[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
Court sentences Brotherhood figure Hassan El-Brens to prison over illicit gains charges
A court in Alexandria sentenced on Monday the former deputy to the governor of Alexandria and Muslim Brotherhood member Hassan El-Brens to three months in prison for illicit gains.
A Cairo Criminal Court has adjourned first two retrials against acting leader of the outlawed Muslim brotherhood Ezzat for the charges with storming the Egyptian eastern borders to December 27 and for spying for Hamas on December 28.
Workers at the Alexandria Container and Cargo Handling Company have staged a sit-in since Saturday in protest of a decision by the company’s general assembly to reduce workers’ financial benefits, which came despite the fact that the company registered a net profit of 1.49 billion Egyptian pounds in the last fiscal year.
CPJ: Egypt 3rd worst jailer of journalists in the world in 2020 in record tally
Egypt ranks as the third worst jailer of journalists in the world in 2020, behind China and Turkey, according to the latest census report by the Committee to Protect Journalists.
In light of Egypt’s human rights violations, the European Union Parliament passed a resolution on Friday urging member states to reconsider EU–Egypt relations and implement more stringent monitoring and accountability mechanisms.
Egyptian, Arab lawmakers denounce European Parliament’s statement on human rights
Egyptian House of Representatives and Senate members have harshly denounced the statement issued last week by the European Parliament deploring the human rights situation in Egypt, arguing that the statement was based on groundless information.
Egypt’s Senate has voiced its categorical rejection of the European Parliament’s recent statement on the status of human rights in Egypt, denouncing it as a step towards interfering in Egypt’s affairs.
Egypt's parliament concludes five-year term, approves Mediterranean Gas Forum
Egypt's House of Representatives concluded on Tuesday its five-year term after completing six sessions since parliament held its first plenary session on 10 January 2016.
Authorities seize assets of 3 companies, 285 individuals on terrorism finance charge
The committee tasked with managing assets of terrorist elements and groups ordered seizing the assets of three companies and 285 people, over being involved in efforts aiming to finance terrorism.
Public Prosecutor Might Appeal Acquittal of Suspects in Hate Crime Against Coptic Christian Woman
Egypt’s Public Prosecutor announced earlier today that he is currently considering the possibility of appealing a controversial ruling to acquit three men accused of assaulting a Coptic Christian woman and parading her naked in a 2016 hate crime in the Upper Egyptian city of Minya.
Egypt’s convoluted plans to obtain COVID-19 vaccines
Egyptian authorities have provided little information both about clinical trials conducted in Egypt and the government’s broader plan to procure coronavirus vaccines on the global market. Sources say Egypt will likely end up with a hierarchical vaccine scenario with more expensive and effective vaccines from the US available to senior government officials and businessmen, cheaper US vaccines for medical personnel and vulnerable people, and low-cost Chinese and Russian vaccines for the general population.
Mubarak family to sue European Union, says son of late ex-president
Alaa Mubarak, son of the late ex-President Hosni Mubarak, announced Saturday that his family is planning a lawsuit against the European Union to demand compensation for sanctions imposed on them about ten years ago.
Foreign Policy
Egypt will continue GERD negotiations on condition that observers have effective role
Egypt announced that it will continue negotiations regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), as long as official observers have an effective role in the negotiation process, professor of geology and water resources at Cairo University Abbas Sharaqi said on Tuesday.
Egypt condemns Israeli plan to build new settlements in Jerusalem
Egypt condemned on Tuesday the Israeli plans to build thousands of settlement units in Jerusalem, the Egyptian foreign ministry said.
Egypt’s Sisi discusses recent developments in Palestinian cause with Jordanian, Palestinian FMs
President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi discussed on Saturday the developments on efforts to revitalize the peace process and the negotiations on the Palestinian cause with Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman Al-Safadi, along with his Palestinian counterpart Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki.
A gulf of difference: How the UAE and Egypt’s close coordination fell apart and what’s next
On Wednesday, United Arab Emirates Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed traveled to Cairo to hold direct talks with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on the shifting dynamics of the blockade of Qatar, which Saudi Arabia has been pushing hard to bring to a resolution after more than three years.
Egyptian Presidential Spokesperson Bassam Rady said on Wednesday that talks between President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi and the deputy supreme commander of the UAE Armed Forces, have witnessed a consensus on the need to continue joint confrontation against threats to the security and stability of the region.
Head of Egypt’s General Intelligence Service conveys Sisi’s message of support to Libyan people
The head of Egypt's General Intelligence Service (GIS) Abbas Kamel conveyed during his visit on Saturday to the Libyan city of Benghazi a message of support from President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to the Libyan people on various military and political levels, a statement by GIS said.
Egypt demands Italy to hand over former Italian diplomats over smuggled antiquities case
The Egyptian Interpol demanded on Thursday that the Italian government is to hand over Italian citizens from the former members of the Italian embassy in Cairo’s diplomatic charges over the ancient Egyptian looted and smuggled antiquities case.
Economy
Egypt’s unemployment rate drops to 7.3% in Q3
The unemployment rate in Egypt has declined to 7.3 percent in the third quarter of 2020, compared to 9.6 percent in the second quarter of the year at the peak of coronavirus cases in Egypt, the cabinet’s media office said in a report on Tuesday.
Egypt attains primary surplus of EGP 5.2 billion in Q1 of FY 2020/21; health spending up by 6%
Egypt has attained a primary surplus of 5.2 billion Egyptian pounds, while health spending increased by up to six percent during the first quarter of the 2020/2021 fiscal year, financial officials said at a cabinet meeting on Monday.
Egyptian banking sector's net foreign assets have recovered from the lows it had witnessed because of the COVID-19 crisis, driven by the return of foreign inflows to Egyptian capital markets, according to Fitch Ratings.
Egypt's public enterprise ministry settles holding company debts worth EGP 33 billion
The Egyptian Ministry of Public Enterprise Sector says it has helped clear the debts of many of its holding companies, worth thirty-three billion Egyptian pounds in total, owed to various government agencies.
Domestic Security
Egypt will not administer any coronavirus vaccine until it is hundred per cent sure of their safety and efficacy, stressed Mohamed Awad Tag El-Din, the presidential adviser for health affairs, on Tuesday.
Egypt launches website for citizens to reserve coronavirus vaccine
Egypt is launching on Tuesday a website through which Egyptians can reserve doses of a coronavirus vaccine, a source at the country's health ministry told Al-Ahram, only a few days after the country received the first batch of the China-made vaccine.
Egypt's Sisi appoints new commander for Air Defence Forces, advisor for military affairs
Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has issued a decree appointing a new commander for the Air Defense Forces and a new advisor for military affairs, Presidency Spokesman Bassam Rady said in a statement on Wednesday.
Arabic
Cairo Criminal Court ordered a forty-five-day detention renewal of Atef Hassaballah, editor-in-chief of local newspaper al-Qarar al-Dawly, according to the Egyptian Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression.
The Supreme State Security Prosecution renewed the detention of journalist Khaled El-Balshy for additional fifteen days, according to the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information.
Shady Abu Zeid has been in prison for the past month, serving a six-month sentence in the case known as “the balloons video”, according to his sister.
معارك الأمعاء الخاوية: ماذا يحدث داخل جسد موكا منذ إضرابه عن الطعام؟
Abdel Rahman Moka is still on hunger strike for thirteen days, protesting his illegal detention.
Six members of the Journalists Syndicate called for an emergency meeting to address the internal regulation of national press institutions.