More suspects arrested as exam leak controversy continues
Security forces arrested five more suspects on Saturday for leaking the thanaweya amma exams’ questions and answers on social media platforms, according to a statement by the Ministry of Interior.
The arrests came as part of a crackdown on exam fraud.
One of the suspects is a student from Sohag who manages a page called ‘cheaters – bats’. During his arrest, security forces found a laptop and mobile phone which confirmed his involvement in the case.
The page’s administrator admitted to posting the exam in exchange for money he received in the form of phone credit.
The four other suspects are from Alexandria and include two students. They are accused of creating two secret groups on the mobile application WhatsApp entitled ‘drug addicts and Makmleem’. The suspects are accused of posting the exams’ questions and answers for students. The suspects have confessed to their crimes and will be referred to the prosecution for investigation.
On Friday, three suspects were arrested in Giza, Assiut, and Daqahleya. They were charged with managing Facebook pages on which the thanaweya amma exams were leaked, according to the Ministry of Interior.
In the statement, the ministry added that the arrests were made using “modern technology” to capture the perpetrators.
One of the suspects, who is a student from Daqahleya, allegedly ran the controversial ChaoMing page, “which also posts statements against the Ministry of Education”, according to the Ministry of Interior.
The three suspects were in possession of mobile phones and laptop computers at the time of the arrest. The ministry added that the suspects confessed to committing the crimes and will be referred to prosecution.
Despite the recent arrests, the leaks continue online.
On Thursday, some social media pages allegedly posted questions from the thanaweya amma chemistry exam, but the Ministry of Education has denied this.
The thanaweya amma exam leaks have put the Ministry of Education under increasing pressure, raising more and more questions about Egypt’s education system, which many are calling to change.
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2 Egyptians harness gold, silver at Stockholm 2016 Diamond League
Egypt’s Ihab Abdel Rahman won the gold medal in the javelin throw’s men’s division, while Mohamed Hamada Mohamed harnessed silver in the 800 metres (B) race’s men’s division at the Diamond League in Sweden.
Diamond League is an annual series of track and field meetings that recently took place in Stockholm.
Egypt’s Ihab Abdel Rahman won the javelin throw’s division for men, with a throw of 86.00 metres. Germany’s Thomas Rohler came in second, and third place went to Kenya’s Julius Yego.
Arab runners dominated the 800 metres (B) race’s division for men, as Egypt’s Mohamed Hamada Mohamed came in second at 1:47.44. Algeria’s Yacine Hathat topped the division at 1:47.22, and Qatar’s Jamal Hairane conquered third place, finishing at 1:47.66.
Swedish players showed remarkable performance in the men’s high jump division, conquering the first five places with their athletes Oskar Lundqvist, Mehdi Al-Khatib, Fedrik Samuelsson, Fabian Delryd, and Filip Bjorklund.
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في عالم تكون فيه إيمي شومر مديرة تحرير مجلة فوغ!
أتلانتا، الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية (CNN)-- نشرت مجلة "فوغ" عبر موقعها الإلكتروني فيديو كوميدياً لعملية تبادلت فيها الممثلة الكوميدية إيمي شومر الوظيفة مع مديرة تحرير المجلة آنا وينتر.
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Militarised factories: workers stand trial in military court for protesting
The Alexandria Military Court postponed Saturday the trial session of 14 workers of the Alexandria Shipyard Company to 21 June citing the absence of another 10 workers in the case.
The 24 workers are accused of inciting other workers to strike and refusing to work in the military institution, according their lawyer Mohamed Awad.
Awad told Daily News Egypt that the court postponed the session so that the other defendants could attend the trial.
The court also ordered the release of Samar Abdu, one of the female workers.
The workers are standing trial in a military court since, as of 2007, the Alexandria Shipyard Company falls under the supervision and administration of the Ministry of Defence and Military Production.
The company stands as one of the 1960s’ main industrial projects in Alexandria in the maritime field, and is one of the several economic projects that are controlled by the Egyptian Armed Forces.
The complex employs 2,500 civilian workers.
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الإخوان المسلمين: أحكام قضية التخابر مع قطر "مهزلة جديدة".. ومصر تعيش في "خيانة ودماء وقمع وانتقام خسيس"
اعتبرت جماعة الإخوان المسلمين أن الأحكام التي أصدرتها محكمة جنايات القاهرة، السبت، بالسجن المؤبد على الرئيس المصري الأسبق محمد مرسي، ومتهمين اثنين آخرين، والإعدام لستة متهمين آخرين في القضية المعروفة إعلاميا باسم "التخابر مع قطر"، هي "مهزلة جديدة".
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"الأسود يأتي بظلال مختلفة".. كيف طغت عارضة الأزياء هذه على الصور التقليدية للجمال؟
أتلانتا، الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية (CNN)-- تعد دياندرا فوريست إحدى أوائل العارضات اللواتي ظهرت على ساحة الأزياء العالمية ممن أصبن بالبهاق، تربّت في عائلة أمريكية من أصل أفريقي، لكنها كانت تتعرض للمضايقات لأنها كانت تبدو مختلفة عن عائلتها.
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Trial of Press Syndicate leaders postponed to 25 June
The Qasr Al-Nil Misdemeanour Court on Saturday postponed the trial of the Press Syndicate’s head Yahia Qalash and two board members, Khaled El-Balshy and Gamal Abdelrahim, to 25 June to hear testimonies and inspect exhibits.
The court accepted demands submitted by the defence lawyers during the court session and specified three further court sessions to implement these demands.
The court determined the 25 June court session to review CDs related to the case and to hear the testimonies of journalists Amr Badr and Mahmoud Al-Saqa. Sessions on 2 July and 9 July will be spent listening to testimonies of the security forces that arrested the journalists and stormed the Press Syndicate.
The syndicate leaders are facing charges of harbouring wanted journalists inside the syndicate headquarters and propagating false news. Qalash and Abdelrahim did not attend their second court session; however, El-Balshy was present.
Security personnel were deployed around the court for the second time, preventing journalists and photographers from attending the session. Entrance was only permitted for lawyers and defendants.
The syndicate leaders’ defence team included the former dean of the Faculty of Law at Cairo University, Mahmoud Kabesh, Lawyer Tarek Nagida, National Council for Human Rights member, Hafez Abu Saeda, and others. The team was led by the head of the Lawyers’ Syndicate Sameh Ashour. Other prominent lawyers, journalists, and figures attended the court session to express solidarity with the syndicate leaders.
Tarek Khater, member of the defence team, told Daily News Egypt that the lawyers demanded the summoning of a technician to inspect CDs that were presented as evidence as well as the summoning of journalists Amr Badr and Mahmoud Al-Saqa from their detention to hear their testimonies and review their case documents.
Badr and Al-Saqa were arrested inside the syndicate on 1 May, causing uproar among civil rights movements, leading the syndicate to call for the sacking of the Minister of Interior.
Khater said that they also demanded the summoning of the security forces who arrested the two journalists and stormed the syndicate as well as the syndicate security team and journalists who were present during the incident of 1 May.
The lawyer added that the defence also demanded the summoning of Hatem Zakaria, a member of the Syndicate Council, to listen to his testimony again. Zakaria’s first testimony condemned the defendants, leading Al-Balshy to question why Zakaria had not opposed what happened from the very beginning.
Moreover, the defence team demanded hearing testimonies of Al-Balshy and Abdelrahim who were absent during the Press Syndicate case, since they were attending a press conference in Morocco from 30 April to 2 May.
Both, Qalash and Al-Balshy consider the trial an attempt to manipulate facts in order to depict the storming of the syndicate as an ordinary security measure.
Keywords: Press Syndicate leaders, court, session, Yehia Qalash, Hatem Zakria, Khaled El-Balashy, Gamal Abdelrahim, leaders, trial, Badr, Al-Saqa
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Iraqi PM Haider al-Abadi reports center of Fallujah under government control
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has said that Iraqi forces have retaken the center of the city of Fallujah from fighters with the so-called ‘Islamic State’ (IS). They hope now to be able to regain control of Mosul.
Iraqi forces had retaken the city center of Fallujah on Saturday and begun scouring the area for holdout jihadis, according to the Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.
