Gang rape

investigation

THE GENERAL Prosecution on Monday ordered the detention of three people for four days pending an investigation in the gang rape of a young woman in 2014. The prosecution also ordered the release on bail of three other defendants who must each pay LE100,000. Another defendant was released under guarantee of his residence. The defendants were referred to the Central Department for Chemical Laboratories, an affiliate of Forensic Medicine, where they will undergo a drug analysis. A medical examination will be conducted on two of them. Three people implicated in the gang rape were arrested in Lebanon on Saturday after the Lebanese Interior Ministry received a memo from the office of Interpol in Egypt listing the names of the Egyptian suspects residing in Lebanon. Security forces are pursuing the other defendants who managed to flee Egypt after the case was brought to light. The crime involved the drugging and gang rape of a young woman at a private party at the five-star Fairmont Nile City Hotel. The rape was captured on video and allegedly shared by the rapists and their acquaintances. The incident was disclosed publicly after narrations of sexual assault victims appeared on social media platforms. On 5 August, the general prosecution started an investigation into the case after a complaint was officially filed by the victim.

Ring Road buses

TRANSPORTATION Minister Kamel Al-Wazir announced on Sunday that his ministry had devised a plan to operate the bus rapid transit (BRT) system on the Ring Road to reduce traffic jams at entrances around Greater Cairo. Wazir’s announcement came during his inspection tour to follow up renovation work on the LE8 billion, 106km Ring Road around Cairo. According to Al-Wazir, a protocol is in place to manage car parks under the Ring Road to facilitate the movement of commuters. The project will be implemented after the development and expansion of the Ring Road, increasing the number of its lanes to eight in each direction. The Ministry of Transport is negotiating with the World Bank to finance the project. Work is underway to create separate lanes and parking stations along the Ring Road for BRT buses.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 3 September, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly