Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has appointed Mostafa Madbouly, formerly the housing minister, as the country s new prime minister, two days after outgoing Prime Minister Sherif Ismail submitted his resignation and that of his cabinet. “President El-Sisi received Dr. Mostafa Madbouly today to commission him to form the new government,” said Bassam Radi, the president s official spokesperson, on his official Facebook page.

The French language thanaweya amma high school exam was leaked on social media on Thursday, according to a senior official in Egypt s education ministry speaking to Al-Ahram Arabic website. "After checking the exam posted online we found it to be identical to the exam currently being sat by students," he said.

Egypt s House of Representatives approved on Tuesday a draft law to amend existing and impose new fees for several licenses and services including acquiring mobile phones and residency permits, as well as driving and firearms licenses. The draft law, finalized by lawmakers headed by Ali Abdel-Aty, amends some provisions of Law No. 147, which imposes fees as a way to bolster the state s financial resources.

Egypt’s cabinet submitted its resignation to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Tuesday following his swearing-in for a second term after a landslide election victory. The government, headed by Prime Minister Sherif Ismail, will stay on in a caretaker capacity until the new one is appointed.

Prime Minister Sherif Ismail, Transport Minister Hisham Arafat and Alexandria Governor Mohamed Sultan decided on Monday to begin work on the project to upgrade Alexandria s 150-year-old tramway system next year, Al-Ahram Arabic website reported. During the meeting, PM Ismail reviewed executive procedures on initiating the project to upgrade the tramway system, which is the oldest in Africa and one of the oldest in the world.

The Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) announced that Egypt’s cotton exports have risen by 181.6% in the second quarter (Q2) from December 2017 to February 2018, recording 379,700 tons compared to 134,800 tons during Q2 of the previous year. However, in its quarterly newsletter covering that period, CAPMAS announced that the domestic cotton use has seen a 63% plummet, reaching 47,200 metric kantars (one kantar is equal to 45.02 kilograms), compared to 127,600 metric kantars last year.

The Egyptian Parliament s manpower committee approved on Sunday a draft law granting annual and additional raises for state employees and public servants, Al-Ahram Arabic website reported. The first article of the draft law s four articles stipulates a 15% increase in pensions for state employees to be added to their basic pensions as of 30 June 2018, and an increase of the minimum pension to EGP 750 per month.

Prime Minister Sherif Ismail signed a new decree raising the fees of drinking water and sanitation services by 46.5%, a second consecutive increase in less than a year, according to the Official Gazette. The decision raised the cost of drinking water from 65 piasters to LE 3.15 per cubic meter according to the consumption category. The decision also included a 12% increase in sanitation fees. Sewage fees, calculated upon the water consumption bill, surged to 75% of the water price.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) to Egypt has declined to $1.9 billion in the second quarter of fiscal year 2017/2018, down from $2.4 billion in the same period last year at a rate of 20.8%, the Central Bank of Egypt said on Sunday. According to state-run MENA news agency, the CBE released a monthly report that said overall inflows dropped to $3.4 billion in comparison to $3.9 billion during the corresponding period of FY 2016/2017.

Ethiopia’s ambassador to Sudan, Mawtada Zoudi, announced on Wednesday that the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) has passed 65% completion. During an Iftar (Ramadan breakfast) feast in Sudan for news agencies and the local press, organized by the Ethiopian embassy, Zoudi added that “work in the dam is in full swing.”

Egypt s transport ministry is to start building a new river port in Upper Egypt as part of a recent drive to improve the country s river transport system. The new 15-acre port in Sohag governorate, about 500 kilometres south of Cairo, is the second in the country s south, with the ministry commencing building the first port in the governorate of Qena in April.

The Egyptian government ratified on Wednesday a framework agreement between the National Authority for Military Production and Chinese company GCL to build a solar panels manufacturing complex in Aswan with a manufacturing capacity of 5 GW, according to a cabinet statement. The project is expected to cost $2-$3 billion, Minister of Military Production Mohamed El-Assar said at a press conference, according to Al-Ahram s agriculture portal.

Egypt s Petroleum Minister Tarek El-Molla said on Wednesday that the country s giant Zohr gas field is expected to produce 2 billion cubic feet of gas per day (bcf/d) by the end of 2018. El-Molla s statements came during in a visit to follow up on thee progress of work in the Mediterranean Zohr field in Port Said governorate; he was accompanied by government officials and the CEOs of Egyptian gas holding companies.

Egypt s Administrative Control Authority (ACA) said on Wednesday that a number of supply ministry officials have been recently arrested for receiving more than EGP 2 million in bribes. The arrested officials include the chairman of Food Industries Holding Company, his office manager, and the minister s media consultant and consultant for political communication, according to the statement the ACA released.

Egyptian prosecutor-general Nabil Sadek has tasked the Ministry of Antiquities with dispatching a team of archaeological experts to Italy to confirm the authenticity of seemingly ancient Egyptian artefacts that were seized from a shipping container at a port in Naples. In an official statement released on Monday, the prosecution said that the Egyptian experts will work with Italian authorities to inspect the seized artefacts and prepare a report for the general prosecution.

Egypt’s Parliament is conducting final preparations for the inauguration of Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as president of Egypt for a second term, after he won the election held on March by 97%. Sisi will officially begin his second term as president next Saturday according to Al-Ahram newspaper, following a constitutional oath before the special session of the parliament, which will attended by members of the House of Representatives as well as a number of guests and the media.

Egypt will send Ibrahim Mahlab, the president s assistant for national and strategic projects, to an international conference in Paris on Tuesday which aims to help resolve the Libyan conflict. Egyptian foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid announced on Sunday that Mahlab would be attending the event, which is being hosted by the French government.

The General Transportation Authority announced on Tuesday that Egypt’s first batch of electric buses from BYD Chinese company will arrive on June and will operate on the Corniche route in Alexandria. Contracts for the 15 buses were signed last January, making Alexandria the first Egyptian and Middle Eastern city to have electric buses.

Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi received a phone call from his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Sunday to discuss several regional issues, including developments in Libya. The two leaders also discussed ways of enhancing bilateral cooperation and other regional issues, El-Sisiss spokesman Bassam Rady said in a statement, with Macron praising Egypts efforts to restore stability and to unify Libyas military.

Egypt s unemployment rate fell to 10.6 per cent in the first quarter of 2018 from 11.3 per cent in the same period in 2017, according to statistics from the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS). This figure is also an improvement over 2016 when unemployment reached 12.5 per cent. The number of people in employment rose to around 26 million, while the number of those looking for jobs stood at around three million, representing 10.6 per cent of the total workforce. The latter is estimated at about 29 million, according to CAPMAS.