Pope Francis demanded swift action on Thursday to save the planet from environmental ruin, urging world leaders to hear "the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor", plunging the Catholic Church into political controversy over climate change.

The death sentences served to Egypt's ousted Islamist President Mohamed Mursi and five others for escaping prison in 2011 is a "worrying development", the European Union said late Tuesday.

Al Qaeda militants in Yemen executed two Saudi men accused of spying for the United States on Wednesday, two eyewitnesses said, a day after the group announced its leader was killed in a suspected U.S. drone strike.

Bombs found at an abandoned stronghold of Boko Haram Islamists exploded, killing at least 13 people and injuring 45 others in northeast Nigeria, locals and a hospital source said.

International human rights organisations condemned Egypt’s criminal court’s new death sentences handed to deposed president Mohamed Morsi and Muslim Brotherhood leaders on Tuesday.

Pope Francis on Wednesday called for respect for migrants and suggested that "people and institutions" who close doors to them should seek forgiveness from God.

A Cairo court on Tuesday sentenced ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi to death and to life in jail in two different trials, as Egyptian courts continue to rule in cases against alleged supporters of the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood group from which he hails.

Security forces have arrested a man on Tuesday in the Daqahleya governorate, claiming he was the leader of a local “Islamic State” (IS) cell consisting of six members, as reported by local Egyptian media outlets.

An Egyptian court's decision to sentence deposed President Mohamed Morsi to death was based on politics, not the law, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday.

After 16 days of forced disappearance, Esra Al-Tawil has been spotted at the Al-Qanater prison, according to the "Freedom for the Brave" Facebook page.

Somali Islamist militants detonated a roadside bomb on Tuesday southwest of the capital Mogadishu when a military vehicle was passing and killed at least three soldiers, a military officer and the rebel group said.

Egypt's ambassador to the Vatican handed Pope Francis an official invitation to visit Egypt from President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, Al-Ahram newspaper reported Monday.

Justice Minister Ahmed al-Zend met with Pope Tawadros II on Monday to discuss the building of churches and personal status draft laws.

Unknown assailants bombed three electricity pylons in Giza's Awsim late Sunday, which led to a power outage in a number of districts, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported.

Egypt's public prosecutor referred on Sunday to military prosecution 58 alleged Muslim Brotherhood members who are accused of terrorism-related charges between 2013 and 2014, a step ahead of a military trial.

A 17-year old who left northern England to join Islamic State was reported to have become Britain's youngest suicide bomber when he blew himself up in a car in northern Iraq, British media said after the militants posted pictures on social media.

Archbishop Royce Morcos, spokesman of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Alexandria, said the Clerical Board has granted second marriage permits to 30 Coptic Christians in Alexandria, adding that it has been considering issuing 18 other permits since January.

The Minya Criminal Court postponed on Sunday the retrial of Muslim Brotherhood Guide Mohamed Badie and 78 others in the case known as the “Adua” incident to August 30 in order to discuss the testimonies of the prosecution's witnesses.

The Agouza Misdemeanor Court sentenced five Brotherhood supporters in absentia to five years in prison on Sunday, with a fine of LE100,000 over charges of inciting riots, thuggery and blocking a main road in Giza several months ago.

The leader of Tunisia’s Muslim Brotherhood-inspired Ennahda Movement, Rachid al-Ghannouchi, is seeking a Saudi-sponsored political settlement between the Brotherhood and the Egyptian government, Egypt’s local media reported.

A 17-year old who left northern England to join Islamic State was reported to have become Britain's youngest suicide bomber when he blew himself up in a car in northern Iraq, British media said after the militants posted pictures on social media.