CAIRO: The interim government’s decision to except banks, economic organizations, and public sector businesses from maximum wage restrictions has attracted criticism from a number of political movements.

Construction of a new memorial in the center of Tahrir Square dedicated to the martyrs of the 25 January and 30 June uprisings has stirred controversy among critics.

CAIRO: The 50-member committee tasked with amending the suspended 2012 constitution has included an article from the Italian constitution which would allow citizens to file lawsuits against ministers, said Tamarod movement founder and representative in the committee Mahmoud Badr.

CAIRO: There is no doubt that Russia has succeeded in taking advantage of the failure of American policies to forcibly change the map of the Middle East by using its religious extreme right-wingers.

CAIRO: Wahid Abdul Mageed, leader in the National Salvation Front, criticized Wednesday assigning a maximum wage of 42,000 EGP without searching for serious solutions to end unemployment.

Nine high school students who belong to the Revolutionary Socialists movement were captured then detained from outside their school in Damietta on Tuesday.

Ruslan Pukhov, member of the Advisory Board of the Russian Defense Ministry, told the U.S. Bloomberg network that Egypt is concluding a Russian arms deal estimated at US$2 billion for MiG-29 fighter jets, air defense systems and anti-tank missiles.

CAIRO: Army and police forces still have the authority to face violence when the emergency state is terminated, Ahmed Fawzi, general trustee of the Social Democratic Party, said Wednesday.

The final report on violations of the Egyptian Trade Union Federation (ETUF) condemns former chiefs of the federation, according to an informed source from Central Auditing Organization (CAO).

CAIRO: Journalists withdrew from the 50-member committee press conference held by head of the committee Amr Moussa and Sameh Ashour, chairman of the Lawyer Association, protesting the refusal of the committee members to answer their questions.

Twenty new provisions protecting freedoms have been incorporated into Egypt's draft charter, a spokesperson has said.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Nabil Fahmy met with the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Robert Serry on Tuesday in Cairo to discuss ongoing peace efforts between Israel and Palestine. The two sides also discussed the issue of Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Lawyer Farid al-Deeb, head of former President Hosni Mubarak's defense, has said his client is free to move across Egypt after the lifting of the state of emergency.

The United States welcomed the lifting Tuesday of a three-months long state of emergency in Egypt, imposed after the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

CAIRO: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Turkey’s ambassador to Cairo Hussein Awni Botasaly Tuesday regarding statements made by Turkish officials about Egypt, reported Youm7.

Egypt's administrative court ordered on Tuesday that the state of emergency be lifted at 4 pm this afternoon, and not on Thursday as was previously announced by the cabinet.

A survey conducted by the Egyptian Center for Public Opinion Research, also known as Baseera, has revealed that 62 percent of Egyptians approve of an anti-terrorism act while 57 percent agree to another draft law dealing with political demonstrations.

Egypt has been ranked the worst country in the Arab League states for women’s rights, according to a recent poll conducted by Thomson Reuters conduct a poll on women’s rights, with Comoros rated as the best.

Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will talk with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoigu, about ways to build on military cooperation with Egypt in the future, said a military source.

Tourism Ministry has announced the cabinet decision to cancel the state of emergency, taking effect in South Sinai and the Red Sea starting Tuesday.

The killing of 11-year-old Mohamed Badawi was a “crime against humanity,” according to the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights (EOHR). The rights group strongly condemned the death of the minor, who was killed last Friday when clashes erupted between pro-Mohamed Morsi demonstrators and residents of the Omraneya area of Giza.