Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi called on Wednesday for boosting political, legislative and judicial cooperation between African countries to combat corruption as he opened in Sharm El-Sheikh the African Anti-Corruption Forum (AAFC) -- the first anti-corruption forum in the continent. In his keynote speech to the forum broadcast live from the Red Sea city of Sharm El-Sheikh, El-Sisi told representatives of African countries and Arab guests at the forum that corruption is one of the major obstacles to economic growth and achieving sustainable development in the continent, adding that it jeopardises the "legitimate aspirations of the peoples of the African continent towards boosting the ideals of freedom and equality." "Combating corruption and changing the reality of our continent can only be achieved through concerted efforts, developing common visions, and boosting African coordination mechanisms to curb corruption," El-Sisi told the gathering. The two-day forum brings together top state officials and representatives from 48 African countries, four Arab nations and nine international organisations. The Egyptian president holds the rotating presidency of the 55-nation African Union (AU) for 2019. El-Sisi said that Egypt has made headways in identifying the causes of corruption and developing accurate indexes to measure its levels, as well as in boosting the role of supervisory bodies in promoting transparency to preserve public funds. Egypt, he said, has been pushing ahead with legislative reforms in this regard. The Egyptian government has passed legislation necessary to eliminate corruption, set up specialised departments to fight financial and administrative corruption and adopted measures for digital transformation to boost administrative and financial governance and cut red tape, El-Sisi explained to the forum. Egypt s Administrative Control Authority set up a national committee and a national academy to fight corruption in 2014 and 2017 respectively. El-Sisi said that Egypt is planning to increase training programmes offered by the academy to supervisory and control authorities in Africa as part of its efforts to back anti-corruption measures in the continent. In 2017, Egypt signed the African Union Convention on Prevention and Combating Corruption, the main anti-corruption legal framework in the continent. African officials leading the fight against corruption in their countries made opening statements discussing the challenges facing the continent in its efforts towards strengthening both development and transparency in governance. The chairman of Egypt s Administrative Control Authority Sherif Saif Eddin said that the forum has five goals; developing anti-corruption mechanisms between African countries, cracking down on organised crime, developing human resources in Africa, boosting the democratisation of technology, and establishing justice and security as cornerstone for development in the continent. Saif Eddin told the forum that corruption costs African countries billions of dollars every year and is holding back development and stability efforts in the continent, and called for the launch of an African corruption index and enacting firmer legislation to root out corruption.

President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi is scheduled to inaugurate the African Anti-Corruption Forum (AACF) in Sharm El-Sheikh on Wednesday. In statements, Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady said the forum is held upon an initiative launched by President El-Sisi in January 2018 during his participation in the 30th Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) Summit that was held in Addis Ababa under the theme: "Winning the Fight Against Corruption: A Sustainable Path to Africa s Transformation." The two-day forum aims at providing a platform for African countries to meet on a regular basis to exchange information, experiences and best practices for the purpose of consolidating their national capabilities and institutions in the fight against corruption, the spokesman added. The forum will address several topics, including the continental and national efforts conducted by African countries in accordance with their international and regional commitments, the relationship between corruption and development, capacity building and human resources, the role of civil society and the private sector, and how to enhance African inter-governmental coordination in combating corruption. The Egyptian president is the current chairman of the AU in 2019.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has directed government bodies to make available all the necessary resources to ensure the success of the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which Egypt is hosting from 21 June till 19 July. El-Sisi has instructed state authorities to coordinate in preparing for the tournament, describing the event as “a special sports celebration with African brothers in Egypt amid its current chairmanship of African Union,” according to a statement by Egyptian presidency spokesman Bassam Rady. President El-Sisi made the comments in a meeting attended by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Defence and Military Production Minister Mohamed Zaki, Interior Minister Mahmoud Tawfik, Youth and Sports Minister Ashraf Sobhy, General Intelligence chief Abbas Kamel, and presidential aide for national and strategic projects Sherif Ismail. The officials discussed a number of issues related to the tournament, including security preparations; arrangements for transportation for teams and spectators; the provision of necessary medical services; the provision of fan IDs and tickets; media coverage; tourist services and hotel readiness; upgrades to sports infrastructure in stadiums and training facilities in the governorates and cities hosting the games; and preparations for opening and closing games. Egypt won the hosting rights of the 2019 African Cup of Nations after winning a majority of votes in a January meeting of the executive committee of the Confederation of African Football. The 2019 AFCON is taking place between 21 June and 19 July. The tournament will be played in Cairo, Alexandria, Suez and Ismailia. Egypt previously hosted four editions of the cup; in 1959, 1974, 1986 and 2006. The Pharaohs have won the prestigious competition seven times

