Newsreel
Presidential tour
PRESIDENT Hosni Mubarak embarks today on a three- nation European tour which begins in Rome. Other stops include London and Paris for talks which will focus mainly on the Arab initiative for reform and development.
The president's shuttle tour follows close on the heels of a visit of US Under-Secretary of State for Political Affairs Marc Grossman who was in Cairo to promote the US- sponsored Greater Middle East Initiative aiming to reform the region's politics and economics.
Mubarak is expected to travel to Washington in April, where he will discuss Egypt's position on the initiative further.
Military games
THE ARMED Forces carried out a large military exercise on Sunday to celebrate Second Field Army Day, reports Amira Ibrahim. The exercise took place in Sinai on the eastern bank of the Suez Canal where naval units and jet fighters participated in the event marking the 36th anniversary of the creation of the Second Army. While units of the commandos launched an attack operation on a military site, parachuters were dropped on the other side to guarantee efficient aid to the troops. Naval units also participated with tactical missions to help seize the military point and defend it.
Defence Minster Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi attended the exercise accompanied by Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Hamdi Weheiba and the chief commanders of the Navy, Air Defence and Air Forces. Also present was the Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority Lieutenant General Ahmed Fadel as well as the governors of Damietta, Sharqiya, Ismailia, Port Said, Suez, the Red Sea and North Sinai.
Speaking to the troops following the exercise, Second Field Army Commander Major General Abdel-Galil El- Fakharany called on his men to be prepared and train well to defend their country against any danger that may threaten the people of Egypt.
Harmless pesticides
AGRICULTURE Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Youssef Wali testified in a bribery case on Monday and insisted that "Egypt had never used carcinogenic pesticides". Speaking at the Cairo Criminal Court, Wali explained that all pesticides imported by his ministry since 1982 were approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency -- which showed they were harmless to humans and used in the US. Wali agreed to testify after the court threatened in January to lift his parliamentary immunity.
It is the first time that an incumbent cabinet minister appears in a court case.
The case implicates 21 people, including Wali's secretary, for importing pesticides suspected of being carcinogenic between 1997 and 2002. Wali's signature is on documents seized in the case which indicates his approval of imports of the banned pesticides.
Wali told the court the pesticides in question increased Egypt's exported crops to LE4.3 billion and were approved by 31 experts as well as the Agriculture Ministry's pesticide committee. Wali refuted charges that the imported pesticides were responsible for cancers and other kidney diseases, saying "those making the allegations had themselves agreed to the registration of these products" in Egypt.
Growing still
THE CENTRAL Authority for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS) revealed on Sunday that Egypt's total population topped the 70.5 million mark in January 2004, with an estimated 11.11 per cent living in Cairo alone and two million people temporarily living abroad, reports Gihan Shahine.
In 2003 alone, the population increased by more than 1.3 million at a rate of 111,287 new births a month. That means that there are 3,659 newborns a day, or a baby born every 23.6 seconds. Males account for 51.1 per cent of the population and the average Egyptian family currently has an average of 4.94 members.
CAPMAS Chairman Ehab Elwi told the press on Sunday, however, that the natural growth rate has actually gone down from 1.99 per cent in 2002 to 1.96 per cent in 2003. This, he explained, was due to a slight decrease in birth rates from 26.28 to 26.12 per 1000, and an increase in death rates from 6.27 to 6.48 per 1000. The slight decrease in birth rates, according to Elwi, should be seen as a positive indicator that family planning efforts are making headway.
According to the CAPMAS census, over one third (37.5 per cent) of the population is under 15, while 59.1 per cent are in the most productive age group between 15 and 65. The natural result of this is an enormous workforce. Already, according to the CAPMAS census, the workforce has risen from an estimated 2.1 million in January 2003 to an estimated 2.7 million this year. CAPMAS suggests that 10.7 per cent of total population -- 2.3 million people -- are currently unemployed, a figure experts say is far lower than reality.
About 28.59 per cent of those over 10 years of age remain illiterate, of which female illiteracy comprises 40.65 per cent.
Red carpet arrival
PRESIDENT Hosni Mubarak on Monday opened the new VIP Hall at Cairo Airport which caters exclusively for business and first class passengers, reports Amira Ibrahim. The hall, which cost some LE48 million to build, provides customs, baggage and entrance visa services.
Mubarak toured the new halls accompanied by a large group of officials, including Prime Minister Atef Ebeid, Defence Minister Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi and Aviation Minister Ahmed Shafiq. Shafiq explained that the hall will serve businessmen and other passengers who want airport staff to complete the necessary paperwork on arrival.
"The airliner or the travel agent will notify the airport in advance about passengers who desire this service and will pay extra fees," explained Shafiq.
Mubarak also toured Terminal 1, where renovation work is underway, and visited EgyptAir's simulator facilities for the Airbus 320 and Boeing 777. The national carrier's fleet consists of Airbus and Boeing aircraft only.
Marketing Al-Sukhna Port
AL-SUKHNA Port and Logistics Centre set a precedent by becoming the first Egyptian sponsor of a formula one racing team. The recently signed sponsorship agreement between the El-Sukhna Port and the Swiss based Sauber Petronas Formula One team, will be used to market business to business (B2B) activities in an attempt to attract more foreign direct investment to the port. Formula One's prominence on the global arena, with 18 races a year in places like North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, South East Asia and Australia will provide Al-Sukhna Port with the international exposure it needs to market its advanced facilities and strategic location.
Osama El-Sherif, president and CEO of Al-Sukhna Port believes this sponsorship agreement will provide great benefits for the port. "A project like Al-Sukhna Port needs a global presence, and Sauber and Formula One will help us achieve that, both in terms of visibility, and high level B2B meetings. It will also help us brand Egypt on a global level as a nation which is ready for the challenges of the 21st century, in terms of technology and management," he said. The Sauber team is currently ranked sixth in the official standings of Formula One and is considered among the strongest contenders for the 2004 season, its sponsors include Credit Suisse, Petronas and Microsoft.
