During a fiery speech in March to rally members of the US Congress against nuclear talks with Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chose to remind Congress members of the record of Iranian Foreign Minister Mohamed Jawad Zarif.

The Arab Spring, in the last four years or so, forced a few Arab dictators prematurely from their jobs, where they have had a heck of a time handling their imposed retirements. In a democratic world, leaders usually get a job review after a few years then once they leave office they have to explore their options and develop different skills.

Some believe that there are secrets of the ancient Egyptians still undiscovered, such as the mummification that only their priests knew how to do, the Great Pyramid of King Cheops that even Egyptologists did not know how was built, and the Sphinx, under which many believed people from Atlantis, who helped build the pyramids, kept boxes full of secrets about the ancient Egyptian civilization.

The New Suez Canal has been inaugurated amidst controversial scenes, ranging from the expression of public joy, to mocking, skepticism, and endless articles questioning its economic worth.

There is a campaign without any scientific basis against the new drugs for Hepatitis C, probably launched by certain people who had hoped they would be chosen for the National Committee for the Control of Viral Hepatitis, or doctors whose clinical business has dropped when the Health Ministry tightened control of the patients in order to ensure a proper treatment for them.

A bogeyman in certain political circles within Afghanistan, the new Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour is lauded at home and abroad for his relatively lenient, conciliatory stance towards the Afghan government and the West.

Aside from the hype of propagandists and the attempts to by antagonists to put you off, both of whom are sides of the same filthy coin, today is a big day.

Today I am in Ismailia to mark a momentous milestone - the opening of Egypt's new Suez Canal. The first canal opened more than 150 years ago and took 15 years to build. This one only took a year. Egyptian imagination, ingenuity and innovation are rightly famed for creating the ancient wonders of the world. Today, the inheritors of that rich history, unveil a modern wonder.

There is a fierce battle on Facebook and other social networking sites over a woman's right to wear the burkini (Islamic swimsuit) on beaches and in swimming pools.

I believe that the person who has best exposed our despicable social duplicity was the genius Yusuf Idris, whose anniversary we celebrate now. His stories unveil our fake masks and dig deep into our desolate selves. They reveal the hidden and the silent in the relationship between man and woman in Egyptian and Arab societies.

I have written about the situation in Sinai more than once over the past three or four years. My approach in these various writings was mainly based on the idea of the nature of the threat of terrorism in Sinai, and how the state’s chosen course of action does not reflect a full grasp of the multi-dimensioned problem. I have often stated that the state uses a single-track strategy built on mere security and military measures, which only handles the operational dimension of the problem.

I have written about the situation in Sinai more than once over the past three or four years. My approach in these various writings was mainly based on the idea of the nature of the threat of terrorism in Sinai, and how the state’s chosen course of action does not reflect a full grasp of the multi-dimensioned problem. I have often stated that the state uses a single-track strategy built on mere security and military measures, which only handles the operational dimension of the problem.

In just one day, the Prosecutor General received complaints filed against Hisham Geneina, head of the Central Auditing Organization, Hazem Abdel Azim, member of Sisi’s presidential campaign, business tycoon Naguib Sawiris and actor Khaled Abul Naga, all on charges of allegedly "acting against the state."

Official and media circles are increasingly supportive of the idea that confronting terrorism necessitates granting extra-constitutional powers to the police and other state organs. Constitutional rights and guarantees, they say, are a luxury that society cannot afford in the present circumstances. And in any case, this is a temporary situation and things can be put right when the war on terrorism is over, security is restored, and the economy picks up.

The deal to regulate Iran’s nuclear program is a significant political success for the Iranian regime. It will dramatically ease sanctions against the country and gradually allow Iran access to more than $100 billion in frozen financial assets. And, it demonstrates the Iranian regime’s ability to successfully negotiate a long, complicated, and fraught process with Western powers and arrive at a relatively favourable result. Yet, the deal imposes an acute dilemma on the regime.

In diplomacy, there is a core difference between evaluation and spin. The first looks into the strengths, weaknesses and possible next steps, while the latter promotes the strengths, hides weaknesses and does not seriously address possible future scenarios.

Egypt has recently enacted a new law on investment that amends the Egyptian investment law, with high hopes that such a new law increases the chances in restoring confidence in Egypt’s investment climate. An objective evaluation of the new law requires a neutral analysis of its strengths and weaknesses, taking into consideration the existing impediments for foreign and domestic investment.

If you are from the old generation, you will remember the 1959 film “Some Like It Hot” by Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe. At that time, the word “some” was used correctly. It was used to mean that “some” liked a certain thing differently than the rest.

Many people were surprised to see the huge maquette of "the new capital for Egypt" presented by a businessman from the UAE at the Sharm el-Sheikh Economic Conference. However, later we heard that the Emirati project had stumbled, and that an Egyptian company will take it over.

Our global and complex economy does many things well, but is consistently absent of strong signals that say ‘cleaner is better’. From climate change to the need for inclusive, sustainable societies, the absence of even the smallest signals leads to investments that degrade the natural systems on which our economy vitally depends.

After 12 years of diplomatic proposals and 20 months of tough negotiations, theocratic Iran and world powers have reached a nuclear deal that, regardless of its potential advantages, is undoubtedly a victory for smart illiberalism and a potential kiss of death for the prospect of liberal, pluralistic democracies in the Middle East.