Egypt Investment Collapsing as Citizens Turn Into Vigilantes
By Tarek El-Tablawy, Mariam Fam and Salma El Wardany
In a dimly lit Cairo workshop, Hussein spins a metal pipe on a lathe, sending sparks flying. In a few minutes, it’ll become the barrel of a gun. Sometime after that it will join the growing arsenal of illegal weapons on the streets of Egypt.
Artisans who make machine parts by day are turning into bootleg gunmakers at night, says Hussein, 54, who asked not to be identified by his full name for fear of prosecution. He only sells to a middleman because “trust the wrong person and you’re going to jail.” He can make as much as 3,000 pounds ($435) per gun -- about 20 percent of what a legally licensed one costs.
“Fear is big business nowadays,” Hussein said. “People buy the guns because they’re afraid. People buy the guns because they want to scare others. We’re in a jungle now.”
Egypt foreign reserves lost value at an accelerated rate last month, even as a cash injection from abroad raised the fund’s net worth for the first time since October.
Egypt’s foreign currency reserves stood at $14.42bn at the end of April – up from a 10-year low of $13.4bn at the end of March. The cash and gold reserves, critical for financing imports, were boosted by $2bn in cash deposits by oil-rich neighbouring Libya, according to central bank information cited on Wednesday by the state-owned Ahram newspaper’s website.
The Egyptian stock market’s benchmark EGX30 index advanced half a per cent on the news.
Administrator has sent a message to members with the following characteristics:
The White House Office of the Press Secretary sent CopticWorld a message from President Obama for the occassion of Easter to forward to all of our members:
This weekend, Michelle and I extend our best wishes to members of the Orthodox Christian community here in America and around the world as they observe Holy Friday and the Feast of the Resurrection. For millions of Orthodox Christians, this is a joyful time. But it’s also a reminder of the sacrifice Christ made so that we might have eternal life. His decision to choose love in the face of hate; hope in the face of despair is an example we should always strive to follow. But it’s especially important to remember this year, as members of the Orthodox community have been confronted with persecution and violence, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa. For centuries, the region and the world has been enriched by the contributions of Orthodox communities in countries like Egypt, Lebanon, Syr ia, and Iraq. As a nation, we reaffirm our commitment to protecting universal human rights including the freedom of religion. And in this season of hope and restoration, we celebrate the transformational power of sacrificial love.
Egypt’s president reaching compromise with senior judges to scrap contentious law
By Associated Press
CAIRO — The Egyptian president’s office indicated Sunday a compromise has been reached with the judiciary to defuse an uproar over a proposed law that would have forced out thousands of the country’s most senior judges.
Just three days earlier, the country’s Islamist-led parliament pushed ahead with the disputed bill that would have lowered the retirement age for judges from 70 to 60. That would affect nearly a quarter of Egypt’s 13,000 judges and prosecution officials.
One Boston marathon bombing suspect has been shot dead and another is on the loose, police have said.
It follows a shootout in Watertown between the two suspects and dozens of armed officers after a policeman was shot dead at Massachusetts Institute Of Technology, nine miles from Boston city centre.
Boston Police commissioner Ed Davis said: "What we are looking for right now is a suspect consistent with the description of suspect number two - the white-capped individual who was involved in Monday's bombing of the Boston Marathon.
Egyptian activists tell govt religious identification 'None of your business'
Photo of an Egyptian identity card that reads: "woman - and that's all (instead of 'religion') - single."
In Egypt, identity cards feature a citizen’s name, picture, profession… and religion! A group of young Egyptian activists feels that this last bit of information is irrelevant, and have launched a Facebook campaign against what they see as government intrusiveness.
IMF team leaves Egypt without broad backing from opposition forgovernment’s economic plan
The IMF said in a statement that its delegation met with a range of political figures and Cabinet officials during the nearly two week-long visit that ended late Monday. In previous, shorter trips, the IMF has only focused on meeting with government officials.
The country’s political polarization has further delayed reaching agreement around the deal.
Finance Minister El-Morsi Hegazi, who will meet with officials in Washington D.C. this weekend for annual IMF and World Bank meetings, said the government’s meetings with the international lender were “fruitful.”
CAIRO (AP) — The leader of Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Church on Tuesday blasted the country's Islamist president over his handling of recent deadly sectarian violence, including an attack on the main cathedral in Cairo.
The remarks by Pope Tawadros II underscore rising Muslim-Christian tensions in Egypt. They were his first direct criticism of President Mohammed Morsi since he was enthroned in November as the spiritual leader of Egypt's Orthodox Christians. They are also likely to fuel political turmoil that has been roiling the country since the ouster of autocrat Hosni Mubarak two years ago.
