WATANI International
30 January 2011
Mobile phone ownership passes 80 per cent
More than 80 percent of Egyptians have started 2011 with mobile telephones, according to latest official figures which showed that cell phone subscriptions grew by nearly a quarter during last year.
A state website said subscriptions as of October were 65.488 million, a rise of more than 12.5 million, or 23.6 percent from a year earlier. In October 2009, Egypt##s three mobile operators—Etisalat Egypt, Mobinil and Vodafone Egypt—had 52.978 million subscribers. Last July, the head of the telecoms regulator said that Egypt was looking into options for a fourth mobile licence, including a virtual network.
First Solar Power Station
A 140-megawatt combined-cycle power plant to be in operation later this year will be Egypt’s first facility to use solar energy, a spokesman at the Energy Ministry said. The plant in Kuraymat, an uninhabited flat desert area about 100 kilometres south of Cairo, will have a solar capacity of 20 megawatts. The facility will also include turbines that run on natural gas and steam. Egypt plans to generate 20 per cent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020, including 12 per cent from wind power, according to the ministry.
Child trafficking tackled
Egypt and the United States have been discussing bilateral cooperation in issues involving the smuggling of children. Mohamed Abdel-Hakam of the Foreign Ministry’s Consular Affairs and US State Department special advisor for children’s issues Susan Jacobs tackled problems resulting from marriages between Egyptians and US citizens, especially those which pertain to the smuggling of children by their next of kin.
Oil prospecting abroad
Oil Minister Sameh Fahmi affirmed that Egyptian oil firms will prospect for oil in Africa, the Mediterranean and Iraq after the Egyptian firms scored success in that field in 16 Arab, African and American states. The volume of contracts concluded has now reached USD5.5 billion, Fahmi said.
Into Africa
Egypt Air decided to raise its number of flights to African countries to some 100 flights every week. The flights are destined to reach 17 African countries, including countries upstream the Nile. The decision comes in the wake of Egypt Air increasing its fleet to 73 aircrafts.
American Band Tunes
The Augustana College Band of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, has conducted a tour of Egypt throughout this month, holding concerts at Cairo University, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Tanta University in the Delta, Assiut University in Upper Egypt, and the Mubarak Police Academy in Cairo. All concerts were free to the public. Members of the Augustana Band worked with their local partners at Wings Tours to learn about Egyptian culture, meet Egyptian musicians and visit some of Egypt’s most celebrated cultural venues in Cairo, Alexandria, and Luxor. Brad Heegel, Augustana College’s director of special projects, said: “We’re travelling with 71 students, and have an additional 19 alumni travelling with us.” Among the selections the band performed were the “Triumphal March” from Verdi’s Aida, Pryor’s Blue Bells of Scotland, Giroux’s To Walk with Wings, Werle’s The Golden Age of the Xylophone, John Williams’ Symphonic Marches and Sousa’s The Stars and Stripes Forever. The visit was endorsed by Minister of Higher Education Hany Hilal and in cooperation with the US Embassy in Cairo.