Two hotels from the Pickalbatros chain in Hurghada have been serving up buffets of endangered fish and sharks. With the corpses of the sharks, rays and parrot fish hanging from the ceiling, chefs stand by to cut and grill them to order, horrifying some tourists who sounded the alarm to the Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Association (HEPCA) on the blatant violation of animal protection regulations.

Pickalbatros management alleged that the fish and sharks on display were crude foam imitations covered by a layer of polyester. He added that the hotel does not have the ability to catch such fish, and that the only real ones are the smaller fish.

In 2004, the Red Sea province governor approved a law endorsed by HEPCA banning shark fishing in the sea, and the Agriculture Ministry followed suit the next year. This was a big victory for conservationists, and led to Egypt being honored as Shark Guardian of the Year in 2006.

According to the law, fishermen caught with sharks on board are subject to a large fine and the revocation of their fishing licenses for three years. But despite regulations, shark fishing is still rampant in the Red Sea.

Shark finning, which consists of capturing a shark and cutting off its fins at sea before throwing the animal back in the water to die, is a common practice. The fins, which are the most lucrative part of the shark, with the rest of the meat fetching only LE20 per kilo, are, for the most part, exported to southeast Asia, where shark fin soup is considered a delicacy.

Egypt Independent

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The Ministry of State for Antiquities (MSA) along with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) kicked-off a new groundwater lowering project at Temple Edfu.  The project will construct a drainage system to lower the groundwater level that threatens antiquities in the Edfu Temple and will be carried out over approximately 20 months.

The Government of Egypt and USAID worked together previously on a similar project in Luxor’s East and West Banks where important archeological treasures such as Karnak and Luxor temples, Medinet Habu, the Colossi of Memnon, Amenhotep III, Ramesseum, and Seti I were saved from eventual destruction due to rising groundwater levels.  In addition, a groundwater lowering project is currently being implemented for the Pyramids Plateau which is expected to be completed in April 2012.

Since 1993, USAID has provided more than $100 million to support more than 70 antiquities conservation and training projects in partnership with the Government of Egypt.

Luxor Times
Egyptian monuments - World heritage sites in peril
Temple of Horus at Edfu

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Egypt has three original copies of the historic book “Description de l’Egypte” (Description of Egypt) other than the one that was consumed by fire at the Scientific Academy in Downtown Cairo, Culture Minister Shaker Abdel-Hamid said.

An original copy is stored at the National Library and Archives, another at the Egyptian Geographic Society and an incomplete copy at Assiut University, Abdel-Hamid said.

The original translation of the book is also present, he noted.

However, Egypt has lost a large collection of rare books and manuscripts in the fire in addition to the historic building of the academy, which dates back to more than 200 years ago, he regretted.

allAfrica.com

Orascom Construction Industries (OCI) announced today that a 50/50 joint venture with the BESIX Group has been selected for the award of the third phase of the Egyptian Grand Museum valued at approximately US$ 810 million.

The project is 65% funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

A joint venture between Hill International and EHAF Consulting Engineers will provide project management services during the design and construction of the project.

The state-of-the-art Grand Museum will showcase approximately 100,000 ancient Egyptian artifacts in the main exhibition hall and will also include a conference and learning center to educate visitors on Ancient Egyptian history. The museum will house an advanced security and communication system to ensure the safety of the artifacts and will be host to a sophisticated technological system to maximize viewing pleasure for visitors.

The project is expected to be complete by July 2015 or in approximately 40 months.

Market Watch

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A fire that erupted on Saturday in Egypt’s Institute for the Advancement of Scientific Research amid clashes between protestors and the military has resulted in the loss of several precious manuscripts. The original manuscript of Napoleon’s historic “Description De L’Egypt” was reportedly among the losses. Nearly 30,000 books were reportedly rescued.

