[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on Egypt and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the Egypt Page Editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each week`s roundup to egypt@jadaliyya.com by Sunday night of every week.]
Regional and International Relations
Over 32,800 Egyptians Return from Libya through Border Crossing-Security Official
32,800 Egyptians crossed the Saloum border since mid-February evacuations from Libya.
Egypt to Nominate Aboul-Gheit for Arab League Top Post: Newspaper
Ahram Online reports “Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, former Egyptian foreign minister, is thought to have support for the position from Gulf States due to his stance on terrorism and Iran.”
Sudan President Hails Egypt Ties ahead of Signing Major Nile Deal
Ayat al-Tawy writes, “President Omar Bashir says Sudan’s ties with Egypt are in their best form ahead of a decisive deal the two states will sign with Ethiopia on the Renaissance Dam and Nile waters.”
Security
Two Killed while Planting Explosive Device in Sharqiya – State Agency
Aswat Masriya reports.
Forty-Five ‘Terrorists’ Killed during Past Week in Sinai: Egypt Army
Ahram Online reports, “Militants killed during army raids in North Sinai`s Rafah, Al-Arish and Sheikh Zuweid, army says.”
Economy
A Russian Role in Egypt`s Twelve Billion Dollars BP Deal
Rachel Williamson reflects on the underlying political and economic motivations behind Russia’s role in the natural gas deal with Egypt.
After A Law Liberalizing the Electricity Sector, Egypt Scores Major Investments at Summit
Isabel Esterman reflects on the ramifications of opening up the energy sector for foreign investments. The sector has received the largest share of investments at the Economic Conference.
Solar Electricity: Contributing to Grid Stability
Ahmed Nada writes on the effectiveness of generating energy from solar power.
World Bank Set to Loan Egypt 500 Million Dollars for Housing Project
Ahram Online reports.
Q&A with Sri Mulyani Indrawati, World Bank Managing Director
Isabel Esterman and Amira Salah-Ahmed interview Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Work Bank managing director, who offers her thoughts on the Economic Conference, Egypt’s economic reforms, and how Egypt can learn from Indonesia’s economic experiences.
Q&A with Dan Ringelstein of SOM, The Urban Designers behind The Capital Cairo Project
Amira Salah-Ahmed interviews director of urban planning and design, Dan Ringelstein. This article is also published in Arabic.
What Was Pledged at Egypt`s Investment Conference?
EgyptSource compiles and categorizes investment pledges made at the Economic Conference.
Human Rights and Legal Institution
Twenty-Three Brotherhood Members Sentenced to Life in Prison by Egypt Court
Tanta’s Criminal Court sentences twenty-three Muslim Brotherhood supporters to prison for life, for acts of violence committed since 2013.
Egypt Court Upholds Verdict against Preacher Convicted of Tearing Bible
The Court of Cassations upheld the five-year prison sentence against Salafi preacher Ahmed Abdullah for tearing up a copy of the bible during a protest in 2012.
Zamalek Chairman Mortada Mansour Sentenced to One Year in Prison
The one-year sentence is for insulting a lawyer for the Ultras football supporters on television.
Police Birdshot Killed Activist al-Shabagh because `She Was Too Thin`: Egypt Forensic Spokesman
Ahram Online reports on a forensic medicine spokesman’s claims that police birdshot killed al-Sabbagh because her body was too thin to stop the shot from hitting her heart and lungs.
Egypt Accepts Most UN Recommendations to Improve Human Rights, But Groups Say Violations Worsening
Mada Masr reports.
Helwan Steel Workers Launch Hunger Strikes and Protests over Punitive Relocation
Four workers claim to have been relocated punitively to limestone mining in Samlout, Minya, after protesting.
Habib al-Adly Not Released Yet
After former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly’s fourth acquittal, his release procedures are not yet finalized, his lawyer says. Click here to read Mada Masr’s report on Adly’s acquittal.
Reports and Opinions
Making the Exception the Rule
Amr Hamzawy reflects on the ineffectiveness of the law under the current authorities in Egypt.
