Arab countries through the Arab Gas Pipeline, completed in 2004, despite a series of attacks on the pipeline since Egypt's January 25 Revolution, which disrupted the natural gas exports.

Egypt produced 45.8 million tonnes of natural gas in 2012, a 0.85 percent drop from the previous years' 46.1 million tonnes, according to the report.

Domestic consumption of natural gas, however, rose to 39.2 million tonnes in 2012, exceeding the previous years' figure by a significant 5.8 percent.

Egypt has two liquefied natural gas plants and a gas export pipeline, but industry sources say the government has diverted some gas contracted for export to meet the growing demands of the domestic market.

57 percent of domestic consumption gas was geared to electricity generation, compared to 56 percent in 2011.

The country has experienced increasingly frequent power cuts since the summer of 2012 due in part to a shortage in natural gas.

In January 2013, Egypt issued an international tender to import liquefied natural gas to meet its domestic needs; the results will be announced by the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS), according to Hamdi Abdel- Aziz, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Petroleum.

Egypt budget deficit hits $17.7 bn in 1st 7 months of 2012/13


Egypt's budget deficit increased by 35.8 percent to LE119.8 billion ($17.7 billion) from July to January of the 2012/13 fiscal year compared to the same period the previous fiscal year, Egypt's finance ministry stated Wednesday.

According to the ministry's monthly bulletin, the budget deficit represents 6.7 percent of Egypt's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which currently stands at LE1.5 trillion.

The finance ministry added that the deficit increase was largely due to an increase in fiscal expenditures by 29.8 percent, which stood at LE288.9 billion (roughly $42.8 billion) in the second quarter of the 2012/13 fiscal year, compared to LE 222.6 billion (some $33 billion) for the same period the previous fiscal year.

The increase was led by rises in subsidies and social benefits, which rose by 49.9 percent to LE91.2 billion (roughly $13.5 billion) in the July-January period of the current fiscal year, compared to almost LE60.9 billion ($9 billion) during the corresponding period the previous fiscal year.

Domestic debt, meanwhile, rose to $192 billion in the July-January period of the current fiscal year, representing 72.8 percent of Egypt's GDP, compared to $157 billion in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year, according to the finance ministry.

On Monday, the government announced a modified economic reform programme aimed at meeting the preconditions of a proposed $4.8 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund.

If the economic recovery programme is successfully implemented, the government asserts, Egypt's budget deficit will fall by the end of the 2014/15 fiscal year to some LE183 billion, constituting almost 7.7 percent of the nation's GDP, compared to the 10.9 percent forecast for the current fiscal year

Egypt budget deficit hits $17.7 bn in 1st 7 months of 2012/13


Egypt's budget deficit increased by 35.8 percent to LE119.8 billion ($17.7 billion) from July to January of the 2012/13 fiscal year compared to the same period the previous fiscal year, Egypt's finance ministry stated Wednesday.

According to the ministry's monthly bulletin, the budget deficit represents 6.7 percent of Egypt's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which currently stands at LE1.5 trillion.

The finance ministry added that the deficit increase was largely due to an increase in fiscal expenditures by 29.8 percent, which stood at LE288.9 billion (roughly $42.8 billion) in the second quarter of the 2012/13 fiscal year, compared to LE 222.6 billion (some $33 billion) for the same period the previous fiscal year.

The increase was led by rises in subsidies and social benefits, which rose by 49.9 percent to LE91.2 billion (roughly $13.5 billion) in the July-January period of the current fiscal year, compared to almost LE60.9 billion ($9 billion) during the corresponding period the previous fiscal year.

Domestic debt, meanwhile, rose to $192 billion in the July-January period of the current fiscal year, representing 72.8 percent of Egypt's GDP, compared to $157 billion in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year, according to the finance ministry.

On Monday, the government announced a modified economic reform programme aimed at meeting the preconditions of a proposed $4.8 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund.

If the economic recovery programme is successfully implemented, the government asserts, Egypt's budget deficit will fall by the end of the 2014/15 fiscal year to some LE183 billion, constituting almost 7.7 percent of the nation's GDP, compared to the 10.9 percent forecast for the current fiscal year

OCI awards tanks package valued in excess of $ 60 m to Matrix Service Inc

Cairo - OCI N.V.’s wholly-owned subsidiary Iowa Fertilizer Company (IFCo), a Greenfield nitrogen fertilizer plant located in Lee County, has announced that its Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) Contractor, the OCI Construction Group (OCIC), has awarded a construction contract valued in excess of US$ 60 million to Matrix Service Inc.

The contract requires the engineering, fabrication, and erection of the tank structures for two double containment ammonia storage tanks and three urea ammonium nitrate storage tanks, to be located within the boundary of the IFCo plant facilities. Consistent with IFCo’s commitment to maximizing local job creation, Matrix Service Inc. has stated that the firm will spend an estimated 20% of the total contract value on direct expenditures in the Southeastern Iowa economy. Matrix Service Inc. will recruit local talent using Iowa’s Workforce Development, the state’s employment security agency, and provide work opportunities for various local businesses including surveying, concrete supply, construction and consumables, tank painting and insulation, reinforcing steel supply and fabrication, among other goods and services. Furthermore, Matrix Service Inc. is proposing a training program to recruit local Southeast Iowa welders, at no cost to local employees, providing the foundation for a full-time career after the IFCo tanks are complete.

