#Hala’ib Triangle in Photos : Camels Market in #Shalateen

Here is the third part of the Hala’ib triangle in photos series. After the amazing photos of Shalateen port and the village of Abraq in Shalateen , this time it is about the famous Camels market in the city of Shalateen.
The Camels market is one of the most famous landmarks in the city. It is the biggest market for camels in Egypt. The camels come from Sudan in a long trip led by their herders. Their temporary stop is at that market in Shalateen waiting to be sold to the camel merchants that come from all over the country in a long trip.
Now this time the photo slide show is a mix of photos by photographer Yasser El Rasoul and famous Photo journalist/dear friend Hossam el-Hamalawy.

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Solar Eclipse in #Egypt

Here is a slide show for the Solar Eclipse in Egypt by photographers and citizen journalists as well mostly in Cairo and Giza. They are beautiful.

Unfortunately I forgot to bring the battery of the camera with me but I took a snapshot after the eclipse with my mobile phone , it is more of romantic scene !! You will find my shot in the slide show. 

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#Hala’ib Triangle in Photos : Shalateen Port by Yasser El Rasoul

As expected after raising the disputed Hala’ib triangle in the Egyptian media thanks to El Bashir’s officials statements earlier this year , it is no longer on radar and the neglected disputed rich-in much need of development is back to the abyss of oblivion. 

Well I did not forget this area and today I share with you those photos from there giving you a glimpse of the neglected triangle there. The photos are taken by photographer Yasser El Rasoul in 2012. I gathered the photos from his Facebook Page in to storify Slideshows to be published in a series through out this week here in the Egyptian Chronicles.

I will start the series with photos from Shalateen Port in the city of Shalateen.

Here is Shalateen port on the map.

 

Only last September 2013 the minister of transportation in the interim government agreed to found an international marine port in Shalateen.

Yasser El Rasoul took over 100 photos from different areas in the triangle. Of course I must hint out that he is one of the best photographers in Egypt to use HDR in nature photos. These photos should not be only published on Facebook but rather in some Egyptian National Geographic if we are speaking seriously.

They are amazing photos and honestly I will use them in order to make you back here and read more about that part of Egypt.

You can go to Shalateen easily.According to my friends who went there , there are two humble hotels there.

Insh Allah One day I visit this place with my little camera and document life there in Egyptian Chronicles. It is on my bucket list. Hopefully soon insh Allah I will make it.

This series is dedicated to late Mindy Bahaa El Din.Her birthday is today. 

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The Sad end for the #SpyStork

I do not know if it is fate or what, but it seems that the story of Menes in the land of the Nile is extremely sad story.
After it was accused of espionage and spent a day in Egyptian detention , he was released in to a protectorate to fly free only to meet its end !! He was hunted down and eaten by an Egyptian Nubian family in the south !!!

It is a sad true story stranger than fiction , the story of the Spy stork in the land of the Nile.
RIP Dear Menes.

Late Menes

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#Sinai : Save the #Dahab Coral Reef

This is a must watch video report by Ahram Online's Mayada Wadnomiry about the efforts of Egyptian divers in Egypt to save the coral reef in the red sea starting with Dahab. Despite it is a short clip yet it is very informative.The video is in English.

I fully support the suggestion to stop diving for one month in each diving location.
Here is the Facebook page of the iDive Tribe.
I believe we need to make noise about the initiative.
By the way,those small initiatives and those small groups trying to make a change on the ground even if it is a small change give me huge promise in that depressing time in Egypt. Big things always have small beginnings.
I know that some will say that it is not the prefect time when we got a war on terrorism in Sinai , well I will say when we will have the prefect time to save our environment then !! There is always time

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The Stork is Free !! Our #Spybird

Ok this is a follow up for the Spy Stork story. It turned out that the Hungarian Stork is called Menes and it has become the most famous stork in the history of modern Egypt. After all how many storks are detained for espionage and how many storks got visits from animal rights groups in detention while detained humans are denied from this right !!??
Menes is released and is moved Salugah & Ghazal Protected Area, near Aswan.
Here is the free bird.

