DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Egypt's president pardons activist Douma, other prisoners -state TV
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi attends a working dinner at a the final day of the Russia-Africa summit in Saint Petersburg, Russia, July 28, 2023. Mikhail Metzel/TASS Host Photo Agency via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsCAIRO, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has pardoned a number of prisoners, including prominent Egyptian activist Ahmed Douma, the state TV said on Saturday. Like several other prominent activists in Egypt, Douma has been jailed under Mubarak, the subsequent ruling military council, former president Mohamed Mursi, and al-Sisi. Last month, authorities also freed Egyptian rights researcher Patrick Zaki and lawyer Mohamed el-Baqer after they were pardoned by al-Sisi. Egypt's most prominent activist, Alaa Abd el-Fattah, and many other detainees swept up in a decade-long crackdown on dissent, remain in prison.

Persons: Abdel Fattah al, Sisi, Mikhail Metzel, Ahmed Douma, autocrat Hosni Mubarak, Douma, Mubarak, Mohamed Mursi, Patrick Zaki, Mohamed el, Alaa Abd el, Mohamed Hendawy, Enas Alashray, Adam Makary, Toby Chopra, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: Agency, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Authorities, Thomson Locations: Russia, Africa, Saint Petersburg, Rights CAIRO, Egypt

☆ Egyptian-British hunger striker's family say they received 'proof of life' letter
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CAIRO, Nov 14 (Reuters) - The sister of Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah said on Monday the family had received a letter from prison that served as "proof of life" from the hunger striker. Since then his family and his lawyer had made repeated trips to the prison where he is detained northwest of Cairo, but had received no news on his condition. Since he obtained British citizenship in December, British officials have sought unsuccessfully to secure consular access to Abd el-Fattah. Abd el-Fattah's lawyer Khaled Ali said he was at the prison along with his mother Laila Soueif, and was waiting for prison authorities to allow him to visit. Egypt's public prosecutor said on Thursday Abd el-Fattah was in good health, after the family said they were informed that medical intervention had been carried out to maintain his health.

☆ Analysis: In final week of COP27 climate talks, success hinges on 'loss and damage'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Kate Abnett | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/2] People pass in front of a wall lit with the sign of COP27 as the COP27 climate summit takes place, at the Green Zone in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt November 10, 2022. Some negotiators and observers warn that failure to agree on such "loss and damage" funding could sour the U.N. talks and thwart other deals. At last year's U.N. climate summit all countries agreed to set tougher climate targets this year to keep average global temperature rises to the 1.5C limit that scientists say would avoid global warming’s worst impacts. A relaunch of U.S.-China collaboration on climate change, which China halted earlier this year, could help boost negotiations at COP27. Germany and a group of climate-vulnerable countries launched a "Global Shield" scheme on Monday to attempt to improve insurance for climate disaster-prone countries.

☆ Germany warns its delegation of Egyptian spies at COP27
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Comments last week by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz about Egypt's human rights record provoked the threat of surveillance, that person said. Two other officials in Germany confirmed the existence of the warning, though they declined to elaborate on its specific wording. Three German attendees at COP27, from non-governmental organizations and industry, said they had received verbal warnings from other attendees and delegations of possible surveillance. "To this end, we are in continuous exchange with the Egyptian side," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "A decision needs to be taken, a release has to be made possible, so that it doesn't come to it that the hunger striker dies," Scholz told reporters.

☆ Sister of jailed hunger striker says she has appealed to Egyptian president
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A sister of jailed hunger striker Alaa Abd el-Fattah said she has appealed directly to Egypt’s president for an amnesty for her brother, whose protest has overshadowed a global climate summit in Egypt this week. Mona Seif resubmitted a request for clemency which she first made in June, along with a personal plea to Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, she said in a post on social media late on Friday. Sisi met U.S. President Joe Biden at the COP27 climate summit in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Friday. Sisi said he told Biden that Egypt has launched a national strategy for human rights and a national dialogue. Abd el-Fattah, a prominent blogger and activist who has been in detention for much of the last decade, has been on hunger strike since April 2.

☆ Sister of jailed hunger striker says she has appealed to Egypt president
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Nov 12 (Reuters) - A sister of jailed hunger striker Alaa Abd el-Fattah said she has appealed directly to Egypt's president for an amnesty for her brother, whose protest has overshadowed a global climate summit in Egypt this week. Sisi met U.S. President Joe Biden at the COP27 climate summit in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Friday. Without naming Abd el-Fattah, the White House said Biden raised human rights during their talks. Sisi said he told Biden that Egypt has launched a national strategy for human rights and a national dialogue. Abd el-Fattah, a prominent blogger and activist who has been in detention for much of the last decade, has been on hunger strike since April 2.

