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Extra news items relating to the disaster
September 23, 2001
Armed guards on board
National carrier EgyptAir and Cairo airport authorities are considering placing armed "sky marshalls" on board its planes to help keep the peace, according to an item on the front page of a recent Al-Wafd. Like many other airlines worldwide, EgyptAir is preparing to implement a broad range of new security measures on its aircraft, in the wake of this month's hijackings and attacks in New York and Washington. Security on the ground is also being tightened, with more searches of passengers and their luggage, and increased use of trained police dogs to sniff out potential problems.
US students in Cairo critique American foreign policy
All the papers take note of the letter that has been sent by US exchange students currently studying in Cairo to American president George Bush. The letter emphasizes the students' sorrow at what happened in the States, simultaneously asking the US administration not to rush into military strikes on unknown targets, thus potentially resulting in the deaths of innocent people. The students are also asking for an end to harassment of Arabs and Muslims worldwide.
Cairo hosts stranded Americans
1662 American tourists found themselves unable to catch a flight out of Egypt once their vacations had finished in the week after the September 11 attacks. The Ministry of Tourism and a hotel and tourism association pitched in, and hosted those tourists for free until flights resumed functioning normally a few days later. All expenses -- accommodation, food, and sightseeing -- were provided for the American tourists, Tourism Minister Mamdouh El-Beltagui announced at a recent tourism exhibition in France.
US phone calls surge
Information Minister Ahmed Nazif said that the downtime in international calls in the days following the World Trade Center and Pentagon attack was the same experienced by telephone companies worldwide, as a surge in calls ended up putting too much pressure on the system. Nazif said that only a small portion of lines went down, most of which were immediately fixed and put back in business. It was personal rather work related phone calls that experienced a sharp increase of nearly 30 per cent in the days after the attacks, since so many businesses were closed. Most affected, he said, were lines between Egypt and the US, as relatives and friends anxiously sought out any news of their loved ones. A great deal of the calls were originating from the US, Nazif said. He said that Internet connections, while also showing increased usage levels since the attacks, have suffered no slowdowns or problems as a result.
Read readers' comments on cairolive's coverage of the devastating terror attack on the US
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Previous stories:
Unimaginable terror:
Who will be hit next?
Cairenes -- like the rest of the world -- remain glued to their television screens early Wednesday morning, shocked by the events unfolding before the world's eyes.
Confusion on the second day:
New developments from around the world
Praying for patience and moderation
"A Declaration of War against Whom?"
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