Heat Waves Are Pounding Egypt, and Often There’s No A.C.

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Daily power cuts have been plaguing Egypt during an extraordinarily hot summer. Now the blackouts may be temporarily suspended, but the damage to confidence in the government has already been done.

Egyptian summers have always been hot. But it has not always been this hot, with temperatures barely dipping below 100 degrees in Cairo since May, testing tempers and massacring houseplants. And it has never been this hot at a time when the government has imposed power cuts on most of the country for more than a year, plunging millions into sweaty, un-air-conditioned misery for hours each day.

Since last summer, when energy shortages forced the government to impose the daily power cuts, the blackouts have become such a fact of life that local media has taken to publishing regular tips for what to do if stranded in an elevator as the power goes off. At least nine people have died under such circumstances, according to local media reports.

“Pound on the door and don’t panic,” suggested a recent headline in Al Masry Al Youm, one news outlet. But it had little advice for fish sellers who struggle to refrigerate their wares, farmers whose chickens are dying en masse, people with little cash to fix shorted-out appliances or students studying for the all-important college entrance exams by flashlight.

After importing several emergency cargoes of natural gas, the government said the blackouts would stop from this past Sunday until mid-September, when it said they might be reinstated. » | Vivian Yee and Emad Mekay, Reporting from Cairo | Monday, July 22, 2024

Alleged Russian Election Meddling Should 'Alarm Every American'

Egypt: Cairo Coptic Cathedral Attacker Identified, 3 People Arrested

Analysis: Significance of Deadly Church Attack in Cairo

Al Jazeera correspondent Jamal El Shayyal discusses the significance of the recent deadly church attack in Egypt, and how it relates to the general security of the country and why there was an angry backlash.

Blast Hits Near Christian Cathedral in Cairo, Leaving 25 Killed & 49 Wounded

At least 25 people, mostly women and children, were killed, and 49 others injured in an explosion near Cairo’s Coptic Christian Cathedral. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the blast – the deadliest attack on Egypt's religious minority in years.

Aftermath of Bomb Blast inside Cairo’s Coptic Church

A bomb blast at Egypt’s main Coptic Christian cathedral in Cairo killed at least 25 people and injured dozens more on Sunday. It is one of the deadliest attacks against Egypt’s beleaguered Christian minority in recent memory. Copts, who make up about 10% of Egypt’s population of 90 million, faced persecution and discrimination during the 30-year rule of Hosni Mubarak

Read the Guardian article here

Al-Jazeera Journalists Sentenced to Three Years in Prison by Egyptian Court

THE GUARDIAN: Mohammed Fahmy, Baher Mohammed and Peter Greste found guilty of operating without press licence and broadcasting material harmful to Egypt

An Egyptian judge sentenced three journalists to three years in prison on Saturday in connection with their work for al-Jazeera English.

At the end of their retrial, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed were taken into custody from a metal and glass cage inside the courtroom at Cairo’s Tora prison. Peter Greste was deported to his home country of Australia in early February and was convicted in absentia.

The case has been an illustration of the erosion of press freedom in Egypt in the two years since the military removed the country’s elected Islamist president, Mohamed Morsi, from power. » | Jared Malsin in Cairo | Saturday, August 29, 2015

Cairo Blast: Isis-linked Group Claims Responsibility

THE GUARDIAN: Car exploded outside national security agency building, injuring six police, in attack claimed by Sinai Province of the Islamic State

Isis-affiliated militants in Egypt have claimed responsibility for an explosion at a Cairo security building that left six police wounded.

The claim came in a message circulated on social media by the Sinai Province of the Islamic State, which has claimed a series of similar bombings in Cairo and elsewhere in Egypt.

The blast happened just before 2am close to the national security agency building in Shubra al-Khaima, a neighbourhood on the northern edge of the Egyptian capital. The sound of the explosion echoed across Cairo, rattling windows and waking residents miles from the blast.

Egypt’s interior ministry said in a statement that a car had exploded outside the security compound. The assailant fled the scene on a motorcycle, it said. » | Jared Malsin in Cairo | Thursday, August 20, 2015

Islamic State 'Behind Blast' at Italian Consulate in Cairo

The consulate was closed at the time of the attack

BBC AMERICA: Islamic State militants have said they were behind a deadly explosion that severely damaged the Italian consulate in Egypt's capital, Cairo.

At least one person died and several people were injured when a car bomb went off at the building.

A tweet from a Twitter account linked to IS said Muslims should stay away from sites like the consulate, as they are "legitimate targets" for strikes.

Policemen and civilians were among the injured, the health ministry said.

The main entrance of the building was almost totally destroyed, windows were shattered and the building was flooded after water-pipes ruptured.

"Italy will not let itself be intimidated," the country's foreign minister Paolo Gentiloni said in a tweet, adding that there had been no Italian casualties.

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi spoke to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi after the attack and promised the two countries would stand together "in the fight against terrorism and fanaticism". (+ BBC video) » | Saturday, June 11, 2015

Marine Le Pen Told by Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Her Opinions about Islam 'Need Correcting'

Grand Imam of al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb
met with Marine Le Pen in Cairo

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The French Front National leader met Ahmed al-Tayeb, grand imam of Al-Azhar, in Cairo to discuss the need to fight extremism

Egypt’s top imam has warned Marine Le Pen, the French far-Right leader, that her Front National party’s “hostile opinions” towards Islam must be “reviewed and corrected”.

During a meeting in Cairo, Ahmed al-Tayeb, the grand imam of Al-Azhar, told Ms Le Pen that the Sunni Muslim body had “serious concerns” over her party’s stance on Islam.

