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Tuesday, 29 January 2019

Egypt’s release of Tramadol smuggler tops coverage in the UK press

News of UK tourist Laura Plummer’s imminent release from Qanater prison after serving 14 months of a three-year sentence features heavily in the UK press today, with the Guardian and the BBC giving something close to measured coverage. Other outlets — notably the tabloids — linger over the more lurid details. Plummer was stopped at Hurghada Airport in October 2017 with 290 tablets of illegal meds in her suitcase. She claimed to be unaware that what she was carrying, which is available with prescription in the UK, was a banned substance in Egypt.

Other headlines worth noting in brief:

  • Egypt is demanding that the National Museum of Scotland provide proof that an artefact it is exhibiting was not taken from the country illegally, The Times reports.
  • Archaeologists have discovered Greco-Roman wine cellars in the Nile Delta, the NYT says.
  • Fostering academic freedom, creativity and critical thought are imperative if Egypt is to meet the goals of Vision 2030 — which it is currently a long way from doing, argues an editorial in Lebanese outlet The Daily Star.
  • As divorce becomes less of a cultural taboo, more Egyptian women see escape from an unhappy marriage as cause for celebration, says Gulf News.

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