When it is estimated that there are more than 37 new Egyptian TV series released, one has to be picky when deciding which of them to give their time to. Usually, people decide which series they should watch based on the cast (an actor who they know always chooses the right scripts to play, a director who they have not forgotten their previous work, or, rarely, a writer who always gives them something original). This strategy of attaching acclaimed names to a series and increasing its overall “star power” is one that producers consistently use to attract audiences to pick their show. This only guarantees an audience attachment for a couple of episodes, where they test whether the series deserves dedicating their time to it or whether there are better ones that could satisfy their entertainment and artistic needs. In the case of 30 Youm (the 2017 Ramadan psychological thriller), to watch the first episode was sufficient to hook the most undedicated viewer to watching it until the finale.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), by breaking off not only diplomatic but also economic relations with Qatar, are likely to make it this time round far more difficult for the Gulf state to resist pressure to change its controversial policies. The stakes are far higher than when Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain withdrew their ambassadors from Doha in 2014 for a period of 10 months but failed to force Qatar to change its policies. Saudi Arabia and the UAE, by now also breaking off economic ties, are also seeking to disrupt Qatar s air, sea, and land links and complicate its exports and imports—particularly its food supplies.

State media warmly welcomed recent government decisions increasing some pensions and subsidies, seeing them as an expression of the state s concern for poor and low-income Egyptians, and an effort to mitigate the impact of inflation, and calm resentment in the street. But others in the remaining independent media questioned those decisions , arguing they would do little to stem the constant increase in the cost of living, and that with forthcoming price rises the government will simply be giving with one hand while taking with the other.

Ladies and gentleman, please welcome the 46th President of the United States: Stephen T. Colbert." That has a nice sound to it, and given Colbert s comments over the weekend, perhaps the late night host is truly thinking of running against Donald Trump in 2020. And if he did, Colbert very well could be the ideal candidate to crush the current President come November 2020. Colbert s remarks came Friday during an appearance on the Russian late night TV show, "Evening Urgant." While being interviewed by the show s host, Ivan Urgant, Colbert revealed that he had a big announcement. Then, with a straight face, Colbert declared, "I am here to announce that I am considering a run for president in 2020." As the audience applauded, Colbert quipped, "And I thought it would be better to cut out the middleman and just tell the Russians myself."

The contrast could not be more extreme: a loud, pushy, anti-intellectual President Donald Trump versus a soft-spoken, recessive, philosophical former president, Barack Obama. The difference has become especially glaring in recent days, with Trump repeatedly breaking the tradition of a new president refraining from dissing his predecessor. Trump has, in fact, gone out of his way to attack Obama, as in his recent nonsensical reversal wherein he attacked Obama for his lack of response to Russian meddling in the 2016 election: "Obama did NOTHING," Trump tweeted. He went on to accuse Obama of colluding with the Russians! Trump continues to take aim at Obama legacy

The death of Otto Warmbier, a 22-year-old student from Ohio imprisoned in North Korea since last year, should be a wake-up call to the international community. Warmbier, who was arrested in January 2016 after attempting to remove a political banner from his hotel, was subject to a show trial and sentenced to 15 years forced labor. There is, sadly, nothing unusual about the Warmbier case in the abstract. North Korea citizens are regularly subjected to arrest for trifling crimes and sentenced to labor camps. As documented in harrowing detail by a recent UN report, many die in prison from beatings, malnourishment, or untreated sickness, among other causes.

The Middle East is not short on crisis. Syria remains engulfed by wars and the worst humanitarian disaster since World War II. Iraq faces conflict with ISIS over Mosul, with thousands displaced and a referendum looming over the Kurdish regions. In Yemen, 18.8 million are in need of aid, triggered by both conflict and a naval and aerial blockade, with nearly 100,000 suffering from cholera. Two million Palestinians in Gaza have less than four hours a day of electricity, and another war with Israel is looking an increasing possibility.

The progress on ratification has been extraordinary - the Paris Agreement entered into force on 4th November last year and 148 countries have already ratified it. We welcome and appreciate the finalisation of the internal ratification process of the Paris Agreement in Egypt.

British Prime Minister Theresa May is a leader bruised and battered. In a matter of weeks she has suffered a toxic combination of an election that left her without a parliamentary majority, public anger at her response to the Grenfell Tower disaster and open criticism of her leadership from senior figures in her own party. But Thursday she goes to Brussels to meet with European Union leaders. She still appears determined to deliver on her promise to "get on with the job" of governing the country and take Britain out of the EU.

Saudi Arabia s King Salman has elevated his 31-year-old son Mohammed bin Salman to first in line to the throne, in a dramatic reordering of the kingdom s line of succession that will have far-reaching consequences for the key US ally and the Middle East as a whole. In a series of royal decrees issued overnight, the King, 81, removed his nephew Mohammed bin Nayef as crown prince and installed Mohammed Bin Salman in his place. The newly-anointed crown prince was also appointed deputy prime minister and will continue in his role as defense minister, where he has overseen the Saudi-led war in Yemen.

