9 paintings stolen from Egyptian museum

The Egyptian Culture Ministry says nine paintings were stolen from a 19th century palace that used to be the residence of the ruler and founder of modern Egypt, Mohammed Ali Pasha.

Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni says the oil paintings appear to have been removed from their frames early Tuesday. The paintings depict Mohammed Ali and family members.

Several Egyptian newspapers on Wednesday quoted Hosni as saying police are investigating the theft.

Mohammed Ali ruled Egypt from 1805 to 1848. The palace overlooks the Nile River in the northern Cairo suburb of Shurbra el-Kheima.

Theft of artifacts is not uncommon in Egypt due to widespread corruption especially among the police in charge of protecting historical sites.

Bird flu cases among children raise concerns

An 18-month-old child contracted the H5N1 bird flu virus on 10 March, bringing the number of human cases in Egypt to 58 since records began in 2006, and prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to ask for a study to be undertaken of the causes.The child – from Manoufiya Province in northern Egypt – is one of several recent cases of young children to have contracted the deadly virus in a country where over five million families raise poultry for a living.

Egyptian Health Ministry spokesman Abdel Rahman Shahin told IRIN the girl exhibited symptoms of infection on 6 March after reported contact with infected birds. She was taken to hospital on 9 March and given the antiviral vaccine Tamiflu.

“Her case has stabilised but she will remain at the hospital for further check-ups,” Shahin said.

The child’s case is the latest in a rapidly growing number of cases of child infection in Egypt, causing concern among WHO officials.

On 4 March, a two-year-old boy from the coastal city of Alexandria (220km from Cairo) contracted the virus. The boy is being treated with Tamiflu.

Another two-year-old boy from Fayum, 85km southwest of Cairo, was infected by the virus on 1 March, Nasr al-Sayyid, the assistant health minister, said.

According to the Egyptian Ministry of Health, five cases of bird flu have been registered in 2009; 23 people have died from the virus since records began in 2006.

The rapid growth rate of bird flu infections in children is worrying, said John Jabbour, senior epidemiologist with WHO, which is asking the Health Ministry to investigate why so many children aged 2-3 are being infected.

Jabbour speculated that the reason for the increased number of cases in this age group was that families were no longer as alert as immediately after the last awareness campaign.

He warned that families with poultry must be on their guard at all times, given UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warnings that the H5N1 strain was endemic in poultry.

“This is a problem that will not go away in poultry, hence people who deal with birds cannot afford to relax. Those who come in contact with birds must make caution part of their daily routine,” he said.

Changing the mindset

Jabbour said social behaviour and attitudes also played a vital role in tackling bird flu. “We are not just fighting bird flu only; we are also trying to change the mentality which says reporting a case of bird flu infection in poultry will destroy income,” he said.

Assistant Health Minister Sayyed said poultry keepers were often reluctant to report suspected cases for fear that health officials would cull not only their birds but those of neighbouring families.

Egypt does not run a compensation scheme for farmers who lose poultry in a cull.

According to the latest WHO statistics, some 410 people in 15 countries and regions have contracted the virus and 256 of them have died of the disease.

While H5N1 rarely infects people, experts fear it could mutate into a form that could easily be passed from one person to another, leading to a pandemic which could kill millions.

PLANET AFRICA

One of the most rewarding things you can do as a food addict is eat at a new restaurant and find a real gem, particularly one that hasn’t reached household name status – rather like Marco polo going to off the beaten tracks to discover new countries and cultures, and when the rest of the world catches on, boasting to anyone who will listen, how you ‘discovered’ them first.We visited on a Sunday afternoon, when Planet Africa has that laid back feel, prior to students going out time and those who haven’t finished work yet, which all makes it perfectly suited to a relaxed meal. The menu has oodles of appeal: it doesn’t try to be too fancy or cleaver, but packs in favorites that make choosing so difficult. It’s altogether an inviting place, even if you’re not hungry. I had the grilled streak with salad and fries, always a popular choice; steak always cooked to order and big enough to feed two.