The latest in a series of territory losses for “Islamic State” (IS) militants means that Baghdad can concentrate on retaking Mosul, Iraq’s second city and the last IS stronghold in the country.
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared Fallujah retaken as the flag of Iraq was raised over the city’s main government compound, but some IS militants remained in neighborhoods on the northern edge of Fallujah.
Lieutenant General Abdulwahab al-Saadi, the commander of the operation,said that special forces were continuing their push to force the last remaining IS fighters out of the city.
Saadi said that Iraqi soldiers had faced only limited resistance in the campaign to recapture the city. Security sources have voiced concern that IS fighters were disguising themselves to blend in with civilians fleeing the city.
Moving on to Mosul
To capitalize on the momentum gained in Fallujah, Baghdad announced on Saturday that Iraqi soldiers would join with Kurdish forces to begin a siege of Mosul from the south. The campaign will also be supported by US-led airstrikes. To that end, the first stage of fighting concentrated on the strategic town of Qayyara, home to an air base that could prove instrumental in the fight for Mosul.
The ancient city of Mosul is Iraq’s second most populous city and was home to about two and a half million people before its occupation by IS in June 2014.
es/jm (AFP, dpa)
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Sectarian violence against Copts reported near Alexandria
Copts in the village of Qaryat Al Bayda reported Friday they had been subjected to sectarian violence following attacks on the pastor of a local church and a services building affiliated with the church.
The village, located to the south of Alexandria off the Cairo-Alexandria Desert Road, witnessed violent incidents as a group of people destroyed the car of Pastor Karas Nasr of the Coptic Church of the Virgin and the Angel Michael, said local residents.
“Had it not been for the intervention of our sane Muslim brothers, the pastor would have died,” commented Coptic activist Ramy Kashwaa, coordinator of the Maspero Youth Union in Alexandria, providing several Facebook pictures of the events he witnessed. He added that several young people who defended the building were injured.
Kashwaa further told Daily News Egypt Saturday that they could not find any logic behind such behaviour. “The building has always been there, serving more than 80 families in the neighbourhood,” he said.
The assaults allegedly occurred following the spread of a rumour that a Coptic man intends to turn his house into a church, resulting in the assembly of dozens of Muslim residents who chanted against Copts. A video posted by the website Copts United showed hundreds gathered in the village repeatedly chanting “we don’t want a church”.
The attackers moved towards the man’s house after Friday prayers. Kashwaa accused extremist Salafists of initiating the attack.
Naeem Aziz, the house owner, told the website Copts Today that he and his brother were injured in the assaults and, instead of interfering to protect them, security forces let the violence occur and arrested a group of Copts on accusations of planning to illegally construct a church.
Aziz denied the rumour and said he was “only building a new house for his son”. But what Kashwaa found to be striking was the police behaviour. “Six Muslims and six Copts were arrested. The police officer immediately let go of the Muslims and began putting the blame on us, using very vague excuses and explicitly telling us he did not care if we were right, to the extent that one of the injured was denied medical treatment until the police chief arrived,” Kashwaa accounted.
The activist mocked the accusations, saying, “The violent assembly of nearly 1,200 people assaulting Copts and destroying private and public facilities has not even been subject to the Protest Law. We have warned that if no serious penalty is applied to perpetuators, there will be more of these attacks.”
Attacks by extremists on Copts in small villages are not uncommon in Egypt. Furthermore, extremists do not acknowledge the right of Copts to practice their religion and often oppose the construction of their worship houses.
President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and the leaders of the Muslim community in Al-Azhar have been speaking of the need to combat religious extremist through the renewal of religious discourse, but incidents of sectarian violence and incitement continue.
Although the incident’s claim of “church construction” was false, the Constitution supports an urgent need to issue a law to regulate church construction and renovation in a manner that guarantees the freedom to practice religious rituals for Christians.
The freedom to practice religious rituals and establish places of worship for the followers of Abrahamic religions are rights “regulated by law”, according to the Constitution.
“But we don’t obtain our rights by law,” said Kashwaa. “We often have to recur to public pressure.”
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Banks to hold meetings on Sunday on the fate of interest rates following CBE decision
Local market banks will hold meetings on Sunday to discuss the future of interest rates on deposits and loans. This follows the Central Bank of Egypt’s (CBE) decision to raise the prices of basic earnings by 1% on 16 June.
According to Haitham Abdel-Fattah, director general of the treasury at the Industrial Development and Workers Bank of Egypt, the banks will be watching the impact of the rate hike’s yield on treasury bills and bonds before moving to raise interest rates on their savings coffers.
He added that the return of debt instruments is still seen as one of the most important determinants in the movement of interest rates in banks as banks are still investing most of the liquidity in local currency in those instruments.
The Monetary Policy Committee of the CBE decided on Thursday to raise the price of basic earnings at the CBE by 1%.
With this increase, the deposit rate at the CBE reached 11.75% and the lending rate 12.75%. The price of credit and debit reached 12.25%.
These prices are the highest in 11 years, particularly since the establishment of the Monetary Policy Committee in June 2005.
The CBE’s decision was widely expected, especially after the high rate of inflation in May by almost 2%, according to Abdel-Fattah.
He also said that most banks, particularly small banks, will not move quickly to raise interest rates until yield bonds and bills rise, so that they do not raise the cost for themselves without a charge to cover that cost.
On Sunday morning, the assets committees and liabilities responsible for setting banks’ interest rates will begin to discuss the expected effects of the CBE’s decision on deposits and loan returns as well as the effect on the price of competitive yield in the market and the return of debt instruments. This is according to Abdel-Fattah who also added that they will make a decision following this discussion.
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بالفيديو: خبير أمني يشرح كيف أحدثت مواقع التواصل الاجتماعي ثورة في الإرهاب
في الهجوم القاتل بسكين على شرطي وزوجته بفرنسا رأينا أمراً لم نشاهده سابقاً في الهجمات على الغرب، فالمهاجم نشر الحادثة مباشرة من موقع الجريمة. وسائل التواصل الاجتماعي أحدثت ثورة في الإرهاب.
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House of Representatives to approve raising health allocations based on 2016 GDP
The Health Committee at the House of Representatives is set to approve the method of calculating health allocations for fiscal year (FY) 2017 on the basis of gross domestic product (GDP) of FY 2016.
Magdy Morshed, head of the Health Committee at the House of Representatives, said that his committee is studying the method of calculating the health allocations of FY 2017 on the basis of 3% of GDP amounting to EGP 2.8tn.
The committee is to approve this method of calculation, as the allocations will rise to about EGP 61bn, Morshed said.
He added that Minister of Health Ahmed Emad El-Din believes that these allocations will be sufficient for the next fiscal year to carry out the development work for hospitals and the modernisation of services provided to citizens.
The financial allocations for the Ministry of Health before the amendment reached about EGP 48bn, with wages of about 60%, explained Morshed. It was agreed that the full increased amount of allocation will be for development operations, modernisation of services, and infrastructure.
Daily News Egypt revealed last week that the Ministry of Finance submitted an offer to the Plan and Budget Committee at the House of Representatives to calculate health, education, and scientific research allocations based on the GDP of the current FY amounting to EGP 2.8tn.
Ihab Al-Taher, secretary general of the Doctors Syndicate, said that if health allocations increased to EGP 61bn, the syndicate will contest the general draft budget at the Council of State for being unconstitutional.
Al-Taher told Daily News Egypt that the Ministry of Finance has to increase the resources of the state and increase health allocations, not circumvent the Constitution to escape from the required allocations.
The increase in allocations to EGP 61bn is not enough and will not achieve any development in the health system, Al-Taher explained. He pointed out that this increase is only due to the inflation of 2015.
He further added that even if the application of allocations increase based on the GDP of EGP 2.8tn, health allocations will become EGP 84bn in the budget. This is a very good rate even though it is still inadequate; however, it’s a good step towards launching developments to the health system in Egypt.
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Prominent Egyptian rights lawyers shortlisted as UN Rapporteurs for extrajudicial violations
Nasser Amin, a member of the National Council for Human Rights (NCHR), was shortlisted to hold a high-ranking position at the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR), along with Mohab El-Shorbagy, the Nobel Peace Circle Chair for Human Rights.