Several years ago, when I was a young reporter and desperate to prove myself, I found myself barreling down a highway toward Falluja. This was 2004, when Iraq was beginning its descent into chaos. A squad of American Marines had just been killed and I was eager to get the story. I was new at The New York Times and took on what I now see was a stupid amount of risk. The road was supposed to be clear. But as the highway bent to the left, a blue van shot across our path and screeched to a halt 50 feet in front of us, cutting us off. The van s doors flew open. Our driver slammed on the brakes. We careened off the tarmac, and by the time we stopped, dust hanging in the air, we were surrounded by dozens of armed masked men.

Bizarre scenes emerged Monday from Moscow as thousands of protesters chanting, "Putin is a thief!" and "Down with the Czar!" intermingled with costumed actors re-enacting scenes from Russian history to mark Russia Day, a national holiday. Mass protests are a rare occurrence in Russia -- the last ones of this scale took place in the winter of 2011-12 in response to allegations of widespread vote rigging in parliamentary elections. What makes the recent protests -- which first began in March -- significant is their reach, engulfing almost 100 cities across the country and including the participation of Russian youth, once thought to be politically apathetic.

I write these words as the parliamentary debate on the border agreement with Saudi Arabia is still underway. All indications are, however, that parliament will approve the deal and Egypt will relinquish the Tiran and Sanafir Islands. If that happens, we ll have entered a new phase, and the consequences will be grave, though perhaps not immediate. Since the agreement was signed last year, I ve chosen not to address the historical and legal aspects, reasoning that many others discussed those dimensions in great detail and based on an exhaustive analysis of documents and evidence.

What s happening in relation to the Qatari crisis clarifies to a great extent that the Arab region is in a state of severe liquidity. There is a re-positioning in regional relations and behind it there are precursors for international changes that so far have not materialised, especially as every day new Arab and African countries are joining the boycott of Qatar, punishing it for spreading extremism and financing terrorism.

In the early spring of this year it was widely speculated by some that Marine Le Pen could become president of France, that Geert Wilders would be the leader of the largest party in the Netherlands and -- most significantly -- that the Pro-European German Chancellor Angela Merkel could lose power.

Actress Hend Sabry Baheya has been honoured by the Foundation for Early Detection and Treatment of Breast Cancer for her latest role in Halawyet El donia. The role spotlights the process of cancer treatment in Egypt, and raises awareness on different forms of the disease, The Sohour charity event was attended by several public figures, with the motto of the night as “Today s Dream is Tomorrow s Reality.”

Fifty years have passed since the Israeli army occupied the West Bank, including Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights. Almost 70 years have passed since more than two thirds of the Palestinian people were displaced at the hands of Zionist gangs. During all these harsh years, the Palestinian people didn t succumb and didn t concede their national rights. They resisted with all means, everywhere, sacrificing tens of thousands of martyrs, as well as those injured and about one million male and female captives detained in occupation prisons.

Ahead of Ramadan 2017, Canada Post issued its first ever Eid stamp honouring Islam s important holidays: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. An explanation accompanied the ten-stamp booklet: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha are two of the most important festivals celebrated by Muslims worldwide. Eid al-Fitr marks the end of the Ramadan fast. Eid al-Adha commemorates Abraham s willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael as an act of obedience to God and marks the end of the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. Both celebrations can include special ritual prayers, lavish meals, visits with friends and family, gift-giving and acts of charity.

Negotiations became the cover for Israeli expansionism, raising the number of illegal settlers from 111,000 in 1993 to more than 700,000 now. The facts dispel all illusions. But the US president did not mention, in all his speeches in front of the Arabs, the Israelis and the Palestinians, and even the Europeans, three things: He did not mention occupation, although we are just a few days from the 50th anniversary of what has become the longest occupation in modern human history.

Although I ve often expressed my reservations about the draft investment law over the past year, it was necessary that the law is enacted, as it was last Thursday, to end the long-standing uncertainty that has gravely damaged the investment climate. What s important now is to close this chapter that has consumed too much time and effort and turn our attention to the real obstacles to investment, which are bound up with the general environment in which both Egyptian and foreign investors act. The following issues are especially worthy of attention. First, is the need to resolve the ambiguity in the state s economic direction: the official discourse favors and promotes private investment, but in reality the state s military and civilian agencies have claimed a greater role in the economy, even in fields of no special strategic importance.

While Yusuf Alaraby, a 14 year-old–boy, was hanging out with his friends as usual on his way back home, suddenly, in the middle of a crowded street, he fell to the ground—a victim to a stray bullet that struck him directly in the head. His friends, as young and innocent as him, were horrified and did not hear any gunshots in the vicinity; they only saw their little beloved friend who was just talking and laughing with them drowning in his own blood! Just like that—after a stray bullet caused him to lose consciousness! The ambulance took him to the nearest hospital to where the accident took place, “October University Hospital.”