Meet our latest potential presidential candidate : Lt.General Khairallah , the former intelligence undersecretary

Official photo for Khairallah

I think I owe you an apology because I know about this newcomer to the presidential race but I was too lazy to blog about it, anyhow at least we got more news now than just friends chitchat.
A former Lt.General called Hossam Khairallah announced his presidential candidacy today in Cairo in Grand Hyatt hotel in a press conference attended by newspapers and TV channels. The presidential program of the former Lt. General that denies to be the candidate of the military is focusing mainly on education and civility of the state.
From the name or rather the military rank you will know immediately that we are speaking about military man , a big military man. Well for sure he is a big military man but there is a twist in our tale here.
1945 born Hossam Khairallah is a Yemen war and 1973 war veteran who joined the Egyptian intelligence aka GIS from 1977 till 2005. Lt. General Hossam Khairallah had served in the GIS in the information and estimation unit for year 26 years till he became the undersecretary of the GIS in 2005. This man participated in making the most important international economic and political agreements Egypt signed like the COMESA agreement.

#Mubaraktrial : Session No.13 or session no.6

It is session no.13 in Mubarak’s trial !! Can you believe it !? Session no.13 in the most boring trial of the century anyhow some says that this session no.6 of the trial of ousted/former president Hosni Mubarak in Cairo. There is nothing new to be honest , same old fights between the families of the martyrs and the security forces , same slogans calling for Mubarak’s execution as well the same old Mubarak supporters who want to be free once and return to rule the country and save it from the dark future waiting it including infamous Sheikha Magda !! 
Mubarak arrived on a stretcher as usual yet this time he is wearing a black sunglasses.

Cairo : Mubarak’s arrival to the court

Again there are contradicting media reports about the health of Mubarak and whether he should be transferred to Tora prison’s hospital or not.

#EgyElections : The Shura Council elections

So we are going to have Shura council and Shura council after all despite all the recommendations , advices and scenarios to cancel it in order to have early presidential elections.

Today Field marshal Tantawy , the head of SCAF has issued a decree with the date of the Shura council’s elections that will be as follows :

• The Shura council’s elections will be held on two stages.
• Each stage will be held on two days , there will be reruns as well.
• The first stage will be held on January 29th and 30th in Cairo, Alexandria, Dakahalia , Gharbia , Damietta, North Sinai, South Sinai , Fayoum, Asuit, Qena , Red Sea and New Valley. The runoff will be on February 7th,2012.
• The second stage will be on February 14th and 15th in Giza, Suez, Qalubiya , Sharkia, Kafr El Sheikh, Ismailia, Port Said , Suez, Matrouh , Ban Swaif, El Mania, Sohag, Aswan and Luxor.The runoff will be on February 22nd.
• The first session of the Shura council will be held supposedly on February 28th ,2012.
• The first session of the elected people’s assembly will be held on January 23rd,2012

Technorati Tags: #Egyelections,Shura council,Citizen journalism,Egypt,National,Elections,News,Politics,Post revolution

Nagham El Halbawy , more than just one case in a critical time

Nagham

Nagham El Halbawy , a 16 years old girl lives in Alexandria who was kidnapped from her house while she was alone on December 29th,2011. It was not the first kidnap or disappearance case in Egypt after the revolution nor it would be the last yet there was something special about Nagham’s case unlike other kidnap case : The political background.
Nagham’s case came to the media especially social media’s attention after it was known that she is the younger sister of Sheikh Mohamed ElHelbawy , the coordinator of potential presidential candidate Sheikh Hazem Abu Ismail. 
The famous Islamist controversial presidential candidate did  not waste any time and believed that the kidnappers had political motives.

“It has got the state security stamps on it”

Abu Ismail claims

There were some strange remarks about the kidnap according to her brother Sheikh El Helbawy.The kidnappers did not call up till now to ask for a ransom and there was nothing valuable stolen from their home during the kidnap instead the whole house was turned upside down. Another remark I am so curious about was that she was kidnapped between 11 AM to 12.30 PM at the midday , where were the neighbors then especially when some pieces of the furniture at their home were smashed.