:)

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Free Stork Now !! It is not a #Spy duck !!

Of course this news made headlines around the globe  yesterday : Egyptian authorities in Qena governorate arrest a duck with a spying device !! 
Updated : The stork is going to be released tomorrow and it will return back to its home in Hungary.  
 Well it turns out that it is not a duck but rather a stork and it is not a spying device but rather a satellite tracking device. The poor stork is still in the custody of Egyptian authorities.

The sad , beautiful and detained stork

That bird , that stork got a profile online by the way and here is its track as well.
The Nature Conservation Egypt issued an important statement  about that spy stork in Arabic and English. Please spread it. 

Post by Nature Conservation Egypt (NCE).

I am afraid ignorance made us the joke of the word as usual and as expected. Unfortunately, the ministry of education as the ministries of agriculture and environmental affairs in Egypt have not explained to the people what the annual bird migration is or how Egypt is a hot zone for birds’ migration or even how researchers and universities from around the globe put tracking devices on the birds to follow them.

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Morsi Speaks To #Ethiopia and #June30 Supporters as Well

Today Islamist political parties held some so-called popular meeting to discuss the Nile river crisis including the Freedom and Justice Party. Those parties invited President Morsi to that meeting and he addressed the Nation.
There was not a real discussion for the Nile crisis as much it was obvious replica conference from the days of Mubarak and the NDP. The exact sign but with a religious touch. I will not comment on the fact that Islamist parties mobilized its members from governorates as far as Bani Sawif to attend the conference in Cairo and to stand outside the Conference halls in Nasr City. I will not comment either on the banners the supporters of Morsi held like “We love you President” and “The goals of the revolution have been achieved”. I will not comment on what happened on the beginning of the conference. I will go straight to the main event of Morsi’s speech.
The speech is two parts : One that deals with Ethiopia and the Nile Dam and the other deals with Egyptian opposition.
The first part that deals with Ethiopia Morsi presented the good cop/bad cop in not so good way. Speaking in escalating and confident tune , Morsi declared that “All options are available” asserting over and over that our Water’s security is a red line that we will not accept to give up a single drop from it.

If a single Nile’s drop from our share is lost , our blood will be the cost.

He said those words after quoting a verses from Abdel Wahab’s song “Immortal river” earning him a standing ovation. He also said that Whoever thinks that Egyptians are busy with their internal challenges is delusional and that we are the soldiers of God. Using this language in confidence is not good because on the other side I know that some Ethiopians consider themselves as soldiers of God.
Anyhow after those indirect threats Morsi pulled back the Good cop insisting that we do not want any harm to Sudan or Ethiopia and that we are not against any development projects unless those projects harm our water shares. He also stated that we are have talks with Ethiopia and our relations are getting better than back in the old Mubarak days.
It is as if Morsi was trying to pull Nasser, Sadat and Yasser Arafat at the same time.Either Morsi is bluffing or he got intelligence backing up him to escalate in this way especially that his ministers are heading to both Sudan and Ethiopia. Already Ethiopia is heading in it plans and Sudan is supporting. Either he knows what he is doing or he is playing with fire in order to cover his internal political failures. Most observers believe he is trying to hide the internal political failures.
I think you probably know that Egyptian revolutionary and political powers and parties are organizing a mass protests day and are hoping to withdraw confidence from president Morsi on the anniversary of his election victory. Well Morsi is using the Nile Crisis in a way to lure the opposition forces calling them for national reconciliation as “there is no time for differences in Egypt now” according to him.
You must know that leaks in press that there is a trend in the presidency aka El Shater’s men to give up some concessions for the opposition. Anyhow it is too late because Morsi and the Muslim brotherhood do not want to understand that the people not the opposition are the leading this wave of anger and rebellion due to their own fiascos. The opposition in Egypt actually can not keep up with the revolutionaries and the people.
By the way Morsi presented his condolences to the family of the Homeland security’s special forces officer Abu Shakra was killed/assassinated in Sinai described his murderers as terrorists. Today in the funeral of Abu Shakra , the police officers chanted against Morsi.

