AILY EWS WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARYD 13, 2013 N ISSUE NO. 2132 NEWSTAND PRICE LE 4.00 EGYPT www.thedailynewsegypt.com Egypt’s Only Daily Independent Newspaper In English YASSER ALI: CABINET CHANGE NOT EOHR WANTS EL-GENDY INVESTIGATION THE STYLES OF SIWA IMMINENT Human rights group claims This Zamalek store features Presidential spokesman denies El-Gendy died of torture, while handmade garments and immediate plans to sack Qandil justice ministry claims it was a accessories made by Siwa government 2 car accident 3 residents 8 Women: ‘The street is ours’ Policemen protest PROTESTS IN OVER 20 COUNTRIES IN SOLIDARITY WITH EGYPTIAN WOMEN for ministry reform AGAINST SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND ASSAULT Minister of Interior rewards 361 policemen on Tuesday for their efforts in fighting crime and maintaining security By Ahmed Aboul Enein during crisis Demonstrators gathered in Talaat By Nouran El-Behairy current situation is the most suitable Harb Square in Downtown Cairo for this stage.” on Tuesday as part of a global pro- Policemen protested on Tuesday in Kafr Al-Sheikh policemen protested test against sexual harassment in front of security directorate build- on Sunday and shut down the road in Egypt. ings in several governorates de- front of the security directorate. Ne- The protestors, predominantly manding reform. gotiations between the protesters and female, brandished signs decry- They rejected the policies of the security leaders proved ineffective. ing sexual harassment and assault Ministry of Interior that turned them “These protests are a result and a on the streets of Cairo as well into players on the political field, stat- symptom of the failure of the police as banners opposing President ing that these policies put them on institution,” said Ghada Shahban- Mohamed Morsi and the Muslim the frontlines of the confrontations dar, a member of the Police for the Brotherhood. between protesters and the regime. people of Egypt initiative and board “Harassment won’t help you, Protesters chanted against Minis- member of the Egyptian Organisa- think about it and we’ll cut off your ter of Interior Mohamed Ibrahim and tion for Human Rights. hand”, and “Egyptian women and demanded his resignation. Shahbandar added that the protests girls are a red line”, were frequent They also demanded to be better were sparked by the fact that over the chants, as were those directed armed after many policemen and se- past two years, the political administra- against Islamist rule such as “They curity personnel were killed by un- tion had not tried to reform the Min- [Islamists] say a woman’s voice is known assailants infiltrating protests. istry of Interior under the Supreme shameful, but a woman’s voice is / Khaled Desouki AFP Photo Other demands included a com- Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) or that of revolution”. Egyptian protesters hold up placards and shout slogans during a demonstration in Cairo demanding an end to prehensive law to protect policemen President Mohamed Morsi. Protesters also chanted against sexual violence. on duty both inside and outside po- “No reform plan was presented,” the Shura Council, the upper house lice facilities, the independence of the she said. “No measures to hold those of parliament. Members of parlia- should not have been at the pro- Protests in solidarity with the sies such as Khartoum, Melbourne, ministry, better employment condi- responsible for violations account- ment recently blamed women for tests in the first place. cause were scheduled in 24 oth- Amsterdam, and New York. tions, and better healthcare services. able were taken.” rape and sexual assault targeting Prominent female activist Shahin- er cities in Egypt and around the Protests took place in Cairo, Alex- She added that recently the presi- female protesters, suggesting they da Maklad was seen at the protest. world in front of Egyptian embas- Continued on page 3 andria, Beni Suef, Sharqeya, Qaliubiya, dency and the cabinet had allowed Sohag, Minya, Aswan, Ismailia, Assiut the ministry to use more power to and the New Valley. oppress protesters for political rea- Moody’s downgrades Egyptian “Policemen are protesting lack sons, which “put the policemen on Ban Ki-Moon addresses Egypt, of armament,” said Ministry of In- the streets in a confrontation with government bonds to B3 terior Spokesperson Mohamed the people”. Syria and climate change Menady.”They are attacked with Minister of Interior Mohamed The credit-rating agency is maintaining the rating on rubber bullets, Molotov cocktails and Ibrahim rewarded 361 policemen on review for possible further downgrade sometimes live ammunition while Tuesday for their efforts in fighting they only have teargas.” crime and maintaining security. By Lamia Nabil Moody’s