CAIRO: An Egyptian prosecutor has ordered the detention of 75 people following an investigation into suspected human trafficking, state media reported on Thursday.
A 14-month investigation by the Administrative Control Authority, the country’s anti-corruption body, found that the group was made of government officials, Egyptian citizens, and foreigners, state news agency MENA said.
Authorities arrested the defendants in raids across the country, from the capital Cairo to the northern city of Kafr el-Sheikh.
The probe showed that they were involved in “bribery, profiting from public office, forging official documents, and human trafficking” among a host of other offenses.
Egypt passed legislation in 2016 to crack down on a growing smuggling industry along its northern seaboard. The law imposes prison terms and fines on those found guilty of smuggling potential migrants or acting as brokers or middlemen.
It also imposes prison sentences on those who provide shelter to trafficked migrants, and gather, transport or otherwise facilitate their journey
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Egypt detains 75 people in human trafficking probe
Egypt detains 75 people in human trafficking probe
In first Christmas sermon, Pope Leo decries conditions for Palestinians in Gaza
VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo decried conditions for Palestinians in Gaza in his Christmas sermon on Thursday, in an unusually direct appeal during what is normally a solemn, spiritual service on the day Christians across the globe celebrate the birth of Jesus.
Leo, the first US pope, said the story of Jesus being born in a stable showed that God had “pitched his fragile tent” among the people of the world.
“How, then, can we not think of the tents in Gaza, exposed for weeks to rain, wind and cold?” he asked.
Leo, celebrating his first Christmas after being elected in May by the world’s cardinals to succeed the late Pope Francis, has a more quiet, diplomatic style than his predecessor and usually refrains from making political references in his sermons.
But the new pope has also lamented the conditions for Palestinians in Gaza several times recently and told journalists last month that the only solution in the decades-long conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people must include a Palestinian state.
Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in October after two years of intense bombardment and military operations, but humanitarian agencies say there is still too little aid getting into Gaza, where nearly the entire population is homeless.
In Thursday’s service with thousands in St. Peter’s Basilica, Leo also lamented conditions for the homeless across the globe and the destruction caused by the wars roiling the world.
“Fragile is the flesh of defenseless populations, tried by so many wars, ongoing or concluded, leaving behind rubble and open wounds,” said the pope.
“Fragile are the minds and lives of young people forced to take up arms, who on the front lines feel the senselessness of what is asked of them and the falsehoods that fill the pompous speeches of those who send them to their deaths,” he said.
Later on Thursday the pope will deliver a twice-yearly “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) message and blessing, which usually addresses global conflicts.
Leo, the first US pope, said the story of Jesus being born in a stable showed that God had “pitched his fragile tent” among the people of the world.
“How, then, can we not think of the tents in Gaza, exposed for weeks to rain, wind and cold?” he asked.
Leo, celebrating his first Christmas after being elected in May by the world’s cardinals to succeed the late Pope Francis, has a more quiet, diplomatic style than his predecessor and usually refrains from making political references in his sermons.
But the new pope has also lamented the conditions for Palestinians in Gaza several times recently and told journalists last month that the only solution in the decades-long conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people must include a Palestinian state.
Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in October after two years of intense bombardment and military operations, but humanitarian agencies say there is still too little aid getting into Gaza, where nearly the entire population is homeless.
In Thursday’s service with thousands in St. Peter’s Basilica, Leo also lamented conditions for the homeless across the globe and the destruction caused by the wars roiling the world.
“Fragile is the flesh of defenseless populations, tried by so many wars, ongoing or concluded, leaving behind rubble and open wounds,” said the pope.
“Fragile are the minds and lives of young people forced to take up arms, who on the front lines feel the senselessness of what is asked of them and the falsehoods that fill the pompous speeches of those who send them to their deaths,” he said.
Later on Thursday the pope will deliver a twice-yearly “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) message and blessing, which usually addresses global conflicts.
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