[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
Senior Muslim Brotherhood member accuses leaders of corruption in leaked audio tape
Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood journalist Omar Hassan has posted on Facebook an audio recording of a meeting of group leaders in Turkey where a leading member is accusing other high level members of financial corruption.
Cairo criminal court sentences former State Council administrator to 15 years for illicit gain
A Cairo criminal court sentenced on Sunday a former procurement director at the State Council to fifteen years in prison for illicit gains of over 173 million Egyptian pounds in the period between 1997 and 2016.
Egypt's Criminal Court orders release of woman imprisoned over torture claims in BBC report
The Cairo criminal court ordered the release of Mona Mahmoudalso,also known as Um Zubaida, under precautionary measures.
Egypt's immigration minister says controversial statement 'was not to promote violence'
Egypt's Minister of Immigration and Expatriate Affairs Nabila Makram said that the intention behind a recent statement she made that has sparked controversy "was not to promote violence towards any Egyptian or foreigner."
MPs this week defended the new NGO law, passed by parliament on 15 July, following criticisms levelled by Amnesty International.
Egypt's Sisi attends inauguration of 7th National Youth Conference
President Abdel Fattah El Sisi witnessed on Tuesday the inauguration of the seventh National Youth Conference at the New Administrative Capital.
Egypt has come a long way in fighting terrorism, money laundering: PM
Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli said that Egypt has come a long way in fighting money laundering and terrorism financing via enacting laws and introducing supervisory and regulatory rules.
Early retirement for civil servants optional: Ministry
Egypt's Ministry of Planning and Managerial Reform explained on Sunday that the newly passed law on pensions and insurance for government workers, which raises the age of retirement to sixty-five, does not contradict with the already existing civil service law, which allows gives the option for early retirement.
Egypt's new Social Insurance and Pensions Law is a remarkable step towards social security: MPs
Egyptian MPs voted on 15 July in favor of a new Social Insurance and Pensions law. Parliament speaker Ali Abdel-Aal told MPs that "it is necessary for parliament to pass this law before it adjourns for summer recess."
Egyptian pharmacists call for Minister of Health to resign
Several pharmacists asked the Egyptian government to dismiss Minister of Health Hala Zayed after she stated that the absence of one nurse is more influential than the absence of a hundred pharmacists, during her visit to the Directorate of Health Insurance System in Port Said.
Foreign Policy
Egypt's antiquities minister discusses work progress on GEM with Japanese ambassador
Egypt's Minister of Antiquities Khaled El-Anani received on Tuesday Japanese ambassador in Cairo Masaaki Nuki to discuss the progress of work on the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) , which is scheduled to open in late 2020.
'Eagle Salute – Eagle Response 2019' joint military drill continues in Red Sea
Egypt, the US and the UAE continued on Monday with their joint military drill 'Eagle Salute – Eagle Response 2019' in Egyptian territorial waters in the Red Sea, the Egyptian Armed Forces said in a statement.
Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi stressed "Egypt's strategic, constant support for the stability and security of Sudan" during a meeting in Cairo on Monday with the vice president of Sudan's Transitional Military Council General Mohamed Hassan Dagalo (Hemeti).
Egypt's Sisi follows up on government urban development efforts
The government seeks to increase populated areas, minimize overcrowding in cities and old governorates and deal with the steady growth in population, the president noted during the meeting.
Egypt warns that Israel's escalation in Jerusalem endangers peace efforts
Egypt has condemned Israel's escalation in Jerusalem after it moved in earlier this week to demolish a cluster of Palestinian homes near a military barrier in the occupied West Bank.
Economy
Egypt says non-oil exports increase 5 percent in June
Egypt's non-oil exports increased by five percent year-on-year in June, reaching 1.905 billion USD, state news agency MENA said on Tuesday.
PM lauds progress of work on New Alamein City
Egypt's Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli welcomed on Wednesday the ministers attending the weekly cabinet session which is being held for the first time at the new government headquarters in New Alamein City.
Egyptian presidential decree ratifies economic, technical deal with China
President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi issued on Thursday a decree ratifying an economic and technical cooperation deal between the Egyptian and Chinese governments.
Egypt’s annual water share declines by 5 billion cubic meter: Ministry
Egypt’s annual share of the Nile water decreased by five billion cubic meters in 2019, and a state of emergency was announced nationwide, Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation stated on Saturday.
Egypt non-oil exports reach $ 1.905B in June
Egypt's non-oil exports increased by five percent in June to reach 1.905 billion USD, compared with 1.81 billion USD during the same month last year, the General Organization For Export & Import Control (GOEIC) said.
32.5% of Egypt population live in poverty
About 32.5% of the Egyptians are living below the poverty line in 2017/18, compared to 27.8% in 2015, according to the expenditure and income research prepared by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), Khairat Barakat, chairperson of CAPMAS, announced on Monday.
Egyptian Finance Ministry drafting new tax law
Egyptian Finance Minister Mohamed Maait said on Monday that his ministry has started drafting a new law on income tax and has introduced amendments to the Value Added Tax law.
Israel will start exporting natural gas to Egypt this year
Israel will begin exporting natural gas to Egypt in November, with volumes eventually set to reach seven billion cubic metres a year, Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz told reporters in Cairo on Thursday.
Sources: Egypt’s government to sign agreement with IMF
Egypt’s government has announced that a new technical agreement will be signed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to implement several structural reforms within Egypt’s economy, according to several informed sources.
Domestic Security
Controversy has raged following British Airways’ abrupt week-long suspension of flights to Cairo.
From Jadaliyya
In The Political Lives of Saints: Christian-Muslim Mediation in Egypt, Angie Heo offers a rich and nuanced analysis of saintly intercession that challenges conventional assumptions of communal boundaries, sacred materiality, and the secular governance of religious publics.
Arabic
عبد الله الثاني يستبق جولة كوشنر بلقاء السيسي
Jordan’s King Abdullah II visited Egypt to discuss regional political and economic issues.
مصر | مدرّعات أميركية جديدة لمواجهة «داعش»
U.S. delivered 960 armored vehicles to the Egyptian military to combat terrorism in Sinai.
حكومة «ترشيد النفقات» تفتتح مَصْيفاً لاجتماعاتها!
The article discusses how public expenditures are not being rationalized.
مع نهاية «قرض الصندوق».. هل تحققت الوعود؟
The article evaluates the effects of the IMF loan on Egypt’s economic reforms over the past three years.
في عيد ميلاده الـ 59: حكاية التلفزيون المصري من طأطأ لإعلام المصريين
The article examines the role of television in the everyday life of the Egyptian people.
«عسكرة وسيطرة»: ما فعلته التعديلات الدستورية في السلطة القضائية
The article discusses the politics behind constitutional amendments to the judiciary.
قانون «التأمينات الموحد».. عودة وهمية لأموال المعاشات
The article discusses Egypt’s new social insurance and pensions law.
رصد حقوقي ربع سنوي لحرية التعبير في مصر: اعتقالات وسيطرة إعلامية وحجب مواقع
Almanassa comments on the report about the Freedom of Expression in Egypt during the second quarter of 2018 published by the Egyptian Association for the Freedom of Thought and Expression.
المصريون يزدادون فقرًا: نصف دخل اﻷسرة يذهب للطعام وأقل من 5% للتعليم
Egypt’s Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) announced on Monday that the percentage of Egyptians living below the poverty line increased during the 2017/2018 fiscal year to 32.5 percent, compared to 27.8 percent in 2015: an increase of 4.7 percent.