Egypt’s top prosecution charged Saturday Muslim Brotherhood leader, and Former Morsi-era Minister, Mohamed Ali Bishr, with espionage with the United States and Norway.

POLITICS

Committee to announce report on Egypt’s post-Morsi ‎violence on Wednesday
Omar Marawan, spokesman and secretary-general ‎of the June 30 fact-finding committee, said on Monday that the committee will ‎announce its final report in an international conference on ‎Wednesday.‎ ‎Marawan added that the committee finalized its work and ‎held its last meeting on November 20.‎ The report includes 800 pages, with thousands of ‎documents, CDs and photos attached, Marwan said. ‎However, only 100 ‎pages will be given to media reporters during ‎the conference.‎ Meanwhile, Alaa Youssef, spokesman for Egypt’s presidency, said that President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi received the committee’s final report on Sunday. The president sent the document to the cabinet for discussion, after which it will be sent to judicial authorities to take the necessary actions concerning its findings. [Aswat Masriya, 11/23/2014]

Brotherhood backs Salafist protests on Friday for Egypt’s ‘Islamic identity’
The Muslim Brotherhood has announced its support for protests this Friday called by the Salafist Front in order to preserve Egypt’s “Islamic identity.” In its official statement, the group hailed the importance of freedom of expression without fear of persecution or accusations of treason, asserting that such demonstrations “adhere to Egyptian identity and uphold the peaceful revolution.” On the other hand, Nour Party leaders claimed that the Muslim Brotherhood, in collaboration with the Salafi Front, is seeking to repeat the scenario of the 1952 Cairo Fire through demonstrations. Younes Makhyoun, head of Nour Party, said the party expects a second massacre like Rabb’a al-Adaweya to happen on November 28. He accused the Salafi Front of attempting to spread extremist thoughts, and called on citizens not to respond to its call for demonstrations. Nour Party members also formed a human chain in Suez on Sunday to show their rejection of protests planned by Salafi Front. Salafi Call leader Yasser Borhamy issued an edict saying that callers for the November 28 protest are corrupt and extremists who seek to spread corruption. Al-Azhar issued a statement describing the calls for the Islamic uprising as an “invitation for civil strife and treason.” [DNE, Aswat Masriya, 11/23/2014]

Political parties suggest postponing parliamentary elections
Representatives of al-Wafd al-Masry Alliance, the Egyptian Bloc, Nour Party and the Democratic Current Alliance have agreed to submit a memorandum to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab demanding the postponement of parliamentary elections, said Ahmed al-Boraei, the leader at the Democratic Current Alliance. The political alliances will meet soon to discuss the items of the memorandum. It will include items suggesting holding the parliamentary elections in an appropriate atmosphere and will suggest amending the law regulating protests, the pardon of convicted political activists and easing the tension at universities between the security and the students. The Democratic Current, the Wafd Coalition and the Nour Party are calling for the country’s current parliamentary elections law to be amended, citing the disproportionate allocation of seats to individuals. The coalition has proposed changing the distribution to 40 percent for lists, 40 percent for individuals, and 20 percent for the categories imposed by the quota. [Egypt Independent, Mada Masr, 11/23/2014]

Also of Interest
Head of Pharmacists Syndicate resigns over Brotherhood influence | Mada Masr

COURTS

Mohamed Ali Bishr accused of collaborating with US, Norway
Egypt’s top prosecution charged Saturday Muslim Brotherhood leader, and Former Morsi-era Minister, Mohamed Ali Bishr, with espionage with the United States and Norway. The prosecution resumed investigations on Saturday, after Bishr was sentenced to fifteen days in prison, and is scheduled to reinvestigate him on Monday. They said the charges made were based on recordings of Bishr, which he would be summoned to hear and comment on during questioning Monday. [Ahram Online, Aswat Masriya, 11/22/2014]

Lawyers Syndicate backs defense team’s decision to boycott Douma’s trial
The Egyptian Lawyers Syndicate has supported a decision by the lawyers defending a prominent activist to withdraw from his ongoing trial, banning its members from taking the case in their stead. The lawyers defending activist Ahmed Douma and 286 others on charges of attacking the cabinet building in 2011 have complained about their treatment by Cairo Criminal Court during the trial, and announced their withdrawal from the case on Saturday. Lawyer Taher Abul-Nasr said that a syndicate member could still take the case, but would be referred to the syndicate’s ethical committee to face sanctions. According to Abul-Nasr, the case cannot be completed without a defense team. [Ahram Online, DNE, AP, 11/22/2014]

Shura Council trial: Videos fail to prove Alaa Abdel Fattah attacked police
The Cairo Criminal Court adjourned on Sunday the trial of political activist Alaa Abdel Fattah and twenty-three other defendants accused of violating last year’s protest law pending their retrial to November 26. The defendants are to remain in jail until the next session, when the court is scheduled to hear the witnesses’ testimony. The court has found that videos presented by the prosecution in the trial failed to prove that the defendants attacked a police officer and stole his radio. [DNE, Ahram Online, Aswat Masriya, 11/23/2014]

