Top Headlines

• Saudi Arabia and Egypt agree to a $10 billion deal to build a new mega city
• Saudi Crown Prince meets Coptic Pope Tawadros II at Coptic Orthodox Church in Cairo
• Saudi crown prince winds up trip to Egypt with a mosque visit
• Eni sells stake in Egypt’s Zohr gasfield to the UAE-based investment fund Mubadala
• Egypt army says 16 extremely dangerous jihadists are killed in Sinai operation
• Egypt’s chief spy and Qatar’s top diplomat in Khartoum for separate talks with Sudanese officials
• Egyptian prosecutors seek death sentence for photographer Shawakan
• Inflation in Egypt in February decreased to 14.3% compared to 31.7% in February 2017

MBS becomes first Saudi Crown Prince to visit Cathedral & meet Coptic Pope in Egypt. Photo via al-Arabiya

Main Headlines

Monday

• Saudi Arabia and Egypt agree to a $10 billion deal to build a new mega city
• Sisi to Saudi Crown Prince: Gulf security is an integral of Egypt’s security
• Egypt’s Sisi and Saudi Crown Prince bin Salman to attend performance at Cairo Opera House
• Saudi Crown Prince meets Coptic Pope Tawadros II at Coptic Orthodox Church in Cairo
• The Egyptian stock exchange expects as many as 7 intial public offering this Year, most since 2011
• Egypt’s foreign reserves soar from $4.3 billion to 42.5 billion after, among many economic improvements, last month’s Eurobond sale

 Tuesday

• Cairo, Riyadh reiterate rejection of interference by Iran and Qatar
• Sisi, Saudi Crown Prince MBS inaugurate completion of renovation of Al-Azhar mosque
• Sudanese Ambassador to Egypt Abdel Moamoud Abdel Halim returns to Cairo two months after he was recalled
• British MPs ask Egypt for access to jailed ex-president over health concerns
• Egypt detains 6 over play seen as an insult to security forces

Wednesday

• Egyptian Cabinet approves agreement to establish $7 billion Russian Industrial Zone in East Port Said
• Egypt receives last $1.15 billion from World Bank series of loans
• Egypt’s SIS hands BBC ‘protest note’ over report alleging torture, forced disappearances in Egypt
• Egyptian prosecutors seek death sentence for photographer Shawakan
• Inflation in Egypt in February decreased to 14.3% compared to 31.7% in February 2017

Thursday

• Egyptian court dismisses last corruption case against Mubarak-era steel tycoon Ahmed Ezz
• Egypt dismisses UN human rights criticism as “baseless”

Friday

• Cairo denies reports that 100 Egyptians were deported from Germany
• Disappeared leftist activists Gamal Abdel Fattah and Hassan Hussein brought before State Security Prosecution for interrogations
• Sudan proposes joint-military force with Egypt to protect borders

Saturday

• An Egyptian court sentences 10 people to death in Imbaba “terrorist cell” case
• 7 Ultras Ahlawy are arrested following clashes with police
• Egypt’s Grand Mufti condemns suicide blast at Kabul Shia gathering
• Egypt expects budget deficit of 9.5-9.7 pct in 2017-18 fiscal year

Sunday

• Eni sells stake in Egypt’s Zohr gas field to the UAE-based investment fund Mubadala
• Egypt’s chief spy and Qatar’s top diplomat in Khartoum for separate talks with Sudanese officials
• Cairo court sets 10 April date for hearing on closing BBC’s Cairo office
• 16 ‘extremely dangerous’ armed takfiris killed, three leaders arrested in Sinai
• Armed Forces: 121 militants, 18 military personnel killed and 554 explosive devices destroyed so far in operation Sinai 2018
• Egypt to issue international tender to explore oil in Red Sea
• Arab ambassadors endorse Sisi for president at campaign HQ
• Anchor Khariy Ramadan returns to television after being arrested for “wronging police”

 Interesting Reports

• Egypt and Sudan: Diplomatic pacification, unresolved affairs. Mada Masr
• Grappling with forms of justice: Combating sexual violence in civil society. Dina Makram Edeid
• Will Egypt’s Mubarak-era National Democratic Party make a comeback? Sonia Farid
• All you need you know about Egypt’s plans for new Saudi mega city NEOM. Al-Arabiya
• Egypt launches unprecedented crackdown on media ahead of Sis re-election bid. France 24

Good Read

• Ahead of a farcical election, Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi goes after the press. The Economist
• In Egypt’s presidential election, a strongman’s only challenger is barely campaigning. Sudarsan Raghavan

From Twitter

Plus

• Residents of Cairo’s Maspero Triangle cling on as demolition looms

Finally, here are Jayson Casper’s prayers for Egypt