The World Bank approved new funding of $500 million for three years to help Egypt strengthen the country s social safety nets, the Ministry of Investment and International Cooperation said Wednesday. The new financing is aimed to support the expansion of the “Takaful and Karama” cash transfer programme, which was launched in 2015, for an additional three years, the ministry said in a statement on its official website. "As Egypt implements the second phase of the economic reformme programme, we remain committed to providing sustainable income-generating opportunities," Minister of Investment and International Cooperation Sahar Nasr said, according to the statement. "This partnership with the World Bank builds on the success of the Takaful and Karama programme and the World Bank s support for our goal to achieve sustainable growth for all Egyptians,” Minister Nasr added. Meanwhile, according to the statement, Marina Wes, World Bank country Director for Egypt, Yemen and Djibouti said the bank, through this program, continues to support Egypt s efforts to develop human resources and create jobs, which she said are essential for the success of the country s reform programmes. Wes added that promoting sustainable and comprehensive growth requires effective support to escape from the cycle of poverty, according to the statement. The Takaful and Karama programme, which translates to "Solidarity and Dignity," was launched in 2015 with $400 million in financing from the World Bank The Programme has reached more than two million impoverished households nationwide, benefiting approximately nine million individuals across all 27 governorates, or approximately 10 percent of Egypt’s population, with women comprising 88 percent of the programme’s beneficiaries. This programme, carried out by the social solidarity ministry, offers monthly conditional pensions to vulnerable families and non-conditional pensions to poor, elderly citizens and people with severe disabilities and diseases, as well as orphans. "Our partnership with the World Bank helps us design programmes that improve quality of life and build humans,” Minister of Social Solidarity Ghada Waly said, accordingto the statement. The World Bank currently has 16 projects in Egypt, worth a total of $7.5 billion.

Egypt s Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed El-Tayeb, is travelling to Germany to conduct medical treatments. El-Tayeb will be completing medical treatment nearly a year after travelling to Germany in 2018 for a number of spine related medical tests. He will be resuming his medical treatments under the adivce of his treating physicians.

Egypt s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said on Sunday that Egypt has the necessary potential to be a gateway for all Japanese industries into different markets in Africa, the Middle East and Europe, as Egypt is linked to many nations around the world with free trade agreements. According to a statement by the Egyptian presidency, El-Sisi told the head of Toyota Tsusho company Ichiro Kashitani that Japan is a strategic partner for Egypt and that there are many available investment opportunities in Egypt nowadays in light of the several mega national projects the country is currently carrying out, including the Suez Canal Corridor project. El-Sisi talked about the measures taken to iron out hurdles facing investors, presidential spokesman Rady said. Kashitani briefed El-Sisi on the projects his company is planning to carry out in Egypt, saying more consultations will be held with the Egyptian side within the coming period over these projects. He added that the Japanese business sector sees promising investment opportunities in Egypt within the coming period, especially in the auto manufacturing and oil exploration domains. Kashitani will visit Egypt this year, and he will hold another meeting with El-Sisi on the sidelines of the Japan-Africa summit hosted by Japan in August, the statement said. Toyota, which has been operating in Egypt for several decades, sees Egypt as its gateway to Africa, the spokesman said.

The loyalty of the Egyptians to their homeland and their rejection of any attempt to erase their national identity are facts that do not change over time, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said on the 6th anniversary of 30 June revolution. In a nationwide address over the occasion, the Egyptian president said the Egyptian people are closely linked to their homeland and their identity and they rise high above the narrow interests of some groups or external parties who believed that their black terrorism would undermine the will of a nation that made history. Despite the difficult circumstances that shrouded June 30 revolution, they are still the best days in our modern history as we saw how hope was born in darkness, the President said. Over the years, and with the support of the army and police, Sisi said the Egyptians joined hands with all state institutions to defend our precious homeland from any conflict or chaos meant to tear apart the nation or weaken it. "We managed to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorist organizations through launching a comprehensive military operation in Sinai," he said. As a result, Egypt has become a stable and more secure center amid a highly volatile region, he added. "We also managed to lay down solid bases for an advanced economy to face hard economic conditions. We took decisions that were tough for Egyptians but they courageously bore their consequences because they are fully understanding of the burdens of reforms," El-Sisi. El-Sisi renewed commitment to continue defending Egypt no matter what it costs in order to build a strong nation. He also reiterated commitment to putting the nation s s interest above any other interest and to continue building and development march at all levels. At the end, the President saluted all Egyptians whom he described as makers of hope and future.

