Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan reached a preliminary draft agreement governing the Renaissance Dam operations, state-run news agency MENA reported Friday. The foreign and water ministers met for three days of tripartite meetings to discuss the issue. The planned $4 billion Renaissance Dam will be Africa’s biggest dam and aims to provide cheap power for countries as far away as South Africa and Morocco. 

POLITICS

Presidential decree establishes special council for education and scientific research
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi issued decree No. 125 for the year 2015, approving the establishment of a special council for education and scientific research. The council membership includes several scholars and scientists. The decree was published in Egypt’s official gazette. [EGYNews (Arabic), 3/6/2015]

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COURTS

Sisi sends member of Judges for Egypt Movement to retirement
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has sent Cairo Appeal Court President Ayman al-Wardany to retirement. The decision, made on February 17 and issued in the official gazette on Thursday, said the retirement was based on verdict by the supreme disciplinary board on September 29. Wardany was referred to the board over membership in Judges for Egypt movement, which supported the Muslim Brotherhood and formed by Waleed Sharaby. The movement declared victory of toppled President Mohamed Morsi in 2012 elections before official results were announced. [Egypt Independent, 3/5/2015]

ECONOMY

Egypt to offer projects worth $35 billion during conference
Egypt plans to offer around fifty projects, valued at up to $35 billion at its international investment conference in mid-March. The government has already started negotiations over ten projects, including a $3 billion power plant and embarked on a mega-project to expand the Suez Canal and develop an industrial zone around it. Overall, Egypt attracted some $1.3 billion in foreign investment in the first quarter of the current fiscal year ending in June and reportedly the government hopes to reach $8 billion by the end of the fiscal year, nearly double the amount from the previous year. [AP, 3/5/2015]

BP signs $12b deal to develop Egypt gas field
The, which has been trying to attract foreign investment after four years of unrest. BP said in a statement that the investment is “a vote of confidence in Egypt’s investment climate.” The West Nile Delta project aims to produce 5 trillion cubic feet of gas and 55 million barrels of condensate. Production is expected to begin in 2017 and reach up to 1.2 billion cubic feet a day, or about 25 percent of Egypt’s current production. [AP, 3/6/2015]

Also of Interest

  • Minister says Egypt sees Suez Canal zone making up 30-35 pct of economy | Reuters
  • Sharm al-Sheikh prepares for Economic Summit participants says Governor | DNE
  • Egyptian tourism’s dark days seem to be ending: STR director | DNE
  • EgyptAir: 123 domestic and international flights to serve EEDC attendants | EGYNews (Arabic)
  • Egypt’s quiet economic revolution | WSJ

SOCIETY & MEDIA

‘Rampant abuse’ in Cairo’s Mattariya police station says Amnesty International
The “string of deaths” amongst detainees held in custody inside Mattariya police station point to “torture and horrific detention conditions,” Amnesty International said in a statement on Wednesday.
At least nine detainees have died in Mattariya police station since April 2014, three of which died last week alone. Amnesty International has described the investigations into their cases “half-hearted” as no one has been held accountable. [DNE, 3/5/2015]

Also of Interest

  • Jailed activist nominated for human rights award | DNE
  • Bus-train collision kills seven near Cairo say health officials | Ahram Online, AP, Reuters
  • Mounting challenges face new press syndicate board voted Friday | Ahram Online
  • Al-Azhar to confront ISIS on Internet | Egypt Independent
  • Writer: Authorities must reveal officials who cooperated in Pyramids porn movie | Egypt Independent
  • Schools empty from students skipping class | Egypt Independent
  • Journalists’ Syndicate elections postponed to March 20 | EGYNews (Arabic)

SECURITY

Six minor blasts hit Cairo and Giza on Friday
In the latest in a series of militant attacks, four bombs exploded in Greater Cairo on Friday morning and two more in the afternoon, leaving no casualties, state news agency MENA reported. One of the bombs targeted an electricity unit in the southern Cairo suburb of Maadi, causing damage to three cars.  Another was planted in a central square in Zaytoun, an eastern Cairo neighborhood. On the western outskirts of Cairo, twin bomb attacks targeted a gas supply unit in October 6 city. Later in the day, two crude bombs went off in the densely populated districts of al-Marg and al-Amireya in northeast Cairo. No injuries have been reported. [Ahram Online, 3/6/2015]

Official says fifteen extremists killed, fifteen injured in North Sinai air strikes
The armed forces killed fifteen alleged members of the terrorist group Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis in North Sinai on Thursday, including one of the group’s most dangerous Ashraf Abu Zeraiy, according to head of North Sinai Security Directorate Major General Ali Azzazy. The armed forces received information about the gathering of a large numbers of group members in three houses in the village of al-Moqataa, south Sheikh Zuweid, said Azzazy. Apache helicopters immediately bombed the terrorist groupings, he added. [DPA, 3/5/2015]

Also of Interest

  • Egyptian policeman injured in drive-by shooting in Fayoum | Ahram Online
  • Two bombs detonated on railroad and electricity pylon in Sharqiya | EGYNews (Arabic)

INTERNATIONAL

Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan reach preliminary deal on Nile dam
Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan reached a preliminary draft agreement governing the Renaissance Dam operations, state-run news agency MENA reported Friday. The foreign and water ministers met for three days of tripartite meetings to discuss the issue. The planned $4 billion Renaissance Dam will be Africa’s biggest dam and aims to provide cheap power for countries as far away as South Africa and Morocco. The project, being built by Italy’s Salini Impregilo SpA , aims to produce 6,000 megawatts of electricity for a power-hungry region. The deal will now be sent to the leaders of the three countries for final approval. The ministers did not elaborate on specific points of the deal. [Ahram Online, Reuters, Aswat Masriya, 3/6/2015]

Also of Interest

  • Emirates forges special relationship with Sisi’s Egypt | AP
  • Yediot Ahronot: Israel worried about Russia-Egypt S-300 missile deal | DPA
  • 500 Egyptians return from Libya via Salloum | EGYNews (Arabic)
  • EgyptAir flight evacuates 306 Egyptians from Libya via Tunisia | EGYNews (Arabic)
  • Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta hails New York city for adding Muslim holidays to school calendar | EGYNews (Arabic)