IFCo is a Greenfield nitrogen fertilizer complex that is currently under construction. The plant will produce up to 2 million metric tons per annum of nitrogen fertilizers, including ammonia, urea, and urea ammonium nitrate (UAN), as well as diesel exhaust fluid (DEF). IFCo will be the first world scale natural gas-based fertilizer plant built in the United States in nearly 25 years and will help reduce the United States’ dependency on imported fertilizers.

Matrix Service Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Matrix Service Company. Matrix Service Company provides engineering, fabrication, construction and maintenance services to Electrical Infrastructure, Oil Gas & Chemical, Storage Solutions and Industrial markets. The Company is headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with regional operating facilities in the United States and Canada.

This award represents the fourth in a series of IFCo contracts awarded to engineering and construction companies, with a sizeable Iowa labor component, over the past four months. During the fourth quarter of 2012, The Weitz Company, a Des Moines-based general contractor, was awarded the civil works package; Stanley Consultants, a   Muscatine-based consulting engineering firm, was awarded the engineering package for Balance of Plant, Buildings and Utilities; and McAninch Corporation, a Des Moines-based earthmoving contractor, was awarded the earthworks package.

Osama Bishai, Chief Operating Officer of the OCI Construction Group commented: “We are pleased that one of the last outstanding major packages for IFCo has been awarded to Matrix Service Inc., a national leader in tank construction and liquid storage. Both OCI N.V. and Matrix Service Inc. are committed to maximizing job creation in the state of Iowa and this construction contract award is a testament to that commitment. The ammonia storage tank package award is a key milestone in the construction schedule of the project with is scheduled to start production in late 2015.”

The ammonia tank will be ready for Cool Down February 2015, in time for IFCo’s scheduled commissioning date

Egypt Iran agreement is 'a political stunt Tourism official

Tourism between the two countries has been almost non-existent since all bilateral relations were severed following Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution.

"The agreement is impracticable. It's impossible for Egypt to implement any such agreement at this time," claimed Adel Zaki, head of the Foreign Tourism Committee at the Egyptian Travel Agents Association (ETAA), citing the opposition of Egypt's National Security apparatus and Egyptian public opinion to host Shiite Iranian visitors in Sunni-majority Egypt. "In its current state of political instability Egypt will not be able to handle the security risks posed by an influx of Iranian tourists."

An agreement allowing for direct flights between the two countries, signed in 2010, has yet to be implemented.


"Besides, no Egyptian travel agency will be keen to deal with Iranians at a time when international sanctions have restricted international money transfers from and to Iran," added Zaki, referring to UN-imposed sanctions targeting Iran's nuclear programme.

Zaki went on to affirm that the signing of the MoU by Egypt's tourism minister Hisham Zaazou and his Iranian counterpart was a last-minute decision by the Egyptian presidency, who ordered the minister to travel to Tehran on very short notice earlier this week.

The spontaneity of Zaazou's visit and the signing of the agreement, in Zaki's view, confirmed his suspicions that the move is a "political stunt" and a "gesture of defiance" by the Egyptian presidency ahead of US Secretary of State John Kerry's projected visit to Egypt on Sunday.

"The purpose of this agreement is mainly to reinforce the impression that Egypt can determine its own foreign policy towards Iran, irrespective of the American-led embargo," concluded Zaki.

The Shiite and Sunni majority nations have experienced an unlikely rapprochement since the toppling of former President Mubarak in 2011, whose regime was content with keeping the status quo in its relations with the Islamic Republic.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited Egypt earlier in February to attend the 12th summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

In August 2012, President Mohamed Morsi had become the first Egyptian head of state to visit Iran since the two nations severed ties over three decades ago

Flour subsidies at stake as bakers plan mass strike

A meeting Thursday between government officials and bakery owners has temporarily averted a mass strike planned for Friday.

Bakery owners postponed the strike to next Monday after meeting with Supply Minister Bassem Kamal, head of the Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce Ahmed al-Wakeel and other officials in an attempt to address their grievances.

State bakeries nationwide are angry over the increasing cost of diesel fuel, unpaid bonuses and plans to lift grain and flour subsidies.

Kamal discussed improving the quality of subsidized bread and the possible liberalization of flour and grain prices in roundtable talks Thursday. The government officials said they would evaluate the costs of producing bread every three months.

In response to the looming strike, Kamal said the ministry's committee for grievances is looking into the matter. He added that bonuses for bakeries that produce quality bread would be paid out in full, as will compensation for diesel fuel price hikes.

The minister said he plans to meet again with members of government's bakeries division by mid-March.

"We are mediating to resolve the problem," asserted Wakeel, adding he was confident the state would resolve the issues to ensure bread production continues as normal.

Kamal said lifting flour and grain subsidies could save the government LE11 billion. Instead, the government would only subsidize the final bread product, which would also curb black market trade of flour and grains, he added

Egypt hopes for IMF deal by late April, minister says

Egypt hopes to conclude a deal with the International Monetary Fund for a $4.8 billion loan by the end of April, the investment minister said on Thursday.

"We have hope, God willing, that we can, by the end of April complete the loan," Osama Saleh, the investment minister, told journalists. Earlier, the state-run newspaper Al-Ahram reported that the government would formally invite an IMF team on Thursday to reopen talks on a deal.

Al-Ahram's website quoted planning minister Ashraf al-Araby as saying he expected the team to arrive within 10 days.

Egypt reached an initial agreement on the loan in November but postponed final ratification following political unrest in Cairo, which led the government to put off tax increases needed to rein in the budget deficit. "Today, Thursday, a formal invitation will be sent to the technical delegation of the International Monetary Fund to come to Cairo to negotiate over the $4.8 billion loan to Egypt," Al-Ahram quoted Araby, who is the planning and international cooperation minister, as saying.