Egyptian Chronicles’ Women of the Year #2011 in the Arab world

Ok I wrote a post about the women that left their mark in Egypt in 2011 and I think we should make one for our ladies of the year in the Arab world , again there is no arrangement in this unorganized list. 
All the Arab mothers , wives and daughters who lost their husbands and sons in the Arab revolution are on the top of my list.  ladies who were killed in the Arab revolutions and who were raped in the Arab revolutions are on the top of my list.

Manal and her son after her release

The first name that pops in my head without thinking is Manal El Sherif in her role to bring up the rights of the Saudi Women to drive in 2011 to the light , the right2drive campaign that she and other ladies launched in 2011 led to the women’s right to vote in the Kingdom.
Of course Tawakel Karman is in my list along with all the Yemeni women who changed the stereotype of Arabian women in the world .
Now when it comes to Syria well I got too many names in mind starting from the famous Tal who thank God is still alive according to human rights source , we got also Syrian actor Fadwa Soliman and singer Assala Nasri and her stand against El Assad since the start of the revolution.  We got the amazing Syrian activists like Razan Ghazzawi “Who was released last month” as well Sohair Al-Attasi.

Zeinab Al Khawaga

I can’t ignore Bahrain and the role of women there from doctors and human rights activists as well mothers and wives of martyrs. Nobody can ignore the famous Al Khawaga family’s ladies especially Zeinab Al Khawaga in bringing up the human rights issue in the small gulf kingdom to the world and paying a price of it , of course it is moderate price considering the price other Bahrainis paid and are paying from losing their beloved ones in an uprising that sooner turned to international game of power.
To Libya we got Eman Obeidi that represents hundreds or even thousands of Libya women that were raped and tortured during the revolution by the Qaddafi troops.
The Tunisian women are there as well and it is only about their role in the revolution but their impressive role after the revolution as well.

Negative mentions

• The woman who ignited the Arab spring in Tunisia with her slap to Mohamed Bou Azizi , policewoman Fadia Hamdy. 
• Laila Ben Ali , the runaway Marie Antoinette
• Aisha Qaddafi.
• Hala Misrati
• Bothiana Shaaban of Syria
• Raghda and her sisters  in Syria

I know that I forgot some news , if you remember any significant name , please share it.

Technorati Tags: Tawakal Karmen,Eman Obeidi,Laila El Trabulsi,Aisha Qaddafi,Razan Ghazzawi,Fadwa Soliman,Bothaina Shaaba,Ragada,Women,Arab,Citizen journalism,Arab faces,Hala Misrati,Tunisia,Manal El Sheirf,#right2drive

#Tahrir : New Year Eve at Tahrir square

Thousands of Egyptians have celebrated the new year’s eve at Tahrir square tonight in a big celebratory mood full of hope. For the first since two months thousands gather in Tahrir square without gunshots or injured or tear gases instead there are balloons with the faces of the martyrs and fireworks.

The Egyptians at Tahrir by RNN

 Tahrir square by 25TV

The Kasr El Dobra church held its new year mass dedicating it to Egypt and to the martyrs of revolutions whose photos were hanged in the church including Sheikh Emad Effat. After the mass that was attended by Christians and Muslims , hundreds headed in a march to Tahrir square to join the hundreds celebrating the new year eve chanting pro-revolutionary and anti-SCAF chants.

at the church

#2012 : Happy New year from Egyptian Chronicles

Happy New year from the Egyptian Chronicler to all the people in the world , may the new year be better than 2011 for Egypt and for the whole world.

We started last year 2011 with a disaster and we ended as a nation on the verge of a huge change hopefully insh Allah it will be for the better because things will not be worse than those 30 years of Mubarak’s rule. May Allah bless the souls of our martyrs and injured. May Allah make this year peaceful and fruitful , may God protect the Egyptian blood and let it not to be spelled again on the hands of another Egyptian , may all Egyptians not to be humiliated again.

Insh Allah this year will be better for Egypt , Syria , Bahrain, Yemen, Libya and amazing Tunisia, this year will be better for Palestine and Iraq.

I have got too many hopes and too fears.

In the end I will share with you again this amazing clip narrated by sir David Attenborough , there is nothing better to start the new year except with this amazing video.

Insh Allah nothing bad will happen in 2012 , it will not be the end of the world but rather a new beginning for a new world being shaped in front of our eyes.

Technorati Tags: 2012,Happy New year,Video,Media