Both Amin and El-Shorbagy were shortlisted for the position of Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions, becoming the first Egyptians to be shortlisted for this position amongst 16 other candidates worldwide.
The candidates are expected to be further shortlisted until five ambassadors are selected in total, each representing a different continent. The final results will be announced at the end of June.
The rapporteurs are expected to monitor conditions in countries they are representing for four years, ensuring that there are no human rights violations committed in those countries. They shall also write periodic reports to be submitted to the United Nations General Assembly and the International Council on Human Rights Policy (ICHRP).
In their application letters, Amin and El-Shorbagy demonstrated interest in legal and human rights issues in Egypt and internationally through their past work and academic careers.
Amin has held several positions as a lawyer, including the Secretary General of the Arab Centre for Independence of the Judiciary and the Legal Professions, from 1997 until present. In March 2014, he participated in the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), and submitted a progress report on the human rights situation in Egypt, and the Egyptian government’s commitment to implementing the recommendations of the International Council for Human Rights.
El-Shorbagy, who also worked as an appeals lawyer, had other significant contributions to human rights capacity building. He said he founded the Human Trafficking Victims Clinic in 2011, as the first clinical programme solely dedicated to the issue of human trafficking victims. The clinic was recognised by UNICEF, Rotary International, and the Red Cross.
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Household sector acquires 62.68% of total deposits in banks in March
The household sector acquired about 62.68% of the total deposits in banks in March, according to an analysis by Daily News Egypt.
With assistance from the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE), the Daily News Egypt analysis revealed the sector’s increase in deposits in March from about EGP 1.26tn to about EGP 2.01tn, representing the total volume of deposits in banks, including government deposits.
According to Haitham Abdel-Fattah, director general of the Treasury of the Industrial Development and Workers Bank of Egypt, the household sector, which has the largest deposits in banks, includes all individual and family businesses and controls the management of a single person or a family.
According to the CBE database this sector increased its local currency deposits in March by about EGP 15bn, reaching a total of EGP 1.06tn compared to EGP 1.045tn in February, acquiring about 66.82% of the total of those deposits.
Moreover, the household sector increased its foreign currency deposits this month by about EGP 24.6bn, equivalent to almost $2.8bn, based on the exchange rate of EGP 8.88 per US dollar.
Foreign currency deposits in this sector reached about EGP 196.61bn in March 2015, compared to EGP 172.05bn in February 2015, which is almost 46.96% of the total foreign currency deposits.
The CBE’s figures reveal the sector’s savings to be increasingly in US dollars, the work of dollarisation. This comes with the expectation that the next period will witness further reduction in the value of the Egyptian pound against the US dollar, according to Abdel-Fattah.
He also said that investing savings in the Egyptian market or maintaining their value is done in several ways. One of these ways is to keep savings in the form of US dollars, gold, real estate, savings instruments, or stock market investments.
Investing in gold has many risks related to fluctuations of the price of gold in world markets. Investment in real estate requires experience in the field and a huge liquidity that many people may not have. Also, investment in the stock market has many risks and requires experience that is not usually available to individuals. Therefore, it is better to keep savings in banks in the form of local currency or foreign currency, or keep them in form of US dollars, according to Abdel-Fattah
According to monitoring conducted by Daily News Egypt, the household sector was not alone dollarised as the private business sector joined it as well.
According to the CBE figures, the private business sector increased its foreign currency deposits in banks to about EGP 12.6bn, equivalent to about $1.4bn in March, to reach $100.544bn, compared to EGP 87.996bn in February.
This sector acquired about 24.01% of total foreign currency deposits in banks, about 16.43% of domestic deposits, and approximately 18.02% of total deposits.
Associations and government institutions also increased their foreign currency deposits in banks in March, by about EGP 12.3bn, in contrast to a decline of their deposits in local currency in the same month, by about EGP 700m, according to the CBE
The government acquires about 15.68% of the total deposits in banks, and about 13.64% of the deposits in local currency, in addition to approximately 23.43% of the foreign currency deposits, according to Daily News Egypt monitoring.
The rest of deposits in banks are distributed in the private business sector and external sector (non-residents).
The private business sector acquires about 2.857% of total deposits, 2.515% of domestic deposits, and 4.15% of foreign deposits. The external sector acquires 0.78% of total deposits, 0.63% of domestic deposits, and 1.43% of foreign deposits.
The cancelation of the cap on foreign currency deposits in March led to the growth in the volume of foreign currency deposits in banks to about 22.5%, compared to 13.2% in February, according to the CBE.
The growth rate in total deposits in banks for this month reached 19.36% versus 19.01% in February, while the growth rate of domestic deposits reached 18.7% in March compared with 20.3% in February.
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بعد الإمارات.. سورية هربت من جحيم الأسد تتفوق بالسعودية
تمنت نادية حبوس أن تكمل تعليمها الجامعي في الطب البشري لتقدم خدمتها للبلد الذي احتضنها
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EURO 2016: Sweden and Turkey lose to Italy and Spain, Croatia and Czech draw
The EURO 2016 witnessed three matches on the 17July.
In the first match, Italy defeated Sweden with Éder Citadin Martins scoring a goal at the 88th minute. The match did not meet the audience’s expectations in terms of performance, mainly rooting back to Zlatan Ibrahimović’s poor performance on the ground.
Czech and Croatia came to a draw with four goals in total. Croatia’s Ivan Perišić scored the first goal in the 37th minute, followed by his teammate and FC Barcelona champion Ivan Rakitić’s goal in the 59th minute.
The Croatian team did not feel safe for too long, as the second half-time witnessed two goals from the Czech team. Czech Milan Škoda surprised the audience by scoring a goal in the 75th minute, and Tomáš Necid managed to balance the scoreboard, thanks to the penalty he scored in the 89th minute.
Spain and Turkey achieved the highest number of goals in one match for this year’s EURO 2016 so far, with a result of 3-0 for Spain.
Spain led the match, as its player Álvaro Morata scored the match’s first goal in the 34th minute. Three minutes later, Spanish Manuel Durán, known as Nolito, scored the second goal. Morata scored Spain’s third goal in the 48th minute.
It was an easy victory for Spain, as Turkey’s team did not show the expected resistance. The Turkish audience blamed FC Barcelona’s star, Turkish Arda Turan, for the defeat, as they had expected that he would make a difference.
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International gateway revenues to TE will drop in 2017: Beltone
Beltone Financial Holding told Daily News Egypt that the international mobile phone wholesale business will decline in 2017 after Vodafone Egypt and Orange Egypt acquire the international gateway licence at a cost of EGP 1.8bn per licence. This constitutes a discount of roughly 50%, compared to the value of previous offers made by the National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA).
Beltone will review projected revenues from the international gateway sector, which represented 24.4% of Telecom Egypt’s (TE) total revenues in 2015, and adjust the estimates of the expected revenues from this sector.
The investment bank expects a revenue decline in the international wholesale business. It also predicts that the anticipated revenues of TE’s mobile activity will not offset the revenue decline after the licences are issued.
Beltone noted that the international gateway revenues will be protected for a medium-term period, due to contracts signed with Vodafone and Orange in 2015.
Beltone added that TE’s international gateway revenues will not remain stable, causing TE to lose customers. Vodafone and Orange are expected to negotiate and amend the signed agreements with TE.
The NTRA reviewed the companies seeking licences and new network frequencies, and determined that the value of providing mobile phone licences and 4G frequencies to TE is EGP 7bn.
The NTRA will provide Orange and Vodafone with the licence and 4G frequencies at a cost of EGP 3.5bn, while TE will get the licence and 3G and 4G frequencies for EGP 4.6bn.
Beltone commented that the value of the licences to TE, EGP 7bn ($790m), was 40% higher than estimated, EGP 5bn ($560m).
The bank noted that the cost of the licence is too high in light of the mobile market saturation in Egypt.
Beltone also confirmed that the price of the licence and 4G frequencies determined by the NTRA, is high compared to the value offered in the Pakistani market to the company Zong in 2014, which amounted to $210m.
