Egyptian Purchases of U.S. Wheat May Decline 23%

Egyptian wheat purchases from the U.S. may fall 23 percent next year even as total imports may increase, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a report today.

Egypt, the world’s biggest wheat buyer, may purchase 500,000 tons from the U.S. in the year that starts on July 1, down from 650,000 tons in the prior year, the USDA Foreign Agriculture Service said in a report. Exporters shipped about 1.68 million metric tons from the U.S., the largest exporter, to Egypt in the year that started July 1, 2008, the USDA said.

The North African country will buy 9.2 million tons of wheat from all sources in the year that ends on June 30, 2010, the USDA said. That’s up from 9 million tons a year earlier, according to agency data.

Egyptian workers escalate protests over low salary rates

Egypt has been witnessing for more than five years fierce and unprecedented debate on the salary rates.

A debate which has been escalated recently by workers, especially after the Egyptian Higher Administrative Court ruled on March 31 that the government should set new minimum salary rate.

Workers flocked to the cabinet headquarters in downtown Cairo, calling on the government to set a minimum monthly salary rate of 1,200 Egyptian pounds (about 215 U.S. dollars) instead of the 35 pounds stipulated by the government in 1984.

According to Egypt's Ministry of Investment, the country's growth rate is projected at 5 percent in the current 2009-2010 fiscal year, which will end in June.

Egypt: No Amendment to the Constitution

Egypt's minister of legal and parliamentary affairs and a leading member of the ruling party, has ruled out the possibility of amendments being introduced to the Egyptian constitution.

Dr Shihab said that an amendment to the constitution is not in the cards at the current time. Also that the party is focusing on the parliamentary elections that are set to take place later this year, rather than on the presidential elections that are scheduled for next year.

In his reply to questions by Asharq Al-Awsat about the criticism that the ruling party monopolizes power, Dr Shihab, who occupies the post of assistant secretary general of parliamentary affairs in the National Democratic Party [NDP], said that the NDP does not want to monopolize power in Egypt through a large [parliamentary] majority, and that the opposition parties ought to work and be active in order to win more representation in parliament and in the local councils.

Egyptian Inflation Eases

Egyptian inflation eased for the third straight month in April, making it less likely that the central bank will soon raise interest rates.

Urban inflation, the main rate monitored by the central bank, slowed to 11.4 percent from 12.2 percent in March. Prices rose 0.9 percent in the month.

The central bank kept its benchmark interest rates unchanged on May 6 for the fifth straight meeting, citing “subdued” inflationary pressures. It cut rates six times in 2009 to help the economy through the global financial crisis, which reduced investment and damped revenue from tourism and fees from the Suez Canal. The bank meets again on June 17.

Egypt, urges Sudan unity

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit pressed for the unity of Sudan on Sunday, ahead of a referendum on independence which could call into question current Nile Basin water-sharing agreements.

Abul Gheit and Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman are also due in the south Sudan capital Juba later on Sunday where they will meet Salva Kiir, the head of the semi-autonomous region. If the southern Sudanese vote for independence in next January's referendum, this could have an impact on the disputed sharing of Nile waters.

Some of these, which include Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo, say past treaties are unfair and they want an equitable water-sharing agreement that would allow for more irrigation and power projects.

Last month, Egypt rejected any new plans for Nile water allocation, stressing that its share in the river was a "historic right" with Sudan considered a strong ally.

Egypt: Women's Rights

Over the past decade, women in Egypt have made great strides in addressing discriminatory laws. The country's personal status legislation, which had been a source of gender discrimination since its inception in the 1920s, has undergone reform, especially with respect to its procedural elements.

The years 2004–09 featured continued progress in the removal of gender inequality from the Egyptian legal system. One of the main demands of women's rights groups was finally met in 2004. The government submitted proposed changes to the nationality law that would enable Egyptian women married to foreign men to pass on their nationality to their children.

New laws are passed to help women in Egypt almost every month. The law changes are very minor. The challenge in the years to come will be to adopt the institutional and policy framework necessary to make the amended child law and other such reforms enforceable.

Egypt: Freedom on the Net

Egypt first introduced access to the internet in October 1993 through the Egyptian Universities Network and the Egyptian cabinet's Information and Decision Support Center (IDSC).

The public first gained access in 1996, but the technology did not really take off until 2002, when the government introduced a "Free Internet" program. Offline repression of online activists is sporadic and keyed to sensitive political events.

While the Egyptian government has aggressively and successfully sought to expand access to the internet as an engine of economic growth. Its security services and allied individuals have increasingly attempted to curtail the use of new technologies for disseminating and receiving sensitive political information.

Egypt Economy Growth in the First Quarter

Egypt’s economic growth accelerated to 5.8 percent in the first three months of 2010, the fastest pace in almost two years.

Manufacturing, tourism and revenue helped with the growth the most. Figures show Egypt's general rebound in the economy.

Manufacturing expanded about 6 percent in the quarter. Construction grew 14.7 percent, while transport, storage and Suez Canal revenues grew 10.5 percent and communications and information technology 11.3 percent.

Egypt is hoping that each quarter is as successful as the first quarter has been so far.

First the wheat, then the cotton and now the GAS!! What next!!!

The Ministry of Petroleum has reached a major deal on petroleum exploration and drilling with British Petroleum (BP), in a move that some are calling the biggest foreign contract of the past three decades.

