An Egyptian military court sentenced on Thursday hundreds of supporters of the banned Muslim Brotherhood group to jail terms of up to 25 years, a judicial source said.

Egypt's Minister of Defense Sedky Sobhi met on Thursday in Cairo with General Joseph Votel, the head of the US Central Command, to discuss the latest efforts to fight terrorism and restore order, stability and security in the Middle East region, the Egyptian Armed Forces spokesperson announced.

Egypt's long-awaited value added tax (VAT) bill is set to be finalised on Sunday to be put up for general parliamentary debate, with MPs sticking to the 12 percent rate, said MP and member of the planning and budget committee Talaat Khalil.

Foreign Minister Sameh Shourky will meet with Zimbabwean Minister of Tourism Walter Mzembi Thursday to discuss the bilateral cooperation between both countries, Youm7 reported.

President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi has sent a message to his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbass, assuring his that support of the Palestinian cause always comes on Egypt’s the top of foreign agenda, according to the Palestinian News and Info Agency (WAFA) Thursday.

Two major Western news outlets have slammed the economic policies of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in recent weeks, saying they rely too much on the "Gulf injection" of financial assistance, while repeating the oft-made claim that Egypt’s failing economy is the president's fault.

A Cyprus court on Thursday refused to hear testimony from a Cambridge University professor in defense of an Egyptian hijacker fighting an extradition request by his country over fears that he could be tortured or killed.

Egypt will increase the price of metro tickets from LE1 to a minimum of LE1.5, according to cabinet spokesperson Hossam Qawish, although he said no timetable has been set for the price rise.

The Finance Ministry, via the Central Bank of Egypt, is set on Thursday to borrow a total of 10.7 billion EGP (around $1.2 billion) through treasury bills (T-Bill), Youm7 reported.

Minister Sahr Nasr stated also in remarks to Youm7 Thursday that the United Nations allocated $736 million in grants to support most priority development projects in Egypt in the period between 2014 and 2017.

Egypt is to receive a $2 billion deposit from Saudi Arabia, International Cooperation Minister Sahar Nasr said on Thursday.

Egypt has asked JPMorgan, Citi, BNP Paribas and Natixis to lead manage its international bond offer, the Finance Ministry said in a statement.

Police investigators are searching for a group of Bedouins they suspect of killing a judge and wounding a policeman during a land dispute in New Cairo on Wednesday evening.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi ratified on Wednesday amendments to the country's police law banning members of the police from participating in protests, joining political groups, or speaking to the media without prior authorisation, Ahram Arabic news website reported.

Four international investment banks were selected by Egypt to issue 3 billion dollar-denominated eurobonds in the global bond market, the finance ministry announced on Thursday.

Egypt is currently negotiating for a $1 billion fund from China to finance local sanitation projects, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported on Wednesday, citing Minister of International Cooperation Sahar Nasr.

The head of the Egyptian parliament's Human Rights Committee Mohamed Anwar El-Sadat and other nine MPs are likely to be investigated for attending a conference in Geneva on human rights without getting prior parliamentary approval, parliament's deputy speaker Soliman Wahdan disclosed in a statement to reporters on Wednesday.

Egypt's prosecutors in the coastal city of Alexandria are probing a money robbery from a provincial security headquarters, Ahram Arabic news website reported on Wednesday.

A total of 500 Chinese businessmen are to visit Egypt by the end of August to discuss potential investment opportunities in the Suez Canal region, Ahram Arabic website reported.

The prosecutor's office in Alexandria governorate has ordered thorough investigations into reports of several kidnappings of women in the past week.

Border guards in Egypt’s Mediterranean city of Matrouh thwarted an attempt by two Syrians to infiltrate into Libyan territories via the Sallum border crossing on Tuesday, Youm7 reported.