Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said on Saturday that all projects meant to link the two banks of the Nile River in Upper Egypt will be finalized in mid-2020. Speaking at a press conference in Minya governorate, Madbouly said the government attaches great importance to sanitation projects across Egypt, adding that 80 villages in Minya will be provided with sanitation services soon. As per President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi s orders, a road axis would be established each 25 kilometers to link roads stretching along the east and west of the Nile River, he said. Madbouly pointed out that the government allocated EGP 150 million to upgrade internal roads in Minya. He noted that his visit to Minya was meant to listen to demands of citizens, adding that three hospitals will be opened in January in the Upper Egyptian governorate. A new free zone will be established in Minya soon, he said, adding that he issued directives to swiftly provide factories with water, electricity and sanitation services. The premier said that an industrial zone will be opened in Minya in early 2020.

Parliamentary discussions on the long-awaited personal status law are soon to be held, revealed MPs Fayka Fahim and Inas Abdel-Halim in separate statements on Tuesday and Wednesday. "Parliament has been under public pressure for four years to pass a new personal status law. We should positively respond to this pressure and discuss the law in its final legislative season 2019-20." The legislation is expected to regulate marriage, divorce, and children s custody. The majority of Egyptians believed the current law 100/1985 was outdated and unjust, she said, adding that "it resulted in a dramatic rise in divorce rates, made it difficult for people to earn their rights, and negatively affected their economic and social well-being." Abdel-Halim, deputy chairman of parliament s Health Committee, said the legislation in effect, though amended several times, had failed to address the needs of Egyptian Muslims and Christians. It even "led to the exacerbation of family problems, leaving negative psychological effects on children and undesired repercussions on social stability." Both women said that what made the time ripe for drafting a new personal status law was that Al-Azhar, Sunni Islam s prominent institution, recently revealed it had revised a law parliament referred to it on the subject. The National Council of Women said it had been working for a long time on its own version of a law that it said would protect women s rights and promote children s best interests. The legislation Al-Azhar revised shall regulate the controversial issues of Urfi marriage and alimony paid to divorced women. Al-Azhar’s draft seeks to regulate the termination of engagements as well. It proposes that, in the event of cancelling an engagement, a woman shall have the right to keep the customary gift (shabka) presented by the fiancé should he call the engagement off, but must return it should she end the engagement. Egypt’s three Christian churches have also finalised their own draft. The Coptic Orthodox Church condones divorce only if one partner committed adultery or changed their religion. The Catholic Church forbids divorce entirely, and the Evangelical Church allows it according to very limited conditions.

Egypt s tourism ministry said on Monday that it is encouraging cooperation between local travel bloggers and their international counterparts in order to promote Egypt as a travel destination. In a statement issued on Monday, the ministry said the cooperation is a new marketing tool to promote Egypt, and is part of the new structural reform programme adopted by the ministry to modernise the tourism sector. "It is worth mentioning that Forbes website has said that Instagram has become one the most influential social media networks for adults making travel decisions, as more than 40 percent of tourists under 33 years old use it when they make a decision to travel," the statement read. Among the examples listed are famous American travel blogger and filmmaker Rory Kramer, who spent ten days in Egypt with Egyptian travel blogger and photographer Ahmed Wahba.

