[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.]
Political Rights
Sisi approves NGO law over 6 months after it receives Parliament’s approval Egypt’s contentious NGO law was approved by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and published in the Official Gazette on Monday. The law will go into effect on Tuesday, 30 May, over six months after it was approved by Parliament in November 2016.
US senators, Amnesty criticise Egypt’s recently approved NGO law US Republican Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham criticized the recent approval of Egypt’s contentious NGO law, deeming it “draconian legislation” that seeks to regulate the work of nongovernmental organizations, in a statement on Wednesday.
Blocked websites to hold press conference Wednesday, file complaint with prosecutor Thursday A number of representatives from websites blocked by the Egyptian government last week will file a joint complaint with the prosecutor general on Thursday to demand the blocks are removed.
Representatives of blocked websites announce intent to pursue legal measures Representatives from a number of websites recently blocked by the Egyptian government announced that they plan to pursue legal measures against the blocks during a press conference held at the Journalists Syndicate on Wednesday. Syndicate members and some oppositional parliamentarians were also in attendance.
Egypt’s National Press Authority announces new leadership of state-owned newspapers The head of Egypt’s newly formed National Press Authority, Karam Gabr, announced new leadership appointments in state-owned newspapers at a press conference on Wednesday.
Prosecutors question chief editor of Al-Gomhurriya Fahmy Enaba, TV anchor Wael al-Ibrashy The editor-in-chief of Egypt’s Al-Gomhurriya newspaper, Fahmy Enaba, was interrogated on Monday and subsequently released without bail, after the state-run newspaper published an article authorities deemed insulting of the judiciary.
Egypt’s media regulator monitors Ramadan TV, journalist Ibrahim Eissa Egypt’s Supreme Media Regulatory Council announced a number of measures for monitoring Egyptian media, filing a complaint against journalist Ibrahim Eissa and monitoring the content of Ramadan television series.
Ahmed Naji’s lawyers await details of his acquittal and retrial date On 21 May, writer Ahmed Naji won an appeal against a two-year prison sentence — 300 days of which he had already served — for “violating public modesty” with a chapter of his novel Istikhdam al-Haya. But he now has the weight of a retrial — at an unspecified date and under an unspecified judge — hanging over him.
Cairo court postpones trial of Egyptian rights lawyer Khaled Ali to 3 July A Cairo misdemeanor court has postponed to 3 July the first session in the trial of prominent rights lawyer and former presidential candidate Khaled Ali, who is facing charges of "offending public decency."
Court adjourns lawsuit demanding Aqrab prison shutdown to June 15 The commissioners for the State Council’s Administrative Court adjourned on Thursday a lawsuit demanding the shutdown of the heavy-guarded al-Aqrab prison to 15 June.
51 accused in Rabea operations room case placed on terror list despite 21 having received acquittals Eight months after the initial ruling was passed, fifty-one individuals said to be associated with the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group were officially placed on Egypt’s terror list for a three-year period on Saturday. All were accused in the Rabea operations room case, and twenty-one of them were acquitted of terror charges earlier in May.
A day in Deir al-Garnous: Christian families mourn in Minya The women of Deir al-Garnous village in Minya march solemnly from their homes dressed in black. Seven residents of the village were among those killed on their way to St. Samuel Monastery last Friday.
Despite strict measures, Arabic exam leaked on first day of Egypt`s Thanaweya Amma examinations Egypt`s high-school final examinations were hit by an attempt at online cheating on Sunday, just ninety minutes into the first examination, with a version of the Arabic exam paper leaked on social media.
Education Ministry arrests student who leaked exam in al-Arish The Education Ministry has arrested the student responsible for leaking this morning’s Arabic language exam one hour after it began, ministry official Reda Hegazy announced.
Economy
Protesting Tourah Cement Company workers’ trial adjourned until June 3 The trial of thirty-two Tourah Cement Company workers was adjourned until 3 June after police personnel failed to transport the defendants to the courtroom for the session on Sunday. According to reports four of the workers were hospitalized while in custody.
Court issues 3 year sentences for protesting Tourah Cement Company workers Thirty-two Tourah Cement Company workers were sentenced to three years in prison by the Maadi Misdemeanors Court on Sunday. They were arrested after security forces broke up a sit-in at the company in May.
Egypt`s Sisi ratifies new investment law Egyptian president Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi ratified a long-awaited investment law that grants investors a number of incentives including tax breaks.
Egypt aims to cut fuel imports to 10 percent of consumption by 2019 Egypt is looking to ramp up petroleum production over the next two years, aiming to reduce fuel imports to about ten percent of total consumption from thirty percent currently, media quoted Oil Minister Tarek al Molla as saying.
Foreign Relations
Egypt renews call for global counter-terrorism effort in wake of London attacks Egypt has called for concerted international efforts to fight terrorist organizations and weaken their sources of support in the wake of Saturday`s attacks in London that killed at least seven people and injured forty-eight.
Egypt says embassy building `significantly` damaged in Kabul blast, strongly condemns attack Egypt condemned “in the strongest terms” an attack in Kabul on Wednesday that killed at least 80 people when a massive truck bomb ripped through the city`s diplomatic quarter. Cairo said the exterior of the Egyptian Embassy building was also damaged.
Egypt`s army chief-of-staff discusses military cooperation with NATO commander: Military Egypt`s army chief-of-staff Mahmoud Hegazy discussed military cooperation on Wednesday with NATO`s Supreme Allied Commander for Transformation General Denis Mercier in Cairo, the Egyptian military said in a statement.
