Russian air strikes in Syria do not appear to be targeting areas held by Islamic State-held forces and may extend beyond the vicinity of Homs to other areas, a U.S. official said on Wednesday.

A conscript was killed and a police officer injured Tuesday morning after militants on motorcycles opened fire on a security checkpoint south of Giza, Youm7 reported.

Endowments Minister Mohamed Mokhtar Gomaa, the head of the Egyptian Hajj Mission, said the death toll from the stampede in Mina rose to 74 among Egyptian pilgrims, although 98 pilgrims are still missing.

The government has largely failed to stop more than 250 Americans who have traveled overseas to join or tried to join terrorist groups, including the Islamic State group, a new congressional study concluded on Tuesday. It did not cite significant numbers who have sneaked back into the United States without being arrested or monitored.

Alexandria Criminal Court sentenced on Monday three Muslim Brotherhood members to death for involvement in the murder of an officer and a conscript near the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in the aftermath of the violent dispersals of Rabaa and Al-Nahda sit-ins in August 2013, state news agency MENA reported.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius accused Russia Tuesday of displaying bravado on the Syria crisis that had yet to be backed up with action against the Islamic State group.

University students loyal to former president Mohamed Morsi called for fresh protests against the incumbent government Monday, in line with the start of the new academic year.

With no regular American presence in the war theater, the U.S. has struggled to answer basic intelligence questions about the situation in Syria and Iraq, including the Islamic State group’s fighting strength. And the U.S.-led bombing campaign has failed to dislodge the group from its self-declared caliphate across both countries.

Pope Tawadros II, the most senior figure in Egypt’s Coptic tradition, led Sunday mass at Medhane Alem Cathedral in Addis Ababa with his Ethiopian counterpart Patriarch Mathias on Sunday, reported MENA news agency.

Russia appeared to seize the initiative in international efforts to end the conflict in Syria on Sunday as Washington scrambled to devise a new strategy for the war-ravaged country and France sent warplanes to bomb Islamic State targets.

Speaking to Ahram Online from one of Alexandria’s oldest and most famous tearooms, Alaa Khaled, who is an authority on the history and dynamics of Egypt’s most prominent port city, said that the Alexandrians who will vote in the upcoming parliamentary elections are very different from those who voted in the 2010 and 2011 elections.

Thirty-seven Egyptian pilgrims were killed in Thursday's deadly stampede during the hajj ritual near Mecca in Saudi Arabia, Minister of Endowments Mokhtar Gomaa said on Saturday.

Pope Francis met with victims of child sexual abuse Sunday on the final day of his U.S. visit and promised to hold accountable those responsible for the scandal in the church, delivering a powerful warning to American bishops accused of covering up for pedophile priests instead of reporting them to police.

Nine individuals identified by the Ministry of Interior as armed Muslim Brotherhood members were killed by Egyptian security forces Friday.

Egypt’s Dar al-Iftaa will present its experience in promoting dialogue of civilizations and countering extremism, at the Global Youth Summit Against Violent Extremism Monday, Adviser of Grand Mufti Ibrahim Negm stated.

When world leaders convene for the U.N. General Assembly this week, it will be a year since the U.S. president declared the formation of an international coalition to “degrade and ultimately destroy” the Islamic State group.

The Islamic State jihadist group claimed responsibility for a mosque bombing targeting Shias in Yemen's capital on Thursday that killed at least 25 people.

Three weapons caches, including 30 tons of explosives, were seized in the cities of Giza and Arish, said a statement by the Armed Forces.

A total of 27 people allegedly affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood were arrested in Alexandria Security Thursday over trying to establish “irregular” open areas to perform Eid al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice,) reported Youm7.

The Awqaf (Religious Endowment) Ministry announced Tuesday it has allocated 4,000 open air public areas nationwide to perform Eid al-Adha prayer scheduled for Thursday morning, Al-Ahram reported.

Pope Francis on Thursday urged the US Congress to help those fleeing war and poverty, and work to combat climate change, in a historic address to lawmakers that touched on many hot-button issues in US and global politics.