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Cairo and Doha finally show some humanity: They are now allowing Egyptians stranded in Qatar to return home
Doha, June 15, 2020 - Egyptian workers stranded in Qatar in the coronavirus lockdown have flown home, a community group said Monday, in the first of 18 repatriation flights that have overcome restrictions under a regional boycott. The flight with 174 passengers on...
Egypt’s virus infections on the rise, government maintains curfew
Egypt will extend a night-time curfew by a further two weeks in a bid to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Information Minister Osama Heikal said Thursday, as infections rise. Heikal told a news conference the measure would be enforced from 8:00 pm (1800 GMT) to...
Defense: Egypt to buy two warships from Italy
Rome, June 12, 2020 (By Ljubomir Milasin) - Italy has given a green light to the sale of two warships to Egypt, news media reported on Friday, despite tense relations between the two countries over the unresolved 2016 murder of an Italian student in Cairo. The $1.2...
Egypt: Female social media influencers under attack
Cairo, June 11, 2020 (By Bassem Aboualabass) - Young Egyptian women with thousands of followers each on the popular TikTok app have become the latest target of state authorities who accuse them of spreading "immorality" in society. Since President Abdel Fattah...
Egypt wants tourists to return, reopening Red Sea resorts
Cairo, June 10, 2020 - Hotels have ramped up hygiene, archaeological sites have been sanitised and beaches cleaned up -- Egypt is gearing up to welcome back tourists kept away by the coronavirus pandemic. "We are laying the groundwork for tourists from around the...
Egypt: No progress in Nile dam negotiations with Ethiopia
Cairo, June 9, 2020 - Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi strongly rebuked Ethiopia on Tuesday, accusing Addis Ababa of stalling negotiations over a mega-dam being built on the Nile and moving ahead with plans to start filling the reservoir before reaching a deal....
Egypt’s debt rising with another large IMF loan
An IMF team has agreed on a one-year, $5.2 billion financing package for Egypt to help the country alleviate the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the fund announced Friday. The IMF board must still approve the financing from the fund's Rapid Financing...
Egypt: Despite ban, Female Genital Mutilation is still widely practiced in Egypt
Cairo, June 4, 2020 - Egypt's prosecutor-general has brought criminal charges against a father for the genital mutilation of his three daughters, while likewise charging a physician who allegedly performed the illegal procedure. "The doctor went to their (the girls)...
Egypt kills more people in Sinai alleged to be insurgents
Egypt's military said it had killed 19 militants in targeted ground and air operations as part of its battle to quell a long-running Islamist insurgency in north Sinai. Five soldiers were killed or wounded in the operations last week, according to the online video...
Will Covid-19 mark the end of kissing and hugging in the Mediterranean?
May 28, 2020 (By Isabelle Ligner and Isabelle Wesselingh, photo: Anastasia Vityukova) - To greet friends and acquaintances by kissing, hugging and shaking hands is considered part of the essence of Mediterranean identity. But the coronavirus pandemic has put an abrupt...
Egypt: While Sisi sends aid to China, Italy and US, Egypt’s health system is about to collapse
Cairo, May 25, 2020 - Egypt's top medical union on Monday warned of a "complete collapse" of the country's health system, accusing the health ministry of negligence in failing to protect healthcare workers from coronavirus. "The syndicate is warning that the health...
Egyptian army keeps busy killing “insurgents” in North Sinai
Egypt said Saturday (23 May) that 21 jihadists were killed in clashes with security forces in the restive Sinai peninsula, where Islamic State group-affiliated militants have waged a long-running insurgency. The interior ministry said in a statement that police...
Egypt arrests 11 for allegedly sharing ‘fake news’ with Al-Jazeera
Cairo, May 22, 2020 - Egyptian security forces arrested 11 people on suspicion of fabricating media content for the Qatar-based Al Jazeera network, the interior ministry said Friday. The suspects were allegedly found to be collaborating with members of the outlawed...
Egypt’s hospitals reach max capacity, struggle to cope with caseload
By Hager Harabech: Three months after Egypt reported its first novel coronavirus case, medical experts warn the strained healthcare system of the Arab world's most populous nation is nearing a "critical threshold". Hospitals have been hit by a flight of doctors...
Egypt: Eid al-Fitr under lockdown
Cairo, May 17, 2020 - Egypt on Sunday announced a lengthening of its night-time curfew and other measures to prevent large gatherings during Eid al-Fitr holidays marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. "All shops, malls, restaurants, entertainment...
Egypt: Regime of General Sisi arrests Mada Masr Editor
Egyptian security services on Sunday detained the editor-in-chief of prominent independent news outlet Mada Masr, its lawyer said, the latest in a crackdown against journalists. Lina Attallah was arrested outside Cairo's Tora prison as she was interviewing rights...
Egypt: Ethiopia Nile dam crisis intensifies
Addis Ababa, May 18, 2020 - Ethiopia sees no reason to delay filling its controversial mega-dam despite warnings from Egypt that such a move could destabilise the region, according to a letter from Ethiopia's foreign minister to the UN Security Council. The Grand...
Egypt: More violence in North Sinai ($)
Cairo, May 15, 2020 - Egypt's military said Friday seven suspected militants were killed in a raid carried out as part of its operations against insurgents in the restive Sinai Peninsula. "The armed forces carried out a targeted operation that resulted in the killing...
Egypt: A flyover symbolizing a mediocre government ($)
Cairo, May 14, 2020 - A road bridge under construction in Egypt's capital that almost abuts balconies of apartment blocks has sparked disbelief on social media and in the press. "When a car goes by, perhaps we can invite them to join us for a cup of tea on our...
Egypt: Despite collapsing economy, a pandemic, and dismal human rights records, Egypt to get attack helicopters
The United States has approved a $2.3 billion deal on attack helicopters for Egypt, but an official insisted Friday that Washington was still pressing on human rights concerns. President Donald Trump's administration informed Congress on Thursday that it has given the...
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