The paper also quoted him as saying he expected the delegation to arrive to Cairo "within 10 days." Egypt's new Islamist administration, led by President Mohamed Morsy, is facing an economic crisis.

Fitch Ratings said on Wednesday that extended voting in parliamentary elections, due to start in late April and last till late June, could delay the IMF loan agreement until the third quarter.

Cairo needs to shore up its finances after two years of political turmoil since the uprising that toppled former president Hosni Mubarak in February 2011, driving away tourists and investors.

The Egyptian pound has lost 8.2 percent against the dollar since the end of last year. Foreign reserves have fallen to $13.6 billion — less than the $15 billion needed to cover three months' worth of imports — and the budget deficit is forecast to hit 12.3 percent of GDP by the end of June unless economic reforms are implemented.

The deficit rose by more than a third in the seven months to the end of January from the same period a year earlier, figures released on Wednesday showed. An IMF deal would unlock billions of dollars more of financial support from foreign states and international bodies, but will also imply austerity measures.

In a summary of its new plans for the economy released this week, the government said it aimed to increase the foreign currency reserves to $19 billion by the end of June, but it did not say how.

The plan will form the basis of talks with the IMF. A summary of the revised plan called for a levy on stock market transactions and a flat 25 percent tax on Egyptian companies, but did not spell out plans for cutting subsidy spending or detail other tax increases.

The government aims to raise LE450 million ($66.8 million) a year from the stock exchange tax, Hany Qadry, Egypt's deputy minister of finance said at a press conference. The government is targeting a deficit for this financial year of LE189.7 billion ($28 billion), or 10.9 percent of total economic output

Egypt's SODIC records $38 mln net profit in 2012

SODIC incurred a net loss of LE193.1 million ($28.6 million) in the previous fiscal year, 2011.

According to the statement, the firm saw a 165 percent rise in revenues in fiscal year 2012, recording some LE1.3 billion compared to LE516.4 million the year before.

Early Thursday, Beltone Financial reported that impressive numbers were mainly driven by strong deliveries during fiscal year 2012. The company delivered a total of 428 units worth LE1.3 billion in three projects.

Recently, SODIC announced that it had received government approval to develop its Eastown development project in Cairo within a three-year period.

The move overrules an earlier decision issued by Egypt’s New Urban Communities Authority that had revoked the company’s Eastown land contract.

SODIC shares were down 0.6 percent on Thursday mid-trading

Egyptian hot air balloon pilots lack training, says expert



A hot air balloon crashed near the Upper Egyptian city of Luxor on Tuesday, killing 19 Asian and European tourists on board.

Only the pilot and one British tourist survived when a gas cannister on the balloon exploded.

Phil Dunnington, head of the British Balloon and Airship Club, told the British paper: “One of the difficulties in Egypt is that there's no independent and objective assessment of pilot's ongoing skills.

Their pilots have to do an annual test flight but they do it with someone from their own company, with someone from the Civil Aviation Authority present who has not necessarily got any expertise in balloon-specific flying."

"The CAA person is not there to judge the pilot. They just register that the test flight has taken place," Dunnington said.

Ismail Hosni, a balloon pilot who said he communicated via a Walkie-Talkie with the pilot at the time of the accident, told Al-Shorouk independent daily on Wednesday that the balloon exploded due to a human error.

The landing rope accidentally circled the gas cannisters and caused an explosion setting the balloon on fire only ten metres above the ground, Hosni said.

Hosni added he heard the pilot tell the passengers to jump with him from the balloon but only one person, the other survivor, followed.

The Egyptian government has opened an investigation into the tragedy but no reports were available yet.

Meanwhile, Japan, which lost four of its citizens in the crash, sent a team of security specialists to aid in the investigation

Egypt govt approves law allowing Islamic bond issues



Finance Minister Al-Morsi Al-Sayed Hegazi said Egypt could raise around $10 billion a year from the sukuk market - much more than some analysts expect - but added that it would take at least three months to push through the necessary regulations.

Shaped by Egypt's first Islamist-led administration, the law will also allow private borrowers to issue sukuk. Egypt has never before issued bonds that adhere to Islamic principles, under which the payment of interest is impermissible.

The law will be referred to the Islamist-dominated upper house of parliament before final approval from President Mohamed Morsi. An earlier version of the sukuk law had been criticised by Islamic scholars, forcing a rethink.

With the Morsi administration facing a deep economic crisis, the issuance of Islamic bonds could provide some financial support as parliamentary elections approach. The voting is set to begin in late April and stretch into late June

Expansion projects on hold, cautiously positive about demand; Suez Cement

Suez Cement (SUCE) announced that the outlook for the market remains cautiously positive, with demand expected to firm up with the progressive restart of public and private construction investments, as soon as a more stable political situation will prevail.

The company added, in its BOD report of 2012 financial results that, energy situation is expected to remain clouded by growing supply shortage, likely to reduce cement production; the recently announced steep energy cost increases should hence be reflected in cement prices.

Suez Cement pointed out that, it is focusing its efforts and investments on industrial and environmental efficiency, while keeping on hold any capacity expansion project.

It is worth noting that, the company reported financial results for the fiscal year 2012 with net profits of LE 524 million, compared to LE 569 million in 2011

El Shams Housing 2012 profit dips to LE 6.1 m in 2012

El Shams Housing & Urbanization (ELSH)  reported financial results posting a net profit of LE 6,166,621 for the period from 01/01/2012 till 31/12/2012.

