by Haitham EL-TABEI CAIRO, June 04, 2013 (AFP) A Cairo court on Tuesday sentenced 43 Egyptian and foreign NGO workers to jail terms ranging from one to five years for working illegally, causing outrage abroad and raising fears for the future of civil society work in Egypt. The sentences follow trials which came in the wake of raids in 2011 on the offices of foreign NGOs, many which had operated without li ...

CAIRO, June 03, 2013 (AFP) President Mohamed Morsi Monday warned that Egypt would not allow its share of the Nile to be diminished by "one drop" after Ethiopia began diverting the Blue Nile as part of a giant dam project. "We cannot let even one drop of Nile water be affected," Morsi said during talks with political and religious leaders broadcast live on state television. The talks revolved around a report ...

CAIRO,June 03, 2013  (AFP) An Egyptian opposition youth activist was on Monday sentenced to six months in prison for insulting President Mohamed Morsi, an Agence France-Presse (AFP) correspondent reported. Ahmed Duma, who was also ordered to pay a fine of 200 Egyptian pounds (S$36), could be released on bail of 5,000 Egyptian pounds pending a decision by an appeals court. Dozens of Duma supporters gathered ...

By Christophe DE ROQUEFEUIL CAIRO, June 03, 2013 (AFP) A court ruling that Egypt's legislature is invalid deals a political blow to President Mohamed Morsi but on the ground little will change, analysts say. The Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC) on Sunday ruled that the law governing the elections of the Shoura Council was unconstitutional, as were the rules for the selection of the members of a committee ...

CAIRO, June 02, 2013 (AFP) Egypt's highest court is expected to rule on Sunday on the validity of the Islamist-dominated Senate and of a panel that drafted the country's contested constitution. The Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC) will deliver its judgment on the legitimacy of the Shura Council, historically a powerless upper house which was given legislative powers last year after parliament was dissolve ...

 CAIRO, May 31, 2013 (AFP) Six Mexican tourists were killed on Friday in a fiery road accident in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, medical and police officials said. Ten tourists were also injured in the accident, when their tour bus overturned and burst into flames near St Catherine's Monastery, a popular tourist attraction, the officials said. Poor road conditions, bad driving and lax reinforcement of traffic reg ...

 by Riad ABOU AWAD CAIRO, May 31, 2013 (AFP) The sacking of Egypt's Opera House head has triggered a new political battle against President Mohamed Morsi, this time by artists who accuse the Islamist's Muslim Brotherhood of aiming to control cultural institutions. The artists have taken to strikes, demonstrations and cancelling shows to counter what they say are Islamist designs on key cultural institutions ...

CAIRO, May 29, 2013 (AFP) Egypt and Sudan were holding talks on Wednesday following a decision by Ethiopia to divert the Blue Nile as part of a giant dam project which risks affecting the two downstream Arab states. Sudan's minister of irrigation, Osama Abdallah al-Hassan, arrived in Cairo for a one-day visit to the discuss the issue with authorities, Egypt's official MENA news agency said. And Ethiopia's a ...

 CAIRO, May 28, 2013 (AFP) Egyptian restoration experts have managed to remove graffiti from an ancient monument after it had been defaced by a Chinese tourist, the antiquities department said on Tuesday. Authorities had assigned a committee to assess the damage and concluded that the marks on the 3,500 year-old panel were superficial. The graffiti "hadn't come into contact with the main layer of the engrav ...

CAIRO, May 22, 2013 (AFP) Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi appealed Wednesday to the opposition for unity, in the face of criticism he is failing the revolution that brought him to power almost a year ago. "To all those who love Egypt, to the opposition, those who love this country and care for its interests, let's proceed together... help each other, love each other more... and move forward," said Morsi. T ...

CAIRO, May 20, 2013 (AFP) Egypt sent police reinforcements to the Sinai after an attack on a police camp on Monday in the wake of the kidnapping of seven security personnel in the lawless peninsula, officials said. According to one security official, 80 Central Security (riot police) units and 26 armoured personnel carriers were deployed in north Sinai. The deployment comes hours after a police camp came un ...

CAIRO, May 19, 2013 (AFP) Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi on Sunday ruled out negotiating with the kidnappers of three policemen and four soldiers who appeared to plead for their release in an online video. The abductions on Thursday in the Sinai Peninsula prompted angry police to shut down border crossings with Gaza and Israel, piling the pressure on Morsi to secure the hostages' release. "There are no neg ...