[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
For the third time, the prosecution issued its decision to postpone for another week without holding the hearing and without the defendants’ presence.
Doctors in Egypt complain that curfew hampers their work
The Doctors Syndicate’s secretary general Ihab al-Taher said Saturday that the syndicate received several complaints from doctors during the first days of Egypt’s curfew regarding police restricting their movements to hospitals and medical centers.
The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights credits the efforts of the Egyptian government to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus, but asserted that the socioeconomic priority in this crisis must be protecting individuals’ income, ensuring the provision of strategic goods to the market, and maintaining price stability.
The signatory human rights organizations denounce the Egyptian government’s reckless refusal to release select groups of detainees for the sake of curbing the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
Immediately release Eman Al-Helw and Hossam Ahmad
In an urgent appeal on 25 March 2020, five regional and international human rights organizations called on the international community to pressure the Egyptian government to immediately release actress and human rights defender Eman al-Helw and prisoner of conscience Hossam Ahmad, and drop all charges against them in Case 1739 of 2018.
Foreign Policy
Sudanese PM to visit Egypt, Ethiopia to resume GERD talks
Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said on Monday that he would visit Egypt and Ethiopia soon to resume negotiations over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
Egyptian journalists: ‘Blocking websites is an attempt to monopolise and silence media’
A number of Egyptian media professionals have rejected the recent media council’s decision to block websites and prosecute social media users, considering it contrary to the law and constitution that stipulates freedom of the press, the right to circulate information and freedom of expression in general.
Economy
Egyptian cabinet approves legislation on public sector pay increase, pensions increase
Egypt’s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly approved on Thursday several draft laws setting up a periodic minimum raise for public sector employees who are employed under the civil service law, increasing additional bonuses for state employees, and amending the pensions law.
Egypt allocates EGP 1 billion to provide preventative medical supplies
Egypt has allocated one billion Egyptian pounds (63.69 million US dollars) to the health ministry to help it provide preventative medical supplies needed to help curb the spread of the coronavirus, the cabinet said in a statement on Tuesday.
Egypt's stock exchange gains EGP 6 billion
The Egyptian Exchange (EGX) indexes continued collective gains amid transactions on Tuesday backed by purchases of local institutions and investment funds.
Egypt has serious shortage of facemasks, gloves: Medical supplies division at EFCC
Head of the medical supplies division at the Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce (FECC) Mohamed Ismail revealed to Ahram Online that the domestic market has already run out of facemasks and is seeing a shortage in gloves.
Egypt estimates disbursements of EGP 1.7 trillion, revenues of EGP 1.3 trillion in new budget
Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait announced that the disbursements of the draft budget for fiscal year (FY) 2020/2021 have reached approximately 1.71 trillion Egyptian pounds, and revenues recorded 1.3 trillion Egyptian pounds.
In line with the state’s preventive measures to contain the repercussions of COVID-19 pandemic, especially on the national economy, the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) has adopted a stimulus package.
Egypt’s payment balance ran a $410.9 mln total surplus in 1H FY2019/2020
The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) has announced that during first half of FY 2019/2020, Egypt’s balance of payments ran an overall surplus of 410.9 million US dollars, compared with a total deficit of 1.8 billion US dollars in the same period a year earlier.
Domestic Security
33 new Egyptians test positive for coronavirus, 4 seniors die
The total number of infections now stands at 609 nationwide, while the death toll hit forty.
First doctor dies of coronavirus in Egypt
Egypt announced on Sunday evening the death of Ahmed al-Lawah, the first Egyptian doctor to succumb to complications of coronavirus (COVID-19).
Factory trucks receive conditional exemption during curfew: Federation of Egyptian Industries
The Federation of Egyptian industries stated that factories were granted conditional exemption from the government during the partial curfew for their trucks and workers’ buses.
Egypt extends closure of mosques over coronavirus indefinitely
Egypt will extend a temporary closure of mosques to the customary five daily prayers and Friday congregations over coronavirus fears indefinitely, the endowment minister said on Sunday.
Some Egyptian villages isolated in 10 governorates over Coronavirus
Egypt’s health ministry spokesperson Khaled Meghad revealed Saturday that some villages have been isolated in ten governorates in a bid to stop any possible spread of coronavirus.
Several Egyptian weekly newspapers halt printed editions due to coronavirus concerns
Several Egyptian weekly newspapers decided last week to suspend their printed editions temporarily over coronavirus outbreak in the country, replacing them with online editions and social media presence.
Egypt extends home quarantine period for returnees from abroad to 28 days
The Egyptian health ministry has extended the home quarantine period mandated for arrivals from abroad to twenty-eight days instead of fourteen.
Arabic
صغار الفلاحين ومعركة كورونا: غائبون عن خطط الدعم.. حاضرون في خطوط الإمداد
This article sheds light on young farmers daily struggle to provide food amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
حوار | ليلى سويف: سأحاول التظاهر مجددًا للإفراج عن المعتقلين لو كان ذلك ضروريًا
In this interview, Laila Soueif, Egyptian human rights activist, calls for prisoners release due to the coronavirus outbreak spreading across Egypt.
من غرفة عمليات «كورونا».. كيف تدير وزارة الصحة «الحرب»؟
Hossam Bahgat takes an inside look at the last month of decisions and extraordinary measures taken by the Health Ministry’s operations room leading Egypt's COVID-19 response to understand what is happened and officials’ sober outlook for what is coming.
بعد «كورونا».. قطع العيش يهدد آلاف الباعة في أسواق مصر
The article discusses how the coronavirus will hit thousands of Egyptian workers.