Latest news with #Pharoah
Scottish Sun
29-06-2025
- Scottish Sun
Dark side of Egypt where tourists are tortured & killed and Brits are banged up & ‘forced to pay bribes by corrupt cops'
Beyond the plush resorts of the Sharm el Sheikh and Hurghada, Egypt harbours dirty secrets PHARAOH'S CURSE Dark side of Egypt where tourists are tortured & killed and Brits are banged up & 'forced to pay bribes by corrupt cops' WHEN it comes to a perfect holiday destination for Brits, Egypt has it all - five-star resorts, scorching temperatures and stunning beaches. But beyond the boundaries of its luxury all-inclusive havens is a dark underbelly that the country's tourist board would rather holidaymakers didn't see. 18 Ivonne Daniela Latorre died after being beaten in Egypt Credit: Newsflash 18 The Pyramids of Giza attract millions of tourists from around the world every year Credit: Getty 18 Brit Laura Plummer was held for over a year in a hellish Egyptian prison after painkillers were found in her bag Credit: Collect 18 A former British ambassador to Egypt recently branded the country a 'police state' The Pharoah nation sucks in a staggering 18million tourists each year, and the industry props up around 10 percent of the whole economy, and it's clear to see why. Flocking in their droves, tourists arrive to visit ancient tombs and lounge on the two magnificent coastlines of the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. But beyond the plush resorts of the popular Sharm el Sheikh and Hurghada - Egypt harbours dirty secrets. Tourists have disappeared in mysterious circumstances - only to turn up mutilated or dead. It is a police state in Egypt. It is violent and vindictive and it is abusing a British citizen John Casson A brutal police force deals in bribes and locks people up on bogus charges, including Brit holidaymakers. The ancient-world sites are riddled with canny con artists who know how to wangle money out of tourists. And animals are tortured and worked to death - with some discarded in makeshift graveyards around the back of the pyramids. Egypt's picture-postcard image is being tested, with a former British ambassador to the country recently branding it a "police state". John Casson said the authorities are "violent and vindictive" and urged the government to "deploy the full range of tools it has to protect British citizens". "This includes official travel advice that should caution against travel to Egypt," he said. Egypt's huge new mega resort will have 11 districts with hotels, attractions and UK flights "It is a police state in Egypt. It is violent and vindictive and it is abusing a British citizen." Egypt's dangerous underbelly was dragged into the spotlight last month when a Colombian tourist suffered a grisly fate. Ivonne Latorre, 24, was found dying in a coma at the side of a road after going missing from the Zamna electronic music festival in Cairo. She has sustained horrific injuries after crossing paths with men posing as producers - and tragically died five days later in hospital. Nobody knows who mutilated Ivonne, but an investigation has been launched into the beauty queen's mysterious death. I used to love going on holiday there, but I'll never step foot in that country again Tony Camoccio Holidaymakers have also accused the country's police officers of corruption, arresting tourists on bogus charges and offering them a way out with bribes. Tony Camoccio, a 56-year-old Londoner, was arrested and locked up in a terrifying jail for simply patting a security guard on the back. The window business owner was told he was going to be charged with sexual assault and locked up for seven years. He told The Sun: "I was locked in a cage outside for two nights with 80 other people. I was just in a T-shirt and shorts and it was one degrees at night. 18 Ivonne, left, died in hospital five days after being found Credit: Newsflash 18 Tony Camoccio was told he would be banged up for seven years on fabricated sexual assault charges Credit: supplied 18 Camels and other animals are routinely mistreated at key tourist sites Credit: PETA Asia 18 A camel tied up at the pyramids foams at the mouth Credit: PETA Asia "Then they told me to sign a document and said I would be released." But the document Tony signed was not a release paper - he says he'd been tricked into signing a confession written in Arabic. Tony said: "It was all about money. My lawyer was told I could get out if we 'made the policeman happy' - clearly meaning a bribe." But the most shocking thing Tony witnessed was inside the brutal Police