After a one-month holiday, Egypt s parliament – the House of Representatives –convened on Sunday to discuss and vote on a batch of new laws. Parliament approved amendments to six laws aimed at regulating the performance of a number of judicial authorities; the Supreme Constitutional Court (law 48/1979), the Administrative Prosecution Authority (law 117/1958), the State Cases Authority (law 57/1963), the Military Justice (law 25/1966), the Judicial Authority (law 46/1972), and the State Council (law 47/1972). Parliament speaker Ali Abdel-Aal said the approval of these laws represents the first implementation of constitutional amendments passed by the House on 16 April and approved in a public referendum on 23 April. A report prepared by parliament s Legislative and Constitutional Affairs Committee said that the amendments were necessary to bring the laws regulating these judicial authorities in line with the constitutional amendments. “The committee has already reviewed the drafts of the amended laws as referred by the government and a report is expected to be discussed and voted on during the plenary session scheduled for 9 June,” said chairman of the committee Bahaaeddin Abu Shoqa. The referendum covered 12 constitutional articles, four of which—articles 185, 189, 190 and 193—deal with judicial authorities, the selection of the prosecutor-general, the State Council and the naming of the head of the Supreme Constitutional Court. With regards to the latter, said committee deputy head Ahmed Helmi El-Sherif, the amended article allows the chairman of the court to be picked by the president from among the court’s deputy heads. The court’s commissioners will also be named by the president based on recommendation from the court’s chairman and according to the will of the court’s general assembly. “This does not violate the independence of the court or infringe upon its powers,” said El-Sherif. “It gives the president a symbolic right: to name the head of this judicial authority based on nominations by members and the general assembly.” The State Council Law (47/1972) has been redrafted in line with amended Article 190. “The redraft details the mandate of the State Council; settling administrative disputes, disciplinary cases and appeals, revising draft laws and decrees,” said El-Sherif. “Changes to the Judicial Authority Law (46/1972), in line with amended Article 189, state that the prosecutor-general is to be named by the president from three candidates nominated by the Higher Council for Judicial Authorities, and that the prosecutor-general’s term in office be four years.” The two laws regulating the Administrative Prosecution Authority (117/1958) and the State Cases Authority were also redrafted in line with changes to Article 185 of the constitution allowing the president to name the authorities’ heads from among the most senior deputy heads. “A Higher Council for Judicial Authorities will be created with the president as its head. In the case of the president’s absence, the head of a judicial authority will be delegated,” said El-Sherif. Redrafted laws also regulate the performance of military courts (44/1966) in line with changes to Article 204. “The redraft states that civilians can be tried before military courts only in cases involving crimes against military camps, in military zones and along borders, involving military equipment, vehicles, weapons, ammunition, documents, secrets, funds and army factories,” said El-Sherif. Parliament also voted on Sunday in favour of increasing the pensions of retired military personnel by 15 percent (or EGP 150 as minimum and EGP 900 maximum). "The increase will go into effect on 1 July 2019, and the Ministry of Finance said it will cover the new increase, and that pensions of retired military personnel represent only 8 percent of total pensions in Egypt," said a report prepared by parliament s manpower committee. Parliament also approved amendments of a law (law 182/1960) aimed at fighting the trafficking of drugs. A report prepared by the House s health affairs committee said the amendments are necessary to clamp down on new kinds of drugs and narcotics which infiltrated the Egyptian market in recent years. Parliament speaker Ali Abdel-Aal said the new amendment was necessary in order to safeguard the people – particularly the young people – from the dangers of new kinds of drugs on their physical and psychological health.