Of particular note are their stuffed potato wedges – golden fried potatoes stuffed with seafood and served with roasted marinara sauce. Since we’re in planet Africa, the tribal bread (crusty ciabbatta bread topped with tomatoes, olive oil, basil and garlic in balsamic vinegar) is an excellent way to start off our meal.

With items on the menu like “Savannah Veggie Salad’, “Jungle Sunshine Salad”, “Kwazulu Chicken” (flame grilled chicken breasts marinated with special herbs, topped with vegetables, roast beef and melted mozzarella and served with a loaded baked potato); dinner becomes a real treat at Planet Africa.

Sometimes it can take a while for the food to arrive but it’s never really a struggle as you can see both chefs and staff consistently working hard to please everyone.

Cairo Boss Bar – Maadi

Formerly known as Golden Bells a low-key bar in Maadi, was recently renovated to Cairo Boss Bar -a favorite spot for Maadi residents and expats.Cairo Boss is also famous for hosting live bands, themed DJs and dance classes.
17, Road 257
Maadi

0123910002

Bull’s Eye Pub – Mohandessin

A typical English pub set in the middle of Cairo.

Different entertainment every night and an international kitchen with great pub Grub, English breakfast served every Friday and Saturday, fantastic value for money.

Jazz cafe with good piped, and sometimes live, music.

Open from 6 PM – 2 AM
32 Jeddah St.
Mohandessin

376 16888 – 0101390735

 

La Bodega

The walls are strewn with pictures by young artists and the decor is superb and often used for photo-shoots.

Almost always filled to capacity, La Bodega is intimate simply because you have to be close to your companion. Read more

Army cadets attack police

Egyptian army cadets in plain clothes have been filmed pelting a police station with stones in a town south of the capital Cairo.

Mobile phone footage was posted by Misrdigital, a blog campaigning against police brutality and corruption.

One sequence showed the cadets trying to overturn a car, said to belong to the chief district police officer.

They were reportedly taking revenge for the alleged abuse by the police of one of their colleagues.

Newspaper editors have told the BBC they received clear orders from the army not to publish any details of the incident, which happened on Sunday evening.

The army remains an off-limit topic for an otherwise vociferous independent media in Egypt. Those who violate the taboo can risk imprisonment.

State of disintegration

There is a history of tension between police officers and the army, that have occasionally degenerated into violence.

One commentator, who wanted to remain anonymous, said the incident showed the extent of chaos in Egypt, where even army cadets who are supposed to show restraint and discipline can behave like a mob.

It also showed that extent of resentment all Egyptians, including members of the armed forces, feel toward the police in Egypt, he added.

The executive editor of the independent al-Doustoor daily, Ibrahim Mansoor, told the BBC his newspaper was banned from publishing the story.

Mr Mansour said the incident “was part of the state of disintegration in Egypt. There are intense power struggles between institutions, with each one trying to demonstrate that it is the strongest”.

Not a day goes by in Egypt without clashes or demonstrations, he added.

Cairo hotel evacuated after bomb threat

Egyptian security evacuated guests and staff from a Cairo hotel on Tuesday night after being told a bomb had been planted there, a security official said.

A bomb disposal squad and sniffer dogs were sent in to the Zoser Hotel, a few minutes drive from the Giza pyramids, the official said.

“The search is ongoing. Police received information on Tuesday night that a bomb had been placed in the hotel,” he said, without providing further details.

Police have been on heightened alert since a February 22 bomb attack killed a French teenager in a Cairo bazaar popular with tourists. Three people were arrested following the attacks but have not been charged.

Five days later, an American man was knifed in the face in the same bazaar. Police arrested the attacker, who they said was insane and hated Westerners.

Last week, the US embassy urged its citizens to take precautions, also citing an incident in late February when a man threw an incendiary bottle onto the tracks of the Cairo metro. The bottle did not explode.