Station 1 prison. He said: "You couldn't sleep at night because the guards were beating women and children, making them scream. It was horrible. "Egypt is a dangerous place. Most tourists just stay in their hotels because they know that, but it means they don't see the truth. "I used to love going on holiday there, but I'll never step foot in that country again." Tony was lucky to escape the police's clutches when he was released after just over a week - but not everyone has been so fortunate. An Italian Cambridge University graduate, Giulio Regeni, 28, was tortured to death after being scooped up in 2016 - and Italy blames the Egyptian authorities. His mutilated body was found in a ditch near Cairo nine days after disappearing while on a research trip - and an autopsy revealed he had been subjected to extreme torture. Rome has officially charged four members of Egypt's National Security Agency with his murder and torture, and prosecutors still hope for a trial. 'Tourist exploitation' While only a fraction of tourists have serious run-ins with the police, there are other murky realities about Egypt that almost all will experience. One is the near-constant stream of scams that plague tourists as they navigate the cities and attractions. A popular travel blogger who visited Egypt recently vowed never to return - and even re-booked flights to get out two days early. Antonina, behind the Embrace Someplace blog, said: "The constant 'in your face' deceit was one of the worst parts about visiting Egypt. 18 Guilio Regeni was kidnapped and tortured to death Credit: Refer to Caption 18 Laura Plummer, from Hull, said the Egyptian jail was the most horrific thing she'd ever seen Credit: PA:Press Association "These daily demands for as much money as possible started to get to us because it happened no less than 10 times a day. "Eventually we just stopped leaving the hotel. To put it bluntly, I felt like a walking ATM while visiting Egypt. "It seemed to me that, as a tourist, the objective was to get as much money from me as possible. The level of tourist exploitation is absolutely next level." The Pyramids of Giza - visited by tens of thousands every day - are a hotspot for the scams, particularly as the industry picks up again post-Covid. The problem is so bad it has driven a surge in social media influencers creating "avoid the scams" videos. Men with whistles are documented posing as officials, trying to get tourists to follow them to a spot only to charge an extortionate price for the "service". Others falsely tell visitors they are walking the wrong way - ultimately hoping to charge for pictures taken with the pyramids, according to Sam Mayfair's viral TikTok report. 18 British-Egyptian Alaa Abd el-Fattah is being held illegally in jail Cairo, according to the UN Credit: Reuters 18 Tora maximum security prison, where Alaa was initially held Credit: AFP 18 Laila Soueif's has been on hunger strike for over 250 days to protest the ongoing detention of her son Credit: Alamy But the ongoing case that pushed John Casson to call for a change to UK travel advice is that of a British-Egyptian man who has been locked up there for years, with the UN ruling that he is being held illegally. Alaa Abd el-Fattah was banged up five years ago - and has not been released despite his sentence expiring in September. His mum, Laila Soueif, in London, is on death's door after almost 300 days of hunger strike - and she has vowed not to eat until her son is free. I saw two girls getting tortured with sticks in my cell Laura Plummer James Lynch, working for Alaa's campaign, told The Sun that David Lammy's progress with the Egyptian authorities "risks being too slow for Laila and Alaa, British citizens whose health and lives are at serious risk as a result of their prolonged hunger strikes". Alaa's unfair detention echoes the story of Laura Plummer, a shop worker from Hull, who was locked up over prescription painkillers found in her luggage. The Brit ultimately spent 14 months in horrific conditions. Laura was convicted at trial, but she says a guilty verdict was recorded due to a mistake in translation. She was freed in 2019 following a Sun campaign and said: "The prison was horrendous. I was in a cell with 200 people and only 84 beds." Laura was moved from Cairo to Hurghada Prison, where she said she "witnessed the most horrendous things", including "two girls getting tortured with sticks". 