[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
Rights organizations call for release of Al Jazeera journalist detained for over a year without trial International rights organizations ِAmnesty International and Reporters Without Borders issued a joint statement on Friday calling on Egyptian authorities to release Al Jazeera journalist Mahmoud Hussein.
Looking into the latest acquisition of Egyptian media companies by general intelligence Eagle Capital, a company unknown to the public, recently acquired businessman Ahmed Abu Hashima’s stake in Egyptians’ Media Holding, which owns several media companies in Egypt, according to a press statement made on Tuesday.
Ragia Omran: Tirelessly pursuing human rights with one foot in corporate law Omran, who comes from an affluent background, has been entrenched in the human rights movement in Egypt for two decades, mostly as a volunteer, while simultaneously maintaining a practice in corporate law. Mada Masr sat with her for an hour as she reflected on these different aspects of her life.
Searching for a battle: Why boycotting the presidential elections is a bad idea The only logical choice for civil, democratic forces seeking to heed and move beyond the demands of 2011 in Egypt is to dive into the upcoming presidential elections. It is incumbent on them because the events of the past five years have resulted in a ruling elite strategically entrenched in a regressive regional and international order.
Armed Forces officer and presidential hopeful sentenced to 6 years in prison A military court sentenced Armed Forces Colonel Ahmed Konsowa to six years in prison on Tuesday after he announced his intention to run in Egypt’s upcoming presidential elections, his lawyer Asaad Heikal reported.
AUC attempts to placate student anger, but still bans the niqab A letter from the president of the American University in Cairo on Sunday affirmed news that the university is moving toward banning women wearing the niqab from campuses and university transport, although the university promised to “accommodate” current students.
UK lists Hassm and Lewaa al-Thawra as ‘terrorist organizations’ The United Kingdom has listed militant groups Hassm and Lewaa al-Thawra as terrorist organizations after deciding that they meet “the criteria for proscription,” according to a statement released by the British Embassy in Cairo on Friday.
Egypt-based militant group responds to UK blacklisting: ‘The UK is the terrorist’ The Egypt-based militant group Lewaa al-Thawra dismissed its categorization as a terrorist organization by the United Kingdom as “insignificant” in a statement on Saturday evening.
Vodafone Egypt suspends all ads in response to government censorship of TV commercial Vodafone Egypt announced on Friday that it is halting all “advertising campaigns in all media and broadcasting channels,” in response to the suspension of one of its television advertisements by the Supreme Media Regulatory Council on grounds of “threatening public morality.”
Egypt Parliament Approves New Comprehensive Health Insurance Bill The Egyptian parliament approved this week a comprehensive 600 billion LE health insurance bill in a milestone social policy win for the Sherif Ismail cabinet.
Coptic Church to Hold Christmas Mass in Egypt’s New Capital Contrary to the celebration of Christmas Mass traditionally being held in the St. Mark Cathedral in Cairo’s Abbasiya, the January 2018 event will occur in Egypt’s New Administrative Capital, according to the spokesperson for the Coptic Orthodox Church Bolus Halim.
Egypt President Sisi to decide if he will run for second term 'when appropriate': Presidency President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi will make his decision on whether to run for the upcoming presidential elections, which are scheduled for early 2018, “when the time is appropriate", the presidency spokesman said on Sunday.
Economy
40 Double Decker Buses to Roam Cairo Streets by 2018 Forty double-decker buses to enter Egypt by the year 2018 in attempts to ease congestions and improve traffic flow around Cairo, according to Governor of Cairo Atef Abdel Hamid.
Egypt to Embark on EGP 100 Billion Construction Project in Sinai Peninsula: Al-Sisi Egypt’s president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced on Saturday a new 100 billion LE construction project to take place in the Sinai Peninsula over the next two to three years.
IMF Unlocks New $2bn Loan Tranche to Support Egypt’s Reforms The International Monetary Fund announced on Wednesday that its Executive Board has completed the second review of Egypt’s economic reform program, allowing for the release of an additional 2.03 billion USD batch of a three-year twelve billion USD loan package.
Foreign Relations
Swiss Federal Council lifts freeze on Mubarak assets The Swiss Federal Council decided to lift the freeze on the assets of former President Hosni Mubarak and a number of other individuals on Wednesday, following the end of mutual legal assistance procedures between Egypt and Switzerland in August.
Italian Prosecutor in Cairo Discussing Regeni Case Egypt’s public prosecutor Nabil Sadek met on Thursday with his Italian counterpart Giuseppe Pignatone in Cairo for discussions of developments into the brutal murder of Italian PhD researcher Giulio Regeni last year in Cairo, a joint statement by the prosecutors said.
The US Vetoes UN Resolution Condemning Embassy Move to Jerusalem, Egypt Expresses Regret Egypt expressed its regret over the United States veto that had resulted in the UN security council failure to pass a resolution to force US president Donald Trump to rescind his declaration that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.
