Egypt's Farmers suffer from water theft

Farmers in Fayoum - 130 km south west of Cairo - are no longer able to grow crops on the land they've been farming for generations.

Years ago businessmen built illegal encroachments on their source of water, leaving their land barren. With 10,000 feddans of previously fertile land affected by this situation, the farmers have become desperate. Despite having met a series of irrigation ministers and despite promises from President Mohamed Morsi, no one has removed the illegal encroachments and returned the water to the farmers. The land continues to lie barren.

Full story here: http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/56401.aspx

Activists take environmental campaign to Egypt's streets

Environmental activists take to the streets of Egypt in a campaign called 'Bezoor Balady', or 'local seeds'. 

Greenpeace, Nawaya, Nabta, 350.org and Fakhri Aid were among the organisations taking part in the action. The campaign hit the streets in three areas in Cairo - Maadi, Heliopolis and Downtown - as well as in Alexandria, to raise awareness about Egypt's plethora of agricultural issues.

The activists were armed with specially created 'seed balls' - small balls that contain soil, silt and local seeds, everything a seed needs to grow; just add water. The idea is to begin a discussion about the possibility of using public spaces to grow healthy and much needed fruits and vegetables, as well as to start a dialogue about agriculture in Egypt - the world's number one importer of wheat.

For more information visit Bozoor Balady's facebook page:http://www.facebook.com/bozoorbalady

Egypt commemorates Maspero Massacre

On the one year anniversary of the Maspero Massacre, in which at least 26 Coptic Protesters were killed by the army, thousands of demonstrators march for justice.

Following the same path taken one year ago from the Cairo neighbourhood of Shobra to the Nile-side State Television building, protesters aimed to commemorate the dead and raise the pressure to put those responsible on trial.

Pictures of Mina Daniel, who has become an icon of the revolutionary since his death, were raised on flags and banners throughout the march.

Testimonies from survivors of the massacre and video recorded during the clashes tell a terrifying story of unprecedented brutality from the military police towards the peaceful protesters. Most of the dead were killed either by live rounds or by being squashed to death after being run over by army vehicles. Until now no senior military personnel have been punished for the killings.

Egypt's Doctors Begin Open Strike

An open ended partial strike at hospitals across Egypt begins today. At the Shobra General Hospital in Cairo - just one of the 540 hospitals on strike - outpatient services are closed and only emergency cases are being seen to.