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Readers’ Chronicles : An Open Letter to Egyptians From #Ethiopia

I do not think that I have done this before. This is an email I got from Ethiopia , from MR. Yared H.Meskel. 
I did not edit a single letter in the email. I am not going to comment about the open letter in the blog post , civilized discussions are extremely welcomed in comments section  
MR. Meskel is columnist and managing director in a technology and investment advisory consulting company in East Africa and UK.Dear Egyptians,
I think you politicians have been feeding false propaganda and the politicians have lived to believe their own propaganda. This propaganda has created three major myths in Egyptians mine.
One is Egypt own the Nile, second there was an international treaty, third, Ethiopia can block the water.
All are myth built up with no facts and lack of understanding basic scientific observations.
Here are the answers to think about.
1st. Egypt does not own the Nile. Nile belongs to Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, Congo, and off course, South Sudan, Sudan and Egypt. If Egypt thinks that it is only Egypt can drink from the Nile, and then take a hard look of the reality. You are receiving every day, clean, drinkable free from industrial toxic and fresh water everyday from these countries. If they do not benefit from the water they can send their wastes with it.
It is though fact that this is a shared resource and everyone has to invest and protect it to give fresh water to Egypt. The solution is to come back to the Nile initiative and negotiate to develop this shared resource together without losing your fare share. Ethiopia or Kenya cannot invest on the land and the forests which give to the life of Nile at great cost to become slaves to deliver drinkable water to Egyptians. In fact, Egypt should have been putting at list 2.5 billion USD/ half of the Ethiopian Dam cost, since it will serve as water reservoir for Egypt to design it in such a way that would not reduce the flow of the water.
Please don’t forget that 85% of the Nile water comes from Ethiopia and Ethiopia is not using so far 1% of the water while it's own people perish of starvation and drought  So there is no international or moral law that obliges Ethiopia to die of drought and thirst while Egyptians want to water their desert garden grass and lawn for European tourists or want to export it to Israel to earn cash. But still Ethiopia has no intention to reduce the flow, despite it’s cronic problems.
Abay/ Nile/ is a shared resource and the reality is to take time to understand the Ethiopian position. Sudan fully understand the Dam is beneficial for Sudan and Egypt. Despite internal public criticism Ethiopia has gone extra-mile to prove and reassure Egyptians by inviting and setting a joint expert committee that the hydroelectric dam does not at all affect the water flow. In fact it will increase the water flow in sustainable way, while the water is stored in deep gorge of Ethiopian cold highland by reducing huge evaporation, rather than flush it in to the Mediterranean see between June and October. This is science and I think Egyptians politicians need to pick their high school science books and revise it. A good number of Egyptian politicians appear to have (PhD) after their names and I guess they may have earned their degree in dramatics rhetoric than hard science.
Nile is Ethiopian as well as 9 African countries resource and Ethiopia need the hydropower as Egypt needs the water. The water moves a turbine and flow to Egypt and cannot come back or stored. Only demented politicians oppose building of hydroelectric power. If Ethiopia has intention to reduce the flow the dam would have been built where Irrigation is possible not where electricity could be generated. The fact is as simple as that and Egypt could have stopped it.
2. The second Egyptian myth is believing in non-existent treaty. Ethiopia had never been a British Colony like Egypt and British had no legal jurisdiction to sign any treaty in on behalf of Ethiopians. This is a basic logic. Egypt might have some debt with Kenya and Uganda but not with Ethiopia. Thanks to our forefathers, Ethiopians have fought all colonial forces at great cost and never surrendered to any mighty power. No one had signed on behalf of Ethiopia and no one will. Dying with freedom and dignity has been the ultimate privilege of all Ethiopians, who gave us this country. They died burned by poison gasses, tank shells and areal carpet bombing. Their crops burnt, their 2/3 of their cattle wiped out by biological warfare introduced by Italians and yet Ethiopians chose to die than surrender to anyone. As a result thanks God, we were not part of any treaty. We never signed anything and accepted any treaty. Hence, the fact is 85% of the Nile water had never been claimed by anyone and had never been part of any treaty. This is a fact casted on stones. Let’s the Egyptians politicians stop misinforming the Egyptian people and produce a single paper signed by Ethiopian or anyone who had legal jurisdiction over Ethiopia. Let them produce it and we are happy to honor it. So let’s clear this myth built on false propaganda.
3. The third myth is Ethiopia can stop Nile. If Egyptians politicians could Google, they could easily find enough scientific research data done by Egyptians that it is almost impossible for Ethiopia to stop the Nile flowing, without submerging a quarter of Ethiopia under water and turn themselves in to fish to survive. So it is time to separate ancient Egyptian myth from scientific data.
In fact, if there was an intention on Ethiopian side to reduce the water, there is no need to build a mega dam on the most rugged terrain of Ethiopia, where there is no land for irrigation. This is a gorge suitable for hydroelectric power and nothing else. If Ethiopia had intention to reduce the water it can instruct every village, to have a micro-dam on tributaries and flood plains. The fact that Ethiopia is building this huge dame close to the Sudan boarder means it is in its own interest to recharge the dam continuously to keep the power turbines moving. This is in fact a God given insurance for Egypt that the water will continue to flow to Egypt for eternity. If this dam is not built, then micro-dams are the alternative that would open the opportunity for utilization of water for other purposes too. So Egyptians politicians need to open their mind to see plan B, rather than getting carried away with myth creation and misinformation of the people.
So, please get tell your politicians to stop empty threat and bravado which is designed for internal consumption rather than dealing the real Egyptian real issue and the need for collaboration with Nile basin countries. Nile belongs to all of us, and it is enough for all of us. It is time for Egyptian politicians to come to the table and talk to the Africans who are delivering your drinking water everyday endlessly. Ethiopians, Kenyans, Ugandans, South Sudanese, Bruindies, etc. are united and the solution is not bullying but negotiation to have a win-win situation. That is upper countries use the water for power generation while Egypt continue to enjoy a free supply of clean, drinkable and life giving water from countries like Ethiopia and Kenya.
That is a win situation and the rest is more of a fantasy based on false assumption and myths. Egypt is not a superpower or a colonial master over Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda or South Sudan. A little bit of respect towards Africans is overdue.
In the last 20 years, there were more Egyptian investment in Ethiopia and we all thought that the old Egyptians politics is beginning to change to create some brotherhood with the African nations, but what we see from Egyptian politicians is old habits never die. Mubarak is may gone, but not his ideology.
Ethiopia has opened it door and files to Egyptians experts to examine every data that the dam does not affect the water flow. The good thing is the conclusion of these experts is clear that the dam has no impact on the flow of water. But Ethiopians gesture of brotherhood to take it’s file and plan for inspection has been taken for weakness by Egyptian politicians. Now if that is the perception then Ethiopia need to close it’s door and focus on its own plan till the Egyptian politicians learn to behave in civilized way and prepare to work with mutual respect and brotherhood.
Cooperation and win-win solution benefit all, and Egypt would be left out if its politicians believes their own myth and refuse to cooperate for our collective benefits.