18 Scars and raw wounds can be seen all along this camel's neck from rope burns Credit: peta asia 18 A horse is whipped after stumbling over in the road Credit: PETA Asia She said: 'What should have been a two-week holiday in the sun turned into a 15-month trip to hell." Left to die Animal abuse is also a problem in the country, an issue brought to light by a harrowing PETA Asia investigation. The animal rights group uncovered the routine abuse of the creatures forced to work at the pyramids and other attractions. Donkeys, horses and camels in particular are worked to death ferrying tourists around in the scorching heat, and often treated cruelly by their handlers. A recent report said that "handlers viciously beat animals who are simply too exhausted to go on". It said: "Screaming camels are viciously beaten with sticks by men and children at the Birqash Camel Market before being sold to the tourism industry. "Sick, injured, or starving horses and camels are often abandoned by carriage operators who treat them like disposable tools." Tour companies have started moving away from offering camel rides after widespread outrage at the findings of successive investigations, but the local operators are pushing back. As if all that isn't enough for tourists to deal with, a surge of fatal shark attacks have terrorised the coast in recent years. A 48-year-old Italian man was mauled to death in December, and a 24-year-old Russian man was killed in June of 2023. There have been at least two more confirmed deaths from shark attacks in the past ten years - and a host of injuries. It's Red Sea coast makes it far more dangerous to swim around than any of the other countries on the Med, as this map shows. Most visits to Egypt will pass without hitch but, after four years of diplomatic experience in the country, John Casson said the nation must do more to protect Brits, who bring in millions each year. He said: "Egypt cannot have it both ways. It pretends to be a friend and depends on flows of British tourists to keep its economy afloat. "It needs to discover that that kind of partnership is not compatible with abusing our citizens and blocking our embassy from carrying out the most fundamental consular actions on their behalf." 18 Horses eating from a rubbish heap Credit: peta asia 18 PETA Asia found there was a graveyard for dead and dying animals near the pyramids Credit: PETA Asia
The Irish Sun
29-06-2025
- The Irish Sun
Dark side of Egypt where tourists are tortured & killed and Brits are banged up & ‘forced to pay bribes by corrupt cops'
WHEN it comes to a perfect holiday destination for Brits, Egypt has it all - five-star resorts, scorching temperatures and stunning beaches. But beyond the boundaries of its luxury all-inclusive havens is a dark underbelly that the country's tourist board would rather holidaymakers didn't see. 18 Ivonne Daniela Latorre died after being beaten in Egypt Credit: Newsflash 18 The Pyramids of Giza attract millions of tourists from around the world every year Credit: Getty 18 Brit Laura Plummer was held for over a year in a hellish Egyptian prison after painkillers were found in her bag Credit: Collect 18 A former British ambassador to Egypt recently branded the country a 'police state' The Pharoah nation sucks in a staggering 18million tourists each year, and the industry props up around 10 percent of the whole economy, and it's clear to see why. Flocking in their droves, tourists arrive to visit ancient tombs and lounge on the two magnificent coastlines of the But beyond the plush resorts of the popular Sharm el Sheikh and Hurghada - Egypt harbours dirty secrets. Tourists have disappeared in mysterious circumstances - only to turn up mutilated or dead. It is a police state in Egypt. It is violent and vindictive and it is abusing a British citizen John Casson Former British ambassador to Egypt A brutal police force deals in bribes and locks people up on bogus charges, including Brit holidaymakers. The ancient-world sites are riddled with canny con artists who know how to wangle money out of tourists. And animals are tortured and worked to death - with some discarded in makeshift graveyards around the back of the pyramids. Egypt's picture-postcard image is being tested, with a former British ambassador to the country recently branding it a "police state". John Casson said the authorities are "violent and vindictive" and urged the government to "deploy the full range of tools it has to protect British citizens". "This includes official travel advice that should caution against travel to Egypt," he said. Egypt's huge new mega resort will have 11 districts with hotels, attractions and UK flights "It is a police state in