Noting that, it posted net profits of LE 8,443,162 for the period from 01/01/2011 till 31/12/2011

Sony sells Tokyo office building for $1.2 bn

Sony said Thursday it has sold one of its main buildings in Tokyo for $1.2 billion as the embattled Japanese electronics giant offloads assets to help repair its tattered balance sheet.

The news comes after the company in January announced the sale of its US headquarters in Manhattan for more than $1.0 billion while this month it also sold part of its online medical services unit.

Sony said its had sold the 25-storey central Tokyo building, which houses its television unit, to Nippon Building Fund and an unnamed Japanese institutional investor for 111 billion yen ($1.2 billion) and would earn it a profit of 41 billion yen.

"Sony is transforming its business portfolio and reorganising its assets in an effort to strengthen its corporate structure," the company said in a statement. "This sale was conducted as a part of this reorganisation."

Sony said it would remain in the central Tokyo building for five years under a leasing agreement.

Earlier this month, the firm said it would book a $1.2 billion gain from selling part of an online medical services unit, as it eyes a full-year profit after four years in the red.

Sony has announced a massive corporate overhaul that includes thousands of job cuts, the sale of a chemical division and an investment in Olympus to tap the camera and medical equipment maker's strong foothold in the global market for endoscopes.

The maker of Bravia televisions and PlayStation games consoles lost 456.66 billion yen in the last fiscal year, but says it is on track for a 20 billion yen net profit in the year to March.

Last week, Sony announced it would launch its PlayStation 4 system as it faces increasing competition from cheap -- or sometimes free -- downloadable video games for smartphones and tablets.

The company's hard times saw its stock value tumble below 1,000 yen a share last year, for the first time since the era of the Walkman.

The stock has since come back, with Sony shares up 3.56 percent at 1,338 yen on Thursday in Tokyo.

Japan's electronics sector has suffered myriad problems including a strong yen, slowing demand in key export markets, fierce competition especially in the struggling TV division and strategic mistakes.

The industry has been awash in huge losses and credit rating downgrades, with rival Sharp saying last year it would put up real estate as collateral for bank loans -- including its Osaka headquarters -- to stay afloat

Egypt bakers threaten strike over rising costs

Abdullah Ghorab, head of the bakers' association which represents 25,000 private bakeries across the country, said imminent strike action has been postponed following a meeting with the government. The association gave the government 15 days to meet its demands.

Any shortage of bread in Egypt would likely touch off unrest as the government grapples with an economic crisis rooted in two years of political turmoil. The heavily-indebted state faces a deficit that will hit 12.3 percent of GDP in the year to the end of June unless economic reforms are implemented.

A country of 84 million, Egypt is the biggest importer of wheat in the world. The state has long subsidised bread production, with the cheapest loaves selling for 5 piastres, or less than 1 U.S. cent.

Bank sources on Wednesday said funding problems were forcing Egypt to consider abandoning its regular public tenders that have been a centrepiece of world grain trade for decades.

Egypt normally buys strategically to ensure it has wheat stocks equal to at least six months' consumption in its silos. By contrast, the government said on Wednesday that it has stocks to last until May 29, or just three months.

Ghorab said the 25,000 privately-run bakeries represented in his association include 19,000 that produce 5-piastre loaves, and 6,000 more that produce 20 piastre loaves. The state operates another 107 bakeries, he added.

Ghorab said the government owed bakeries 400 million Egyptian pounds ($59.34 million) in payments dating back six months. The payments cover an incentive paid to bakers to produce low-price loaves and an extra subsidy to cover higher fuel prices.

"The head of the government and the supply minister came to us and promised that within 15 days they would meet the demands of the owners of the bakeries," Ghorab said.
Egypt's economy, once strong and popular among investors, has been in tatters since the revolt of 2011 that ousted Hosni Mubarak and shook the country to its foundations.

Foreign reserves are dwindling and the pound has been battered lower. Food and raw materials from abroad have become more expensive, hurting businesses and families in a desert nation which relies on imports to feed itself.

Egypt suffered bread riots in 1977 when the state tried to curb subsidies, and a dive in the pound in 2003 forced up the food subsidy bill by 40 percent. Riots erupted again in 2008 over high food prices and low wages

Egyptian strawberries to reach US markets

Egypt, the fourth largest producer of strawberries in the world, has been given the green light to export to the United States, according to a statement by the US embassy in Cairo on Thursday.

Ambassador Anne Patterson announced that the US department of agriculture had approved access for Egyptian strawberry exports.

 “We are committed to continuing to work with the Egyptian authorities to increase market opportunities for Egyptian exports,” said Patterson.

“Increasing trade between our two countries is a key component of boosting employment and economic growth in Egypt,” she added.

Egypt’s production of strawberries reached 240,000 tonnes in 2010, and according to the US embassy's statement, production is valued at nearly $330 million a year

IMF studying revised fiscal steps for Egypt, no loan talks set

We have received revised fiscal projections that are based on policy measures the authorities intend to implement," IMF spokesman William Murray told reporters.

"Staff is currently analyzing those new fiscal projections. Once we have had a chance to go through them, we will have a discussion with the authorities on next steps," he added.

He said the revised measures were received "in recent days" from the Egyptian authorities.