Egypt s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi held talks on Thursday in Osaka with the Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, ahead of attending the G20 Summit, which starts in the Japanese city on Friday. President El-Sisi is attending the G20 summit upon the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose country holds the current G20 presidency, according to a statement by the presidential spokesperson on Wednesday.

Egypt s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi is heading to Japan today to participate in the Group of 20 (G20) Summit in Osaka. The president s participation in the G20 summit comes upon the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose country holds the current G20 presidency, according to a statement by Egypt s presidential spokesperson Bassam Rady.

Egypt and Russia have matching views on the need to establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said in Moscow on Monday. In a press conference held in Moscow following his meeting with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, Shoukry said that the two diplomats discussed bilateral relations between Egypt and Russia as well as the recent developments in Palestine, Libya, Syria, Sudan and the Gulf region. During the talks, which mainly focused on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Lavrov voiced concerns over attempts by the US to promote “unfair” plans instead of a two-state solution. The top Russian diplomat said that both Egypt and Russia agreed on the need to combat terrorism in the Middle East and North Africa region. Lavrov stressed Russia’s support for settling all conflicts and wars in the region through political and diplomatic dialogue while respecting peoples’ right to self-determination. Lavrov also urged solving the Arab Gulf crisis through dialogue and confidence-building. Shoukry asserted the necessity of continued coordination between Egypt and Russia within the framework of international organisations to adopt resolutions by the National Assembly to establish a nuclear-weapon-free zone . The talks also included discussions about the preparations for the first Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi on 24 October, which will be co-chaired by Egypt and Russia.

Egypt s foreign ministry strongly condemned on Monday morning the deadly drone attack by Houthi militias on a parking lot at Abha International Airport in Saudi Arabia late Sunday, which killed one person and injured 7 others. The statement also stressed Egypt’s support to Saudi Arabia s people and government, as well as to all measures taken by Saudi Arabia to protect the security and stability of the kingdom. Sunday s drone attack on Abha is the latest Houthi attack on civilian targets in Saudi Arabia in recent weeks. Two weeks ago, a Houthi drone attack on Abha International airport wounded 26 people. Egypt has repeatedly denounced Houthi attacks against the Kingdom, expressing its solidarity with Saudi Arabia s people and government. Following the first Houthi attack on Abha, the foreign ministry said that "targeting international airports is a flagrant violation of all international laws and norms, calling for an immediate halt to any targeting of Saudi territories and urged the international community to work to combat all terrorist acts that undermine stability in the region. A Saudi-led coalition has been leading a military effort against the Houthi militias since March 2015 in support of Yemen s internationally-recognised President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who was ousted by the Houthis from the capital Sanaa in 2014.

Egypt s parliament – the House of Representatives – began discussing the country s state budget (2019/20) and development plan on Saturday. Minister of Finance Mohamed Mait told MPs in a plenary session that the government will do everything possible to protect poor and limited income classes against the hardships of economic reform.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi described his talks with Romanian counterpart Klaus Iohannisas as "fruitful and constructive" during a press conference in the Romanian capital Bucharest on Wednesday. The two leaders discussed boosting economic ties and political relations between their countries. El-Sisi told reporters after the talks that bilateral economic and tourism cooperation has seen a recent boost, with trade between the two states reaching $1 billion in 2018.

Egypt s Army Chief-of-Staff Mohamed Farid met on Tuesday in Cairo with the Chief of Staff, Joint Staff of the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) Koji Yamazaki and an accompanying delegation. The two commanders exchanged views on regional and international issues affecting security and stability in the region, as well as ways to increase military cooperation and joint training. General Yamazaki stressed the importance of military cooperation with Egypt and its strategic role in achieving security and stability in the Middle East. He also expressed his deep appreciation and trust in the Egyptian Armed Forces, which has played a great role in achieving security and stability in Sinai, prompting the Japanese government to participate in the multinational force in Sinai. Farid stressed the depth of the established ties binding the two countries and expressed hopes that the next phase will see more joint cooperation between the armed forces of both countries. The meeting was attended by senior commanders of the Egyptian Armed Forces and the Japanese ambassador in Cairo.