Beltone added that the discrepancy came at a time when the Pakistani market was enjoying superior growth rates compared to the Egyptian market. According to data received in March, the proliferation rate of mobile phones in Pakistan was roughly 69%, compared to 110% in Egypt. Additionally, Pakistan’s proliferation rate of mobile phones reached 29%, compared to 27.3% in Egypt.
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Chinese media: Attack to defend
China’s media is increasingly broadcast around the world, yet the Asian country’s state-controlled media is still regarded as lacking credibility compared to other international news organizations.
Some 2000 years ago Chinese philosopher Mencius famously wrote: “Who wins the hearts of people gains the whole world.” Today, his words still ring true.
The Asian economic superpower is trying to shake off its negative image, one that is usually characterized by human rights violations and repression against critics and dissidents. China hopes that by investing in public diplomacy the state will improve its international reputation.
“Of course, the state takes the decisive role in pulic diplomacy,” says Shi Anbin, a journalism professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing.
Yong Zhang, one the founders of the English edition of the Global Times, a popular newspaper known for its nationalistic slant, agrees. “Public diplomacy can only be conducted by the government,” said Yong, who now writes for the People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party.
Global presence
This year China entered the Australian market, signing various agreements and memorandums of understanding with Australian media outlets including Fairfax Media. According to these agreements, a number of Asutralain papers will carry the party-controlled English language publication China Daily as a monthly supplement. China Daily is already available in Europe, Asia, Africa and the US under similar arrangements.
China’s global media expansion grew out of a PR fiasco at the 2008 Olympics, says Zhang. During the live coverage of the torch relay, the whole world watched as Tibetan exiles and human rights activists protested. These images startled Beijing and “ever since China has been committed to strengthening its soft power gloablly.”
China expanded its media, Zhang adds, to improve its negative image propogated by the Western media.
Lack of transparency
Nowadays the country’s media is in the process of extending its global operation. The CCTV state television employs a team of 200 journalists in Washington alone; in Nairobi it produces four hours of regional television a day for African audiences. The official Xinhua news agency launched a news site in German under the heading “A window into China.”
However, China experts can’t say exactly how much money the Chinese government invests in foreign media activities. However, according to some reports, the annual expenditure is between seven and 10 billion US dollars.
Libby Liu, director of Radio Free Asia, wants greater transparency. Liu believes that transparency would improve the Chinese media’s credibility internationally.
She also points to another controversial issue: “China can easily open offices abroad in Washington DC, New York and Los Angeles. And yet, at the same time, Beijing restricts foreign media access to China.”
In its Press Freedom Index 2016, media watchdog Reporters without Borders ranks China at 176th position, the fifth-last place.
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Expectations of more companies issuing GDRs amid warnings of attracting liquidity from leading stocks
A number of investment and security managers predicted that the Egyptian Exchange (EGX) would witness higher activity on issuing global depository receipt (GDRs) among local companies, with the aim of trading their stocks on the London Stock Exchange.
Companies say the move is to attract foreign investments that prefer to invest in GDRs because they offer fewer restrictions on the entry and repatriation of funds unaffected by the US dollar shortage in Egypt.
Currently, companies tend to get approval for issuing GDRs. Beltone Financial Holding and the Arabian Food Industries Company (Domty) have both already called an extraordinary general assembly to convene this month to discuss GDRs.
But investment experts warned of some negative consequences of issuing GDRs in light of the continuing hard currency shortage. Among these problems is the EGX losing its role in attracting indirect foreign investments as GDRs would occupy the interest of foreign investors.
There are 14 companies listed on the EGX that own GDRs: Ezz Steel, Commercial International Bank (CIB), Global Telecom Holding, Telecom Egypt, EFG-Hermes Holding, Lecico Egypt, Pachin, Suez Cement, Remco Tourism Villages Construction, Orascom Telecom Media and Technology Holding, Edita Food Industries, GB Auto, Palm Hills Development, and Naeem Holding For Investments.
Ahmed Badr Eldin, executive director of the Middle East and North Africa region for Renaissance Capital, said the Egyptian market is slated to witness companies issuing GDRs on the London Stock Exchange, which has attracted many foreign investors over the past few months being a safe path for repatriating money—away from the US dollar shortage in Egypt.
He explained that GDRs would attract stock trading from the EGX to these certificates, which will take from part of the market’s trading volume.
Nevertheless, Badr said that GDRs would benefit the EGX and maintain its position among foreign investors by keeping it interesting, despite difficulties in the repatriation of funds or concerns over the exchange rate.
Direct Investment Manager at the American Cartel Capital in the Middle East and North Africa Ayman Abu Hend said that many companies listed on the EGX are keen to issue GDRs to attract foreign investors, raise the trading price of their shares, and enhance the chances of covering initial public offerings (IPOs) successfully in the case of increasing capital.
He pointed out that investors have been converting many shares into certificates, highlighting the CIB, which is on the verge of overstepping the legal specified limit of issuing GDRs, currently set at 33% of capital.
A press release from the EGX on Thursday said that the CIB has 9.2m shares of its capital left to be changed into certificates before consuming the 33% ratio.
The release also noted that Edita has 10.7m shares allowed for conversion into GDRs.
The continuation of the US dollar shortage would spike trading of GDRs, which act as a replacement for stocks among foreign investors, but they cannot be considered a negative factor for the EGX as they would attract foreign investors when converting GDRs into stocks under ordinary circumstances, said Abu Hend.
EGX Chairperson Mohamed Omran has expressed dissatisfaction over the focus on converting leading shares into GDRs for trading abroad.
Omran said the EGX will step into GDRs conversion process once companies hit the minimum percentage of free float shares in the capital market set at 5% of the capital.
Abu Hend said that GDRs have—again—become a gateway for repatriating funds among Egyptian investors even though the Egyptian Financial Supervisory Authority imposes restrictions on Egyptians receiving proceeds of sales in foreign currency and encourages them to receive proceeds in Egyptian pounds.
However, he explained that companies can bypass the law through commissioning foreign institutions, working in the EGX, to conduct transactions on behalf of Egyptians, allowing the latter to receive the proceeds of selling in US dollars, especially since GDR transactions rely on the black market exchange rate.
Ehab Rashad, general manager and board member of Mubasher, played down the potential negative effects of GDRs, describing them as temporary.
He said that past experiences showed that GDRs are always reconverted into shares once companies near the legally stipulated rate of 33% of capital.
END
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Interest raise threatens Egypt’s ability to attract investments, wastes opportunities
The decision of the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) to raise interest rates is a deflationary policy that will decrease investments at a time when the state is working on attracting foreign and local investments to raise the country’s production rate, said former chairperson of the Egyptian Direct Investment Association Hani Tawfik.
In a post on Facebook, Tawfik stated that the decision wastes opportunities due to the lack of coordination in managing the economic crisis that Egypt is currently undergoing. Production costs will rise and inflation will increase.
There are two types of price inflations, he stated. One of them is benign, which entails that production capacity is used to its fullest, resulting in an increase of demand on goods. This is followed by price increases. The CBE can contain this kind of inflation by raising interest rates to curb the demand, and pursuing deflationary policies. This helps with slowing down growth and controlling prices.
The second type of inflation is malicious. It is the result of rising production costs which causes prices to climb. This kind of inflation cannot be fought by raising interest rates, because it would lead to stagflation, according to Tawfik.
He added: “The solution lies within the monetary and expansionary fiscal policies to improve the investment climate, increase production and operation, and stimulate demand,” he added.
Medhat Nosseir, chairperson at ACT International, said that raising the interest rate is a key factor considered by investors when entering a new market. He explained that the rising cost of funding by raising the interest rate causes markets to lose opportunities in attracting investment.
He explained that besides the interest rates, investors look at the stability of financial and monetary policies, legislation, quality of investment opportunities, and the speed of entering and exiting markets to make their investment decisions. He called upon the government to improve the environment of doing business in Egypt.
