Headline news
Train crash coverage intense, varied
As the unidentified bodies of 144 victims of last week's train crash were buried, the papers continued their extensive coverage of the national tragedy. Many have established a CNN-style catch-phrase for the crash, with Al-Ahram choosing "Kitar al-mowt al-mutagih illa al-ganoob", or "The Southbound Death Train" as its label for the coverage. The coverage finds its way into different parts of the paper -- some in crime, some in features, with plenty of human interest stories in between.
A feature in Monday's Al-Ahram takes a grim look at conditions on third class trains six days after the disaster. The pictures tell the story: a man carrying a baby sleeps in the overhead compartment with the bags, missing fire extinguishers, children forced to stand or sit near doors. Columnist Ahmed Bahgat  laments the state of third class rail in general, arguing for its abolishment, as has occurred, he writes, in all civilized places.
On the back page of Al-Akhbar Ahmed Ragab and cartoonist Mustafa Hussein portray the Ramsis rail station as a morgue in a series of bitter cartoons...
The crash has also inspired philanthropy and condolences from all around the world. Al-Akhbar's front page reports that some LE 5 million has been donated by individuals and groups to the victims. A front page ad in Al-Ahram also announces that businesses are getting into the spirit as well: 
the proprietors of Chili's restaurants are donating 5 per cent of the proceeds from sales for a week to the families of the victims of the train crash.
(February 26, 2002)

Go to the train disaster links page for the latest wire stories about the crash...
Survivor dies in later train accident
Electric short circuit believed to be real cause...
Bush 'Profoundly Saddened'
Transport Minister resigns...
Mubarak vows to uncover truth
(UPDATED 4 FEBRUARY, 4 AM)

Nightmare train kills 373

In brief
Back from the break
Monday was the last day of the Edi El-Adha, or Feast of the Sacrifice, holiday. Most people go back to work on Tuesday. Pilgrims have also begun returning from the hajj at Mecca. Cairo airport is expected to receive thousands of returning pilgrims over the next few days.
(February 26, 2002)

Politics
A valid offer?
The Americans are giving serious thought to Saudi Crown Prince Abdalla's offer of complete Arab normalization with Israel if Israel withdraws completely from the occupied territories. A high-level US team has been assigned to study the Saudi proposal, according to a tiny item on Al-Ahram's front page.
(February 26, 2002)

COMING SOON...

Movies
All-Arabic eid
Six Arabic films opened during the eid, providing a very different picture when it came to the papers' movies listings pages over the past week or so. Amongst the films are Karim Abdel-Aziz's "Haramiya in KG2" (Kindergarten Crooks), Ahmed Adam's "Al-Ragul al-Abyad Al-Mutawasit" (a play on either "Single White Female" or "Mediterranean Man"), Mahmoud Abdel-Aziz's "El-Saher" (The Magician), Nadia Guindy's "El-Raghba" (The Desire) and Youssef Mansour's "Badr". Also in the offing is the sexually risque "Al-Naama wal Tawous" (The Ostrich and the Peacock), scripted by veteran director Salah Abou Seif and directed by his son.
The numbers are still not out yet on the films, but early indicators are pointing to the crowd-pleasing "KG2" as the standout favorite. Directed by Sandra Nashat who also came away with a sleeper hit with last years' "Layh Khalitni Ahibak", (Why'd you make me love you?) the producers have decided to use the same cutesy method of referring to the film's stars by just their first names on the billboards and other advertisements around the city plugging the film.
(February 26, 2002)

To flash back to the summer when billboards made their mark click here

To look at the controversy over Sandra's previous film click here

Ad watch
Ceramics and sandwiches
Businessman Mustafa Al-Sallab is running for Parliament in the Nasr City and Heliopolis district. A major ceramics distributor, El-Sallab is the National Democratic Party candidate, and fellow ceramics king and party deputy Mohamed Aboul Enein has put out a quarter page full color ad on the back page of Al-Ahram urging voters to choose El-Sallab. Aboul Enein's Ceramica Cleopatra products feature heavily in El-Sallab's mega stores, of course. Oriental Weavers Mohamed Fareed Khamis also gave his vote to El-Sallab in a subsequent ad.
Meanwhile, local sandwich chan Mo'men continues its transformation of the fast food sandwich, introducing a "streak poivre' in a full color ad on the front page of Al-Ahram on the third day of the feast, and a "chicken kiev" the next day... Actually, that third day marked the appearance of a great deal of ads offering alternatives to the copious amounts of lamb that had surely been eaten on the first two days by so many. Suddenly, great deals were sprouting up on sandwiches and pizza, presenting tempting opportunities for those who were getting a bit sick of the "danee" lamb options post-Eid.
Time also, then, for ads to appear for things like Minto, capsules to help with indigestion after all that eating.
(February 26, 2002)

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