Egypt

CAIRO, July 12 (NNN-MENA) – An Egyptian court turned down on Saturday, an appeal by Muslim Brotherhood member, Mahmoud Makawi Afifi, upholding a 20-year prison sentence by a criminal court over Afifi’s involvement in violence that took place in 2012.

The case involved violence against protesters, who were holding a sit-in in front of the Ittihadeya presidential palace in Cairo, during which journalist, al-Husseini Abu-Deif was killed, official Ahram Online news website reported.

CAIRO, July 11 (Xinhua) -- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Iran surpassed 255,000 on Saturday while Saudi Arabia's tally of coronavirus infections approached 230,000.

Iran, the hardest-hit country by the COVID-19 pandemic in the Middle East region, reported 2,397 new cases, bringing the total number of infections to 255,117.

The country also reported 188 new deaths from the virus, raising the death toll to 12,653. A total of 217,666 coronavirus patients have recovered, with 3,338 still in critical condition.

11 July 2020; MEMO: Ethiopia’s “very strict” stance on some of the technical and legal points relating to the Renaissance Dam talks greatly reduces the chance of agreement, Egypt’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation announced on Thursday.

CAIRO, July 7 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and his British counterpart Dominic Raab held a phone conversation on Tuesday to discuss regional issues including the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Libyan crisis and the Nile dam dispute.

On the Palestinian-Israeli issue, Shoukry underlined the importance of achieving just and comprehensive peace based on the UN-proposed two-state solution, Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Hafez said in a statement.

(AP) --- A doctor arrested after writing an article about Egypt’s fragile health system. A pharmacist picked up from work after posting online about a shortage of protective gear. An editor taken from his home after questioning official coronavirus figures. A pregnant doctor arrested after a colleague used her phone to report a suspected coronavirus case.

As Egyptian authorities fight the swelling coronavirus outbreak, security agencies have tried to stifle criticism about the handling of the health crisis by the government of President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi.

CAIRO, July 5 (NNN-MENA) – The total number of COVID-19 cases approached 240,000 in Iran on Saturday. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia surpassed Turkey in the tally of infections with nearly 206,000 confirmed cases.

Iran, the hardest-hit country by the COVID-19 pandemic in the Middle East, reported 2,449 new cases, bringing the total of infections to 237,878.

The country also reported 148 new deaths from the virus, raising the death toll to 11,408. A total of 198,949 patients have recovered, with 3,136 still in critical condition.

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt will hold inaugural elections for a new second parliamentary chamber on Aug. 11-12, election commissioner Lasheen Ibrahim said on Saturday.

Amendments made to Egypt’s constitution last year provided for the creation of the Council of Senators, a 300-member secondary chamber that will be two-thirds elected by the public and the remainder appointed by the president.

01 July 2020; MEMO: The Egyptian government has encouraged women to delay their pregnancies due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Egypt’s Ministry of Health issued the statement yesterday calling on women to avoid getting pregnant as it may weaken their immune system. Adding that new discoveries have been made which link the coronavirus to blood clots which could affect the placenta and the nutrition of the foetus.

29 June 2020; MEMO: Egyptian authorities last week arrested a doctor who criticised the prime minister on Facebook.

Mohamed Moataz Al-Fawal, 39, a radiology lecturer at Zagazig medical school and treasurer of the doctor’s union, requested that Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly apologise for statements he made that ignited outrage among medics.

Last week Madbouly blamed doctors for the worsening covid crisis in the country due to their absence from work, “which, in a way, led to cases worsening and deaths.”

28 June 2020; MEMO: A high-profile Egyptian belly-dancer, Sama el-Masry, was sentenced to three years in prison and fined 300,000 Egyptian pounds ($18,500) on Saturday for inciting debauchery and immorality as part of a crackdown on social media postings, Reuters reports.

El-Masry was arrested in April during an investigation into videos and photos on social media, including the popular video-sharing platform TikTok, that the public prosecution described as sexually suggestive.