Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, head of the ruling Supreme Council of Armed Forces, said Saturday that the armed forces will hand over power to an elected civilian president and guarantee the drafting of a constitution that pleases all Egyptians.

As others have fallen by the wayside, Amr Moussa stepped up his campaign for the Egyptian presidency on Wednesday, going to a informal area of Cairo to launch his platform in a bid to win over voters, whose choices have been narrowed down in only a few days.

Hatem Bagato, head commissioner of the Supreme Constitutional Court, has told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the Commissioners Department in the court hasn’t yet finished its report about the constitutionality of the voting system that elected the current Parliament.

Thirty-four different political movements and parties have appealed for all Egyptians to join the Friday 20 April demonstrations against former regime remnants and continued military rule, in a statement released Wednesday. The document also adopted a critical tone against the Muslim Brotherhood, asserting they were "dividing revolutionary lines" and should reconsider their stands.

The list of candidates for Egypt’s next president was finalized on Tuesday evening when the Presidential Elections Commission (PEC) announced that the appeals against disqualification of 10 potential candidates, including several possible frontrunners, had been rejected. As Egypt moves towards the first round of elections on 23 and 24 May, 13 candidates remain.

Egypt’s Finance Minister Momtaz El-Saeed announced on Wednesday that the country's external debt shrank by 1.5 per cent to represent 13.3 per cent of GDP in December 2011, down to $33.7 billion against $35 billion in the same month the year before.

A People’s Assembly committee on Wednesday approved in principle a bill that would grant comprehensive amnesty to people suspected or convicted of political charges under toppled President Hosni Mubarak. The proposed pardon, approved by the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee, would apply to convictions handed down between 6 October 1981 — the date of Anwar al-Sadat’s assassination — and 11 February 2011, when Mubarak resigned.

Egypt's Supreme Presidential Electoral Commission (SPEC) announced Tuesday its final decision to disqualify ten candidates from the presidential race, including the Salafist Hazem Salah Abu-Ismail, Muslim Brotherhood Deputy Leader Khairat El-Shater and Mubarak's former intelligence chief Omar Suleiman.

Bad weather in Cairo and several other governorates has severely reduced visibility, disrupted maritime navigation and slowed down traffic. The Egyptian Meteorological Authority on Wednesday warned of bad weather conditions, saying sandstorms are expected to rage and calling on drivers to be cautious.

The Supreme Presidential Electoral Commission (SPEC) has officially barred 10 contenders from running in upcoming presidential elections, according to Egypt's state news agency, MENA. Tuesday's decision confirms this past weekend's initial disqualification

The National Association for Change warned Tuesday against impulsiveness in drafting the country’s new constitution or circumventing the court ruling that suspended the panel tasked with writing it.

The ‘Ana Asaf ya Rayas’ (We are sorry Mr President) Facebook pagehas launched an electronic book that detailed the achievements of ousted president Hosni Mubarak.

Judges overseeing the Port Said football disaster trial postponed the case until May to listen to eyewitnesses. The first session of the trial was twice adjourned on Tuesday when defendants, who deny any role in the disaster, began yelling from inside their cage.

Egypt's ruling military has inserted a new element of confusion even as Egypt tries to sort out turmoil surrounding its upcoming presidential elections. The generals now insist a new constitution be written before a new president is seated, a rushed timeframe that some fear may prolong their hold on power.

A member of the ruling military council on Tuesday rejected suggestions that military judiciary cases be transferred to civilian courts, describing the demand as an infringement on the jurisdiction of military courts.

Postponing the presidential election until the body writing the new constitution finishes its work is unacceptable under any circumstance, said presidential hopeful Hamdeen Sabbahi Tuesday.

Protesters on Monday called for the release of an activist they say has been kidnapped by the police. Around 40 people gathered on the steps of the Public Prosecutor’s Office and chanted against the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and the Interior Ministry, who they allege kidnapped activist Mohamed Fahmy.

At 10am, the Egyptian zoo in Giza – one of the most popular venues for Sham El-Nasim celebrations – was already packed. Lines of visitors stood waiting to buy tickets, chatting happily with one another as they awaited their turn to enter the garden.

Presidential hopeful Amr Moussa warned Sunday against prolonging an interim period that he said was marked by confused choices. He emphasized the need to conduct the presidential election as scheduled. On his Twitter account, the former Arab League secretary general said holding the election as scheduled for 23 and 24 May is vital. Failing to hold the election would have dangerous consequences, particularly from an economic viewpoint, he said.

Mohamed ElBaradei, former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and one-time presidential hopeful, has blasted recent calls by Hussein Tantawi, head of Egypt's ruling military council, to draft a new Egyptian constitution before presidential elections are held next month.

Egyptian finance officials are joining their global counterparts in Washington this week as they gather for the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.