State-owned papers once again focus on the numbers today. “Increase of LE1378 billion in GDP,” proclaims a headline on Al-Ahram's front page, followed by a report on yesterday's meeting between Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif and the cabinet. The meeting resulted in the approval of both the national budget and economic development plan for fiscal year 2010/11. According to the paper, the development plan will take into consideration increased GDP, which is up 5.8 percent from last year. Al-Akhbar leads with the same story, but focuses on different numbers, citing “LE95.6 billion for wages” and a “seven percent increase in social raises starting next July.” Al-Gomhurriya's main headline focuses on the “22 percent increase in subsidies and grants,” while the story also describes the new budget as “the largest in Egyptian history.” Beyond that, the paper's coverage remains identical to that of both Al-Ahram and Al-Akhbar. Elsewhere in Al-Ahram, one headline states “Netanyahu warns Obama against supporting Palestinians and solidifying peace.” The story covers the “failure of the US president and Israeli prime minister to ease tensions which have risen between the two countries recently over the issue of settlements.” According to the Al-Ahram, the two leaders held a series of private meetings at the White House Tuesday evening, but were still unable to reach any conclusion. The paper also reports on “inflammatory” comments made by Netanyahu at a press conference prior to Tuesday's meetings, in which he described Palestinian demands--especially those concerning the cessation of settlements in Jerusalem--as “unreasonable.” According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, there is “no truth” to rumors of tainted Indian meat flooding the marketplace, a story in Al-Akhbar says. The paper reports that, as the “individual in charge of allowing meat into the market,” Minister of Agriculture Amin Abaza assures that the infected Indian meat simply does not exist, insisting that imports are rigidly scrutinized according to a set of “clearly transparent” rules and procedures. This news does little to soothe Al-Wafd, which, for its third consecutive day, leads with a story on the meat. Citing “serious developments in the killer Indian meat scandal,” the paper reports that the meat in question is being processed into “cold cuts and canned goods.” Once again, Al-Wafd claims to have a series of incriminating documents linking members of the General Authority for Veterinary Services with the unfolding meat “scandal.” The paper also claims to have a hand-written fax originally sent to the Central Authority for Veterinary Quarantine by a member of the quality control committee who had traveled to India for meat-inspecting purposes. The fax allegedly outlined the “corruption of committees assigned to inspect meat in developing countries.” In Al-Dostour, red font draws attention to a headline announcing “Al-Azhar Sheikh to quit NDP pending President Mubarak's return from Germany.” The paper reports that the recently-appointed Grand Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb's decision came as the result of several “requests made by powerful forces” within the ruling party, concerned that his membership in the National Democratic Party would “clash” with government policy on separating politics and religion. The paper also claims that el-Tayeb would have officially resigned from the party sooner, had matters not been delayed by the president's trip to Germany. Al-Shorouq promises “Mubarak returns to Egypt within the next 48 hours,” a claim obtained from an unnamed “official Egyptian source.” Mubarak's three-week absence--the longest he's ever been gone--will end “as soon as doctors deem him healthy enough to leave the hospital,” claims yet another unnamed Egyptian source, this time speaking from Heidelberg, where the president had his gallbladder removed. When asked whether or not the President's recovery period was normal for gallbladder removal, a hospital spokesperson responded, “these matters rely heavily on the condition of individual patients,” before adding that Mubarak is “currently in an extremely stable condition, to the extent that he only needs to remain in the hospital for a few more days.” Al-Shorouq also includes details of Mohamed ElBaradei's upcoming interview with Al-Arabiya satellite channel, which is scheduled to air Thursday at 10PM. According to Al-Shorouq, the former director of the International Atomic Energy Agency avoided making a definite statement regarding the possibility of his presidential candidacy, instead reiterating the necessity for drastic changes to the Constitution, which, as he pointed out, currently prohibits 99 percent of the Egyptian population from running. “There is a year and a half between now and the next elections--anything can happen in that time,” ElBaradei reportedly said. According to Al-Shorouq, the potential candidate also responded to accusations of chasing the presidency for the sake of his own personal glory, claiming “in all modesty, I am the most famous Egyptian in the world,” before pointing out that his name yields six million search results on the internet. “I am not asking for fame; if I do a job, it is out of a sense of duty and sacrifice.” Egypt's newspapers: Al-Ahram: Daily, state-run, largest distribution in Egypt Al-Akhbar: Daily, state-run, second to Al-Ahram in institutional size Al-Gomhorriya: Daily, state-run Rose el-Youssef: Daily, state-run, close to the National Democratic Party's Policies Secretariat Al-Dostour: Daily, privately owned Al-Shorouq:Daily, privately owned Al-Wafd: Daily, published by the liberal Wafd Party Al-Arabi: Weekly, published by the Arab Nasserist party Youm7: Weekly, privately owned Sawt el-Umma: Weekly, privately owned