Egypt calls in favors as credit crunch hits key imports
A man is reflected on a door of an exchange bureau in central Cairo, March 25, 2013.
By Julia Payne, Sarah McFarlane and Yasmine Saleh
LONDON/CAIRO | Thu Mar 28, 2013 12:35pm EDT
LONDON/CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt has hit breaking point in its ability to pay for imports of oil, wheat and other basic commodities, forcing it to call in diplomatic favors or seek easy payment terms from suppliers who hope for future advantage in return.
Political figures from across political spectrum offer condolences on death of Mohamed Yousri Salama who died on Sunday aged 39
Mohamed Yousri Salama, one of the Constitution Party founders
Political activist and scholar Mohamed Yousri Salama has died aged 39 from a stomach condition.
Salama was spokesperson for the Salafist Nour Party when it emerged as a significant political force after the January 25 Revolution.
He resigned from the party in August 2011 less than three months before it came second to the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party in Egypt's first post-revolution parliamentary elections.
I cannot remain the spokesman for a party that does not represent my views, Salama said at the time.
Egypt women's council slams Islamist rejection of UN rights document
Head of Egypt's Women's Rights Council criticises Muslim Brotherhood's negative stance regarding controversial UN declaration on women's rights
Egypt's official women's rights council says Islamists who reject a UN blueprint to combat violence against women and girls are promoting the idea that Islam favors violence against women.
Last week, 131 countries at the United Nations approved the non-binding document to combat violence against women and girls. Egypt's ruling Muslim Brotherhood strongly objected to the document, saying it clashed with Islamic principles and sought to destroy the family.
The think tank's most recent report on Egypt is to be launched today in the US Congress
After analysing post-revolution voting in Egypt, RAND, a US think tank, reports that Islamists are losing ground and recommends the US not interfere in Egyptian politics.
'Voting Patterns in Post-Mubarak Egypt,' issued by RAND, a non-profit organisation that provides research and analysis to US policymakers, analyses four major votes that followed the 25 January revolution and identifies areas within Egypt where Islamists run strongest and, conversely, where non-Islamists are most competitive.
In a press briefing in the US Congress RAND will announce the publication of their new report.
The report reveals that Islamists showed their strongest performance in Upper Egypt, North Sinai and the "sparsely populated" governorates in the west, while non-Islamist parties proved popular in Cairo, Port Said, South Sinai and the Red Sea governorates.
Thousands protest at Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood offices
By Maggie Michael
Amr Nabil/AP Photo
An Egyptian boy wearing a Guy Fawkes Mask held bread, a symbol of poverty, during an anti-Muslim Brotherhood demonstration in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, March 22, 2013.
CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian protesters clashed with the president’s Muslim Brotherhood backers and ransacked three offices nationwide Friday as anger over allegations of beatings and power-grabbing boiled over into the largest and most violent demonstrations yet on the doorstep of the powerful group.
Anger erupted a week ago when Brotherhood members beat journalists and liberal and secular activists during a protest outside the group’s Cairo headquarters. Journalists were there to cover a meeting. Protesters demand an apology, but the fundamentalist movement said its guards were provoked and acted in self-defense.
The downgrade takes Egypt, by Moody’s definition, from obligations “considered speculative and… subject to high credit risk” to those “judged to be of poor standing and… subject to very high credit risk.”
The news came shortly before Egypt’s central bank was due to announce its latest decision on interest rates on Thursday afternoon. For the first time in more than a year, Bloomberg reported, analysts are split over what the move will be. Most expect the bank to stay put at 9.25 per cent in a bid to leave room for the economy to grow. But Bloomberg said two out of the seven market economists it polls expected a rate increase to deal with the threat of inflation.
Locusts Swarm Egypt, Put Israel On High Alert Ahead Of Passover
By IAN DEITCH
JERUSALEM — Israel is on a locust alert as swarms of the destructive bugs descend on neighboring Egypt ahead of the Passover holiday.
Israel's Agriculture Ministry set up an emergency hotline Monday and is asking Israelis to be vigilant in reporting locust sightings to prevent an outbreak.
Locusts have a devastating effect on agriculture by quickly stripping crops.
Swarms of locusts have descended on Egypt, raising fears they could spread to Israel.
Egypt’s efforts to secure a critical $4.8bn loan from the International Monetary Fund have run into fresh difficulty, possibly leading the government to seek emergency financing to avoid economic collapse.
The IMF is believed to have expressed reservations over the government’s economic plan needed to seal an agreement that has been in the works, on and off, for almost two years, according to people familiar with the negotiations.