The high school thanaweya amma exams began on Saturday, MENA reported, with 615,348 students taking part. According to the state-run agency, the first exam, the Arabic language test, went “smoothly,” without any disturbances. Students in their final school year are taking the exams, which cover a range of subjects, at 1,817 examination centres nationwide. According to education ministry officials, a number of attempts to cheat using mobile phones were detected in several governorates, with necessary legal measures being taken after the students were identified. Egypt has been trying to tackle online leaks of exam papers in recent years, toughening the penalties for cheating and other violations, including publishing exam papers and having mobile phones or other devices in examination rooms. Test scores determine which university students will be able to study at, and which subject.

Egypt’s security forces killed 14 terrorist elements Wednesday in pursuit of those involved in an attack against a security checkpoint earlier in North Sinai’s El-Arish city, the Egyptian interior ministry announced. According to a ministry statement, security forces managed to locate the preparators in an abandoned house they used as a hideout in a remote area in El-Arish city. The statement added that as soon as the suspects realised that security forces had besieged them, they opened fire. Fourteen automatic rifles and three explosive devices were found in the hideout, the statement read. High State Security is currently investigating the incident. Early Wednesday morning, eight Egyptian policemen were killed in an attack against a security checkpoint south of El-Arish. Five terrorist elements were killed in the shootout between the policemen and the attackers while the rest fled the scene. Late Wednesday, an Islamic State affiliated group in North Sinai claimed responsibility in an online statement, claiming that 10 policemen were killed in two attacks: one at a checkpoint south of El-Arish and another at a checkpoint in a "nearby area." Hundreds of police officers and soldiers have been killed in terrorist attacks in the last five years in North Sinai. In February 2018, the army launched a nationwide offensive against the Islamist terrorists, focused mainly on North Sinai. According to official figures, around 650 terrorist elements have been killed since the start of the operation, while the army has lost some 50 soldiers.

A shootout took place in the early hours of Wednesday between Egyptian security forces and a number of terrorists who attacked a security checkpoint south of El-Arish city in North Sinai. According to a statement by the interior ministry, the exchange of fire resulted in the killing of five terrorists as well as a police officer, a low-ranking policeman and six soldiers. Security forces are searching for the remaining terrorists involved in the attack.

The State Information Service (SIS) stressed that Human Rights Watch (HRW)’s Report on Sinai is full of lies and fabrications on the situation in Sinai. In its official detaied response to the report, the SIS said the HRW once again circulates lies regarding the human rights situation in Egypt, a pattern the international organization is used to when it comes to human rights in Egypt. In September 2017, the HRW issued a report claiming there are 19 cases of torture in Egyptian prisons without providing any real evidence. The Egyptian prosecutor general, in turn, investigated those allegations and found that they were not true, SIS said. In 2018, the HRW issued a variety of unfounded statements and made a report on the human rights situation in Egypt, including a report on Khaled Hassan, a defendant being prosecuted for his affiliation with Daesh s Wilayat Sina’a, it also said. They claimed he disappeared and was subjected to torture but later on all their claims were proved to be untrue, it added. In 2019, the HRW once again made a report on May 28 regarding the situation in northern Sinai, it said. The report contained false allegations and was based on unreliable sources, sources that are in constant enmity with the Egyptian State and are deliberately attempting to distort the image of Egypt, it added. It noted that the report included many alleged cases that are entirely unsupported by any real evidence as if this report is made to be read by amateurs. That s why the Human Rights Unit of the State Information Service prepared this detailed comprehensive response to the report which refutes these allegations, SIS said. As for the interviews included in the HRW report, the report claimed that 54 interviews were conducted with local residents in Sinai without clarifying many essential points to show their authenticity, SIS added. It pointed out that the report said these interviews were conducted with Sinai locals either in Egypt or living abroad but it failed to uncover the identity of the interviewees "which makes us wonder why their identity was kept anonymous". The report also did not refer to any interviews that were conducted with any Egyptian official or a government source in or out of Egypt, SIS said. "It did not show us the method by which they conducted the interviews either they were made through Skybe or social networking tools."

