Egypt in the news on 5 May 2019
Still topping coverage of Egypt in the foreign press is the question of whether the United States will designate the Ikhwan a terrorist group. Reuters offers context with an overview of the Ikhwan’s inception and the growth of its regional offshoots. Fortune, the Washington Post and Carnegie Endowment for International Peace all argue that the group as a whole does not fit the legal definition of a foreign terrorist organization (from a US perspective), with Carnegie being especially blunt in its assessment that The Donald is engaging in a “counterproductive political stunt.”
Also getting plenty of ink: The Antiquities Ministry’s announcement that archaeologists have located an ancient burial cemetery near the Giza pyramids. The tombs are estimated to be 4500 years old, dating back to the fifth dynasty of the Old Egyptian Kingdom, reports the Associated Press. The Daily Mail and Sky News are among those taking note.
Other headlines worth a moment of your time:
- Egypt should look to Morocco for how to handle Daeshbags returning from Syria and Iraq, Jeune Afrique suggests.
- Steel rerollers and small factories are struggling to cope with tariffs imposed on imported iron billets, and could lead to the loss of thousands of jobs, Al-Monitor reports.
- A resurgence in Red Sea tourism threatens Egypt’s marine environment, with academics and conservationists saying more must be done to safeguard delicate coral reefs from pollution and dive boat damage, AFP reports.
- Forbes contributor Elizabeth McBride sat down with Egyptian “doctorpreneur” Amr El Tayeb, who founded Smart Medical Services, to tackle Egypt’s lack of health care services through software.
- Low-ranked Egyptian tennis player Issam Taweel has been found guilty of three charges related to match-fixing, the Associated Press reports.