☆ U.S. doing all it can for release of hunger striker in Egypt, security adviser says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Nov 12 (Reuters) - The United States is doing "everything it can" to secure the release of Egytian-British activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah from jail in Egypt and President Joe Biden raised the case with his Egyptian counterpart, the U.S. national security adviser said on Saturday. "We are doing everything we can to secure his release, as well as the release of a number of other political prisoners," Sullivan told reporters on Air Force One after leaving Egypt. Sisi said he told Biden that Egypt has launched a national strategy for human rights and a national dialogue. Rights groups say tens of thousands of people have been arrested since then including Islamists, leftists and liberals. Reporting by Dominic Evans and Nandita Bose; Editing by Frank Jack DanielOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Curbs on rights weaken Egypt's climate talks, campaigners say
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( Dominic Evans | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/2] People walk outside of the Sharm El Sheikh International Convention Centre during the COP27 climate summit opening in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt November 6, 2022. Climate action "requires more people on the street, more voices, more independent research, more independent reporting, more accountability when climate obligations are not met," said Tirana Hassan, Human Rights Watch's acting Executive Director. "That's not going to happen under governments such as the Egyptian government which is excluding civil society, independent journalism and academia," she told a meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh this week. Despite those criticisms some delegates argued that there was a benefit to holding the summit in Sharm el-Sheikh to shine a light briefly on Egypt's record. "This is a huge opportunity," Egyptian journalist and human rights advocate Hossam Bahgat said.

☆ Gulf Arab states can’t give up oil. But they can slash their emissions
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Abu Dhabi CNN —As Western states try to wean themselves off their addiction to hydrocarbons, Gulf oil nations have been pushing back hard, warning that a hasty transition away from fossil fuels will be counterproductive. According to the World Bank, Qatar had the highest carbon emissions per capita as of 2019, followed by Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. So, investment in clean energy projects and renewables “makes very good business sense and PR sense for the Gulf,” he said. Gulf petro-states are warning against a quick transition away from hydrocarbons, with the UAE calling for a “mixed energy” approach that minimizes emissions without cutting hydrocarbons. Much of the hydrocarbons exported by Gulf states go to some of the world’s biggest consumers and polluters, including China and India.

Abd El-Fattah was found guilty of spreading false information for sharing a Facebook post, a charge frequently used against activists and those of suspected of dissent. Abd El-Fattah has been on a hunger strike for more than 200 days and on Sunday stopped drinking water. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday said that he had raised the case of Abd El-Fattah while attending COP27. In January, Egyptian-Palestinian activist Ramy Shaath was freed following more than 900 days in detention after he renounced his Egyptian nationality. The only explanation his supporters have, Bahgat said, is that Abd El-Fattah was “one of the most prominent and influential voices” of the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings.

☆ British-Egyptian hunger striker Alaa Abd el-Fattah in “good health”- public prosecution statement
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

CAIRO, Nov 10 (Reuters) - A medical report showed that the British-Egyptian jailed activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah is in “good health”, Egypt’s public prosecution said in a statement on Thursday. Abd el-Fattah, who has been on hunger strike since April 2, had said he would stop drinking water on Sunday to coincide with the opening of the COP27 climate change talks that Egypt is hosting in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. read moreHis family have said they are deeply worried about his condition and that prison officials had told them on Thursday that there had been a medical intervention to sustain him. Reporting by Alaa SwilamOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Egyptian authorities intervene in prisoner's hunger strike, family says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Abd el-Fattah's sister Mona Seif said Ali was negotiating access at the prison. Abd el-Fattah's hunger strike has loomed over the U.N. talks, with another sister, Sanaa Seif, flying in to campaign for his release, and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak raising the issue with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Without water, Abd el-Fattah's health could rapidly deteriorate and the United Nation's rights agency has expressed concern for his life. They said previously that Abd el-Fattah was being given meals. He is on hunger strike against his detention and prison conditions.

