Saudi Arabia has been generous with Egypt, but the assistance and investment it provides to the cash-strapped Egyptian economy will not pressure Egypt's parliament into ratifying a controversial maritime border demarcation agreement, parliamentarians told Aswat Masriya.

Sudan called on Egypt to negotiate over the contested areas of Hala’ib and Shalateen, stating that it would otherwise resort to international arbitration to restore its rights to the areas, according to official Sudanese news agency SUNA.

French President Francois Hollande arrived in Cairo on Sunday for a two-day official visit and was received by his Egyptian counterpart President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi at Cairo International Airport. The Elysee said on Twitter that the French-built Rafale fighter planes, which were purchased by the Egyptian army, escorted Hollande's plane as it approached Cairo.

Former Deputy Interior Minister Mohamed Nour Eddin said in a TV interview broadcast on Saturday that the ministry has never rejected any requests to hold public protests, denying accusations that political protests are routinely dissallowed in Egypt.

The House of Representatives is convened Sunday to resume a debate on the government’s policy statement proposed last month, ahead of vote of confidence scheduled for Wednesday, Youm7 reported.

Germany has no restrictions on the provision of arms to Egypt, the German minister for economic affairs and energy said on Sunday in a press conference following his meeting with the Egyptian president in Cairo.

Following Friday’s demonstrations contesting the recent maritime border agreement signed between President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, dozens of arrested protesters, including several minors, are still in custody.

The government of Prime Minister Sherif Ismail will face its first vote of confidence in parliament next week.

"We did not waive a single grain of sand. We gave [the Saudis] back what belongs to them," said President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on the recent revision of maritime borders between Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Egypt has unearthed an archaeological barque shrine from the era of Queen Hatshepsut, that was dedicated to worship of the Egyptian god Khnum in Elephantine Island in the central of the Nile at Aswan, announced Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities Thursday.

Egypt’s foreign minister Sameh Shukri headed off to Istanbul to attend the 13th Summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), marking the first high-level visit midst tense relations between the two countries.

Military courts in Egypt have tried at least 7,420 civilians since October 2014, international watchdog Human Rights Watch (HRW) claimed Wednesday, highlighting mass trials that “violate fundamental due process rights”. Citing numbers tallied by independent rights group the Egyptian Coordination for Rights and Freedoms, HRW denounced the Egyptian government’s use of military trials to “expedite its harsh crackdown on opponents”.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi addressed the controversy around his government's recognition of Saudi sovereignty over two Red Sea islands last week, saying the islands of Tiran and Sanafir are Saudi.

Several members of parliament have expressed disapproval over the transfer of islands “Tiran” and “Sanafeer” to Saudi Arabia, citing article 151 of the Egyptian constitution, which dictates that all agreements need to be reviewed by parliament; especially agreements concerning the drawing of national borders. The constitution also dictates that where borders are concerned, a nation-wide referendum is required before any agreements can be finalized.

A U.S. military delegation arrived in Cairo Tuesday for talks with Egyptian officials on means to boost joint military cooperation to counter the growing threat of terrorism and violent extremism in the region, Youm7 reported.

A total of 42,000 patients with hepatitis C have been treated so far at state expense in Delta’s Beheira governorate, Youm7 quoted Wednesday Alaa Othman, Undersecretary Health Ministry in the governorate.

At least 76 cases of corruption were reported inside 22 state institutions in March, at the top of which was the Supply Ministry for the fourth month in a row, according to regular reports issued by the NGO Partners for Transparency (PFORT).

Egypt's parliament – the House of Representatives – is soon expected to review a new technical deal aimed at drawing the maritime borders between Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Egypt is closing down domestic non-governmental organisations and putting travel bans on their staff in order to obstruct scrutiny of human rights issues, three independent UN human rights investigators said on Monday.

President Abdel Fatah al Sisi is scheduled to meet with heads of parliamentary blocs and media figures Wednesday to “review current public issues and developments in the national and international political arenas,” presidential sources told Youm7.

Dozens of Egyptian public figures, including Nasserist politician Hamdeen Sabahi and leftist lawyer Khaled Ali, issued a statement on Tuesday rejecting the recent Saudi-Egyptian deal which leaves the two Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir within Saudi regional waters.