Egypt s Minister of Interior Mohamed Tawfik stressed the need to consolidate international counterterrorism efforts between the ministry and agencies concerned with security matters in the EU at a Monday meeting with a senior EU counterterrorism official. Tawfik briefed the EU’s Counter-Terrorism Coordinator Gilles de Kerchove, who is visiting Cairo, on his ministry s proactive strategy to combat terrorism, and on the state s efforts to disband terror groups, dry up their potential funding resources and destroy their infrastructure, according to a ministry statement. He also expressed the ministry s readiness to develop security cooperation with all EU counterterrorism bodies to confront possible terrorist threats, especially by sharing information on terrorist elements, their movements and their funding sources in areas with tension in the Middle East and Europe. The minister said terrorism poses a threat to most countries in the world, warning of the dangers of providing a safe haven to terrorist elements who hide behind religious misconceptions and promote a culture of violence and destruction. De Kerchove applauded the ministry s efforts to combat terrorism and organised crime, according to the statement.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said during a bilateral summit on Sunday with Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah that the security of Kuwait and the Gulf is inseparable from Egypt s own national security. The Egyptian president made the remarks during talks with Kuwait’s Emir at Bayan Palace in Kuwait, which were attended by top government officials from both countries. Sheikh Sabah hailed Egypt s role in "supporting the security and stability of Arab countries and its efforts to enhance joint Arab action at all levels," the Egyptian spokesman quoted him as saying. The Egyptian president stressed the need for continuing to build on the momentum of bilateral cooperation in various fields, as well as pushing forward mechanisms of mutual consultation and coordination on all issues and developments in the Arab region. Sheikh Sabah hailed the distinguished and fraternal relations between the two countries, reaffirming his country s firm stance in support of Egypt s security and stability. He also expressed appreciation for the efforts exerted by the Egyptian leadership in the Arab arena in promoting solidarity and joint Arab action and consolidating regional and international peace and security. The Egyptian president hailed Kuwait’s constant stances in support of the Egyptian people and state. The meeting also tackled the latest regional developments and issues of common concern, the presidential spokesman said. The two leaders stressed the need for concerted Arab efforts in addressing various challenges to preserving Arab national security as well as enhancing security cooperation between both countries and combining efforts to fight terrorism. They also called for regional solutions for regional problems; allowing the Arab peoples to determine their own destiny in a way that meets their aspirations to live in peace and security. El-Sisi hailed the Kuwaiti efforts to bring about political solution to the crisis in Yemen, affirming the necessity of speeding up this process to end the suffering of the brotherly people of Yemen. President El-Sisi arrived in Kuwait on Saturday in an official visit to hold talks with Sheikh Sabah and senior Kuwaiti officials. The Egyptian president was received at Bayan Palace by Sheikh Sabah, and Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Speaker of the National Assembly Marzouq Al-Ghanem, and Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, along with other top officials. El-Sisi left following the talks in the afternoon, Kuwait s news agency KUNA said. Kuwait s emir and a number of top Kuwaiti officials accompanied him to the airport before his departure, it added. This is El-Sisi s third visit to Kuwait since he came to office in June 2014. The first two visits were in January 2015 and May 2017. Earlier in the day, the Egyptian president discussed joint Arab cooperation to tackle pressing regional issues during talks with Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.

Egypt s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi discussed Sunday morning joint Arab cooperation to tackle pressing regional issues during talks with Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. The talks were held at the visiting Egyptian president s residence in Kuwait. President El-Sisi and the deputy Kuwaiti prime minister discussed supporting joint Arab action to overcome the "unprecedented challenges facing the Arab region and the need to unify the Arab rank to confront the imminent dangers facing some Arab countries," Egyptian presidency spokesman Bassam Rady said in a statement. Rady added that the Sheikh Al-Hamad Al-Sabah hailed Egypt s role in "promoting stability, security and development in the Arab world, and its efforts to support political settlements for existing crises in the region." El-Sisi arrived in the Kuwaiti capital late Saturday and was received at the airport by Kuwait s Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. The two leaders are scheduled to hold official talks later on Sunday. Also on Sunday morning, El-Sisi met with Kuwait s Parliament speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim. The president and the Kuwaiti parliament speaker discussed boosting parliamentary ties between the two nations as well as supporting a joint Egyptian-Kuwaiti parliament committee, Rady said.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has urged African countries to encourage private-public cooperation, saying that the private sector is a major driver of social and economic growth in the continent. "The private sector serves a main driver of providing permanent job opportunities and improving income level, thus contributing to eliminating poverty…and increasing long-term economic growth," El-Sisi told the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) attended by a number of African leaders and representatives of international organisations including the World Bank. El-Sisi called for strengthening cooperation between the Egyptian and Japanese private sectors, and invited Japanese investors to invest in the resource-rich continent. On Wednesday, Japan s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged to offer enhanced trade insurance to boost private sector investment in Africa,which he said stood at $20 billion over the past three years. El-Sisi, who holds the rotating presidency of the the 55-nation African Union (AU), said African countries are looking to draw investors to infrastructure and energy projects in the region, home to 1.2 billion people. African countries, El-Sisi says, have made progress on improving investment environment in the continent by establishing a 2063 African development agenda, adopting the 2012 the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) and launching the execution phase of a free African trade zone to promote intra-African free trade. Separately, El-Sisi said during talks with Japan s trade minister on the sidelines of the gathering that Cairo is looking to boost cooperation with Japan to promote reliance on gas and clean energy in Egypt s public transportation system. Egypt also looks to draw Japanese investors to a planned economic zone near the Suez Canal which will be international industrial and logistics hub, he added. The three-day event concludes on Friday in Yokohama, south of Tokyo.