Earlier on Thursday the Egyptian minister of planning Ashraf El-Arabi said he expects the IMF's technical team to return to Cairo within 10 days to discuss the $4.8 billion loan

Egypt stocks end week down on calls to boycott upcoming polls

The main EGX30 index shed 0.5 percent to alight at 5,489 points, as Egyptian opposition groups announced plans to boycott upcoming parliamentary polls slated for the last week of April.

The broader EGX70 index, meanwhile, rose slightly by 0.2 percent in a session that saw total turnover of some LE312.4 million.

While investors in Egypt's bourse have decried a recent government decision to impose a 0.01 percent tax on all market transactions, global credit rating agency Fitch has said it expects Egypt's fiscal position to become riskier in the event that a proposed $4.8 billion IMF loan is delayed any further.

Egyptian investors ended the day as net buyers, picking up some LE16.2 million in stocks; foreign investors, meanwhile, were net sellers to the tune of some LE22.8 million.

Heavyweight shares Commercial International Bank and Orascom Construction Industries both declined for the day by 0.6 and 0.2 percent respectively.

Prominent communications stock Orascom Telecom, meanwhile, fell by 1.1 percent.

The day's big gainer was Eastern Tobacco, shares of which rose by a whopping 4.4 percent.

Property shares Palm hills and SODIC both closed down, by 1.3 and 0.6 percent respectively.

Egypt's Talaat Mostafa Group was the real-estate sector's only winner on Thursday, finishing the session up by 0.7 percent

EGX shares market value falls LE700 million

Shares were down overall by the end of trading Thursday on the Egyptian Stock Exchange. The EGX30, the exchange’s main index, fell 0.4 percent and lost 26 points, recording transactions of LE313.4 million

According to the exchange, the market value of shares dropped LE700 million to hit a total of LE374.2 billion.

During the first half of the trading session, the exchange saw a significant drop in liquidity and its lowest turnover in eight months, reaching just LE85 million.

However, trading picked up later, with the turnover rising to similar values recorded in the last few weeks.

The slight drop comes amid a new wave of political instability after major opposition parties and several public figures and celebrities announced they would boycott upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled to begin 22 April.

The nation’s exchange has struggled to see prolonged gains as violent clashes between security forces and opponents of President Mohamed Morsy continue to plague the country

Morocco jails protesters over Marrakesh clashes

Ten people arrested in connection with the clashes had already been handed prison terms in January ranging from 18 to 30 months, while two teenagers were separately jailed for two months.

The six convicted on Wednesday were accused by the court of first instance in Marrakesh of forming an "armed mob, damage and destruction to public buildings, insulting officials performing their duties and disobedience."

Two of the accused were jailed for one year, another two were given 18-month sentences and the last two were jailed for two years, an AFP correspondent reported.

On December 28 and 29, protests were held in poor neighbourhoods in the ochre city, Morocco's top tourist destination, against high water and electricity prices, which degenerated into clashes with the security forces.

More than 60 people were wounded in the violence, according to official figures, including 52 members of the security forces.

Witnesses said the police fired tear gas and water canons to disperse the crowd.

Morocco introduced constitutional reforms in 2011 in a bid to contain Arab Spring protests that erupted in the north African country, as similar unrest toppled regimes in Tunisia and Egypt.

The reforms helped contain the unrest, but there remains widespread frustration at the slow pace of reform, while sharp price increases have fuelled discontent, as the government battles a worsening economic crisis

Chad calls for swift ECOWAS troop deployment to Mali

The time is no longer for speeches... but for action," Deby said at the opening of a summit of heads of state of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

"The enemy doesn't wait," said Deby, whose country has sent the largest African contingent of troops to Mali -- "more than 2,000."

"We're calling on ECOWAS staff for more haste in speeding up the deployment of troops to the liberated zone," he said.

Chad is at the frontline with French troops in Mali's Ifoghas mountains, to where the Islamists fled after being forced out of the major northern cities following France's intervention in January.

Overwhelmed by the superior fire-power of the French air force and special forces, Islamist hardliners pulled out of the towns they had ruthlessly ruled for nine months, imposing an extreme form of sharia law.

They regrouped and reverted to guerrilla tactics, launching hit-and-run attacks against French or pro-government forces and resorting to suicide attacks.

ECOWAS has pledged to deploy a force of up to 8,000 troops through its African-led International Support Mission to Mali (AFISMA), to which Chad does not belong.

Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara, the acting head of ECOWAS, has said that three quarters of the troops were already in Mali but called for funds towards a full deployment.

Last month, the international community promised to provide an overall sum of more than $455 million dollarsfor AFISMA, the Malian army and humanitarian aid.

But on Monday, Ivory Coast said West African nations in fact need twice the amount of the pledge or $950 million

French resistance hero and activist Hessel dies at 95

French resistance hero and Holocaust survivor Stephane Hessel, whose 2010 manifesto "Time for Outrage" sold millions of copies and inspired protest movements worldwide, has died at the age of 95, his wife said Wednesday.

Hessel joined Charles de Gaulle in exile during World War II, was waterboarded by the Nazis, escaped hanging in concentration camps and took part in drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.

The career diplomat was already celebrated as one of the last living heroes of the 20th century when, as a nonagenarian, he became the unlikely godfather of youth protest movements such as "Occupy Wall Street" and Spain's "Indignados".

Tributes poured in for Hessel, with French President Francois Hollande praising "the exceptional life" of a man he said was a symbol of human dignity and the United Nations celebrating a "monument" in the history of human rights.

"He died overnight," his wife Christiane Hessel-Chabry told AFP.

Born in Germany to a Jewish family which joined the Lutheran Church, Hessel's parents moved to France in 1924.

