Egypt’s president appoints former top aide as intelligence chief

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi swore in Major General Abbas Kamel on Thursday to serve as chief of the country’s General Intelligence Service, according to state news agency MENA. Kamel had served as the president’s chief-of-staff until January when Sisi appointed him as interim intelligence chief, replacing Khaled Fawzi. Kamel’s swearing in comes two weeks after Sisi replaced both the ministers of defense and interior following his re-election in March, Reuters said. The move was part of the broadest cabinet shake-up to date since he became president in 2014.