Egypt s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi met on Monday in Minsk with Belarusian Prime Minister Sergei Rumas on means of fighting terrorism and eradicating extremist thought. El-Sisi hailed the deeply-rooted relations between Egypt and Belarus, and reviewed the efforts exerted by Cairo on the international level to wipe out terrorism, presidential spokesman Bassam Rady said. The Egyptian president also lauded the level of economic cooperation between the two countries, saying that there is great potential for Belarusian investments in Egypt. El-Sisi also asserted that it is crucial to continue intelligence coordination between the two countries to face common challenges. Egypt is keen on deepening its relations with Belarus in different fields, particularly in trade and the economy, El-Sisi said. The Belarusian PM hailed Egypt s economic reform programme and its ongoing mega projects. Earlier on Monday, El-Sisi met with a number of Belarusian businessmen. "Egypt has become an important economic partner of Belarus in Africa," El-Sisi said, inviting the Belarusian businessmen to pump investments in Egypt in the fields of agricultural machinery, information technology and tourism. The spokesman added that Belarusian companies expressed their eagerness to expand their business in Egypt, which plays a vital role in maintaining stability in the Middle East and Africa, particularly in the field of countering illegal migration and promoting co-existence among peoples. President El-Sisi is on a European tour that includes Belarus and Romania. El-Sisi is scheduled with Belarus President Aleksander Lukashenko to discuss boosting bilateral ties. El-Sisi will also meet with the heads of the House of Representatives and the National Assembly, the spokesman added. The two sides will discuss their views on a host of other regional and international political issues, with a focus on the fight against terrorism and extremist ideology. In Minsk, the president is scheduled to sign a number of bilateral cooperation agreements, the spokesman said.

Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Sunday received a phone call from his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian, foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Hafez said in a statement. The two sides discussed ways of boosting bilateral ties and shared views on the latest developments in the region, he added. They also discussed the means to develop bilateral cooperation in all fields to serve the two countries interests. Among the regional issues discussed were developments in Libya, Sudan, and in the Gulf. The pair agreed on the necessity of continuous coordination and future consultations to enhance security and stability in the region, Hafez said.

Egypt’s Ministry of Transport inaugurated on Saturday morning the opening of three new metro stations – Haroun El-Rashid, El-Shams Club, and Alf Maskan – as part of the fourth phase of the third line of the Cairo metro line system. The ministry said in a statement that the new stations - as well as all the other stations along Cairo’s three metro lines - have seen an organised flow of passengers on Saturday. The opening of the three new stations comes less than one week before the kickoff of the 2019 African Cup of Nations (2019 AFCON) in Cairo and three other Egyptian cities. Passengers have praised the level of service provided at the new stations, the ministry added. The ministry thanked the passengers for their understanding of the decision of the Egyptian Company for Metro Management and Operation (ECMCO) to raise fares on Cairo s third metro line starting Saturday. It also thanked the passengers for their large turnout to acquire fare subscriptions. The third metro line, which started operation in 2012, now extends from Attaba Square in central Cairo to the outskirts of Heliopolis in east Cairo. Egypt s transportation ministry had announced on Friday that the fares on the third metro line would increase from EGP 3-7 to EGP 5-10 coinciding with the opening of the three new stations. Rides of up to nine stops on the third metro line will now cost EGP 5, rides of 6-15 stops will be priced at EGP 7, and rides of 16 stops or more will cost EGP 10. The existing prices of subscriptions of EGP 33 for students for 25 stations, EGP 22 for 25 stations for people with disabilities, and EGP 135 for 35 stations for the elderly remain unchanged. There will be no increase in the prices of tickets on the other two metro lines in the system, the ministry said. The ministry explained that the new third line stations will feature air-conditioned and pollution-free trains and stations with elevators and escalators for the elderly and electronic display screens giving updates on train arrival times. The ministry explained that the new stations will help ease the process of transport for a large number of fans attending the 2019 AFCON games from Heliopolis to a number of stadiums hosting the games in the Greater Cairo area, including Cairo International Stadium, El-Salam Stadium and 30 June Stadium.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi called on Wednesday for boosting political, legislative and judicial cooperation between African countries to combat corruption as he opened in Sharm El-Sheikh the African Anti-Corruption Forum (AAFC) -- the first anti-corruption forum in the continent. In his keynote speech to the forum broadcast live from the Red Sea city of Sharm El-Sheikh, El-Sisi told representatives of African countries and Arab guests at the forum that corruption is one of the major obstacles to economic growth and achieving sustainable development in the continent, adding that it jeopardises the "legitimate aspirations of the peoples of the African continent towards boosting the ideals of freedom and equality." "Combating corruption and changing the reality of our continent can only be achieved through concerted efforts, developing common visions, and boosting African coordination mechanisms to curb corruption," El-Sisi told the gathering. The two-day forum brings together top state officials and representatives from 48 African countries, four Arab nations and nine international organisations. The Egyptian president holds the rotating presidency of the 55-nation African Union (AU) for 2019. El-Sisi said that Egypt has made headways in identifying the causes of corruption and developing accurate indexes to measure its levels, as well as in boosting the role of supervisory bodies in promoting transparency to preserve public funds. Egypt, he said, has been pushing ahead with legislative reforms in this regard. The Egyptian government has passed legislation necessary to eliminate corruption, set up specialised departments to fight financial and administrative corruption and adopted measures for digital transformation to boost administrative and financial governance and cut red tape, El-Sisi explained to the forum. Egypt s Administrative Control Authority set up a national committee and a national academy to fight corruption in 2014 and 2017 respectively. El-Sisi said that Egypt is planning to increase training programmes offered by the academy to supervisory and control authorities in Africa as part of its efforts to back anti-corruption measures in the continent. In 2017, Egypt signed the African Union Convention on Prevention and Combating Corruption, the main anti-corruption legal framework in the continent. African officials leading the fight against corruption in their countries made opening statements discussing the challenges facing the continent in its efforts towards strengthening both development and transparency in governance. The chairman of Egypt s Administrative Control Authority Sherif Saif Eddin said that the forum has five goals; developing anti-corruption mechanisms between African countries, cracking down on organised crime, developing human resources in Africa, boosting the democratisation of technology, and establishing justice and security as cornerstone for development in the continent. Saif Eddin told the forum that corruption costs African countries billions of dollars every year and is holding back development and stability efforts in the continent, and called for the launch of an African corruption index and enacting firmer legislation to root out corruption.

