#Egypt Death on the Nile

The River Nile has been a source of life for millions over the centuries. Now Ethiopia is diverting water to build a giant dam pushing those downstream who depend on the river, to wonder when and whether this issue can be resolved peacefully. To discuss this, presenter David Foster, is joined by guests: Bereket Simon, Ethiopian minister of information; Lama El Hatow, co-founder of water institute of the Nile and specialist in water governance and climate change; and Cleo Paskal from Chatham House, specialist in water and food security and writer of 'Global warring.'

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Arabs Live in UK and say ''UK Go to HELL''

Can you believe this? They are living in United Kingdom and hate it and say "UK go to Hell!

the question is that why they are still living there?

If possible please comment in English to other people see what is the difference between Iranians and MUSLIMS opinion!!! ("Iranians" means normal people NOT government)

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Chinese Tourist Damages 3000-Year-Old Temple in Luxor #egypt

A Chinese tourist damaged a 3,000-year-old site in Luxor and publicly shared the image on Chinese social media, which has since gone viral.

The tourist carved “Ding Jinhao was here,” while visiting Luxor in Egypt. Chinese social media and newspapers were quick to condemn and identify the offender, and the incident has attracted widespread criticism in China with headlines such as “China’s Tourist Shame.”

It is not yet clear whether the markings can be removed in order to safely return the wall to its original state.

Despite this, the incident remains unreported on Egyptian media and the man responsible was never identified or charged with any criminal offence by Egyptian authorities. The Ministry of Antiquities has not commented on the damage yet. According to a source contacted by Egyptian Streets, the Ministry of Antiquities is currently investigating the incident.

The incident highlights the lack of security and enforcement of rules that are meant to protect and preserve Egypt’s historic sites.

The Karnak and Luxor Temples as well as the Valley of the Kings are very popular with tourists, but concerns over safety have led to a sharp decline in tourists in recent months.

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كيف أصبح آل سعود عرباً ؟

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كيف أصبح آل سعود عرباً ؟

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..

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يتشدق آل سعود بالصلة النبوية و أنهم من قبيلة عنزة العربيّة وذلك لتغطية مؤامرتهم على الأمّة و على أصلهم اليهودي المنحدر من بنى قينقاع ، الذين ساهموا بدهائهم وأموالهم ورجالهم الأجراء في هزيمة الرّسول وإصابته بجروح في معركة أحد ، هذا إلى جانب حصار الماء الشّهير حيث كانت الرأسمالية اليهودية تسيطر على كل آبار المدينة عندما منعوا النبي و قومه من الشّرب مما جعله ...صلى الله عليه و سلّم يطلب من عثمان بن عفان أن يشتري منهم نصف البئر لتشرب العرب و لينهي حصارهم .

و ما طرق اليهود الخبيثة الأولى و الحالية إلا نفس الطرق الخبيثة التي يسلكها سليلي بني قينقاع عائلة آل سعود ...

--> في عام 1473 م بدأ تاريخ إنتساب بنى قينقاع للعرب حين سافر ركب من عشيرة المساليخ من قبيلة عنزة العربيّة النّجديّة لجلب الحبوب من العراق وفي البصرة ذهب أفراد الركب لشراء حاجاتهم من تاجر حبوب يهودي أسمه مردخاى بن إبراهيم بن موشى و أثناء مفاوضات البيع سألهم اليهودي عن أصلهم فأبلغوه بأنهم من قبيلة عنزة وما كاد يسمع بهذا الإسم حتى أخذ يعانق كل واحد منهم بحرارة و يضمه إلى صدره مدّعياً بإنه من نفس القبيلة و أنّه جاء إلى العراق منذ مدة بسبب خصام وقع بين والده و أفراد من القبيلة و قد إستقرّ به المطاف في البصرة ، وما أن خلص من سرد روايته التي إختلقها حتى أمر خدمه بتحميل إبل أبناء عمومته بالقمح و التمر و الأرز فطارت عقول شيوخ العشيرة لهذا الكرم و قد صدقوا بأنه إبن عم لهم .

--> وما أن عزم ركب قبيلة عنزة على الرحيل حتى طلب منهم اليهودي مردخاى أن يرافقهم إلى بلاده المزعومة فرحب به الركب أحسن ترحيب ، و هكذا وصل اليهودي إلى نجد حيث عمل لنفسه الكثير من الدعاية عن طريقهم على أساس أنه أبن عم لهم و لكنّه وجد مضايقة من عدد كبير من أبناء نجد لمعرفتهم بتاريخ قبائلهم و شكّهم في صدق روايته مما إضطرّه إلى مغادرة القصيم إلى الإحساء و هناك حرف إسمه إلى مرخان بن إبراهيم .

وكانت ميزته و أهله أنهم على عادة يهود الدّونمة يعتمرون الطرابيش الحمراء ويُطلقون لحاهم ويحلقون رؤسهم (لذلك كان البدو يُطلقون على آل سعود أحفاد حُمر الطرابيش)..

