Egyptian presidential candidates Hamdeen Sabbahi and Abdel-Moneim Abul-Fotouh met in Cairo on Tuesday to discuss results of the first round of Egypt's presidential elections, which saw the two candidates come in at third and fourth place respectively.

Several religious edicts have been issued in support of the Freedom and Justice Party's Mohamed Morsy, who is running against Ahmed Shafiq in the presidential runoff set for 16 and 17 June.

An Egyptian court on Tuesday upheld a three year sentence against a 16-year-old Christian student for posting a drawing on his Facebook page that mocked Islam and the Prophet Mohamed.

The Egyptian Center for Human Rights has requested that the attorney general investigate statements of Mohamed Morsy and other leaders of the Freedom and Justice Party and the Muslim Brotherhood that accused the Copts of betraying the revolution by voting for Ahmed Shafiq.

Muslim Brotherhood presidential candidate Mohamed Mursi has sought to allay fears that his victory in next month's runoff poll would lead to the Brotherhood's domination of Egyptian political life.

Essam al-Erian, vice president of the Freedom and Justice Party, denied on Tuesday that Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie met with the Qatari chief of intelligence.

Funky dancing in a seaside bar, Vespa scooters on elegant, broad boulevards: the faded images of a lost Somalia and its ancient capital are at odds with a place now better known for famine and war.

Presidential candidate Abdel-Moneim Abul-Fotouh held a press conference on Monday afternoon to discuss the first stage of the presidential elections, in which he landed in fourth place according to the results announced by the Supreme Presidential Electoral Commission (SPEC).

Sayed Mostafa, the vice president of the Salafi Nour Party, has called on Mohamed Morsy, the presidential candidate of the Muslim Brotherhood and its Freedom and Justice Party, to develop a vision for the presidency that would include all political and revolutionary forces.

The Vatican, engulfed in the worst crisis in Pope Benedict's papacy, on Monday denied Italian media reports that cardinals were suspects in an investigation into leaks of sensitive documents that led to the arrest of the pope's butler.

(AINA) -- The official results of the first round of the Egyptian presidential elections were announced today, the run-off will be between Mohamed Morsy, the Muslim Brotherhood candidate, and Air Marshal Ahmad Shafik, Mubarak's last PM, who served for less than one month during the revolution and before Mubarak was ousted.

The Freedom and Justice Party has formed a committee to monitor media performance, as well as the stance of the party and the Muslim Brotherhood toward issues people care about, said Mohamed Emad Eddin, a member of the FJP parliamentary bloc.

Abdel Rahman al-Barr, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood Guidance Bureau, said bringing down presidential candidate Ahmed Shafiq is a "religious obligation."

upporting Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsy in the presidential runoff election is not negotiable because it is a religious issue, not a political one, a leader of the Salafi-oriented Nour Party has said.

The Muslim Brotherhood’s mistakes have negatively affected its popularity, said Mahdi Akef, a former supreme guide of the group.

Religious figures and intellectuals are struggling to repudiate accusations against Copts that they were the electoral force behind the rise of former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq during the first round of the presidential election.

Mohamed Mursi, the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate in the ongoing presidential elections, tried to appeal to disgruntled revolutionaries in an enthusiastic speech on Saturday night.

The committee managing the papal election closed nominations Saturday afternoon and will announce the final list of nominees in a Holy Synod meeting Wednesday.

MP Amr Hamzawy called Saturday on the Muslim Brotherhood to withdraw its presidential candidate, Mohamed Morsy, from the run-off in order to protect the revolution.

Presidential hopefuls Hamdeen Sabbahi, Abdel-Moneim Abul-Fotouh and Amr Moussa did not attend Saturday's meeting called by the Muslim Brotherhood and the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) to co-ordinate support for Mohamed Mursi in June's presidential runoff, according to Yehia Hamed, a FJP spokesman.

The deputy head of Jama'a al-Islamiya's Development and Construction Party, Hassan Hamdy, called Saturday on Islamic movements to apologize to Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh for betraying him in the presidential election.