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العراق.. داعش يضاعف حواجزه خوفاً من ثورة في الشرقاط
القوات المشتركة استعادت أولى القرى وهي قرية المسحك شمال صلاح الدين
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كيف تعثر على وظيفة أحلامك بشهر رمضان؟
هل أنت عاطل عن عمل وترغب بالحصول على وظيفة في أقرب وقت ممكن الا أن شهر رمضان يشكل عائقاً أمامك؟
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Industrial sector acquires 28% of bank loans in March
The industrial sector acquired 27.97% of the total loans granted by banks to customers in the public and private sectors in March 2016, according to an analysis by Daily News Egypt.
This is equivalent to EGP 237.1bn from a total bank loan portfolio of EGP 847.574bn in March.
The sector also acquired 34.2% of the total foreign currency loans, and 25.11% of local currency loans.
According to Ezz El-Din Hassanein, a banking expert and the general manager of an Arab bank operating in Egypt, most loans in the banking sector worldwide are granted to the industrial sector.
Hassanein explains that this sector is the most important engine for economic growth. It also increases employment rates and the foreign exchange reserves of export revenues. Therefore, the loan acquisition is normal, and needs to increase during the coming period.
The services sector acquired 23.1% of total loans in March, 20.8% of foreign currency loans, and 28.1% of local currency loans, according to the analysis.
Hassanein adds that the services sector is one of the key sectors in fulfilling the needs of citizens in the areas of energy, transportation, and communications.
Banks are keener on financing the above-mentioned sectors, including the household sector—specifically in retail banking—than giving loans to the agriculture sector.
According to the monitoring conducted by Daily News Egypt, the agriculture sector acquired only 1.1% of total loans in banks, 1.27% of loans in local currency, and 0.75% in foreign currency loans.
Hassanein believes that banks grant most of their loans to the industrial, services, and retail sectors, given their profitability and relatively low risk rate. However, if the state wants to achieve real development, it should fund the agriculture sector, Hassanein adds. In his opinion, the loans directed at this sector should not make up less than 15% of the total bank loans ratio, and should be considered as part of the trade sector account.
The increase in the volume of bank loans amounted to EGP 47.819bn in March, reaching EGP 847.574bn in total, compared to EGP 799.755bn in February, according to Daily News Egypt.
Hassanein further adds that more than 70% of these bank loans were granted to finance energy, oil, and giant industrial projects. Part of the loans were also granted to increase the limits of existing credit for some of the iron, cement, pharmaceutical, petrochemical, and fertilizer corporate sectors, and to fund the household sector.
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Global condemnation continues to surround Malek Adly’s imprisonment
It has been almost one-and-a-half months since human rights lawyer Malek Adly was arrested, and campaigns for his release have only grown during that time.
Italian rights group Progressi has condemned Adly’s arrest, demanding his immediate release.
“Malek was among the first lawyers to condemn the killing of Italian researcher Giulio Regeni,” the group said in a statement. They also noted that Adly’s health has significantly deteriorated since his incarceration.
According to Progressi, it is important to advocate for Adly’s release because Italy has to do something to fight oppressive regimes and support human rights and diplomatic relations based on ratified international agreements.
Meanwhile, the Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales (BHRC) has expressed serious concerns with the recent arrests and arbitrary detention of several Egyptian lawyers, human rights defenders, and journalists, including Malek Adly, Amr Badr and Mahmoud Al-Saqa.
According to the BHRC, “The arrest and detention of these individuals is part of a series of recent arrests made by Egyptian security forces against those who have criticised or protested against the decisions of the state.”
The organisation also questions the motivations for these arrests and their impact on the right to freedom of expression. Accordingly, the BHRC believes urgent steps are needed to restore confidence in the fairness and credibility of the Egyptian justice system. It calls upon the UK government to address these matters with the Egyptian authorities.
Adly was arrested in early May and faces charges of attempting to topple the regime, amending the constitution of the state, joining an entity that works against the government, and spreading false news about the recent maritime demarcation deal between Egypt and Saudi Arabia over the Red Sea islands.
Adly’s wife, Asmaa Aly, made a statement following her visit to Adly on Saturday. “38 days have passed since he was put in solitary confinement. Despite all the complaints,” she added, “nothing has changed.”
The prominent lawyer has been an active defender of human rights since 2008. He is also the co-founder of the Front of Defence for Egyptian Protesters (FDEP). Adly currently works as the head of the lawyers’ network at the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights (ECESR) and is a member of the freedoms committee at the Egyptian Social Democratic Party (ESDP).
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Apple under fire over patent dispute in Beijing
A Chinese tribunal has ordered Apple Inc. to stop selling its iPhone 6 in Beijing, claiming the design was too similar to a Chinese-made model. The American company is continuing the sale during the appeals process.
The Beijing regulator found that iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus looked too much like the 100C smartphone made by Shenzhen Beili, a small Chinese brand.
Apple’s retail stores, however, continued to sell their latest models on Friday. The California-based tech giant said the ruling was stayed on appeal.
If the appeal fails, Apple would be forced to give ground to competition in Beijing, where local brands such as Huawei and Xiaomi have been fighting for their market share. China as a whole accounted for over a quarter of Apple’s revenue last year, making it the second biggest source of income for the company, according to RBC Capital Markets analyst Amit Daryanani.
The patent dispute is only the latest in a series of troubles to hit Apple in China. Last month, a Chinese court decided that a company was allowed to use the iPhone trademark on their bags, wallets and other leather products.
Apple was forced to suspend its iBooks and iTunes Movies services in April after the Chinese government stated they were breaking the rules for foreign publishers. The company said it hoped to resume its service soon.
In addition, Apple has been pushing against fake Apple stores in the country. Chinese businessmen have been suspected of copying logos and products of many other Western companies, including BMW, Goldman Sachs and Ikea.
dj/jlw (AP, dpa)
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Russia’s soccer hooligans eclipse their teachers
There are two games going on at Euro 2016 in France now – the sanctioned games on the field and those off the field run by gangs of hooligans who, as Fiona Clark reports, play by their own set of rules.
According to Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, you can’t blame Russian soccer fans for their violence – they were provoked.
“We cannot ignore the absolutely provocative actions of fans from other countries. You have probably seen the outrageous footage on television, where a Russian flag is being trampled, when insults against the Russian government, against the leading Russian sportsmen are being chanted,” the Sputnik news service quotes Lavrov as saying.
It’s a shame he hadn’t read a copy of the newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda, as then he would have understood that provocation is apparently part of the hooligans’ game. What to outsiders looks like random attacks by drunk and unruly thugs is apparently all part of a well-organized strategy belonging to a sub-culture of football fanatics – some of whom seem more interested in the fights than the match. They even have their own language, attack plans and financial organizations, called “firms,” supporting them. And they say they learnt it all from the English – after all, for decades, they were the best.
From the 1960s to the early 2000s violence at UK soccer matches was the norm – scuffles, pitches invaded, people beaten and crushed and killed in the melees. The beautiful game went from a pleasant family day out to a weekend nightmare that required the constant banning and fining of clubs to get it under control. Then the fans took the violence on tour, so to speak, creating havoc at away matches abroad. As a result English teams were banned from competing in European matches from 1985 to 1990 after the death of 39 Juventus fans at a match in Brussels. At home, the bans, fines and concerted anti-violence campaigns eventually led to a decline in violence, and club games were deemed safe for families to go to again. These days thugs may still wear identifying clothing like a particular brand of shoes, but the fighting has now mostly moved off pitch to designated meeting points away from the stadiums.
The same is true in Russia. Hooliganism began here a little later but has flourished in recent years with the growth in right-wing nationalism and neo-Nazi groups. Clubs like Dynamo and CSKA are well known for their fan violence and racism. A crackdown on violent outbreaks at games means those spoiling for a fight now arrange brawls at remote locations where they’re out of police range.
But the clubs’ thugs put aside their rivalries when they go abroad, coming together under the umbrella of a “firm” that helps fund their travels, orchestrates their activities and sets the rules of engagement.
A thug’s guide
The paper describes the structure of the fans and thugs.
First there’s the “kuzmich” – an ordinary football fan, who is not involved with organized bigotry or violence. He would “arrive at Euro 2016 with family or a lover,” and even though he may drink a few beers and chant “Ross-i-ya,” he is deemed “unworthy” by the real thugs.
