A jailed cousin of former Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi has accused Egypt of trading his freedom and its principles for US$2 billion (Dh7.34bn) in aid for the floundering economy.

"I, the undersigned, of my full volition as a member of the National Assembly of the Egyptian people, hereby announce that I withdraw confidence from the President of the Republic, Dr. Mohammed Morsi Isa al-Ayyat, and I call for the holding of early presidential elections. I hold fast to the goals of the revolution, and working toward attaining them and spreading a campaign of insurrection among the ranks of the public so that together, we can bring about a society of dignity, justice and freedom."

Only 18 companies are currently licensed to distribute bottled water in Egypt, the health ministry stated on Tuesday. According to a ministry press release, the licensed brands are Haya, Safi, Aqua Siwa, Siwa, Aman Siwa, Nahl, Organica, Aqua Sky, Mineral, Nestle, Vera, Baraka, Alpha, Aquafina, Tiba, Aqua Delta, Dasani, and Aqua Paris.

Some 1.1 million tourists visited Egypt in March 2013, a 20.5 percent increase on March of last year, government statistics agency CAPMAS reported on Tuesday. However, figures are still lower than the March 2010 level of 1.3 million tourists.

An independent forensic reports suggests that Egyptian journalist El-Husseini Abu-Deif, who died in hospital after being injured in clashes in December, was probably killed by a bullet fired by a “professional.”

An Egyptian criminal court on Tuesday ordered the release of Mubarak-era tourism minister Zuhair Garana pending his retrial on corruption charges. Garana was sentenced to three years in prison in 2011 for issuing licenses to tourism companies despite being stripped of the authority to do so.

After gathering more than 200 signatures from members of Egypt's cultural community opposed to last week's appointment of new culture minister Alaa Abdel-Aziz, artists and intellectuals have taken their opposition to the next level by organising a protest march.

An Egyptian newspaper is standing by its report of what it says is the first interview with ex-President Hosni Mubarak since his overthrow, despite a denial by Mr Mubarak's lawyer.

A cousin of late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi went on trial in Egypt on Monday on charges of attempted murder in a case that has blocked his extradition to Libya.

Waleed Hammad dressed conservatively for his secret mission into the world of sexual harassment and abuse on the streets of Cairo, donning a long tan skirt and sleeved shirt, and at times covering his head like many Egyptian women.

The security problems in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula since the January 2011 revolution have become a topic of concern for many; but the inhabitants of the region also complain about a chronic lack of development, which is contributing to the other problems.

Former Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak said it was too early to judge President Mohamed Morsi, saying the Islamist politician faced a difficult job, in comments billed as his first interview since his removal from power in 2011.

The six arrested during a solidarity protest for activists charged with belonging to radical Black Bloc groups in April have been found innocent by a Cairo Appeal Court on Monday.

Egypt's 6 April Youth Group has joined the recently launched 'Rebel Movement' campaign, which aims to collect citizens' signatures for a petition calling for a vote of no-confidence in the administration of President Mohamed Morsi.

Opposition figure Emad Gad criticised attempts by Egyptian authorities to arrest him at Cairo International Airport on Wednesday.

Egypt's talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) over an elusive $4.8 billion loan are “serious,” and the negotiations with the global lender are ongoing, said the newly-appointed finance minister on Sunday.

Egypt’s High Constitutional Court (HCC) is set to rule Sunday on three highly-anticipated cases of national significance: the constitutionality of the Shura Council (the upper house of parliament that currently holds legislative power), the legality of the second Constituent Assembly that drafted the country’s standing constitution, passed amid controversy late last year, and two appeals against emergency law.

The lawyer of Hosni Mubarak has denied that a recent interview with the deposed president, published in privately-owned Egyptian daily Al-Watan, took place.

Sucking tobacco smoke through a water pipe shared with three fellow farmers during a midday tea break, Osama Abdel-Ghani surveys the ripening wheat that Egypt is counting on to help feed its people.

Three Egyptians were injured on Wednesday after a train car disconnected and derailed on a track in Upper Egypt's Assiut governorate.

Giza Criminal Court has postponed the trial of prominent activists Alaa Abdel-Fattah and Mona Seif until 3 September.