UK flights to Sharm resumed THE UNITED Kingdom has lifted the ban imposed on flights to the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh. A statement by the British Department for Transport stated on Tuesday that commercial flights can resume to and from Sharm El-Sheikh Airport, citing an improvement in security measures. Among the steps are X-ray scanners and a vast wall built earlier this year around the airport complex. The four-year ban was imposed after a Russian passenger plane leaving the resort was bombed by the Islamic State, killing all 224 passengers on board. Both Russia and the UK have since banned flights to and from the resort. Since the attack, the government has spent millions of dollars to upgrade security at airports across the country. “This announcement follows our aviation security experts' close cooperation with their Egyptian counterparts. We will work closely with airlines that wish to resume flights,” Geoffrey Adams, the British ambassador to Egypt, said in a statement issued by the embassy on the same day the flight ban was lifted. Egypt's Tourism Minister Rania Al-Mashat hailed the decision saying she expects it to have a positive impact on Egypt's tourism as it will encourage more British tourists to head to Egypt. The tourism sector in Egypt has witnessed recent signs of recovery after years of recession due to the political turmoil and violence that followed the 2011 revolt that toppled then president Hosni Mubarak.
Murder hearing delayed A JUVENILE court decided on Sunday to delay hearings on the stabbing death of a high school student. Mohamed Rageh, a teen, is accused of killing Mahmoud Al-Banna, dubbed “the martyr of chivalry”. Rageh and three of his classmates stabbed to death 18-year-old Al-Banna after he tried to rescue a girl they were sexually harassing and beating on the street. Al-Banna also wrote a Facebook post: “It is not manly to beat a girl on the street.” During Sunday's session, Al-Banna's lawyers asked the court to verify Rageh's age, pleading that if it was proven that he was older than 18, child laws should not apply and he should stand trial before a criminal court. Under the child law, minors under the age of 18 who commit homicide do not face death sentences or life imprisonment. The killing aroused passions on social media with angry users calling for Rageh's execution. Activists launched a hashtag #Ragehisamurderer which trended in Egypt. Two weeks ago, the prosecutor-general referred the four suspects to an emergency trial. The first hearing witnessed a heavy security presence outside the court. All roads leading to the venue were barricaded. Lawyers, journalists and lay people gathered in large numbers near the court. The doors were shut after Rageh and the three other suspects entered the courtroom. Journalists were not allowed to cover the session. The hearing in Shebin Al-Kom was put off until 27 October to revise papers.
Judiciary's golden jubilee THE SUPREME Constitutional Court (SCC) this week celebrated the golden jubilee of Egypt's constitutional judiciary. The three-day celebration, which started on Saturday, was attended by 48 delegations representing constitutional courts in Arab, African and other countries. Justice Minister Hossam Abdel-Rehim together with the ministers of planning, transport and religious endowments were present. The event witnessed a dialogue between Egypt's SCC chief justice and his deputies, as well as between court heads participating in the ceremony and delegation members. The sessions tackled issues of mutual interests shared by those responsible for constitutional judiciary.
‘Your Life is Precious' THE ARAB League, in cooperation with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), on Monday launched a breast cancer awareness campaign “Your Life is Precious”. The campaign aims at encouraging the early detection and treatment of the illness. The campaign is part of a cooperation protocol between the Arab League and the UNFPA's Arab States Regional Office. More than two million women worldwide had breast cancer in 2018, raising the number of cases to more than six million, representing 15.7 per cent of the number of cancer patients worldwide. The World Health Organisation estimates the rate of deaths due to breast cancer in the Middle East at more than five every hour. *A version of this article appears in print in the 24 October, 2019 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.