They served as the inspiration for the characters of Jules and Kathe in Henri-Pierre Roche's novel "Jules et Jim," which later was made into an iconic film by French director Francois Truffaut.

Hessel became French in 1937. After watching the Nazis invade France, he heeded De Gaulle's appeal and went to London where he became a leading resistance figure.

He was captured by the Gestapo, tortured and deported to the Buchenwald and Dora concentration camps, where he escaped hanging by switching identities with a prisoner who had died of typhus.

After the war, Hessel was involved in editing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and became an indefatigable champion of social justice, human rights and the protection of the environment.

"Time for Outrage," his 32-page essay that sold more than 4.5 million copies in 35 countries, inspired the "Occupy Wall Street" movement which began in New York's financial district and spread to other countries.

It coincided with the Arab Spring revolutions which felled many long-serving dictators. Protests in Spain against corruption and bipartisan politics drew their name, the Indignants, from the Spanish title of Hessel's essay.

In the work, he said: "The reasons for outrage today may be less clear than during Nazi times. But look around and you will find them."

His reasons for personal outrage included the growing chasm between the haves and have-nots, France's treatment of its illegal immigrants and the abuse of the environment.

Hessel followed up his best-seller with another book "Get Involved" which focuses on saving the environment.

Speaking to AFP in March last year, Hessel said he was "astonished" by the success of "Time for Outrage," adding that it was probably due to the fact that it came at a "historic moment" when "societies were lost and were seeking ways on how to come out and looking for a sense of human adventure."

Hollande said Hessel's life "was devoted to defending human dignity," adding: "He left us with an important lesson -- that of not resigning oneself to any injustice."

"Mr. Hessel was a monumental figure of human rights," said Poland's ambassador Remigiusz Henczel, chairman of the UN Human Rights Council. "His life will continue to inspire our work."

Hessel served as a diplomat in Vietnam and Algeria and had been made ambassador for life.

His last published work came out in 2012. Called:"Declare Peace! For a Progress of the Spirit," it comprises interviews with the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

A new book is due out next week, entitled: "It's up to us to make a change" -- a collection of interviews in which Hessel exhorts the "Indignants of this world" to create a fairer world.

Azhar urges Philippine captors to free Arabiya reporter

Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb called upon kidnappers to "revert to right and religious principles... which stress that kidnapping and terrorism are prohibited," in a statement released by his office in Egypt's capital.

He urged the kidnappers of Bakr Atyani, a Jordanian journalist working for Dubai-based Al-Arabiya, to set him free and let him "return safely" to his family.

"This shameful act of kidnapping, terrorism and putting risking the lives of people for a small sum of money, contradicts the principles of Islam," Tayeb said.

Atyani and two Filipino crew members went missing last June on the remote Philippine island of Jolo, which is notorious for Islamist militants and kidnappings, and a stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf small Islamist movement that has been blamed for most of the country's attacks and kidnappings.

Earlier this month, the militants released the two crew members, who said they were separated from Atyani on the fifth day of their captivity.

Abu Sayyaf group was founded with seed money from Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda network to fight for an independent Islamic state, though it later turned into a criminal gang.

US special forces have been rotating in the southern Philippines for more than a decade to train local troops in crushing Abu Sayyaf which is on Washington's list of wanted foreign terrorist organisations

52 hurt in Algeria protest over social housing

Rioters sacked the mayor's office in Bodj Bou Arreridj, 230 kilometres (145 miles) from the capital, and partly blocked a motorway, causing tailbacks.

Forty-three demonstrators and nine police were being treated in hospital on Wednesday, a day after the protests broke out when a list of 935 people being allocated social housing was published.

The demonstrators gathered in front of the prefecture with banners that read: "We demand our right to housing" and "Down with corruption and favouritism."

Riot police responded with tear gas to disperse them.

"We published a list of beneficiaries for 935 homes, which people have a right to contest. But there are demonstrations because there are more than 26,000 people seeking social housing," local official Mamoun Belmouhou said.

He said the authorities had already received 3,000 complaints.

The publication of housing allocations often results in violence in Algeria, which has a serious shortage.

President Abdelaziz Bouteflika promised to build more than one million homes under a 2010-2014 development plan, but construction is slow and complaints of corruption are numerous

Kerry looking at ways to speed up Syrian transition

We are examining ways to accelerate the political transition," Kerry said, addressing a joint press conference with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius. He said this would be discussed at the Rome meeting Thursday.

Kerry also signalled that Washington could be mulling increased aid to the Syrian opposition, saying: "The opposition needs more help.

"We think it's very important that more of our assistance gets to areas that have been liberated from the regime," he said.

Citing US and European officials, the Washington Post newspaper said the White House is mulling a major policy shift on Syria and is toying with the idea of supplying rebels with direct aid like body armour, armoured vehicles and even military training

Russia finds horsemeat in sausages

Tests on a shipment of Frankfurter sausages found the DNA of horses, chicken, cattle and soya," Russia's agricultural watchdog said in a statement.

Photographs published on the website of the agricultural watchdog showed the plastic-packed sausages labelled "Frankfurter", with the producer named as Landhof in Linz and the importer named as a Moscow-based company.

Unlike the cases of contaminated meat elsewhere in Europe, the sausages were labelled not as pure beef but as containing only pork.

The sausages "came two days ago from Austria," Alexei Alexeyenko, an aide to the watchdog's chief, told AFP.

"The shipment is over 20 tonnes," he said, adding that the enterprise that supplied the meat had been struck off the list of suppliers to Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus.

