The Islamic State’s (ISIS or ISIL) Egypt affiliate, Sinai State, claimed responsibility for an attack on a hotel near the Giza Pyramids the previous day, according to a statement circulated Friday by sympathizers of the militant group. While authorities had said there were no casualties and that security forces were the target of the attack, the statement carried by ISIS sympathizers on Twitter claimed there were dead and wounded among the tourists and security officers protecting the hotel. It said the attackers “were able to target a tourist bus carrying Jews with light weapons” — an operation the ISIS affiliate claimed was in response to a call by the Islamic State group’s leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi “to target Jews everywhere.” The group also claimed responsibility for the bombing of a pipeline that carries gas to Jordan and Egypt’s North Sinai region on Thursday. According to security sources, the blast took place in the al-Midan area, west of the coastal city of al-Arish. The assailants placed explosive devices under the pipeline and detonated them remotely. The group said it bombed the pipeline in a statement posted on Twitter. “God willing, not a drop of gas will reach Jordan until the caliphate permits,” the statement said. The blast left no casualties. [Aswat Masriya, AP, Reuters, 1/8/2016]
POLITICS
Minister suggests uprising anniversary protests would violate Islamic law
Egypt’s Minister of Religious Endowments has warned against holding protests during the anniversary of the uprising that ended President Hosni Mubarak’s rule, state news agency MENA said, and suggested any unrest would violate Islamic law. Mohamed Mokhtar Gomaa said during a meeting with officials in his ministry that maintaining stability and security is a priority. He referred to a statement from Egypt’s Grand Mufti, Shawki Allam, which said that any call for protests or destruction “is a full crime and illegal according to Islamic Sharia law.” [Reuters, 1/8/2016]
COURTS
Egyptian court annuls EGP100 million ruling against Bassem Youssef
An Egyptian court of appeal on Thursday annulled a court ruling which had ordered Egyptian comedian Bassem Youssef and his production company to pay EGP100 million in compensation to the satellite network, QSoft, which cancelled his show. In its reasoning, the court said that the 2014 ruling by the Cairo Regional Center for International Commercial Arbitration (CRCICA) was based on hypothetical reasoning that lacked any evidence. It added that the arbitration center had ignored the technical report that QSoft presented about the extent of the damage that was caused following the suspension of the show. In November 2014, the CRCICA ordered Youssef and QSoft to pay CBC network EGP100 million, EGP50 million each, as compensation for breaching their contract and suspending their show. [Ahram Online, 1/7/2016]
Court to consider Mubarak’s appeal on presidential palaces embezzlement case
The Cairo Court of Cassation will consider Saturday an appeal presented by the lawyer of former president Hosni Mubarak and his sons against jail sentences handed to them in a corruption case. The court will either uphold the sentence or accept the appeal and set a date to start the retrial accordingly. Mubarak, and his sons, Alaa and Gamal, were each sentenced to three years in jail on charges of seizing EGP 125 million in public funds allocated for the upkeep of the presidential residences between 2002 and 2011. The Cairo Criminal Court had previously accepted an appeal in the case, releasing Alaa and Gamal, with the court ruling they had already already served their sentence during time spent in preventative detention. [Cairo Post, 1/8/2016]
ECONOMY
World Bank cuts Egypt’s predicted 2016 growth rate
The World Bank lowered its forecast for Egypt’s economic growth in fiscal year 2015/2016 from 4.2 percent to 3.8 percent, warning of the implications of the Russian metrojet crash for the tourism industry and a foreign currency shortage. “The contraction in foreign currency inflows that would accompany a shrinking tourism industry would not only negatively impact growth, but would exacerbate the existing foreign currency shortage,” the Bank said in its Global Economic Prospects report. The Bank predicts “an additional round of currency devaluation” to be taken by new Central Bank Governor Tarek Amer to boost foreign currency reserves. However, the Bank warned that a further round of devaluation would mean “monetary policy will have to resist pressure on an inflation rate that is already high.” The Bank also noted that there is space to accelerate fiscal reforms, even the introduction of a second round of energy subsidy cuts and a plans to implement a value-added tax have stalled. [Ahram Online, Aswat Masriya, 1/7/2016]
Also of Interest
