[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
From the flood of fury and tears: What happened at St. Peter and St. Paul Church? Mada Masr reports on the explosion near Cairo’s main Coptic cathedral.
Dozens killed, injured in explosion near Cairo’s main Coptic cathedral At least twenty-five people died and dozens of others were injured in an explosion on Sunday morning near Cairo’s main Coptic cathedral in Abbasseya, according to state television.
Egyptian women`s rights defender arrested from her home Egyptian Security forces arrested women`s rights advocate Azza Soliman from her home on Wednesday, the Centre for Egyptian Women Legal Assistance said.
Update - Egyptian NGO calls for release of women’s rights advocate Azza Soliman The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies appealed to the Egyptian authorities to “immediately release” women’s rights defender Azza Soliman, who was arrested from her home earlier today in connection to the foreign funding case.
Update: Judge releases prominent rights lawyer Azza Soliman on bail An investigative judge released human rights lawyer Azza Soliman on 20,000 LE bail Wednesday evening.
Authorities interrogate Alexandrian rights lawyer Mohamed Ramadan Authorities interrogated Alexandrian rights lawyer Mohamed Ramadan on Tuesday, accusing him of belonging to an illegal organization (The Revolutionary Socialists), spreading false news, insulting the President and state institutions, and misusing social media networks.
Egyptian rights groups legally challenge interior ministry decree on travel bans Two Egyptian nongovernmental organizations announced on Tuesday that they filed a lawsuit with the Administrative Court challenging the interior ministry decree and its subsequent amendments regulating travel bans.
Arrest warrant issued against police officers accused of torturing man to death The prosecution issued an arrest warrant against a commissioned police officer and nine other enlisted officers accused of torturing a man in their custody, fifty-year-old cart driver Magdy Makeen, to death on Wednesday.
Detention of 2 bus drivers renewed for inciting strikes State Security Prosecution extended the detention of two bus drivers from the Public Transport Authority on Monday for fifteen days, pending investigations. The drivers have already been jailed for more than two months for planning a labor strike
Workers arrested as police disperse fertilizer company protests, Tanta Flax workers call off sit-in Police arrested a number of workers as they forcefully dispersed two sit-ins at fertilizer companies in Suez governorate on Monday, while in Cairo, a third sit-in by workers at Tanta Flax and Oils Company was called off.
Case to determine sovereignty of Tiran and Sanafir islands adjourned to December 19 Egypt’s Supreme Administrative Court adjourned on Monday the case to determine sovereignty of Tiran and Sanafir islands to 19 December, to allow time for all parties to review a report by the State Commissioners Authority on the case.
Court suspends top Mubarak-era official’s 5-year prison sentence The Court of Cassation ordered the suspension of a five-year prison sentence against Safwat al-Sherif and his sons for corruption charges today, ordering a retrial in front of another constituency in the Criminal Court.
Morsi’s son arrested and charged in Rabea dispersal case Osama Morsi, the son of former President Mohamed Morsi, was arrested from his home in Zagazig on Thursday and charged in the ongoing trial surrounding the dispersal of the Rabea al-Adaweya sit-in, according to lawyer Khaled Abdel Hady.
Egypt court dismisses appeal by militant Adel Habara against death sentence Egypt`s Court of Cassation rejected on Saturday appeal submitted by militant Adel Habara against his death sentence over involvement in killing twenty-five soldiers in Rafah in 2013.
Egypt busts organ trading racket, arrests 45 people Egypt has uncovered a network accused of illicit international trafficking in human organs, arresting forty-five people and recovering millions of dollars in a dawn raid on Tuesday, the health ministry said.
Economy
IMF: Egypt’s new import tariffs not a condition for $12 billion loan The International Monetary Fund has said that it did not ask the Egyptian state to impose new import tariffs as a prerequisite for its twelve billion USD loan, after a presidential decree increased import tariffs on a range of consumer goods two weeks ago.
Annual inflation reaches highest level since 2008, with London firm projecting further increases Annual inflation has reached its highest point in eight years, increasing to 20.2 percent in comparison to the figures posted in November 2015.