The sausages were labelled as produced on February 11 and said to contain 80 percent pork as well as other non-meat ingredients.

"This is an import of falsified products, the same thing that is happening in the European Union," said Alexeyenko, an aide to watchdog chief Sergei Dankvert.

"The source of this meat is unknown," he noted, adding that old ill animals could have been used to make it.

The contaminated meat will either be destroyed or returned to the supplier, he said.

A vast food scandal has erupted across Europe after horsemeat was found in supposedly beef ready-made meals and burgers on sale in supermarkets in Britain and Ireland, where eating horse meat is strictly taboo.

Among various companies implicated in the scandal, Swiss food giant Nestle last week withdrew dishes destined for restaurants in Portugal, Spain and Italy.

Swedish furniture giant Ikea, which earlier this week pulled its Ikea-brand one-kilogramme (2.2-pound) bags of frozen meatballs off its shelves and withdrew meatballs from its restaurants in 25 countries after Czech authorities said they had found traces of horse

DNA in them, on Wednesday confirmed the finding after performing its own tests on the meatballs.

The company is now also removing other food products made by the same supplier and include hot dogs in France, Spain, Britain, Ireland and Portugal, and two traditional dishes sold in Sweden: a veal patty known as "wallenbergare" and a cabbage beef casserole.

Portugese authorities said Wednesday they had seized 79 tonnes of wholesale food containing horsemeat at factories that distributed meat to supermarkets, as well as thousands of ready-made meals such as lasagne, meatballs and burgers.

Greece also announced it had found traces of horsemeat in frozen beef dishes imported from Romania and that more then a tonne of the products marked "frozen beef meat neck" and "frozen beef meat topside" had been seized.

The discovery in Moscow revealed the spread of horsemeat labelled as other types of meat has reached Russia, which prides itself on strict controls on meat imports, frequently implementing sweeping bans.

Horsemeat is not entirely taboo in Russia but is a traditional delicacy in some regions and can be found openly on offer in many restaurants and stores.

But the country's chief sanitary doctor Gennady Onishchenko earlier expressed horror at a proposal last week by German economic development minister Dirk Niebel to use the confiscated horsemeat to feed the poor.

"The very idea gives you the shudders," Onishchenko told the Interfax news agency on Sunday.

Embarrassingly for the European Union, the discovery of the horsemeat sausages came just a day after a European Commission official, Ladislav Miko, said in Moscow that there was "no risk that these food products from the European Union were imported into Russia," quoted by ITAR-TASS.

The fallout from Europe's horsemeat scandal has spread far outside the continent, with an imported lasagne brand pulled from shelves in Hong Kong and a new row over the treatment of horses farmed in the Americas.

Nestle last week was forced to yank products off the shelves in Spanish and Italian supermarkets after detecting horsemeat in deliveries from a German supplier. It said Monday it would stop buying all products from Spanish group Servocar after traces of horse were discovered.

The European Union is carrying out tests for horse DNA in meat products, trying to reassure nervous consumers that their food is safe and to halt the spiralling horsemeat scandal

Fukushima raised cancer risk near plant: WHO

The World Health Organisation said in a report that within a 20-kilometre (12-mile) radius of the plant, rates of thyroid cancer among women who were exposed to the radiation as infants were expected to be up to 1.25 percent, up from the normal 0.75 percent

Bangladesh sentences Islamic party leader to death

A special tribunal in Bangladesh has convicted the leader of an Islamic political party of war crimes stemming from the nation's 1971 independence war and has sentenced him to death.

Prosecutor Syed Haider Ali says Islamic Jamaat-e-Islami leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee was found guilty of committing mass killings, rape and atrocities during the nine-month war against Pakistan.

The verdict was announced Thursday by tribunal judge ATM Fazle Kabir.

Lawyers for the defendant boycotted the tribunal during the verdict. Comments from Sayedee's lawyers were not immediately available, but he had previously denied the allegations and said the charges were politically motivated.

Jamaat-e-Islami is enforcing a nationwide general strike Thursday to denounce the trial and to demand he be freed

US lawmakers introduce new Iran sanctions bill

The bipartisan House bill would allow President Barack Obama to impose penalties on foreign entities that provide Iran with goods to help maintain its struggling economy.

The Nuclear Iran Prevention Act of 2013 also would provide Obama with broader authority to target strategic imports, such as mining or power generating equipment that could help Iran with its nuclear program, which the West and Israel say is a front for weapons development.

"Iran's continued march toward nuclear weapons is the gravest threat facing the United States and our allies," said bill sponsor Ed Royce, Republican chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Co-sponsor Eliot Engel, the committee's top Democrat, added that the bill aims to "tighten the screws on Iran until the regime abandons its nuclear weapons program.

"I hope this crisis can be resolved through diplomacy, but words cannot be a substitute for action, and the US must keep all options on the table," he added.

The bill would designate the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organization.

Such designations are made through the State Department, but the bill, should it pass Congress, would compel the secretary of state to determine whether the group should be placed on its list of foreign terrorist groups.

Such a listing would subject the IRGC to additional sanctions. The Revolutionary Guards are already subject to United Nations sanctions.

Similar language was inserted into Senate legislation in 2007, sparking intense debate, but the bill never became law.

The House legislation also provides for stiffer penalties for human rights violators by applying existing financial sanctions to transactions that involve such violators.

"This bipartisan legislation ramps up the pressure on Iran's regime, especially targeting those brutalizing the many Iranians demanding their human rights," Royce said.

