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CAIRO: At a field hospital in Tahrir Square Sunday morning protesters were ferried in, some unconscious and some bleeding. At least 1,000 were taken to the makeshift hospital of the iconic square, said Doctor Mohamed El-Helaly. “At least three died, one of which from rubber bullets,” El-Helaly said. The Ministry of Health said over 700 …
CAIRO: Lawyers continued for the fourth day Monday an open-ended strike in protest of a judiciary bill that would toughen penalties against lawyers for contempt of court. A general assembly at the Lawyers’ Syndicate declared its support for the strike. “[The Judges] want the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), not the parliament, to …
CAIRO: Presidential hopeful Mohamed ElBaradie met representatives of farmers unions across the country on Monday to discuss the challenges faced by the agriculture sector. ElBaradei said that as part of his election program, he is working on preparing a draft strategy for farmers that will be out within the next two months. In his opening …
CAIRO: The effectiveness of Egypt’s human rights organizations, as activists note, could vary from one field to another, from one case to another. Recognizing the targets set in each case should also be factored in the answer, along with government interventions and funding restrictions as influencing factors. “NGOs can get into issues that have very …
CAIRO: Over the past two decades, the Egyptian political playground has experienced various political and social forces that helped create a platform for people to express their opinions freely without any restrictions. These forces are the human rights organizations, the key civil players in Egypt. However, despite their growing number, their effectiveness is …
CAIRO: A UN report on Egyptian youth launched Saturday concluded that nine interrelated constraints face Egyptian youth as they transition from childhood to adulthood. The nine constraints outlined in “Youth in Egypt: Building the Future,” the 2010 Egypt Human Development Report (EHDR), include “waithood” which is the period in which youth wait for their lives …
CAIRO: "Discussing whether women have the right to be appointed judges or not is proof that Egypt is lacking a strong political participation environment," argued Law Professor Yahya El-Gamal in a roundtable discussion organized by the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) and New Women Movement last week. The discussion, titled "Democratic Rights and …
CAIRO: Egyptian and Danish students agreed to disagree on the definition of extremism at the fourth session of a seminar titled "Mutual Understanding of Global Issues." The seminar is a collaboration between the Center of European Studies at the Faculty of Economics and Political Science Cairo University, University of Copenhagen in Denmark, and the Danish …
CAIRO: A draft law concerning the rights of people with disabilities is slated for discussion during the upcoming Cabinet meeting this month before submitting it to the People’s Assembly and the Shoura Council for final approval. "We are trying to reach the international standards for the rights of disabled people," said Moushira Khattab, Minister of …
CAIRO: Violence still persists against women in the Arab world, who continue to face challenges in their political and economic representation in high, middle and low income countries, a UN report concluded. The Consolidated Arab Report on the Beijing Platform for Action: +15 was prepared by the ESCWA Center for Women and the Women’s Department …
CAIRO: A poll conducted by the Public Opinion Poll Center on the new property tax, revealed that the majority of Egyptians have heard of the new tax, but that almost half of them are against implementing it. The sample included 1,227 families, 81 percent of which had heard of the property tax. However, 49 percent …
CAIRO: No modifications of the freedom of association law will be adopted by parliament in this session, said Minister Mufid Shehab, Minister of State for Legal Affairs and Parliamentary Councils in a meeting with heads of NGOs. The forum of Independent Human Rights Organizations, along with representatives of other NGOs requested a meeting with Shehab …
CAIRO: “It is very clear that the ministry of interior’s investigations can be described as inadequate, violent, short-sighted and in many cases illegal, said the head of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) Hossam Bahgat at the launch of an a study about sectarian violence in Egypt Sunday. “There have been around 53 incidents …
CAIRO: A group of eight Egyptian bloggers were sent to the Netherlands last month for six days as part of the Netherlands’ embassy’s cultural program. The program was aimed at exposing them to the Dutch society to get a better understanding of Holland. Blogging is rising, there are blogs associated with newspapers, independent blogs, opposition …
CAIRO: In his first televised interview as the new Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar, Ahmed El-Tayeb addressed controversial issues such as the niqab, religious programs on satellite channels and the overall role of the institution. With regards to niqab, I will handle the issue through education, El-Tayeb said on Sunday in an interview with “Masr Enaharda, …