The Front National, which had a strong showing in local elections in March, has campaigned on politically explosive issues of immigration and the integration of Islam into French society after the Charlie Hebdo attacks.

Ms Le Pen, who did not wear a veil during the meeting, “recognised the need to not confuse Islam with the violent acts committed” in its name, Al-Azhar said in a statement. » | AFP | Friday, May 29, 2015

Foreign Correspondent Discusses Egypt Unrest

Robert Fisk, Foreign Correspondent for the Independent, discusses Egypt unrest.

Propaganda Trap: Egyptian Elite Succumb to the Hate Virus

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Just weeks ago, they decried police violence and the heavy-handed state apparatus. Now, after over 600 members of the Muslim Brotherhood were killed on Wednesday, the Egyptian elite is silent. Those who dare to voice empathy are given a hostile reception.

Egyptian Amir Salim has the classic profile of a revolutionary. As a politically engaged young lawyer, he specialized in human rights cases, a focus which earned him nine trips to jail under Hosni Mubarak. When the revolt against the aging despot gained traction in 2011, Salim quickly became one of its spokesmen. After Mubarak's fall, he founded an organization which promulgated the creation of a civilian state free from military meddling. In a book published in 2012, he dissected the structures of Mubarak's police state.

Now, the same police that Salim attacked so vehemently in his book, has responded to demonstrations in Cairo with shocking brutality. At least 623 people, the vast majority of them civilians, were killed in street battles earlier this week.

And what is Salim doing? Sitting in a popular café in the Cairo city center, he says things like this: "The Muslim Brothers are a sickness and the police have to eradicate them." And: "The police and the army were only defending themselves." He adds that "the problem will only have been solved when the last Muslim Brother who causes problems is locked away in prison." When asked about the obvious human rights violations perpetrated on the dead and wounded, he said: "And what about the rights of those who live near the protest camps? What about their right to be able to enjoy their apartment?" » | Ulrike Putz in Cairo | Friday, August 16, 2013

Egypt's Ambassador to Britain Defends Assault on Opposition Protesters

Egypt's ambassador to Britain made an extraordinary defence last night of his regime's assault on opposition protesters, claiming many of the dead had been shot by their own side.

Read the article here | Damien McElroy | Friday, August 15, 2013

Egypt Massacre: Live Ammunition, Snipers Used to Disperse Protests

Military's been using live ammunition since this latest bout of unrest kicked off in Egypt on Wednesday. More shocking footage of civilians being fired on has emerged online. RT's Ruptly video agency has obtained footage showing masked men armed with automatic weapons firing back at police in Cairo. RT's Paula Slier talks to relatives of those who died during the violence.

Inside Story: Is Egypt Returning to Military Rule?

We ask if the crackdown on pro-Morsi protesters is the start of a longer confrontation or a violent precursor to peace.

Egypt's Interim PM Defends Deadly Crackdown

Hazem el-Beblawi says decision to storm pro-Morsi protest camps in Cairo "was not easy", as death toll climbs to 525.

Egypt Death Toll Rises to 525 as Britain Summons Egyptian Ambassador

Britain has summoned the Egyptian ambassador for a meeting as the death toll from Wednesday's attack on pro-Morsi supporters rose to 525.

Read the article here | Ruth Sherlock, Cairo | Thursday, August 15, 2013

Egypt's 'Bloody Wednesday': State of Emergency May Herald More Violence

Egypt is locked in a state of emergency after nationwide street battles which saw tear gas, gunfire and nearly 300 deaths. Security forces swept through two protest camps full of supporters of the ousted President Mohammed Morsi. Authorities are now enforcing a curfew in Cairo and several other provinces across the country.

RT.COM: Russia coverage »

John Kerry: Violence in Egypt Is 'Deplorable'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: John Kerry, the US secretary of state, has condemned the violence in Egypt as "deplorable" – but refused to say whether America would take steps to pressure the military into halting its onslaught.

As the death toll climbed to at least 149, Mr Kerry made an unexpected appearance at a routine State Department briefing to address the spiralling crisis.

"The United States strongly condemns today's violence and bloodshed across Egypt," Mr Kerry said.

"It's a serious blow to reconciliation and the Egyptian people's hopes for a transition towards democracy and inclusion."

Mr Kerry called for restraint on all sides, but said the military and the interim government it installed in July had a "unique responsibility to prevent further violence".

The US strongly opposed a return to the government-declared state of emergency, he said, which would grant the security forces widespread powers to round up supporters of the ousted president Mohamed Morsi. » | Raf Sanchez, Washington | Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Egypt Declares National Emergency

BBC: Egypt's presidency has declared a state of emergency after scores of people were killed when security forces stormed protest camps in Cairo.

The camps had been occupied by supporters of former president Mohammed Morsi, who was deposed in early July.

Security forces say 95 people have been killed, but the Muslim Brotherhood says hundreds have died.

The state of emergency will begin at 16:00 local time (1400 GMT), and last for a month.

Shortly after dawn on Wednesday morning, armoured bulldozers moved deep into the main protest camp outside the eastern Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque.

Officials say the other protest camp, at Nahda Square, has now been cleared.

Graphic accounts of bloodshed emerged from the protest camps as reporters described wounded protesters being treated next to the dead in makeshift field hospitals. (+ video) » | Wednesday, August 14, 2013

BBC: Sky News cameraman Mick Deane shot and killed in Egypt : A veteran Sky News cameraman has been shot and killed while covering the violence in Cairo, the broadcaster has said. » | Wednesday, August 14, 2013