This agreement gives BP full rights to production in the North Alexandria field until investment costs are covered.

This agreement will put Egypt on the list of gas-importing countries for the first time since gas exploration and production began.

The agreement grants the General Petroleum Authority first purchasing rights at a price agreed to by both parties and pegged to international oil market prices.

Freedom of Press in Egypt

Egypt is listed as having a partly free media on the Freedom House website in 2009.

The Emergency Law, the Press Law, and provisions of the penal code circumscribe the media, despite constitutional guarantees of press freedom. Even after the Press Law in 2006 any false news and criticisms is criminal offenses that is prosecuted by authorities. The penalties can be up to $5,000 to $20,000 Egyptian dollars. The infractions can also be up to five years in prison if you criticize the president or a foreign head of state.

In May of last year,the parliament agreed to extend the Emergency Law. This gives the president the right to suspend basic freedoms, enables security forces to detain people for prolonged periods without trial, and permits the censorship and closure of newspapers in the name of national security.

Egypt is trying its hardest to become a completely free media but as newer laws pass that show its going to take some more time.

Orascom: The Egyptian Conglomerate's Expansion Strategies

The Orascom Group is Egypt's largest and most diversified conglomerate. Founded by Onsi Sawiris in 1950, it is now managed by his three sons Naguib, Samih and Nassef, each handling a different business.

There are four different departments that are run. The four are Telecom, Construction Industries, Hotels & Development and Technology Systems.

Telecom is a leading international telecommunications company operating GSM networks in high growth markets in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. It operates GSM networks in Algeria, Pakistan, Egypt, Tunisia, Bangladesh, and North Korea.

Construction Industries is a leading cement producer and construction contractor active in emerging markets. As a cement producer, OCI owns and operates cement plants in Egypt and Algeria which have a combined annual production capacity approaching 13.5 million tons. As a contractor, OCI provides engineering, procurement and construction services on industrial, commercial and infrastructure projects for public and private customers.

Hotels & Development is one of the primary designer, developer, contractor and marketing force. They lead the highly successful El Gouna (Red Sea, Egypt), Taba Heights (Sinai, Egypt), Tala Bay (Aqaba, Jordan) and The Cove (Ras El Khaimah, UAE) projects.

With Technology systems it is one of the leading IT and communications solutions providers and system integrators in Egypt.

The Orascom Group continues to build with all the things they do. This group will continue to grow and its name will be bigger and bigger.

Melody Holding

Melody Holding is the first fully integrated entertainment media conglomerate in the MENA Region that is entirely convergent with all new media.

Melody Holding spreads high quality entertainment news in addition to personalized service. Melody produces its own content, manages its own artist and creative minds. They reach out to their followers through TV, Radio, the Internet and even mobile.

They own their many services of entertainment that compares to that of Americas. Melody was started in 2002 and has brought a new outlook on entertainment in the MENA Region. This is a very big industry in the MENA Region and will grow everyday and year by year.

Media of Egypt

Egypt media is highly influential in the Arabic world and has started to gain more freedom from its government.

For years the media in Egypt has had its restrictions put on by the government. This happened because a lot of the media outlets in Egypt are owned by the government. Several journalists or broadcasters have been arrested for for breaching laws that prohibit criticism of the President, state institutions and foreign leaders, or "putting out false news harming the reputation and interests of the country". However criticism of the government continues to take place. Pan-Arab channels such as Al-Jazeera are also very popular among viewers, especially for news, as private broadcasters are forbidden to broadcast their own news, instead only focusing on entertainment or music.

But since 2005 things have started to change. With freedom of media guaranteed in their Constitution the government is starting to respect this more. With the 2005 presidential election, Ahmed Selim, office director for Information Minister Anas al-Fiqi, declared the era of a "free, transparent and independent Egyptian media." To this day he has been right with more and more restrictions being taken off of the Egyptian media.

The Impact of Globalization in Egypt

With globalization occurring Egypt is becoming one of the leading financial centers in the Middle East North Africa Region.

In Egypt globalization has played a role in economic restructure and reinterpretation of traditional values. The country has transformed itself economically from a administred economy to a free market economy, through the intervention of IMF and World Bank.

Many other issues such as climate change, HIV/AIDS, energy and economic development are being addressed with great success. Egyptian press has become a big part of these success.

With the success they're also many challenges ahead. It starts with religion and secular division along with upper aged people division with the youth. With the internet present it is changing how young Egyptians express themselves by merging Egyptian Arabic with English.

The State of Egypt's Media

Egyptian media is very influential in Egypt and throughout the Arab World.

This is thanks to a huge audience and the increasing freedom from government control. Freedom of media is guaranteed in their constitution but there were laws that still restrict this right. After the 2005 Egyptian presidential election Ahmed Selim, office director for Information Minister declared and era of "free Egyptian media".

Today Egyptian media gets much more freedom than its near past. Many of its talk shows which are mainly operated on private channels are criticizing the Government.

Egypt has two state-run national TV channels and six regional channels, but many viewers turn to pan-Arab channels for their news.

Egypt is a big force in satelitte TV. It was the first Arab nation to have its own satilitte. Its space channels are very popular in other Arab nations.

Over 5 million Egyptians had the internet in 2007. Bloggers have made themselves known with some of them actually helping with politics.

Now with more freedom, Egyptian media will only begin to progress more and more.