Egypt on Monday signed an agreement on US aid worth $190 million. US Ambassador in Cairo Anne Patterson in attendance. Egyptian Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Ashraf El-Arabi said that the grant was the first tranche of a US aid package to Egypt worth $1 billion announced by President Barack Obama in May 2011. State-run newspaper Al Ahram reported today that El-Arabi said the agreement would be presented to the Egyptian Shura Council (the upper house of parliament) for ratification. The grant is expected to be received before the year’s end.