ثم انتقل اليهودي مردخاي بن إبراهيم بن موشي إلى مكان قرب القطيف فأطلق عليه إسم الدرعية تيمناً بدرع علي بن أبي طالب التي سقطت منه في خروجه لحرب معاوية فتحوّزها يهودياً و قضى له فيها القضاء و بعد ذلك عمل مردخاى على الإتصال بالبادية لتدعيم مركزه إلى حد إنه نصّب نفسه عليها ملكاً ، لكن بعض القبائل عرفوا بوادر الجريمة اليهودية وحاولوا قتله لكنه نجا منهم و عاد إلى نجد مرة أخرى حتى و صل إلى أرض المليبد قرب الرياض فطلب الجيرة من صاحب الأرض فأواه و أجاره لكن هذا اليهودي مردخاى لم ينتظر أكثر من شهر حتى قتله و استولى عليها و أطلق عليها إسم الدرعية مرة أخرى و تظاهر بإعتناق الإسلام و دفع لتجّار الدّين و روّات الأنساب بالذّهب و الفضّة ليدعون له و ليزيّفوا التّاريخ و يزوروا في الأنساب و يختلقون له نسباً يصله ببكر بن وائل من بني أسد بن ربيعه و يزعمون أنّه من أصل النّبي العربي محمد بن عبد الله بن عبد المطّلب صلى الله عليه و سلّم.

و قد عمّر مردخاي بن إبراهيم بن موشي، الذي أصبح إسمه مرخان بن إبراهيم بن موسى بن ربيعه بن مانع بن ربيعه المريدي وينتهي نسبه إلى بكر بن وائل من بني أسد بن ربيعه، عمّر الدرعية وأخذ يتزوج بكثرة من النساء و الجواري و أنجب عدداً من الأولاد و أخذ يسميهم بالأسماء العربية المحلية ، وقد أنجب إبنه "المقرن" الذي جاء معه من البصرة ولداً أسماه "محمد" ، وأنجب بدوره "سعود" الذي أنجب بدوره ولداً أسماه "محمّد" ، والذي صار فيما بعد إماماً للمسلمين ، وهو الإسم الذي عرفت به عائلة آل سعود ، وقد إلتقى الأمام محمد بن سعود بن محمد بن مقرن بن مرخان ( 1744 - 1765 م ) بإمام آخر أسمه محمد بن عبد الوهاب بن سليمان بن علي بن شلومان قرقوزي ( 1703 - 1792) صاحب الدعوة الوهابية و الذي ينحدر هو الآخر من أسرة يهودية من يهود الدّونمة الذين فروا مع المسلمين من إسبانيا إلى تركيا و إندسوا بأمر من زعيمهم سباتاي زيفي على الإسلام بقصد الإساءة إليه و لتخريب الخلافة العثمانيّة و تفكيكها و التّغلغل في المجتمع العربي و التّنفّذ في دولة عندما تنشأ من تفكك دولة الخلافة ..

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المصدر : موقع البعث برس الإخباري التونسي

An Egyptian and Indian shop called 'Hitler'

An Egyptian and Indian shop called 'Hitler'it just Coincidence ;)

 

فشخهم فى دماغهم بالصدفة #مصر #اسرائيل twitter.com/samy_qaid/stat…
— ▲Samy قائد (@samy_qaid) May 23, 2013

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ودة الهندى الى عمل فشخة ليهم من سنة الصهيانة دول بناموسة #اسرائيل twitter.com/samy_qaid/stat…
— ▲Samy قائد (@samy_qaid) May 23, 2013

#Egypt withdraws annual financial support for Jewish community

Egypt has revoked annual grants of LE100,000 (US$14,000) allocated by former President Hosni Mubarak to the Jewish community in the country, an Egyptian cabinet official said Wednesday.

Mubarak supported the Jewish community through a confidential measure in the budget, head of the central department for financial and administrative affairs Soad Mekky said during a meeting for the Shura Council's Human Rights committee on the state budget, as reported by Anadolu Turkish news agency.  Mubarak secretly allotted the sum to the Jewish community starting in 1988, she added.

The annual grant was apportioned to the Jewish community from 1988 to 2012, Mekki said. The grant was suspended in 2003 under former Minister of Social Affairs Amina al-Gendy, but was later reinstated upon her request 

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Egypt had a flourishing Jewish community of more than 50,000 in the first half of the 20th century. Some say that there are now less than 200 Egyptian Jews still living in the country.
 

#Woolwich attack

Man tries to justify the killing and appologises for what people had to witness!!! PSYCHO!!
ITV News has obtained footage of a man with bloodied hands addressing a camera on a south London street.

He makes a series of political statements before walking towards a man, believed to be a soldier, lying prone on the street.

He then talks calmly to another man stood nearby.

