Cairo University Forensic Medicine and Toxicology professor Dr. Sherine Ghaleb has made history, becoming the first woman ever to be elected to the position of chairperson in the history of the Egyptian Medical Syndicate. Dr. Ghaleb will chair the Cairo division of the syndicate, Al Ahram reports. The syndicate’s nationwide midterm elections took place yesterday, Friday, October 11th, with oversight from the National Authority of Administrative Prosecution. Dr. Ghaleb’s victory came after a preliminary tally on the same day. Dr. Ghaleb belongs to the ‘Tayyar Al Istiqlal’ electoral list, which has managed to win a majority of the votes in the syndicate’s midterm elections for the 4th time in a row. This time, securing all seats in the Cairo division. The elections saw 16 doctors run for the position of ٍNational Syndicate Chair, however, preliminary results show incumbent Hussein Khairy in the lead. This isn’t the scholar’s first time at the helm of a medical organization, Dr. Ghaleb has served as Vice President of the Islamic Countries Forensic Medicine Organization, as Secretary General of the Arab Union of Forensics and Toxicology, and as President of the International Association of Law…
New Minimum Wage Raise for Civil Servants Coming Next Month
A decision to raise minimum wage for civil servants from EGP 1,200 to EGP 2,000 will go into effect next month, the Finance Ministry’s head of budgeting Mohamed El Sobky told the House of Representatives, as reported by Al Borsa. This comes in response to inquiries and complaints by employees and deputies about delayed payment of the minimum wage increase, which was supposed to be enacted last July. El Sobky added that the ministry has prepared a booklet to clarify all the necessary information on the minimum wage decision. Earlier this week, Finance Minister Mohamed Maait called on all public bodies to commit to the prime minister’s decision to raise the minimum wage, and noted that organizations financially incapable of committing to the decision can formally request a revenue increase to cover its employees’ salaries. In September, President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi took to Twitter to stress that the government is committed to protecting low-income citizens, as they were negatively impacted by recent economic measures, such as subsidy ration card cuts. Last March, President Sisi announced his decision to raise minimum wages for the first time since 2014, during a speech…
The Giza Pyramid Complex to Host 2 of the World’s Biggest Squash Tournaments with Record-Setting Prizes
Egypt’s Commercial International Bank (CIB) and IEvents have announced the return of the iconic Al Ahram Squash Open, this time as the CIB PSA Women’s World Championship 2019-2020 and the CIB Egyptian Squash Open. Sponsored by Egyptian real estate giant Orascom Development, and under the patronage of the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the country’s tourism authorities, both tournaments will be held at the foot of the Giza Pyramid Complex from October 24th until November 1st. “This championship has been a dream we have worked to achieve because squash came to be known in Egypt through this tournament. It introduced the world to a whole generation of international champions and it continues to inspire many more to make their mark on the game,” Egyptian Squash Association Director Amr Mansy said during a press conference. The tournaments will see 112 of the world’s best squash players representing 20 countries in total, with 64 players competing in the CIB PSA Women’s World Championship 2019-2020 and 48 in the CIB Egyptian Squash Open. The prizes are $430,000 and $185,000, respectively, totaling a record-setting $615,000, a first in the history of the game….
2019 Nobel Peace Prize Awarded to Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed
For his efforts at achieving peace and resolving the border conflicting with Eritrea, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali was awarded the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize. In a series of declarations and agreements, the Prime Minister reinitiated reconciliation talks with the Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, bringing about the end of a “no peace, no war” two-decades long stalemate between the neighboring countries culminating in peace deal signed in July 2019. The news was announced by the Jury of the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo on Friday, surprising claims that the prestigious award would be handed to teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg or Hong Kong protesters. It is expected that the Prime Minister will receive an award of approximately US$900,000 in December, in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. Claiming the prize out of 301 candidates, the Prime Minister was praised not only for his decisive role in reigniting peace talks with Eritrea but also engaging in peace processes in various countries in East and Northeast Africa, namely in facilitating diplomatic relations between Eritrea and Djibouti, Kenya and Somalia over disputed ownership rights of marine areas, and Sudan’s transition constitution. Moreover, the…
Egypt’s AUC Named Among World’s Top 200 Universities for Graduate Employability