The institute is considered the oldest scientific institute in Egypt. It was established as L’Institute d’Egypte in August 1798 by Napoleon Bonaparte during the French invasion of Egypt. Its mission is to advance high quality research in various fields, ranging from biology and mathematics to fine arts and archaeology. Its library contains more than 200,000 books, including the original volumes of the “Description de l’Égypte” (Description of Egypt), begun in 1798 by French scientists in Egypt.

The “Description De L’Egypt” was initially drawn up by the team of French scientists who accompanied French empire-builder Napoleon on his invasion of Egypt (1798-1801). The 20-volume book was originally entitled “Description of Egypt, or the Collection of Notes and Research Done in Egypt during the French Campaign by Napoleon Bonaparte.”

The volumes are considered among the most important historical works of the early nineteenth century.

Sources: Ahram Online and Al Masry Al Youm

Building looted, say MP Commander

Commander of the Military Police, Major General Hamdi Badin said looters targeted what was left of the priceless books and manuscripts inside the Egyptian Scientific Complex building after the building was torched.

Badin said a Chevrolet pickup was seen loaded with rare books before fleeing. He added that the MP is trying to rescue the remaining contents of the complex from being destroyed or looted.

This came as Minister of Archeology Mohammad Ibrahim formed a committee headed by Mohsen Ali, the head of the Islamic and Coptic Antiquities to conduct an urgent inspection of the Scientific Complex building located at Kasr Al Aini Street. The committee, which also includes engineers from the Ministry of Endowments, will focus on the third floor of the building which was badly torched during Saturday’s clashes.

25online.tv

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The ibis has a special place in ancient Egyptian history, as it was once associated with Thoth, ancient Egyptian god and patron of writing, wisdom and magic.

Three species of ibis have been known to exist throughout Egypt: the Glossy Ibis, the Northern Bald Ibis and the African Sacred Ibis.

The Glossy Ibis, with its reddish brown body and slightly glossy green wings, can still be commonly found during winter throughout the Nile Delta; while the Northern Bald, with its black, majestic, yet vulture-like appearance, is not found in Egypt and is currently one of the most critically endangered birds on the planet.

But the species of ibis that was most valued to the ancient Egyptians was the African Sacred Ibis, which, despite being extinct in modern Egypt, still lives in abundance in sub-Saharan Africa.

It is this species of ibis, with its sharp but beautifully contrasting black and white appearance, that has received increased interest in recent years as cultural preservationists propose reintroducing the African sacred bird to Egypt.

The last reported sighting of the African Sacred Ibis was in 1891, and although unconfirmed sightings have continued, the general consensus is that the species is now extinct from modern Egypt.

Experts explain that it is difficult to isolate the exact causes of the sacred ibis’ disappearance, but a combination of human population increases, urban expansion, habitat destruction, breeding disturbances and active hunting are believed to have contributed to the loss.

Nature Conservation Egypt (NCE), an NGO dedicated to the conservation of Egypt’s natural heritage, has been piloting the project alongside a team of domestic and international experts. They warn that the process of reintroducing an ancient species is a highly complex and difficult task — and one that has never been done in Egypt before.

The project was approved in 2010 and fieldwork began in May of this year. Some of the studies currently being conducted are an analysis of sacred ibis specimens living in northern Sudan, predictive analyses of habitat recreation around Lake Nasser in southern Egypt, and efforts to pinpoint reasons for the ibis’ disappearance in Egypt.

Studying sacred ibises in northern Sudan will aid the reintroduction process, as the reintroduced specimens should be as genetically close as possible to the ibises that originally inhabited the area.

Sacred ibises tend to enjoy marshy wetlands and mud flats, and require facilitated access to trees and small wildlife in order to lay eggs and feed their young ones. The careful selection of locations for reintroducing the species is crucial for the project to succeed.

Excerpted from an article by Steven Viney for Al Masry Al Youm

Egypt’s stock exchange urged citizens to exercise their duty to vote in the parliamentary elections, and announced the bourse will be closed on Nov. 28, the start of the first phase of voting.

With Sunday already a holiday for Islamic New Year, this means Egypt’s market will reopen for trading on Nov. 29.