President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has issued decree no. 424 of 2019 renewing the appointment of Sherif Seif El-Din as acting chairman of the Administrative Control Authority (ACA) for one year, starting from 30 August. The president also issued decree no. 425 of 2019 which names Amr Adel Ali Hassan Ibrahim as ACA deputy head, as of 24 August. The two decrees were published in the state gazette on Tuesday.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi headed for Japan on Monday to take part in the 7th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD). The TICAD summit, co-chaired by Japan and Egypt, will be held in Yokohama with the participation of African leaders on August 28-30. Earlier in the day, El-Sisi wrapped up a visit to France after his participation in the G7 summit meeting, which took place from 24 to 26 August in the French coastal city of Biarritz. The TICAD conference aims at launching a new phase of strategic partnership between Japan and African countries based on mutual understanding, in addition to increasing Japan s contributions to Africa s development. Last October, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe invited President El-Sisi to attend the 7th TICAD summit. The summit is a platform shared between Japan and African countries to boost the mutual benefits in fields of agriculture, industry, economy, and health. The two leaders held talks last June in Osaka on the sidelines of the G20 Summit. During TICAD 6, the Japanese prime minister, disclosed that Africa will benefit from a $30 billion investment package by 2018, including a $10 billion investment in infrastructural development.

Egypt s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met with UK prime minister Boris Johnsonon earlier on Monday on the sidelines of the G7 summit meetings in Biarritz, France. El-Sisi and Johnson discussed Egyptian-British bileteral relations and ways to boost them. More to follow

President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi assured Italy s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte that Egypt is working to uncover the truth behind the 2016 murder of an Italian student and to bring his killers to justice, an Egyptian presidency spokesman said. Giulio Regeni, a 28-year-old student who was doing postgraduate research on the Egyptian labour movement, disappeared on 25 January 2016, the fifth anniversary of the 2011 revolution. He was found dead 10 days later in a ditch on the outskirts of Cairo. Egyptian investigators said his body bore signs of torture. The meeting between the two leaders in the French town of Biarritz on Saturday "touched on joint cooperation between the two sides in ongoing investigations into the killing of Italian student Regeni," spokesman Basam Rady said in a statement. El-Sisi reiterated Cairo s "continued efforts to uncover the circumstances of the case, to identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice," he added. The pair were meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Summit. Egyptian and Italian authorities have been cooperating in the investigation, holding regular meetings in Cairo and Rome. Egyptian authorities have repeatedly denied any involvement in Regeni’s killing. In November 2018, Italy’s foreign minister summoned Egypt’s ambassador to Italy to urge Cairo to act rapidly to bring to justice those responsible for the murder of Regeni. During Saturday s meeting, the pair also discussed challenges in the Mediterranean region, including efforts to combat terrorism and illegal migration, the statement said. They also looked at ways to boost investment and trade ties between the two countries.