Egypt was struck by a spate of deadly bombings in Sinai resort towns that killed dozens between 2004 and 2006.

The country saw deadly attacks on Westerners by Islamic militant groups in the 1990s that dealt a savage blow to the hospitality industry.

Tourism is a vital foreign currency earner for Egypt. Last year 13 million tourists visited the country, bringing in 11 billion dollars in revenue.

Cairo on $2 a day

Shobra is a neighborhood of faded glory. Stately building facades, covered by centuries of Sahara sands, cast shadows on the crowded working class streets below. This is the neighborhood of taxi drivers, policemen and waiters.

Al Ahram, Egypt’s leading newspaper, estimates that 50 percent of Egyptians live on $2 a day or less. So when I decided to investigate what living on $2 daily entailed, it made sense to head to Shobra, the “shaabi” heart of Cairo.

I took all the money out of my wallet, save for 11 Egyptian pounds, which is equivalent to $2. I wanted to see if I could get by for a day spending no more than your average Egyptian. Read more

Galloway’s Convoy Stoned, Vandalized in Egypt

A convoy led by the maverick MP George Galloway carrying supplies for Gaza has been attacked in Egypt, apparently injuring several people travelling in his party.

The convoy, carrying aid worth £1 million, was pelted with stones and vandalised with anti-Hamas slogans after it stopped overnight in El-Arish, a small town around 28 miles from the Rafah border crossing with Gaza.

The attack comes weeks after Mr Galloway, of the Respect party, described Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak as a “tyrant” and “criminal” and demanded that he be overthrown by his country’s armed forces.

Mr Galloway’s party confirmed that Egyptian officials had also become embroiled in a dispute with the party over what type of goods they would be allowed to take into the territory through the Rafah crossing.

They were due to cross over into the Hamas-run territory today, but were so far believed to have been detained at Rafah this morning for more than an hour.

The biggest attack faced so far by the the 110-vehicle convoy, organised and led by the MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, came after it arrived in El-Arish on Saturday.

During a power cut – which is a frequent occurrence in the town – children had pelted the convoy with stones, a security official said.

“It’s an absolute disgrace,” convoy organiser Yvonne Ridley told the AFP news agency. “The power was cut. Under cover of darkness members of our convoy were attacked with stones.

“Vandals also wrote dirty words and anti-Hamas slogans. Several people in the convoy were injured in the attack.”

The convoy had been held up in El-Arish after a dispute arose between organisers and Egyptian officials over the inclusion of non-medical aid in the convoy.

Egyptian officials have said that they will allow medical relief through the Rafah passage to Gaza, which is facing a humanitarian crisis after Israel’s military offensive. However, non-medical goods such as food will have to pass through Israel’s crossings with the Palestinian enclave.

“George Galloway is still in negotiations,” said Ms Ridley. “What we have agreed to do is to separate the medical aid from the non-medical aid. The non-medical will go into Gaza via the Egyptian Red Crescent.”

Mr Galloway’s convoy was braced for some hostility in Egypt after the Respect MP earlier this year called for its President to be overthrown in a highly controversial speech at a rally protesting Israel’s assault on the Islamist militants of Hamas.

“There are many governments responsible for this great crime in Palestine, but the dictatorship of Hosni Mubarak is jointly responsible for the murder of every Palestinian who has died in these last two years,” he said.

“When he [Mubarak] was embracing Livni [the Israeli Foreign Minister] as the bombs were falling, when he locked the border at Rafah, he became an international criminal and an outlaw of the Arab world.

“So I call, in conclusion, on the great people of Egypt, on the heroic armed forces of Egypt, and the heroic army of Egypt of 1973, to rise up and sweep away this tyrant Mubarak.

“To rise up, to rise up, and to demolish the border at Rafah and let the people go free.”

The trip also ran into controversy when it was disclosed last month that three men, who police sources alleged were preparing to use the convoy as cover to leave the country and carry out terror attacks abroad, were arrested by police.

The men were all later released without charge.

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