Protests broke out in some areas in Giza, including Talbiya and Nahya leaving at least seven killed and fifteen arrested Friday morning, a representative from the Interior Ministry press office said. At least three people were reportedly injured. An official said that more than 500 supporters of the banned Muslim Brotherhood had staged a march after morning prayers following the end of the holy month of Ramadan. According to security officials, security forces and Muslim Brotherhood supporters traded gunfire in the clashes. Skirmishes broke out between marchers on one side and several local residents and police on the other. It was the deadliest violence at Islamist protests in months in the capital. Clashes also broke out in Friday morning in Alexandria, and twenty protesters were arrested. Tear gas was used to disperse the protesters in Abu Suleiman, Hannoville, and Asafra. Earlier, the official Facebook page and Twitter account of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi published a message Thursday evening calling on his supporters to continue “the revolution.” The message was allegedly sent from prison where he is facing a death sentence. “My strength and my determination have not weakened yet and my belief in victory is limitless,” Morsi is reported to have said. “Every year you rebel, every year you are free, every day I have in this cell increases my faith to continue the revolution,” the account also said. [Ahram Online, Reuters, Aswat Masriya, The Guardian, DNE, AP, 7/17/2015]
POLITICS
Interior minister appoints new Cairo Security Director
Minister of Interior Magdy Abdel Ghaffar removed Major General Osama Bedeir from his position as the Cairo Security Director and appointed Major General Khaled Abdel Aal in his place Thursday. The replacement came after a series of militant attacks that security forces failed to curb. Bedair was appointed four months ago following a ministerial reshuffle that included a replacement of the Interior Minister. His removal comes amidst mounting concerns over a surge in militant violence. [DNE , Ahram Online, Cairo Post, 7/17/2015]
Also of Interest
- Joint call to delay issuance of anti-terrorism law | DNE
ECONOMY
Egypt says petroleum agreements worth $2.2 billion to be finalized soon
Nine petroleum agreements worth about $2.2 billion will be finalized soon, the Ministry of Petroleum said on Thursday. Minister of Petroleum Sherif Ismail said the agreements have been approved by the cabinet, in addition to new grants for oil and gas exploration in the Mediterranean Sea, Suez, Delta and western desert areas. The nine agreements include an agreement with the Tunisian HBS international oil company for $9 million of investments in Egypt’s western desert and two agreements with the US Apache Corporation worth $70 million for exploration programs in the western desert and improvement of pipelines. Four agreements were also reached with the Italian oil company Eni. [Cairo Post, 7/17/2015]
Also of Interest
- Egypt’s market extends gains ahead of Eid holiday| Ahram Online
- Egypt completes dredging for new waterway in Suez Canal | Ahram Online
SOCIETY & MEDIA
Sisi pardons 424 prisoners to mark Eid holiday
Egypt’s interior ministry released 424 prisoners on Friday and offered a conditional release to 101 others after they were issued with a presidential pardon, state news agency MENA reported. On Sunday President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi issued a decree pardoning the prisoners to mark the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, which begins on Friday, and the 56th anniversary of the 1952 revolution on July 26. Presidential spokesperson Alaa Youssef said those eligible for the pardon would include inmates who had served fifteen years in jail prior to January 25, 2015. The pardon also includes prisoners who have served half of their prison terms, if those terms are longer than six months. Meanwhile, a security source said that 130 prisoners would be released on the first day of Eid, among them twenty-three who are being held on charges of violating the protest law. [Ahram Online, Aswat Masriya (Arabic) [7/17/2015]
Also of Interest
- Official: Alexandria entrance construction concluded | Egypt Independent
SECURITY
Ajnad Misr claims Roxy Square bombing
Militant group Ajnad Misr claimed Thursday responsibility for the explosion in Roxy Square, which left one police officer injured. The police officer was injured after the bomb was detonated in the square, in the Cairo district of Heliopolis. The group claimed the bomb contained fewer explosives to minimize civilian casualties. Meanwhile a bomb exploded Friday in front of a cinema in Haram, while another was detected in the area of Talbiya in Giza, according to state media reports. The area is currently being combed for more explosive devices. A representative from interior ministry press office said there were no injuries, while local media reports said that at least two were injured in the blast. [DNE, 7/17/2015]
Also of Interest
- Twenty-two militants killed in North Sinai: Armed forces | DNE
INTERNATIONAL
Egypt deports thirty-six Sudanese after illegal migration attempt to Italy
Egyptian authorities deported thirty-six Sudanese citizens to Khartoum after their attempt to illegally immigrate to Italy last week, state-owned MENA agency reported on Thursday. A security official told MENA that the deported Sudanese were arrested while trying to travel on a fishing boat in Kafr al-Sheikh governorate. Meanwhile, Cairo Airport reportedly received twenty-four Egyptians Thursday who had illegally immigrated to Italy, Greece and the United States. Twelve Egyptian nationals were deported from Catania, Italy, ten from Greece and two from Germany, en route from the United States. [Ahram Online, 7/16/2016]
Also of Interest
- 63,000 Egyptians returned from Libya since ISIS beheading video | Cairo Post
- Tripartite Commission to hold meeting on Ethiopia dam Tuesday | Shorouk (Arabic)