President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi is scheduled to inaugurate the African Anti-Corruption Forum (AACF) in Sharm El-Sheikh on Wednesday. In statements, Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady said the forum is held upon an initiative launched by President El-Sisi in January 2018 during his participation in the 30th Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) Summit that was held in Addis Ababa under the theme: "Winning the Fight Against Corruption: A Sustainable Path to Africa s Transformation." The two-day forum aims at providing a platform for African countries to meet on a regular basis to exchange information, experiences and best practices for the purpose of consolidating their national capabilities and institutions in the fight against corruption, the spokesman added. The forum will address several topics, including the continental and national efforts conducted by African countries in accordance with their international and regional commitments, the relationship between corruption and development, capacity building and human resources, the role of civil society and the private sector, and how to enhance African inter-governmental coordination in combating corruption. The Egyptian president is the current chairman of the AU in 2019.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has directed government bodies to make available all the necessary resources to ensure the success of the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which Egypt is hosting from 21 June till 19 July. El-Sisi has instructed state authorities to coordinate in preparing for the tournament, describing the event as “a special sports celebration with African brothers in Egypt amid its current chairmanship of African Union,” according to a statement by Egyptian presidency spokesman Bassam Rady. President El-Sisi made the comments in a meeting attended by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Defence and Military Production Minister Mohamed Zaki, Interior Minister Mahmoud Tawfik, Youth and Sports Minister Ashraf Sobhy, General Intelligence chief Abbas Kamel, and presidential aide for national and strategic projects Sherif Ismail. The officials discussed a number of issues related to the tournament, including security preparations; arrangements for transportation for teams and spectators; the provision of necessary medical services; the provision of fan IDs and tickets; media coverage; tourist services and hotel readiness; upgrades to sports infrastructure in stadiums and training facilities in the governorates and cities hosting the games; and preparations for opening and closing games. Egypt won the hosting rights of the 2019 African Cup of Nations after winning a majority of votes in a January meeting of the executive committee of the Confederation of African Football. The 2019 AFCON is taking place between 21 June and 19 July. The tournament will be played in Cairo, Alexandria, Suez and Ismailia. Egypt previously hosted four editions of the cup; in 1959, 1974, 1986 and 2006. The Pharaohs have won the prestigious competition seven times

