The Financial Times Egyptian cotton in decline as farmers at mercy of world market A decision by the Egyptian government to end a subsidy to cotton growers introduced only last year has angered farmers and prompted warnings they may stop growing the crop. "After the statement by the minister [last month], farmers will choose to plant anything else," said Mohamed Farag, who heads the Independent Farmers Union. "I think there will be less cotton planted and the price will go up next season." The subsidy was worth about $200 per feddan, an area slightly above an acre, and the government hopes its abolition will encourage farmers not to grow the crop unless they have a contract for it. But for Egypt's poorly organized farmers, who have little negotiating power, the subsidy was a valuable incentive to grow the much sought-after crop. Read more: http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/cadf8480-9fbb-11e4-aa89-00144feab7de.html#axzz3QlDhsHaf Haaretz Australia PM thanks Egypt for reporter's freedom Australia' prime minister thanked the Egyptian president Tuesday for his help in releasing an Australian reporter from prison and expressed hope that two Al-Jazeera colleagues would also be freed soon. Prime Minister Tony Abbott spoke to President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi by telephone for the first time since Australian Al-Jazeera reporter Peter Greste was released from an Egyptian prison over the weekend, the prime minister's office said in a statement on Wednesday. Read more: http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/middle-east-updates/1.640682 U.S. News Egypt's most popular satirist begins a resident fellowship at Harvard University Egypt's most popular satirist Bassem Youssef joined Harvard's Institute of Politics at the John F. Kennedy School of Government as a resident fellow for the spring semester, almost a year after his program was taken off the air for lambasting Egyptian presidents and military men. Youssef said in a tweet Thursday that he was "proud" to join the school for the semester. The surgeon-turned-satirist has been largely outside Egypt and out of public view since his landmark program was pulled off the air in April 2014 ahead of Egypt's presidential elections — which former military chief Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi won by a landslide. Read more: http://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2015/02/03/egypt-popular-satirist-takes-a-fellowship-post-at-harvard
