CAIRO // Ibrahim Eissa, a newspaper editor who was sentenced 10 days ago to two months in prison for publishing "false news" about the health of Hosni Mubarak, the president, gave a press conference yesterday as a free man, after Mr Mubarak issued a surprise presidential pardon on Monday.
"I feel that writing in the newspaper has become like walking through a minefield every day - you don't know which mine will explode from which spot," he told a roomful of journalists at the Press Syndicate building in downtown Cairo.
"To thank President Mubarak for the pardon doesn't mean I won't oppose him and that I don't wish to see someone else in the presidential chair after 27 years," Mr Eissa said.
The conference replaced a protest that had been planned for yesterday to call for Mr Eissa's sentence to be quashed.
The state-owned news agency Mena said on Monday: "Mubarak's decision emphasises his protection of the freedom of opinions, expression and the press, and out of his keenness not to be involved, as a president, in enmity with any of Egypt's sons," it said.
While Mr Eissa, 42, editor of the opposition daily Al Dustour, welcomed the decision, he said it would make little difference to Egypt's press freedoms as long as archaic press laws remained in place.
"I didn't ask," he said. "The [pardon] is a just decision, not a favour.
"I welcome the decision, but it remains just a decision; what we really need is to abolish the law that imprisons journalists."
The front page of Al Dustour yesterday echoed his remarks.
"About the presidential pardon: We welcome, cheer, but we still oppose," it read. "Al Dustour demands the president honour his overdue promise, which hasn't been carried out, to abolish the prison punishment regarding publication issues, in order that the presidential pardon does not become the exception to a rule."
Mr Mubarak, 80, who has ruled Egypt since Oct 1981, vowed four years ago to repeal a defamation law that makes it easy to imprison journalists and is used to curb criticism of the government and other official bodies.
Mr Eissa, who did not spend any time in jail, was sentenced to two months in prison on Sept 28 after an appeals court upheld a guilty verdict against him for publishing stories questioning the president's health. He had originally been sentenced to six months by a lower court in March, charged with spreading "false information? damaging the public interest and national stability", and had faced up to three years in prison for the stories, which were published in August and September last year.
Local and international rights groups and journalists had condemned the verdict.
The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information called it "an attempt to destroy press freedom in Egypt" and expressed its support for "the brave journalist who chose to pay with his personal freedom for the freedom of expression".
It was not the first time Mr Eissa has been prosecuted. He was one of four Egyptian editors sentenced to one year in jail and fined 20,000 Egyptian pounds (Dh13,500) in Sept 2007 for defaming Mr Mubarak and his ruling National Democratic Party. The editors avoided going to jail by paying the fine, though the trial will resume on Friday. In 2006, Mr Eissa was sentenced to a year in prison for libel against Mr Mubarak. An appeals court later reduced the sentence to a $4,000 fine.
He currently faces several lawsuits, most of them filed by members of the ruling national Democratic Party, which is headed by Mr Mubarak.
Rights groups welcomed the presidential pardon but said Mr Eissa should never have been convicted in the first place.
"We are relieved that Ibrahim Eissa will not serve time in jail," said Joel Simon, executive director of the Committee to Protest Journalists, in a statement issued yesterday.
"His sentence was nothing more than retaliation for reporting [what] the government did not like."
Analysts said the pardon was just an emergency measure to quell the anger within Egypt after Eissa's conviction.
"It seems that they [the authorities] have realised that this verdict is more harmful than useful, and that it tarnishes Egypt's image for no good reason," said Fahmy Howeidy, a columnist.
"The verdict is political and a warning to journalists, and the pardon is also political in Ibrahim's case, which doesn't annul 'the crime' and leaves the issue of jailing journalists open."
nmagd@thenational.ae
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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The Penguin
Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
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Company profile
Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Fighting with My Family
Director: Stephen Merchant
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Nick Frost, Lena Headey, Florence Pugh, Thomas Whilley, Tori Ellen Ross, Jack Lowden, Olivia Bernstone, Elroy Powell
Four stars
GOODBYE%20JULIA
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The%20pillars%20of%20the%20Dubai%20Metaverse%20Strategy
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, John Oliver
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Vikram%20Vedha
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The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz S 450
Price, base / as tested Dh525,000 / Dh559,000
Engine: 3.0L V6 biturbo
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 369hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm at 1,800rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.0L / 100km
Company%20profile
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
The specs: 2018 Infiniti QX80
Price: base / as tested: Dh335,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 400hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.1L / 100km
FULL%20RESULTS
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How to keep control of your emotions
If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.
Greed
Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.
Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.
Fear
The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.
Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.
Hope
While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.
Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.
Frustration
Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.
Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.
Boredom
Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.
Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group B
Tottenham Hotspur 1 (Eriksen 80')
Inter Milan 0
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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SPECS
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
From Conquest to Deportation
Jeronim Perovic, Hurst
Company%20Profile
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Kandahar%20
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The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Marathon results
Men:
1. Titus Ekiru(KEN) 2:06:13
2. Alphonce Simbu(TAN) 2:07:50
3. Reuben Kipyego(KEN) 2:08:25
4. Abel Kirui(KEN) 2:08:46
5. Felix Kemutai(KEN) 2:10:48
Women:
1. Judith Korir(KEN) 2:22:30
2. Eunice Chumba(BHR) 2:26:01
3. Immaculate Chemutai(UGA) 2:28:30
4. Abebech Bekele(ETH) 2:29:43
5. Aleksandra Morozova(RUS) 2:33:01