Time Egypt Court Upholds Death Sentence for Ousted President Morsi An Egyptian court has confirmed a death sentence handed to ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi over a mass prison break during the 2011 uprising that eventually brought him to power. Judge Shaaban al-Shami confirmed the ruling Tuesday after consulting with the country's religious authority as required by Egyptian law in cases involving the death penalty. The religious authority issues non-binding opinions on such sentences. The ruling will automatically be appealed. The judge also confirmed death sentences for five other jailed leading members of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood group. Read More: http://time.com/3922478/egypt-court-mohammed-morsi-islamist/ Wall Street Journal Egypt Reduces Dependence on Foreign Wheat Egypt's efforts to reduce its reliance on overseas purchases of wheat are starting to pay off, and will accelerate in the next fiscal year starting in July, according to a senior government official. Egypt's government faces a cash crunch as years of political unrest have led to a burgeoning government deficit, which has crept into double digits. Successive governments have targeted food and energy subsidies, which account for about one quarter of public spending. In terms of food, around three-quarters of the 89 million Egyptians qualify for a subsidized bread program that has been in place for more than 50 years. Read More: http://www.wsj.com/articles/egypts-reduces-dependence-on-foreign-wheat-1434454241 YnetNews Hamas smuggling thousands of tons of cement into Gaza through Egypt The Egyptian authorities decided on Tuesday the keep the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Sinai open until Friday, allowing Hamas to smuggle thousands of tons of cement into the Strip, which could be used for the reconstruction of terror tunnels. Egypt has only recently started opening the Rafah border crossing again after closing it during Operation Protective Edge last summer. Read More: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4669295,00.html