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Fishing in Ras Mohamed caught on Camera

This shocking video clip was filmed last 30 May 2013 in Ras Mohamed area in Sinai. Nearly 20 fishing boats were fishing in the restricted area. The clip is filmed by Denis Zorzin

Fishing boats in

Where are our coast guards ?? 20 fishing boats are more of organized operation. I can not believe that no official could not see them.
In May 2011 the South Sinai governor then issued a decision to allow fishing there but had to cancel the decision due to the huge opposition. I do not know if the decision is back or not but we should scream to remind the world that there is no fishing in Ras Mohamed.

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Gold Rush in The South

The mining for minerals in Hala’ib triangle especially gold is part of the dispute between Egypt and Sudan. Actually in late 1970s or early 1980s the dispute surfaced when Sudan signed an agreement with some American or Canadian mining company to mine gold there “despite it is disputed territory and Egypt officially believes that the triangle is considered an Egyptian territory ”
It is just an irony that despite the people there live in extreme poverty , they are surrounded by rich area of minerals above them gold mine
 Financial Al Mal Daily newspaper reporter Mohamed Ragab travelled to Hala’ib and filmed there the unofficial/illegal gold mining there. He did not say the exact location but it is between the cities of Hala’ib and Shalateen. The speaker in the video who is wearing the galabiya is not a native if I may say, he seems to be of Upper Egyptian origin.

