After a one-month holiday, Egypt s parliament – the House of Representatives –convened on Sunday to discuss and vote on a batch of new laws. Parliament approved amendments to six laws aimed at regulating the performance of a number of judicial authorities; the Supreme Constitutional Court (law 48/1979), the Administrative Prosecution Authority (law 117/1958), the State Cases Authority (law 57/1963), the Military Justice (law 25/1966), the Judicial Authority (law 46/1972), and the State Council (law 47/1972). Parliament speaker Ali Abdel-Aal said the approval of these laws represents the first implementation of constitutional amendments passed by the House on 16 April and approved in a public referendum on 23 April. A report prepared by parliament s Legislative and Constitutional Affairs Committee said that the amendments were necessary to bring the laws regulating these judicial authorities in line with the constitutional amendments. “The committee has already reviewed the drafts of the amended laws as referred by the government and a report is expected to be discussed and voted on during the plenary session scheduled for 9 June,” said chairman of the committee Bahaaeddin Abu Shoqa. The referendum covered 12 constitutional articles, four of which—articles 185, 189, 190 and 193—deal with judicial authorities, the selection of the prosecutor-general, the State Council and the naming of the head of the Supreme Constitutional Court. With regards to the latter, said committee deputy head Ahmed Helmi El-Sherif, the amended article allows the chairman of the court to be picked by the president from among the court’s deputy heads. The court’s commissioners will also be named by the president based on recommendation from the court’s chairman and according to the will of the court’s general assembly. “This does not violate the independence of the court or infringe upon its powers,” said El-Sherif. “It gives the president a symbolic right: to name the head of this judicial authority based on nominations by members and the general assembly.” The State Council Law (47/1972) has been redrafted in line with amended Article 190. “The redraft details the mandate of the State Council; settling administrative disputes, disciplinary cases and appeals, revising draft laws and decrees,” said El-Sherif. “Changes to the Judicial Authority Law (46/1972), in line with amended Article 189, state that the prosecutor-general is to be named by the president from three candidates nominated by the Higher Council for Judicial Authorities, and that the prosecutor-general’s term in office be four years.” The two laws regulating the Administrative Prosecution Authority (117/1958) and the State Cases Authority were also redrafted in line with changes to Article 185 of the constitution allowing the president to name the authorities’ heads from among the most senior deputy heads. “A Higher Council for Judicial Authorities will be created with the president as its head. In the case of the president’s absence, the head of a judicial authority will be delegated,” said El-Sherif. Redrafted laws also regulate the performance of military courts (44/1966) in line with changes to Article 204. “The redraft states that civilians can be tried before military courts only in cases involving crimes against military camps, in military zones and along borders, involving military equipment, vehicles, weapons, ammunition, documents, secrets, funds and army factories,” said El-Sherif. Parliament also voted on Sunday in favour of increasing the pensions of retired military personnel by 15 percent (or EGP 150 as minimum and EGP 900 maximum). "The increase will go into effect on 1 July 2019, and the Ministry of Finance said it will cover the new increase, and that pensions of retired military personnel represent only 8 percent of total pensions in Egypt," said a report prepared by parliament s manpower committee. Parliament also approved amendments of a law (law 182/1960) aimed at fighting the trafficking of drugs. A report prepared by the House s health affairs committee said the amendments are necessary to clamp down on new kinds of drugs and narcotics which infiltrated the Egyptian market in recent years. Parliament speaker Ali Abdel-Aal said the new amendment was necessary in order to safeguard the people – particularly the young people – from the dangers of new kinds of drugs on their physical and psychological health.

The high school thanaweya amma exams began on Saturday, MENA reported, with 615,348 students taking part. According to the state-run agency, the first exam, the Arabic language test, went “smoothly,” without any disturbances. Students in their final school year are taking the exams, which cover a range of subjects, at 1,817 examination centres nationwide. According to education ministry officials, a number of attempts to cheat using mobile phones were detected in several governorates, with necessary legal measures being taken after the students were identified. Egypt has been trying to tackle online leaks of exam papers in recent years, toughening the penalties for cheating and other violations, including publishing exam papers and having mobile phones or other devices in examination rooms. Test scores determine which university students will be able to study at, and which subject.

Egypt’s security forces killed 14 terrorist elements Wednesday in pursuit of those involved in an attack against a security checkpoint earlier in North Sinai’s El-Arish city, the Egyptian interior ministry announced. According to a ministry statement, security forces managed to locate the preparators in an abandoned house they used as a hideout in a remote area in El-Arish city. The statement added that as soon as the suspects realised that security forces had besieged them, they opened fire. Fourteen automatic rifles and three explosive devices were found in the hideout, the statement read. High State Security is currently investigating the incident. Early Wednesday morning, eight Egyptian policemen were killed in an attack against a security checkpoint south of El-Arish. Five terrorist elements were killed in the shootout between the policemen and the attackers while the rest fled the scene. Late Wednesday, an Islamic State affiliated group in North Sinai claimed responsibility in an online statement, claiming that 10 policemen were killed in two attacks: one at a checkpoint south of El-Arish and another at a checkpoint in a "nearby area." Hundreds of police officers and soldiers have been killed in terrorist attacks in the last five years in North Sinai. In February 2018, the army launched a nationwide offensive against the Islamist terrorists, focused mainly on North Sinai. According to official figures, around 650 terrorist elements have been killed since the start of the operation, while the army has lost some 50 soldiers.