[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
Writer Ahmed Naji prevented from leaving Egypt Writer Ahmed Naji was prevented from leaving Egypt early on Thursday morning. On attempting to fly out of Cairo International Airport, he was informed that he is still banned from travel, based on a decision issued by the public prosecutor’s office.
Censorship Board bans songs from Cairokee’s new album Egyptian band Cairokee has announced that four songs from its upcoming album have not been approved by Egypt’s Censorship Board. In a Sunday statement on its Facebook page, the band wrote that the album will not be commercially released in its full form given the board’s decision.
Lawyer detained 3 weeks after prosecution ordered release resurfaces Detained lawyer Tarek Hussein, whom Egypt’s prosecution issued a release order for three weeks ago, resurfaced on Sunday, after his whereabouts were unknown for the last week.
The persistence of the death penalty in Egypt: why courts insist on ‘an eye for an eye’ Given the rise of death sentences issued by Egyptian courts over the past four years – typically for members of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group and criminals proven to have perpetrated offensive crimes – many politicians and both local and international human rights organizations have echoed the necessity to suspend the death penalty in Egypt, and replace it with a life imprisonment sentence.
Death sentences upheld in Rabea sit-in cases An Alexandria court upheld sentences against sixty-two defendants, including two death penalties, and acquitted three others on Tuesday in a case related to a series of incidents following the dispersal of the Rabea al-Adaweya sit-in in August, 2013.
Egyptian terrorism court upholds 5-year sentences for 2 Red Sea island protesters A northern Giza Special Terrorism Circuit Court has upheld on Saturday a five-year jail sentence for two defendants convicted of protesting against an Egyptian-Saudi maritime border demarcation deal.
Economy
Cairo metro ticket prices to double by last quarter of 2018: Transport minister Egypt`s Minister of Transportation Hesham Arafat said in an interview with Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper on Sunday that ticket prices for Cairo’s metro system are expected to see a gradual increase reaching up to four LE by the last quarter of 2018.
Following two waves of fuel hikes, Egypt’s middle-class succumb to austerity Egypt announced last week that eighty octane petrol and diesel will sell for 3.65 LE a liter, up from 2.35 LE, while ninety-two octane petrol rose from 3.5 LE to 5 LE.
Number of tourists in May up by 32.9 percent: CAPMAS The number of tourists that visited Egypt in May increased by 32.9 percent compared to last year, the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics reported on Monday.
Foreign Relations
International condemnations follow attack on Egyptian army in North Sinai A number of foreign ministries have issued statements condemning a militant attack in North Sinai on Friday that killed or injured twenty-six Egyptian soldiers.
UAE transfers internet surveillance system bought from French company to Egypt: Télérama The United Arab Emirates transferred a ten-million-euro surveillance system to Egypt that the country had purchased from the French company Amesys in March 2014, according to an article published in the French magazine Télérama on Wednesday.
Uyghur students arrested in Egypt to be deported after request by China, say colleagues Egyptian police have arrested dozens of Uyghur students in Cairo and Alexandria over hat he last week, amid the government’s plan to deport them to China, where the students believe that they will be arrested by state authorities on accusations of belonging to terrorist groups.
Egypt to provide evidence on countries that support terrorism in anti-Daesh coalition meetings: Ministry Egypt`s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Ahmed Abu-Zaid has said that Cairo is willing to provide more evidence on the support of certain countries for terrorism, stressing that the international community should bear its responsibilities and abandon the policy of "denial and compromises."
Egypt welcomes `eradication` of terrorism, extremism in Libya`s Benghazi Egypt welcomed Saturday a “purge of terrorist and extremist organizations” from Libya’s Benghazi after Libyan National Army chief Khalifa Haftar declared victory Wednesday.
Egypt’s foreign ministry says following up on bodies of Egyptians found in Libyan desert Cairo is investigating the deaths of Egyptians found in the Libyan desert and believed to have died during an illegal attempt to migrate to Libya, a statement from the foreign ministry read on Saturday.
Egypt’s Shoukry, Palestinian Authority`s Abbas discuss latest efforts to revive peace process Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry discussed in a Cairo meeting late Saturday with Palestinian Authority Leader Mahmoud Abbas the latest news regarding the peace process, a statement from the ministry statement read.
Egypt’s Sisi, Palestine’s Abbas discuss latest efforts to revive Palestinian-Israeli peace talks Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi discussed on Sunday in Cairo with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas the latest efforts to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Hamas leader Haniya hails `new page` in relations with Egypt In his first speech since being elected head of Hamas` political bureau, the group`s leader Ismail Haniya hailed what he described as a "new page" in relations between Hamas and Egypt.