added. He added that the ministry is in “The rewards are a motivation to The third factor underpinning the contact with the protesters: “We are other policemen. Those who work Moody’s Investors Services, a leading rating decision is the Egyptian govern- trying to make them aware of the for a more secure Egypt deserve re- credit-rating agency, has downgraded ment’s inability to secure financial sup- stage Egypt is going through; their warding,” Menady said. Egypt’s government bond rating to B3 port from the International Monetary from B2 today. Fund (IMF), which would help to im- Moody’s mentioned that the main prove investor confidence through a factors behind the downgrade are monitored programme of economic Where corruption thrives: Public the ongoing political turmoil and the reform. Although the IMF and the Egyp- recent escalation of civil unrest in tian government both expressed their universities in Egypt the form of violent clashes between commitment in pursuing a new agree- protesters and security forces. The ment on 7 January, Moody’s notes that situation culminated in President the political challenges facing the gov- AFP Photo Mohamed Morsi’s declaration of a ernment complicate reaching an agree- UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon delivered a speech late Monday at the state of emergency in three Egyptian ment with the IMF and cast doubt on UN Council on Foreign Relations, highlighting the current situation in Egypt provinces on 27 January. the Egyptian government’s ability to ad- and the Syrian crisis The deep polarisation and the divide here to a programme of fiscal austerity. between the democratically-elected Moody’s said Egypt’s rating is likely to By Luiz Sanchez Swiss-style tranquillity”. government and those in opposition, be downgraded even further, depending “The road will be rocky,” he said. casts further doubt over the govern- on the severity of adverse developments. The United Nations’ Secretary Gen- Ban said the world must “resist the ment’s ability to govern effectively, to Such developments include the absence eral Ban Ki-Moon delivered a speech temptation to see the current trou- restore social stability, and to avert of substantial and predictable external late Monday at the UN Council on bles in Egypt or Libya as proof that the more severe economic disruptions financing support, further weakening of Foreign Relations in which he ad- old order was a better one”, adding The second factor underlying Moody’s external payments, further run-down of dressed the current situation in that history has shown the world that downgrade is the further weakening in foreign cash reserves, instability in the Egypt, on the backdrop of the Syrian post-revolutionary disorder is a pass- Egypt’s strained external payments po- banking system, or sharp rises in the crisis and climate change. ing phenomenon. sition. Foreign cash reserves dropped government’s funding costs. He spoke at length on the Syrian He continued by saying the in- $1.4bn to reach $13.6bn in January, a Moody’s will consider leaving issue, saying there was a broader ternational community has a duty sharp departure from the stability seen Egypt’s rating unchanged in case of a lesson to be learnt: “In the Arab to “accompany such transitions throughout most of 2012. sustained strengthening in the balance world and elsewhere, people want with meaningful contributions”, This occurred despite the deposits of payments and external payments real change, not grudging, cosmetic referring to promised aid for tran- made to the central bank by the gov- position, or reduction in government adjustments.” He warned countries sitory nations such as Egypt and ernments of Saudi Arabia and Qatar debt-financing costs, sustained re- emerging from civil conflict or au- the myriad of pre-conditions halt- and despite the bank’s imposition on covery in Egypt’s economic growth thoritarian regimes that the road to ing the aid. selected capital controls on 30 De- towards pre-revolution trends, or transition will not be “linear marches cember 2012 with the aim of limiting success in securing an IMF support towards Jeffersonian democracy or Continued on page 2 foreign currency cash withdrawals, package. Egyptian Stock Exchange ElSarah Masry Commentary A man selling revision cliffs notes to students existing examination room 7.1904 7.5893 Closing Daily Change Ozbudak says: on campus EGX 30 5,755.77 1.08% 6.7181 6.7482 Egypt should seek to emulate the Public universities in Egypt are in- forms of corruption directed at model that is working in Turkey, stitutions with multi-layered cor- students at public universities. EGX 70 493.42 1.86% 8.9201 9.3437 not only in economic matters, but ruption from sexual harassment Students recount their experi- in socio-cultural matters as well to nepotism. The Daily News ences