CAIRO: It costs Cairo governorate approximately LE 300 million annually to collect garbage off the streets, said Cairo Governor Abdel Azim Wazir, who suggested that the police be involved in putting a stop to the growing phenomenon of people throwing their garbage in public areas. Furthermore, the governorate plans to introduce a fining system on …

CAIRO: Egypt’s road accidents in 2009 reached an estimated 23,000, an 8.9 percent increase from the previous year, according to a report by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS). Highway accidents constituted the majority — 5,014 — a 22 percent increase from 2008, added the report which was released last week. According …

CAIRO: Around 104,000 Egyptians attempted to commit suicide in 2009, according to the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS). More than 60 percent of these cases were between ages 15 and 25. Over 5,000 of those 104,000 died, according to a study by Cabinet’s Information and Decision Support Center (IDSC). “Religion is supposed …

CAIRO: Prosecutor General Abdel Meguid Mahmoud sent a request to the People’s Assembly and Shoura Council to strip 14 MPs implicated in the free medical treatment scandal of their parliamentary immunity. Fourteen MPs, including 12 in the PA and two members of Egypt’s Upper House of Parliament, have been allegedly exploiting public funds to gain …

  CAIRO: Receiving a proper education seems to be one of the biggest challenges facing Egypt’s underprivileged, but a few metro stations and a bumpy tuk-tuk ride away lies a beacon of hope in the form of a colorful basement in a dilapidated building. It started when Future Lights for Development Organization (FLDO) approached Alfanar …

CAIRO: A new report by the Central Administration for Illegal Gains confirmed the involvement of 14 members of the People’s Assembly and Shoura Council as well as the former head of the Specialized Medical Councils in exploiting public funds and violating regulations for issuing permits for free treatment by the state. The Public Funds Prosecution …

CAIRO: Forty-nine labor protests have been recorded in Egypt in July 2010 alone, according to the monthly report by the Children of the Earth Center for Human Rights. The protests include sit-ins, strikes and demonstrations, which, the report says, shows the “escalating frustrations” of workers and employees in the country. In total, 14 sit-ins, 14 …

CAIRO: A new health insurance draft law will be presented to Egypt’s Shoura Council and People’s Assembly in the upcoming parliamentary session, announced Magdy Rady, official spokesperson of the Cabinet of Ministers. The decision came after a meeting between Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif, Minister of Finance Youssef Boutros-Ghali and Minister of Health Hatem El-Gabaly discussing …

CAIRO: Citing numerous complaints about power cuts, consumer protection bodies are calling for solutions that include better communication from authorities as well as consumers’ cooperation to ration consumption. The Consumer Protection Agency (CPA) said it received scores of complaints from associations regarding the losses incurred by consumers as a result of the power cuts, especially …

CAIRO: A new report by the Central Accounting Agency has confirmed the involvement of more members of parliament than those already mentioned in an unprecedented public health scandal. The Public Funds Prosecution is currently investigating a case known as the “Free medical treatment” case in which 15 MPs from the People’s Assembly and Shoura Council …

CAIRO: United Nations officials and members of the Egyptian civil society gathered at the United Nations Information Center in Egypt last Thursday to celebrate World Humanitarian Day and recognize the important role of humanitarian workers in their field. The World Humanitarian Day was instituted by the UN General Assembly in December 2008 to raise public …

CAIRO: The New Urban Communities Authority has banned the exploitation of children in cleaning the new cities, issuing warnings to all heads of the new cities against child labor, said its deputy chairman Adel Naguib. Moreover, the authority will be sending warnings to all cleaning companies working in the new cities, threatening to terminate their …

  CAIRO: Only seven episodes in, and television series “Al-Gama’a” is already rubbing Muslim Brotherhood members the wrong way. The group claims that the series, which is meant to narrate their story, is aimed at marring their image while portraying the government in a positive light.   Members of the Muslim Brotherhood were initially wary …

CAIRO: Political activist Bassem Aboul Magd has been missing since being arrested by State Security on Aug. 10 after refusing an summon from an officer in Alexandria, and is currently being detained in unidentified location, according to a statement by the Arab Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI). Aboul Magd is the campaign coordinator for …

CAIRO: The Ministry of Health reported the 111th case of avian flu in Egypt, a two-year-old girl in Cairo, at the same time as a vaccine is being developed locally. Thirty-five people have died from the virus so far in Egypt. The girl started developing symptoms on Aug. 2 and is currently receiving treatment in …

  CAIRO: While the World Health Organization declared the swine flu pandemic is over, the Egyptian Ministry of Health has yet to discuss the removal or reevaluation of its precautionary measures placed during the duration of the pandemic.   The number of cases of swine flu in Egypt reached 16,356, said Nasr El-Sayed, assistant to …

CAIRO: The North Giza Prosecution office has summoned the writer of the controversial book “Trial of the Prophet Mohamed,” Anis El-Deghedi, after a complaint was filed against him by two lawyers accusing him of blasphemy, insulting the Prophet, his companions and family as well as questioning books such as “Sahih Al Bukhari.” The prosecution also …

CAIRO: This year has seen a substantial change in the Arab world’s assessment of US President Barack Obama, and “remarkably stable views” on the Arab-Israeli conflict and the prospects of its resolution, a poll released on Thursday revealed. The 2010 Arab Public Opinion Poll also showed that a majority of the Arab population now see …

CAIRO: This year has seen a substantial change in the Arab world’s assessment of US President Barack Obama, and “remarkably stable views” on the Arab-Israeli conflict and the prospects of its resolution, a poll released on Thursday revealed. The 2010 Arab Public Opinion Poll also showed that a majority of the Arab population now see …

CAIRO: The Egyptian Organization for Standardization and Quality announced that it agreed with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to place international standards for traditional/local Egyptian dishes and give it a patent in order to export them to international markets with certified standards. “Having a patent will prevent any country from reproducing the dishes and …

  CAIRO: The Public Funds Prosecution released statements that conflict with its previous reports in the case of the 15 MPs from the People’s Assembly and Shoura Council accused of corruption and exploiting public funds to gain access to the health ministry’s free medical treatment program.   The Public Funds Prosecution stated that the ongoing …

CAIRO: Egypt will launch its latest satellite, Nilesat 201, on Wednesday from French Guiana. The launch is a “breakthrough for Egypt in the field of information technology,” said Minister of Information, Anas El-Fiqi. “With the launch of [its] third satellite, Egypt is breaking through into the future and this is another one of its technological …

CAIRO: Minister of Family and Population Moushira Khattab said earlier this week that under the new child law, foster families will be allowed to give children their surname without obtaining any legal rights. The new regulations also apply if a member of the family is non-Egyptian, reported local news. Moreover, Khattab noted that financial assistance …