A bomb exploded near the foreign ministry in downtown Cairo on Sunday morning, killing two police personnel and injuring several others.

POLITICS

Sisi says those who renounce violence can participate in politics
In his first interview with the foreign media since he took office, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said that all actions he has taken were to combat militancy and save the country from civil war. He said Egypt is a model for fighting terrorism and that the US-led coalition to fight the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria should take note. Sisi hinted at the possibility of the participation of Muslim Brotherhood supporters in political life on the condition that it renounce violence. Sisi reportedly justified the Egyptian authorities’ year-long crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood saying the group had “chosen confrontation.” A transcript of the entire interview can be found here. [AP, 9/21/2014]

Popular Current to become a political party
Leftist movement the Popular Current announced on Saturday its intention to form a political party tailored towards young people, adding that the new party will not be led by the current’s founder, Hamdeen Sabbahi. “The goal of forming the party is that the youth will have a true opportunity to express themselves,” former health minister and party founding member Amr Helmy announced at the televised press conference held to announce the initiative. “[I give] all the greetings and support to the Popular Current youth to build a strong party which represents the revolution, adds to the democratic movements and seeks to unify them,” Sabbahi tweeted simultaneously with the party’s launch. “It is time for the youth to take the lead.” Kamal Abu-Eta, a leading member of the Karama Party and former minister of labor power said the Popular Current Party would act as a tool to fight authoritarianism in the future. He encouraged the youth of the Popular Current Party to unite revolutionary forces that have become dissociated. [Ahram Online, Aswat Masriya, 9/20/2014]

Also of Interest:
Revolutionary Socialists refuse to participate in Sisi’s initiative | DNE
More senior figures resign from Free Egyptians Party | Ahram Online
Egypt’s Raba’a fact-finding committee given two-month extension | Ahram Online, DNE, Aswat Masriya
Watan Party announces strategy for coming period | DNE
Registration for Egypt’s parliamentary polls to open in mid-October: Source | Ahram Online

COURTS

Egypt court says no jurisdiction to rule on NASL, Nour Party ban
A Cairo court said on Monday it does not have the authority to rule on a lawsuit demanding the banning of the activities of an Islamist alliance supporting ousted president Mohamed Morsi.   Lawyer Samir Sabry filed a lawsuit calling for the halt of the activities and closing down of the offices of the National Alliance to Support Legitimacy (NASL), an umbrella for mainly Islamist groups led by the now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. However, the Cairo court of appeals for urgent matters said it “lacks jurisdiction” to rule on the matter. A primary court had previously said the same before Sabry appealed the decision. Naguib Gabriel, lawyer and head of the Egyptian Union for Human Rights, had also filed a lawsuit calling for a temporary freeze on the Nour Party’s activities and a ban on it running in upcoming parliamentary elections. The Cairo court for urgent matters on Monday also said it did not have jurisdiction to rule on the matter. [Ahram Online, 9/22/2014]

Alexandria activist Mahienour al-Massry released
An Alexandria Court ordered the release of labor activist and lawyer Mahienour al-Massry, after the court accepted her appeal against a six month imprisonment sentence. Massry had been initially sentenced to two years in prison and fined EGP50,000 alongside eight others by the Alexandria Misdemeanor Court for violating the protest law. The release of political detainees prosecuted under the protest law doesn’t mean the law will be amended – despite previous statements by members of Egypt’s National Council for Human Rights, who said they had been asked to participate in amending the law. [Aswat Masriya, Ahram Online, DNE, Egypt Independent, Mada Masr, 9/21/2014]

Also of Interest:
Judge overturns release of detained Zamalek ultras | Ahram Online, Aswat Masriya
Egypt upholds death sentence for five in killing of policeman | Reuters, Ahram Online, Aswat Masriya
Morsi espionage trial adjourned to September 29 | Ahram Online, DNE, Egypt Independent, Aswat Masriya
Morsi prison break trial adjourned to October 1 | Aswat Masriya
Douma reveals ‘lack of confidence’ in court | DNE
Security source: Douma transferred from prison to undergo medical tests | Egypt Independent
Preacher Abdallah Badr sentenced to six months for insulting actress Elham Shahin | Egypt Independent
Badie and 104 others face fresh murder charges | Aswat Masriya