Egypt. It is violent and vindictive and it is abusing a British citizen." Egypt's dangerous underbelly was dragged into the spotlight last month when a Colombian tourist Ivonne Latorre, 24, was found dying in a coma at the side of a road after going missing from the Zamna electronic music festival in Cairo. She has sustained horrific injuries after crossing paths with men posing as producers - and tragically died five days later in hospital. Nobody knows who mutilated Ivonne , but an investigation has been launched into the beauty queen's mysterious death. I used to love going on holiday there, but I'll never step foot in that country again Tony Camoccio Brit held in Egyptian jail Holidaymakers have also accused the country's police officers of corruption, arresting tourists on bogus charges and offering them a way out with bribes. Tony Camoccio, a 56-year-old Londoner, was arrested and locked up in a terrifying jail for simply patting a security guard on the back. The window business owner was told he was going to be charged with sexual assault and locked up for seven years. He told The Sun: "I was locked in a cage outside for two nights with 80 other people. I was just in a T-shirt and shorts and it was one degrees at night. 18 Ivonne, left, died in hospital five days after being found Credit: Newsflash 18 Tony Camoccio was told he would be banged up for seven years on fabricated sexual assault charges Credit: supplied 18 Camels and other animals are routinely mistreated at key tourist sites Credit: PETA Asia 18 A camel tied up at the pyramids foams at the mouth Credit: PETA Asia "Then they told me to sign a document and said I would be released." But the document Tony signed was not a release paper - he says he'd been tricked into signing a confession written in Arabic. Tony said: "It was all about money. My lawyer was told I could get out if we 'made the policeman happy' - clearly meaning a bribe." But the most shocking thing Tony witnessed was inside the brutal Police Station 1 prison. He said: "You couldn't sleep at night because the guards were beating women and children, making them scream. It was horrible. "Egypt is a dangerous place. Most tourists just stay in their hotels because they know that, but it means they don't see the truth. "I used to love going on holiday there, but I'll never step foot in that country again." Tony was lucky to escape the police's clutches when he was released after just over a week - but not everyone has been so fortunate. An Italian Cambridge University graduate, Giulio Regeni, 28, was tortured to death after being scooped up in 2016 - and Italy blames the Egyptian authorities. His mutilated body was found in a ditch near Cairo nine days after disappearing while on a research trip - and an autopsy revealed he had been subjected to extreme torture. Rome has officially charged four members of Egypt's National Security Agency with his murder and torture, and prosecutors still hope for a trial. 'Tourist exploitation' While only a fraction of tourists have serious run-ins with the police, there are other murky realities about Egypt that almost all will experience. One is the near-constant stream of scams that plague tourists as they navigate the cities and attractions. A popular travel blogger who visited Egypt recently vowed never to return - and even re-booked flights to get out two days early. Antonina, behind the Embrace Someplace blog, said: "The constant 'in your face' deceit was one of the worst parts about visiting Egypt. 18 Guilio Regeni was kidnapped and tortured to death Credit: Refer to Caption 18 Laura Plummer, from Hull, said the Egyptian jail was the most horrific thing she'd ever seen Credit: PA:Press Association "These daily demands for as much money as possible started to get to us because it happened no less than 10 times a day. "Eventually we just stopped leaving the hotel. To put it bluntly, I felt like a walking ATM while visiting Egypt. "It seemed to me that, as a tourist, the objective was to get as much money from me as possible. The level of tourist exploitation is absolutely next level." The Pyramids of Giza - visited by tens of thousands every day - are a hotspot for the scams, particularly as the industry picks up again post-Covid. The problem is so bad it has driven a surge in social media influencers creating "avoid the scams" videos. Men with whistles are documented posing as officials, trying to get tourists to follow them to a spot only to charge an extortionate price for the "service". Others falsely tell visitors they are walking the wrong way - ultimately hoping to charge for pictures taken with the pyramids, according to Sam Mayfair's viral TikTok report. 