Egypt’s foreign ministry says it is following up on the process to identify six Egyptian nationals who died last March in an Ethiopian airliner crash that killed all 157 passengers and crew members on board. In an official statement on Sunday, the assistant foreign minister for consular affairs and expatriates, Yasser Mahmoud Hashem, said Egypt’s embassy in Addis Ababa is following up with Ethiopian authorities on the efforts to identify the victims. The identification process involves experts from Ethiopia, Interpol, and other specialised international bodies. Last March, a Boeing 737 MAX airliner crashed minutes after take-off in Ethiopia, just few months after 189 people were killed on a Lion Air 737 MAX which plunged into the ocean off Indonesia under similar conditions. The two crashes later led to the grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX over safety concerns.

Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi stressed that it is unacceptable to blame Muslims for terrorism, calling on all Islamic states to work together against the problem. “Let’s state it clearly, it’s unacceptable…to try to pin terrorism and extremism on our noble religion, which is innocent [of them],” the Egyptian President said in his speech at the meeting by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Mecca on Friday night. El-Sisi added that the OIC has a dual mission: to combat Islamophobia, including discrimination and hate speech against Muslims; and to fight terrorism and related extremist speech by those who exploit religion and defame its image and tolerant teaching. OIC The leaders of the OIC in Mecca (Photo courtesy ofthe Egyptian presidency) El-Sisi also shed light on terrorism, which he said is the top challenge faced by Muslim nations, and by the world at large. “Egypt has taken the initiative through calling on all to intensify efforts to eliminate this phenomenon completely, and refuse to connect it with a specific religion, culture, or a particular race,” he said, adding that the issue needs efforts from all Islamic states to activate international and regional mechanisms to fight it. He said Egypt will not spare any effort to support and boost the OIC as a main umbrella for Islamic work in various fields. Egypt is keen to participate in initiatives by the organisation in the belief that the size of challenges faced by the Muslim world call for unity and a unified voice, he said. “Without this unity, how will we be able to combat an unprecedented wave of instability, political and security tensions which sweep our Islamic world and threaten to undermine its leadership and associations and transform it from a cooperation welcoming space to a space of polarisation and rejection?” El-Sisi said.

Egypt s cabinet approved during its weekly meeting on Wednesday under Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly a proposed presidential decree on a funding agreement signed between the Egyptian government and the World Bank. The deal aims at promoting entrepreneurship and creating more job opportunities, particularly for young people and women.

Egypt has successfully secured the transfer of Hesham El-Ashmawy, one of the most wanted terrorists in Egypt, from his place of detention in Libya to Egypt on Tuesday night, according to a statement issued by the Media Office of the Egyptian Armed Forces Egyptian TV stations showed live footage on Tuesday night of Egyptian special forces walking a blind-folded and heavily-guarded El-Ashmawy off an Egyptian Armed Forces military plane onto Cairo Airport.

Train and plane manufacturer Bombardier said it has been selected to carry out a 3 billion-euro ($3.36 billion) monorail project in Egypt that will run from the capital Cairo to the eastern and western outskirts. "Bombardier Transportation has been named preferred bidder to build and supply a new monorail system in Cairo," the company said on Monday in a statement on its official website. It added that the bid win is subject to final confirmation and a contract has yet to be signed with the Egyptian government.

Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has ordered the health minister to intensify efforts to share with African countries Egyptian expertise in the health sector, Egyptian presidency spokesman Bassam Rady said in a statement on Sunday. The step aims to help achieve sustainable development goals in Africa, Rady said. In a meeting with the president, Health Minister Hala Zayed reviewed Egypt s initiative to treat 1 million Africans with Hepatitis C, including in Sudan, Chad, Somalia, Ethiopia, and Eritrea. Planned visits include Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania, where Egypt will assess the health sector and the needs of those countries in terms of screening for the virus and providing medication and training for local medical workforces.

Egypt s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi called on Saturday on African countries to exert efforts to achieve the aspirations of the continent s nations towards prosperity and stablity. In a televised speech as part of the AU s celebration of Africa Day, El-Sisi asked the continent’s countries to maintain their unity in order to accomplish the dream of their founding fathers of a thriving continent. Saturday marks 56 years since the foundation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 1963, which was established in Ethiopia’s Addis Ababa. The OAU was replaced by the African Union in 2002. El-Sisi is chairing the African Union this year; Egypt has pledged to focus on issues of peace and security during its chairing of the body, and to tackle reconstruction and development in post-conflict zones. “We have to strive towards developing our human resources and rehabilitate the youth of the continent to keep pace with the developments of the era and fulfil their missions in leading the future of Africa,” El-Sisi said. He cited the importance of a continued boost for the role of African women as a “beating heart” for societies and a guiding light to transform them economically, calling also for a boosting of cultural ties between nations as a consolidation of African identity and to raise the principles of African solidarity. El-Sisi also mentioned the continent’s drive to achieve sustainable development through an ambitious plan, Agenda 2063. “Day by day, our joint efforts become more effective to find resolutions for conflicts and problems faced by our nations for decades, which has precluded accomplishing the dreams of nations,” he said.

Yasser Al-Sherif, a 36-year-old fabric dealer, had driven from Nasr City with his brother and nephew especially to see the Tahya Masr Bridge. “It makes me proud,” he told Al-Ahram Weekly between snapping photographs. President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi inaugurated several projects last week, including the Rod Al-Farag Axis and the Tahya Masr suspension bridge. The state-owned Arab Contractors Company began work on the 17.2km axis in 2016 under the supervision of the Armed Forces Engineering Authority. It comprises five bridges, including Tahya Masr, a 540m long 67.36m wide suspension bridge. Major General Ihab Al-Far, head of the Armed Forces Engineering Authority, said the total cost of the inaugurated projects was LE170 billion, and if they were to be constructed today they would be twice as expensive. In addition to Rod Al-Farag Axis the projects include the Martyr Ahmed Hafez Shousha Bridge, built by Al-Saada Group LLC, and Martyr Ahmed Abul-Naga Bridge built by Al-Salam International for Construction and Trade. Al-Sisi also opened the extension of the Moshir Tantawi Axis, built by the Military Engineering Department east of Cairo, and the Al-Shahid Axis, built by Orascom Construction. “Egypt is working to complete public projects in the shortest possible time to save money,” said Al-Sisi. The Rod Al-Farag Axis was not due to be inaugurated for a couple of months but was finished ahead of schedule. “Since we were commissioned to construct the Rod Al-Farag Axis in 2016 we have been working around the clock, not even stopping for public holidays,” Arab Contractors Chairman Mohamed Mohsen Salah said during a press conference attended by Al-Sisi. Up to 4,000 engineers, technicians and labourers worked on the axis. “We are celebrating the completion of the project, the achievement of 4,000 engineers, technicians and young workers who used the most modern equipment and machinery to build this bridge,” said Salah. Tahya Masr Bridge includes pedestrian walkways on either side, partly fitted with skywalks made of reinforced glass. The skywalks are the first in the Middle East. The skywalk has made the bridge into “a new touristic destination, maximising the benefit of the axis and not limiting it to transportation,” said Salah.

