Al-Sadat station: The end of a two-year ordeal To the joy of hundreds of thousands of commuters who depend on the metro, the Sadat (Tahrir Square) underground station was scheduled to reopen on Wednesday (after Al-Ahram Weekly went to print) after a security-prompted closure of almost two years. Work was in full swing in the last few days to install security devices, perform maintenance work on the rails and station, replace the worn-out marble and clean the premises in preparation for the opening of the second largest Cairo Metro stations, linking the two main lines, and one of the busiest. Of its 12 entrances only nine will be reopened, however. The Sadat station was closed following the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 to prevent violent protests in Tahrir Square, forcing commuters to use the Al-Shohada station to change lines. The reopening had been repeatedly announced in the last two years but only now did it actually happen. “Thank God the terrorists failed to blow themselves up inside the Karnak Temple, but the message they delivered to the state is that they have decided to aim for tourist sites as this has an adverse effect on the economy. The state and the government should take measures to raise awareness of the danger posed by terrorism and how to take part in vanquishing it.” Emadeddin Hussein, Al-Shorouk Shafik's sudden resignation “Yehia Kadri, the deputy head of the National Movement Party stated that Ahmed Shafik resigned from his position as head of the party because of his presence outside the country and the consequent difficulty in carrying out his job.” Al-Dostour “Shafik's unexpected surprise resignation will have negative consequences for his party and the Egyptian Front Coalition, according to Yasser Koura, the head of Al-Mostakbal Party. Besides, it means that he is firmly out of the political scene.” Al-Shorouk “Shafik said in a tweet, ‘My resignation is due to the difficult conditions under which I have been doing my job', promising to broaden the range his activities the better to serve all Egyptians.” Al-Youm Al-Sabei Ramadan's most pressing question “The most important question is what we do in Ramadan. The best are those who put together a worship routine in which the top priority is boycotting all Ramadan series that steal the most precious time of the year. However, those who want to stay in front of the TV screen and be subjected to the most dangerous theft that a human being can face can only blame themselves. They should not be surprised if they end up in hell on Judgement Day.” Essam Hashish, Al-Akhbar Ramadan's most pressing question “The most important question is what we do in Ramadan. The best are those who put together a worship routine in which the top priority is boycotting all Ramadan series that steal the most precious time of the year. However, those who want to stay in front of the TV screen and be subjected to the most dangerous theft that a human being can face can only blame themselves. They should not be surprised if they end up in hell on Judgement Day.” Essam Hashish, Al-Akhbar Ramadan and the fuel card “I appeal to Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb to postpone applying the Fuel Card until after Ramadan. A major experience that aims to reform the unbalanced subsidy formula in Egypt should not be applied while the people are getting ready for the holy month.” Karam Gabr, Al-Youm Al-Sabei Egyptian Essence: 38% of Egyptians are children “The Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics declared at the beginning of the year that the number of children under 18 in Egypt is 21.4 million, 18.7 million of whom are male and 17.4 female. More than one million have been either without education or shelter. They sleep on the streets and work from childhood.” Al-Ahram Facebook “I received a message from Israa Al-Taweel's father. Israa is one of the young people who have disappeared under strange circumstances. I cannot hold any party responsible for the phenomenon that has been called ‘enforced disappearance' because there are quite a few regional and international parties that could be playing a role in that matter. However, I would not rule out the involvement of state bodies. Although the whole issue is obscure, I wonder why the state security bodies and general prosecution are taking such a passive stand on the issue as if eager to frame themselves.” Hazem Hosni Twitter Basil @basildabh If the Sadat station does indeed open on Wednesday, we should make June 17 a national holiday called Sadat Metro Station Liberation Day. Mina Fayek @minafayek Where are Esraa El-Taweel and friends? 2 weeks since their disappearance. #Egypt
Leila Fadel @LeilaFadel “We don't know what to do, or who to call,” Esraa El-Taweel's sister says, she's missing… taken by security forces. Simona @SimonaSkm Seriously troubling allegations coming out of Egypt about forced disappearance.
