CAIRO – AP – August 17, 2015 

 The Egyptian presidency says President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi’s mother has passed away and urges Egyptians to support public projects instead of paying for notices offering condolences on her passing.
Monday’s statement didn’t say how old el-Sissi’s mother, Soad Ibrahim, was or give the cause of death.
The 60-year-old el-Sissi has often referred to his mother in interviews, saying she taught him “impartiality.” He had recently alluded in public to her being unwell.
He had also said she was the first person he went to see after, as military chief, he ousted Islamic President Mohammed Morsi in July 2013.
The presidency’s statement asked that instead of spending money on newspaper notices and publications of condolences, citizens instead donate to a public fund that el-Sissi created to finance projects to revive the country’s economy.