OPNE// Sisi directs to increase compensations granted to victims of Ashmoun road accident
CAIRO, June 28 (MENA) - President Abdel Fattah El Sisi gave directives to the government to increase the value of compensations granted to the victims of the Ashmoun road accident in Menoufia governorate, allocating additional EGP 100,000 for each fatality and EGP 25,000 for each injured person, alongside the compensations already approved by the ministries of labor and social solidarity.
Sisi also instructed the government to intensify efforts to maintain and repair roads, with a specific focus on the Regional Ring Road.
He asserted the urgent need to complete ongoing repairs, ensure clear warning signs in areas under maintenance, and make route alterations visibly marked to prevent accidents.
Sisi further stressed the immediate removal of hazards that could contribute to accidents on these roads, along with strict speed monitoring. (MENA)
M H K/M N E
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Middle East
17 minutes ago
- Middle East
OPEN// Egypt's NEA set to announce Senate elections timetable on July 1
CAIRO, June 28 (MENA) – The National Election Authority (NEA), chaired by Hazem Badawi, will meet on Tuesday, July 1, to review final preparations for the upcoming Senate elections. The meeting will be followed by a press conference, where the official election timetable will be announced. The authority confirmed it is fully prepared to conduct the vote, noting that all technical and logistical steps have already been completed, including judge and staff training, database updates, and polling station readiness. The NEA affirmed that more than 10,600 judges have been trained using video conferencing tools, while administrative teams have been trained to handle candidacy documents and use digital applications. It added that voter rolls have been updated in coordination with government agencies, and deceased voters have been removed. Polling stations across the country have been inspected to ensure accessibility and safety, it noted. The authority has also coordinated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Expatriates to prepare for voting by Egyptians abroad. (MENA) H A T/R E E
Daily News Egypt
an hour ago
- Daily News Egypt
Egypt mourns 19 girls killed in road crash amid growing outcry over highway safety
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi has directed the government to provide immediate compensation of EGP 100,000 (approximately $2,100) for each of the 19 victims killed in a devastating road crash in Monufeya, and EGP 25,000 for each of the injured. The victims—mostly teenage girls and young women—were day labourers commuting to work in the Nile Delta. The president also instructed authorities to intensify road maintenance efforts across the country, particularly on the regional ring road, where the accident occurred. He called for the removal of roadway hazards, clearer signage in repair zones, and stricter enforcement of speed limits. The crash, which occurred early Friday, involved a speeding heavy truck that collided with a microbus carrying female workers from the village of Kafr El-Sanabsa. All 18 girls onboard and the microbus driver were killed, while three others sustained injuries. The victims, described in state media as 'martyrs of livelihood,' were en route to their jobs when the tragedy struck. The force of the collision destroyed both vehicles. Emergency responders quickly arrived at the scene, transferring bodies and survivors to hospitals in Quesna, El-Bagour, Ashmoun, and Shebin El-Kom. The incident has plunged Kafr El-Sanabsa into mourning. Mass funerals were held for the young women, some of whom were from the same family. Many had left school to support their households and were their families' main providers. Images of grieving relatives and rows of coffins spread across social media, prompting widespread sorrow and renewed anger over Egypt's persistent road safety challenges. Security sources confirmed that the truck driver was arrested. The public prosecution has launched a broad investigation, ordering forensic examinations and technical assessments of the vehicles and the road segment. Preliminary findings cited excessive speeding and poor road conditions—specifically the absence of lighting, barriers, and emergency services—as contributing factors. Despite the scale of the tragedy, the Ministry of Transport has yet to release an official statement. On the same day, Transport Minister Kamel Al-Wazir was in Istanbul attending the Global Transport Connectivity Forum, where he spoke of Egypt's 'unprecedented infrastructure renaissance' and highlighted over EGP 2trn in investments across roads, bridges, railways, ports, and electric transport systems. The ministry's silence drew criticism from the public and media observers, who cited a growing disconnect between government narratives of modernisation and on-the-ground realities. Residents of Kafr El-Sanabsa voiced frustration over the deteriorating state of the Regional Ring Road—a flagship project inaugurated in 2018 with a reported cost of EGP 9bn (around $190m). Originally designed to ease congestion on older highways and link Greater Cairo to Upper and Lower Egypt, the ring road has since fallen into disrepair in areas such as Monufeya. According to taxi drivers and former Roads and Bridges Authority engineers, large sections suffer from pavement cracks, ground subsidence, and neglected maintenance. The road, they say, has become a 'corridor of death.' According to Egypt's official statistics agency (CAPMAS), 5,260 people were killed in road accidents in 2024, with over 76,000 injuries—a 7.5% increase from the previous year. Daqahleya Governorate recorded the highest number of road injuries nationwide. As national grief grows, the Ashmoun crash has reignited debate over road safety, infrastructure oversight, and the lived cost of economic hardship for Egypt's working poor—particularly young women who bear the burden of supporting their families on dangerous commutes.