- Egypt’s cabinet approves Kuwait fund’s loan for Egypt-Saudi power link | Amwal Al Ghad
- Egypt’s listed firms issue bonus shares to avoid tax on cash dividends | Ahram Online
- CBE postpones decision regarding EGP interest rate to negotiate with coordination council | DNE
- Importers believe Industry Minister’s decree violates WTO agreements | DNE
- EGP 3.82 billion in investments for electricity distribution networks in 2016 | DNE
SECURITY
ISIS-affiliated group claims attack on Giza hotel, bombing of Sinai gas pipeline
The Islamic State’s (ISIS or ISIL) Egypt affiliate, Sinai State, claimed responsibility for an attack on a hotel near the Giza Pyramids the previous day, according to a statement circulated Friday by sympathizers of the militant group. While authorities had said there were no casualties and that security forces were the target of the attack, the statement carried by ISIS sympathizers on Twitter claimed there were dead and wounded among the tourists and security officers protecting the hotel. It said the attackers “were able to target a tourist bus carrying Jews with light weapons” — an operation the ISIS affiliate claimed was in response to a call by the Islamic State group’s leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi “to target Jews everywhere.” The group also claimed responsibility for the bombing of a pipeline that carries gas to Jordan and Egypt’s North Sinai region on Thursday. According to security sources, the blast took place in the al-Midan area, west of the coastal city of al-Arish. The assailants placed explosive devices under the pipeline and detonated them remotely. The group said it bombed the pipeline in a statement posted on Twitter. “God willing, not a drop of gas will reach Jordan until the caliphate permits,” the statement said. The blast left no casualties. [Aswat Masriya, AP, Reuters, 1/8/2016]
Also of Interest
- Police seize weapons, drugs during country-wide crackdown | AMAY
INTERNATIONAL
Egypt asks Israel to keep Turkey away from Gaza
Egypt has approached Israel asking for clarifications regarding recent progress in its reconciliatory talks with Turkey. Senior officials in Jerusalem told Haaretz that Egypt expressed its reservations regarding granting Turkey a role in the Gaza Strip, and asked whether Israel had committed to any easing of restrictions in the closure imposed on Gaza. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon confirmed that Egypt has asked for clarifications from Israel regarding any progress in talks with Turkey. “In the framework of our dialogue with Egypt there is also some talk about Turkey. Egypt wished to know where things stand,” he said. The officials, who asked to remain anonymous due to the delicate diplomatic nature of the issue, stated that the Egyptian government’s displeasure was caused by Israeli media reports a few weeks ago which stated that a breakthrough had been reached in reconciliation talks with Turkey, as well as reports in the Turkish media that Israel had agreed to take significant steps in easing the maritime siege on Gaza. Senior Egyptian Foreign Ministry officials met with Israel’s Ambassador Haim Koren and asked if these reports were correct and whether Israel and Turkey are indeed close to reconciling. The temporary chargé d’affairs at the Egyptian embassy in Tel Aviv delivered similar messages in a recent meeting with senior Foreign Ministry officials in Jerusalem. Egypt expressed its opposition to any Israeli concessions to Turkey with regard to the Gaza Strip. A senior Israeli official also reportedly said that the crisis between Egypt and Turkey is one of the factors making it difficult to reconcile with Turkey. [Haaretz, 1/7/2016]
Egypt investigating reports of Egyptians kidnapped in Libya
Egypt’s Foreign Ministry says it’s investigating local media reports that 21 Egyptians have been abducted in Libya. The ministry said Friday that authorities are trying to verify through official and unofficial channels Thursday’s reports. Egypt’s al-Fagr newspaper and al-Bawaba online publication were among the outlets that carried the reports. Al-Bawaba said the Egyptians were staying in the southeastern Kufra region, and that communications with their families in Egypt ceased on December 31. [AP, MENA (Arabic), 1/8/2016]
Also of Interest
- Egypt receives Yemeni Foreign Minister to discuss recent developments | Aswat Masriya, Cairo Post
- Egypt ‘strongly condemns’ suicide attack on Libyan police school | Ahram Online
- Egyptian Foreign Minister Shoukry to visit Germany next week | Ahram Online
- Sudanese Foreign Minister in Cairo to discuss bilateral ties | Cairo Post
- Minister of Religious Endowments: Solidarity with Saudi Arabia to counter extremism and terrorism | MENA (Arabic)
- Egyptian family trapped in Taiz, returns home safely | DNE