The head of the Central Bank of Egypt Tarek Amer says that the fifth tranche of a $12 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is expected to be received in January 2019, Egyptian presidential spokesperson Bassam Rady said in a statement. Egypt s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi met on Sunday with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and central bank governor Tarek Amer, where the president stressed the necessity of continuing the implementation of the country s economic reform programme and periodically evaluating the measures taken to ensure the achievement of targeted financial and economic goals.

A Cairo appeals court upheld on Sunday a two-year prison term for prominent Egyptian activist Amal Fathy, who was arrested after posting a video online about being sexually harassed earlier this year. The court rejected an appeal by Fathy against a two-year prison sentence in September and a fine of EGP 10,000 over charges of spreading false news that threatened national security in a video that went viral where she spoke about her experience with sexual harassment at a local bank.

Egypt’s former President Hosni Mubarak said on Wednesday that the former Chief of the General Intelligence Service (GIS), Omar Soliman, informed him that around 800 Hamas and Hezbollah militants infiltrated into Sinai through the tunnels from Gaza and used cars in the events of January 2011. During the trial of former President Mohamed Morsi in Cairo Criminal Court, Mubarak added that the militants climbed up buildings and fired shots at the demonstrators in Tahrir Square. They also broke into Wadi al-Natron prison and released prisoners belong to Hezbollah, Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.

Egypt s defence ministry announced the launch of an online portal for conscription services on Wednesday which it said will save time, money and effort. The website now allows young Egyptian males to apply for travel authorisations and exemption certificates online using online payments.

Egypt s exports to East Asian countries hit EGP 41.8 billion in 2017 compared to EGP 18.5 billion in 2016, a 126 percent increase, the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) said on Wednesday. In its annual bulletin, the agency said imports from East Asian countries (China, Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Thailand, Singapore, and Bangladesh) stood at EGP 300.7 billion in 2017 compared to EGP 182.8 billion in 2016, a 64.5 percent increase.

Egypt’s Foreign Ministry warned Egyptian students studying abroad of the increase in cases of fraud by students’ intermediaries or persons claiming to be representatives of the Egyptian community abroad. Citizens wishing to study abroad should be cautious when dealing with intermediaries and verify the data of foreign universities where they are to be enrolled, the ministry urged in a statement issued on Tuesday.

Egypt s Ministry of Petroleum says that the country achieved self sufficiency in natural gas consumption in September 2018 due to the gradual increase in local production and the plan to develop major gas fields in the Mediterranean. The discovery of the large offshore fields has resulted in the halting of natural gas imports for the first time in three years.

Egypt s Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly issued on Monday the executive bylaws regulating the recently issued Law of Persons with Disabilities. Madbouly s announcement comes as the country celebrates the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi is attending an event titled Differently Abled in celebration of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The event is attended by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Social Solidarity Minister Ghada Wali, as well as a number of other ministers and officials.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi discussed late on Sunday with Minister of Education Tarek Shawky the national project to develop education, the country s new Japanese schools, the high school evaluation system, and technical education, a statement by El-Sisi s spokesperson Bassam Rady read. During the meeting, El-Sisi expressed his support for developing the education system within the framework of the state s strategy to build the Egyptian character and invest in human beings.

Egypt s Army Chief-of-Staff Mohamed Farid met on Sunday with the US Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer and an accompanying delegation in Cairo, where the two parties discussed ways of enhancing military cooperation, exchanging expertise and joint naval exercises to enhance and upgrade the combat capabilities of both militaries. The meeting discussed a number of issues of interest to the Egyptian and US militaries.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Saturday that Egypt is looking to enter the list of the best countries in the world in the field of agriculture. During the inauguration of a national development project on greenhouses at the 10th of Ramadan city, Sisi added that the largest farm for the production of dates in the world is currently being established, and is set to include 2.5 million palm trees.

Egyptian Minister of Higher Education Khaled Abdel Ghafar and his Austrian counterpart Hans Viessmann met on Wednesday, to sign a five-year-protocol encouraging scientists and experts to participate in joint projects, particularly in higher education and scientific research. The two ministers agreed to establish a joint committee containing six members, to carry out the terms of the protocol.

Hurghada Airport on Tuesday received it’s first flight from Finland, the aircraft A321 of the Finnair airline, after a 6-year-suspension of Finnish flights to Egypt. The aircraft carried 207 tourists on board.

A Cairo criminal court acquitted on Thursday 40 NGO workers who had previously been sentenced to prison in a high-profile case that had strained US-Egyptian relations. In 2013, an Egyptian court sentenced 43 Egyptian and foreign employees of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Egypt to prison terms ranging from one to five years and ordered their organisations closed after they were convicted of operating without licences and illegally receiving foreign funds.

MP Souad al-Masry for Port Said governorate has proposed raising the legal marriage age for girls to 21 years old in order to address the phenomenon of marriage of minors, which she said has to become a threat to the public security of the Egyptian society. The current legal marriage age is 18. Marriage means building an integrated society. The rules must be sound. Many girls and young men before that age do not have the necessary experience to raise children, maintain family cohesion and create a new generation capable of taking responsibility, Masry said in a statement on Thursday.

Egypt s Minister of Health Hala Zayed has announced that nearly 19 million citizens have been screened for Hepatitis C and other non-communicable diseases as part of the 100 Million Lives campaign, the largest-ever nationwide campaign to eradicate hepatitis C launched last October. Zayed affirmed that a total of 6.5 million citizens have been screened for the virus since the launch of the campaign s second phase by the end of November.

The Central Bank of Egypt board is mulling re-opening the door for licensing international banks branches to join the Egyptian market in the coming period. An official source from CBE told MENA Tuesday that the step will promote confidence in the Egyptian economy and the banking sector and contribute to boosting the sector s competitiveness.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi stressed Egypt s humanitarian and moral commitment to the safety and welfare of all refugees, including 5 million refugees living in Egypt, as well as Cairo s commitment to achieving stability in the Middle East. The president s remarks came during a press conference with Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz in Vienna as part of the president s official visit to the central European country.

EgyptAir has announced a new service named “Flight Pass”, allowing the airline’s customers various discount rates on their flight tickets, in cooperation with global travel service provider Optiontown. Chairman of EgyptAir Holding Company Ahmed Adel said that the service would meet the needs of travelers in their flights and airports, saving them time and effort. “We hope that the traveler will enjoy outstanding travel experience on our planes, and spend travelling hours full of advantages and services.”

Egypt s interior ministry said it is offering residency to foreigners who own residential properties in the country, in a bid to boost hard currency needed to improve the country s finances. The decision came five months after the parliament passed amendments in July offering citizenship to foreigners who deposit at least 7 million Egyptian pounds (approximately $390,000) in Egypt and then hand it over to the state coffers after five years.