New rules making it easier for foreigners to get citizenship were signed into law by President Abdel Fattah El Sisi yesterday, according to a decree published in the Official Gazette. El Sisi also ratified bills regulating tourism chambers, cracking down on ‘fake weather news’, and protecting historic manuscripts. Here’s the rundown on the bills that are now official law:

#1- Amendments to the Citizenship Actthat make it easier for some foreigners to become Egyptian citizens and help the state secure much-needed hard currency. The changes will allow foreigners to acquire citizenship by purchasing real estate, investing directly in local projects, or depositing money with the central bank. MPs signed offon the bill last month.

#2- A bill that will strip the power to form and regulate tourism chambers from the Tourism Ministry and place it instead in the hands of the Egyptian Tourism Federation (ETF). The legislation got the nod from the House of Representatives in April.

#3 - A law regulating the General Meteorological Authority which allows fines of up to EGP 5 mn to be handed out for spreading fake weather news, which MPs also passed last month.

#4 - A bill that protects historic, hand-written Egyptian manuscripts by establishing a specialized committee for their preservation, signed off on by lawmakers earlier this month.

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