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Egyptian singer Sherine Abdel-Wahab has was found guilty by a Cairo court of “insulting the state” and “spreading fake news,” and was also fined 10,000 Egyptian pounds (£409).

The singer, who was sentenced in absentia, remains free on bail and can appeal the ruling.

The lawsuit against Mrs Abdel-Wahab, one of the country’s most popular singers and a judge on the Arabic version of the talent show The Voice, was filed in November after a video clip in which she warns a concert fan against drinking from the Nile was posted online.

The footage shows the fan asking the singer, who is known by her first name Sherine, to sing her hit song Mashrebtesh Men Nilha (Have You Drunk From The Nile?).

The song was inspired by an Egyptian saying which suggests that anyone who drinks from the Nile is bound to return.