A nine year-old girl was killed on Monday when a rocket hit the ground outside a house in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, in an apparent attack targeting soldiers, security officials said.

POLITICS

Nour Party says Brotherhood demonstrations will not bear fruit
Saleh Abdel Maboud, a member of the council heading the Nour Party, said that calls by the Muslim Brotherhood to demonstrate on Eid al-Fitr will not bear fruit. In a statement to Al-Ahram, he said that the Brotherhood must search for another way to deal with the current reality and stressed that the group has lost the sympathy of the Egyptian people. he called on the Brotherhood to refrain from protesting so as to not lead to clashes and losses of life. [Ahram Gateway (Arabic), 7/27/2014]

Also of Interest:

  • Sanusi appoints deputy and candidates for Constitution Party | Ahram Gateway (Arabic)

COURTS

Egypt pardons 354 prisoners to mark Eid al-Fitr
A security source at the interior ministry stated that the prison department granted on Monday the release of 354 prisoners to mark Eid al-Fitr and the anniversary of the 1952 revolution, Al-Ahram reported. The release order came following President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s decision to pardon a number of prisoners to mark Eid al-Fitr and the anniversary of the 1952 revolution. [Ahram Online, 7/28/2014]

ECONOMY

Egypt Finance Ministry allocates EGP 1.95 billion for subsidies
The ministry of supply and internal trade has received EGP 1.95 billion ($272.67 million) from Egypt’s finance ministry as a first installment for the provision of subsidized goods required for the new subsidy system,  deputy head of the General Authority for Supply Commodities Mamdouh Abdel Fattah said in a Monday press statement. [Cairo Post, 7/28/2014]

Also of Interest:

  • EGX gains EGP 24 billion during holy month | SIS
  • Islamic Development Bank in Saudi Arabia offers $25 million loan for development of vocational training centers | AMAY (Arabic), Aswat Masriya (Arabic)
  • Op-ed: The budget–beginning cautiously to exit the Mubarak box | Ahram Online
  • Saudi investors prepare to pump new investments into Egyptian healthcare sector | Al-Ahram (Arabic)
  • Sources: Egypt tops list of importers of Russian wheat | Aswat Masriya (Arabic)
  • Ministry of Supply to receive EGP 1.95 billion as a down payment for the provision of goods | Aswat Masriya (Arabic)

SOCIETY & MEDIA

Clashes erupt between Morsi supporters and police following Eid prayers
Clashes erupted between supporters of former president Mohamed Morsi protesting against the current government and police forces following Eid prayers, which took place Monday at dawn. State-owned Al-Ahram reported that security forces dispersed hundreds protesting in Alexandria, Cairo, and Giza, demanding Morsi’s return. Alexandria Security Directorate Head Amin Ezz al-Din told Al-Ahram that security forces arrested six protesters in Alexandria, allegedly in possession of weapons and anti-military flyers. Ezz al-Din also said that two officers and a soldier were injured during the clashes. Meanwhile, the pro-Morsi National Alliance to Support Legitimacy issued a statement on Monday morning asserting that protesters were killed during the day’s demonstrations. The statement accused the regime of cancelling Eid prayers in several locations and cracking down on protests, causing more bloodshed. [Mada Masr, 7/28/2014]

Dozens of harassment cases reported on first day of Eid
A local initiative monitored 13 incidents of sexual harassment in downtown Cairo on Monday, the first day of Eid al-Fitr, despite intensified security preparations. The initiative, I Saw Harassment, said that three of the incidents were group assaults and only two people filed reports to the police. The group also reported 23 cases of verbal harassment on the first day of Eid. Meanwhile, a security source told the news agency MENA that five cases of sexual harassment occurred on Monday and that all necessary legal proceedings were being followed. The source attributed the low number of sexual harassment cases to the intensified presence of security forces in Cairo. In addition, the National Council for Women said in a statement on Monday that it is working to allocate hotlines for sexual harassment complaints. The statement said that the group will work with the Ministry of Interior to ensure swift investigations. [Aswat Masriya, 7/29/2014]

Also of Interest:

  • A freelance photojournalist forgotten behind prison walls | Mada Masr
  • Health minister: No intention to raise prices of medicine | AMAY (Arabic)
  • Palestinian child, woman die of their wounds in Egyptian hospitals | Egypt Independent

SECURITY

Army kills seven militants in North Sinai
Egypt’s state news agency MENA said army forces killed seven militants and arrested five in an operation against terrorist activity in North Sinai. The troops killed three militants in an exchange of fire while four others died when a group tried to attack a house of in the border town of Rafah, according to a statement posted on Brig. Gen. Mohammed Samir’s official Facebook page late Monday. Army spokesman Mohamed Samir said five motorcycles used by militants were destroyed and one privately owned vehicle missing license plates used by militants in attacks was confiscated. [Ahram Online, AP, Aswat Masriya, Ahram Gateway (Arabic), 7/29/2014]

Rocket attack kills girl in Egypt’s Sinai: security
A nine year-old girl was killed on Monday when a rocket hit the ground outside a house in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, in an apparent attack targeting soldiers, security officials said. Another girl, 10, was wounded in the blast south of the town of Sheikh Zuweid in northern Sinai. The rocket was apparently targeting a security patrol that was passing through the area, security officials said. Meanwhile, the body of an infant killed after shells landed near a house in Sinai was returned to her relatives for burial after authorities completed the necessary investigations. [AFP, Ahram Gateway (Arabic), 7/29/2014]

Also of Interest:

  • Tourist police intensify patrols to secure citizens and foreigners | Shorouk (Arabic)

INTERNATIONAL

Hamas, Islamic Jihad officials head to Cairo for Gaza talks
A Palestinian delegation, including representatives from Fatah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, are to meet with Egyptian officials on ending the violence in Gaza, Al-Arabiya reported. A Palestinian source who is a part of the talks told Ahram Online that the framework of the talks would be discussing or even amending the Egyptian ceasefire proposal. The source added that the Egyptian proposed truce would be the main document for the ceasefire talks and that there could be amendments to the original ceasefire proposal. In a statement by the Egyptian foreign ministry, Egypt condemned the most recent strikes against a park in al-Shate camp and a health compound in Gaza, which left ten dead, including eight children. Meanwhile, a new shipment of food and medical aid provided by the Egyptian army reached the Rafah border crossing on its way to Gaza, Egypt’s state news agency MENA reported. [Ahram Online, 7/29/2014]

Libya denies Egyptians killed in Tripoli attack
Libya on Monday denied claims from Cairo that Egyptian nationals were among those killed in a rocket attack on a house in Tripoli at the weekend. Egypt’s foreign ministry had said a rocket hit a house in the capital on Saturday, killing 23 people, including several Egyptians. “There are 23 people dead after a Grad rocket fell on a house in Tripoli. Some of them are Egyptians, but we don’t know how many,” ministry spokesman Badr Abdelatty told AFP. But Libyan interior ministry spokesman Rami Kaal on Monday dismissed the claim. “News reported in the press about this incident is completely wrong,” he said. State news agency Lana reported Kaal as saying that one Egyptian was injured in the attack, without specifying whether there were victims of other nationalities. [AFP, Ahram Online, 7/28/2014]

Also of Interest:

  • Saudi King receives telephone call from Sisi | SIS
  • Egyptian border guards arrest 162 Egyptians attempting to sneak into Libya | Shorouk (Arabic)
  • Egyptian and Sudanese trade ministers to meet in Khartoum on August 11 | Al-Ahram (Arabic)
  • Foreign Ministry working with Tunisian and Libyan authorities to safeguard lives of Egyptians | Ahram Gateway (Arabic)