Total tax revenues for fiscal year 2016/17 increased by 31.8 percent year-on-year to EGP 464.4 billion, compared to EGP 352.3 billion the year before, finance minister Amr El-Garhy announced at a press conference on Tuesday, according to Al-Ahram Arabic website. The increase in tax collections was mainly driven by the value-added tax, which was set at 13 percent last fiscal year.

Egypt s national airline EgyptAir announced on Tuesday that it is cutting ticket prices up to 40 percent for a limited period for certain international flights. The special prices, which have been posted on the company s official Facebook page, are for flights to the United States, several European cities, North African countries, as well as Beirut, Dammam, and Riyadh.

In a statement at the opening meeting of the Egyptian parliament s third session on Monday morning, house speaker Ali Abdel-Aal made an announcement warning against defamation of the legislative body. "I have a message to all those [MPs] who intend to defame the image of parliament," said Abdel-Aal, adding that he "would like to remind them that this parliament has proved immune to all previous defamation campaigns, and that it was able to discipline violators and wrongdoers, and inflict tough penalties on them."

Egypt has secretly ordered weapons from North Korea in breach of United Nations (UN) sanctions, with the shipment exposed by the US, the Washington Post According to the report, a bulk freighter named Jie Shun, flying Cambodian colors, had sailed from North Korea in July 2016, and was noticed by US intelligence in the Suez Canal in August. Egypt was notified about the suspicious vessel, but it turns out the vessel was intended for them, the article explained.

Egypt s Prime Minister Sherif Ismail said in a press statement his government is not considering any cabinet reshuffle for the upcoming parliamentary session, Al-Ahram Arabic website reported. Ismail is set to speak on Monday before the House of Representatives to showcase his government s agenda during the upcoming period. Ismail s speech before the parliament will mark the opening of the third parliamentary session of his government s five-year term.

Egypt aims to raise its revenues from taxes imposed on tobacco by EGP 7 billion ($397.50 million) in the 2017-18 fiscal year which ends in July 2018, a government document said. The country is targeting around EGP 54.545 billion ($3.10 billion) in revenues from tobacco taxes, according to a document released by the finance ministry on Monday.

Following a three-month summer recess, Egypt s parliament – the House of Representatives – will begin Monday the third session of its five-year term. Article 115 of the 2014 Constitution obliges the president to invite parliament to convene before the first Thursday of the month of October every year.

The head of Palestinian group Hamas Ismail Haniyeh received an Egyptian delegation Sunday to oversee national reconciliation efforts between the movement and its rival group Fatah. The Egyptian delegation consists of Egypt s Ambassador to Israel Hazem Khairat and generals Hamam Abu-Zeid and Sameh Kamel, said the media director of the Palestinian Civil Affairs Authority Mohamed El-Makadma, according to the Palestinian Maan News Agency.

Egypt s Ministry of Health dismissed reports of Dengue fever cases in both the Red Sea city of Qusair and in Upper Egypt s Qena governorate, saying that all the cases received by hospitals on Saturday varied between normal fever, headaches and muscle pain unrelated to the mosquito-borne disease. All the suspected cases were properly treated and sent home from hospital, Al-Ahram Arabic website reported on Sunday.

Egypt s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has approved an agreement on cooperation in peaceful uses of nuclear energy with Saudi Arabia, official state news agency MENA reported. The agreement, which was initially signed in April 2016 during a visit to Cairo by Saudi King Salman, involves cooperation on peaceful uses of nuclear power, nuclear security and an exchange of information on nuclear safety.

Finance Minister Amr al-Garhy denied that the government plans an increase in fuel prices during the current fiscal year, adding that the government is moving in accordance with a specific timeline between three to five years to decrease fuel subsidies. The government is implementing a package of measures designed to protect the poor and lower income class as part of a subsidy reform plan, the minister added in a press conference at the Cabinet headquarters on Wednesday.

Mercedes-Benz will acquire a 96,000 square-metre piece of land to build a new factory in Suez Canal s Industrial Zone, the zone s head, Mohab Mamish, announced on Tuesday. In 2014, the German carmaker announced that it would move its car assembly line from Egypt to Algeria to take advantage of a number of facilities and privileges offered by Algeria.

Egypt and the United States have signed new bilateral assistance agreements and amendments worth over US$100 million that support the government of Egypt’s economic reforms, Sustainable Development Plan 2030, private sector growth and job creation. These agreements demonstrate ongoing support from the American people for joint US-Egypt priorities in water, health, education, agriculture, and trade, the US embassy’s statement read.

Several academic and political figures from Greece, Cyprus and Egypt gathered in Cairo on Monday for a workshop on the emerging strategic cooperation between the Eastern Mediterranean countries, especially in the fields of energy and security. The workshop was held under the auspices of the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud Center for American Studies and Research (CASAR) at the American University in Cairo.

Dokki Misdemeanor Court on Monday convicted former presidential candidate and prominent lawyer Khaled Ali on charges of an indecent act that dates back to January. The court gave Ali a suspended sentence of three months in prison and LE1,000 bail. Ali was absent from the trial session on Monday, while his 20-lawyer defense team attended. The court prevented media representatives from witnessing the session.

Sudan has denied reports it has “frozen” diplomatic ties with Egypt, the country s state-owned news agency SUNA reported on Sunday evening. In an official statement, Sudan s foreign ministry denied social-media reports on the cutting of ties, describing them as “unfounded and untrue”. The ministry also rejected reports that it has demanded the resignation of South Darfur s governor over camps for displaced persons in that state.

Egypt s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry held several meetings with his counterparts from a number of countries on the sidelines of the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 72), discussing confronting terrorism, bilateral relations, and weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). During his attendance to the Security Council s meeting on non-proliferation of WMDs Thursday, Shoukry expressed Egypt s concerns about these weapons, calling for banning this kind of weapons and preventing its proliferation.

UK Trade Envoy to Egypt Jeffrey Donaldson arrived in Cairo on Saturday, accompanied by representatives of various British companies, aiming to explore new investment opportunties in Egypt, the British embassy in Cairo said in a statement. The delegation is looking to make investments in the key sectors of infrastructure, agriculture, healthcare and defence.

Egypt s new Ambassador to Italy Hesham Badr has presented his credentials to the country s President Sergio Mattarella in Rome, where he handed over a message from President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi underlining his interest in enhancing bilateral relations between the countries, offical news agency MENA reported. In the case of Giulio Regini, the Egyptian president reaffirmed in his message the "commitment of Egypt s political leadership to continue close cooperation between investigation bodies in both countries, with Cairo s complete commitment to reveal the truth of the incident and bring its perpetrators to justice."

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will head to the United Arab Emirates on a two-day visit to discuss the latest developments including Palestinian and the Qatar crisis, in addition to Egyptian-UAE bilateral relations with senior Emirati officials. A senior-level delegation from the Egyptian presidency travelled to Abu Dhabi on September 21 to make arrangements for the president’s meetings.

US President Donald Trump praised Egypt s efforts in attempting to revive the Israeli-Palestinian peace process during a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, a statement by the Egyptian presidency read on Wednesday. Trump s comments came after El-Sisi, who is currently in New York to attend the UN Security Council general Assembly, discussed Egypt s aim to help secure reconciliation between Palestinian factions “as a main step towards the resumption of talks between the Palestinian and Israeli sides.”