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WORLD NEWS Thursday 23 augusT 2018

Video of unwanted advance divides Egyptians

By SAMY MAGDY which point she says she
CAIRO (AP) — It might have began filming.
been another #MeToo mo- Soliman, who has also giv-
ment: An Egyptian woman en TV interviews, denies
says a man stalked her at doing anything wrong and
a bus stop, made inap- disputed her account of
propriate advances, and circling in his car. "I just in-
only backed off when she vited her to drink coffee,
began filming him with her and I never bothered her.
cellphone. When she said I was both-
But when she posted the ering her, I apologized and
video on Facebook, it ig- left," he said.
nited an online debate in The video provoked a tor-
which many Egyptians, in- rent of angry responses,
cluding women, took the but while many praised Gu-
man's side. Some say he bran for outing an alleged
was politely flirting and the harasser, just as many ac-
woman overreacted, while cused her of overreacting
others have speculated or questioned her motives.
about what she was wear- "The man was speaking in
ing, suggesting she was the a very polite and respectful
one at fault. In this July 17, 2015 file photo, Egyptian policewoman from newly formed force to combat sexual way and she as any Egyp-
Sexual harassment, mostly harassment is deployed in Cairo on the first day of Eid Al-Fitr. tian woman called him a
ranging from catcalls to oc- Associated Press harasser," a man who iden-
casional pinching or grab- tified himself as Mustafa el-
bing, is rampant in Egypt. sponse to the brief video the Run, a nearby conve- waited for a bus and made Sokarri wrote on Twitter.
Polls have found that a Menna Gubran posted on nience store. She politely comments that made her Others asked what Gubran,
majority of both men and Aug. 15. In it, a man later declines, and he apologiz- feel uncomfortable. At one who does not appear in the
women in the conserva- identified as Mahmoud es and walks away. point, she went into a near- video, was wearing, with
tive Muslim country believe Soliman can be seen ap- In a subsequent video and by supermarket, hoping he some fishing personal pho-
it is justified if women dress proaching her on a sub- in TV interviews, Gubran would leave. When she re- tos out of her social media
"provocatively" in public. urban Cairo street and in- said Soliman had circled in turned, he came by again accounts. Many treated
That may explain the re- viting her to coffee at On his car three times as she and got out of his car, at the incident as a joke. q

Image-conscious China appoints new global propaganda czar

BEIJING (AP) — China's South China Sea. economy and a leading
increasingly image-con- Xu's appointment to the polluter. Chinese President
scious government has ap- position of head of the and party leader Xi Jinping
pointed a trusted member Cabinet-level State Coun- has also gone to lengths to
of the ruling Communist cil Information Office was promote his trademark, tril-
Party to head up its interna- announced by state media lion-dollar "Belt and Road"
tional propaganda opera- outlets on Tuesday. initiative that seeks to link
tion. Since President Donald China with other parts of
Former top internet regula- Trump took office in 2017, Asia, Europe, Africa and
tor Xu Lin will be in charge Beijing has sought to draw beyond through transport In this March 2, 2018, file photo, people walk past a propaganda
of efforts to portray China a contrast with his admin- and infrastructure projects. billboard showing Chinese President Xi Jinping along a street in
as a progressive force for istration by emphasizing Meanwhile, China's entirely Beijing.
good in the world at a time its role in promoting free state-controlled media has Associated Press
when it's facing criticism trade and addressing glob- been aggressively expand-
over its allegedly unfair al issues such as climate ing overseas in hopes of global political, economic na's strict regulations on the
trading practices, human change. Critics say that countering unflattering im- and cultural matters. internet after predecessor
rights abuses and militariza- contradicts China's roles as ages of the country and Xu, 55, had earlier been Lu Wei was ousted in a cor-
tion of island claims in the the most restricted major promoting Beijing's take on brought in to enforce Chi- ruption scandal.q