☆ Egypt authorities intervene to maintain health of hunger striker - family
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A demonstrator holds placards as he demands the release of Egyptian-British hunger striker Alaa Abd el-Fattah near the British Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon November 7, 2022. REUTERS/Mohamed AzakirSHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Nov 10 (Reuters) - The family of Egyptian-British hunger striker Alaa Abd el-Fattah said on Thursday they were told by prison authorities that medical intervention was taken to maintain his health. "They said medical procedures were implemented to maintain his health and that legal entities have been informed," his mother Laila Soueif told Reuters by phone. "They say he's still in prison," Soueif said. "They refused to allow me to wait outside prison, refused to receive any letters from me."

He'll hold his first face-to-face meeting with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the G20, where he hopes to explore Xi's "red lines", talk to allies about punishing Russia for its Ukraine invasion and discuss containing North Korea after a barrage of missile tests. On Wednesday, Biden said U.S. aid for Ukraine will continue uninterrupted and any territorial compromise between the two countries is up to Ukraine. Putin will not attend the G20 summit in person but is due join one of the meetings virtually, an Indonesian government official said. They will address North Korea's "unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs," the official said. Biden will "continue to urge the Egyptian government to release political prisoners and undertake human rights related legal reforms," said one of the officials.

☆ 'After COP, I don't know if I'll be alive or not': Sister of the jailed Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah calls for his release
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Egyptian-British activist Sanaa Seif is calling for her brother's release from an Egyptian jail. The Egyptian government has denied mistreatment, and this summer a member of the presidential-pardon committee said Abd el-Fattah was among those being considered for possible release, reported Al-Ahram, an Egyptian state-owned newspaper. He added that foreign intervention in human-rights reform in Egypt "is fated to fail" and would harm the country's people. Seif said her family has exhausted every legal route in Egypt to secure her brother's release, to no avail. "After COP, I don't know if I'll be alive or not," she said.

[1/5] A demonstrator holds placards as he demands the release of Egyptian-British hunger striker Alaa Abd el-Fattah near the British Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon November 7, 2022. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk called for the immediate release of Abd el-Fattah who he said was "in great danger." Egyptian officials have not responded to Reuters requests for comment on Abd el-Fattah. Abd el-Fattah rose to prominence during Egypt's 2011 popular uprising which led to Egypt's first democratic presidential election. Abd el-Fattah, a software developer from an activist family, was detained in the subsequent crackdown on Islamists, leftists and liberals alike, and has been behind bars for most of the time since then.

☆ Hunger striker's sister flies in to Egypt COP27 to campaign for his release
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Sanaa Seif, sister of jailed Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel Fattah, speaks to Reuters upon her arrival to press for his release during COP27, at the Red Sea resort in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, November 7, 2022. Sunak has said he will raise Abd el-Fattah's case with Egypt's leadership. Abd el-Fattah had informed his family that he would stop drinking water on Sunday in an escalation of his protest. Abd el-Fattah rose to prominence with Egypt's 2011 uprising but has been detained for most of the period since. Abd el-Fattah's family said he was only consuming minimal calories and some fibre to sustain himself earlier in the year.

☆ Reeling from floods, Pakistan seeks climate compensation, debt relief
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Valerie Volcovici | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Pakistan's prime minister said his country would need debt relief and would seek compensation for climate damage as it recovers from catastrophic floods that cost the country some $30 billion. Speaking on Monday at the COP27 climate conference alongside U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that Pakistan's escalating public debt was hampering its recovery. "Millions of people are going into winter without shelter or livelihood," Sharif said. "Women and children are still looking to us to protect their basics needs." "There should be a way to have a (debt) swap exchanging the payments of the debt to investments in the rehabilitation and recovery and reconstruction from natural disasters," the secretary general said.

☆ British PM to raise hunger striker Abd el-Fattah's case during COP27
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CAIRO, Nov 6 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said he will raise the case of Egyptian-British hunger striker Alaa Abd el-Fattah with Egypt's leadership during the COP27 climate summit that opened on Sunday, the same day Abd el-Fattah said he would stop drinking water. Egyptian officials have not responded to Reuters' phone calls for comment on Abd el-Fattah's case, but have said previously that he was receiving meals and was moved to a prison with better conditions earlier this year. Abd el-Fattah's family said he was only consuming minimal calories and some fibre to sustain himself earlier in the year. Abd el-Fattah's family said he had told them he would stop consuming honey, tea and milk on Nov. 1 and planned to cease drinking water from Sunday. Egyptian authorities had to act within three days to save Abd el-Fattah, the head of Amnesty International, Agnes Callamard, told a press conference in Cairo.

Search resuls for: "Alaa Abd el"

19 mentions found