Daily News Egypt
an hour ago
- Daily News Egypt
MSMEDA disburses EGP 57.5bn in project funding over 11 years: CEO
Bassel Rahmy, CEO of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency (MSMEDA), announced that the agency has disbursed a total of EGP 57.5bn in funding for micro, small, and medium enterprises from July 2014 to May 2025. This figure marks a substantial increase compared to pre-2014 levels and reflects the state's intensified support for the sector since President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi took office. Rahmy noted that this funding has contributed to the creation of more than 3.4 million job opportunities for Egyptian men and women, underpinning the agency's role in promoting employment and entrepreneurship nationwide. He added that 47% of total funding was channelled to governorates in Upper Egypt, aligning with the region's development priorities and financial needs. The announcement coincided with the celebration of World Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day, held annually on 27 June. Rahmy highlighted the state's strategic commitment to supporting the small enterprise sector through comprehensive care, funding mechanisms, and the creation of an enabling environment that fosters the establishment and growth of industrial and productive projects. Since President Al-Sisi's inauguration, Rahmy explained, the state has launched numerous initiatives aimed at supporting citizens and encouraging them to embrace entrepreneurship and self-employment as a path to economic empowerment. These efforts reflect a deep understanding by the political leadership of the sector's critical role in driving economic development and industrial advancement. He emphasised that all relevant government bodies have worked in coordination to enhance the investment climate for small businesses, thereby maximising their contribution to the national economy. These efforts are in line with the directives of Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, who also chairs MSMEDA's Board of Directors. Rahmy also pointed to landmark progress in 2025, including successful cooperation with the Ministry of Finance and the Egyptian Tax Authority to implement Law No. 6 of 2025. The law addresses longstanding tax challenges for small businesses and introduces several key facilitations—most notably a simplified tax regime starting with a rate of 0.4% of annual turnover for businesses generating up to EGP 500,000, scaling up to 1.5% for those with turnover between EGP 10m and EGP 20m. The law also offers exemptions from stamp duties and other taxes. He affirmed MSMEDA's active role in integrating the informal economy into the formal sector through structured plans to regularise and legalise informal enterprises. These efforts are aimed at ensuring long-term project sustainability, improving productivity, and enabling access to the benefits offered under Law No. 152 of 2020 on Enterprise Development. The agency provides documentation and licensing services to help businesses operate legally, paving the way for them to access incentives such as marketing support and eligibility for the government's 40% procurement allocation to small enterprises. In the area of capacity building, Rahmy noted that MSMEDA has provided entrepreneurship training to more than 83,000 individuals. This initiative seeks to foster a new generation of skilled and capable entrepreneurs across Egypt. To enhance product marketing and commercial exposure for its clients, MSMEDA has organised 1,441 exhibitions featuring 32,492 project owners. These events generated total sales and contract values exceeding EGP 2.1bn. Rahmy concluded by calling on young people to take initiative by visiting the agency's branches across governorates or accessing its website to learn more about its financial and technical services. These services, he said, can support aspiring entrepreneurs in launching or expanding businesses across a wide range of sectors. World MSME Day was officially designated by the United Nations on 27 June following a proposal submitted by Egypt in 2016 via the World Association for Small and Medium Enterprises. The day aims to celebrate and recognise MSMEs globally as a fundamental pillar of economic growth and stability.
