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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 30 Nov. - 6 Dec. 2000 Issue No.510 | ||
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 30 Nov. - 6 Dec. 2000 Issue No.510 | ||
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Special Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Newsreel
Restoring monasticism's cradle Caught offshore
RELATIVES of 150 fishermen detained for almost two months after encroaching into Libyan waters are still waiting to be reunited with their loved ones. The men made up the crews of 10 fishing ships which left Alexandria in early October on a trip that should have taken only a few days. A week after their departure, their worried families notified the authorities, who discovered that the men were being held in Libya.Their plight is largely a result of environmental catastrophe. Pollution and the degradation of the northern coastline are cited as among the factors forcing Egyptian fishermen to sail deeper into the waters of the Mediterranean in search of a living. In the process, they may inadvertently encroach on neighbouring waters.
In past years, the Libyan government has been known to impound ships when fishermen have been unable to pay the high fines imposed for trespassing.
Death on the roads
THE FIRST international annual road safety conference was held in Cairo this week under the auspices of Prime Minister Atef Ebeid, bringing together 700 traffic, medical and research specialists.The findings were shocking: more than 6,000 Egyptians meet their deaths annually as a result of road accidents, most of them below 25 years. Another 22,000 are injured. Drivers were found to be responsible for 65 per cent of accidents, faulty vehicles for 20 per cent and road conditions for the remaining 15 per cent.
Compiled by Fatemah Farag
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