A man believed to be a serving British soldier was brutally murdered Wednesday near a London barracks in what Prime Minister David Cameron said appeared to be a terrorist attack.
Cameron called the attack "appalling" and said: "There are strong indications that it is a terrorist incident."
Armed police shot and wounded the two suspected attackers.
One broadcaster showed footage of one of the men at the scene carrying a blood-covered knife and meat cleaver saying to the camera: "We swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you."
The black man, dressed in a grey hooded jacket and black woolly hat, made a number of political statements to bystanders.
"We must fight them as they fight us. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth," he says in a London accent in the video.
He adds: "I apologise that women have had to witness this today, but in our land our women have to see the same. You people will never be safe. Remove your government, they don't care about you."
The government's emergency response committee was immediately convened.
The attack took place in broad daylight around 200 metres (218 yards) from the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, southeast London.
Cameron, who was to return early from talks with French President Francois Hollande in Paris to deal with the aftermath, called the attack "truly shocking".
Hollande said at a press conference that the victim was a soldier, but Cameron gave no confirmation.
A local member of parliament said he believed the dead man was a soldier.
Cameron said: "We've had this sort of attack before in our country and we never buckle in the face of them."
Home Secretary Theresa May chaired a meeting of COBRA, the government's emergency civil contingencies committee.
"It has been confirmed to me that a man has been brutally murdered this afternoon in southeast London," she said.
"Two other men were shot by armed police and they are currently receiving treatment for their injuries. This is a sickening and barbaric attack."
Police were called at 2:20 pm (1320 GMT) to reports of one man being assaulted by two others.
"A number of weapons were reportedly being used in the attack, and this included reports of a firearm," said police commander Simon Letchford.
Local police officers, then firearms officers arrived on the scene where they found a man who was later pronounced dead.
"Two men, who we believe from early reports to have been carrying weapons, were shot by police. They were taken to separate London hospitals, they are receiving treatment for their injuries," Letchford said.
He said there would be a heightened police presence in the area and urged locals to remain calm.
A white and blue police evidence tent was visible in the street and police tape sealed off the scene. People in forensic suits were also seen.
Eyewitness pictures showed an air ambulance landing in the road and three bodies lying on the ground with dozens of onlookers observing the scene after the police arrived.
Nick Raynsford, the member of parliament for Woolwich and Greenwich, said his understanding after speaking to police and army officers was that dead man was a soldier.
"We think a serving soldier was the victim," he said.
"A number of weapons have been seized. They include a gun, various knives, and a machete, apparently.
"The police clearly had to take action in order to try and arrest these individuals."
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said Queen Elizabeth II -- who is due to visit the barracks later this month -- was being kept updated.
"The queen is of course concerned by the report of an attack in Woolwich," he said.
"Her Majesty is being kept informed."
The spokesman confirmed the monarch would carry out a planned visit to the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery at the barracks on May 31.

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listen to ‘Woolwich Attack: Eyewitness James’ on Audioboo

A Signature Rebellion

I got in a taxi on Thursday and within a few minutes of conversation the driver asked my nationality. This has been a sensitive question recently; last week an American near the embassy answered in the positive and was stabbed in the neck for his troubles. ‘I hate America,’ the assailant confessed afterwards.

For the taxi driver, however, it was an opportunity of a different sort. After I owned up to my nationality he leaned over to his glove compartment and…

… pulled out a sheet of paper.

In fact it was one of many, some signed, most not yet. The driver was preaching the merits of a new campaign to oust President Morsi, and wanted me to convey the message to America. they aim to collect fifteen million signatures to their petition, vaulting over the total number of votes cast for Morsi in the presidential elections. They claim two million to date.

Their grand finale is planned for June 30, at the presidential palace, one year to the day in which Morsi took office.

Here is the translation of their flyer:

REBEL

To withdraw confidence from the Brotherhood regime

The Rebellion Campaign

(to withdraw confidence from Mohamed Morsi ….)

Because security has not yet returned to the street … we don’t want you

Because the poor still do not have a place … we don’t want you

Because we are still begging from abroad … we don’t want you

Because the rights of the martyrs still have not been fulfilled … we don’t want you

Because there is still no dignity for myself or my country … we don’t want you

Because the economy has collapsed and is built upon begging … we don’t want you

Because you follow the Americans … we don’t want you

Since Mohamed Morsi the … came to power, the simple citizen has felt that not one goal of the revolution has been achieved – for bread, freedom, social justice, and national independence. Morsi has failed to realize them all. No security, no social justice – he is a demonstrated failure in the complete sense of the word. It is not fitting for him to administrate a nation of Egypt’s weight.

Therefore:

I, the undersigned, from my free and complete will, as a member of the general assembly of the Egyptian people, withdraw confidence from the president of the republic, the dictator Mohamed Morsi, and call for early presidential elections. I pledge to hold firmly to the goals of the revolution and to work on their behalf, spreading the Rebellion Campaign among the masses until we are able to achieve social dignity, justice, and freedom.

Name:

National Number:

Governorate:

Signature:

Would you sign?

Saudi Arabia executes 5 Yemenis in Jizan, displays bodies in public

 

Saudi Arabia executed five Yemenis  on Tuesday and displayed their bodies in public for killing a Saudi national and forming a gang that committed robberies across several towns in the kingdom, the interior ministry said.

The five were executed in the south western town of Jizan, bringing the number of people executed in the kingdom this year to 46, according to  AFP stats. The five men in the above picture are seen hanging from a rope tied to their waists on a horizontal bar between two cranes. It is uncertain whether  they were beheaded or shot.

