[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
What’s next in Case 173? 4 NGOs, 5 civil society workers in the clear but investigations continue
Though investigations into four non-governmental organizations were dropped due to insufficient evidence on Monday — ten years after they and an unknown number of other NGOs were accused of receiving foreign funding to harm the state — other civil society workers and organizations continue to face questioning in Case 173/2011.
Trial of EIPR Director Hossam Bahgat begins Tuesday over “insulting Elections Commission”
A Cairo court is scheduled to begin the trial of Hossam Bahgat, Executive Director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), on Tuesday, 7 September, for “insulting the National Elections Authority (NEA)”. The charge relates to a tweet Bahgat posted last year, in which he criticized the conduct of the former head of the NEA, the late judge Ibrahim Lasheen, and his role in overseeing the electoral process of the House of Representatives elections in 2020.
In protest of a four-year sentence for false news charges that researcher Ahmed Samir Santawy was handed by an emergency court in June, his family appealed last week by submitting a grievance to the office that ratifies rulings from the emergency courts.
Researcher Shaimaa Samy, YouTuber Shady Sorour and Bread and Freedom Party member Ziad Aboul Fadl were released on Sunday, after all were held in remand detention on terrorism and false news charges for over a year.
Trial of ‘Hisham Ashmawy Cell’ against 12 defendants adjourned to September 14
Emergency State Security Court, held at Tora Courts complex, headed by Counselor Mohamed Sherin Fahmy, adjourned on Monday the hearing of the trial of twelve defendants in a case dubbed in the media as "Hisham Ashmawy Cell" to September 14, 2021.
Witnesses arrested and intimidated: How the Fairmont rape case fell apart
Allegations of a violent gang rape at the Fairmont Nile City Hotel in 2014 first appeared on social media in the summer of 2020. According to the anonymous Instagram account Gang Rapists of Cairo, at least six men drugged a young women with the date-rape drug GHB, took her to a room at the Fairmont hotel, took turns raping her and wrote their initials on the victim’s body. According to the account, the rapists filmed the assault and circulated the video among their acquaintances. The allegations accused some of the country’s elite and powerfully connected young men, and the story quickly made waves.
Officer detained for assaulting lawyer at Alexandria police station
A police officer in Alexandria is being held in remand detention on charges of physically assaulting a lawyer at an Alexandria police station on Wednesday last week.
Egypt's leftist Tagammu Party calls for national dialogue over bread subsidies
A number of Egyptian lawmakers affiliated with leftist "Tagammu" Party have urged the government not to take the "perilous" step of lifting bread subsidies, as millions of Egyptians live under the poverty line.
Destruction of 120-year-old palace sparks anger in Egypt
The continuous demolition of heritage and ancient buildings in Egypt raises the ire of archaeology experts who call on authorities to deploy more efforts to renovate and preserve the country’s heritage.
Foreign Policy
Egypt is working to bring about a meeting between the leaders of Israel and Palestine before the United Nations General Assembly convenes later this month, according to an Egyptian diplomatic source who spoke to Mada Masr.
Sisi asks for 'serious' role by international community to help solve GERD dispute
Egypt President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has asked the international community to play a serious role in helping to solve the long-running dispute caused by the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
Egypt, Turkey to conduct 2nd round of exploratory talks in Ankara in September
Egyptian Deputy Foreign Minister Hamdy Loza will be visiting Ankara from 7 to 8 September to conduct a second round of exploratory talks with Turkey, a statement by the Egyptian foreign ministry read on Tuesday.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry has urged support for Libya's 5+5 commission, formally named the 5+5 Libyan Joint Military Commission (JMC), to enable it to complete its mission, which includes ensuring the departure of all foreign forces and mercenaries from the oil-rich country.
Egyptian-Qatari follow-up committee holds new round of consultation in Cairo
A follow-up committee formed by Egypt and Qatar to develop the recently-resumed ties between Cairo and Doha convened in Cairo on Tuesday for a new round of bilateral consultations following the Al-Ula declaration.
Egypt and Cyprus summit: An ambitious Eastern Mediterranean alliance
An Egyptian-Cypriot summit in Cairo on Saturday represented a new leap in relations between the two Mediterranean countries, cementing an Eastern Mediterranean alliance.
Egypt’s FM phones Algerian, Moroccan counterparts over diplomatic tensions
Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry phoned, on Friday, his Algerian counterpart Ramtane Lamamra and Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita.
President Sisi, Emir Tamim agree to continue consultations to boost Egyptian-Qatari relations
Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani agree to continuing consultation to boost bilateral relations during the coming period as they met in Baghdad on Saturday.
Egypt rejects all foreign interference in Iraq's affairs and the illegal aggression on its territories, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said during his speech at Baghdad Conference on Cooperation and Partnership on Saturday.