Iran is already under the toughest sanctions regime ever devised, including four separate UN resolutions. The measures are aimed at forcing the country to rein in its nuclear program, which Tehran insists is purely peaceful.

The sanctions are biting hard, slashing oil revenue and pushing the country close to recession as it seeks ways such as bartering to stay afloat, a US Government Accountability Office report said Tuesday.

News of the proposed bill comes just as Iran concluded a key meeting in Kazakhstan with P5+1 powers -- the United States, China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany -- aimed at easing the nuclear standoff.

A revised P5+1 offer reportedly involves easing sanctions on Iran's gold and precious metals trade while simultaneously lifting some restrictions on its banking operations.

But they still want Iran to halt enriching uranium to 20 percent, which for the international community is the most worrisome part of Iran's activities.

"Things are taking a turning point and I think the Almaty meeting will be (seen as) a milestone," Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said in Vienna. The sides agreed to hold new talks in March and April

Syria demands UN halt Israel oil drilling in Golan

The foreign ministry lodged a protest with the UN against what it branded an "illegal and flagrant violation of Security Council Resolution 497" urging Israel to rescind its annexation of the Golan, state news agency SANA reported.

It said the move "aims to cement the occupation and annexation" of the territory and accused Israel of "exploiting" the conflict in Syria "to perpetuate the occupation of Syrian territory and plunder its wealth."

According to Israeli media, Israel last week gave the green light for oil drilling in the Golan Heights, halted two decades ago during peace negotiations in the region.

Israel seized the Golan from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed it in 1981, in a move never recognised by the international community.

There have been several incidents of gunfire or mortar shells landing on the Israeli-held side of the Golan, prompting troops to respond with artillery in November, the first such case of Israeli fire at the Syrian military since 1973

More Turkish generals detained over 1997 coup

The former commander of Turkey's land forces has been jailed pending trial in a widening investigation of the toppling of Turkey's first Islamist-led government in 1997, state media said on Thursday. General Erdal Ceylanoglu, who is believed to have ordered tanks onto the streets outside the capital ahead of the military intervention 16 years ago, joined dozens already remanded in custody ahead of the court case.   The inquiry into the ousting of former Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan is part of a wider extensive judicial investigation into the once-supreme Turkish military, whose power has been sharply curbed over the past decade. In power since 2002, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's Justice and Development Party, AKP, which itself has Islamist roots, has made curbing the military's political influence one of its main missions, and state prosecutors have pursued officers suspected of conspiring against current and former governments. Political reforms in 2010 to remove the immunity of old coup leaders have given prosecutors room to delve deeper into Turkey's history. The sight of police seizing grey-haired former generals, unthinkable a decade ago, has become a familiar one in Turkey in recent years. Erbakan, who died of heart failure aged 85 in 2011, pioneered Islamist politics in Turkey, a largely Muslim country with a secular state order, and paved the way for the subsequent success of Erdogan's AKP. The investigation into the events of 1997, dubbed the "post-modern coup" for its bloodless nature in contrast to three outright coups in 1960, 1971 and 1980, has special significance for Erdogan who was a member of Erbakan's party. Also detained overnight was retired major general Yucel Ozsir. Their detention comes only two weeks after the jailing of four other retired generals in connection with the coup. Turkey's state media Anatolian said the two generals were remanded in custody late on Wednesday after being summoned to an Ankara court along with two other retired generals and a serving colonel who were later conditionally released from custody. The two generals were taken to a maximum security prison in Sincan, a town outside Ankara where Ceylanoglu is charged with commanding tanks onto the streets during the upheaval in 1997. While Erdogan has promoted the trials as part of the process of ending the generals' political power, he has more recently called for the investigations to be wrapped up more quickly and has hit out at the lengthy pre-trial detentions of hundreds of officers on conspiracy charges. More than 300 military officers were sentenced to jail in September for plotting to overthrow Erdogan in 2003. Nearly 300 other people — including politicians, academics, journalists and retired army officers — are on trial on charges of orchestrating political violence

Marzouki testifies in Belaid's murder investigation

President Moncef Marzouki received this morning the judge of the Tunis first instance tribunal who heard his testimony as a witness in the assassination of Chokri Belaid," said a brief statement.

The family of Belaid, who was gunned down outside his Tunis home on February 6, say the president was aware the vocal critic of the ruling Islamist party Ennahda had received threats before his murder.

But presidential spokesman Adnene Mancer denied these claims when they were first made following the assassination.

On Thursday, Belaid's brother, Abdelmajid Belaid, repeated the claims to AFP.

"My brother had told me, and I quote him: 'The presidency has contacted me to tell me that I am threatened with death. And the president offered me protection but I refused because it would be tantamount to controlling me'," he said.

"As far as I am concerned, the president knows who ordered the murder, those who decided to kill Chokri," he added.

Tunisia says radical Salafist Muslims murdered Belaid.

Interior Minister Ali Larayedh, who is also prime-minister designate, said Tuesday the killer of the leftist opposition leader had been identified and four suspects arrested.

Those held were "Tunisians and belong to a radical religious strand... which we refer to as the Salafist movement," said Larayedh.

But some family members have dismissed any involvement of Salafists in the assassination, insisting Ennahda was responsible -- a claim the Islamist party staunchly denies.

Belaid's murder sparked deadly street protests and strikes and exposed the widening fissures between the ruling Islamists and liberals.

It also threw Tunisia into its worst political crisis since the revolution two years ago that ousted strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, prompting prime minister Hamadi Jebali to resign last week