Islam’s Improbable Reformer
The Wall Street Journal interviews President Abd al-Fattah al-Sisi, who says relations between the United States and Egypt are strong.
Re-Assembling the Social at the Cairo Institute of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Maddison Sawle writes on the operationalization of the Cairo Institute of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Egypt Ministry of Religious Endowments Places All Islamic Centers under Its Authority
“The move comes as part of a series of measures by the state to control unofficial religion in order to stop spread of radical and extremist ideas,” Ahram Online reports.
Egypt: Scattered Thoughts on a Counter-Revolutionary Moment
Mona Abaza writes, “The euphoric, Bakhtinian, carnivalesque and dramaturgical moment of January 2011, which caught the attention of numerous observers and which lasted for almost four years, seems to have withered away.”
Tackling Egypt’s Gender-Based Violence with Crowdsourcing
Amel Fahmy questions the effectiveness of crowdsourcing in helping NGOs tackle gender-based violence.
Contesting Traditions and Poverty: Sohag Women’s Struggle
The Ministry of Health and United Nations Populations Fund organized a three-day awareness campaign in Sohag to encourage women to have better knowledge of family planning.
The March of Women: Here and There, Then and Now
Sally Toma compares women’s movements in Latin American and Egypt in light of social and political upheavals that took place in the 1970s in Latin American countries and Egypt four years ago.
Arabic
بدو جنوب سيناء كلمة السرّ في نجاح المؤتمر الاقتصاديّ بمصر
Al-Monitor Correspondent in Sinai writes, “The economic conference held in Sharm el-Sheikh surprisingly went ahead with no security incidents, as some Sinai residents say that the Egyptian security forces imposed strict measures to prevent any armed attack.” This article is published in English.
القاهرة: مؤامرة عالميّة وراء اختفاء القطن المصريّ
Walaa Hussain writes, “Amid arguments chalking it up to global conspiracies and others to poor government management, Egypt’s cotton industry is on the decline, further crippling the country’s textile industry.” This article is published in English.
منظمات حقوقية تستنكر إحالة 41 قاضيًا للمعاش بسبب آرائهم
The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights condemns the forced retirement of forty-one judges for expressing dissenting opinions. The statement is published in English.
فى اختبار العدالة
Fahmy Huwaidy analyzes the procedures followed in investigating Shaimaa’ al-Sabbagh’s murder.
مصادر: الملك سلمان يترأس وفد السعودية في القمة العربية بشرم الشيخ
Reports claim Saudi Arabia’s King Salman is expected to head the Saudi delegation to Sharm al-Sheikh on 28 and 29 March for the Egypt-Saudi summit.
وزير الري الأسبق: التقارير الواردة من السودان بشأن أزمة سد النهضة غير مطمئنة
Egypt’s Former Minister of Irrigation urged President al-Sisi to head to Ethiopia to resolve the Renaissance Dam issue as reports released from Sudan on this issue are concerning.
البرلس: بحيرة يسرقها التلوث والإهمال
Nada Arafat writes on the environmental neglect of Lake Borolos which lies in the north of the Egyptian Delta, and how pollution impacts fishermen living by the lake. This article is published in English.
هل يؤثّر غياب البرلمان على المؤتمر الإقتصاديّ في مصر
Enas Hamed writes, “Economists say that the delayed Egyptian parliamentary elections might discourage foreign investors, whose first consideration is stability in Egypt.” This article is published in English.
Articles on Jadaliyya Egypt
Kareem Lotfy and Andeel: New Folder (2)
Medar TV reports on Egyptian artist Kareem Lotfy and Andeel’s exhibition.
الإنتاج الموسيقي المستقل والبديل في العالم العربي. محادثة ل"الوضع" بين هدى عصفور، خيام اللامي و كندة حسن
Status Audio Journal Hosts’ Page releases a conversation between Huda Osfour, Kiyam al-Lamy, and Kinda Hassan.