President Sisi noted during the eighth edition of the National Youth Forum on Saturday that what was mentioned in the videos uploaded on social media were “full of lies and slander.” He added that the goal of these videos were to undermine the confidence “between me and the people and who he trusted.” “Yes, I build presidential palaces and I will continue to build them but not for myself… I’m working to build a new Egypt.” “And I say to every mother and every man who trusts in me… and I say to the people: your son (referring to himself) is honest, faithful and sincere, and this is not a response to anyone, but this is something known about me for a long time,” he stated. The statement was said during a session that deals with the effects of spreading lies through social media. At the beginning of the session, a documentary was aired on the effect of social media on the youth and its social and health damages. It also mentioned that some terror organizations have resorted to cyberspace to undermine the state. In a series of videos that…
Egypt-Belgium MoU Secures EGP 16 m For Baron Palace Renovation
Taking the renovations of Heliopolis’ iconic Baron Palace to a further step forward, Egypt and Belgium have signed a memorandum of understanding granting the palace EGP 16 million for its restoration. The MoU of the fund, which was signed on Thursday, seeks to establish a plan to manage and maintain the palace. “We are currently considering expanding the loan exchange programme with Belgium, Italy, and Germany as this allows for investing the loans in priority venture and development projects in Egypt,” said Egyptian Minister of Investment and International Cooperation Sahar Nasr according to Al Ahram. The signing of the MoU was attended by Nasr, Ministry of Antiquities Khaled El Anani and Belgian Ambassador to Egypt Sibille de Cartier. The news was also shared by the Embassy of Belgium on its official Twitter account in which it expressed pride in its contribution to preserve cultural heritage #Belgium and #Egypt signed a debt swap agreement for the renovation of the Empain Palace in #Heliopolis. We are proud to contribute to the preservation of this important common heritage and hope it will lead to many more initiatives to protect and renovate the “city…
The 1943 Cairo Conference That Shaped the Global Order Post World War 2
Near the Giza pyramids at the American Ambassador to Egypt’s residency, world leaders from the US, Britain and China met for the first time in 1943 in November and December to discuss peace and plans for the postwar world order. It was a rare occurrence that witnessed the joining of forces between the West and China, and also the draft of Cairo Declaration that changed the history and the world’s political landscape. The Cairo Conference represented the main idealistic vision by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who hoped to create a new global order that would maintain peace and create the hegemonic structure of the United Nations, which is now led by the five permanent powers of the Security Council: China, France, Russia (formerly the Soviet Union), the United Kingdom, and the United States. However, some historians question the successes of this vision, and whether it promoted more unity or hostility in current international relations. BACKGROUND Earlier in 1943, former President of the US Roosevelt and former President of China Chiang Chungcheng (also known as Generalissimo Chiang) expressed a mutual desire for a personal meeting in the autumn to ascertain…
This Adventurer Is Swimming the Length of Egypt to Combat Plastic Pollution
A couple of years ago, an Egyptian millennial with the unlikely name of Omar El Galla predictably quit his lucrative job in pursuit of entrepreneurial adventure. Fast forward to 2019, and this gambler is still taking risks, only this time, he is eyeing a Guinness World Record for the longest swim ever attempted in the Red Sea. It all began with the financially ruinous decision to quit his family’s exceedingly successful jewelry business. “I was good at what I did and I made good money. I thought maybe that would sustain me and make me happy, so I continued to do it, but I have always wanted to go out into the world and experience things, rather than just sit somewhere and make money,” he says. “When I turned 30, everything came to a head. I started my own business and lost a good chunk of my money. I was depressed, and I ended up just isolating myself and watching a lot of Netflix. I have probably watched everything on Netflix, really, at some point.” It wasn’t until 2018 that El Galla traded his sweatpants for a bike and a…
Egypt Appoints New Prosecutor General Hamada El-Sawy
According to local news outlets, chancellor Hamada El-Sawy has been appointed as Egypt’s new prosecutor general, replacing Nabil Sadek who took on the role since 2015. The presidential decree was issued by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi on Thursday and was announced in an official statement. Egypt’s current law dictates that the prosecutor general, chosen based on three nominees, takes the position for a mandate of four non-renewable years. A key position within the government, the attorney or prosecutor general serves as the principal legal advisor to the government with a chief focus on law enforcement responsibility. Throughout his career in Egypt’s judiciary, El-Sawy has held several key positions uniting administrative and technical tasks. His most notable positions include chair of Technical Office of the Judicial Studies Center of the Ministry of Justice, Appeals Court Chief, Cairo Criminal Court Terrorism Office Head as well as Head of Prosecution in Zaitoun and West Cairo. Known to have implemented a series of revolutionary measures, he served as head of Cairo’s Traffic Prosecution from 2002 until 2005. Prior, El-Sawy is known to have introduced computer systems for traffic prosecution services, namely the…