Gold mining in Hala’ib triangle

The people there extract gold from the gold veins found in that mount in the triangle for four years now. Amazingly the deal is as follows a guy comes with gold detector along with workers and a transportation vehicle and in the end the profit is divided by three.
“The government does not interfere” says the Upper Egyptian guy who owns three gold detectors. For 6 months the government aka the army , the intelligence and state security in this area used to stalk those gold diggers but they stopped now. “The best government is in Hala’ib !!”  The man said with no regards to the people suffering there.
Surprisingly in the end of that short yet extremely important clip we find out that there is some Gulf mining company digging for gold there.
When it comes to the unofficial gold mining in Egypt , you will be surprised to know that no only some people in Hala’ib mine it unofficially but in other areas as well.
Last month Al Shorouk newspaper reported exclusively that there is illegal gold mining taking place in Qena. Strangely I cannot find the report anymore in Shorouk official newspaper but I found a cached version from the report “Thank God for Google Cache service”
According to the report the people mainly from Bedouin tribes working in illegal gold mining in the one of the mounts in an area called “Wadi El Lakeeta”. When I checked its location in Google maps I found out that it is near to Red Sea governorate. The report says that despite the governor and the government officials are denying to have any knowledge with that mine unlike what it seems.
Amazingly the report says that there are not less than 3,000 families working in gold mining in that area and in fact not less 500 young men work in one location when it comes to mining. There are illegal gold workshops working in the governorate yet the governor denies it !!
You know if I were from those people , I will use the profit from these mines to improve my village and my area as long as the centralized government in Cairo ignores our existence.

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Another Environmental Disaster in #Sinai "Exclusive Photo"

The vessel in Blue Hole by Elon Schutze 

Today Sinai is in the heart of the news and most of the news are not good. The latest news is not national security related but environment related , it is more of environmental disaster to be accurate.
Several coral reefs were devastated last Wednesday in South Sinai in famous diving in Blue Hole and Canyon areas to be accurate.
It turned out that a foreign vessel called "Sea Lord" swerved from its course and lowered its anchor in to the reef bed destroying the coral reefs !! The vessel is 120 meter long and I do not understand how it went there and nobody noticed it from coast guards and navy !!
Some sources that the ship was on drift in the international water so I do not understand how it did not receive help or why it came to our waters and did what it had done !! By the way we do not know the nationality of this vessel.
The photo above was sent to the Rescue and Environment protection society to a dear friend and I asked him if I can publish it. 

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This is Called “Khamsin” In Case You do not Know

Today we had a strong sandstorm in Cairo and Giza since early morning and some Egyptians amazingly expressed their shock and surprise on social media that we have a sandstorm in .. Egypt !!

Vision was terrible and the weather was extremely hot today. Unfortunately this will continue for another 2 days , at least till Wednesday. I wish it rains in Cairo to make weather better.

I do know if those people are serious or they are just the victim of bad education system or what. All what I know that this sandstorm is normal thing in spring time in Egypt and that it is called El Khamsin too in case you forget.

Here how it was earlier today. Please take care while driving.

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Solar Heaters in #Egypt , Let's Use God's gift to #Egypt

Ahram Online made this interesting video about a workshop in Marsa Allam  about Solar heaters. Ice Cairo and Karm Solar participated in that workshop. 

The video has got English subtitles by the way

I think these solar heaters should spread in rural areas in Egypt that suffer from infra structure problem for decades and centuries. I see that solution will benefit millions of Egyptians in poor and rural areas before the middle and high class areas. 

Forget about the government , these initiatives should be spread by NGOs in the country side especially in Upper Egypt. Let's use God's gift to Egypt from sun for real. 