Egypt`s Suez Canal revenue expected to rise after OPEC oil cuts, analysts say Analysts expect OPEC’s recent oil production cuts to revitalize maritime movement through the Suez Canal, leading to an increase in its revenues, which have been negatively affected in the past year.
Foreign Relations
Egypt submits documents on Regeni death to Italian prosecutors A delegation of Egyptian prosecutors, headed by Prosecutor General Nabil Sadek, submitted all the documents required by their Italian counterparts concerning the murder of 28-year-old Italian researcher Giulio Regeni on Wednesday, according to the Italian ANSA news agency.
Russia, China block Egypt-sponsored Security Council resolution on Syria Russia and China vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution drafted by Egypt, Spain and New Zealand on Monday that would have demanded a seven-day ceasefire in Aleppo and humanitarian aid access.
In DC, Egypt’s FM tries to walk back Sisi’s professed support for Assad’s army Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry said in a televised interview with PBS network on Monday that Egypt does not fully support the Syrian army, stressing the need for finding a political solution to the Syrian crisis.
Egypt denies rift with Saudi, drift toward Iran Egypt`s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Saturday hailed a "special relationship" with Saudi Arabia, denying reports that the two powerful Arab nations had fallen out after Egypt expressed support for the Russian intervention in Syria.
Egyptian foreign minister sees Trump’s divisive policies to ‘evolve’ over time As the world braces for the coming U.S. president, Egypt’s foreign minister Sameh Shoukry began a visit to Washington earlier this month to discuss bilateral relations and meet with the new Administration’s transitional team.
Foreign ministry working to free 49 Egyptians detained in Yemen Egypt’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday it`s working to free forty-nine Egyptian nationals detained in Al Hudaydah, Yemen.
Domestic Security
Civilian killed, two policemen injured in Kafr al-Sheikh explosion - ministry A civilian was killed and two policemen were injured after a roadside bomb went off in Kafr al-Sheikh in the Nile Delta on Friday, the interior ministry said.
Six security personnel killed, three others injured in Giza explosion - ministry Six security personnel were killed and three others injured in an explosion on Friday morning in Haram district in Giza, the interior ministry said.
Update: Militant group Hassm claims responsibility for Giza bombing An Islamist militant group known as “Hassm” claimed responsibility for the detonation of an explosive device in the Talbeya neighborhood of Giza on Friday, which killed six members of the police force and injured three others stationed at a checkpoint in the area.
Arabic
«الطب الشرعي» يكشف السبب وراء وفاة مجدي مكين Forensic report reveals Magdy Makin was beaten to death in Amereya custody.
دراسة: النفوذ السياسي يتحكم في توزيع الأجور الحكومية و"الخدمة المدنية" لم يحل المعضلة Government policies are still influencing the distribution of income despite the recent civil service law, according to the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights.
تباطؤ التجارة يهبط بأرباح "قناة السويس لتداول الحاويات" 60% خلال 2016 Suez Canal Company records a decrease in revenues by sixty percent this year.
الحكومة توافق على تعديل قانون «القومي لحقوق الإنسان» The Egyptian government approves amendments to the national council for human rights law, which will allow the council to examine and review the status of human rights in Egypt.
رئيس البرلمان يعد بالتشاور مع «المالية» لإسقاط مديونيات الصحف القومية Egypt’s parliamentary speaker, Ali Abdel Aal, pledges to repeal national press institutes’ debts.
مصر | زيادة جديدة في أسعار المحروقات تمهيداً لتحريرها The Egyptian government is considering new increases in fuel prices up to a hundred percent of the current prices.
محكمة تلغي حكم سجن صفوت الشريف ونجله في قضية "كسب غير مشروع" Egypt’s court of cassation ordered a retrial of former Mubarak regime figure Safwat al Sherif and his son over charges of illicit gains.
تأجيل محاكمة بديع و738 آخرين في "فض اعتصام رابعة" لجلسة 27 ديسمبر Cairo’s criminal court adjourns the trial of Brotherhood leader Badie and other defendants to 27 December over “Rabaa sit-in dispersal” case.