Egypt bans four 'sexually suggestive' Ramadan TV spots

"Racy" adverts have been banned from Egyptian TV during the holy month of Ramadan, as TV ratings hit their highest around the Arab world.

Cairo's Consumer Protection Agency [CPA] said that the four "sexually suggestive" ads would be pulled off the air because they "violate community traditions and public tastes".

The CPA also warned that if the companies failed to comply they would be hit with sanctions.

"The ads contain content of an obvious sexual nature that goes against personal dignity and is disrespectful to public tastes and societal norms," CPA head Atef Yaqoub told local media.

The first suspended spot features three toddlers discussing their love for milk and how they miss their mothers', while referring to the breast as "the dondoo" - a made up baby gibberish word.

According to Yaqoub, the commercial uses "sexual innuendo" and promotes the idea that store-bought milk is better than breast milk. Anti-sexual harassment activists have also said the ad has added a new word to the lexicon of cat-callers.

The second banned spot markets a popular non-alcoholic beer, showing a curious man in a public toilet inspecting the private parts of another urinal-user before realising he has been caught in the act.

A creepy sexist underwear advert, meanwhile, was pulled because the male voice-over mouths "ohhhh" as women in yoga-pants squat while exercising.

Another advert was suspended over a brief shot of a woman wearing underwear.

The CPA also said the advert encouraged marital infidelity, as the ad's protagonist says she would rather her husband cheat on her than he buy pants for her from another brand.

During Ramadan, which has become a special season for television entertainment, advertisers vie with one another to produce catchy campaigns - with prices for minute-long advertisement spots stretching to thousands of dollars.