At a time when Egypt’s foreign reserves have reached $13.5bn, below the critical level of two months of imports, and the government is being forced to cut its imports of fuel and wheat, Cairo is thought to favour a gradual approach to reform. Another complicating factor in IMF negotiations is the fact that Mohamed Morsi, the Islamist president, is reluctant to introduce measures such as a sales tax ahead of parliamentary elections.
Until he lost his job earlier this year, Emad Saqr used to oversee six shops selling souvenirs dotted around different hotels in the Egyptian Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh.
The owner had to shut them down, Mr Saqr explains, because he could no longer afford the high rents charged by the hotels which had made sense during the boom years before the 2011 revolution.
Now the 34-year-old, married with two small children, has returned to his home town of Alexandria, where the family is living off his savings supplemented by gifts of food from his parents.
Egypt police shoot dead protester in Port Said clashes
Protesters shout slogans at riot police during clashes along Qasr Al Nil bridge, which leads to Tahrir Square in Cairo, on 7 March 2013. (Photo: Reuters - Amr Abdallah Dalsh)
Police shot dead an Egyptian protester overnight Friday in a fifth consecutive day of clashes in the restive city of Port Said, a doctor said.
Karim Sayid Abdel Aziz, 33, died of a bullet wound to the head, said physician Mohammed Arnous who treated him in a Port Said hospital. Abdel Aziz had been shot three times.
Egypt cancels parliamentary vote dates after court ruling
By Yasmine Saleh
CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's election committee has scrapped a timetable under which voting for the lower house of parliament should have begun next month, state media reported on Thursday, following a court ruling that threw the entire polling process into confusion.
Egypt now lies in limbo, with no election dates at a time when uncertainty is taking a heavy toll on the economy - the Egyptian pound is falling, foreign currency reserves are sliding and the budget deficit is soaring to an unmanageable level.
The political crisis deepened on Wednesday when the Administrative Court canceled a decree issued by President Mohamed Mursi calling the election.
Two Egyptian Boys Convicted of Desecrating Koran, but Released
Judge quietly sends Coptic Christian children home; appeal denied.
By Our Middle East Correspondent
CAIRO, Egypt, March 6, 2013 (Morning Star News) – A court in Egypt has quietly found two Coptic Christian boys guilty of “showing contempt for Islam” but only remanded them to the custody of their parents, an attorney for one of the children said.
In a case of alleged blasphemy that inflamed passions in provincial Egypt, a judge in Beni Suef, 62 miles south of Cairo, ruled the two boys guilty of desecrating pages of the Koran in spite of conflicting statements by the accuser and doubts about the functionally illiterate boys’ capacity to identify Koranic verses, attorney Karam Ghoubrial said.
The judge cited the boys’ age in the light sentence; they were 9 and 10 at the time of the Sept. 30 incident. By issuing a guilty verdict in near secrecy on Feb. 4 – the ruling came to light only the past week – and declining to hand down prison time or a fine, the judge seems to have averted foreign criticism while quelling the anger of Muslim villagers.
Kerry in Egypt 'with a poor hand of cards' as IMF money mean cuts and tax increases
US Secretary of State John Kerry waves goodbye as he leaves Cairo March 3, 2013
The US bet their money on the wrong horse by backing the ‘undemocratic’ Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, geopolitical analyst F. William Engdahl told RT, adding that the IMF loan for which Washington is pushing, will make people’s life even harder in Egypt.
Kerry’s arrival in Cairo on March 2 has been greeted with street riots in several of the country’s cities, which saw one person killed and dozens injured. The country’s opposition leader, Hamdeen Sabahi, and his ally, Mohamed ElBaradei, have turned down invitations to meet with the new US Secretary of the State, due to America’s backing of the Muslim Brotherhood.
The aim of Kerry’s visit is to persuade Egypt to pass a set of unpopular reforms in order to qualify for a $4.8 billion International Monetary Fund loan package, with the US also promising to provide $450 million of financial help of their own to Mohamed Morsi’s government because of its promises of economic and political reforms.
The bank said reserves fell by $1.4bn during the month from $15bn to $13.6bn amid continued political unrest and violent street protests.
The figures again raise concerns over the state of Egypt's economy and the government's finances.
The economy has stagnated since the revolution to oust former President Hosni Mubarak in 2011.
The central bank gave no reason for the fall in a statement published by the state news agency Mena.
But economists say the continued political instability in Egypt has crippled the tourism sector - an important earner of foreign currency - and discouraged foreign investment.
