Political activist Alaa Abdel Fattah is expected to be released from prison after five years behind bars, according to his lawyer Khaled Ali. Mona Seif, his sister, tweeted that his family are still waiting for the release procedures to start and that they hope “it goes smoothly without any unnecessary delays and detours that only serve to put him through even more stressful times.” https://twitter.com/Monasosh/status/1110840461109936133 Abdel Fattah’s aunt, Ahdaf Soueif, also tweeted that he will most likely stay in Qasr el-Nil Police Station tonight and the release will be either tomorrow or Friday. Abdel Fattah was arrested in November 2013 for protesting against military trials of civilians in front of the now-defunct Shura Council. He was sentenced to five years in prison after a trial that lasted more than a year. Throughout his lifetime, Abdel Fattah has been arrested or investigated by Egyptian authorities on several occasions due to his political activism. On 7 May 2006, he spent 45 days in detention for demonstrating for an independent judiciary under the rule of President Hosni Mubarak. Later on 30 October 2011, he was arrested for inciting violence at the 9 October…
Actors Syndicate Expels Waked, Abol Naga for Criticizing Egyptian Constitution Changes
Actors Syndicate dismissed Egyptian Actors Khaled Abol Naga and Amr Waked after criticizing the constitutional amendments and human rights in Egypt in a Washington panel on 25 March. During the Washington panel discussion, both actors along with other human rights activists called for international cooperation to rally against the proposed constitutional amendments in Egypt. They asked “every peace-loving human being” to support Egyptians who are behind bars for speaking up. The proposed constitutional amendments include an extension of the presidency term to increase to six years instead of four, the creation of a senate, a second chamber for parliament, a woman quota in the parliament no less than 25 percent of the members, the maintenance of youth and special percentages, the appropriate representation of workers, farmers, youth and Christians and the appointment of one or more deputies to the president. “The narrative in Egypt is: ‘Nobody cares about you anymore,'” Naga said, “More than ever, right now, Egyptians need that hope, that light at the end of the tunnel: That this is not the case; it cannot be the case, and it should not be the case. And hopefully, with…
3rd Edition of “Middle East Fashion Festival” Kicks Off Thursday
Following the success of its first and second edition, the “Middle East Fashion Festival” is kicking off its third edition which will take place from March 28th until March 30th. Under the supervision and the support of the Red Sea Governor, General Ahmed Abdullah, and the President of the Red Sea Ports Authority, Major General Ayman Saleh. The anticipated event, considered to be the most important fashion event in the MENA region, will take place in City Gate M65 theater in the coastal city of Hurgahda. “The 3rd edition of MEFF will help in the development of tourism and economy in Hurgahda because it will be held this year at the City Gate theatre with its unique features and setups; the latter will help in conveying a different fashion show and make the whole experience different from any other ordinary fashion show in Cairo,” stated Walid Khalil, President of MEFF. Khalil also stated that the City Gate theater has a major role in the development of tourism and economic sectors of Hurghada, although it was just recently opened. This also meets the festival’s vision and requirements through the collaboration between…
The Twin Sisters Aiming to Create the Next Generation of Creative Entrepreneurs
Art and business might not seem like the most compatible partners – one strives to enrich the soul, and the other strives to make a living. One transcends reality, and the other is fully entrenched in it. The idea of an artist making a living from their art has always been discouraged and perceived as challenging. In Egypt, in particular, modern art came to flourish during European colonization when it was usually seen as an elitist practice not shared by the ordinary society. Over the years, however, artistic activity began to grow, with roughly over a hundred exhibition spaces across the country and several colleges of fine and applied arts and art education. The aftermaths of 2011 have also inspired a new generation of graffiti and fine artists in Egypt, flourishing a new independent art scene that is not dependent on the state. Despite all that, several art gallery managers have recently noticed that sales are plummeting and future prospects of the art market seem dim. More than ever, the art market in Egypt needs a new spark to help it rapidly grow again. Sara and Hania Seif, AUC graduates…
Egyptian Secondary School Students Fail to Test After New Educational Tablets Malfunction During Examination
As a result of a system malfunction in the new examination tablets, 600,000 Egyptian students in secondary school failed to sit for their experimental exams on Monday causing the exams to be canceled for the second day in a row. Tarek Shawky, Egypt’s Minister of Education released a statement on his personal Facebook profile saying “we expected challenges in the early days and we will overcome them before the end of the week.” He stressed that “the goal of the experimental tests was to introduce students to new types of questions ahead of the end-of-year exams,” rather than familiarize the student to the new technology. “We use the technology for two main purposes; provide access to the additional digital content prepared by the Egyptian Knowledge Bank to enrich understanding of the materials, as well as prevent fraud and manual correction errors,” the minister added. Accordingly, Shawky explained that the end-of-year examination will not incorporate the use of tablets unless they are sure that no technical difficulties will be encountered. “We will notice a great improvement every day, we are working on fine-tuning the electronic system to avoid any problem,” the…