Upstream politics: Egypt’s play for control over Nile present and future at Uganda summit While Egypt submitted a proposal to formalize filling the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance dam reservoir over five years, Foreign Ministry sources detail attempts at a longer bid for control over the process
Saudi Arabia supports Egypt`s request to host Arab-European summit in 2018 Saudi Arabia supports a request by Egypt to host the upcoming Arab-European summit, expected to be held during the first quarter of 2018.
Egypt`s Sisi dicusses regional developments with US congressmen in Cairo Egypt`s President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi discussed with a US congressional delegation on Wednesday in Cairo the latest developments in the Middle East region, the Egyptian presidency announced.
`Constructive negotiation` needed in row with Qatar, Trump tells Sisi US President Donald Trump stressed to Egypt`s President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi in a phone call on Wednesday the need for “constructive negotiation” between Qatar and its Arab neighbors, the White House said.
Egypt, Gulf countries say Qatar displaying `lack of seriousness` in response to their demands Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain said in a joint statement on Wednesday that Qatar has displayed "complacency and a lack of seriousness" in response to the four countries’ demands that Qatar stop backing terrorism and interfering in the affairs of neighboring countries.
Domestic Security
2 retired officers and conscript killed in Giza shooting; Province of Sinai claims 3 attacks in Arish Two retired military officers and a military conscript were killed at a toll station on the International Regional Highway in the Giza governorate city of Ayyat on Wednesday, the Armed Forces spokesperson said in a statement.
3 allegedly killed in Western Desert airstrike One engineer and two workers were reportedly killed in an airstrike in the Bahariya Oasis in the Western Desert on Wednesday, according to residents. It remains unclear who carried out the alleged airstrike.
Update: IS claims responsibility for North Sinai large-scale attack that killed at least 23 Armed Forces soldiers The militant group Islamic State claimed responsibility late Friday night for the attack launched earlier in the day on a checkpoint near the North Sinai city of Rafah, in which at least twenty-three Egyptian soldiers were killed.
26 army personnel killed or wounded, 40 militants killed in North Sinai: Egypt military The Egyptian military said on Friday that twenty-six army personnel were killed or injured by car bombs targeting a security checkpoint near Rafah in North Sinai, and that the army had killed forty militants in the attacks.
2 Hassm members killed in shootout with police in Cairo: Interior Ministry Two members of the militant group Hassm were killed in a shootout with security forces on the outskirts of Greater Cairo, according to an Interior Ministry statement on Saturday.
14 militants killed in shootout with police in Ismailia, near Sinai: Interior Ministry Security forces reportedly killed fourteen militants in a shootout as they raided a training camp in Ismailia governorate near Sinai, the Interior Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
2 policemen killed, 9 injured in North Sinai road explosion: Interior Ministry Two policemen from Egypt’s Central Security Forces were killed and nine others were injured in a road-side explosion in North Sinai’s Arish City, the Interior Ministry reported in a statement on Saturday night.
From Jadaliyya Egypt
أيام بلا تاريخ: الجزء الثاني In part two of his examination of Egypt’s murky political prospects, Ibrahim Mahfouz considers the dialectic between different political time periods.
Arabic
عودة الحسبة.. عن تدخل «الأعلى للإعلام» في دراما رمضان The Supreme Council for Media flexes its power by controlling the content of TV dramas, imposing fines and suspending licenses.
البرلمان المصري يلغي إشراف القضاء على الانتخابات Despite rejection from forty MPs, the parliament approved a bill that nullifies judicial supervision on elections starting in 2024.
لضعف تأثيره على التضخم.. توقعات بتثبيت «المركزي» سعر الفائدة اليوم Egypt’s Central Bank will fix interest rate on deposits and loans despite inflation, economists explain.
خريجو البرنامج الرئاسي: كيف يخلق النظام نخبته الشبابية؟ The presidential leadership program aims to form a pro-regime youth elite by integrating program graduates into the government institutions.
)لا انتخابات محلية في ولاية السيسي (الأولى Parliament has not passed the law of local administration, sparking wide criticism over the regulation of local elections which did not set how governors would be elected.
لماذا لا تجدّد المعارضة المصرية نفسها؟ Egypt`s political opposition is stagnating, amid the country’s growing repressive climate.
أزمة برلمانية بعد مشاركة نواب في مؤتمر للمعارضة الإيرانية Five MPs were referred to parliamentary Committee on Ethics because of their participation in the annual Iranian opposition conference in France.