18 British-Egyptian Alaa Abd el-Fattah is being held illegally in jail Cairo, according to the UN Credit: Reuters 18 Tora maximum security prison, where Alaa was initially held Credit: AFP 18 Laila Soueif's has been on hunger strike for over 250 days to protest the ongoing detention of her son Credit: Alamy But the ongoing case that pushed John Casson to call for a change to UK travel advice is that of a British-Egyptian man who has been locked up there for years, with the UN ruling that he is being held illegally. Alaa Abd el-Fattah was banged up five years ago - and has not been released despite his sentence expiring in September. His mum, Laila Soueif, in London, is on death's door after almost 300 days of hunger strike - and she has vowed not to eat until her son is free. I saw two girls getting tortured with sticks in my cell Laura Plummer locked up in Egypt for over a year James Lynch, working for Alaa's campaign, told The Sun that David Lammy's progress with the Egyptian authorities "risks being too slow for Laila and Alaa, British citizens whose health and lives are at serious risk as a result of their prolonged hunger strikes". Alaa's unfair detention echoes the story of Laura Plummer, a shop worker from Hull, who was locked up over prescription painkillers found in her luggage. The Brit ultimately spent 14 months in horrific conditions. Laura was She was freed in 2019 Laura was moved from Cairo to Hurghada Prison, where she said she "witnessed the most horrendous things", including "two girls getting tortured with sticks". 18 Scars and raw wounds can be seen all along this camel's neck from rope burns Credit: peta asia 18 A horse is whipped after stumbling over in the road Credit: PETA Asia She said: 'What should have been a two-week holiday in the sun turned into a 15-month trip to hell." Left to die Animal abuse is also a problem in the country, an issue brought to light by a harrowing PETA Asia investigation. The animal rights group uncovered the routine abuse of the creatures forced to work at the pyramids and other attractions. Donkeys, horses and camels in particular are worked to death ferrying tourists around in the scorching heat, and often treated cruelly by their handlers. A recent report said that "handlers viciously beat animals who are simply too exhausted to go on". It said: "Screaming camels are viciously beaten with sticks by men and children at the Birqash Camel Market before being sold to the tourism industry. "Sick, injured, or starving horses and camels are often abandoned by carriage operators who treat them like disposable tools." Tour companies have started moving away from offering camel rides after widespread outrage at the findings of successive investigations, but the local operators are pushing back. As if all that isn't enough for tourists to deal with, a surge of fatal shark attacks have terrorised the coast in recent years. A 48-year-old Italian man was There have been at least two more confirmed deaths from shark attacks in the past ten years - and a host of injuries. It's Red Sea coast makes it far more dangerous to swim around than any of the other countries on the Med, as Most visits to Egypt will pass without hitch but, after four years of diplomatic experience in the country, John Casson said the nation must do more to protect Brits, who bring in millions each year. He said: "Egypt cannot have it both ways. It pretends to be a friend and depends on flows of British tourists to keep its economy afloat. "It needs to discover that that kind of partnership is not compatible with abusing our citizens and blocking our embassy from carrying out the most fundamental consular actions on their behalf." 18 Horses eating from a rubbish heap Credit: peta asia 18 PETA Asia found there was a graveyard for dead and dying animals near the pyramids Credit: PETA Asia 18 A camel is tugged by the jaw at a livestock market in Egpyt Credit: PETA Asia
News.com.au
05-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Best bets and inside mail for racing at Kembla on Tuesday