After a one-month holiday, Egypt s parliament – the House of Representatives –convened on Sunday to discuss and vote on a batch of new laws. Parliament approved amendments to six laws aimed at regulating the performance of a number of judicial authorities; the Supreme Constitutional Court (law 48/1979), the Administrative Prosecution Authority (law 117/1958), the State Cases Authority (law 57/1963), the Military Justice (law 25/1966), the Judicial Authority (law 46/1972), and the State Council (law 47/1972). Parliament speaker Ali Abdel-Aal said the approval of these laws represents the first implementation of constitutional amendments passed by the House on 16 April and approved in a public referendum on 23 April. A report prepared by parliament s Legislative and Constitutional Affairs Committee said that the amendments were necessary to bring the laws regulating these judicial authorities in line with the constitutional amendments. “The committee has already reviewed the drafts of the amended laws as referred by the government and a report is expected to be discussed and voted on during the plenary session scheduled for 9 June,” said chairman of the committee Bahaaeddin Abu Shoqa. The referendum covered 12 constitutional articles, four of which—articles 185, 189, 190 and 193—deal with judicial authorities, the selection of the prosecutor-general, the State Council and the naming of the head of the Supreme Constitutional Court. With regards to the latter, said committee deputy head Ahmed Helmi El-Sherif, the amended article allows the chairman of the court to be picked by the president from among the court’s deputy heads. The court’s commissioners will also be named by the president based on recommendation from the court’s chairman and according to the will of the court’s general assembly. “This does not violate the independence of the court or infringe upon its powers,” said El-Sherif. “It gives the president a symbolic right: to name the head of this judicial authority based on nominations by members and the general assembly.” The State Council Law (47/1972) has been redrafted in line with amended Article 190. “The redraft details the mandate of the State Council; settling administrative disputes, disciplinary cases and appeals, revising draft laws and decrees,” said El-Sherif. “Changes to the Judicial Authority Law (46/1972), in line with amended Article 189, state that the prosecutor-general is to be named by the president from three candidates nominated by the Higher Council for Judicial Authorities, and that the prosecutor-general’s term in office be four years.” The two laws regulating the Administrative Prosecution Authority (117/1958) and the State Cases Authority were also redrafted in line with changes to Article 185 of the constitution allowing the president to name the authorities’ heads from among the most senior deputy heads. “A Higher Council for Judicial Authorities will be created with the president as its head. In the case of the president’s absence, the head of a judicial authority will be delegated,” said El-Sherif. Redrafted laws also regulate the performance of military courts (44/1966) in line with changes to Article 204. “The redraft states that civilians can be tried before military courts only in cases involving crimes against military camps, in military zones and along borders, involving military equipment, vehicles, weapons, ammunition, documents, secrets, funds and army factories,” said El-Sherif. Parliament also voted on Sunday in favour of increasing the pensions of retired military personnel by 15 percent (or EGP 150 as minimum and EGP 900 maximum). "The increase will go into effect on 1 July 2019, and the Ministry of Finance said it will cover the new increase, and that pensions of retired military personnel represent only 8 percent of total pensions in Egypt," said a report prepared by parliament s manpower committee. Parliament also approved amendments of a law (law 182/1960) aimed at fighting the trafficking of drugs. A report prepared by the House s health affairs committee said the amendments are necessary to clamp down on new kinds of drugs and narcotics which infiltrated the Egyptian market in recent years. Parliament speaker Ali Abdel-Aal said the new amendment was necessary in order to safeguard the people – particularly the young people – from the dangers of new kinds of drugs on their physical and psychological health.

The high school thanaweya amma exams began on Saturday, MENA reported, with 615,348 students taking part. According to the state-run agency, the first exam, the Arabic language test, went “smoothly,” without any disturbances. Students in their final school year are taking the exams, which cover a range of subjects, at 1,817 examination centres nationwide. According to education ministry officials, a number of attempts to cheat using mobile phones were detected in several governorates, with necessary legal measures being taken after the students were identified. Egypt has been trying to tackle online leaks of exam papers in recent years, toughening the penalties for cheating and other violations, including publishing exam papers and having mobile phones or other devices in examination rooms. Test scores determine which university students will be able to study at, and which subject.

Egypt’s security forces killed 14 terrorist elements Wednesday in pursuit of those involved in an attack against a security checkpoint earlier in North Sinai’s El-Arish city, the Egyptian interior ministry announced. According to a ministry statement, security forces managed to locate the preparators in an abandoned house they used as a hideout in a remote area in El-Arish city. The statement added that as soon as the suspects realised that security forces had besieged them, they opened fire. Fourteen automatic rifles and three explosive devices were found in the hideout, the statement read. High State Security is currently investigating the incident. Early Wednesday morning, eight Egyptian policemen were killed in an attack against a security checkpoint south of El-Arish. Five terrorist elements were killed in the shootout between the policemen and the attackers while the rest fled the scene. Late Wednesday, an Islamic State affiliated group in North Sinai claimed responsibility in an online statement, claiming that 10 policemen were killed in two attacks: one at a checkpoint south of El-Arish and another at a checkpoint in a "nearby area." Hundreds of police officers and soldiers have been killed in terrorist attacks in the last five years in North Sinai. In February 2018, the army launched a nationwide offensive against the Islamist terrorists, focused mainly on North Sinai. According to official figures, around 650 terrorist elements have been killed since the start of the operation, while the army has lost some 50 soldiers.

A shootout took place in the early hours of Wednesday between Egyptian security forces and a number of terrorists who attacked a security checkpoint south of El-Arish city in North Sinai. According to a statement by the interior ministry, the exchange of fire resulted in the killing of five terrorists as well as a police officer, a low-ranking policeman and six soldiers. Security forces are searching for the remaining terrorists involved in the attack.