Head of the Suez Canal Authority and Economic Zone, Mohab Mamish, announced on Monday that progress on reaching development agreements for expanding Egypt s industrial shipping zones in Port Said and Ain Sokhna is being rapidly made. Following a meeting with Egypt s Minister of Industry and Trade Tarek Kabil to discuss the latest work on Egypt s Suez Canal region, Mamish noted that negotiations with Dubai Ports (DP) are close to reaching an agreement to further develop Egypt s Ain Sokhna port region.

Egypt’s parliament approved on Monday an article from the Antiquities Protection Law that would stipulate strict financial fines for those who harass tourists at archeological sites. The penalties in the law include imposing financial fines of up to LE 10,000 on any one who harasses tourists while they are inside touristic sites or museums or those with the intention of begging, promoting, offering or selling a good or service in favor of others.

President of the World Bank group Jim Yong Kim praised the “economic success” that he said Egypt has achieved and applauded the legislation that contributed to improving the investment environment in the country. The statement came on the sidelines of the spring meetings of the World Bank and IMF in Washington DC. During a meeting with Egypt s Minister of Investments and International Cooperation Sahar Nasr, Kim said that President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has courageously managed to overcome the challenges that have been facing Egypt s development.

The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed deep regret over the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) s honouring of the photojournalist Mahmoud Abu Zaid, known as Shawkan, who has been in pre-trial detention since 2013. The ministry said that it was informed that the UNESCO is seeking to grant Shawkan the Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize and denounced the consideration of the photojournalist for the award.

More than 400 members of the majority "Support Egypt" coalition in Egypt s parliament held a meeting on Sunday to probe the possibility of forming a political party. Mohamed El-Sewedy, head of the coalition, told reporters that "a legislative and constitutional study will be conducted to see whether the majority Support Egypt coalition could turn into a political party. Intensive contacts will be held with political parties in the coming period to discuss this issue.

Egypt has welcomed the announcement by North Korea s leader Kim Jong Un on Saturday that the Asian nation plans to freeze its program of ballistic-missile and nuclear tests. In a statement issued on Saturday, the Egyptian Ministy of Foreign Affairs described the move as a "positive development", Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported.

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi stressed on Saturday Egypt’s rejection of the use of any type of internationally prohibited weapons in Syria, pointing out the importance of conducting a transparent international investigation into the matter. According to a statement released by the Egyptian presidency, Sisi’s statement was made during a phone call with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, in which they discussed the recent missile strike by Western powers in Syria.

Egypt s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi received in Cairo on Wednesday Mark Allen, the president of Boeing, to discuss civil and defence cooperation between Egypt and the American multinational corporation. The meeting was attended by Egypt s Civil Aviation Minister Sherif Fathy, according to a statement by Egypt s presidential spokesman.

Canada has ended a ban on belly cargo on direct passenger flights from Egypt following a more than two-year suspension over security concerns, Egypt s Minister of Trade and Industry Tarek Kabil said in a statement on Wednesday. The decision to lift the ban followed a visit by a technical delegation of the Canadian transport ministry to inspect logistics and security measures on direct cargo flights to the Canadian city of Toronto, Kabil said.

Egypt will discuss with Russia the resumption of Russian charter flights to the Egyptian tourist resorts of Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada, nearly one week after both countries resumed flights between their capitals. The recent flight resumption came after a 30-month ban by Moscow of flights between the two countries after a Russian airliner crashed in Sinai in 2015.

Spokesman for the Petroleum Ministry Hamdy Abdel Aziz said that the government aims to increase domestic production of petroleum products and to gradually lift petroleum products’ subsidies to sell petroleum at its cost price. Abdel Aziz said in a phone-in with ‘Al Hayat Al Youm’ program on ‘Al Hayat Channel’ that the current prices, which have been imposed since June 2017, cover 70 percent of the cost price of petroleum. He referred to the government’s announcement in 2015 of a plan to gradually lift petroleum subsidies.

Egypt s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry spoke with US Secretary of State John Sullivan by telephone on Monday, discussing the latest developments in Syria, including US-led airstrikes on Syrian government targets, the Egyptian foreign ministry has announced. According a ministry statement, Shoukry presented Egypt s evaluation of the military latest escalation in Syria, which saw the US, France and Britain launch missiles at Syrian government targets last Saturday in response to alleged chemical weapons use in Syria.

Egypt’s Education Minister Tarek Shawki said on Monday that the new education system will be applied to kindergartens and first grade classes in September and will include new curricula, assessment methods and exams, and that the rest of the existing grades will be developed in parallel. “We have a 60-day implementation plan from April 20 to implement the new educational system, as the ministry is racing to complete the enforcement of the new education strategy,” Shawki said during a press conference on Monday.

Between Barack Obama and Donald Trump, it s "definitely President Trump" who got U.S. foreign policy right in the Middle East, according to Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris. "I think what we re seeing today is the product of Obama s rule," Sawiris told CNBC s Hadley Gamble in Abu Dhabi on Monday. He claimed that Russia gained ground in Syria as a result of inaction by the Obama administration, which also allowed extremists in the Middle East to thrive.

Egypt s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi attended on Monday the conclusion of the Gulf Shield military drills, in which Egypt is participating along with 24 other Arab and Muslim countries The seven-day military exercise was held in eastern Saudi Arabia under the auspices of King Salman Bin Abdel-Aziz.

Egypt s Suez Canal revenues rose to $463 million in March from $435.8 million in February, local financial newspaper Al-Borsa reported on Monday. The canal s revenues for the first quarter of 2018 rose by 12.9 percent year-on-year to reach $1.351 billion, the newspaper said.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said on Sunday that Arab countries are facing unprecedented threats, while criticising regional states that aim to increase their influence in Arab countries. Speaking at the Arab Summit held in Saudi Arabia, El-Sisi said that Arab countries are facing the "most serious crisis since their independence" from occupation, citing attempts to interfere in Arab countries as well as setbacks in efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Egyptian MPs approved on Sunday a new 23-article law aimed at regulating the National Council of Women (NCW), bringing it in line with the 2014 constitution and international conventions signed by Egypt, according to a report prepared by parliament s social solidarity committee. “The law was primarily drafted to go in line with Articles 11 and 53 of the constitution, which state that men and women are equal in terms of civilian, political, economic, social and cultural rights, that citizens are equal before the law regardless of religion, gender, colour, and language, and that the state will take all measures necessary to eliminate all forms of discrimination in society,” the report said.

Cairo International Airport authorities denied an American diplomat entry to Egypt on Saturday as he did not have an Egyptian visa. The US diplomat arrived from Dubai carrying a diplomatic passport, but it did not have an Egyptian visa. So, in conformity with the equal treatment principles, airport authorities could not let him in.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi praised on Thursday growing cooperation between Cairo and Lisbon as he received his Portuguese counterpart in the Egyptian capital, in the first such visit by a Portuguese president in more than two decades. President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and El-Sisi held "constructive talks" in which they discussed cooperation between the two countries over the past two years, El-Sisi told a press conference broadcast live on state television.

The Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy denied news reports claiming new hikes in electricity prices, dismissing them as mere speculation. The ministry said in a statement that it is keen to adhere to the policy of transparency in dealing with the public, adding that the Electricity Minister will hold a press conference after the adoption of new prices by the Cabinet.