Egypt’s Interior Ministry said that four people were killed and twelve were injured in three bombings that occurred in Cairo and South Sinai on Friday.
POLITICS
Sisi meets with National Population Council
Presidential hopeful Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said on Thursday that Egypt’s increasing population was one of the country’s most pressing problems, state news agency MENA reported. In a meeting with a group from the National Population Council (NPC), the former general also spoke about democracy, corruption, fair opportunity and investing manpower for an economic leap. Speaking to a group of experts, he equated the rise in corruption with the vanishing of the middle class, which he said destroys accountability in state institutions and individuals. A quarter of Egypt’s 85 million people live under the poverty line. He said fighting corruption in the immediate future will depend on convincing people to forgo excess and that hard work and dedication are the basis of excellence. He added that addressing a nation’s problems takes time and effort before any changes can be seen. [Ahram Online, 5/1/2014]
Also of Interest:
- Lawyer from Port Said demands cancellation of US aid | EGYNews (Arabic)
- Education Agency in Gharibiya: Ban on candidates electoral advertisement inside facilities | Shorouk (Arabic)
- Sabbahi Campaign launches ‘Know Your Candidate” campaign | AMAY (Arabic)
- PM to Al-Ahram: Egypt able to eliminate terrorism, government has plans to launch preemptive strikes against terrorist hotbeds | SIS
- Cabinet to approve three draft laws next week | Egypt Independent
COURTS
Prosecutor refers 102 accused of attacking churches in Minya to criminal court
A prosecutor in southern Minya referred 102 individuals to a criminal court for their involvement in the Mawaas monastery case, who were arrested after security forces dispersed two sit-ins in Cairo. The defendants are charged with acts of rioting, attacking citizens, targeting churches, and Copts’ homes. The move was made in preparation for their trial. [Shorouk (Arabic) 5/2/2014]
Also of Interest:
- Ten detained for fifteen days in Damietta for rioting | Shorouk (Arabic)
ECONOMY
Unemployment rates rise to 13.4 percent in Egypt
Egypt’s unemployment rates reached 13.4 percent during the third quarter of 2013, registering an increase of 0.1 percent since the previous quarter, according to Egyptian Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Ashraf el-Araby. Araby said any increase in investment will allow investors to regain trust in the Egyptian economy. [Cairo Post, 5/1/2014]
Egypt cabinet to announce subsidy cuts this month
Al-Masry Al-Youm has received the main features of Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab’s plan to cancel subsidies for high-income classes. Subsidies for some commodities, especially energy will be reduced, while social security pensions will be increased and families benefiting from it will be doubled, according to the cabinet plan. [Egypt Independent, 5/1/2014]
Also of Interest:
- First price hike on water bills for Egyptian households in nearly a decade | Ahram Online
- Egypt in energy crisis as elections approach | AP
- Increasing population is one of Egypt’s main problems: al-Sisi | Ahram Online
- Egypt: EGP 320 million for developing internal trade | SIS
- Looming energy crisis again confronts Egypt’s leaders | NYT
SOCIETY & MEDIA
Demonstrations throughout Egypt leave one dead
Several Egyptian cities witnessed demonstrations on Friday. In Alexandria one person was killed and three others injured after clashes erupted between a pro-Morsi rally and local residents opposing them. Goma’a Abdallah, 18, was shot dead during clashes in Agami, said Major General Nasser al-Abd, head of Alexandria’s investigation unit. Security forces dispersed the rally arresting twenty Morsi supporters. Security forces in Alexandria used tear gas to disperse two other rallies. In Cairo’s Alf Maskan neighborhood, verbal altercations broke out between participants in a Brotherhood rally and a combination of local residents and shop owners over offensive chants against the military and the police. Participants in the rally carried signs with slogans such as “marriage between America and Egypt is bad” and “No to the secular Nour party” while chanting slogans against the military. Security forces responded by intensifying its presence in the area. In Giza, Morsi supporters organized several rallies supporting the deposed president amidst heightened security following noon prayers. [Aswat Masriya, 5/2/2014]
Also of Interest:
- Egypt produces first eighteen professional caregivers working with orphans | Ahram Online
- Cairo University head bans 173 student from taking final exams | Ahram Online
- A tale of two Labor Days | Mada Masr
SECURITY
Cairo and Sinai hit by three blasts on Friday killing four
Egypt’s Interior Ministry said that four people were killed and twelve were injured in three bombings that occurred in Cairo and South Sinai on Friday. One police corporal was killed and three policemen were hurt when a homemade bomb exploded in a police traffic checkpoint at the Heliopolis Court in Cairo, the Middle East News Agency reported the ministry as saying. Meanwhile, two suicide attacks took place in al-Tor city, a 100 kilometers north of Sharm al-Sheikh in South Sinai, targeting a checkpoint and a bus. In the first attack, a suicide bomber blew himself up at a security checkpoint, killing himself and one soldier and injuring five others in the attack. The second blast occurred on the road to Sharm al-Sheikh, killing one and injuring four when a suicide bomber targeted a bus transporting workers. The bomber was killed while four bus passengers were injured after the bus caught on fire. Egypt’s cabinet condemned the bombings, while French foreign ministry spokesperson Romain Nadal also condemned the attacks. [Aswat Masriya, AP, Egypt Independent, Ahram Online, Reuters, 5/2/2014]
Also of Interest:
- Army accuses Brotherhood of inciting workers to detain ships | Aswat Masriya
- Army air strike kills five extremists in North Sinai | Aswat Masriya
INTERNATIONAL
ICC rejects Muslim Brotherhood call to probe Egypt
The International Criminal Court (ICC) said on Thursday it had rejected a bid by the Muslim Brotherhood of deposed president Mohamed Morsi to probe the military’s alleged crimes against humanity in Egypt. The request had been made on behalf of the Freedom and Justice Party of former Islamist president Morsi, ousted in July amid days of protests against him, in what his supporters say was a coup. The Brotherhood in December filed a complaint with the ICC seeking an investigation of alleged crimes against humanity committed since June 2013. Egypt has not ratified the ICC’s founding Rome Statute so the court’s prosecutor can only investigate the country in response to a request from the UN Security Council calls or the Egyptian government. [AFP/Ahram Online, 5/1/2014]
Also of Interest:
- Egypt ready to cooperate in peacekeeping fields: Fahmy to Ban | SIS