The Supreme Committee for Nile Water (SCNW) convened on Wednesday under the chairmanship of Egypt s Prime Minster Moustafa Madbouly and the attendance of Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Mohamed Abdel Ati, as well as a host relevant experts, representatives of the state ministries concerned, the General Intelligence Service (GIS) and the Administrative Control Authority (ACA). The committee discussed several phases of the lengthy trilateral negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which yielded no agreement , Cabinet Spokesman Nader Saad said. The futile negotiations prompted the Egyptian side to put forward a technical proposal which takes into account Ethiopia s energy needs without detriment to Egyptian water interests , the Cabinet said, without further explaination to the details of this proposal. The committee asserted the need to wrap up the negotiations as scheduled, especially after a six-party meeting among the foreign and water and irrigation ministers of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia has been delayed from August 19-20 to September 15-16 upon the latter s request, the spokesman noted. Last April, Egypt’s Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources and Mohamed Abdel-Ati said that negotiations on the Ethiopian Grand Renaissance Dam (GERD) are continuing, although no new developments have been reached . The minister said that a meeting in Cairo of the irrigation ministers of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan has been postponed due to the recent events and changes in the government of Sudan. The ministers were set to seek an agreement on GERD filling and operation rules.

Egyptian and Chinese naval forces carried out joint military drills off Egypt s Mediterranean Coast, Egypt s army said in a statement on Wednesday. A number of Egyptian naval units and Chinese navy guided-missile destroyer Xian (153) took part in the training activities, the statement added. The military exercises involved counter-terrorism and anti-piracy activities and measures to combat unusual threats and inspect suspected vessels. The exercises aim to "coordinate efforts to combat challenges and threats to support maritime security and stability efforts and secure global maritime transport lines," the statement said. Egypt has carried out similar military exercises with a host of countries over the past few years including the US, France, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, and Bahrain. These programmes are meant to exchange experience and boost military-to-military relationships with armed forces of other countries. In November, armed forces and observers from eight Arab countries met in Egypt for the Arab Shield-1 military exercise, which was dubbed the largest in the region. Last September, Egypt hosted joint US-Egyptian military drills called Bright Star 2018 in the country s North Coast. Land, naval and air forces from Egypt, the US, Greece, Jordan, the UK, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Italy and France as well as 16 observing countries took part in the drills, and approximately 800 US military service members participated in Bright Star 2018 for the second year in a row.

Members of Egypt s armed forces have left to Russia to take part in joint military drills with Russian and Belarusian air troops that start on Tuesday, Egypt s military said in a statement. Egyptian paratroopers and Russian and Belarusian airborne forces will take part in the military training exercises which run until 29 August, the army said on Tuesday. The Protectors of Friendship-4 exercises involve light, medium and heavy airdrop of personnel, equipment and vehicles. Egypt hopes the training will help "enhance the skills of its forces…and unify combat concepts and teamwork," the statement added. The previous joint military drills between Egypt and Russia, Protectors of Friendship-3, were held in Cairo in October 2018. Egypt has carried out similar military exercises with a number of other countries over the past few years including the US, France, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Jordan, and Bahrain. These programs are meant to boost military-to-military relationships with armed forces of other countries and exchange experiences with other nations. In November, armed forces and observers from eight Arab countries met in Egypt for the Arab Shield-1 military, which was dubbed the largest in the region. Last September, Egypt hosted joint US-Egyptian military drills called Bright Star 2018 in the country s North Coast. Land, naval and air forces from Egypt, the US, Greece, Jordan, the UK, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Italy and France as well as 16 observing countries took part in the drills, and approximately 800 US military service members participated in these exercises for asecond year in a row.