Egypt`s foreign minister meets with parliamentary delegation ahead of US visit Egypt`s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry received on Sunday a delegation from parliament’s Foreign Relations Committee ahead of its upcoming visit to the United States within the next few days.
Egypt’s airstrikes on Libyan terrorist targets are ongoing: Military spokesman The Egyptian military’s operations against terrorist camps in Libya are ongoing, said a military spokesman on Monday evening, following media reports of a second wave of strikes on terrorist targets in the eastern Libyan city of Derna.
Egyptian, Sudanese foreign ministers to meet in Cairo on Saturday Egypt`s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry will receive his Sudanese counterpart Ibrahim Ghandour in Cairo on Saturday.
Government official: Sudan rejects Egypt’s Halayeb Triangle offer According to a government source Sudan has rejected an official offer from Egypt to apply the terms of the inactivated Four Freedoms Agreement, signed by Egypt and Sudan in 2004, to the contested Halayeb Triangle and an area of equivalent size inside Sudan.
Hamas delegation visiting Cairo for talks with Egyptian officials A delegation from the Palestinian movement Hamas headed to Cairo on Sunday to for talks with Egyptian officials.
Domestic Security
Four army personnel killed during anti-terrorist campaign in Egypt`s Western Desert: Army Three army officers and a soldier were killed on Wednesday during an army operation against militants in the Western Desert`s Bahariya Oasis, the military said.
Arabic
أجندة القضايا السياسية في مصر The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information publishes political trials calendar for June.
لا_لغلق_مكتبات_الكرامة Authorities shut down Karama public libraries founded by human rights lawyer Gamal Eid in without a judicial order.
محدثة بالمواقع المحجوبة في مصر تكشف كذب مزاعم السلطات المصرية An updated list of blocked websites in Egypt reveals Egyptian authorities` false allegations.
إعدام المجتمع المدني: كل ما نعرفه عن قانون الجمعيات الأهلية President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi approved controversial NGOs law, striking a severe blow to Egypt’s civil society.
أهمية حرية المعلومات في مواجهة الإرهاب Khaled Fahmy discusses the importance of freedom of information in the war on terrorism.
الصحة»: تطبيق «التتبع الدوائى» يونيو 2018« The Central Administration of Pharmaceutical Affairs of the Health Ministry announced that it will implement the medical tracking system starting June 2018.
في مؤتمر بـ«الصحفيين»: ممثلو المواقع المحجوبة يعلنون تصعيدًا قانونيًا Representatives of a number of blocked Egyptian websites launched legal action against authorities, denouncing the unjustified blocking of their websites.
رسميا.. 486 شخصا على قوائم الإرهاب 486 people were included on terrorists list, according to the Official Gazette.
هل يمرر البرلمان «تيران وصنافير» خلال شهر رمضان؟ Pundits suggest that the parliament may be planning to pass Tiran and Sanafir demarcation agreement during Ramadan after referring it to the legislative and constitutional committee.
حرية الإعلام في مصر.. أفق للإصلاح The Egyptian Center for Public Policy Studies report discusses freedom of media in Egypt over the past two years.
بيان من هيئة مكتب نقابة الصحفيين بشأن حجب المواقع الإخبارية Journalists` Syndicate issues a statement on the blocking of Egyptian websites.
»القاهرة لمجلس الأمن: عملياتنا في ليبيا «دفاع عن النف Egypt plans to continue air strikes against targets in Libya, in response to the Minya attack that killed twenty-nine Egyptian Copts last Friday.
تحيا مصر .. في "كراتين" التصحر الغذائي Food desertification has been increasing rapidly in Egypt due to high prices affecting poor families with limited access to healthy and affordable food.
تحركات نيابية لرفض اتفاقية تيران وصنافير فى البرلمان A number of members of the House of Representatives are collecting signatures to oppose the maritime demarcation agreement between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, parliamentary source reveals.
مصر: أحزاب وحركات تدعم خالد علي للرئاسة Political groups and leaders announce their support to Khalid Ali’s presidential bid.
ليبيا الحاضنة لدواعش مصر (1ــ2).. تحقيقات «داعش مطروح» تكشف مسارات تهريب وتدريب الإرهابيين Investigations unfold smuggling routes and movements of terrorist elements crossing into Egypt from Libya.
تقييد الإضراب السلمى فى قانون العمل الجديد يثير انتقادات برلمانية A number of trade unionists have sharply criticized government sponsored labor bill for imposing restrictions on labor rights.
بإجماع آراء الأعضاء..اللجنة التشريعية ترفض مشروع قانون لخفض سن تقاعد القضاة الى 64 عاما The Legislative and Constitutional Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives rejects a bill reducing retirement age of judges from seventy to sixty-four years.
تغييرات في إدارات تحرير الصحف المصرية The National Press Authority named new heads for the boards of directors of Egyptian press institutions as well as newspapers editors.
أرشيف القهر في مايو 2017 The Nadeem Center for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence and Torture publishes a detailed report on 292 human rights violations by the security apparatus during May.
«مصر مش للبيع» تدعو المواطنين للتوقيع على «إستمارة شعبية» تطالب نواب البرلمان بعدم التنازل عن «تيران وصنافير» “Egypt not for sale” campaign announces effort to collect signatures from Egyptian citizens on a petition demanding deputies to vote against the transfer of Tiran and Sanafir islands to Saudi Arabia.