Egypt has a new president and his name is Mohamed Morsi. Not surprising, the past week has seen much of the news focus on the Muslim Brotherhood leader and the future of Egypt. Celebrations, protests and analysis were part of the mix, but also making headlines was the continued sexual violence against women in the country. June 24 Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi Egypt's new president Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsi was announced on Sunday by the electoral committee as the new president of the country. The committee said Morsi garnered 52 percent of the vote to Ahmed Shafiq's 48 percent. Egypt in full celebration mode as Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi president CAIRO: The car sped past, drums banging and cheers from bystanders chanted “Morsi, Morsi." Two girls, perched on the edge of the trunk were banging away and creating a joyous atmosphere in downtown Cairo's Tahrir Square on Sunday afternoon. Egyptians in droves came to the iconic square to celebrate the victory of Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsi as the country's first freely elected president. Karima Abdel Hafez, a resident of Qasr al-Aini street was one of tens of thousands who went out to celebrate Morsi's win. June 25 Opinion: Don't fear the Brotherhood, the system works CAIRO: If we learned one thing on Sunday, waiting nearly an hour for the winner of Egypt's first free presidential race, it is that the system, however flawed, works. Democracy should be praised in Egypt and the fearmongering already beginning across the world towards the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi and his election victory, is unfounded and dangerous. Think back a few years to when the Palestinian group Hamas came out on top in that country's election. The international community, led by the United States, refused to deal with the government, isolating it and making the democratic process untenable. The same will not happen in Egypt. Obama calls Egypt's new President Morsi, says US to support transition CAIRO: Egypt's President-elect Mohamed Morsi received a call from United State President Barack Obama on Sunday after Morsi was declared the first freely elected president in Egypt's history. It was a historic conversation between Egypt's Islamic candidate and the White House. But Obama told the American-educated Morsi that the United States would support his presidency and work toward maintaining the two countries' relationship in the coming transition period. June 26 Egypt's new president Morsi sets up in Mubarak's office CAIRO: In yet another monumental sign that the era of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt has ended, President-elect Mohamed Morsi began to take over the office of the former dictator, state media reported on Monday. The move has supporters and activists excited that the ousted and now jailed dictator may be, finally, a figure of the past. Despite corruption charges, Egypt's Shafiq flees to the UAE CAIRO: Egypt's last prime minister under jailed dictator Hosni Mubarak, Ahmed Shafiq, has fled to the United Arab Emirates capital, Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. Shafiq, who lost to the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi in the recent presidential race, has left Egypt, despite some 35 cases of corruption still pending in Egyptian courts. As sexual violence continues in Egypt, women to protest in Tahrir on Friday CAIRO: With more and more reports of sexual violence against women in Egypt becoming public, an anti-sexual harassment and violence against women organization in the country has called for a mass demonstration in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Friday to battle the social pandemic. “This Friday, let's all go to Tahrir at 3pm, bringing as many of our relatives and friends as we can possibly gather," wrote the end sexual harassment group SHAG on their Facebook page. June 27 Protests continue in Egypt's Tahrir Square CAIRO: Hundreds of Egyptian anti-military junta activists are gathered in Cairo's Tahrir Square for the 8th consecutive day Wednesday as they continue to protest the constitutional amendments, in which the military granted itself greater powers at the expense of those of the new president's. The protests continue as tens have camped out around the square after one of their wishes was granted on Tuesday when the Administrative Court in Cairo ruled to void the procedural arrest decree that would have allowed military police and intelligence officers to arrest civilians. Egypt's President-elect Morsi to sue Iran news agency over “interview” CAIRO: Egypt's President-elect Mohamed Morsi on Wednesday said he would take legal action against Iran's Fars news agency over an interview that was fabricated and published by the news agency, Egypt's official MENA news agency said. An aide to Morsi on Tuesday had been reported by Al Jazeera saying that he was not interviewed by Iran's Fars news agency. Speaking to reporters, Yasser Ali said that the comments published by the news agency have “no basis in truth." June 28 Egypt tourism officials, Brotherhood say election won't affect industry CAIRO: Despite growing international concerns over what they have dubbed the “extremist" and “Islamist" President-elect Mohamed Morsi, Egypt's tourism ministry officials said they do not expect to see any downturn in the near future of foreign visitors to the country. “They say all the right things, but this isn't enough. We still need to see policy," Sami Mahmoud, head of the international sector at Egypt's Ministry of Tourism, told Egypt's state-owned al-Ahram newspaper this week, following Morsi's victory in the recent presidential election. Morsi “still looking” at potential IMF loan CAIRO: Egypt's President-elect Mohamed Morsi said he was “still looking" at a potential $3.2 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) aimed at alleviating Egypt's current economic crisis since the revolution ousted the former regime in February 2011. According to Bloomberg news, which quoted Morsi's spokesman Yasser Ali, the new president would look closely at the potential loan upon taking office officially this weekend. June 29 Egypt's fuel subsidies persist amidst frustration CAIRO: The lines continue to pile up. Cars stretch back 10, sometimes 20 deep as they wait for the gas pump to open in order to fill their vehicle. There seems to be no anger among the waiting patrons, who often hope out of their vehicle and chat amongst each other. Here, on Cairo's busy Qasr el-Aini street, the taxi drivers and citizens brave the summer heat for the chance to fill their cars. “I have been waiting 20 minutes," taxi driver Sameh Mahmoud Ahmed told Bikyamasr.com on Thursday evening as the line of cars stretched to 30, blocking the main thoroughfare that leads to Cairo's Tahrir Square. Egypt's Morsi galvanizes hundreds of thousands in Tahrir, sears oath CAIRO: In a symbolic move, Egypt's President-elect Mohamed Morsi swore a public oath in the heart of Tahrir square ahead of his official swearing in ceremony to be held on Saturday at the Supreme Constitutional Court. The crowd went wild with elation as Mosri announced he would look into freeing activists jailed by the military, cheering for him and shouting “we love Morsi" during his speech at Cairo's iconic Tahrir Square on Friday late afternoon.
