[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
Egyptian activist Ahmed Douma sentenced to 15 years on 2011 violence charges
Egypt's criminal court sentenced on Wednesday activist Ahmed Douma to fifteen years in prison in addition to a fine of six million Egyptian pounds in a retrial on violence charges dating back to 2011.
Suspension reduced for Mansoura University student who appeared in 'hug video'
Egypt's Minister of Higher Education Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar decided on Tuesday to reduce the punishment of a male student who appeared in a viral video hugging a female friend on campus.
Zamalek president banned from media appearances for 2 months
Egypt's Supreme Media Council decided on Tuesday to ban Zamalek Sports Club chairman Mortada Mansour from making media appearances for two months, with the exception of appearances in his capacity as a member of the parliament.
Egypt court orders release of woman jailed over torture claims in BBC report
An Egyptian woman who made headlines during a controversial 2018 interview with the BBC, where she claimed that her daughter had been tortured and disappeared by security services, has been released under probationary measures
Egypt's president issues decree regulating travel of senior officials on state business
President Abdel-Fattah El Sisi has issued a decree regulating the travel of senior state officials for official missions abroad.
Egypt parliament to vote Sunday on new measures combating monopolies, high prices
Egypt’s parliament is scheduled to discuss and vote on laws related to a number of issues next week, including new measures aiming to fight monopolistic practices and other issues that affect the price of consumer goods.
An overhaul of Egypt's NGOs law
Two rounds of national dialogue on amending Egypt’s controversial NGOs law were held last week. Minister of Social Solidarity Ghada Wali told the media on 5 January that a third round is expected in the coming period.
The article roams through the history of papal seat movements, from Alexandria to the New Administrative Capital.
Egypt: A new constitutional roadmap
The article discusses the debate over proposed constitutional amendments in Egypt.
Egypt parliament has not received request to amend constitution: House spokesman
Egypt's House of Representatives spokesperson said Thursday that parliament has not received any official requests to amend the constitution.
Brotherhood leader Badie acquitted for first time in murder case
A Giza criminal court has acquitted leader of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood Mohamed Badie and seven others in a retrial over 2013 violence, the first time the group's leader and associates have been acquitted in a series of trials.
Mubarak agriculture minister Wali to stand trial on 20 April in corruption case
The Cairo Court of Appeals has set 20 April as the date for the trial of former minister of agriculture Youssef Wali and five others for corruption involving land allocation.
Exclusion, intimidation, and suppression at Egypt’s 2018 student union elections
Student leaders and analysts say that barring students from union elections is part of a wider effort by state authorities and university administrators to not only suppress political activism on campuses but also rein in any student attempts to instigate reform or combat university corruption.
Lawyers: State Security Prosecution will stop receiving remand detention appeals until February
Detainees that want to appeal their remand detention will have to wait until the beginning of February, as Egypt’s Supreme State Security Prosecution will stop receiving requests for appeals amid a heightened security atmosphere.
Families of detained Egyptian-German nationals deny Islamic State affiliations
The parents of two German-Egyptian nationals detained in Egypt in recent weeks have denied any links between their sons and militant groups operating in North Sinai.
Curfew announced in some North Sinai areas
Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli issued a decree imposing a curfew starting Tuesday in some areas of North Sinai for a period of three months, in accordance with Presidential Decree No. 17 of 2019 on extending the state of emergency.
Foreign Policy
Egyptian FM hands over G77 chairmanship to Palestine
Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry is attending on Tuesday in New York the Group 77 (G77) ceremony to mark the handover of the group’s chairmanship from Egypt to Palestine, Shoukry’s spokesperson Ahmed Hafez tweeted.
Egypt's Shoukry discusses Mideast peace with UN head in New York
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry discussed peace efforts in the Middle East and the fight against terrorism with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York on Tuesday, the foreign ministry said.
Egypt has not exploited refugee crisis despite lack of international assistance: Sisi to UNHCR chief
Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has affirmed that despite its burdens and delicate economic situation, Egypt has not exploited the refugee crisis despite the lack of international support for the large numbers of refugees in the country.