Amazingly whenever you get away from Cairo , you will find hope and people thinking outside the box. 

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Soaring Legends in #Egypt

For the lovers of natural life and environment , this short documentary is highly recommended.

Soaring legends

This short documentary is about the migratory birds and its trip in Egypt especially in Sinai and red sea.

BY the way there is an Arabic version of the documentary.

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Egyptian X-Files : The Fate of Those Men Disappeared in #Sinai

In the early days of the revolution between 28 January and 2 February 2011 three police officers and one policeman “Amin Shorta” disappeared with no trace in North Sinai. The names of the police officers are : Sherif El Madawy “27 years old” , Mohamed El Gohary “25 years old” and Mohamed Hussien “25 years old”.

The three officers

For two years there have been many rumors and theories about the fate of those 4 men. Some say that they were killed , others say that there are kidnapped either by Hamas or Jihadists or Israeli forces or Smugglers. For two years the families of these officers know nothing about them regardless of how much they plead nearly everybody. For two years we do not know if they were dead or not , for two years their families knocked all doors but in vain. They have become one of the revolution’s X-File.
The wives of the disappeared men met with President Morsi last February and all what they got was a presidential to help them in their lives including legal help to get their life on. “Either to get divorce from court or to officially announce their husbands missing officially so they can get married if they want !!!!”
Now last week one of the officers’ wives announced that it is giving presidency , intelligence and ministry of defense a week to declare the fate of her husband and his comrades or she will expose scandals on how the MB infiltrated the intelligence and the army.
Mrs. Doaa Rashad, the wife of officer claimed on TV last week that she got documents on how the MB infiltrated and the intelligence. She said that she got these documents from extremely trusted source.

Doaa Rashad and her claim on ONTV channel last week

Mrs. Rashad is already saying that she knows where her husband and his follow officers are alive. She is claiming also that she knows that they are currently in Gaza in some underground prison after being abducting by Hamas.
Doaa Rashad met with military intelligence officers at the Military intelligence HQ this week and knew from them that the men are still alive !!
Another wife is saying that the men are alive. Mrs. Shereen El Ashry claimed that some high security informed source told her that her husband is alive and that his release will need Morsi’s direct intervention !! According to what El Ashry allegedly was told their location was identified but the army can not do anything to them !!
Of course this claim again indirectly refers to Hamas whether you like or not.
The accusation against Hamas is repeated again with what Al Watan newspaper published last week on how these men were abducted by Hamas and are allegedly kept in street “Omar Al Mokhtar” in Gaza according to some security informed source. The newspaper and its unknown source added that the officers are being used by Hamas as pressure paper against the Egyptian army and intelligence to stop them from destroying the tunnels between Egypt and Gaza.
Hamas officially is denying that it is responsible for the abduction from its die. Some unnamed Palestinian leading figure in unnamed Palestinian group “I will assume it is Hamas” told Ahram Arabic portal that the police officers were actually killed and the army as well the intelligence know that every well. That leading figure added that the officers were killed in some sort of revenge operation thing between the tribes and the police force in North Sinai.
Well I can buy this but I know that the tribes do not kill in secret , also where are their bodies all that time !?
By the way why all the focus is the on the police officers and not on the low ranking policeman who disappeared with them !?
Personally as Egyptian citizen I demand to know the fate of those three officers today before tomorrow. I demand to know the truth as Egyptian citizen from the Intelligence , the ministry of defense , the ministry of interior and the Presidency.
I do not understand why we can not know the fate of those Egyptian citizens, those humans and spare their families all that agony !! I do not care that much now for the on going fight between MB and its branches in presidency and Gaza and the Egyptian National security institutions now as much as I care for those humans and their families. Israel launched a war and exchanged thousands of prisoners for the sake of one person for God sake !!
This is another Egyptian-X file and yet again the answer is surely known for those responsible for our national security.

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No wonder how police treats people so bad in #Egypt

These horrifying images were posted today in a Facebook Page from Suez that covers the governorate’s news and events.

