Egypt’s annual core inflation, which strips out subsidized goods and volatile items including fruit and vegetables, increased to 9.9 percent in March from 9.7 percent in February, the central bank said on Thursday. Urban consumer inflation rate stood at 9.8 percent in March, unchanged from February, according to the country’s official statistics agency CAPMAS. [Reuters]

Jordan plans to issue $1 billion of sovereign bonds backed by the US to help reduce its budget deficit, according to the central bank governor. Last October, the kingdom’s $1.25 billion of sovereign bonds backed by the US sold with a coupon of 2.503 percent. [Reuters]

Tunisia’s trade deficit rose 36 percent in the first quarter of this year compared with the same quarter last year. The State Statistics Institute said the deficit grew from TND 2.418 billion ($1.52 billion) in the January-to-March quarter of 2013 to TND 3.290 billion in the same quarter of this year. [Reuters]

Yemen in its 2014 budget allocated more than half a trillion riyals towards infrastructure projects in a bid to stimulate economic growth and create job opportunities. About YER 591.2 billion ($2.8 billion) was allocated for infrastructure projects out of the overall budget of YER 2.88 trillion ($13.4 billion). [Al-Shofra]

Egypt’s Planning Minister to announce subsidy reform before next month’s election | Reuters

Electricity minister says summer power cuts will not exceed one hour | Mada Masr

South Sudan conflict and Egypt’s hydro politics | Sudan Tribune

Libya rebels hand over oil ports to army | AFP

USAID testimony on mission in Morocco

EBRD to support FDI in Tunisia | TAP

MENA region ‘strategically well-placed’ to supply world with energy | Gulf Times