Egypt's Sisi, Jordan's Abdullah call for resumption of Palestinian-Israeli talks
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El Sisi and Jordan's King Abdullah II called on Sunday for the resumption of Palestinian-Israeli negotiations based on the two-state solution and the Arab Peace Initiative.
Egypt is one of the US’s longest-standing strategic partners in the Middle East: US State Department
The US State Department has released a factsheet on US-Egyptian relations, describing Egypt as one of the United States’ longest-standing strategic partners in the Middle East.
While human rights linger on US radar, Pompeo Cairo visit focuses on regional cooperation
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry in Cairo on Thursday ahead of his address on the role of the US in the Middle East.
Economy
Cairo declaration establishes Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum with seven countries
The energy ministers from seven Eastern Mediterranean countries declared on Monday in Cairo the establishment of the East Mediterranean Gas Forum (EMGF), which includes Egypt, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Israel, Jordan, and Palestine, to boost the gas market in the region, a statement by the Egyptian petroleum ministry read.
Egypt eyes 2% trade volume with Africa: Minister of trade and industry
Egypt seeks to increase its trade exchange with Africa up to two percent, said Trade and Industry Minister Amr Nassar, who also told a parliamentary committee during a meeting in Cairo about a plan for boosting trade movement with nations across the continent.
Strategy being formulated to support exports: Egypt's trade minister
Minister of Trade and Industry Amr Nassar said on Thursday that there is a coordination between the ministry and members of the ministerial economic group in order to draw up a strong and effective strategy to boost the export system in Egypt.
Egypt's current account deficit narrows in July-Sept quarter: Central Bank
Egypt’s current account deficit narrowed to 1.751 billion USD in the three months to end-September, the central bank said on Thursday, from an apparently revised 1.754 billion USD a year earlier.
Egyptian bourse gains EGP 2.6bn
The performance of the Egyptian Exchange (EGX) indexes varied on Tuesday amid selling and purchasing operations by Arab and foreign investors on one hand and local investment funds on the other, gaining 2.6 billion Egyptian pounds to reach 764.8 billion Egyptian pounds.
Work underway to prepare new public finance bill: Egypt's finance minister
Minister of Finance said Sunday that his ministry is working on preparing a new public finance bill as part of a number of regulations it plans to introduce in 2019.
Domestic Security
Egyptian authorities have deported a German national of Egyptian origins who recently arrived in Egypt, due to his affiliation with the Daesh terror group, according to the state news agency.
Egypt police kill 6 terrorists in remote hideout in Upper Egypt
Egypt’s police killed six terrorists in a dawn raid on a hideout in Upper Egypt on Saturday, a statement by the interior ministry read.
Egypt’s parliament extends state of emergency for 3 months
Egypt’s parliament on Sunday approved extending the current state of emergency with a comfortable majority of votes (two-thirds of the members) for an additional three months starting from Tuesday, January 15 following a previous Presidential decree.
Arabic
فيديو| بعد تمديد حالة الطوارئ للمرة السابعة.. «نافعة»: هذا هو السبب الأساسي
The article examines why the state of emergency has been extended again for the seventh time, a few days ahead of the 2011 revolution anniversary.
ممنوع الصلاة بأمر الأمن.. إغلاق كنيسة في المنيا استجابة لمتشددين
Mada Masr writes about the developments of state-church relations in Egypt’s Sisi, following the closure of a church in Minya by security forces after sectarian calls against the church.
«تعديل الدستور» يحرك الماء الراكد داخل «المعارضة».. دعوات جديدة للاصطفاف
The article discusses the current debate in Egypt on amending the constitution and how the opposition is pushing forward with calls against what it called a “violation of the constitution”.
نص «التعديلات» على لائحة جزاءات الإعلام.. ومقدموها: الأولى تغتصب سلطة القضاء
Journalists rejected the Supreme Council for Media Regulation’s sanctions list and called for new amendments.
قصة 3 صحفيين.. اتهموا «نائبًا» بالسب فاستدعتهم النيابة للتحقيق
The article writes about how the state uses “insulting MPs” charges against journalists to quell dissent.
حتّى سفر الوزراء... بإذن السيسي!
The article discusses the latest presidential decree regulating the travel of senior state officials for official missions abroad, with a focus on how the state propagates its fights against corruption.