Al-Ahram leads with the unusual headline “People’s Assembly passes law on trafficking and growing human organs.” According to the paper, a new law has been created to deal with the growing problem of illegal organ trafficking. Once in force, the law will require heads of medical institutions and their entire staffs, to pay collective fines for any violations of the law, as well as potentially serving life sentences in prison. The previous punishment was execution.
The law comes as a response from People’s Assembly Speaker Fathi Sorour, whom critics recently predicted would display a lack of initiative towards the organ trafficking issue. In a statement to the media, Sorour pointed out that it is the constitutional duty of the People’s Assembly to protect the citizens of Egypt.
In the same story, Al-Ahram mentions a report presented by the Shura Council’s health committee to council head Safwat el-Sherif. The report allegedly outlines plans for a state-sponsored health care system and calls for stringent measures to ensure that health services are equally available to all citizens. Al-Ahram lists the names of several of the 185 MPs and high-ranking officials who have in the past week received approval for government-funded medical procedures and treatments. The paper also included a list of the corresponding amounts.
Al-Akhbar leads with a report on an incident that PM Ahmed Ezz described as "an insult to parliament," according to the paper. Al-Akhbar writes that Cairo Governor Abdel Azim Wazir came under heavy fire during yesterday’s parliamentary session for opposing Nasr City representative Mostafa el-Sallab who, in turn, opposed Wazir’s decision to tear down condemned buildings in the Ezbet el-Hagana neighborhood of Nasr City. Al-Akhbar says that the buildings, some of which are owned by Salab, violate numerous codes and regulations, a claim echoed by Wazir. This has angered Sallab and several other MPs.
Ahmed Ezz also appears on the front page of Al-Wafd under the headline “NDP faces up to its members’ scandals.” As chairman of the ruling National Democratic Party’s Planning Committee, Ezz oversaw what Al-Wafd refers to as the “internal purification process” within the party. Ezz reportedly alerted several party members of their imminent dismissal. Widespread corruption seems to be behind this initiative.
Al-Wafd’s front page also features the memorial service held yesterday in Qena, marking 40 days of mourning since the drive-by shooting at Naga Hammadi church. The mourning ritual was attended by several prominent figures from both Christian and Muslim institutions, as well as a few government officials. However, as Al-Wafd’s headline immediately makes clear, no members of the NDP were present.
Al-Shorouq focuses on recent workers’ strikes, making a leading story of a topic which the other papers only briefly mentioned. For the ninth consecutive day, workers of a Tanta-based fabric factory have been on strike, citing massive irresponsibility on behalf of the Saudi investor who recently bought the factory. Al-Shorouq says that there have been similar cases of workers finding themselves without a job after their employers flee the country to evade either taxes, jail time, or both. Besides shutting down companies, the government has neglected to do much else, resulting in angry protests.
“Egypt is governed by a gang of thugs and thieves,” said MP Ahmed Abu Hegi, according to the paper. Al-Shorouq also claims that when the government shut down one company after its owner fled Egypt, has over 1700 workers lost their jobs.
Al-Shorouq also reports on a recent survey by MasterCard, which indicates that, despite the recent global financial crisis and the sudden inflation in the marketplace, Egyptian faith in the economy has soared in the past few months, with 59.5 percent optimistic about the state of the economy, as opposed to the 32.3 percent reported during November of last year.
Finally, Al-Ahram runs a story on the decaying condition of several ferries currently operating between Egyptian and Saudi Arabian ports. According to documents uncovered by the paper, a number of the ships are years past their recommended retirement, with many more displaying numerous “screaming violations,” as the paper put it, of standard safety regulations.
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
