WATANI International
4 April 2010
Eye surgeries
A group of Egyptian oculists and ophthalmologists recently headed for Chad to perform eye surgeries. The campaign is organised by the Egyptian Fund for Technical Cooperation with Africa jointly with the Arab Medical Union and the Islamic Development Bank. A three-year plan has been drawn up to conduct 10,000 surgeries and train Chadian oculists.
Anti human trafficking
The Shura Council, the upper chamber of Egypt’s Parliament, has approved the final draft of law that criminalises all forms of human trafficking and imposes severe penalties on all involved in such crimes. Anyone guilty of human trafficking faces a prison sentence of three to 15 years. The bill has to go to the People’s Assembly for final passage.
No Skype
Egypt has banned international calls made through services such as Skype. Skype and other operators offering VoIP (voice over Internet protocol) services bypass telephone networks in favour of offering free calls via the net, while Egyptian law stipulates that all international calls must pass through state-owned Egypt Telecom. The ban does not extend to voice calls made over fixed-line Internet.
Skype has 500 million users worldwide. In a statement the firm said: “In general, we believe it should be up to consumers, not regulatory authorities, to choose the winners and losers in the communications space.”
A girl and a boy
The European Commission has launched an international art contest to promote gender equality. Under the title “Once upon a time there was a girl and a boy, together they wished to make a better place”, children aged 8 – 10 were invited to take part. The first prize amounts to 1000 Euros, and the winning works will be printed in a booklet to be distributed in the participating countries. The EU has been organising its art contest for gender equality since 2007.
Three Egyptians
Mahmoud Karem, the secretary-general of Egypt’s National Council for Human Rights, was granted the highest medal in Belgium from King Albert II. The gesture was undertaken in appreciation of Karem’s efforts to boost relations between the two countries during his term in office as Egypt’s ambassador to Brussels from 2005 till 2009.
The US NASA Agency for Space and Aviation Research has also honoured Egyptian scientist Ahmed Fayez Abdel-Azim, head of Zagazig University’s Department of Mechanical Engineering and professor of Aeronautical Engineering at Imbaba Civil Aviation Institute. Dr Abdel-Azim was honoured for his research and on the development of aircraft engines in the 20th century.
And in a special ceremony held earlier this month in Cairo, the Austrian Ambassador Thomas Nader presented Professor Ali Radwan with the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Arts – 1st Class. Prof Radwan was honoured for his personal engagement in fostering archaeological cooperation between Austria and Egypt, through his work with the Austrian Archaeological Institute and his contribution to various conferences and workshops in Austria.
Earth Hour
Egypt participated in the Earth Hour on Saturday 27 March at 8.30pm by turning off the lights at cultural and public sites nationwide for one hour. The Earth Hour is a global event organised by World Wide Fund for Nature, also known as World Wildlife Fund (WWF), which began in Austria in 2007 and is held on the last Saturday of March annually. Households and businesses are asked to turn off non-essential lights and electrical appliances for one hour to raise awareness on the need to take action regarding climate change.