CAIRO/BERLIN (Reuters) - Authorities in an Egyptian city scaled back a curfew imposed by President Mohamed Mursi, and the Islamist leader cut short a visit to Europe on Wednesday to deal with the deadliest violence in the seven months since he took power.
CAIRO: Opposition leader Mohamed El Baradei on Saturday called for a boycott of Egypt’s upcoming legislative elections as the president was set to reschedule the first round which clashes with a Christian holiday.
“Called for parliamentary election boycott in 2010 to expose sham democracy. Today I repeat my call, will not be part of an act of deception,” the Nobel Peace laureate and former head of the UN atomic watchdog wrote on Twitter.
Former foreign minister Amr Mussa, another leader in the National Salvation Front (NSF), said many members of the opposition bloc were inclined to boycott the four-round election, but a final position had not yet been taken.
“There is a large group that wants a boycott, but it has not yet been discussed, and no decision has been taken,” he told AFP.
The election is scheduled to begin on April 27, with a new parliament to convene on July 6.
Associated Press/Michael Sohn - German Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, and President of Egypt Mohammed Morsi, left, address the media during a joint press conference after a meeting at the chancellery in Berlin, …moreGermany, Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn) less
BERLIN (AP) — Egypt's Islamist president turned aside repeated criticism of his past comments referring to Jews as "the descendants of apes and pigs" as he visited Germany on Wednesday, insisting that the remarks were taken out of context and were aimed at criticizing Israeli attacks on Palestinians.
A key focus of Mohammed Morsi's one-day visit to Berlin was to seek support to rebuild a crumbling Egyptian economy. However, questions about his comments — made in 2010 — pursued him throughout the day. The remarks drew attention earlier this month when an Egyptian TV show aired them to highlight and mock Morsi's current policies.
CAIRO: An Egyptian opposition group is using a novel way to protest against President Mohammed Mursi: sign him up for a chance to win a trip to space.
The April 6 Youth Movement said on its official Facebook page on Thursday that it had entered the Islamist leader's name in the online contest because it wanted to be rid of him. It called on supporters to vote for the president so he'd have a chance to win the trip into space.
There was no immediate response from the president's press office to an email seeking comment.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi give a joint press conference following a meeting at the Chancellery in Berlin on January 30, 2013. (AFP/John Macdougall)
BERLIN: German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged the visiting Egyptian president Wednesday to ensure constant dialogue as his country grapples with a political crisis that has sparked deadly unrest.
Merkel told a joint press conference in Berlin with President Mohamed Morsi that Germany wanted a successful transformation process in Egypt, where Morsi took over last year, and was ready to help.
Egypt spent the equivalent of £1.7m on 140,000 US-sourced teargas canisters last month, despite the Egyptian government nearing bankruptcy – and amid a wave of police brutality that 21 human rights groups this week labelled a return to Mubarak-era state repression.
Egypt opposition to rally on revolution anniversary
Police used tear gas on protesters overnight
Police have clashed with protesters gathering in Tahrir Square in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, ahead of the second anniversary of the uprising that swept Hosni Mubarak from power.
President Mohammed Morsi's opponents plan a rally, accusing the Islamist leader of betraying the revolution.
Mr Morsi denies the claim, and has called for "peaceful" celebrations.
Egypt 'spent £1.7m on teargas' amid economic crisis
Activists condemn government's purchase of 140,000 canisters at a time when foreign reserves are at critical low and IMF loan is delayed
Egyptian protesters attack a police vehicle during a demonstration in Cairo. Activists have labelled the wave of police brutality as a return to Mubarak-era repression. Photograph: Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Reuters
Egypt spent the equivalent of £1.7m on 140,000 US-sourced teargas canisters last month, despite the Egyptian government nearing bankruptcy – and amid a wave of police brutality that 21 human rights groups this week labelled a return to Mubarak-era state repression.
Egypt's interior ministry made the emergency order at the end of January, according to records retrieved by Egyptian broadsheet al-Masry al-Youm. It came at the start of a week of civil unrest sparked by protests against President Mohamed Morsi, his Muslim Brotherhood, and police malpractice.
By HAMZA HENDAWI and SARAH EL DEEB Associated Press
Egypt's Islamist president sought Wednesday to defuse Washington's anger over his past remarks urging hatred of Jews and calling Zionists "pigs" and "bloodsuckers," telling visiting U.S. senators that his comments were a denunciation of Israeli policies.
Both sides appear to want to get beyond the flap: Mohammed Morsi needs America's help in repairing a rapidly sliding economy, and Washington can't afford to shun a figure who has emerged as a model of an Islamist leader who maintains his country's ties with Israel.