The ministry said that Khaled, Adel ,Qasim Saraa , Saif Ali Al Sahari and Khaled Showie Al Sahari had formed a gang which committed “several crimes in various regions in the kingdom and robbed stores.”

The Ministry added that the five had killed Ahmad Haroubi, a Saudi, by beating him up and strangling him.

Under Saudi Arabia’s strict version of Sharia law, rape, murder, apostasy, armed robbery and drug trafficking are all punishable by death.

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The number of people executed in Saudi Arabia this year reached 46, according to news agency AFP.

Saudi Arabia’s interior ministry said that Khaled, Adel and Qassem Saraa, Saif Ali al-Sahari and Khaled Showie al-Sahari had formed a gang which committed “several crimes in various regions in the kingdom and robbed stores”.

The gang had killed Ahmed Haroubi, a Saudi, by beating him up and strangling him, the ministry said.

Murder, apostasy, armed robbery, rape as well as drug trafficking are all punishable by death under Saudi Arabia’s strict version of sharia, or Islamic law.

The death penalty in the world. Map by euronews

#Saudi Arabia Religious Police Say Twitter Is the Path to Hell

Hell is other Twitter users — according to the head of Saudi Arabia's religious police force, anyway.

Sheikh Abdul Latif Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh said Wednesday that Muslims who use Twitter or other social media have "lost this world and his afterlife," as quoted by BBC News.

Saudi Arabia has a complicated relationship with social media as its usage skyrockets in the country. However, the Saudi government is worried social media could help the political opposition in the country organize in spread, similar to the ways it has been used throughout the Middle East and elsewhere.

"The Kingdom is particularly concerned with how Twitter has been used to keep people informed of human rights activists who have been tried for the crime of free speech," writes Jonathan Turley, professor of law at The George Washington University Law School. "Leaders on the web have been detained while others have been charged with apostasy and other crimes for statements made on these sites."

Software engineer Moxie Marlinspike recently alleged in a blog post that Saudi Arabia wants the ability to spy on Twitter and such popular messaging services as Viber and WhatsApp.

Several years ago, Saudi Arabia threatened to ban BlackBerry devices unless the company made it easier for the government to read users' messages. The company reportedly decided to comply with those demands.

Other religious figures, including the Dalai Lama and the Pope, have embraced social media to varying degrees as a way to spread their message or connect with those inside and outside their faith. Can religion and social media mix? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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I, Robot Maker: Making robots to interact with humans

Would you be comfortable being surrounded by robots?

A British manufacturing firm is trying to make robots that share more human characteristics, to make interaction with them more natural and intuitive than ever before.

Cornwall's Engineered Arts is in the vanguard of this area of research, which aims to make robots' facial expressions, body language and way of moving more recognisable to real people.

Founder Will Jackson gave a tour of his robot factory to the BBC, and explained how he and his team of a dozen people are looking to expand the frontiers of robot technology.

Video journalist: Dougal Shaw

Raw power of the Sun

 Flare on 12 May Solar filament and flare on 3 May 2013  Between 12 and 14 May, the Sun unleashed four intense bursts of radiation, or flares. These X-class flares - the most intense type - represent the strongest activity on the Sun so far in 2013. This picture from Nasa's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) shows the first of these on 12 May.

  

 Flares are associated with eruptions known as coronal mass ejections, or CMEs. These can release billions of solar particles into space in the form of charged gas and other material. This picture from the Stereo spacecraft shows a CME earlier this year. The black disc blocks out the Sun so that fainter features can be seen.

 Flares and CMEs originate around active regions known as sunspots. These are temporary dark patches on the Sun caused by magnetic activity. The recent flares were released from a sunspot called AR1748; this picture, taken in 2010 by the New Solar Telescope in New Jersey shows a different feature.

 

Syria’s lung-eating rebel explains himself

 

The shocking video of a Syrian rebel eating the lung of a pro-Assad fighter spread like wildfire across the Internet earlier this week. The rebel, who goes by the nom de guerre Abu Sakkar, has filmed a YouTube video explaining his actions. 

"I am willing to face trial for my actions if Bashar and his shabeeha [militiamen] stand trial for their atrocities," he says. "My message to the world is if the bloodshed in Syria doesn't stop, all of Syria will become like Abu Sakkar."

The Syrian rebel, whose real name is Khalid al-Hamad, goes on to explain that he did what he did because of atrocities committed by pro-Assad fighters. He said that evidence taken from their cell phones showed how they raped women, killed children, and tortured men. In an article published this week by TIME magazine, the rebel fighter explained that he had a sectarian hatred of Alawites, and that he had made another video where he cuts up a pro-Assad fighter's body with a saw.

Abu Sakkar's actions not only created controversy among observers of the conflict, but also prompted the Syrian rebel leadership to take action. The Free Syrian Army's Military Council released a statement condemning Abu Sakkar's "monstrous act," and instructed field commanders to being an investigation "in which the perpetrator will be brought to justice."

