Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry informed Sunday US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson of a deadlock in the process of carrying out studies on the effects of the Ethiopian Grand Renaissance Dam (GERD) on downstream countries. In an official statement, Egypt s foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said Shoukry had received a phone call from Tillerson, where the Egyptian foreign minister spoke about the “strained technical path related to preparing studies on the effect of the dam on downstream countries, as well as ways to avoid them.”

The foreign ministers of Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria renewed their countries support to Libya s stability and unity during a press conference after meeting in Cairo on Wednesday, Al-Ahram Arabic website reported. Egypt s Foreign Minister Sameh Shourky and his two North African counterparts, Tunisian FM Khemaies Jhinaou and Algerian FM Abdel Kader Messahel, stressed the importance of achieving a breakthrough in the political reconciliation process in Libya in the nearest time possible in order to hold parliamentary and presidential elections in the country.

The Egyptian government has decided to issue an annual report on human rights in Egypt, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Omar Marawan told reporters on Wednesday. In a press conference held following the cabinet s weekly meeting, Marawan revealed that the government also aims to give greater attention to foreign reports on human rights in Egypt.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn are scheduled to meet in Cairo in December to discuss the current deadlock over a controversial hydroelectric dam being built by Addis Ababa, as Cairo aims to drum up international backing for its concerns over the controversial project. Egyptian foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said on Tuesday that next month s joint high-level committee is part of Egypt s political efforts and ongoing talks with Addis Ababa to resolve points of contentions over the long-awaited technical studies on the impact of the dam on downstream countries.

Egypt is aiming to pay $750 Million of arrears owed to foreign oil companies by the end 2017, Egypt s Petroleum Minister Tarek El-Molla said during a local TV phone interview on Tuesday evening. Egypt paid $2.2 billion in arrears last June to international oil companies operating in the country, leaving $2.3 billion remaining, the petroleum ministry said.

The Egyptian and Jordanian armed forces have started the joint military exercise Aqaba 3, which is set to run for several days in Egypt. The exercise will include drills by land forces from the southern military area, the southern fleet, commandos, paratroopers, the air force, and special navy units.

Egypt will not issue permits to companies to import natural gas from Israel as long as arbitration cases with its neighbour remain unresolved, Egypt s energy minister said on Monday. In 2015, the International Chamber of Commerce ordered Egypt to pay $2 billion in compensation after a deal to export gas to Israel via pipeline collapsed in 2012 due to attacks by insurgents in Egypt s Sinai peninsula.

Egypt and Saudi Arabia signed two agreements in Cairo worth EGP 250 million to finance entrepreneurship, small enterprises and car ownership for drivers who work for ride-sharing companies, the Saudi Press Agency reported Monday. The agreement on entrepreneurship and small enterprises, worth EGP 150 million, is between the Ministry of Investment and International Cooperation, the Saudi Fund for Development s Grant Committee and Enmaa Company for financial leasing, according to a statement from the ministry.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry discussed the latest developments in the region with the Emir of Kuwait Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Gaber Al-Sabah, especially the situation in Lebanon, the Houthi attack on Riyadh, and the attack on the oil pipeline in Bahrain, ministry spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid said in a statement on Monday. Shoukry is on a three-day regional tour to discuss regional issues with various Arab leaders and officials.

Egypt s foreign minister Sameh Shoukry discussed recent regional developments with Bahrain s King Hamed during a meeting in Manama on Sunday, Egypt s foreign ministry said in a statement. Shoukry delivered a message to King Hamed from President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi conveying Egypt s views about recent regional developments and their impact on the stability of Arab countries.

Egypt s Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) said in a report on Sunday that the country s trade deficit has fallen 26.7 percent year-on-year in August 2017, standing at $3.31 billion compared to $4.52 billion during the same month last year. The country s exports increased to $2.17 billion compared to $1.86 during the same period.

Egypian Minister of Defence Sedki Sobhi departed for India on Sunday following an invitation from his Indian counterpart Nirmala Sitharaman to discuss enhancing bilateral military cooperation, Egypt s state-run MENA news agency reported. Sobhi is set to discuss security coordination with a range of Indian officials.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said on Wednesday that he does not support war in a region which “faces enough turmoil.” "I am not with resolving any issue through war. We have had our experience with war. Wars are always bitter experiences and have very tough consequences," El-Sisi said when asked about the possibility of war with Iran or Hezbollah.

Egypt s annual urban consumer price inflation eased slightly in October to 30.8 percent from 31.6 percent in September, the official CAPMAS statistics agency said on Thursday.

Egypt s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi expressed in a speech on Wednesday his appreciation for the role of Egyptian women, highlighting that some unjust societal misconceptions have led to under-appreciation of women s role in maintaining the family and raising the youth, and thus should be corrected. El-Sisi gave the speech during a seminar on women s role in society, which was held on the sidelines of the World Youth forum that is taking place in Egypt s Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Shiekh from 4 to 10 November.

New legislation amending Egypt s parliamentary elections law, bringing it in line with the 2014 Constitution, will be referred to parliament soon, a member of a government legislative reform committee told reporters Wednesday. According to lawmaker Salah Fawzi, a constitutional law professor, the new law will be different as the constitution s articles 243 and 244 stipulate that young people, Christians, physically challenged persons, and Egyptian expatriates should be represented only in the first parliament to be elected after promulgation of the 2014 constitution.

On the sidelines of the ongoing World Youth Forum in Egypt’s Red Sea resort Sharm al-Shaikh, US TV channel CNBC and London-based Arabic newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat conducted interviews with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, in which he discussed a host of issues related to the domestic and international affairs. Egypt Independent summarizes the topics that the president discussed.

Speaking at Egypt s World Youth Forum on Sunday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry asserted that illegal migration can pose dangers that threaten the lives of youth, particularly when it is tied to crimes of human trafficking, the ministry s spokesperson Ahmed Abo Zeid said in a statement. Shoukry made his speech on the second day of the international forum during a session entitled "The Negative Influence of Illegal Migration on the Youth of the World."

Egypt recorded its highest level of foreign reserves in its history, Egypt’s Central Bank announced on Sunday, climbing from $36.535 billion at the end of September to $36.703 billion at the end of October. In July, foreign net reserves jumped to $36.036 billion, hitting pre-2011 levels for the first time since the 25 January uprising, with international net reserves increasing $4.7 billion in July alone.

Egypt s newly appointed Armed Forces Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Mohamed Farid Hegazi, has conducted an inspection of army and police forces deployed in North Sinai, Al-Ahram Arabic website reported. On Monday, Hegazi visited a number of checkpoints and military posts on the governorate s major roads, inspecting weaponry and the preparedness of security forces.

Egypt s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi inaugurated on Sunday the World Youth Forum (WYF) in the country s South Sinai resort of Sharm El-Sheikh. The forum, held from 4 to 10 November, has attracted thousands of participants from around the world, with official delegations from 52 states as well as youth representatives from 113 countries.