Egypt's transport minister on Wednesday threatened to hire foreign operators to run the country's troubled railway service if negligence by employees of the state-owned rail authority persisted.
Kamel El Wazir's warning came after two train accidents on consecutive days this week that left two people dead and more than 40 injured.
The accidents, in Cairo and the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, followed a series of deadly train disasters in March and April that killed at least 43 and injured hundreds.
Mr El Wazir, a retired army general, said he had not received "sufficient co-operation" from the senior managers and employees of the Railway Authority since he took the job in 2019, despite what he said were generous state funds spent on upgrading and modernising the rail service.
If the "laziness and lethargy" continue, Mr El Wazir said, he would contract foreign companies already doing business with the Transport Ministry to run the rail service.
"There is no place for those who are corrupt, negligent or lethargic when it comes to the rights of the Egyptian people."
Any employee found to have made a mistake that caused loss of life or material damage will be fired, he said.
“The leaders and workers of the Railway Authority must work day and night and carry out their tasks exactly as per their job description,” Mr El Wazir told reporters at a signing of a $110-million contract with a South Korean consortium to upgrade the signals system on a 118-kilometre rail link between the southern cities of Luxor and Nagaa Hamady.
The series of recent train accidents have turned a spotlight on Egypt's struggling railway sector, making it the centre of a national conversation.
The initial findings of prosecutors looking into the causes of the March-April accidents have revealed a litany of criminal negligence, corruption and even the use of drugs by rail workers while on duty.
Arrests have been made, with some railway officials now facing charges of manslaughter.
On Sunday, Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El Sisi said government workers would now be subject to random drug tests, and anyone found with illegal substances would be sacked.
Besides hundreds of accidents a year – many of them too minor to be reported by the local media – the debt-ridden service is plagued by delays, overcrowding and technical glitches.
Mr El Wazir has said there are plans to spend 225 billion pounds until 2024 on overhauling the country's rail service.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
How being social media savvy can improve your well being
Next time when procastinating online remember that you can save thousands on paying for a personal trainer and a gym membership simply by watching YouTube videos and keeping up with the latest health tips and trends.
As social media apps are becoming more and more consumed by health experts and nutritionists who are using it to awareness and encourage patients to engage in physical activity.
Elizabeth Watson, a personal trainer from Stay Fit gym in Abu Dhabi suggests that “individuals can use social media as a means of keeping fit, there are a lot of great exercises you can do and train from experts at home just by watching videos on YouTube”.
Norlyn Torrena, a clinical nutritionist from Burjeel Hospital advises her clients to be more technologically active “most of my clients are so engaged with their phones that I advise them to download applications that offer health related services”.
Torrena said that “most people believe that dieting and keeping fit is boring”.
However, by using social media apps keeping fit means that people are “modern and are kept up to date with the latest heath tips and trends”.
“It can be a guide to a healthy lifestyle and exercise if used in the correct way, so I really encourage my clients to download health applications” said Mrs Torrena.
People can also connect with each other and exchange “tips and notes, it’s extremely healthy and fun”.
Terminator: Dark Fate
Director: Tim Miller
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Mackenzie Davis
Rating: 3/5
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
Greatest Royal Rumble results
John Cena pinned Triple H in a singles match
Cedric Alexander retained the WWE Cruiserweight title against Kalisto
Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt win the Raw Tag Team titles against Cesaro and Sheamus
Jeff Hardy retained the United States title against Jinder Mahal
Bludgeon Brothers retain the SmackDown Tag Team titles against the Usos
Seth Rollins retains the Intercontinental title against The Miz, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe
AJ Styles remains WWE World Heavyweight champion after he and Shinsuke Nakamura are both counted out
The Undertaker beats Rusev in a casket match
Brock Lesnar retains the WWE Universal title against Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
Braun Strowman won the 50-man Royal Rumble by eliminating Big Cass last
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Liverpool v Manchester City, Sunday, 8.30pm UAE
What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
SPECS
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Warlight,
Michael Ondaatje, Knopf
Our legal advisor
Rasmi Ragy is a senior counsel at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Prosecutor in Egypt with more than 40 years experience across the GCC.
Education: Ain Shams University, Egypt, in 1978.
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
Alan%20Wake%20Remastered%20
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