Egyptian and French naval forces carried out on Tuesday a maritime training exercise in the Mediterranean Sea, the Egyptian Armed Forces said in a statement. The drill saw the participation of French frigate SURCOUF and units from the Egyptian navy. The training comes within the framework of the Egyptian Armed Forces efforts to bolster military relations with different countries. The training included maritime activities on how to apply sailing formations, counter hostile targets and repel non-traditional threats, as well as carrying out inspection of vessels.

Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has called on his government to overcome any obstacles which could face US firm Noble Energy as it carries out oil and gas exploration in the country. In a statement on Monday, El-Sisi’s spokesman Bassam Rady said the president had met with David Stover, the CEO of the company, and that they had discussed ways to develop the firm’s activities in Egypt. Stover praised Egypt’s aspirational vision to accomplish comprehensive economic development, stressing that Egypt tops his company’s list of countries in which it may invest more. He added that the energy sector enjoys promising opportunities, in light of Egypt’s possession of the necessary infrastructure to boost the sector. He also hailed regional cooperation projects to link and transfer gas, according to Rady’s statement. For his part, the president pointed to the cooperative relationship and special strategic partnership between the US and Egypt, expressing his wish to strengthen the relationship to contribute in achieving joint developmental goals.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi discussed on Sunday boosting mutual cooperation with Canada during talks with visiting Canadian Senate Speaker George Furey. During the meeting, El-Sisi discussed Egypt’s efforts to counter terrorism and extremism and reform religious discourse, Egyptian presidency spokesman Bassam Rady said. El-Sisi said he is looking for Canada’s support for Egypt’s economic and social reform programme. He also expressed appreciation for what he said is the good treatment Egyptians receive in Canada, saying this has helped them succeed and effectively fit into society there, the spokesman added. He highlighted that his administration gives special focus to women’s empowerment, referring to the recent constitution amendments that allocate at least 25 percent of the parliament’s seats to women. Earlier in the day, Furey held bilateral talks with Egyptian parliament speaker Aly Abde-Aal to discuss strengthening parliamentary ties between the two nations.

Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi on Saturday received Saudi Ambassador to Egypt Osama al-Nugali, who conveyed greetings from King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman. According to a statement from El-Sisi’s spokesman Bassam Rady, Ambassador al-Nugali also passed on an invitation to President El-Sisi from King Salman to attend the 14th summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, due to be held at the end of the month in Mecca. The Saudi ambassador also expressed the kingdom s deepest appreciation for the strong and supportive stance of Egypt in condemning the recent attacks by explosive-laden drones on two oil pumping stations in Saudi Arabia last week. El-Sisi conveyed his greetings to the king and the crown prince, emphasising Egypt s solidarity with the Saudi government and people in confronting all attempts at undermining the security and stability of the kingdom and the security of the Arab Gulf in general. The president added that the current common challenges dictate the necessity of close coordination between the two countries in order to confront all threats to Arab national security and regional stability, stressing the fraternal ties between Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Egypt s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi discussed in Cairo with Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan the recent developments in the Gulf region, particularly with regards to the sabotage of naval vessels earlier this week, the Egyptian presidency announced. El-Sisi and Bin Zayed also discussed the attack on Saudi oil stations, for which Iranian-backed Yemeni Houthi rebels claimed responsibility. "During the talks, President El-Sisi expressed Egypt s full solidarity and support with the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia to face all attempts to destabilise the two countries," the statement read. The Egyptian president asserted that Egypt considers the national security of the Arab Gulf region part of its own security. Bin Zayed asserted the importance of coordination and consultation as well as exchanging points of view between the Arab countries, which face challenges including interference in their internal affairs. He also praised Egypt s vital role as a cornerstone of stability and security in the region. El-Sisi and Bin Zayed also discussed other developments in the Middle East as well as Egyptian-Emirati bilateral relations. Bin Zayed arrived in Cairo on Wednesday. He last visited Egypt in March.