Topping diplomatic coverage this morning: Egypt will receive GBP 1.8 mn from the British government through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for a Social Solidarity Ministry project, the British Embassy in Cairo said in a statement. The project aims to promote issues faced by vulnerable groups via social media, community dialogue events, and mass media, the embassy said.

On the trade front: The value of Egyptian cement exports fell 8% y-o-y in the first nine months of the year to USD 113 mn from the USD 123 mn last year, according to a report published by the Egyptian Building Materials Export Council picked up by Al Mal. Kenya was the biggest buyer during the period, importing some USD 33 mn of cement, while Libya imported USD 21.9 mn worth.

Egypt is preparing to host the 10-day “Sword of Arabs” military exercises at the Mohamed Naguib Military Base, at the same time it conducts drills with Sudan and Russia.