LEGISLATION WATCH- Labor Act receives House committee approval: The House Manpower Committee has approved the long-languishing Labor Act, and will refer it to the general assembly for discussion and a final vote, committee head Gibali El-Maraghi said, according to Ahram Online. The act was put up for public consultations two years ago, El-Maraghi said, but it is unclear whether these drawn out consultations translated into any changes in the draft legislation. The bill would, if passed, establish specialized courts to handle labor-related cases, and could make changes to maternity leave and working hours for women.