ECONOMY

Suez Canal certificate sales inject EGP twenty seven billion into Egypt’s banks
Investment certificates issued earlier this month to finance the digging of a new Suez Canal have attracted EGP twenty seven billion ($3.8 billion) of fresh cash to the Egyptian banking system, announced the central bank’s governor, Hisham Ramez, on Sunday. [Ahram Online, 9/21/2014]

Also of Interest:
Egypt reveals feed-in tariffs for renewable energy | Ahram Online, DNE, Aswat Masriya
Egyptian pound steady on official market, weakens on black market | Reuters
Egypt begins collecting property tax for 1.5 million residential and non-residential units: Finance minister | DNE
Egypt tenders to buy fuel oil for October-December | Reuters
Egypt’s natural gas exports drop 73.4 percent in July: Report | Ahram Online
New mineral resources law to be ratified by president within days | DNE
Suez Canal investment certificates mostly purchased by individuals: Central Bank governor | Aswat Masriya, DNE
UAE implements project for solar energy in Siwa | MENA
We received no UAE deposit instead of Qatar’s, says International Cooperation Minister | SIS
Egypt’s GASC buys 55,000 tonnes of US wheat | Aswat Masriya

SOCIETY & MEDIA

Detained hunger-striker Sultan denied medical care: Amnesty
Amnesty International has said Egyptian authorities are not providing sufficient medical care to detained hunger-striker Mohamed Sultan, calling for his immediate release. The organization claimed in a statement Friday that Sultan, who has been on hunger strike for over 230 days, is at “imminent risk” of organ failure. “Denying medical care to someone who is critically ill is not just callous and cruel, but blatantly unlawful,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Amnesty International’s deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa program. [Ahram Online, DNE, Mada Masr, 9/20/2014]

Police to be deployed at Al-Azhar campus in Cairo
Police will be deployed on the campus of Al-Azhar University this semester despite an earlier assertion by the prime minister that suggested otherwise, the university’s vice president said on Sunday. Ahmed Hosni said the university had requested police personnel from the interior ministry for the new academic semester, due to start on October 11. He said university presidents had the right to request police as they see fit, saying Al-Azhar was special as it saw serious political clashes last year and has a high percentage of Muslim Brotherhood sympathizers. [Ahram Online, 9/21/2014]

Also of Interest:
Egypt starts new school term, hoped to be ‘politics free’ | Ahram Online
Over 171,000 Egyptians register for new hepatitis C cure | Ahram Online
Security forces treat Copts as badly as under Mubarak rule: EOHR head | DNE
Egyptian pupils moved to safer schools in North Sinai | Ahram Online
Egypt accused of using detention to silence opponents | AFP
Child rights coalition concerned about child abduction rates | MENA
Baseera: 82 percent of Egyptians still happy with Sisi’s performance after 100 days | Aswat Masriya
Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah nominated for European Parliament award | Aswat Masriya, Ahram Online, DNE
Thirty-seven “Brotherhood supporters” arrested in Friday protests across Egypt | Aswat Masriya
Egyptian journalists start new round of hunger strike against protest law | Ahram Online, DNE, Mada Masr

