Egypt

Egypt: New Clean-Air Taxis Arrive in Cairo

Date: March 21st, 2006 |

Cairo’s 80,000 dilapidated taxis are being joined by 1,500 new yellow Volkswagon vehicles that run on natural gas. The first 150 new taxis arrived March 16 and will soon be stationed at 36 locations around the city, catering to tourists with such novelties as air conditioning, electronic meters and credit-card readers. The clean-fuel taxis represent [read more]

Egypt: First Presidential Election

Date: August 23rd, 2005 |

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Voters go to the polls Sept. 7 in Egypt�s first ever multi-candidate presidential election, and will return in October and November for parliamentary elections. Political demonstrations have become more frequent and protests are possible leading up to the elections, and such protests have the potential to tur [read more]

Egypt: Bombings in Sharm el-Sheikh

Date: July 23rd, 2005 |

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A series of bombings ripped the Sinai resort of Sharm el-Sheikh in the early hours of July 23, a time when the city is bustling with activity because most residents and tourists stay out late at night because of the heat during the day. At least three explosions, two of them car bombs, hit hotels [read more]

Egypt

Date: May 3rd, 2005 |

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Four foreign tourists were injured in two attacks in Cairo April 30 in which the three attackers died. These incidents follow a suicide bombing April 7 that killed three tourists. The attacks appear to be linked to a small terrorist cell that has been the focus of a government crackdown, and authorities are confident that [read more]

Egypt

Date: April 12th, 2005 |

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A suicide bombing in one of the main alleyways in the famed Khan al-Khalili bazaar, which lies in the heart of old Cairo and is a popular tourist site, killed one American and two French tourists as well as the bomber April 7. The incident was the first attack against foreigners in Cairo in seven [read more]

Middle East: Increased Security for Ramadan

Date: October 4th, 2005 |

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Arab governments are on alert for potential terrorist threats during Ramadan, a time that has seen a surge of attacks in recent years. The Muslim holy month is a time of prayer and introspection, festivity and celebration, a time when good deeds are multiplied by ten. For the militant who believes terrorism against the West [read more]

Egypt: Avoid Sinai Travel

Date: August 16th, 2005 |

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Several incidents in the Sinai have prompted the U.S. Embassy in Cairo to advise against all travel to the Sinai until further notice. Following the car bombings in Sharm el-Sheik on July 23 there were press reports of shots being fired at an intercity bus crossing the Sinai Aug. 13, the discovering of a one-ton [read more]

Egypt

Date: June 7th, 2005 |

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The U.S. Embassy in Cairo believes that the threat to Americans there remains undiminished a little more than a month after two bombings killed the assailants and injured nine others. Embassy officials strongly recommend that Americans avoid crowded tourist areas and not linger among groups of tourists. Since the April 30 bombings many rumors of [read more]

Egypt

Date: April 19th, 2005 |

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A pro-reform movement called Kefaya (Enough) plans to hold 13 simultaneous demonstrations across the country April 27 to demand greater political freedom in advance of elections planned for the fall. Organizers are concerned that the government will use the recent Cairo bombing in which three foreign tourists died as an excuse to crack down on [read more]

Egypt

Date: April 5th, 2005 |

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Knowing the customs of unfamiliar cultures can help travelers avoid problems. In a recent incident in Cairo, a Hungarian couple was stabbed by a �mentally unstable� man after kissing near a historic mosque in Khan al-Khalili bazaar, a popular place for tourists to shop for souvenirs. Doubtless they were not the first couple to kiss [read more]