Next are the “active fans” or “huliganz.” These are fighters who actively participate in what’s known as “action,” “jumps” or “leaps” – a quick attack involving several blows and an equally quick retreat. He’s normally a “young man in good physical shape with great skills in street fighting. He usually wears shorts, comfortable shoes and T-shirts,” the paper says. Importantly, he doesn’t drink before he jumps.
Then there are the much talked about “ultras” – rowdy supporters who often sit behind the goals and are often the central figures in any trouble.
When these groups come together it’s called a “sostav” which means “ingredients” or “composition” – a group of fans gathered ready for action.
They are organized by the “company” or “firm.” It gives the group a name, symbols, funds and guidance, Komsomolskaya Pravda claims.
And when the firm consists of ultras and huliganz from different clubs that are coming together for a single purpose, it’s an “obshchak.”
Putting on the squeeze
The paper says when these groups jump their aim is to destroy the morale of the enemy by “squeezing the rag” – stealing and destroying (usually burning) another team’s symbols or flag. These skirmishes don’t take long either, the paper says. It adds that the signal to retreat is the not very manly phrase when translated – “give up your slippers” – which basically means drop everything and run.
Inside the stadium victory is scored if you can invade and evict the opposition from their seats at the end of the game – as was seen when the Russian thugs invaded the UK’s patch. According to the paper, “in fan circles this is considered the highest chic” – and the action went exactly to plan.
Despite the fact that these outburst of violence have left scores of people injured – some seriously – many in Russia think they’ve been unfairly singled out as thugs and that this is yet another example of the West picking on them. Some members of parliament even supported the violence as though it were just par for the course.
One deputy who is also an executive committee member of the Russian Football Union, Igor Lebedev, tweeted: “I don’t see anything wrong with the fans fighting. Quite the opposite, well done lads, keep it up!”
The former press secretary of the Russian Football Federation, Andrei Malosolov, praised the violence, asking: “Don’t the Russians deserve respect for their fearlessness? They beat the citizens of a country that … has always been an enemy of Russia.”
Russia’s sports minister condemned the violence but mostly because he feared Russia could be banned from future matches or, even worse, lose the 2018 World Cup.
Komsomolskaya Pravda says it was the action inside the stadium that was “a major, and perhaps fatal mistake.”
“Everything that happens in the city is the responsibility of the police. For all the stadium meets, it is UEFA responsibility,” and it will decide on any future bans. “UEFA is not ready for such aggression,” the paper says.
And neither were the Russian thugs English opponents, by the looks of it. Russians boasted on social media that the UK hooligans they had once revered and emulated were now overweight, unfit and drunk – in other words, easy targets. In one of the saddest ways possible, the students had surpassed their masters.
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Scotland plays it cool over Brexit debate
Scotland is keeping a close eye on the UK’s EU referendum – a vote to leave could reignite the issue of Scottish independence. Peter Geoghegan reports from Glasgow.
During the 2014 independence referendum Scotland was awash in political colour. Competing ‘yes’ and ‘no’ posters and stickers seemed to be adorn just about every other window. On polling day, almost 85 percent voted, choosing to remain in the United Kingdom by some 10 points.
With only a few days to go until the referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union, the political mood in Scotland is very different. There are few flags flying or car stickers urging voters to ‘Leave’ or ‘Remain.’
Although polls suggest Scots are in favor of the EU by a majority of two to one, many experts fear a low turnout on June 23.
“The obsession with Europe that you find in England, you just don’t find in Scotland,” says Michael Keating, professor of politics at Aberdeen University.
“Even Eurospectics in Scotland don’t obsess about Europe. The issue is just not that salient. It is not nearly as polarized,” he told DW.
Pro-EU
One of the reasons why Scots are less enthused by the upcoming votes is that their political parties are overwhelmingly pro-EU. While Conservatives in England are bitterly divided over the referendum, and Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour has been reticent, there is near unanimity in the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh for ‘Remain.’
During a recent debate in Edinburgh all but a handful of parliamentarians backed staying in the European Union. Even the Scottish Conservatives are firmly pro-European, in marked contrast to their Westminster counterparts.
Certainly the big ticket issues for Leave campaigners – particularly immigration and sovereignty – struggle for resonance in Scotland, which is a much whiter place than England and needs immigration to replace an aging workforce. Meanwhile Brussels, and its putative legion of faceless bureaucrats, feels a lot further away from Edinburgh than it does from the south-east of England.
Meanwhile, the anti-EU coalition in Scotland has been hindered by a lack of unity. The Scottish branch of the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) is riven by in-fighting and splits. Onetime SNP deputy leader Jim Sillars – who previously campaigned for ‘independence in Europe’ – is practically the only high-profile nationalist advocating an out vote.
Strong parallels
Polls suggest two-thirds of Scots and the vast majority of businesspeople are in favor of the EU.
“We have not had a major war in Europe since the end of World War II. A big part of the reason for that is the European Union,” says 29-year-old environmental scientist, Adrian Moore, who lives in Glasgow.
Like many others, Moore sees strong parallels between the 2014 Scottish independence referendum and the upcoming vote. “The campaigns are incredibly polarized. I would love it if a politician said ‘we should stay, but if we did leave the EU the country would still be here.’ Rather than ‘the world’s going to end,'” he told DW.
Unlike the independence referendum, 16 and 17-year-olds do not have a vote this time around, and neither do EU citizens living in the UK.
“I’ve lived here for 10 years – I should have a chance to vote,” says Marco Weber, originally from Germany but now living in Glasgow. “But if I could vote, I would vote to stay in,” he told DW. “Europe needs to be stronger, not weaker.”
Scots might be less than enthusiastic about the referendum, but the country will be bound by the result regardless.
Independence reloaded?
An English-backed vote to leave could re-open the issue of independence. Polls suggest the nationalists could win if the UK left the European Union. But with questions around currency and economics – which dogged the 2014 referendum – still unresolved, there is limited appetite for another run so soon among the SNP hierarchy.
Even if nationalists were able to triumph, going it alone with England outside the European Union would create significant barriers. An independent Scotland would almost certainly want to join the EU, creating a hard border along the normally sedate Anglo-Scottish boundary.
Conversely, Scottish support for the EU could be enough to overturn a narrow ‘leave’ majority in England, thus keeping the UK inside the European Union. In such a scenario, nationalism south of the border – already on the rise – could surge.
Ironically, given the level of public support for the EU among Scottish nationalists, Brexit would see much of the control of Scottish affairs currently exercised in Brussels – including over fisheries and agriculture – transferred to Edinburgh, not London.
Even if the UK leaves the EU, a nationalist-dominated Scottish parliament could still choose to follow European regulations and legislative changes, even if formally outside the union. “If Scotland wanted to continue playing the European game they could shadow Brussels rather than London even from outside the EU,” says professor Michael Keating.
Most Scots are hoping it does not come to that. Fears about a future outside the European Union could be enough to motivate Scottish voters and that could have a significant bearing on the result – for Scotland, and for the whole of the UK.
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BMW تكشف عن سيارة ميني مستقبلية متطورة جداً وتحاكي الخيال
كشفت شركة BMW عن نموذج مستقبلي لسيارة ميني كوبر للقرن الثاني والعشرين، وما يميز هذا النموذج هو أن هذه السيارات سيمكن تعديلها بشكل كامل من الداخل والخارج حسب تفضيلات كل شخص على حِدَة.
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Researcher Mina Thabet released on EGP 10,000 bail after month of detention
Prominent researcher Mina Thabet was released on a bail of EGP 10,000, according to his lawyer Doaa Mustafa.
Thabet, a member of the local observatory Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF), was arrested from his home in mid-May on charges of belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood and attempting to overthrow the regime.
During the preliminary investigations, the prosecution confiscated a leaflet he allegedly possessed that featured the Tiran and Sanafir islands. The leaflet refers to a recent maritime demarcation deal between Egypt and Saudi Arabia concerning the mentioned islands during the visit of King Salman to Cairo in early April.
Thabet’s case was added to the same investigations of the protesters that were arrested while demonstrating and calling for the return of the islands to Egypt in April. Dozens were charged with inciting protests and attempting to overthrow the regime.