So far, however, Abu Sakkar appears to still be on the battlefield. At the end of the video, the cameraman asks him whether he will continue fighting after this controversy. "Victory or martyrdom, I will fight to the death," he replies, then walks off down the road. 

Posted By David Kenner

Yemen plane crash: Pilot dies after mid-air explosion

 

A pilot in Yemen has died after the plane he was flying exploded in mid-air, according to an army official.
The aircraft was reportedly on a military exercise when it crashed in a residential district of the capital
From a few kilometres across town, the blast sounded like a muffled thump - the grim reality of an explosion going off inside a packed crowd.
Sitting under fruit trees in a beautiful garden in Sanaa, my Yemeni companions looked up from their cups of tea and waited for the sound of gunfire to follow.
When they did not, we all settled back into our conversation.
We had no idea from our leafy oasis that the worst single terror attack in Yemen's history had just occurred.
Within 30 minutes, we were driving back to our hotel crammed into the usual chronic traffic. The sound of ambulance sirens screamed past us.
An al-Qaeda suicide bomber had just pulled off a ruthlessly symbolic attack at a rehearsal for Tuesday's National Day military parade.
Menacing group
The parade was supposed to celebrate Yemen's unification since 1990, when a war between the north and south ended in northern victory.
But the southern secessionists have been replaced by a more modern, more menacing group pulling Yemen apart: Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
Their local affiliate, known as Anshar Al Shariah, later claimed responsibility for the attack in a message sent across the capital of this less-than-unified Arabian Peninsula nation.
The attack was set against the backdrop of a raging war in the southern provinces of Yemen. Al-Qaeda fighters have taken advantage of almost a year and a half of political chaos to grab swathes of the country there.
To the alarm of Western security concerns, al-Qaeda was taking ground, invading cities and getting close to their dream of their own Caliphate. Yemen, in fact, was looking like the group's biggest success story in recent years.
Since Ali Abdullah Saleh was forced to resign as president and hand power over to his deputy, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, however, the fight against al-Qaeda has been stepped up enormously.
Targeted drone strikes and a fresh offensive have been attributed to US military co-operation.

The American government has not confirmed it is carrying out the current targeted air strikes against the fighters, or that it has sent military advisers to help Hadi fight AQAP.

Strength or desperation

Monday's attack could be seen as either a sign of strength or desperation by the group.

They have lost hundreds of fighters in recent weeks to the fighting, according to the Yemeni government, and have been pushed back from some of their territories in the south.

So, these attacks are in many ways revenge against the government.

They also clearly show the strength of the group, carrying out an attack right in the centre of the capital, literally metres from a main military base and down the street from the presidential palace.

A few hours after the attack, reports circulated of two other would-be bombers found hiding in a park nearby.

What was a huge blow at the heart of Yemen's new government and military, could have been even bigger.

This is Called “Khamsin” In Case You do not Know

This is Called “Khamsin” In Case You do not Know

 

Today we had a strong sandstorm in Cairo and Giza since early morning and some Egyptians amazingly expressed their shock and surprise on social media that we have a sandstorm in .. Egypt !!

Vision was terrible and the weather was extremely hot today. Unfortunately this will continue for another 2 days , at least till Wednesday. I wish it rains in Cairo to make weather better.

I do know if those people are serious or they are just the victim of bad education system or what. All what I know that this sandstorm is normal thing in spring time in Egypt and that it is called El Khamsin too in case you forget. 

All what I know that this sandstorm is normal thing in spring time in Egypt and that it is called El Khamsin too in case you forget. 

Free Bird?

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This cartoon is selected for our project About Freedom. Freedom is living without fear of attacks or arrests.

Destiny of Journalists

 

Let me free #Egypt

Shalateen Part of #Egypt

Shalateen Part of #Egypt

Shalateen (Egyptian Arabic: شلاتين Šalatīn  pronounced [ʃælæˈtiːn]; also spelled: Alshalateen or Shalatin) 520 kilometres (320 mi) south of Hurghada, is the biggest city just north of the Halayeb Triangle, an area of disputed sovereignty between Egypt and Sudan. It serves as the administrative center (markaze) of all Egyptian territory up to the border between Egypt and Sudan, including the villages of:

• Abu Ramad, 125 kilometres (78 mi) to the southeast;
• Halayeb, 165 kilometres (103 mi) to the southeast;
• Ras Hadarba 200 kilometres (120 mi) to the southeast. Ras Hadarba or Cape Hadarba lies on the shores of the Red Sea to the southeast of the city of Halayeb and to the east of mount Hadarba from which it takes its name. The village of Ras Hadarba lies just north of the borders between Egypt and Sudan which run along the 22 degree north parallel of latitude;
• Marsa Hameera, 40 kilometres (25 mi) to the north; and
• Abrak, 90 kilometres (56 mi) to the west.

The first three of the above towns (Abu Ramad, Halayeb and Ras Hadarba) are located within the disputed Halayeb Triangle.

History

Egyptian ministries and authorities are in the process of establishing their presence in the area and operate in conjunction with the City Council to provide services to the local communities according to the policies and programs of their respective organizations. The military is responsible for security and law enforcement in the Halayeb Triangle. Red Sea Governorate's Popular Council, including many members from the Bisharia and Ababda, are responsible for determining what the local people need and supporting local participation in management and development of this area.

