Essam Fayed: A brave decision Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation Essam Fayed took the brave decision to have no grain of wheat infected with the Alarjot fungus despite the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) recommendations on internationally recommended Alarjot ratio in wheat imported from abroad. Fayed declared that a joint report has been prepared by the Ministries of Health and Agriculture, in which the former confirmed that the 0.05 percent ratio of Alarjot in wheat is allowed, which is in conformity with the approved Egyptian standard specification and does not involve any health risks. Yet Fayed and the cabinet still decided to completely ban the import of infected wheat regardless of the ratio. Fayed was keen to reassure the public that not a one infected grain has entered Egypt and that the Ministry of Agriculture is keen on the safety and security of Egyptian food. Fayed was sworn in as minister of agriculture in the Sherif Ismail government last September after the corruption case of former minister of agriculture Salah Hilal; and fighting corruption remains one of the main challenges facing Fayed. Implementing President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi's “one million feddans” land reclamation project is another challenge. Fayed, 63, was a dairy microbiology professor at Ain Shams University and dean of the Ain Shams' Faculty of Agriculture from 2010 until 2013; he was also Egypt's agricultural office director in the Food and Agriculture Organisation at the United Nations in Rome until 2012, and advisor to former minister of agriculture Youssef Wali under Hosni Mubarak. “The moment the French policeman insisted that the swimmer at the Cote d'Azur should take off her burkini is in fact the moment of conflict between two important values in the French society: Freedom and secularism. Another term appeared as a result of that conflict. In its motivations to overturn the ban on burkini, the highest French administrative court stated that banning any clothes or acts is not allowed until it presents a ‘definite danger' to the general order. Then, we can understand from the court's ruling that the burkini does not present ‘definite danger' to the French order. And it should not be banned.” Yasser Abdel-Aziz, Al-Masry Al-Youm The Metro dilemma “The price of the metro ticket has become a dilemma facing the government at present. In an attempt to raise its price, some officials state that there is a deficit of 200 million between revenues and expenses. In other parts of the world, underground stations have shops, cafes, even malls. And that can definitely increase the revenues far more than raising the prices of the tickets.” Khaled Al-Asmaai, Al-Ahram Similar criteria “I will not discuss the minute details that the church construction law was keen to deal with. I'll just stop at this: it was issued separately from a similar law to organise building mosques, thus emphasising the concept of religious discrimination; that is why all Egyptians should reject that law and call for a unified law for all places of worship.” Emad Gad, Al-Watan A pressing question “Whether he did it willingly or was forced to resign, Khaled Hanafi will remain one of the best and most honest ministers to have held that post. He managed to resolve chronic problems like the bread problem. Besides, he created a supply system that appealed to most of the poor. All the best for Hanafi.” Hazem Al-Hadidi, Al-Akhbar
“Those who want to defend the sacked minister are free to do so. However, if they claim that he is a victim of corruption, they should present evidence to support their claims. But they can never justify his stay at Semiramis while heading a ministry that cares for the poor. How can a man who sleeps in a hotel suite feel for the poor who sleep on rough bedding? How can a man who eats five-star hotel food think of those who eat nothing but beans?” Mahmoud Kalil, Al-Watan “The question regarding the integrity of Hanafi has recently topped the concerns of the people. It is not unexpected that this should become a pressing question after the emergence of the wheat problem and the findings of the parliamentary fact-finding committee. However, answering that question is not going to be easy. Besides, Hanafi cannot be accused of corruption unless there is clear evidence. In addition, the issue is now in the hands of the General Prosecution whose work and ability to protect public funds we all trust.” Mohamed Barakat, Al-Akhbar Egyptian Essence: 390,000 university students “Some 390,000 students will be admitted to the different universities in the coming academic year.” Al-Watan Facebook “The bodies scrutinising the files of prospective ministers of supply are the same bodies that looked at Hanafi's file, that of Hilal, the detained former minister of agriculture, and that of Hilali Al-Sherbini, the illiterate minister of education. Let's hope for the best.” Hamdy Gomaa “Given that Hanafi's CV is good and shows no sign of what was to come, we need to find a better way to choose those who fill top positions.” Mohamed Youssef Farghly Twitter Guardian World @guardianworld France's highest court suspends burkini ban in test case. Raya Jalabi @rayajalabi Ruling is for ban in Villeneuve-Loubet, near Nice, but is likely to set a precedent for other towns. Amina @accio_dallas Why the hell are people bothered so much with women who wear burka and in this case ‘burkini'? Anyone can wear whatever the hell they want! San @sansdn Alright. Now is the time for better conversations about feminism, patriarchy and how's it's enforced by the state.