SECURITY

Ajnad Misr claims foreign ministry blast which killed two policemen
A bomb exploded near the foreign ministry in downtown Cairo on Sunday morning, killing two police personnel and injuring several others. Two lieutenant colonels were killed, one of whom was a witness to the prison break case of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi from the Wadi al-Natroun prison. Five police personnel and one civilian were also injured, state television said. Ajnad Misr (Soldiers of Egypt) has claimed responsibility for the blast. The militant jihadist group published a statement on Twitter, saying the operation was part of their “Vengeance is Life” campaign against the police. The attacks were met with widespread condemnation, with denouncements coming from across the political spectrum, from government ministries to human rights groups, from foreign dignitaries and the United Nations, to the National Alliance to Support Legitimacy and the Muslim Brotherhood. The European Union also expressed concern over the attack. A few hours later, four bombs exploded simultaneously in the cities of Tanta and Mahalla, amid reports of injuries. [Ahram Online, DNE, Reuters, Aswat Masriya, Mada Masr, AP, 9/22/2014]

Islamic State calls for more attacks on Egyptian security forces
The Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) urged insurgents in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula on Monday to press ahead with attacks against Egyptian security forces and beheadings, a call likely to deepen concern over ties between the militant groups. “Rig the roads with explosives for them. Attack their bases. Raid their homes. Cut off their heads. Do not let them feel secure,” Islamic State spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani said in a statement to Egyptian militants released online. He praised those militants for carrying out “blessed operations against the guards of the Jews, the soldiers of Sisi, the new Pharaoh of Egypt” – a reference to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. [Reuters, DNE, 9/22/2014]

Also of Interest:
Egypt army continues ‘anti-terrorist’ operations, kills seven | Ahram Online, SIS
Civilians injured in North Sinai attacks | Ahram Online, DNE, Aswat Masriya
Police officer dies in Sinai car chase | Mada Masr
Six dead as military reconnaissance aircraft crashes in Fayoum | DNE, Egypt Independent, Aswat Masriya, SIS, Mada Masr
One of Sinai’s “most dangerous extremists” killed in Sheikh Zuweid | Aswat Masriya

INTERNATIONAL

State department reportedly invites Sisi to meet Obama
The US State Department invited Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to meet with President Barack Obama on Thursday, a source with the office of President Sisi said. Sisi embarked on a trip to the United States on Sunday, his first since he was elected president in June, to represent Egypt in the United Nations’ General Assembly’s 69th session. He will also attend the UN Climate Summit, scheduled for September 23. During his visit, Sisi is expected to highlight Egypt’s efforts to attract investment to support the economy and fund major projects such as the Suez Canal expansion and the development of the electricity sector. He is also expected to speak about the new anti-IS coalition, Egypt-US relations and about ties to Russia. In a meeting on Sunday, Sisi and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon looked at means to bolster Egypt-UN cooperation and issues of mutual interest, including on Libya and Gaza. Ban also urged the release of political detainees in Egypt in discussions with Sisi, the UN said in a statement. [Aswat Masriya, 9/22/2014]

US to deliver ten Apache helicopters to Egypt, says Pentagon
US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel spoke with Egyptian Defense Minister Colonel General Sedki Sobhy on Saturday to confirm US plans to deliver ten Apache helicopters to Egypt to support Cairo’s counterterrorism efforts, the Pentagon said. The United States originally announced in April that it had decided to lift its hold on the delivery of the attack helicopters to Egypt, imposed last year after the military’s ouster of Mohamed Morsi and a crackdown against protesters. Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said that the helicopters would support Egypt’s counterterrorism operations in the Sinai Peninsula. On Saturday, Kirby said Hagel had confirmed to Sobhy that Washington planned to deliver the helicopters, but gave no date. [Reuters, DNE, Mada Masr, DoD News, 9/21/2014]

Also of Interest:
Egypt to host talks between Palestinian factions | DNE, AP, Reuters, Aswat Masriya, Guardian
Dutch citizens file case against Egyptian interior minister | DNE
EU, WFP to launch €60 million project to fight child labor in Egypt | Ahram Online, Egypt Independent
Egypt’s irrigation minister visits Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam | Ahram Online, AP, SIS
Sisi, Jordanian King review international efforts to combat terrorism | SIS
Egypt’s foreign minister warns Security Council of the dangers of terrorism | Aswat Masriya