August 2014

1 Iconic comedian Said Saleh dies at age 76. Saleh has been a fixture in Egyptian cinema since the 1960s, starring in hundreds of films and plays and films. He is best remembered for his hilarious roles in long-running hit comedy plays Madraset El-Moshaghbeen (School of Delinquents) and El-Eyal Kebrit (The Kids Have Grown Up) in the 1970s. 1 Images of Islam Yakan, a recent graduate of Ain Shams University who left his Heliopolis home to join DAISH (The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant), stir up huge debate in local social media. Yakan posted a picture of himself wielding a sword on his Twitter account, after traveling to fight in the name of jihad. 4 Israelis and Palestinians agree to a three-day Egyp-brokered ceasefire after talks in Cairo between Hamas and Egyptian intelligence. Israel launches airstrikes again on August 8 after talks mediated by Egypt failed to extend the 72-hour truce. Another truce proposed by Egypt is launched two days later. 4 Actor Khalil Morsi dies at age 68. Morsi appeared in several films and TV series, including Rabia Al-Ghadab (Spring of Anger), Wanis wa Labad wa Ahwal al Bilad (Wanis and the Conditions of the Country) and most recently in the Ramadan series Al-Ragol Al-Enab (The Jujube Man) with Mustafa Shaaban. 5 Al-Sisi unveils plans to build a new $4 billion Suez Canal along the existing waterway in an effort to stimulate the economy. Digging for the expansion project, which would create a second waterway and develop the zone’s cities and shipping facilities, is to be completed in one year’s time, announces Al-Sisi. The Suez Canal Authority estimates a five-year timeframe for the entire project. Digging on the new canal — projected to reduce waiting times from 11 to three hours by creating a two-way passage for ships, allowing up to 97 vessels compared to the current 49 — starts the next day, with work divided among 33 Egyptian companies and two army battalions. [caption id="attachment_85583" align="alignright" width="300" class=" "] 6[/caption] 6 Bibliotheca Alexandrina’s 12th edition of the Summer Festival kicks off with a wide lineup of local musicians, including bands Cairokee and Massar Egbari. The festival features concerts by the Bibliotheca Alexandrina Chamber Orchestra and screenings of films by Egyptian women filmmakers. 9 The Supreme Administrative Court dissolves the Freedom and Justice Party, the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood. 11 Two Human Rights Watch (HRW) executive directors are denied entry, after arriving from the United States to release the results of HRW’s investigation of the 2013 dispersal of the Rabaa al-Adaweya and Nahda Square sit-ins. HRW claim their staff members have been denied entry for “security reasons,” but the Ministry of Interior says the delegation lacked proper visas. The HRW report brands the dispersals “crimes against humanity,” but critics write off the report as fabricated and biased. 16 Egypt’s most famous professional wrestler Mamdouh Farag dies at age 64. Farag won several championships during his 36-year career in the ring. After retiring in 1997, Farag made a name for himself hosting wrestling programs on TV. 16 Caricaturist Mustafa Hussein passes away at age 79. Born in 1935, Hussein studied photography at Cairo University’s Faculty of Fine Art and in 1974 became Al-Akhbar newspaper’s star caricaturist, his work a critical commentary of the sociopolitical events. Some of his jokes and characters, developed over the years with his writing partner, satirist Ahmed Ragab, were later adapted into TV series including Qot wi Far (Cat and Dog) and Nas wi Nas (Not All People). [caption id="attachment_85586" align="alignright" width="181" class=" "] 17[/caption] 17 The Egyptian documentary movie The Square wins three Emmy awards for its “Outstanding Cinematography for Non-fiction Programming,” “Outstanding Direction for Non-fiction Programming” and “Outstanding Picture Editing for Non-fiction Programming.” The Square is also the first Egyptian production to ever be nominated for an Oscar. 17 Controversial Zamalek Club Chairman Mortada Mansour survives an alleged assassination attempt by gunmen who open fire as he is leaving the club. The 62 year-old high-profile lawyer and one-time presidential candidate, who served time in prison for insulting a judge in 2007, is not harmed in the attack; two workers are injured. 22 Two tour buses collide in Sharm El-Sheikh, killing 33 and injuring 41 of the passengers on board. The two bus drivers test negative for drugs but one is alleged to have fallen asleep at the wheel. 27 Political activist Ahmed Seif El-Islam Abdel Fattah dies at age 63. A founder and the executive director of the Hisham Mubarak Law Center, Seif El-Islam was father to activists Mona and Sanaa Seif and Alaa Abdel Fattah, and husband to novelist Ahdaf Sueif’s sister Laila. The outspoken rights campaigner and leftist was imprisoned four times, twice during the Sadat era and twice under Hosni Mubarak.