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Iraqi army tightens its control over Fallujah except for ‘some pockets’: Iraqi PM
Iraqi forces broke through downtown Fallujah and retook the city’s municipality building from Islamic State (IS) militia on Friday with the support of US forces.
The Iraqi army said in a statement that the police had raised the Iraqi flag over the building. US defence minister Ash Carter confirmed that the Iraqi army seized a portion of the city but added that “there’s still some fighting to be done”.
The Egyptian ministry of foreign affairs spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid praised the Iraqi army’s success, stating the importance of liberating Fallujah from IS members.
Abu Zeid added that Egypt is hopeful that the Iraqi government will continue to fight terrorism and restore the control of the state.
Iraqi PM Haidar Al-Abadi announced the victory on Friday while Iraqi forces continue to move into the city and reclaim other areas.
“Forces have tightened their control inside the city, and there are still some pockets that need to be cleansed in the coming hours,” said Al-Abadi in a televised briefing.
Addressing Fallujah’s citizens, Al-Abadi said, “We want to bring peace and stability to the city, and our goal is to save you and save all Iraqis.”
The Iraqi army initiated an operation to liberate the city on 23 May with assistance from an international coalition provided via air cover.
Al Hashd Al Sha’bi, a shi’a militia, helped the army besiege the city, but they did not enter it with the army.
IS took control of the city in January 2014, and at the same time controlled a wide area of northern Iraq, declaring it a caliphate along with land it had seized in Syria.
Fallujah is the second largest city under IS control following Mosul.
Al-Abadi hopes to restore Mosul later this year in a wide-scale effort to undermine the terrorist organisation.
Al-Abadi launched this operation after a series of bomb attacks in the capital Baghdad killed 150 in the worst series of attacks in 2016.
The group controls 14% of Iraqi territory, down from 40% in 2014.
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Morsi receives life sentence in ‘Qatar espionage’ case
Cairo Criminal Court sentenced Saturday former president Mohamed Morsi to life in prison, along with two other defendants, in the “Qatar espionage” case.
Another six defendants received death sentences after the Grand Mufti argued that the “crime of the defendants are similar to that of treason” whose punishment should be death.
The presiding judge, Mohamed Shereen Fahmy, also sentenced Morsi to another 15 years for a different charge in the same case.
Fahmy employed several nationalist connotations while reading the court’s decision.
The session witnessed a heavy presence of security forces in the fortified Police Academy in downtown Cairo
Morsi and the other defendants are accused of leaking national security documents and information related to national security to Qatar during Morsi’s presidency.
The post Morsi receives life sentence in ‘Qatar espionage’ case appeared first on Daily News Egypt.
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مصر: الإعدام شنقا لـ6 متهمين والمؤبد للرئيس المعزول محمد مرسي بقضية "التخابر مع قطر"
القاهرة، مصر (CNN)— أصدرت محكمة جنايات القاهرة، السبت، حكمها بالسجن المؤبد بحق الرئيس المصري المعزول، محمد مرسي ومتهمين اثنين آخرين، في القضية المعروفة إعلاميا باسم "التخابر مع قطر،" في حين أصدرت المحكمة حكمها بإعدام ستة متهمين آخرين شنقا في القضية ذاتها.
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ما هي حيل التجسس التي يجب اتباعها للقيام بمراقبة فعالة؟
الرئيس السابق للجنة الاستخبارات في مجلس النواب ومقدم برنامج “Declassified” مايك روجرز يفصل حيل التجسس التي يجب اتباعها للقيام بعملية مراقبة فعالة.
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شاهد.. أوباما وعائلته في جولة داخل كهوف كارلسباد
يظهر في هذا الفيديو الرئيس الأمريكي، باراك أوباما أثناء قيامه بجولة بصحبة عائلته فى كهوف كارلسباد بالحديقة الوطنية في نيو مكسيكو.
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أم الإمارات تتكفل بعلاج والدي المتفوقة السورية "هاجر"
تحدت سرطان والدها وجلطة أمها وتفوقت على الجميع
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EgyptAir flight MS804 investigation committee receives black boxes for analysis
The investigation committee of the crashed EgyptAir flight MS804 has received the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and the flight data recorder (FDR) from the general prosecution after the two devices were retrieved on Friday
The devices will be handed over to the Central Department for Aircraft Accidents at the Ministry of Civil Aviation for inspection in order to unload their data, according to an official statement.
The committee also said that data analysis may take up to several weeks, “if the memory units of both recorders are in good condition”, before starting the unloading process in the labs.
If there are minor damages to the devices, they will be repaired locally. If damage is major it will likely need to be repaired abroad under the supervision of the committee.
On 19 May, EgyptAir flight MS804, flying from Paris to Cairo, crashed into the Mediterranean, claiming the lives of all 66 people on board.
The search vessel John Lethbridge, owned by the company Deep Ocean Search (DOS), was able to locate and retrieve the FDR only one day after retrieving the CVR.
The same vessel on Wednesday discovered aeroplane wreckage at several locations. Both the search team and investigators onboard of the vessel will draw a map marking the wreckage distribution spots.
Professor Robert Jones, department chairperson of Aviation and Transportation Studies at Lewis University, told Daily News Egypt that the retrieval of these two devices, the CVR and the FLR, are invaluable for accident investigators.
“Both are an incredibly crucial piece of the puzzle regarding the final moments of flight MS804. The FDR will give investigators systemic data on the Airbus A-320’s flight attitude, air speed, engine performance, and a host of other information to give context to the information they already have,” Jones said. “Again, the Cockpit Voice Recorder, or CVR, will allow investigators a glimpse into the conversations between the first officer, captain, and air traffic controllers”.
These items will be added to a host of evidence that has already been compiled since the aircraft went down. However, these are indeed significant evidentiary finds.
“Regrettably, there are no guarantees of the expedient conclusion as to what exactly brought the aircraft down. Many aircraft accidents have found these devices and still took investigators years to crack the code of what exactly precipitated these events,” Jones added.
Once processed, this information will be added to the other information the investigators already possess, such as the flight timeline, passenger manifests, crew experiences, the component trend analysis, and other pertinent data.
The technical investigation for the accident will not end by extracting data from the retrieved recorders, but these devices will provide a major contribution to the investigation process.
According to a statement released by DOS, the company is contracted to assist in the process of extracting the black boxes with a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) deployed on the debris field 3,000 metres deep.
The ROV position, computed by an IXBlue Inertial Navigation System, is projected in real time over the sonar mapping imagery generated during survey operations. Operators can then follow the precise ROV actions on the debris field.
Once spotted, a black box is gently retrieved by the ROV and placed in a special metal basket until its controlled extraction on the surface.
Last week, the radar images received by the investigation committee of the MS804 aeroplane crash from the Egyptian Armed Forces showed that the aeroplane swerved and changed direction to the left then turned for a full circle, said the investigation committee in an official statement.
The images are in accordance with the radar images previously received from the Greek and British radars, “however, investigation cannot only count on such information”, the statement added.
The committee has also approved the request of the US National Transportation Safety Board to assign one of its representatives to join the team as the aeroplane’s engine was manufactured by the US company Pratt and Whitney.
An expert from the black box manufacturer, Honeywell International, will also participate in the investigations.
The post EgyptAir flight MS804 investigation committee receives black boxes for analysis appeared first on Daily News Egypt.
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انتشال الصندوقين الأسودين للطائرة المصرية.. نائب رئيس الشركة لـCNN: خطوة مهمة.. وخبير: هذا ما سيبينانه
نيويورك، الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية (CNN)— قال أحمد عادل، نائب رئيس شركة مصر للطيران، إن العثور على الصندوق الأسود التابع للطائرة المصرية برحلتها رقم MS804 يعتبر خطوة مهمة للغاية.
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شاهد.. هل يتسابق البشر على استعمار المريخ؟
أعتقد أنه من المهم للولايات المتحدة أن تكون من ضمن أوائل البشر الذين يستعمرون، او لنقل يقيمون.
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إكرام لمعي يكتب عن الصراع بين "الطيور والخنازير" وديكتاتورية حكامهم
فيلم للأطفال بصحبة والديهم حصل على أعلى الإيرادات (36 مليون دولار ) في الأسبوع الأول من عرضه في أمريكا الشمالية
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Jo Cox’ death raises political tone questions
Commentators in the UK are asking whether the tone of the political debate contributed to Jo Cox’ murder. Samira Shackle reports from London.
