CAIRO: For a country where over-the-top venality characterized politics for decades, Egypt's

CAIRO: An Egyptian court convicted former finance minister Youssef Boutros-Ghali in absentia on Saturday and sentenced him to 30 years in prison for profiteering and abusing state and private assets, a court source said.

CAIRO - Spearheaded by local and Arab buying, Egyptian stocks rebounded on Sunday, ending a three-day losing streak, traders said. Fears of a new tax targeting capital gains were soothed after a statement by the country's Minister of Finance Samir Radwan on Saturday that the Government aims only "to tax dividends", and that gains from trading in stocks "will not be taxed". "The Government mulls to tax dividends of corporations, joint-stock, and

CAIRO: In what was named by some Facebook groups as the “Friday of Work,” Tahrir Square witnessed a diminutive presence compared to previous weeks, marked by disjointed demands. The square, which last week saw tens of thousands on what was dubbed the “Second Friday of Anger,” was relatively empty as traffic flowed throughout the day with hundreds of scattered protesters without a coherent set of demands.

CAIRO - Finance Minister Samir Radwan said on Sunday Egypt was on the verge of concluding a $3 billion standby financing arrangement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) but was still working out some of the terms.

CAIRO - Former president Hosni Mubarak could stay in Sharm el-Sheikh where he is receiving medical treatment and the court that is going to try him could move to him there under certain conditions, according to Minister of Justice Mohamed Abdel-Aziz el-Guindi.

CAIRO - Egypt on Wednesday lifted the minimum monthly wage to LE700 ($117.8) in the country where regime-changing protests were partly fuelled by economic woes earlier in the year.

CAIRO: Ousted president Hosni Mubarak will stand trial on Aug. 3 along with his two sons Alaa and Gamal and businessman Hussein Salem, the Cairo Cassation Court said on Tuesday. The four were referred to the North Cairo Criminal Court, but the location of the trial is yet to be announced. Reports suggested that the trial might be in Sharm El-Sheikh; Mubarak has been remanded in custody at the Sharm El-Sheikh Hospital.

CAIRO - A high-ranking Egyptian military official denied comments carried by CNN saying the military had conducted forced "virginity tests" on female protesters in March, state al-Ahram newspaper reported on Wednesday.

CAIRO �" Most youth groups, formed after the January 25 revolution in which they played a major role, are expected on Wednesday to attend a question-and-answer meeting with the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces upon the latter's invitation.

CAIRO: Egyptian blogger and activist Hossam El-Hamalawy, television presenter Reem Maged and journalist Nabil Sharaf El-Din were released Tuesday after “chatting” with Military Prosecution. El-Hamalawy, known as 3arabawy, said he just “chatted” with officers and was asked to provide proof of reported violations by the military.

Driven by a profit-taking sentiment, Egypt's main index fell on Tuesday, ending a four-day gaining streak, traders said.

CAIRO - Egyptian blogger and democracy activist Hossam El-Hamalawy said on Monday he had been summoned for questioning by the army after he accused a military official of instigating abuses against civilians.

CAIRO: Hosni Mubarak’s fortune does not exceed $1 million and he has no money outside the country, said the ousted president’s lawyer Farid El-Deeb in an interview with CNN Sunday night. El-Deeb also said that Mubarak is "very sad and sorry" that he is accused of ordering that live ammunition be fired on protesters, but he has no regrets.

CAIRO: Communiqué 59 is a rebuttal of accusations that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) has an alliance with the Muslim Brotherhood, analyst Nabil Abdel Fattah, a researcher at Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, told Daily News Egypt. "The army's decision not to protect the protests in Tahrir on Friday sent a clear message to other political powers," Abdel Fattah claimed, "In addition to the army’s cooperation with the Brotherhood to launch a campaign to intimidate people and prevent them from protesting.”

CAIRO - About 8,959 persons, injured during the 18-day popular uprising against the former regime of president Hosni Mubarak, have undergone emergency surgeries in the Government-run hospitals, Ministry of Health officials said on Sunday.

CAIRO: The interrogation of ousted president Hosni Mubarak was reportedly interrupted three times after he broke out in tears when questioned on charges of killing protesters, misuse of power and profiteering.

CAIRO – In a rare appearance on state Egyptian TV, Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Mohamed Badei Sunday denied his influential group seeks to dominate the new parliament. "We do not seek to win the majority of seats in the Parliament, nor do we have a nominee for presidency," Badei, a veterinary professor, said. The Muslim Brotherhood, whose candidates used to run for Parliament as independents, gained one fifth of the legislature in the 2005 elections, but won a single seat in last year's polls, which were swept by president Hosni Mubarak's party.

CAIRO - An attempt to launch the National Council, a body of experts that will seek to suggest solutions to problems and policies to Egypt's Army and caretaker Government, went awry when attendees at the launching conference fist- fought and called each other names in opposition to the presence of some people in the council and the absence of others.

LONDON - The London-based Amnesty International welcomed Egypt's prosecution of former president Hosni Mubarak and his two sons, but said that all those responsible for the killings of anti-government protesters must stand trial.

Hundreds of Egyptians in the Mediterranean Sea town of protested outsied el-Arish on Wednesday the North Sinai Governorate offices against rampant lawlessness.