France is keen to develop defence ties with Egypt in the areas of manufacturing, exchanging expertise, and training, French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told his Egyptian counterpart Sedky Sobhi on Tuesday in Aswan, according to an Egyptian statement.

Within the coming few days, Egypt and Sudan are expected to officially demand details on construction modifications on the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam of which Ethiopia did not previously inform the two countries. Senior governmental sources in charge of the Renaissance Dam construction said Ethiopia modified the construction standards of the dam to increase the rate of generated electricity up from the declared rates. The French firm which is carrying out the studies has already started work on hydraulic and environmental reports on the project, the sources said.

Two-thirds of Egypt parliament's deputies voted on Monday to strip high-profile MP Anwar El-Sadat of membership.

Cairo Criminal Court sentenced on Sunday 212 defendants to 10 years in prison over committing violent acts in 2014, on the third anniversary of the January 25 revolution of 2011, MENA reported.

Egypt "has spared no effort" to combat terrorism and extremism in the past three years, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi told the US's most senior military commander in the Middle East on Sunday. Presidential spokesman Alaa Youssef said El-Sisi told Gen. Joseph L. Votel, the commander of Central Command, that the increased threat of terrorism in the Middle East and around the world highlights the importance of increased coordination at an international level to create a comprehensive strategy to face it.

Britain finalized a US$150 million loan guarantee to Egypt on Saturday, where Boris Johnson was on his first visit to the country as Foreign Secretary and following a request from a human rights organization, urging him to speak about what they described as "appalling" abuses.

President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and German chancellor Angela Merkel are set to inaugurate the first phase of power plants implemented by Siemens in Beni Suef, Borollos, and the New Administrative Capital at the end of the current week.

US Representative for California and co-chair of the Congressional Egypt Caucus Dana Rohrabacher visited Egypt last week, heading a US delegation that met with President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry. The parties discussed Egypt-US relations after the election of US President Donald Trump. In an exclusive interview with Al-Ahram daily, Rohrabacher revealed the details of the congressional delegation's second visit to Egypt and its meeting with El-Sisi.

Tarek Kabil, Minister of Trade and Industry, announced on Thursday that 226 industrial projects have received approvals during the month of January, with total investments worth EGP 8bn, compared to 180 projects with total investments of EGP 3bn during the same period in 2016. Moreover, the new projects are spread among different industrial sectors—71 are for the food manufacturing sector, 44 for chemical engineering, 33 for textiles, and the remaining projects are distributed among mining and pharmaceuticals.

Hundreds gathered on Wednesday at Aswan’s Abu Simbel Temple to watch the bi-yearly phenomenon of the sun illuminating a statue of King Ramsses II -- this month, to mark the pharaoh's birthday -- Ahram Arabic news website reported.

US dollar exchange rate declined against Egyptian pound on Wednesday after fluctuating between increases at some banks and decreases as well as stability at other banks, amid an ongoing decline that started at beginning of February.

Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Jordan's King Abdullah II have reaffirmed the two state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as "an [Arab] national constant".

Central Bank of Egypt governor (CBE) Tarek Amer approved an agreement with investors to restructure their debts owed to banks in US dollars. A bank chairman who attended the meeting on Monday told al-Masry al-Youm on condition of anonymity that Amer agreed to cover short positions for about 570 companies with US$420 million.

A delivery of 50 MiG-29 fighter aircraft from Russia to Egypt is set to be delivered on schedule by 2020, the deputy director of Russia's Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) announced on Monday, according to Russian Sputnik news agency.

Pharos Holding Investment Bank projected four factors to decide the future of the Egyptian pound exchange rate against the US dollar in the short term.

Egyptian Minister of Social Solidarity Ghada Wali announced on Sunday the launch of a medical examination program to test and treat Hepatitis C virus among recovered drug addicts.

Suez Canal Authority Chief Mohab Mamish said 67 ships passed through the Suez Canal on Sunday carrying a total load of 3.8 million tons. Thirty-three ships passed from the north side carrying 1.9 million tons, while 34 ships passed from the south side carrying the same weight.

President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi met on Sunday a delegation of the heads of major US-Jewish organisations that are currently visiting Egypt. The meeting aimed to foster relations between the US and Egypt, according to a presidential statement.

Nine newly-appointed Egyptian ministers and five governors, including Egypt’s first female governor, were sworn in on Thursday before President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi in Cairo as part of a cabinet reshuffle. The reshuffle, which mainly involves ministries related to public services and the economy, was approved by parliament on Tuesday.

Interior Minister Magdy abdel Ghaffar met on Wednesday with Telecommunications Minister Yasser al-Qady to discuss the development of a system to issue electronic visas, which will positively affect incoming tourism, according to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s instructions to expedit its implementation.

Former head of Egypt’s press syndicate Diaa Rashwan announced on Wednesday that he has withdrawn from the race to run for syndicate head hours before the deadline for submitting candidacies was reached on Wednesday noon. The union will hold elections for syndicate head and six board members on 3 March. Rashwan said that “personal agendas” have thwarted his efforts to promote reaching a consensus that would benefit the press community.