Cairo
Egyptian rights group head hopes release will help other prisoners
The head of a leading Egyptian human rights group who was held for two weeks on terrorism charges said Saturday he hoped the campaign to secure his release would help others still jailed on similar Allegations. Activists saw the detention last month of Gasser Abdel Razek, executive director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), and two of the group’s other staff, as the latest escalation of a broad crackdown on political dissent under President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi. Egypt’s foreign ministry had said EIPR was operating illegally, an accusation the group denies. There has been no official statement from public prosecutors since Abdel Razek’s release, and officials could not be reached for comment. The arrests, which came after EIPR hosted a briefing on human rights for 13 s...
Egypt says plans railway lines extending to Libya, Sudan
Egypt’s transport minister Sunday announced proposals to construct a railway line to reach the Sudanese city of Wadi Halfa, and to extend a line in the north to Libya’s Benghazi. The announcement came as part of Egyptian government efforts to overhaul the country’s transport system, including an ailing railway network with a poor safety record. The government decided on “a number rail transport projects that could be carried out in cooperation with investors,” Transport Minister Kamel al-Wazir told a news conference in Cairo. They include “building an Aswan-Toshka railway line that will extend to the city of Wadi Halfa in Sudan,” he said, referring to locations in Egypt’s south and a city just across the border. He also said there were plans to extend the Marsa Matrouh-Salloum line, in Egy...
Nigerian government announces two-day total closure of Third Mainland Bridge
The Federal Government on Thursday announced a two-day total closure of the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos State for a concrete work on some sections. The Federal Controller of Works in the state, Olukayode Popoola, revealed this to newsmen in Lagos. Popoola said the closure would begin from midnight of October 30 and end at midnight of November 1. “We are planning to cast two number expansion joints, and we shall close the Third Mainland Bridge from midnight of October 30 until midnight of November 1,” he said. The Controller said that there was the need to shut both bounds of the bridge – from Adeniji Adele to Adekunle – in addition to the closed bound of the bridge, to complete the work. According to him, the closure is to ensure that there is no vibration on the bridge during casting i...
Plateau United coach seeks financial support to achieve Champions League Semi final target
Plateau United coach Abdu Maikaba has stated that they need the required support to meet the target of semi-finals of the 2020/2021 CAF Champions League. The former Akwa United coach admitted the 2017 NPFL champions will require even more backing and hard work to realize their last-four ambition in the competition – a feat which was last achieved by a Nigerian club – Sunshine Stars in 2012. “They (Plateau State Government) gave us enough support, but actually, we have to work very hard to achieve that target,” he said. “Getting to the semi-finals (of the CAF Champions League) is not an easy task, and we have to work very, very hard. We have to be given all the necessary support to get there. “In terms of personnel, like the replacement of players, I have to get the support to make the repl...
CAF shock over missing AFCON trophy
Confederation of African Football (CAF) has expressed shock after reports that the AFCON trophy is missing from the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) headquarters in Cairo, Egypt. On Friday former EFA vice-president Ahmed Shobier claimed that the AFCON trophy can not be found. The Pharoahs won the AFCON title in three consecutive editions in 2006, 2008 and 2010, hence awarded the trophy for keeps. However, the silverware that was achieved under the guidance of legendary coach Hassan Shehata has seemingly been stolen a decade on. And reacting to the development, CAF has stated they will render support to the EFA to recover the missing trophy. “CAF has learnt with shock reports of missing AFCON trophies from the Egyptian Football Association secretariat. “Our doors are open and the @EFA ca...
212 stranded Nigerians return home from Egypt
File Photo At least 212 Nigerians stranded in Cairo, Egypt due to the coronavirus pandemic have returned home, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission has said. Announcing via Twitter on Friday, NIDCOM said the evacuees arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. It explained that the 212 evacuees tested negative for coronavirus before departing Khartoum, adding that they would undergo another Covid-19 test in the country. It added that the returnees would undergo 14-day isolation in line with the guidelines of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control as well as the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19. EVACUATION UPDATE 31/07/2020. .@EGYPTAIR conveying 212 Stranded Nigerians arrive Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja at exactly 1350HRS today 31st of July, 2020 from Cairo...
Egypt female social media influencers get two-year jail terms
An Egyptian court Monday sentenced five female social media influencers to two years in jail each on charges of violating public morals, a judicial source said. The verdict against Haneen Hossam, Mowada al-Adham and three others came after they had posted footage on video-sharing app TikTok. “The Cairo economic court sentenced Hossam, Adham and three others to two years after they were convicted of violating society’s values,” the judicial source said. The ruling, which can be appealed, included a fine of 300,000 Egyptian pounds ($18,750) for each defendant, the source noted. SOCIAL DIVIDE Hossam was arrested in April after posting a three-minute clip telling her 1.3 million followers that girls could make money by working with her. In May, authorities arrested Adham who had posted satiric...
Nigerian government partially shuts Third Mainland Bridge after stakeholders meeting
Getty Images The Federal Government, on Saturday, partially closed the Third Mainland Bridge, Nigeria’s busiest bridge, for rehabilitation works after site inspections for traffic architecture assessments. The work began at midnight on July 24 as workmen use crash barriers to barricade the outbound mainland traffic on Adeniji Adele junction. They went on to line more barriers and signage on various other sections blocking off a section of the Oworonshoki bound carriageway. Supervising the closure, the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Mr. Olukayode Popoola, said that the traffic management and diversion architecture had been perfected at an earlier stakeholder meeting on Friday. Popoola explained that vehicles outbound the Lagos Island, at peak periods in the morning, would use alterna...
Egypt editor detained outside Cairo jail
Egyptian security services on Sunday detained the editor-in-chief of prominent independent news outlet Mada Masr, its lawyer said, the latest in a crackdown against journalists. Lina Attallah was arrested outside Cairo’s Tora prison as she was interviewing rights activist Laila Soueif, mother of jailed activist Alaa Abdel Fattah who recently began a hunger strike. “The prison security guards asked Attallah to show her identification card and later called her in for an investigation that lasted three hours,” lawyer Hassan al-Azhari told AFP. He said she was later taken a police station and was expected to appear before the prosecution Monday morning, adding the reason for her arrest and charges remained unclear. Later on Sunday, Mada Masr tweeted that the prosecution ordered Attallah’s rele...
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