CABINET WATCH- Cabinet approves draft legislation on dispute resolution: The Madbouly government agreed in its weekly meeting yesterday to a draft legislation to regulate procedures relating to special judicial mediation for out-of-court trade and civil dispute settlements, it said in a statement. The legislation applies to all disputes except for:

• Disputes where ministers or public figures are involved, in which case a conciliation committee will be formed to resolve the issue;
• Collective labor disputes;
• Economic or family court cases;
• Disputes resulting from the Investment Act;
• Cases under the judicial authority of the Council of State.

Cabinet has been focused on alternative ways to resolve disputes in recent months: In its meeting last week, it signed off on the settlement agreement between property developers Emaar Misr and state-owned El Nasr Housing, and the dispute between Al Kholoud for Touristic and Real Estate Development and the Egyptian government over El Nasr for Steam Boilers.

The cabinet also approved:

• A draft presidential decree to establish a university under the name “International Knowledge Universities” in the new administrative capital in collaboration with top international universities as part of Egypt’s 2030 vision to improve the quality of education. A local branch of the UK’s Coventry University will also be established in Egypt as an independent entity;
• For the Egyptian Railway Authority (ERA) to negotiate and sign contracts with the Egyptian Company for Pipe and Cement Products (Siegwart) to supply 150k concrete planks;
• A draft presidential decree on amendments to the Kyoto Protocol on climate change which extend the timeframe to 2020.