Journalists freed

A CAIRO criminal court ordered the temporary release of Mustafa Bakri, editor-in- chief of the weekly Al-Osbou' newspaper, and Mahmoud Bakri, his deputy and brother, on Monday. The Bakris have been in prison since 2 June, following a Cassation Court verdict confirming a one-year prison term handed down by a lower court three years ago. They were found guilty of libel, after allegedly slandering Mohamed Abdel-Aal, the former head of the Social Justice Party and the former editor-in-chief of the weekly Al-Watan Al-Arabi newspaper.

The prosecutor-general temporarily requested a hold on the sentence, until a decision is made regarding the petition request submitted by Press Syndicate Chairman Ibrahim Nafie, asking for a suspension of the sentence on the grounds that Abdel-Aal was found guilty of the very same charges the Bakris had made against him in their newspaper.

On 24 May, a State Security Court sentenced Abdel-Aal to 10 years in prison after finding him guilty of extortion and receiving bribes.

Brotherhood crackdown

ON MONDAY, state security prosecutors remanded 11 alleged Muslim Brotherhood members into custody for 15 days pending investigation. According to the police, the men were arrested on Saturday 21 June during a meeting at one of the suspects' homes in Mansoura, 130 kilometres north of Cairo.

The suspects are accused of "belonging to an illegal organisaton, seeking to revive the activities of a banned group, inciting the public against the regime", as well as the possession of publications and leaflets that include phrases that deride the regime.

All of the suspects denied the charges and the outlawed group's Supreme Guide Ma'moun El-Hodeibi described the raid as a normal tactic in the police's sporadic crackdowns on the brotherhood.

Over the years, the relationship between the government and the brotherhood -- which represents Egypt's largest political opposition bloc -- has seen its ups and downs. It is always the government, however, that maintains the upper hand in deciding when to apply pressure and when to allow the group a breather.

Vitalising the sciences

THE IMPORTANCE of promoting the role of the private sector in education services, of giving young people more authority and space to express their ideas freely, and of establishing a strong administrative body responsible for developing education in developing countries, were the conclusions reached at this week's International Conference on Science and Mathematics Education for the 21st Century.

Organised by the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, conference participants included educational planners and policy makers, teacher educators, schoolteachers and specialists in the fields of science and mathematics. Among those in attendance were Farouk El-Baz, director of the Remote Sensing Centre in the US, Bruce Alberts, president of the American National Academy of Sciences, Chang-Hung Chou, national chair professor and president of the National Pintung University of Science and Technology in Taiwan, Lydia Makhubu, vice- chancellor of the University of Swaziland, Shirley Malcom, head of the Directorate for Education and Human Resources Programmes of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and John Webb, a consultant in education and science at the UNESCO.

According to the Bibliotheca, "science and mathematics are major influences on the lives of all people, regardless of their role or occupation in society. Understanding issues such as global warming, genetic research, computing and the use of information and communication technologies affects all mankind and leads to better responses and appropriate actions".

Among the issues under consideration were definitions of science and mathematics literacy, questions regarding effective student evaluations, and an investigation of the ways that industralised nations can help improve science and mathematics education in less developed countries.

Harsh penalties

OSAMA Abdel-Wahab, former chairman of Al-Nasr Castings Company, was sentenced to 18 years in prison on 19 June, after the State Security Court found him guilty of embezzlement and misappropriation of public funds valued at LE1.4 billion between 1992 and 2002. Abdel-Wahab was also fined LE77 million. Another eight defendants were also convicted of embezzlement and were sentenced to jail terms ranging from three to 15 years. The court acquitted 10 others, including Abdel- Wahab's former secretary Ratiba Kamal Ahmed.

Al-Nasr Castings Company was a public sector company that was partially privatised in the mid-1990s. The case was the latest in a string of high-profile corruption scandals that have unfolded in the last two years, involving former ministers, provincial governors, members of parliament and business tycoons.

Tourism ban

THE MINISTRY of Tourism, in cooperation with the Red Sea Governorate, has decided to stop issuing building licenses for hotels and tourist villages in Hurghada, reports Rehab Saad.

Minister of Tourism Mamdouh El-Beltagui announced the decision during a press conference on Saturday attended by Red Sea Governor Saad Abu Reda, as well as a number of investors, hoteliers and owners of tourist villages.

A couple of weeks ago, a similar decision was taken regarding building licenses in Sharm El-Sheikh.

The two decisions represent important steps aimed at controlling the spiraling increase in the number of hotels and tourist villages in the two popular coastal resorts, which have resulted in both price wars and a deterioration of the quality of services there.

"A committee will soon be formed to set up the minimum rates for hotels and tourist villages in Hurghada," said El-Beltagui. Again, this is what happened in Sharm El-Sheikh. Beltagui said the committee is expected to finish its job in the next 10 days.

Compiled by Rehab Saad