UN vote on Trump's Jerusalem decision a positive sign for Palestinian cause: Egypt presidency The Egyptian presidency said that the recent overwhelming vote in the UN General Assembly against the decision by US President Donald Trump to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is a “positive sign” for the Palestinian cause.
Trump Threatens to Cut Financial Aid to UN Members Opposing Jerusalem Move The United States president Donald Trump threatened to cut off financial aid to countries of UN security council which backed a resolution opposing his declaration of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Egypt committed to peaceful course in negotiations on Ethiopian dam: Presidency spokesman Egypt's presidency spokesman Bassam Rady said on Sunday that Cairo is committed to a peaceful course in negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, though he reiterated that Egypt’s supply of Nile water is "a matter of life or death for the country."
Domestic Security
Province of Sinai releases footage of Arish airport attack Islamic State-affiliate Province of Sinai released footage showing missiles being fired at a military aircraft on the runway of Arish airport in North Sinai, according to the Amaq News Agency, the militant group’s media arm.
Update: Sinai Province claims responsibility for Arish airport attack Islamic State-affiliated militant group Province of Sinai claimed responsibility for an attack on Arish International Airport in North Sinai that took place on Tuesday during an unannounced visit to the city by Egypt’s top security officials Defense Minister Sedky Sobhy and Interior Minister Magdy Abdel Ghaffar.
Nine terrorists killed in police raid on hideout in Egypt’s Sharqiya: Ministry Egypt's interior ministry said in a statement that nine terrorists were killed during a Sunday morning raid on a farm in the Nile Delta's Sharqiya governorate.
Giza Church Attacked, Security Sources Describe it as ‘Skirmishes’ The Church of al-Amir Tadros – or Prince Tadros – in Giza governorate was attacked by a mob on Friday injuring many in the latest attack against Egypt’s Christian minority.
Egypt prosecution investigating attack on Christians in Giza town Egyptian prosecutors have opened an investigation into an incident that took place on Friday in the Giza town of Atfih, where a mob of Muslims stormed a building over a rumor that the structure will soon be officially recognized as a church, Al-Ahram Arabic website reported.
Arabic
في 4 سنوات.. كيف قلم النظام أظافر الحركة العمالية؟ The article examines the strategy followed by the government to co-opt the labor union movement over the past four years.
الغناء صوت الشعوب»: ماذا قالت الأغنية النوبية عن التهجير؟» The article sheds light on Nubian folk songs, describing the issue of displacement.
فيديو| قنصوة .. حلم بدأ بإعلان الترشح للرئاسة وانتهى بالسجن Cairo's Military Court handed down six-year imprisonment sentence to Ahmad Konsowa who announced his candidacy for the 2018 presidential elections.
شائعة بناء كنيسة وجرس.. أسباب الاشتباكات الطائفية بأطفيح Sectarian tension escalated on Friday in Kafr Al-Waslin village over a rumor about converting a house into a church.
منظمات حقوقية تحدد 10 ضمانات لنزاهة رئاسيات 2018 Four human rights organizations stated ten guarantees to ensure fair presidential elections slated for next year.
مصر تؤكد رفضها القاطع لمزاعم السودان بشأن حلايب وشلاتين Egypt completely denounced Sudan's allegations about its sovereignty over Halayeb and Shalateen.
السياحة الريفية.. كنز لم يُستغل بعد The article discusses Egypt's negligence of rural tourism.
تعديل قانون السجون.. ومطالبات بالإفراج عن أصحاب الأمراض المزمنة The parliament discusses the government's amendments to Prisons Regulation law N 396 of 1919.
سحب الجنسية».. جدل قانوني وتأييد برلماني» The amendments to some of the provisions of the Egyptian Nationality Law, which was approved by the Legislative Department of the State Council on Monday after three-month review, sparked tension among lawmakers and MPs.
الصحة في شمال سيناء.. حق مفقود يمنعه الأمن الغائب The article looks into the long-awaited application of Health Insurance Law in Sinai.
سياسيون: مقترح شطب الأحزاب خطوة جديدة نحو مصادرة الحريات Politicians voice their concerns over the proposal to erase non-parliamentary political parties as a new step to crackdown on freedoms.
حوار| محمد أنور السادات: مُحّلِل أو كومبارس أو خائن.. سهام ستصيب أي مرشح.. وأجهزة الدولة تتدخل لصالح السيسي Mada Masr interviews Mohammed Anwar Sadat who affirmed that he will announce his final decision whether to run or not for the 2018 presidential elections in the first half of January.
رفض تظلم عزة سليمان على قرار منعها من السفر Cairo Criminal Court rejected the grievance filed by human rights activist Azza Soliman over the decision to ban her from travelling which was issued against her over the "foreign funding case".