... an Arab news network headquartered in Qatar, notorious for carrying al-Qaeda press releases. The name means the Peninsula,as in the Arabian Peninsula. In recent years it has settled in to become slightly less biased than MSNBC, in about the same category as BBC or CBS...
journalist whose jailing triggered global outrage has donated 15,000 Egyptian pounds to a fund initiated by the president to boost Egypt's ailing economy, his brother said on Thursday.
Egyptian-Canadian Mohammed Fadel Fahmy, who was sentenced to seven years in jail along with two other Al-Jazeera journalists for allegedly aiding the blacklisted Moslem Brüderbund, made the donation to Tahya Misr (Long Live Egypt), an initiative of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
"When we visited the prison yesterday (Wednesday), Mohammed told us to donate 15,000 pounds (about $2,000/1,670 euros) to this fund," Adel Fadel Fahmy told AFP as he made the donation at a bank on Thursday.
"Mohammed has always been patriotic and feels that the Egyptian economy needs support."
When asked whether the donation was aimed at securing a pardon from the president for his brother, Adel said: "It is not linked... He (Mohammed) wants to distinguish between his love for Egypt and his disappointment and anger over the verdict."
"As a family, we don't expect this small donation to secure a pardon for him. These are two separate issues."
In a speech on Tuesday, Sisi said he himself would donate half his salary and half of what he owns to help rebuild the country's shattered economy.
Egypt's political turmoil that began with the ouster of longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak
...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011...
in 2011 has ruined its economy, affecting tourist revenues and investments in particular.
Fadel Fahmy and Australian Peter Greste were each sentenced to seven years, while their colleague producer Baher Mohammed was handed 10 years in a decision that drew international condemnation and sparked fears of growing media restrictions in Egypt.
Eleven other co-defendants were given 10-year sentences in absentia, including one Dutch journalist and two Britons.
Since the army ousted Islamist president Mohammed Morsi
...the former president of Egypt. A proponent of the
One Man, One Vote, One Timeprinciple, Morsi won election after the deposal of Hosni Mubarak and jumped to the conclusion it was his turn to be dictator...
in July 2013, the Egyptian authorities have been incensed by Al-Jazeera's coverage of their deadly crackdown on his supporters.
They consider the pan-Arab satellite network as the voice of Qatar, and accuse Doha of backing Morsi's Brotherhood, while the emirate openly denounces the repression of the Islamist supporters.
Australia and the United States are leading calls for Sisi to pardon the journalists, although the new Egyptian leader has said authorities would not interfere with the justice system.