Human rights once again leads the conversation on Egypt in the foreign press
Human rights once again leads the conversation on Egypt in the foreign press: The New York Times says that the relatively small fine handed to rights defender Hossam Bahgat on Monday after being found guilty of spreading “false news” was designed to keep face abroad while sending a message here at home. Meanwhile, a contributor to Forbes’ blogging platform is calling for US President Joe Biden’s democracy summit to address rights concerns in Egypt and the Middle East. The summit is set to bring together more than 100 countries in Washington on 9-10 December for talks on protecting rights and freedoms globally.
Also making headlines:
- Mohamed Aboutrika called for Muslim players to boycott the Premier League’s LGBT campaign, ruffling feathers ahead of next year’s already-controversial World Cup in Qatar, even as beIN Sports reprimanded the former football star for his comments describing LGBT relationships as an affront to Islam. (Bloomberg)
- Scorpions and global warming: Aswan’s mass scorpion attack in November was apparently one of several unexpected climate change side effects that experts never told us about. (Bloomberg)