The Egyptian Cabinet and Parliament Speaker Ali Abdel Aal congratulated Egypt s U 19 team for winning the World Championship for the first time after defeating Germany 32-28 in the final game in Macedonia on Sunday. Following the final game on Sunday, Egypt s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi congratulated the country’s U19 handball team , praising their "heroic and manly performance. The president also praised the team s technical staff, describing the team as a role model for determination and will to achieve victory. In a statement on Monday, Parliament speaker Ali Abdel-Aal hailed the great achievement of the young Pharaohs. He added this triumph underlines the outstanding efforts exerted by the coaching team. The Cabinet also congratulated the Egyptian U19 national team on winning the 2019 IHF Men s Youth World Championship for the first time ever. The Cabinet lauded the national team s heroic performance, as well as huge efforts exerted by the coaching staff. The great achievemnet was also praised by a numgber of sports and youth officials in the country. It is the first time that Egypt win an U 19 World Championship title and the first time that a non-European team be crowned world champions. Sunday s triumph marks the biggest handball feat for Egypt since the national U21 team won the world title in 1993 when the tournament was staged in Cairo. Egypt s U19 team have won the World Championship for the first time ever, defeating Germany 32-28 in the final in Macedonia on Sunday. The young Pharaohs dominated the game from the outset, going to the locker room with a comfortable six-goal advantage (19-13). Despite their slow start in the second half, Egypt still managed to maintain their upper hand and make history. The national U21 team won the world title in 1993 when the tournament was staged in Cairo.

Egypt condemned on Sunday Houthis drone attack on Shaybah oil field in eastern Saudi Arabia. In a statement, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry reiterated the country s solidarity with Saudi people and government and support of all measures it takes in all attempts meant to preserve the kingdom s stability and security. It warned of attempts to target vital facilities in the kingdom, including energy infrastructure

Petroleum Minister Tarek El-Molla said preparations are underway for implementing an integrated work plan to expand the use of natural gas as vehicle fuel and encourage citizens to turn their cars into bi-fuel vehicles that are capable of running on two fuels (natural gas and gasoline) through offering payment facilities. In a statement on Wednesday, El-Molla added that the ministry s plan targets transforming 50,000 vehicles into gas-powered ones on an annual basis. The plan comes in support of a vision adopted by the political leadership and government to replace gasoline and diesel engines in private cars and public transport vehicles with natural gas ones via coordination among the ministries concerned, El-Molla said. In this regard, the minister noted that the plan includes establishing gas supply stations nationwide and providing new financing mechanisms needed to turn vehicles into gas-powered ones.

Starting Wednesday and for a month, a photo of renowned Egyptologist Zahi Hawass will decorate Times Square in Manhattan, New York, inviting Americans to visit Egypt. Times Square is one of the best-known locations in New York and the United States, visited by 80 million people during the summer vacation period. The photo of Hawass will show for 30 days starting tomorrow, when two celebrations (daytime and night) will take place. The unveiling will be attended by renowned Egyptian and American figures as well as American archaeologists from the Metropolitan Museum and Egyptian diplomats headed by Egyptian General Councillor Hisham Al-Naqib. Hawass will be shown in his trademark blue jeans, shirt and Indiana Jones-style hat. The photo will appear every two minutes in Times Square with a message underneath from Hawass inviting Americans to come to Egypt and enjoy its unique heritage and culture.

Egypt has hosted over the past two days an important meeting between the Sudanese Alliance for Freedom and Change (AFC), including the Sudanese Revolutionary Front, "with the aim of achieving peace in the country as an issue that concerns all brothers in Sudan, and to support the constitutional document scheduled to be signed on 17 August," the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press statement released late on Monday. The ministry s statement said that the participants exchanged views and agreed to present the outcome of the meeting to the leaders of the AFC in Khartoum.