Executing dogs in Suez

Police and the Veterinary department in Suez started a campaign to get rid from stray dogs in some area. As you can see they executed the dogs in this inhuman way “Shooting them” and piled them in some truck thinking that it is a big achievement.
First of all what kind of veterinary department is that in Suez that does not know the merciful methods to execute wild sick animals like that !??
Second of all no wonder police treats people like that when the policemen do not have any feelings towards God’s creature.
Third here is an official fatwa from 2003 prohibiting the torture of animals and executing them cruelly but rather to use merciful and scientific modern methods.

The copy of the fatwa

The fatwa uses an example from Prophet Mohamed “PBUH” Life and how the prophet saw a donkey with tortured by someone and told his companions that whoever tortured that animal will be cursed. “You do not torture it or you hit it” Prophet Mohamed “PBUH”
That fatwa shared by animals rights activists Dina Zulfikar on Facebook was signed by Sheikh Mohamed Abbas and late Sheikh Emad Effat. {May Allah bless his soul} “Yes the Emad Effat , you can not imagine how I felt when I found his name on that fatwa”
Do you know you that annually the Egyptian government spends more than LE 30 million to get rid from the stray dogs through poison and birdshots !? Do you know that they are ignoring an economic solution that will save a lot of money which is animal sterilization !?
This is not luxury , this is basic thing for real.

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And Environment in #Egypt lost a great friend today

Late Mindy

Today I started my day speechless , you know when you hear a sad news that you are not ready for at all. This is how my day started. I was shocked to know that dear friend and environmentalist Mindy Bahaa El Din has passed away.
Dear Mindy suffered a stroke on Thursday night and passed away earlier this morning at Dar El Fouad Hospital in 6 of October. For those who do not know Mindy Bahaa El Din , originally from the States was the most active and passionate environmental activists and conservationist in Egypt. Along with her husband famous conservationist Sherif Bahaa El Din , Mindy struggled against all unstoppable aggression on environment in Egypt. She really loved Egypt so much more than some Egyptians do I would dare and say. She was optimistic and had hopes for better future for Egypt. Mindy was buried in Egypt from several hours ago.
Mendy was unknown solider in the battle of environment in Egypt indeed. I wish more people knew her and knew her work in Nature Conservation Egypt.
Dear Mindy was a long time Egyptian Chronicles reader and she used to help me with info when its comes to environment in Egypt. She was nice to me and very caring. I did not meet her in person but I wish I had.
Here is a small clip by dear Ghazla Irshad showing late Mindy speaking about Egypt.

My deepest condolences to her husband Dr.Sherif and her beautiful daughters Laila and Yasmine. May Allah grant them patience to cope that huge loss.
Next Thursday the memorial service will be held for Mindy at El Hamdia El Shazlia famous mosque in Mohandessin area.

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#EgyWeather : Sandstorm alert

And today we are having not so nice sandstorm in several cities in Egypt. Among the cities that got its share from the terrible sandstorm in Egypt today : Cairo, Zagzig, Fayoum, Suez "Canal city" and Ras Ghareb and Hurghada  "Red sea".
The main ports in Suez city and red sea have been closed.
Here is a photo for how Cairo looks today from Gregg Carlstorm's hotel window.

The sky in Cairo is a lovely wall of dust this morning twitter.com/glcarlstrom/st…
— Gregg Carlstrom (@glcarlstrom) March 8, 2013

It is extremely terrible especially for me , my nose is blocked and eyes are hurting me. It is the typical Meshir weather.
I think this bad weather will affect the usual protesting activities in Cairo today.

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#Locusts reach to #Cairo

And after nearly week of waiting and warning , the locusts have reached Cairo , at least New Cairo coming from Red Sea. For a whole week locusts were giving hard time to the people in Upper Egypt and Red sea area that the army helped the people in fighting that nasty insects. Not less than 300 Fedans in Qena were reportedly destroyed by locusts. The hotels and resorts of Red sea used primitive techniques to keep locusts away.
Now here is a slideshow from New Cairo showing locusts.

Just do not wear green tonight in Cairo

Here is a video showing the locusts Please take care tomorrow. It seems that the locusts will head to North Delta

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