By the end of Thursday’s trading session, the EGX 30 was up 1.69 percent while the broader EGX 100 rose 1.71 percent.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian pound weakened to more than 6 to the US dollar for the first time since January 2005, Reuters reported. The pound traded as weak as 6.0025 the dollar before settling around 6.0010.

Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s pushed Egypt’s sovereign credit ratings deeper into junk status, AP reported.

The stock market had lost LE 29 billion in total market cap by Tuesday, as democracy protests once again rocked the nation. The market regained some losses on Wednesday as the benchmark index closed up 1.1 percent.

Nationwide protesters are demanding that the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) swiftly cede power to a civilian authority. The army council has accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Essam Sharaf’s Cabinet, and has said elections will proceed as planned.

However, this has not satisfied activists and protesters around the country calling for the formation of a salvation government or a presidential council in place of the ruling army council, which came to power after the ouster of Hosni Mubarak.

Meanwhile, foreign reserves have dwindled to $22.1 billion, from $36 billion in January, and tourism — one of the pillars of the economy — has not nearly recovered.

Excerpted from an article by Amira Salah-Ahmed for Daily News Egypt

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Violent unrest in Egypt threatens to accelerate the country’s slide toward a currency crisis, forcing a sharp depreciation of the Egyptian pound in coming months and conceivably prompting Cairo to impose capital controls.

Even before this month’s clashes between government forces and protestors in Cairo, Egypt was heading toward monetary turmoil as the central bank battled to keep the pound stable by running down its foreign exchange reserves.

Egypt’s net foreign reserves have tumbled from around $36 billion at the start of the year to $22.1 billion in October. Reserves sank $1.93 billion last month, the biggest drop since April, central bank data show.

By supplying foreign currency to the market, the central bank has so far managed to preserve the pound’s buying power and curb pressure for inflation in the face of this capital flight. It has kept the pound remarkably stable in a range of roughly 5.92-5.99 against the dollar since Mubarak’s overthrow.

But pressure on the pound is clearly growing as the market speculates about when the central bank may run out of money to maintain its defense; the currency edged down last week to its lowest level in nearly seven years.

International aid for Egypt could buy it valuable time and, conceivably, keep it afloat while the elections proceed and political stability returns.

Egypt turned down the offer of a $3.2 billion financing facility from the International Monetary Fund this summer.

The inexorable decline of the reserves has forced a rethink, and Finance Minister Hazem el-Beblawi said this week that Egypt would formally ask the IMF to start negotiations on a package similar to the one it previously rejected. The IMF has signaled it will not put onerous conditions on the loans.

Egypt has so far received $1 billion of budget support from Saudi Arabia and Qatar; the UAE said last month it planned to provide $3 billion but was still discussing the mechanism to deliver it.

Excerpted from an article by Andrew Torchia for REUTERS

O Land that once shone bright

Cry loud in the silence of the night

Weave echoes of your ancient light

- Ben Morales-Correa

According to official statistics of the National Cancer Institute (Cairo University), breast cancer accounts for 35.1% of the cases of cancer in Egypt and is the most prevalent cancer among Egyptian women.  In Egypt, the median age at diagnosis for breast cancer is ten years younger than in the United States and Europe. Many Egyptian women fail to seek medical treatment or preventive screening, making it more difficult to treat cancers and by the time breast cancer is detected in Egypt, it is often advanced.

To combat breast cancer in Egypt, several active foundations and programs are working to educate women about the disease, teach them to conduct breast exams on themselves, and encourage them to visit a doctor once a year for a medical breast exam.

WHOP (Women Health Outreach Program) has provided 76,000 free mammograms so far.

Another active foundation is the BCFE (Breast Cancer Foundation in Egypt). Their mission is to increase breast cancer awareness and provide cancer support services in Egypt. The group also offers free mammograms and subsidizes and necessary follow up for breast cancer patients and services to breast cancer survivors, such as counseling and medical treatments.

The Washington Times