Gulf region’s security closely linked to Egypt's national security, Sisi tells Kuwaiti PM
The security of the Gulf region is one of the main pillars of the Arab national security, and is closely linked to the Egyptian national security, Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi told Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah on Saturday.
The head of Egypt's diplomatic mission in Tripoli Tamer Moustafa met on Wednesday with a number of ministers in the Libyan government to discuss preparations for re-opening the Egyptian embassy in Tripoli and the consulate in Benghazi.
Egypt, Sierra Leon sign agreements to enhance political, cultural cooperation
Egypt and Sierra Leon signed on Tuesday a number of agreements for cooperation in the fields of political consultation, youth and culture, Egypt's foreign ministry said.
Intelligence chief 1st Egyptian official to visit new Israeli PM
Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel paid an official visit to Israel on Wednesday for meetings with the Israeli prime minister and defense minister on the ceasefire Egypt brokered in May, which an Egyptian government source told Mada Masr “needs constant follow up.”
Economy
Amazon officially launches platform and warehouse in Egypt
Amazon, the leading renowned global online shopping platform, officially launched Amazon.eg to replace Souq.com in the local market on Wednesday following the inauguration of its warehouse in Egypt on Tuesday.
Egypt’s external debt jumps to $134.8 bln by end of 3Q of FY2020/21: CBE
Egypt’s external debt increased to 134.8 billion US dollars by the end of March 2021, an increase of about 11.3 billion US dollars from June 2020, according to the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE).
Egypt witnesses a decrease in poverty indicators for 1st time in 20 years: CAPMAS head
Poverty indicators in Egypt decreased to 29.7 percent in 2019-2020, after it hit 32.3 percent in 2017-2018, for the first time in twenty years, Major General Khairat Barakat, head of the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), said Monday.
Egypt's agriculture exports increased by 14% in 2021: Agriculture minister
Egypt's agriculture exports in 2021 increased by fourteen percent, compared to 2020, Minister of Agriculture El-Sayed El-Quseir said on Sunday, noting that Egypt is ranked first in the world for citrus fruit exports.
ICT’s contribution to Egypt’s GDP expected to double to 5 percent in FY2021/22: Planning minister
Egypt targets doubling the information and communications technology (ICT) sector contribution to the GDP to five percent in the current FY2021/2022, compared to 2.6 percent in FY2020/2021, Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala El-Said.
Egyptian expat remittances jump to $28.5 bln in July, May of FY2020/21: CBE
Egyptian expat remittances witnessed an increase of thirteen percent in the first ten months (July-May) of FY2020/2021, compared to the same period of FY2019/20, to reach 28.5 billion US dollars, growing by 3.3 billion US dollars, the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) announced on Tuesday.
Egypt gears up for its first Islamic sukuk issuance, expected in 2H of FY2021/22
Egypt is set to issue its first batch of sovereign bonds (Islamic sukuk) during the second half (2H) of the current FY2021/2022, Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait announced on Tuesday.
How real estate companies in the new capital are targeting the middle class
Market conditions in the new administrative capital have forced real estate companies to modify their strategies in order to target wider segments of the middle class by offering unprecedented payment terms. While the new market reality opens up opportunities to the middle class, it comes with its own risks.
Domestic Security
As Egypt looks to ramp up vaccinations, some gain privileged access with favoritism coming into play
Many of those vaccinated in Egypt have already received their shots through parallel systems that are not available to the general public, according to several medical and government sources, including vaccination on offer to government agencies and ministries and vaccinations being offered by mobile units.
Egypt to Distribute Locally Produced COVID-19 Vaccine This Week
Egypt’s Minister of Health and Population Hala Zayed announced that Egypt will begin distributing its locally produced doses of the Sinovac coronavirus vaccine this week, and will manufacture between fifteen and 18.5 million doses per month to meet the rising COVID-19 infections in the country.
Arabic
Several public figures signed a statement of solidarity with imprisoned activist Ahmed Douma, calling on the President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to release him as his health has seriously deteriorated.
The report discusses the heavy jail sentences for social media influencers Hanin Hossam and Mawada el-Adham over human trafficking charges, amid the authorities’ crackdown on internet freedoms.
الصحافة الآن: من يفلت بمعلومة يلتهمه الرقيب
Almanassa discusses the steady shrinking of political space for correspondents to access information.
بعد 10 أشهر.. محامون: الجنايات تخلي سبيل 25 متهما في قضيتي أحداث 20 سبتمبر الثانية
Cairo Criminal Court ordered released a number of prisoners held in pre-trial detention over the September 20 anti- government protests case.
الدين الخارجي 2020: كورونا ترفع الاستدانة
The report explains the causes of the increase in Egypt’s foreign debt during 2020.