Egypt s 2019-2020 budget will assume an exchange rate of 18.00 Egyptian pounds per U.S. dollar and an oil price of 68 dollars a barrel, two government sources told Reuters. The government has allocated 52.8 billion Egyptian pounds to fuel subsidies, down from 89 billion in previous budget, the sources added.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sought greater cooperation between their countries to ensure stability in the region during talks in Washington Tuesday. The two officials discussed ways to boost mutual cooperation and strategic partnership, as well as bolstering efforts to "confront regional and international threats and to achieve stability in the Middle East," Egypt s foreign ministry said in a statement.

Egypt s Cairo Criminal Court has ordered on Wednesday the release of Researcher and Journalist Hisham Gafaar, with precautionary measures, including parole and travel ban, pending a case in which he is tried for joining a "banned organization". Gafaar was arrested in 2015 on charges of "joining an organization founded against the terms of law and receiving bribe".

The House of Representatives on Sunday issued a statement clarifying the procedures to be followed for the amendment of the constitution. According to the statement, 155 MPs submitted to request the amendment of certain articles in accordance with Article 226 of the constitution. The statement said that the parliament followed Article 226 of the Constitution and a set of parliamentary procedures stipulated in the bylaws of the House of Representatives.

A meeting of foreign ministers and intelligence chiefs from Egypt, Jordan, and Iraq convened in Cairo on Saturday, a statement by Egypt s foreign ministry read. The Saturday meetings come in preparation for the tripartite summit which is expected to be held between President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi and King Abdullah of Jordan, spokesperson to the Egyptian FM Ahmed Hafez explained.

Egypt s parliament speaker Ali Abdel-Aal told MPs on Monday that he is keen to listen to their comments and remarks on proposed amendments to Egypt s 2014 constitution. "We want a dialogue without barriers, but at the same time this dialogue should be within the limit of the amendments submitted by the majority MPs on 3 February," said Abdel-Aal.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi discussed on Monday with Chinese Minister of Defence Wei Fenghe military and security issues of common concern, according to a statement by the Egyptian presidency spokesperson. During the meeting, El-Sisi highlighted Egypt s support for China s "Belt and Road" initiative to promote trade and economic cooperation between Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. El-Sisi stressed that "this new initiative will support Egypt s development efforts which aim to attract investment to major national projects in the Suez Canal zone and the establishment of industrial and logistical zones and ports on the Red Sea and the Mediterranean." The meeting also touched on bilateral cooperation on the security and military levels, the fight against terrorism and joint exercises.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi received Sunday Jordanian counterpart King Abdullah II in an official ceremony at Ittihadeya Palace in Cairo. The two leaders attended a military parade held in honour of King Abdullah upon arrival to Cairo. El-Sisi and Abdullah II are expected to be joined later by Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi to hold a tripartite meeting that aims at boosting ties between the three countries.

Egypt s Parliament Speaker Ali Abdel Aal said Sunday that amendments of the Egyptian Constitution are expected to be ready by mid-April if approved by lawmakers. A statement was issued by Abdel Aal Sunday following a parliamentary session.

Egypt s health ministry has tested around half of the country s population so far for hepatitis C as part of an unprecedented campaign to eradicate the disease by 2022. More than 43 million people have been screened as part of the 100 Million Lives campaign, 12 million of whom have been tested since the beginning of March, Health Minister Hala Zayed said in a statement on Thursday.

The Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives will meet on Wednesday and Thursday to commence social dialogue on the proposed amendments to the 2014 Constitution. Speaker of the House of Representatives Ali Abdel Aal invited several constitutional jurists and law professors from Egyptian universities, the National Media Authority, the National Press Authority, several judicial bodies and the specialized national councils to attend the sessions.

The Egyptian parliament s legislative and constitutional affairs committee will begin holding national dialogue meetings on proposed amendments to the country s 2014 constitution on Wednesday. Sources said the dialogue was scheduled to begin on Monday and Tuesday, but it was postponed to Wednesday and Thursday as parliament speaker Ali Abdel-Aal and a number of leading MPs were attending the Arab-African Youth Forum in Aswan this week.

Speaking on Tuesday at the opening of the Portofolio Egypt 2019 conference held by private think tank Al-Mal-GTM under the title "Opportunities Blunted by Risks," Egypt s Minister of Public Business sector Hisham Tawfik promised a new era in investment for maximum returns. Minister Tawfik pointed out that the assets owned by the companies that fall under the ministry include real estate assets, equity owned by subsidiaries or joint ventures.

The Egyptian parliament s legislative and constitutional affairs committee will begin holding national dialogue meetings on proposed amendments to the country s 2014 constitution on Wednesday. Sources said the dialogue was scheduled to begin on Monday and Tuesday, but it was postponed to Wednesday and Thursday as parliament speaker Ali Abdel-Aal and a number of leading MPs were attending the Arab-African Youth Forum in Aswan this week.

Egypt has reached an initial deal with Japan s Nissan Motor to produce vehicles in Egypt with the aim of exporting, Public Enterprise Minister Hesham Tawfik said on Tuesday. The deal, signed in partnership with the government s Nasr Co for vehicle manufacturing, aims to produce 100,000 vehicles annually, increase the use of locally sourced components in vehicle production and export to other countries, the minister said.

Egyptian Ambassador to the United Kingdom Tarek Adel on Monday took part in a symposium on investment opportunities available in Egypt. He participated as the main speaker at the symposium organized by Arab-British Chamber of Commerce, shedding light on economic reforms implemented by Cairo.

Egypt s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has called for implementation of programmes to achieve integration without obstacles between Arab and African nations. The president was speaking at the Arab and African Youth Forum in Aswan during a session entitled “Nile Valley: The Pathway for Arab and African Integration."

US Charge d Affaires Thomas Goldberger visited the city of Minya this week to celebrate the Fulbright Commission s 70th year in Egypt. Goldberger and members of the embassy team met the president of Minya University, Dr. Mustafa Abdel-Nabi Abdel-Rahman, and his senior team, and attended a reception with students at the Minya University s Museum of Fine Arts.

Egypt s agriculture ministry is planning to grow 1.1 million acres of rice in 2019, up from 800,000 acres the previous year, in a bid to increase local production of the staple crop using available resources, a spokesman said. Egypt slashed cultivation of the water-intensive crop in 2018 to preserve water resources as Ethiopia prepares to fill the reservoir of a giant dam project it is building upstream on the Rive Nile, which Cairo fears could cut the country s water supply.

Ministry of Justice and the Higher Committee for Legislative Reform have referred the final draft of the law to establish the Fund for Caring for Egyptians Abroad to the ministerial cabinet on Wednesday for approval before submitting the bill to the State Council for revision. Senior sources revealed that representatives from Ministries of Justice, Foreign Affairs, Immigration and Labor Force would manage the fund.