Britain was soul-searching on Friday after the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox in West Yorkshire. At impromptu vigils in London’s Parliament Square and in Birstall, where she was murdered, friends and supporters lit candles and laid down flowers.
Cox has drawn tributes from colleagues in parliament and beyond and from her many friends as a principled humanitarian. Her death has also prompted questions about the tenor of the political debate in the UK.
The general public is also mourning. “I am ashamed to say that I hadn’t heard of Jo Cox until yesterday, because she sounds like a remarkable woman who made a big impact in parliament in a short time,” lawyer Tania Brooks told W. “It is very shocking for an elected official to be murdered – it feels like our entire political system is under attack.”
The UK is in the throes of a referendum on EU membership. Both the Leave and Remain camps suspended campaigning until Saturday. “The referendum is a great exercise in democracy,” said Chancellor George Osborne. “But the campaign has been suspended, on both sides, out of respect for Jo and her family – and for that democracy she served.” Prime Minister David Cameron has cancelled a pro-EU speech that he was scheduled to deliver in Gibraltar.
“I think it’s right that the campaigns have been suspended,” teacher James Bride told DW. “It’s been a depressing campaign full of lies and personal rivalries. Given the tragedy and enormity of losing Jo Cox, I’d like to see all sides behave with a little more dignity when campaigning resumes.”
Poisoned debate
With pollsters saying in recent days that the battle is too close to call, the tone of the debate has stepped up in ferocity. Politicians on both sides believe that this is the political fight of their lives and have been pulling out all the stops. The debate has increasingly focused on immigration.
For many, this was summed up by a controversial poster released by the UK Independence Party (UKIP) on the day that Cox was murdered. It shows lines of dark-skinned refugees with the caption “Breaking point: the EU has failed us all.” It caused widespread outrage on social media, and Unison, the public sector workers’ union, reported it to the police for inciting racial hatred. Boris Johnson, head of the official Vote Leave campaign, said that the poster was “not my politics.”
In a widely praised column for the Spectator magazine, journalist Alex Massie summed up the relationship many see between this vicious political debate and the murder. “When you shout BREAKING POINT over and over again, you don’t get to be surprised when someone breaks. When you present politics as a matter of life and death, as a question of national survival, don’t be surprised if someone takes you at your word. You didn’t make them do it, no, but you didn’t do much to stop it either. Sometimes rhetoric has consequences.”
This view is shared by many in Britain. “I’ve personally been very depressed at the tone of the political debate in Britain, not just in the last few weeks, but over the last decade,” charity worker Lucy McFarlane told DW. “Hatred has become normalized, not just by the far right but by mainstream politics. We’re essentially holding a plebiscibte on immigration next week. This shocking event seems like the natural, if devastating, product, of a toxic political culture.”
Politicization?
Yet so soon after the attack, there is caution about drawing conclusions. Labour MP Neil Coyle, who represents the London constituency of Bermondsey and Southwark, directly linked the rhetoric of the Leave campaign to the murder. “I think that the kind of nonsense that they inspire online from anonymous accounts and actually the core content of the poster they launched today . . . risk inspiring extremist elements on the hard right in this country,” he said on the BBC’s flagship Newsnight programme. He was sharply criticised on social media for “politicising” Cox’s death.
But many analysts are reflecting on the relationship between the wider tone of the political conversation in the UK, and the tragic death of Cox. “This attack on a public official cannot be viewed in isolation,” said Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee. “It occurs against a backdrop of an ugly public mood in which we have been told to despise the political class, to distrust those who serve, to dehumanize those with whom we do not readily identify.”
Extra security
Downing Street confirmed that politicians have been warned to take review their security and to alert local police if they have any concerns. All politicians are currently in their constituencies after Parliament went on recess this week ahead of the referendum.
Yet MPs have expressed their determination not to allow the vital business of constituency work to be restricted. “One of the virtues of our parliamentary democracy is the everyday accessibility of MPs to the people they represent,” said Osborne. “It’s what makes the way we govern ourselves very different from many others. We believe in freedom, liberty, and justice.”
Lord Nigel Jones, a Liberal Democrat politicians, who was attacked by a constituent wielding a Samurai sword in 2000, cautioned against fear. “MPs do a difficult and sometimes dangerous job. But parliamentarians are not a special case. Many other people in our society meet the public all the time,” he said. “It is important that the public have safe access to their elected representatives. It is part of the country we are.”
The post Jo Cox’ death raises political tone questions appeared first on Daily News Egypt.
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Are Facebook, Twitter and Google to blame for the crimes of the ‘Islamic State’?
The father of a victim of the “Islamic State” (IS) is suing the companies, claiming they empower terror groups. DW talks with an expert about what role these platforms play in the spread of terrorism.
Nohemi Gonzalez, a 23-year-old American exchange student, was among the 130 people who died in the terrorist attacks claimed by IS in Paris on November 13. Now her father is suing Facebook, Twitter and Google, the owner of YouTube, claiming the social media websites are complicit in his daughter’s death.
A suit filed by the lawyers of Reynaldo Gonzalez in the US District Court for Northern California claims the platforms have provided “material support” to groups like IS, allowing them to carry out attacks like the one in Paris. It goes on to argue that the three companies have for years “knowingly permitted” IS to use their sites as tools for recruitment, financing and propaganda.
“Without defendants Twitter, Facebook and Google (YouTube), the explosive growth of [IS] over the last few years into the most-feared terrorist group in the world would not have been possible,” the suit claims.
Twitter and Facebook have dismissed the merits of the case, while Google declined to comment directly on it. All three companies said they actively sought to remove content from their websites that was either deemed threatening or linked to a known terrorist organization.
An ongoing debate
US-based social media companies have come under pressure from governments around the world in recent months after a spate of high-profile attacks linked to IS. Following December’s mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, Facebook began aggressively policing extremist content on its website. In February, Twitter announced it had suspended 125,000 accounts “for threatening or promoting terrorist acts.”
Still, some argue that social media platforms aren’t doing enough to combat the rise of extremism. So how significant a role does social media play in helping groups like IS commit violent acts?
According to David Mair, a PhD candidate at Swansea University in Wales who specializes in terrorists’ use of social media, these platforms are more useful to groups like IS after big attacks, not before. Following an event like the mass murder in Paris is when “social media will go into play” in an effort by these groups to promote their actions, Mair told DW. On the other hand, these platforms play only a minimal role in coordinating attacks.
“Social media is more about heightening the effect after the effect,” Mair explained.
Is more surveillance necessary?
Facebook, Twitter and YouTube all have their own strategies to weed out extremist content on their platforms, Mair noted. YouTube and Twitter, like other social media sites, utilize flagging programs whereby any user can forward information they think is hate speech. Facebook relies largely on self policing but also reviews and at times deletes flagged content.
Flagging hate speech on social media platforms doesn’t necessarily prevent an attack from occurring, according to Mair. As an example, he pointed to the case of Lee Rigby, a British Army soldier murdered on the streets of London by a pair of extremists. One of Rigby’s attackers, Michael Adebowale, had been brought to the attention of Facebook for content he’d posted on the site, which at one point shut down his account. However, information about Adebowale was never passed on to British security forces, and Facebook was subsequently criticized for not doing more to prevent the attack.
Mair believes that even had Facebook notified the government about Adebowale, an attack would’ve likely still happened. He emphasized that terrorists have other secure means besides social media to plot attacks, such as burner phones and encryption. Pressuring social media platforms to increase their surveillance isn’t necessarily the way to fight terrorism.
“The knee-jerk reaction is to say let’s look at everyone, let’s look at the data,” Mair said. “The extent to which more evasive monitoring [on social media] works isn’t clear.”
What’s also unclear is how far the Gonzalez family’s case against Facebook, Twitter and Google will go. Still, one thing remains certain: The role of social media in modern-day terrorism will continue to be hotly debated.
The post Are Facebook, Twitter and Google to blame for the crimes of the ‘Islamic State’? appeared first on Daily News Egypt.
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