مصير «داعش مصر» بعد الموصل: ثلاثة مسارات محتملة Analysts discuss how local and small organizations and other Salafist jihadist elements may merge with "Ansar Bait Al-Maqds" to form a new militant organization in Egypt following the collapse of ISIS.
الأعلى لتنظيم الإعلام»: مشروع قانون لتداول المعلومات خلال شهر« The Supreme Council for the Administration of Media announced that it submitted a bill on freedom of information to the Council of Ministers and the House of Representatives to be approved within a month.
النواب» يقر نهائيا مشروع قانون ينظم قواعد وإجراءات التصرف في أملاك الدولة الخاصة« The parliament approved in its plenary session a bill which defines legal regulation of state property.
البحر الأحمر» تبحث بدء إنشاء «محاكم حلايب» لتأكيد سيادة مصر« Halayeb Courts complex will be established after a delay of more than a year, the Red Sea governor announced in a coordination meeting.
)تفاصيل هجوم العياط الإرهابي (القصة الكاملة The article covers in details the Ayyat terrorist attack targeting Egypt’s security forces on Wednesday.
خبراء عن مد الطوارئ: هدفها القمع.. وآخرون: لمواجهة أهل الشر The decision to extend the state of emergency throughout Egypt for another three months was met with heavy criticism, considering that the aim is to silence the opposition.
برامج تدريب أئمة الأوقاف.. كثير من التلقين قليل من التأثير The training programs of future imams and chaplains launched by the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Research complex need to be based on interactive learning instead of dictating.
"الاستقالة من البرلمان.. وسيلة النواب للضغط على "عبد العال MPs use resignation as a negotiating tool to put a pressure on parliament’s speaker Ali Abdel Aal.
الكهرباء: رفع الدعم عن أسعار الشرائح خلال 5 سنوات The government will lift subsidies on electricity in five years, the Minister of Electricity and Renewable energy announced.
استراتيجيات تبناها الأزهر لإعادة تأهيل المتطرفين العائدين لبلادهم5 Al-Azhar announced the adoption of five effective strategies to rehabilitate extremists who return to Egypt.
لهذه الأسباب العنف أصبح مألوفا بشوارع المصريين Experts assert that the slow justice procedures and social insecurity led to the increasing spread of violence in Egypt.
برعاية السلطة وتقاعس النقابة.. تشريد الصحفيين بعد حجب المواقع Journalists face risk of losing their job in the aftermath of blocking news websites, blaming the press syndicate for not taking action to protect them.
صراع بين «الصحة» وشركات الدواء بسبب زيادة الأسعار Egypt’s medicine companies voice their rage following the Health Minister decision to not increase medicine prices in August.
مصر 1095».. أكذوبة لتجميل وجه النظام« The governmental “Egypt 1095” media campaign was launched to maintain the regime’s image during the past three-year economic reform and fight against corruption.
مصر تستطيع بالتاء المربوطة».. نخبوي ولا يمثل الكادحات« The state-led initiative to empower women does not address Egypt’s poor women issues, feminists criticize.
ذوو الإعاقة يدفعون فاتورة "الإصلاح" الاقتصادي مضاعفة Activists call attention to the critical situation of people with special needs and disabilities who suffer the most from the government’s economic reform measures.
مسلسلات رمضان في عام المرأة Egyptian drama during Ramadan 2017 maintained a distorted image of women, human rights centers and oversight bodies explain.
جمهورية الثالث من يوليو.. حراك شعبي إلى الخلف The popular opposition movement has been muzzled by the regime, losing its impact in Egyptian politics.
قاضي «فض رابعة»: سنفرج عن 3 متهمين في القضية بسبب سوء حالتهم الصحية بضمان محل إقامتهم Cairo Criminal Court ordered the release of three prisoners detained over Rabaa massacre case because of their deteriorated health conditions.
مصر تحيل 41 بشخصا ينهم أطباء للمحاكمة بتهمة الاتجار بالأعضاء The General Prosecutor referred forty-one doctors and nurses accused of human trafficking and illegal organ transplantation to Criminal Court
"مصر.. الاعدام لـ شخصين أدينا بـ"ارتكاب أعمال عنف The Supreme Appeals Court upheld death sentence for two defendants over violent incidents in Alexandria in 2013, a judicial source revealed on Monday.
الإدارية العليا : من حق المحتجزين بأقسام الشرطة إجراء مكالمة مجانية The Supreme Administrative Court granted prisoners with constitutional right to make free phone call.
مخبرون!" هؤلاء يخشى المصريون الحديث معهم في السياسة" Egyptian citizens refrain from expressing their political opinion for fear of government informants.