Top News: Egypt Court Sets April 21 for Verdict in Morsi Ittihadeya Trial

Cairo Criminal Court has set April 21 as the date for the final verdict in one of the trials of deposed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in which he faces murder charges, a judicial source said Thursday.

POLITICS

Egypt’s Sisi condemns ‘terrorist attack’ on French magazine
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi condemned Wednesday the “terrorist attack” on a French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo that left at least twelve people dead, voicing Cairo’s solidarity with France and underlining that the fight against terrorism is a global concern.  In a condolence letter sent to his French counterpart Francois Hollande, Sisi “expressed the Egyptian people and government’s condemnation of the terrorist act that the French capital Paris witnessed today,” a statement by his office said. The Arab League and Al-Azhar, Sunni Islam’s most prestigious center of learning, also both condemned the deadly attack. Egypt’s Journalists Syndicate condemned the attack, saying the assailants do not represent Islam. [Ahram Online, Egypt Independent, 1/8/2015]

Also of Interest

  • From Egypt’s leader, an ambitious call for reform in Islam | AP


COURTS

Egypt’s prosecutor general approves grounds for appeal in Mubarak’s trial
Egypt’s top prosecutor approved on Thursday the grounds for appeal in the case against former President Hosni Mubarak over the charge of complicity in killing protesters, state-run Nile News channel broadcast. Hisham Barakat had announced on November 29 that he will challenge the Cairo Criminal Court’s decision to drop the case against Mubarak over the charge of complicity in killing protesters. [Aswat Masriya, 1/8/2015]

Egypt court sets April 21 for verdict in Morsi Ittihadeya trial
Cairo Criminal Court has set April 21 as the date for the final verdict in one of the trials of deposed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in which he faces murder charges, a judicial source said Thursday. Morsi, along with fourteen other members of the Muslim Brotherhood movement, faces charges of inciting the killing of protesters outside the Ittihadeya presidential palace in December 2012. The court at the Police Academy on the outskirts of Cairo refused Thursday a request by Morsi’s defense lawyer, Ahmed Sabry, to allow his client to address the court to give his defense argument. It said the defendant does not acknowledge the court and hence cannot defend himself, the source added. [Ahram Online, DNE, Egypt Independent, AP, Aswat Masriya, 1/8/2015]

Also of Interest

  • Cairo court sentences five Muslim Brotherhood members to five years for Zeitoun riots | EGYNews (Arabic)
  • Sohag court sentences two Muslim Brotherhood members to life in prison | EGYNews (Arabic)
  • Zawahri trial postponed till April 18 pending further investigation |Shorouk (Arabic), AMAY (Arabic)


ECONOMY

Egypt’s urban consumer price inflation rises to 10.1 percent
According to the official statistics agency CAPMAS, Egypt’s urban consumer inflation rose to an annual 10.1 percent in December from 9.1 percent the previous month. Inflation spiked in Egypt after the government slashed energy subsidies in July but fell in November from a peak of 11.8 percent in October. The central bank has kept interest rates steady after raising them in July to counter the subsidy cuts, but is due to make its next interest rate decision next week. [Reuters, DNE, 1/8/2015]

Also of Interest

  • Egypt says to issue $950 million 1-year Treasury bill | Reuters
  • Dignity Party opposes stopping subsidy for cotton farmers |EGYNews (Arabic)
  • Egypt’s Suez Canal revenues rise 6.8 percent in 2014 | Ahram Online


SOCIETY & MEDIA

Egypt’s cartoonists pen their condemnation against Charlie Hebdo attack 
Egyptian cartoonists have marked their condemnation of Wednesday’s deadly attack on the French satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo by inking more cartoons. Cartoonists signed their fresh drawings with the French words “Je suis Charlie” [I am Charlie] which has become a global statement of support for the magazine. Independent daily, Al Masry al-Youm dedicated a page of its newspaper, paying tribute to the cartoonists. [Ahram Online, 1/8/2015]

Also of Interest

Four seaports reopened, one remains closed in Sharm al-Sheikh | Egypt Independent

SECURITY

Investigations into Giza attack reveal bomb detonated remotely
Investigations into a blast outside a Giza police station on Tuesday revealed that the explosive device was detonated remotely using a cell phone. A judicial source said that initial investigations also revealed that the perpetrator waited until the police captain began to dismantle the bomb before detonating it. The blast went off near a Giza police station killing the captain and injuring four others. At least one of those injured remains in critical condition. Meanwhile, a policeman was injured when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off late Wednesday night near a police station in Egypt’s town of Fayoum. [Shorouk (Arabic), DNE, 1/8/2015]

Egypt starts second phase of Rafah evictions
Egypt starts on Thursday the second phase of evictions at the border city of Rafah, a security measure that seeks the creation of a buffer zone following a surge of bloody attacks against security forces in the Sinai Peninsula. The second phase seeks to clear 500 meters, equal to the first stage. Governor of North Sinai Abdel Fattah Harhour said 1,220 houses, sheltering 2,044 families, are to be evicted in the second stage, noting that a specialized panel will review their data to determine recipients of the government’s compensations. [Egypt Independent, AP, Aswat Masriya, DNE, 1/8/2015]

Also of Interest

  • Security forces arrest twelve suspects and destroy terror hotbeds in North Sinai | EGYNews (Arabic)
  • Security men flock to civil protection unit despite attacks on its personnel – unit director | Aswat Masriya


INTERNATIONAL

Sisi ratifies primary education aid agreement with United States
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi issued a presidential decree No. 423 for the year 2014 to ratify the aid agreement signed with the United States on September 30, 2014 regarding primary education. The decree was published in Thursday’s official gazette. The $55 million aid package, provided by USAID, will go toward improving primary education activities and skills related to reading, mathematics, and English. It also aims to will help secondary school students in the subjects of science, mathematics, and reading. [AMAY (Arabic), 1/8/2015]

Also of Interest

  • Sisi: Egypt, Kuwait, Gulf nations able to shoulder responsibilities | SIS
  • Moroccan delegation in Cairo to cool off diplomatic heat | Egypt Independent