Leading global higher education company Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) has named the American University in Cairo (AUC) in its annual Graduate Employability Rankings report, according to Egypt Independent. The report placed AUC at the 191st spot out of 500 universities, climbing from 201 out of 250 institutions last year. According to a statement by AUC, the Egypt-based university boasts an 86% employment rate among its alumni within one year of graduation. Rankings are based on five key factors: the institution’s reputation among employers, alumni outcomes, university partnerships with employers, employer-student relations, and employment rate among the university’s graduates. The report also measures employers’ presence on campus, earning AUC high scores in employer-student connections and alumni outcomes. “AUC partners with employers on several fronts. Apart from on-campus recruitment, the Career Center engages employers in the career education of AUC students,” said Maha Guindi, executive director of AUC’s Career Center, in a press release by the university. “Employers participate in AUC’s job shadowing program; professionals from various industries are invited to represent career fields at career exploration events; and organizations offer internship opportunities year-round to help create career awareness among students and enhance…
Dreams of a Safe Home: How Banati Foundation Fights Against Child Abuse in Egypt
Around 12 years ago, Heba*’s mother gave birth to her alone in the corner of a street in Cairo. Born into a family of complicated relationships and urfi’ (common law) marriage, the young child was abused, neglected and traumatized, leading her to seek the comfort of home elsewhere on the streets. For many children, having loving parents and a comfortable home is considered an unattainable dream. Although there are no official statistics, some estimate that the number of children left on the streets of Egypt reached 2 million in 1999. Yet this is only a fraction of the problem, since a lot of kids continue to face abuse and trauma inside their homes without anyone to protect them or hold their abusers accountable. Heba* was found by the outreach team of the Banati Foundation, an organization with a goal to provide care for girls living on the streets and reintegrate them back into society, targeting primarily girls aged 1 to 18 years old. When she first came to the reception center for evaluation, her gaze was hollow and sad, showing little to no emotion in public— a telltale sign of…
Egypt Condemns Turkish Military Operation and Calls for Emergency Arab League Meeting
In the first Egyptian comment on the military operation launched by Turkey on the areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces in northeastern Syria, Egypt condemned the operation through a statement by its Foreign Ministry calling for an emergency meeting of the Arab League to discuss the current developments on the Syrian arena. Egypt said in a statement that the Turkish military operation is contrary to the rules of international law, and held the Security Council responsible for “addressing this very serious development, which threatens international peace and security,” the statement said. Egypt has called for the international community to stop “any efforts aimed at occupying Syrian territory or conducting” demographic engineering “to modify the demographic composition of northern Syria.” Egypt warned of the consequences of the military operation, which Turkey called “Operation Peace Spring”, on the unity and territorial integrity of Syria and its impact on the course of the political process in Syria in accordance with Security Council Resolution 2254. The statement added a call for an emergency meeting of the Arab League to discuss current developments and ways to preserve Syria’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity. Turkey…
UNICEF, NCCW Launch Campaign Combatting Child Violence
The National Council of Child hood and Motherhood (NCCM) and UNICEF Egypt launched “Calm not Harm” a national campaign hoping to raise awareness on the harms of violence, physical and emotional, on children this week. The campaign, called “Calm not Harm” (Bel Hodou’, Mesh Keswa) was also launched also in cooperation the Ministry of Education and it is the third phase of an already existing national campaign ‘Our Children’ (Awladna). “The role of parents and caregivers in providing protection, stability and encouragement for our children is extremely important in the childhood and adolescence phase, considering the changes going on with the child as well as the realities and challenges that come with an ever-changing digital era. Laxity, negligence and violence in all its forms are unacceptable,” said Dr. Azza El Ashmawy, Secretary General of the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM) in an official press release. The adolescent phase in particular is stressed as an important and decisive period in children’s lives where communication is needed. The campaign also highlighted a hotline 16000 which would provide more information about suggested behavioral advice. Egypt’s track of abuse and corporal violence…
Turkey Begins Military Attack in Northeast Syria
Turkey started a planned military attack under the name “Operation Peace Spring” in northeastern Syria on Wednesday to eradicate “against PKK/YPG and Daesh terrorists in northern Syria,” Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on twitter. The Turkish Armed Forces, together with the Syrian National Army, just launched #OperationPeaceSpring against PKK/YPG and Daesh terrorists in northern Syria. Our mission is to prevent the creation of a terror corridor across our southern border, and to bring peace to the area.— Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RTErdogan) October 9, 2019 Turkey sees the YPG or Kurdish People’s Protection Units as a terrorist group affiliated with Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), who battled the Turkish state for three decades. “Our mission is to prevent the creation of a terror corridor across our southern border, and to bring peace to the area,” Erdogan added. He highlighted that this operation “will neutralize terror threats against Turkey and lead to the establishment of a safe zone, facilitating the return of Syrian refugees to their homes. We will preserve Syria’s territorial integrity and liberate local communities from terrorists.” Several residents of Tal Abyad and Ras Al Ain began to flee…