The Daily Telegraph form expert Shayne O'Cass runs his eye over the meeting slated for Kembla Grange on Tuesday. â– â– â– â– â– KEMBLA BEST BETS WITH SHAYNE O'CASS BEST BET Race 2 No. 5: Cathedral Cove Sent out some good signs late here last time at 1200m; 1300m today. NEXT BEST VALUE Race 6 No. 9: Magic Shadow Should have finished closer and higher up the order first-up. DAILY DOUBLE 1st Leg: 3, 2nd Leg 3 QUADDIE Race 4: 1,2,3,5,9 Race 5: 3,9 Race 6: 6,9 Race 7: 3 JOCKEY TO FOLLOW Tyler Schiller has some good rides at Kembla on Tuesday. Pharoah Queen is by US Triple Crown winner American Pharoah out of Tasmanian Oaks winner Causeway Lass and on top of that, a very close relation to Sunlight. Granted, it is always hard to win on debut and harder still on a rain affected track but the trials reflect more talent than they suggest on face value. Monte Veebee has been very costly to follow bearing in mind he was beaten at $1,28 ar Albury last start. Going to get there one day soon. This is just the most perfect race for Elegant Artist, more so if the track improves. Bet: Pharaoh Queen each-way RACE 2 Cathedral Cove was unplaced in his first four starts but comes into this race off two seconds and a third. That third was here at Kembla on April 15 where he came from seventh of 12 at the turn to finish third. He had 59kgs that day in a much better race than this where he drops down to 56kgs and gets an extra 100m to run them down. Easy to like. Washik has been in the best form of her career this preparation. She makes genuine appeal down there on 53.5kgs. Strassman could/should strip fitter for his first-up fifth in 'the Cathedral Cove race'. Bet: Cathedral Cove to win (best bet), trifecta 5 (standout), 1,3.10 (boxed) RACE 3 Livin' Thing wins the prize for best named horse on the day being out of a mare called Electric Light. Think - song. This son of Yes Yes Yes was a hugely impressive debut winner at Hawkesbury back in September last year. ran two decent races after that and spelled. Resumes here off two lovely Randwick trials. Ciaron Maher filly Berezka makes her NSW debut here. Lightly-raced, well-bred type, who has won twice at Caulfield and only four off the winner in the G3 Quezette last prep. Bet: Livin' Thing to win, quinella 5,6 RACE 4 Kervette has only managed two wins in her 21 starts but she has placed nine times. In fact, you would be hard pressed to find many 'bad' runs on her C.V. Interestingly, her second career start was at Warwick Farm where and when she ran fifth to Tom Kitten. No issues with the wet tracks it seems and really powered home, big time, at her Kembla debut last start. Strawberry Impact has a win and a second in his only two runs at this venue. Go well. Bet: Kervette to win, quinella 5,9, box trifecta 1,3,5,9 RACE 5 Superhero is out of Mine Two was fourth to English in a Reisling and also a close relation to G1 winner Spright. Superhero has done some good things in his eight starts. He won his maiden over 1400m which is his 'trip' but first-up today over 1200m on a big track armed with two excellent trials makes him easy to like. Ready To Rocket has the advantage of a recent race run and it was a ripper. Maybe barrier 10 of 10 on a Heavy track is a winning draw? Bet: Superhero to win, quinella 3,9, Daily Double 1st Leg 3, 2nd Leg 3 RACE 6 Magic Shadow was $14/$21/$18 and SP'ed at $19 when resuming recently. Point there is, that's a little whiff of a smoke for the horse when he was first-up at Wyong (wrong track for him) off two really nice, but unhurried trials. The long and the short of it is that he should have finished much higher up the order than he did. It was more than a pass-mark, he was the of Divine Vicky's best form is at Kembla. Straand Beauty, Inside Man are both capable of winning. Bet: Magic Shadow each-way Flying Embers has accepted for Warwick Farm tomorrow Just for the record, the John Thompson trained mare has a very tidy little C.V of two wins and two seconds from her six starts including on April 21 where she was beaten an inch at Canterbury. Not many more consistent horses racing today than Presides who has only missed out on a medal once in nine starts. Trained here and, like most Lonhro's, he has no issue whatsoever on Heavy tracks. All Black really wasn't anywhere near as bad as ninth of 11 would suggest.
NBC Sports
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC Sports
Espinoza recalls nerves of 2015 Triple Crown run
Jockey Victor Espinoza rewatches footage of American Pharoah's Triple Crown run for the first time in years, where he gets "goosebumps" reflecting on the pressure of each race before dusting off his trophy.
NBC Sports
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC Sports
American Pharoah possesses a 'joy of life'
In honor of American Pharoah's 10-year anniversary of the Triple Crown, take a look at where the iconic horse lives now - and the people who come from far and wide to see him.
