[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
Egypt puts 13 people including Zyad Elelaimy on 'terrorism' list
Egypt has added thirteen people, including former legislator Zyad Elelaimy, on the country's "terrorism list" for collaborating with the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.
Cairo’s Criminal Court has decided to put Ramy Shaath, Egyptian-Palestinian human rights defender, and Zyad al-Elaimy, former member of Parliament and human rights lawyer, on Egypt’s “terrorist list” for a period of five years. FIDH, the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) denounce this decision and condemn the authorities’ use of the fight against terrorism to silence peaceful activists.
Egypt parliament approves amendments giving president new powers to contain coronavirus
Egypt’s parliament–the House of Representatives–voted Wednesday in favor of amending four articles of the law regulating the state of emergency (law 162/1958) to give the president greater powers to contain critical health situation such as the outbreak of the coronavirus.
Egypt parliament approves new laws to contain economic impact of coronavirus
Egypt’s parliament–the House of Representatives–approved on Tuesday amending two laws aiming to contain the negative economic impact of the coronavirus.
Cabinet approves increasing monthly allowance of medical professionals by 75%
The cabinet under Mostafa Madbouly approved in principle a bill amending some provisions of law number 14/2014 regulating medical professions in Egypt.
Egypt’s Ministry of Religious Endowments suspended its official spokesperson Ahmed al-Kady on Sunday after he agreed to a proposal made by TV presenter Ahmed Moussa that the ministry would study a suggestion to allow the holding of prayers in mosques during Ramadan without the attendance of worshippers
Clusters of COVID-19 infections have broken out in three hospitals across Egypt over the last week. The Doctors Syndicate and medical staff who have spoken to Mada Masr have laid the blame for the spread at the feet of hospital administrators, who they say have refused to take proper measures to limit infections.
Sayyed Mushagheb: From ultras leader to maximum security prison
For the past five years, Mushagheb has been detained in harsh conditions at the Maximum-Security Wing 2—commonly known as Aqrab (Scorpion)—of Tora Prison Complex. He was sentenced to a total of seven years in prison in a case related to an incident on 8 February 2015, when more than twenty people were killed outside Cairo’s Air Defense Stadium after security forces used tear gas to bar football fans from attending an Egyptian Premier League match, causing a stampede.
Foreign Policy
Egypt's Shoukry discusses latest development on coronavirus, GERD with US's Pompeo
Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry telephoned his US counterpart Mike Pompeo on Thursday to discuss the coronavirus pandemic and the national efforts exerted by both countries to deal with the virus and mitigate its economic repercussions.
Petition to preserve Egyptians' right to Nile water amasses over 112,000 signatures
A Change.org petition created by the Egyptian American Council urging Ethiopia “not to undertake unilateral measures in regard to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD)” has so far gathered more than 112,000 signatures. The petition titled “Egyptians' Right to Nile Water” aims to gather 150,000 signatures and calls for a “balanced win-win solution” to the GERD crisis.
Egypt’s Shoukry meets representatives of HNC Syrian opposition group in Cairo
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met on Tuesday with representatives of the Syrian Opposition High Negotiations Committee “HNC” in Cairo, the Egyptian foreign ministry said in a statement. According to the statement, both sides discussed ways to boost the political reconciliation process in the war-torn country.
Economy
EGAS says ready for new negotiations over Damietta LNG plant
Egypt's Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) stated on Friday it is ready to start a new round of negotiations over the idle Damietta gas liquefaction plant in northern Egypt following the termination of the facility's settlement agreements.
Egypt’s Sisi approves customs agreement with Saudi Arabia
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has approved a customs agreement between the governments of Egypt and Saudi Arabia aimed at promoting trade between the two countries. Sisi approved the deal, signed in Cairo in March 2015, after it was endorsed by the parliament.
Egypt parliament approves new laws to contain economic impact of coronavirus
Egypt’s parliament–the House of Representatives–approved on Tuesday amending two laws aiming to contain the negative economic impact of the coronavirus.
Egypt’s net international reserves (NIR) are down by 5.4 billion US dollars because of the coronavirus crisis. This is the first time in fourteen months that the NIR have decreased, as they had previously been constantly on the rise due to improving economic conditions.
Egypt to cut fuel subsidies, increase net debt issuance in 2020/21 budget
Egypt plans to cut spending on fuel subsidies by forty-seven percent in its 2020/21 budget to 28.193 billion Egyptian pounds (1.8 billion US dollars), an explanatory note for its draft budget published on Tuesday showed.
Reading the fuel leaves: Why Egypt kept oil prices steady despite plunge in Brent crude benchmark
On 10 April, only two days before Russia and Saudi Arabia agreed to cut production to stabilize prices, Egypt’s Automatic Fuel Pricing Committee issued a statement announcing only a slight reduction in fuel prices, far below the ten percent maximum stipulated in the decision to commission the pricing committee in December 2018.
Domestic Security
Egypt's coronavirus cases top 4,000 with 201 new infections, 7 new fatalities
Egypt's health ministry reported 201 new coronavirus cases on Friday, bringing the country’s total number of confirmed cases to 4,092.
Parliament approves new law allowing health minister to make wearing face masks obligatory
Egypt's House of Representatives approved Wednesday legislative amendments drafted by Mohamed al-Amary, head of parliament's health affairs committee, and endorsed by sixty MPs aiming to help the state fight epidemic diseases.
At least 17 staff members at Egypt's Kasr El-Aini Hospital test positive for coronavirus
At least seventeen hospital staff members have tested positive for coronavirus at Egypt’s Kasr al-Aini Hospital, a Cairo University official said, one day after the hospital was designated an isolation hospital for university medical, teaching, and administrative staff infected by the virus.
Arabic
أزمة السد: مصر وإثيوبيا تتقربان إلى السودان قبل فوات الأوان
While Ethiopia has called for a new negotiation process, Egypt has firmly maintained over the past six weeks that it has no intention of abandoning the text negotiated in Washington. Meanwhile, Sudan has been offering mixed signals—alternating between proposing a new draft for negotiations and standing by the Washington draft.
عام مالي جديد: الإنفاق الاجتماعي في موازنة «كورونا»
The article examines Egypt’s budget for fiscal year 2019/2020 within the context of COVID-19.
العمالة غير المنتظمة.. حين يكون الخيار بين الجوع و«كورونا»
There are over ten million informal workers in Egypt, according to government estimates. While many of them continue to work because they cannot afford to stay home, the pandemic has undercut their livelihoods nonetheless.
والدة المترجمة خلود سعيد: قوة أمنية قبضت عليها بعد تفتيش الكتب والاستيلاء على الهاتف واللابتوب
Khouloud Sayed Amer, researcher and head of translation at Alexandria Library, was arrested at dawn on Wednesday and taken to an unknown location.
أسرة المترجمة مروة عرفة تلجأ للنائب العام للكشف عن مصيرها بعد القبض عليها
The activist Marwa Arafa was abducted from her home at 1am on Tuesday morning and her whereabouts have not been disclosed.