U.S. Sen. John McCain said a congressional delegation he led that met with Morsi expressed to him their "strong disapproval" about his 2010 comments. The delegation and Morsi had a "constructive discussion" about the remarks, he told reporters.
Egypt to seek IMF talks as it reveals grim economy data
By Asma Alsharif
CAIRO Feb 21 (Reuters) - Egypt plans to invite an IMF mission to Cairo within a week, the government said on Thursday, signalling an imminent resumption of negotiations over a $4.8 billion loan as it struggles with an acute foreign currency shortage.
Planning Minister Ashraf al-Araby said foreign investment in Egypt had all but dried up and announced grim economic data, exposing the depth of the country's financial crisis before elections expected in the spring.
Analysts had expected the government of President Mohamed Mursi to try to delay a deal with the International Monetary Fund until after the elections, as the loan's terms will demand highly unpopular austerity measures. Parliamentary polls are expected to begin in April or May.
The White House has condemned anti-Semitic remarks by Mohammed Morsi, the Egyptian president, who once described Israelis as the “descendants of apes and pigs”.
Since being elected Mr Morsi has promised to abide by Egypt's decades-old peace treaty with IsraelPhoto: Egypt State TV/AP
Mr Morsi’s slurs, which emerged in recordings from 2010, were termed “deeply offensive” by Jay Carney, Mr Obama’s press secretary, who said concerns had been raised with Egyptian officials.
Mr Carney urged Mr Morsi, who has promised to respect Egypt's decades-old peace treaty with Israel, to promptly state publicly that he respects people of all faiths.
Egypt president's son drops government job after furor
CAIRO | Sun Feb 17, 2013 2:35pm EST
CAIRO (Reuters) - One of Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi's sons withdrew from taking up a job with a firm affiliated to the civil aviation ministry on Sunday amid media accusations of nepotism.
The decision by Omar Mursi to forgo a human resources post at the Holding Company for Airports and Air Navigation showed the role of independent media in holding leaders to account in the new Egypt, following the uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak in 2011.
Egyptian Prime Minister Hisham Qandil gives a press conference at the government headquarters on December 11, 2012 in Cairo. (GIANLUIGI GUERCIA/AFP/Getty Images)
Addressing the prevalence of diarrhea among young children in Egypt, Prime Minister Hisham Kandil explained what he believes to be the cause of the ongoing epidemic: women's "unclean" breasts.
In the speech, broadcast on Egyptian TV channel Nile Culture, Kandil recalled what he saw during a visit to a rural part of the nation where clean water is scare. According to a Huffington Post translation of the original video clip (below), the prime minister said he has seen children get diarrhea because mothers are too ignorant to know to clean their breasts before breastfeeding their infants.
Egypt fires finance, interior ministers before IMF visit
CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's Islamist President Mohamed Mursi fired his finance and interior ministers, cabinet sources said on Saturday, in a government reshuffle he had promised to assuage public anger at an economic crisis.
General Mohamed Ibrahim will replace Ahmed Gamal El-Din as interior minister and Al-Mursi Al-Sayed Hegazy takes the finance ministry job from Mumtaz al-Saaed.
Egypt's pound, 10 percent down since the 2011 uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak, lost more than 3 percent against the dollar in the week ending on Thursday, hitting a record low as fears grew over its rapidly shrinking foreign currency reserves.
Egyptian Prime Minister Hisham Qandil gives a press conference at the government headquarters on December 11, 2012 in Cairo. (GIANLUIGI GUERCIA/AFP/Getty Images)
Addressing the prevalence of diarrhea among young children in Egypt, Prime Minister Hisham Kandil explained what he believes to be the cause of the ongoing epidemic: women's "unclean" breasts.
In the speech, broadcast on Egyptian TV channel Nile Culture, Kandil recalled what he saw during a visit to a rural part of the nation where clean water is scare. According to a Huffington Post translation of the original video clip (below), the prime minister said he has seen children get diarrhea because mothers are too ignorant to know to clean their breasts before breastfeeding their infants.
Hezbollah supporters at a rally in Lebanon (Photo: Reuters)
Sunnis and Shi’ites are literally at each others’ throats these days in Syria, much as they have been for over 1300 years of Islamic fitna, but elsewhere rapprochement may be the word of the day. The Egyptian ambassador to Lebanon was quoted in a December 29, 2012 Daily Caller interview talking about pursuing a relationship with Hezbolllah, Iran’s Shi’ite terror proxy.
Calling Hezbolllah a “real political and military force” on the ground in Lebanon, Ashraf Hamdy, the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood’s envoy to Beirut, provided the latest signal that a new Cairo-Tehran axis of jihad may be taking shape.
