Egypt’s trade deficit declined 44 percent in January 2017 from $3.49 billion to $1.96 billion compared to the same month in 2016, the Ministry of Trade and Industry said in a statement Sunday.

On Sunday the general prosecution investigated journalist Ibrahim Eissa, the editor-in-chief and owner of Al-Maqal newspaper, regarding a complaint filed by the parliament accusing him of insulting it.

Egypt says a recently-issued US State Department annual report on human rights around the world reflects Washington's viewpoint and is not based on binding legal obligations.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is set to arrive in Cairo Thursday on a two-day visit to meet with Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, and to inaugurate with her counterpart the first phase of a Siemens megaproject.

The Press Syndicate will host a general assembly on Friday to vote for a new syndicate head and six council members. With nearly 10,000 members eligible to vote, the assembly is only considered legitimate with an attendance of over 50%, a target that has been difficult to achieve in past elections. In case of a shortage, a second assembly will be called on 17 March with a requirement of 25% of members.

Parliament speaker Ali Abdelaal and several members of parliament agreed on Tuesday to file a complaint with the prosecutor general against prominent journalist and TV host Ibrahim Eissa in response to a recent issue of al-Maqal newspaper that mocks and criticizes Egypt's Parliament and state institutions.

Two Egyptian MPs told reporters Wednesday that foreign minister of Saudi Arabia Adel Al-Jubeir will visit Cairo next week.

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.