Agreement Confirmed: Uber to Acquire Careem
Uber and Careem have reached an agreement for Uber to acquire Careem for $3.1 billion, consisting of $1.7 billion in convertible notes and $1.4 billion in cash. The acquisition of Careem is subject to applicable regulatory approvals. The transaction is expected to close in Q1 2020. Uber will acquire all of Careem’s mobility, delivery, and payments businesses across the greater Middle East region, ranging from Morocco to Pakistan, with major markets including Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Upon closing, Careem will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Uber, preserving its brand. Careem co-founder and CEO Mudassir Sheikha will lead the Careem business, which will report to its own board made up of three representatives from Uber and two representatives from Careem. Careem and Uber will operate their respective regional services and independent brands. “This is an important moment for Uber as we continue to expand the strength of our platform around the world. With a proven ability to develop innovative local solutions, Careem has played a key role in shaping the future of urban mobility across the Middle East, becoming one of the most successful startups…
Egypt Calls For Boycott of BBC After Anti-Sisi Report
Egypt’s State Information Service (SIS) issued a statement on Sunday accusing the British Broadcasting Cooperation (BBC) of “promoting the lies of the Muslim Brotherhood terrorist group” in an  article published on the BBC’s Arabic-language website. BBC Arabic published a report on an anti-Sisi hashtag — “Don’t worry, you’re not alone” — which called for demonstrations against the president. In the statement, the SIS stated that the report “breaches the most basic codes of conduct… fabricating events that never took place.” It urged “all officials and Egyptian intellectuals” to boycott the BBC until the broadcast apologizes. The statement slammed the article’s use of pro-Muslim Brotherhood videos which had not been verified by the BBC, and for not including any statements from Egyptian officials. “This violates universal professional codes of conduct, as the BBC’s Cairo office with its dozens of correspondents nationwide should have tried to actually investigate whether the content of these videos were authentic,” the SIS stated. “The BBC’s failure to take this necessary step before publishing the article seems intentional in order to legitimise the allegations of media outlets affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood — a terrorist organisation.” “It…
Uber Plans to Takes Over Middle-Eastern Rival Careem for $3.1 Billion
Ride-hailing app Uber is offering to buy out its primary Middle Eastern rival Careem for USD 3.1 billion in cash-and-share, Bloomberg reported. The deal could be announced as early as Tuesday. The Dubai-based company shareholders including Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal’s investment firm and Japanese e-commerce company Rakuten Inc. have until Monday night agree to the offer. Sources revealed that Uber is paying USD 1.4 billion in cash and USD 1.7 billion in convertible notes for Careem as Uber shares. According to Bloomberg, Uber’s spokesperson Matt Kallman refused to comment on the matter and Careem’s spokesperson Maha Aboul Enein was unavailable. The merger comes before an imminent initial public offering, which will be one of the New York Stock Exchange’s biggest-ever listings. San Fransisco-based company is plans to publicly file for an IPO next month with a listing that would increase the company’s value to USD 120 billion. This acquisition would mean that Uber is monopolizing the region making it a more valuable stock. On the other hand, in 2016, Careem was worth USD 1 billion becoming the most valuable tech start up in the region with over one million drivers…
Singer Sherine Banned from Performing After Freedom of Speech Comments
After what appears to be her second time to stir controversy at a concert, famed Egyptian singer Sherine Abdelwahab has been banned from performing in Egypt indefinitely by the Egyptians Musicians Union. The Musicians Unions announced the decision in a statement released on Thursday, March 21. Sherine summoned for questioning by the Musicians Union and is being sued for a third time by Egyptian lawyer Samir Sabry who is famous for focusing on remarks and actions made by celebrities. Sabry is accusing the singer of insulting Egypt. Abdel-Wahab reportedly said “Here I can say whatever I want. In Egypt, anyone who talks gets imprisoned” during a performance in Bahrain. In a call with popular Egyptian show host Amr Adib, Sherine claimed that her comments were a joke and made a public appeal to the Egyptian president Abdel Fattah Al Sisi for assistance. “I made a mistake, I know this and I am seeking the help of the Egyptian president. I call for his intervention and I am appealing to him. I feel that I was persecuted…I love Egypt and everyone knows this,” had stated Sherine. This is the second time…