Also of Interest
Port Said massacre retrial adjourned until December 20 | Ahram Online, DNE
Morsi funded Port Said football killings, say accused | Ahram Online
Military tribunal upholds prison sentences for Jama’a Islamiya leaders | Aswat Masriya
Hundreds of drivers arrested for traffic offenses in Cairo, Giza | Ahram Online
Egypt court confirms jail terms for eighty-five students | AFP
Court sentences 100 al-Azhar students to five years in prison | DNE
Egypt refers four to trial over espionage, including two fugitive Israeli Mossad officers | Aswat Masriya

ECONOMY

Egypt hopes to attract $10 to 12 billion at investment summit in March
A major economic summit aimed at encouraging international investment in Egypt will be held 13 March for three days in the resort town of Sharm al-Sheikh, Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab announced Saturday. Egypt hopes to attract investment of $10 to $12 billion in twenty projects, including in energy, transport and water, at the conference, the minister for international cooperation said on Saturday. [Ahram Online, DNE, Aswat Masriya, AP, Mada Masr, 11/22/2014]

Also of Interest
Total value of Egyptian imports, exports falls in first half of 2014: EITP | DNE
Central bank: Egypt sold $1.796 billion in dollar-denominated treasury bills | Reuters
Egypt’s urgent railway development to cost EGP41 billion, says minister | Ahram Online
Egypt’s Amer Group to become two companies, eyes growth potential | Ahram Online
Egypt hires German firm to bore transport tunnels under Suez Canal | Reuters
Egypt-UAE agreement to fund micro-projects signed | DNE, MENA
FDI in oil and gas unaffected by Egypt’s instability | DNE
Saudi Arabian firm investing in Suez Canal targets EGP300 billion in capital, says Sheikh Kamel | DNE
Petroleum ministry to open bids for shale gas exploration in four areas in Western Desert | DNE
Egypt aims to renegotiate Suez Canal container port deal | Reuters
Presidency spokesperson: Government to issue unified investment law | Egypt Independent
South Korea to attend Egypt’s investment summit – presidency | Aswat Masriya

SOCIETY & MEDIA

Police surround Alexandria University as students threaten to strike
Troops from the Central Security Forces and the military police on surrounded the perimeter of the Faculty of Science in Alexandria University on Saturday, after students clashed with campus security, according to the Students Against the Coup (SAC) movement. The students were planning a partial strike on Saturday morning in protest of the expulsion of twelve students from the university for three years, on charges of “rioting on campus,” state media reported. Security forces spread outside the gates of the university to prevent the students from protesting outside the campus. [DNE, 11/22/2014]

Also of Interest
Harsher penalties for traffic violations starting today | Aswat Masriya
Workers strike at Helwan steel company | DNE, Egypt Independent
Fayoum security forces protest lack of vacation | Egypt Independent
Churches convene over personal status law | Egypt Independent
Sexual harassment still pervasive in Egypt, despite new law | DNE
Egypt’s UNDP director hopes to eliminate female genital mutilation‏ | Egypt Independent
People with special needs protest outside Cairo governorate headquarters, demand housing | Egypt Independent

SECURITY

One dead in Beni Suef railway blast
A bomb went off near a train station in southern Egypt Saturday night, as police found three other explosive devices planted on railway tracks in the region, the government said. A charred body was found near the railway station in Wasta, a town in the province of Beni Suef, the interior ministry said, adding it probably belonged to the person who had planted the bomb. The interior ministry announced on Sunday that the body was that of a Muslim Brotherhood member. [AFP, Aswat Masriya, 11/23/2014]

Also of Interest
Eleven militants killed in North Sinai, says armed forces | DNE, Aswat Masriya
Police officer abducted in South Sinai | DNE, Egypt Independent
Improvised explosive device explodes near security forces bus in North Sinai, injures three | Ahram Online
Egyptian policeman killed in Sinai explosion | Ahram Online, Aswat Masriya

INTERNATIONAL

President’s office clarifies Sisi comment on sending troops to Palestinian state
The office of Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi issued a clarification Sunday evening about Sisi’s statement to Italian daily Corriere della Sera that Egypt would send troops to a future Palestinian state. “Regarding the statement about the possibility of sending troops from Egypt and the Arab countries to secure a future Palestinian state, these statements were made to encourage Israel to move towards the two-state solution,” said Ambassador Alaa Youssef.  Sisi said in the interview published Sunday that he would be prepared to send troops to a future Palestinian state to help stabilize it. [Ahram Online, Aswat Masriya, AFP, DNE, AP, Mada Masr, 11/23/2014]

Also of Interest
Sisi starts European tour of Italy, Vatican and France | Ahram Online, DNE, AFP, SIS, Aswat Masriya
Libyan general Haftar: Egypt supports us with logistics | Egypt Independent
Egypt’s FM discusses peace efforts with Tony Blair | Ahram Online, SIS, Aswat Masriya
Egypt condemns deadly militant attacks in Congo, Kenya | Ahram Online, DNE
Egypt, UAE militaries in third joint training this year | DNE, Egypt Independent
Egypt, China set to launch strategic partnership | DNE, SIS
Crisis on Rafah border crossing aggravates as Egypt insists on closure | Egypt Independent
Sisi, Salva Kiir to sign agreement on water resources management | MENA, DNE
Egypt, South Korea PMs hold official talks | SIS
Egypt chairs Euro-Asian Exchanges Union | SIS