Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok left for Cairo Wednesday on his first visit to an Arab country since assuming his post. Hamdok is leading a delegation of ministers and senior officials. He is to hold talks with Egyptian officials on ways of boosting bilateral relations and the latest developments in Sudan in light of challenges besetting the transitional government. Last month, Egypt s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly participated in a ceremony of a landmark power-sharing agreement between the main Sudanese opposition coalition and the military council. Madbouly took part in the signing ceremony on behalf of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, the current chair of the African Union. The prime minister said Egypt is keen on supporting Sudan’s vision of the future of its nation, and said support would be provided in confidence in Sudan’s capabilities in resolving all conflicts and overcoming all challenges.

Egypt s national airline EgyptAir said on Tuesday that it is offering discounts of up to 50 percent for business class seats on most of its international flights from the capital Cairo. The discounts are effective as of Tuesday and will be in place for a limited period, EgyptAir said in a statement. The discounted flights feature Super Diamond Full Flat Bed seats on the Boeing Dreamliner 787-9 aircraft and Full Flat Bed on both the Boeing 777-300ER and Airbus A330-300, the airline said. On Monday, EgypAir said it had extended its codeshare agreement with Chicago-based United Airlines, allowing its customers in the US to book flights to the states of Boston, San Francesco, Los Angeles and Chicago through Washington D.C. EgyptAir launched direct flights to Washington D.C. in June that operate three times a week.

Egypt s Minister of Tourism Rania Al-Mashat held several meetings with tourism ministers in countries partaking in the 23rd session of the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) General Assembly, held between September 9-13 in St. Petersburg, Russia. The meetings brought Minister Al-Mashat with her counterparts in the Maldives, Portugal, Spain, Russia, the Philippines, China, Ecuador, Valenzuela, Paraguay, Kenya, Morocco and Saudi Arabia, according to a statement released Sunday by the Tourism Ministry. AL-Mashat also met with the Iraqi delegation participating in the session, the ministry added. The meetings discussed several issues of mutual concern at the tourism level, including the impacts of recent global economic changes on such a vital sector. They also tackled means of boosting cooperation among the UNWTO state members and the experience of each state in upgrading its tourism sector. In addition, the ministers reviewed a raft of issues that were on the session s agenda, atop of which were "innovation and sustainable development in tourism" and artificial intelligence. Commending the positive developments in Egypt s tourism sector, the ministers congratulated Minister Al-Mashat on Egypt s winning of the UNWTO s prize for the best promo video in the Middle East.