The Egyptian government also provides additional social services to the local communities, such as food, water, monetary assistance, subsidies, health care, veterinary care, housing and education. A new international Airport in Marsa Alam was built, about 270 kilometres (170 mi) from Shalateen city, which Egyptian policy makers intend to be the center of more development for the southern region included the Shalateen area.

Ethnography

Local tribes in Halayeb and Shalateen area have had little exposure to modernization under Sudanese administration and under Egyptian administration up to 1992. But after 1992, the Egyptian government started to implement a development plan when it started to build some settlements, including 500 new houses built in Shalateen and 250 in Aboramad and Halayeb, depending on Shalateen local council sources. Roads were also established, including a 250-kilometer road between Shalateen and Marsa Alam city in north, and three new electricity generators have begun operation since 1993. In 1993–94, the Egyptian government launched a plan for the social economic development of the area. Services and economic support were delivered in the main towns and villages and necessary infrastructures was built. Financial and in-kind donations were sponsored for a total amount of 1.5 billion L.E. currently; the Government is supporting local families with 70 L.E. per month, and 3 L.E. per day to each child going to school. Nowadays many high educated people, and many local people, work as employees of the government, NGOs and private sector companies, which will help in more development.

Depending on that and on the government development policy, many people from the mountains moved to towns in order to benefit from these services. They were given houses with a permanent water source, food supplies, electricity and education. So far, approximately 8,000 people have settled along the coast. As a result of the plan, communities in the urban areas have improved their livelihood.

Local community in Halayeb area has been involved in the management of Gabel Elba Protected Area as guides and also as environmental researchers in the management and conservation of the natural resources of this area; local people are also involved in the decision making process. The World Food Program project in this area "Support Bedouin Life Project" represents a good model for the Egyptian government's policy of local participation and community-based management of projects.

References

Notes

Sources

• Metrash,A.& Pozzan, E (2002). Preliminary Study of the Local Communities in Elba Protected Area,Report submitted for EIECP,EGYPTIAN ITALIAN ENVIRONMENTAL COOPERATION PROGRAM - PHASE II EEAA,Egypt
• World Food Program (2005),report about WFP projects in Egypt, also available via http://www.wfp.org/operations/current_operations/project_docs/104500.pdf

Domestic violence in Saudi Arabia made headlines worldwide

 domestic violence in Saudi Arabia made headlines worldwide

Saudi Arabia, a country not exactly known for progressive attitudes toward women, has launched its first major campaign against domestic violence  — its latest effort to embrace, at least superficially, some women’s rights reforms.

The ads in the “No More Abuse” campaign show a woman in a dark veil with one black eye. The English version reads “some things can’t be covered.” The Arabic version, according to Foreign Policy‘s David Kenner, translates roughly as “the tip of the iceberg.” A Web site for the campaign includes a report on reducing domestic violence and emergency resources for victims.

Exact figures on domestic violence are hard to come by. The State Department’s most recent human rights report cites estimates that 16 to 50 percent of Saudi wives suffer some kind of spousal abuse. Saudi law does not criminalize domestic violence or spousal rape, and social repercussions can make reporting violence of any kind difficult. Both rape and domestic violence “may be seriously underreported,” according to the State Department report.

The Saudi government has begun to address the problem, at least in name. In 2008, a prime ministerial decree ordered the expansion of “social protection units,” its version of women’s shelters, in several large cities, and ordered the government to draft a national strategy to deal with domestic violence, according to the United Nations. Several royal foundations, including the King Abdulaziz Center for National Dialogue and the King Khalid Foundation, have also led education and awareness efforts.

None of this changes the fact, of course, that Saudi Arabia remains an often difficult place to be a woman. The World Economic Forum ranks the country 131st out of 135 for its record on women’s rights, citing a total lack of political and economic empowerment.

The country has a strong record on women’s health and education, however: On metrics such as enrollment in higher education, Saudi Arabia actually scores well above the global average.

Some of those well-educated women are leading the fight against domestic violence now. Maha Almuneef, a pediatrician, directs the National Family Safety Program, an anti-violence effort that has also benefited from the patronage of Saudi Arabia’s Princess Adela.

“Reporting violence and abuse should be compulsory, and there should be a witness protection program,” Adela said at a 2009 conference on ending the country’s domestic abus

A Man Dresses As A Woman To Experience Cairo's Street Harassmen

 

Hackgate - The IPCC and Surrey's "Collective Amnesia"

Hackgate - The IPCC and Surrey's "Collective Amnesia" 

 

Published in late April '13, the Independent Police Complaints Commision (IPCC) Commissioner’s Report entitled 'IPCC independent investigation into Surrey Police’s knowledge of the alleged illegal accessing of Amanda (Milly) Dowler’s mobile phone in 2002' runs to just 6 scathing pages.  Its key observation is that

former senior officers at Surrey Police were 'afflicted by a form of collective amnesia' in relation to the force’s failure to investigate an allegation in 2002 that the voicemail of Amanda (Milly) Dowler had been hacked by the News of the World (NOTW).

