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.

Egypt s civil aviation ministry said on Wednesday that it is barring all Boeing Co 737 MAX planes from its airspace and airports after a crash in Ethiopia that killed 157 people. Sunday s crash, which claimed the lives of six Egyptians among the casualties, was the second since October involving this Boeing model.

Egypt s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi met on Tuesday afternoon in Cairo with Sudanese first vice president and minister of defence Awad Ibn Auf and Sudanese chief of national security Salah Abdallah Gosh, the Egyptian intelligence announced. The Sudanese officials discussed with the Egyptian president ways to boost bilateral relations as well as recent developments in the region.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said that Egypt looks forward to promoting economic and commercial relations with Japan via promising investment opportunities in the Egyptian market in various sectors. During a meeting with the chairman of the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) Hiroyuki Ishige, El-Sisi reiterated that Egypt is keen on direct interaction with Japanese businessmen to review Egypt s capabilities, including trained labor and the free trade agreements inked with Arab, African and European countries.

The Egyptian Embassy in Addis Ababa is following up with Ethiopian authorities to recover the bodies of the six Egyptians on the fatal Ethiopian Airlines crash, said Yasser Mahmoud Hashim, Assistant Foreign Minister for Consular Affairs and Egyptian Expatriates. All 157 people on-board, including eight crew members and a number of senior international environmental officials, were killed in the crash.

Egyptian MPs approved in a plenary session on Sunday the appointment of Kamel El-Wazir, the former head of the army s Engineering Authority, as the new minister of transport. "The appointment came hours after former transport minister Hesham Arafat resigned following a tragic Cairo train crash on 27 February, leaving 22 dead and dozens injured," said parliament Speaker Abdel-Aal, adding that "the appointment goes in line with the constitution and parliament s internal bylaws, which state that the president is authorised to make cabinet reshuffles or name new cabinet ministers, only after consultation with the government and approval by parliament."