For the first time in four months, the exchange rate of the US dollar against the Egyptian pound fell below the level of LE18 on Monday in all banks operating in the local market. Bankers said in statements to the state-run Middle East News Agency (MENA) that the supply of the US dollar in banks is increasing as is the demand for it.

The Disney company is lifting a ban on having its merchandise manufactured in Egypt, trade minister Tarik Kabil announced on Sunday. Disney instituted the ban in February after a drop in Egypt s ratings in the worldwide governance indicator and the country not joining the International Labour Organisation s (ILO) Better Work Programme, according to media reports.

Minister of Investment and International Cooperation Sahar Nasr vowed on Sunday to support women and provide equal opportunity investment. Nasr was speaking on the sidelines of the ìEgypt Canî event for women, which was held in Al Masah Hotel amid the participation of Egyptian women scientists and experts working abroad. The conference witnessed the participation of 30 women serving in various leading positions in different countries.

Egypt s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi stressed on Sunday during a meeting in Cairo with a US congressional delegation the necessity of taking clear and decisive actions against countries that support terrorism logistically and financially.

Egypt s cabinet announced on Thursday a cut in energy subsidies, effective immediately, resulting in an increase in fuel prices. The price of 80-octane gasoline has increased from EGP 2.35 per litre to EGP 3.65. The price of 92-octane gasoline has been raised from EGP 3.50 to EGP 5. The price of gas cylinders has doubled from EGP 15 to EGP 30. Prime Minister Sherif Ismail said on Thursday that the implementation of economic reform measures can no longer be delayed.

Egypt s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry heads to Ethiopia on Thursday to participate in preparatory meetings for the 29th African Union Heads of State Summit in Addis Ababa, the Egyptian foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

Egypt s delegation to the UN said in a session on Tuesday that Qatar has supported terrorist organisations in Libya; the delegation called for sanctions on the Gulf state which is already in hot water with some of Arab states over these charges, a foreign affairs ministry statement read. In a session on the obstacles to combating terrorism in Libya, the Egyptian representatives said that terrorism is the main obstacle to achieving stability in Libya and that the negative effects of terrorism in Libya have extended to its neighbouring countries and the entire region.

The Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) announced the rise of the number of foreign workers in the public sector in 2016 to reach 889 foreigners, compared to 850 foreigners in 2015. The agency attributed the rise to the stability of the situation in the country.

Egypt s air forces halted an arms smuggling operation to Egypt through the Western Desert, the Egyptian armed forces announced on Tuesday. According to a statement published on the army spokesperson s official Facebook page, air forces acting on intelligence reports launched a mission on the Egyptian-Libyan border and destroyed 12 (4x4) vehicles carrying weapons, ammunition and explosives.

The semi-governmental National Council for Women (NCW) issued a report on Monday saying that 35 cases of harassment against women were documented on the first day of Eid El-Fitr, with several resulting in legal complaints. The NCW said that 13 cases of verbal harrassment were documented in Fustat Park in south Cairo, while 22 cases of physical harrassment were documented at Giza Zoo. Meanwhile, Reda El-Danbouky, the executive director of the Women s Center for Guidance and Legal Awareness (WCGLA), told Ahram Online that the independent group s hotline had received 19 complaints of verbal harassment and 12 of physical harassment in downtown Cairo on the first day of Eid.

Governmental sources said that the maritime border demarcation agreement with Saudi Arabia, which located the two Red Sea islands within Saudi territories, will be enforced once President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi approves it on Saturday. Parliament already ratified it on June 14. It’s expected to be published in the official gazette and thus be immunized against appeal. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the sources ruled out any ceremonies for the handover of the islands to Saudi Arabia, during which the Saudi flag will be hoisted. They denied that any new measures are to take place between Egypt and the kingdom regarding Egyptians’ access to the islands, saying there will be no visas required.

Egyptian Minister of Social Solidarity Ghada Waly met with the World Bank mission Saturday in Cairo to follow up on the progress of social safety net programme Takaful and Karama. The World Bank mission, which was on a five-day visit to Cairo ending today, made field visits in Fayoum and Beni Suef governorates, where the programme is implemented. The mission met with local authorities and beneficiaries of the five-year $400 million project financed by the World Bank.

Egypt s exports totalled $5.1 billion in the second quarter of the fiscal year 2016/17, an increase on the $4.3 billion recorded during the same period of 2015/16, according to a Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) report published on Sunday.

The Ministry of the Interior’s Prison Sector pardoned and released 1,011 inmates on Sunday on Eid al-Fitr occasion in accordance to Presidential Decree No. 280/2017.

The Administrative Court nullified on Tuesday the Court of Urgent Matters decision to annul the former s annulment of the Egyptian-Saudi maritime demarcation agreement, reported local media.

Egypt s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi arrived in Uganda Thursday morning to participate in the Nile Basin Summit, state news agency MENA reported. El-Sisi is set to join closed meetings for the heads of states of Nile Basin countries. He is also expected to give a speech in front of the summit.

Egypt’s health ministry has announced a comprehensive plan to ensure medical service during celebrations of Eid al-Fitr, expected to take place on Sunday. Health Minister Ahmed Emad decided to increase the number of ambulances to 2,240 which will be deployed to public gatherings, parks, gardens, mosques and prayer places in all governorates around Egypt. In addition to 10 ambulance boats for emergency services in the River Nile, two air ambulances will fly over highways and major traffic hubs.

Egypt is set to undertake several measures to “lift burdens off the average Egyptian citizen,” President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi announced Tuesday evening. In an iftar ceremony hosted by the Family House organisation, El-Sisi said he has decided on several procedures to be executed by the government aiming to ease austerity.

Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court on Wednesday temporarily halted all courts rulings on the Red Sea islands agreement between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, to allow more room to study the case and issue a final and decisive verdict on it. A statement for the court said the Commissioners Authority of the court has recommended this suspension, as two different courts made different rulings on the case.

Egypt s Suez Canal revenues rose to $439.8 million in May from $427.9 million the previous month, a cabinet statement said on Tuesday.

The Doctors Syndicate has said security services arrested Ahmed abul-Qassem, a former member of the syndicate board in Luxor. Abul-Qassem was referred to Luxor prosecution over charges of joining the banned 6 April movement and provoking the public regarding the maritime border agreement between Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Prosecution decided to detain abul-Qassem for 15 days pending investigations.