London School of Economics Denies Reports of Deal to Open Branch in Egypt’s New Capital
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to remove any suggestion that the London School of Economics will be opening a branch here in Egypt, following a Twitter statement by the university refuting such reports. Egypt’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom Tareq Adel reportedly attended the signing ceremony on Tuesday September 10th of a deal with the University of London. According to a Facebook statement by Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the time, the agreement would see the London School of Economics (LSE) establish a branch in the New Administrative Capital (NAC), however, LSE issued a statement on Friday September 13th via Twitter refuting the reports. The Egyptian government has yet to issue a clarifying statement. “LSE is not opening a branch in Egypt. The reports refer to an agreement between the European University in Egypt (EUE) and the University of London. The EUE is now recognized to teach some degrees which are offered by the Univeristy of London,” the statement reads. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had noted that the agreement comes as part of Egypt’s 2030 vision to develop education through hosting branches of the world’s…
Arab League Condemns Netanyahu’s Plan to Annex the West Bank
Arab League condemned the statements the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged yesterday where he announced that, if elected, he will annex the West Bank. Netanyahu unveiled his plan in a televised speech as part of his campaign. He announced that he would annex all Jewish settlements in the West Bank, but that would need to wait until the long-awaited US President Donald Trump’s plan for a peace deal between Israelis and Palestinians is published. Here’s the map of the territory of the Jordan Valley, in the West Bank, that Netanyahu vowed to annex if he wins next week’s election (blue: will be annexed to Israel; orange: will remain under Palestinian control) pic.twitter.com/xMcsPeDLpt — Raphael Ahren (@RaphaelAhren) September 10, 2019 The League called his plans a “dangerous development” and “aggression” against the Palestinians emphasizing that Netanyahu’s plan would violate international law and “undermine” the foundations of peace. Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warned that if Netanyahu annexes any part of the occupied territory, any agreements between the two will dissolve. “We have the right to defend our rights and achieve our goals by all available…
What Was The Life of A Russian Writer in Egypt? Review of ‘Anton Chekhov and the Lady With the Little Dog’
When I first came to read the work of Anton Chekhov, I recognized that he held a quality that distinguished him from the many writers I read, and that is authenticity. There are quite very few writers that are interested in turning real life stories and characters into literary works, and take a very old and primitive literary model – such as a moral fable – and apply it in a different and original way. Chekhov knew that complexity should lie much deeper in the characters and the story rather than in the overall piece of work. He understood the defects of human perception and judgment, and as such, his works always challenge the superficial reading of a literary work that merely classifies characters into “good” and “evil”. In ‘The Grasshopper’, for example, Chekhov takes Krylov’s famous fable about the grasshopper and the ant and applies it to human characters. In Chekhov’s story, Olga is the frivolous grasshopper that is drawn to the extraordinary world of art, while her doctor husband, Dymov, is the ordinary, hardworking and honorable ant. However, despite the simplicity of the original tale, Chekhov delves much…
Back in The Sky: Luxor’s Hot Air Balloon Suspension Lifted
One of Luxor’s most beloved tourist attractions, the hot air balloon, has made a comeback to the antiquities-laden city with its first trip in 80 days set to resume operating today. The activity, which gives Luxor its familiar and colorfully punctuated skyline, was suspended in July due to raised security concerns, following an incident in which a balloon drifted off course west of the city. According to state-owned news outlet Al Ahram, the city’s aviation authorities lifted the 80-day suspension of hot air balloon flights as a result of better safety measures being adopted by local operators. Despite the attempts at improving security, Egypt’s hot air balloons have a minor reputation for unsafety. This is due to the death of a South African tourist in January 2018 when a hot air balloon crashed; the incident also left many tourists injured and was attributed to poor weather conditions. Moreover, Egypt holds the record for the deadliest balloon accident in history. In 2013, a hot air balloon crash incident ensued when a balloon caught fire in mid-air. The tragic incident claimed the lives of 19 more tourists. Prior, crashes in Egypt are…