The relevant documents in the public domain consist of a letter from Surrey Police to the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee (CMS) on Surrey's own investigation (Operation Baronet), evidence read-in to the Leveson Inquiry from the Metropolitan Police Service (MET), as well as that IPCC Commissioner's Report.  The latter specifically focused on the referrals of Maria Woodall and Craig Denholm for potential recordable conduct.

MARIA WOODALL

Then: In 2002, Maria Woodall was Detective Sergeant and Action Team Manager of Surrey Police's investigation Operation Ruby into the abduction of missing teenager Millie Dowler. She appears to have been frank with the IPCC that the hacking of Millie's mobile phone by NOTW was known by several on the investigation team - for example, DC John Lyndon's 23rd April '02 log entry (p14)

...in light of the News of the World revelation that they or a third party has accessed the voicemail it is possible that the messages had previously been listened to by unknown persons and deleted.

Millie's mother Sally recounted to the Leveson Inquiry (p14) her own suspicions that NOTW had intercepted family phones to get a particularly intrusive story for publication ('The Longest Walk').

Woodall's referral to the IPCC  however was not about 2002. She was investigated for allegedly failing to pass on knowledge of NOTW's hacking later during the investigation which led to the convictions of Clive Goodman and Glenn Mulcaire (p4):  

The case against her rested on her actions and knowledge in 2007, when the first phone hacking convictions took place. It is clear that at that point she accessed the HOLMES system to view documents from 2002 associated with phone hacking.

Though the IPCC investigation "concluded that there was no case to answer for misconduct."  From 2006, Operation Ruby's Senior Investigating Officer (SIO) was Detective Chief Superintendent Mark Rowley. It is not known if Woodall informed him of her HOLMES searches.

Now: Temporary Detective Superintendent Woodall is about to leave Surrey for a new job with the City of London Police.

STUART GIBSON

Then: Detective Chief Inspector Gibson was the initial appointed Senior Investigating Officer (SIO) when Millie Dowler disappeared in March 2002.  It has been alleged that Gibson was one of the Surrey officers who met with NOTW senior journalists and were told of the hacking. (here)

Documented evidence of his meeting(s) with NOTW are missing.  Within a few weeks, Gibson was removed from Operation Ruby. The conclusions from a progress review by Sussex Police undertaken in the summer of 2002 are here.

At the same time, there was adverse criticism from the press - one "describing the investigation under DCI Gibson as 'rudderless' and this media coverage has since been described by (then Deputy Chief Constable) Peter Fahy as 'a factor in replacing the SIO for [the investigation]".  (p9)

Now: Stuart Gibson is retired.

The IPCC Investigation also states that amongst senior officers interviewed were those at Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) level.

CRAIG DENHOLM  (ACPO level)

Surrey Police's evidence to the CMS Committee and the Leveson Inquiry came from Assistant Chief Constable Jerry Kirkby. Normally, both might have warranted the attention of the force Chief Constable.  However, Surrey's Chief Constable Mark Rowley had just left for a new post with the MET and Temporary Chief Constable Craig Denholm was himself implicated as the focus of Operation Baronet.

Then: In 2002, Detective Chief Superintendent Denholm (Head of Crime) was Overall Officer in Charge (OOC) of Operation Ruby - the immediate superior officer to SIO Stuart Gibson.

The case against Denholm "rested on his claim to have had no knowledge about the alleged hacking of Milly Dowler’s phone before this was revealed publicly in 2011. Given the extent of knowledge within the investigation team, and Surrey Police as a whole, and the fact that this was referred to in documents which he is known to have received, the investigation found it hard to understand how he, the officer in charge, could not have been aware of the alleged hacking. But despite detailed examination of all extant documents and interviews with all relevant witnesses, the investigation was unable to find any witness or documentary evidence that contradicted Mr Denholm’s own repeated assertions to the IPCC that he did not know, and had not made the relevant connections. In view of that...there was insufficient evidence to support a finding of a case to answer for gross misconduct."

Now: Denholm has just been appointed Deputy Chief Constable of Hampshire Police. Its Chief Constable Andy Marsh said: "Craig is an experienced and very capable DCC with a good track record of leadership and delivery of excellent policing services to the public."

MARK ROWLEY (ACPO level)

Then: Rowley joined Surrey in 2002 as Chief Superintendent to command West Surrey Basic Command Unit.  Previously (Guardian)

as a detective superintendent at the National Criminal Intelligence Service, he 'led on the national deployment of covert techniques to combat organised crime such as telephone interception' 

Rowley became Surrey Assistant Chief Constable from November 2003 and assumed the role of OOC for Operation Ruby in 2006.  He was appointed Chief Constable in 2009. Following the conviction of Levi Bellfield in 2011 for Millie Dowler's murder, Rowley iniated Operation Baronet under AC Jerry Kirkby.

Now:  Rowley is Assistant Commissioner at the MET. For some time he was direct superior officer of DAC Sue Akers command of Operations Weeting, Elveden and Tuleta.  Responsibility for these investigations was subsequently transferred to AC Cressida Dick.


