The case of 5-year-old Shenouda’s custody sent shockwaves across the country, prompting human and children rights groups to call for his return to his foster parents.
Based on official government figures and estimates published in recent years, from nine to 14 million Egyptians live abroad; tens of thousands of them have been living in self-exile to avoid repression at home.
Sunday's announcement came one day before Fitch Solutions released a report, raising its projection for Egypt's inflation during 2023 to 25.9 per cent, up from the 18.3 per cent it projected in February.
Over the past months, the prices of basic commodities, mostly imported, witnessed unprecedented hikes which put low and average-income households in a dire situation.
Analysis: For years, Egypt remained reluctant about officially declaring the partial return of ties with Syria, but both Cairo and Damascus have seized upon a diplomatic opening following the deadly earthquake last month.
The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) has imposed three devaluations before the US dollar making the local currency almost 50 per cent weaker over the past year.
Israeli media reported that an Egyptian trade delegation was expected in Israel soon to cut deals that include importing food produce amid shortages in Egypt.
"The 14 individuals have been arbitrarily detained since 2018 and are being tried by an emergency state security court, violating their right to a fair trial," the UK-based human rights watchdog said in a statement.
Patrick George Zaki, an Egyptian-Italian graduate student and a human rights researcher, was arrested in February 2020 - en route from Italy where he studied - and held in pre-trial detention for over a year and a half before his trial kicked off.