CAIRO: It’s the question on everybody’s mind; who will you vote for? Or better yet, will you vote at all? With the 2011 presidential elections on the horizon, campaigns are abound to encourage Egyptians to issue voting cards on social networking websites as well as through efforts by civil societies and some political parties. The …
CAIRO: Hundreds of students demonstrated Wednesday at Cairo University against Israeli settlement construction in annexed Arab east Jerusalem and the incorporation of two Muslim shrines in the occupied West Bank as Israeli heritage sites. The students first stood in front of Cairo University’s main gate, then marched throughout the Cairo University campus until they reached …
CAIRO: Hundreds of students held demonstrations in front of Cairo University’s main gate on Monday, denouncing attacks on Palestinians by Israeli police in the compound of Al-Aqsa mosque. The demonstrations were dubbed “Third Intifada for the Aqsa Mosque, by the students who were chanting “We will announce it, Aqsa we are coming. For the fourth …
CAIRO: While the distribution of opportunities worldwide is “extremely unequal, it is the “key driver to human movement which [presents] a huge potential for improving human development, said the UN’s Human Development Report 2009 released Sunday. However, the report added, “Sometimes the movement is not an expression of choice but due to constraints. The report …
CAIRO: Fourteen Egyptian human rights groups expressed their support Tuesday to a statement issued by the UN High Commissioner of Human Rights condemning the Egyptian security forces for killing up to 60 migrants on the Egyptian side of the borders with Israeli since mid 2007. The 14 NGOs echoed the UN stance by calling on …
CAIRO: With progress in Egypt’s agrifood sector, the Dutch Trade Mission in Cairo saw an opportunity: bringing business from both countries together for a matchmaking session. “The potential of cooperation with the Dutch part is huge; agriculture is [the start] for us, said engineer Tarik Tawfiq, chairman of the Egyptian Dutch Business Club and the …
CAIRO: Drug abuse continues to be a rising threat in the Arab world especially among teenagers and young adults, according to the Annual Report for the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB). Typically, people who had not started using drugs during their adolescent years were unlikely to pick up the habit at all. However, according to …
CAIRO: India sets an example all Arab states need to follow in order to progress, Mostafa El Feki, chairman of foreign affairs committee of the People’s Assembly, said. At a lecture titled “India -Egypt Relations: Challenges and Opportunities, El Feki explained that India follows the “theory of necessity, where its citizens acknowledge the fact that …
CAIRO: Men and women sit on empty gas cylinders in a queue that extends down the street in the district of Warraq, as they wait for a truck carrying a fresh supply of butane gas. They rush to a nearby street as soon as they hear that a truck arrived there, scrambling to get their …
CAIRO: Loza Gamal, 24, along with the residents of Establ Antar, were recently relocated to Sixth of October City to live in housing projects offered to the government by telecom mogul Naguib Sawiris. “The area is cleaner, there is fresh air we can breathe, she said. Their homes in Establ Antar, a shantytown that was …
CAIRO: Amnesty International released a call for action to evacuate and relocate 200 families from Al-Me’adessa Street in Manshyiet Nasser that are facing the risk of a rockslide. The rights organization is urging people to write to Cairo Governor Abdel-Azim Wazir and the Informal Settlement Development Fund Director Ali Faramawy to press them to take …
CAIRO: Although he was aware of the risks it posed, Mohamed Gharib had no choice but to endure living in the slums of Duweiqa until he watched his home collapse, killing five members of his family. Gharib, 62, had bought the land 16 years ago in Mansheyet Nasser, to accommodate his family. Hashem Mohamed Ismail, …
CAIRO: Journalists’ death toll rose to the highest level recorded by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) in 2009 with the massacre of 31 journalists and media workers in Philippines, CPJ said in its latest report CPJ released the New York-based annual report entitled “Attacks on the Press in 2009, in Cairo Tuesday. According to …
CAIRO: Amnesty International called for the immediate and unconditional release of the Muslim Brotherhood members detained in raids before dawn on Monday. Amnesty considers the Brotherhood members prisoners of conscious, detained merely for their peaceful political activities. Prominent members of the Muslim Brotherhood including its Deputy Supreme Guide Mahmoud Ezzat and members of its Guidance …
CAIRO: The Engineers Against Receivership, a group formed to end government control over the syndicate, protested on Tuesday in front of the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation against the ministry’s refusal to organize a general assembly for the Engineers’ Syndicate. “We submitted a request to the minister in April 2009, signed by 150 engineers, …