PETER FAHY  (ACPO level)

Then: Throughout 2002, Fahy was Deputy Chief Constable of Surrey Police under Chief Constable Denis O'Connor. Fahy left Surrey in Dec '02 to become Chief Constable of Cheshire Police.

Now: Knighted in 2012, Sir Peter Fahy is currently Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police.

DENIS O'CONNOR  (ACPO level)

Then: In 2002, O'Connor was Chief Constable of Surrey Police. In all available evidence, O'Connor has been very keen to distance himself from the NOTW phone hacking in 2002.  Instead, he has consistently emphasized his heavy reliance on Peter Fahy's responsibility to have informed him:

You will understand that as a discipline authority, not everything reaches the Chief Constable, who must sit in judgment of things. So I may have been partially safe from it, but I would have expected and, you know,my sort of --my concern with the mission of policing and its credibility, that people would have drawn -- my senior staff, my professional standards department -- if there was anything significant, they would have told me... Particularly my Deputy Chief Constable at the present (sic) time, Peter Fahy, I had absolute faith in his integrity. I thought he would make the right judgments

Lord Justice Leveson did however challenge O'Connor on this strategy of continuing, unsighted insulation (pp 98-100).  His witness statement added (1st witness statement, p7):

I am not fully sighted on the details of the alleged contact between the News of the World and my staff during the Amanda Dowler investigation (I have deliberately limited my contact with Surrey Police pending current investigations) so cannot comment on the specifics of this issue.

Now:  Knighted in 2010, Sir Denis O'Connor is currently Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary.

And STILL there are inconsistencies emerging on the hacking of Millie Dowler. Note the investigation of Maria Woodall "rested on her actions and knowledge in 2007, when the first phone hacking convictions took place. It is clear that at that point she accessed the HOLMES system to view documents from 2002 associated with phone hacking."

Yet it is debatable just how much documentation was on the second generation HOLMES (Home Office Large Major Enquiry System) in 2002... or even in 2007. The - redacted - Sussex Review of September 2002 made Operational Recommendations:

Recommendation 56
That Surrey Police in general ensure that sufficient analysts are trained on the HOLMES 2 system.
Recommendation 57
That Surrey Police formulate an appropriate policy regarding the typing of at least the most significant 'other documents' onto HOLMES 2 during any enquiry.

Were those Sussex Police recommendations ignored? Or if significant 2002 Dowler phone hacking documents were in the HOLMES system, were they still there when Woodall looked in 2007? Had some disappeared by the time of the 2012 Operation Baronet?  Given that one of the aims of HOLMES is to facilitate crucial information access across force boundaries, was cross-force access to HOLMES 2002 documents volunteered by Surrey to Operation Caryatid (the MET 2005-6 investigation into Goodman and Mulcaire)? If not, why not?  Alternatively - following the high profile convictions of Goodman and Mulcaire in 2007 - Woodall may have tried to access cross-force MET HOLMES databases on NOTW phone hacking.

There were none. The MET did not enter details of the key Mulcaire Archive into HOLMES during the Operation Caryatid investigation in 2005. Or 2006. Or post-conviction in 2007.  It was only in July 2009, following intense criticism, that the MET's John Yates ordered the phone hacking data entry into HOLMES to enable victim notification. It was costly, protracted, and poorly executed.

The IPCC confirms "widespread knowledge uncovered in this investigation, we consider that it is scarcely credible that no one connected to the Milly Dowler investigation recognised the relevance and importance of the knowledge that Surrey Police had in 2002...There is no doubt, from our investigation and the evidence gathered by Operation Baronet, that Surrey Police knew in 2002 of the allegation that Milly Dowler’s phone had been hacked by the News of the World. It is apparent from the evidence that there was knowledge of this at all levels within the investigation team  ...former senior officers in particular appear to have been afflicted by a form of collective amnesia about this"

All this is highly reminiscent of the (contagious?) 'omerta' culture at the News of the World. Surrey Police seem to have demonstrated the self-same collective amnesia and willful blindness of NOTW senior executives, the plausible deniability of Andy Coulson, the trusting reliance on subordinates of Rupert Murdoch, the inability to read a log/email chain of James Murdoch, the document preservation abilities of News International's Datapool 3 team, and the reputational management skills of Colin Myler.

To date, six have been charged with conspiracy to intercept the voicemail messages of Millie Dowler in April 2002 - Rebekah Brooks, Andrew Coulson, Stuart Kuttner, Greg Miskiw, Neville Thurlbeck and Glenn Mulcaire.  Unless all six defendants plead guilty, these charges will have to be defended in open court. So there is much more evidence yet to emerge on the Dowler hacking, including the potential for former senior officers of Surrey Police being called as prosecution witnesses.

The short IPCC Commissioner's Report is a much-truncated and redacted version. The full IPCC formal Investigation Report "contains full details of the evidence supporting the findings and conclusions and the report into this case is not being published at this time at the request of the Crown Prosecution Service, in view of ongoing criminal proceedings."

This sorry Surrey saga is not over yet.