The government of Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli is mobilising on multiple fronts to translate the recommendations passed by the seventh National Youth Forum into action. The two-day Forum, held at the New Administrative Capital on 30 and 31 July under the auspices of President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi, focused on reviewing the results of Egypt’s IMF-inspired economic programme and its impact on citizens across Egypt. Speaking on 30 July, President Al-Sisi said: “When we decided to implement the economic reform programme we were in the position of a surgeon who must operate to save a patient. At the end of 2016 some cabinet ministers feared the reforms would trigger a backlash on a wide scale. I told them that if the people rejected the reform programme then they should tender their resignations and the next day I would call an early presidential election.” “We had two choices at the time. Either reform the economy or step down and let others get on with it. Now, after three years of economic reforms, I think everybody feels Egypt is in a much better position.” At the end of the forum Al-Sisi announced a number of recommendations, including speeding up the implementation of the Decent Life Initiative which he said “aims to improve living conditions in Egypt’s poorest villages”. First proposed by Al-Sisi in January, the initiative involves upgrading houses, improving infrastructure and providing job opportunities for young village residents. Following a cabinet meeting on 1 August Madbouli said the government was earmarking LE2 billion for the Decent Life Initiative. “It will also receive $500 million in funding from the World Bank, supplemented by financial donations and contributions from national banks, NGOs and investment projects.” Madbouli said the government would continue to support social protection programmes and the subsidy system while establishing an accurate database to determine who should benefit. Social Solidarity Minister Ghada Wali announced that an estimated 1,000 families will be added to the Takaful and Karama welfare programmes at the beginning of the new fiscal year. She said her ministry had established a database of seven million households and would use it to ensure families receive the benefits for which they are eligible. The Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS) revealed in a report on 1 August that the percentage of Egyptians living in extreme poverty — set at $1.3 daily — rose from 27.8 per cent in 2015 to 32.5 in 2018. On the same day the Ministry of Social Solidarity and Ministry of Endowments signed a cooperation protocol to furnish 1,000 housing units at Cairo’s Asmarat project. Asmarat rehouses residents moved from slum areas. Minister of Endowments Mokhtar Gomaa said the ministry will allocate LE30 million to provide the furniture necessary for the 1,000 flats. The protocol, said Madbouli, follows a recommendation made by the seventh National Youth Forum. “All the recommendations,” he added, “aim to combat poverty and promote sustainable development.” Madbouli also revealed government agencies have been instructed to begin the national digitisation project and the first roll out would be in Port Said. On 30 June President Al-Sisi said creating a comprehensive database of citizens was an essential component of national security. He told the National Youth Forum that artificial intelligence would be used to digitalise government services and that, when complete, the picture it provides of the financial and health conditions of Egyptians, would allow service providers to identify their needs and offer proactive help before it is applied for. “The system will replace the extensive surveys we had to rely on in the past when offering social services,” said Al-Sisi. Parliamentary spokesman Salah Hassaballah said one of the most positive aspects of the forum is that it is now held on a regular basis, but in different locations, and “following each forum recommendations are adopted, most of them geared towards offering social protections to the most vulnerable in society”. Hassaballah told a press conference on 1 August that one of the forums’ most significant decisions was to form working groups of young people to follow up on the forums’ recommendations. The taskforces, he said, would strengthen communication between young people and a wide variety of state bodies. During the forum Al-Sisi announced recommendations that included turning a simulation model of the cabinet into a permanent dialogue mechanism with the involvement of the government, establishing a task force comprised of young people to follow-up, under cabinet supervision, on the implementation of national mega-projects, and adopting a plan to redevelop Alexandria’s Ras Al-Teen area.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi toured the Al-Masa resort in the under-construction New Alamein City on the Mediterranean on Sunday, Presidential spokesman Bassam Rady said in a statement. During the tour on first day of the Islamic festival of Eid-Al-Adha, El-Sisi inspected the construction work at the city, which will feature residential buildings, a yacht marina and the north coast s biggest hotel. Earlier, the president performed the Eid prayer at the resort s main mosque. El-Sisi was accompanied by a number of top government officials, including Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and Defence Minister Mohamed Zaki. New Alamein City is one of a number of new cities the government is constructing to draw investments and boost the economy.