CAIRO - US officials met members of the Muslim Brotherhood's political party, a US diplomat said, after Washington announced it would have direct contacts with Egypt's biggest Islamist group whose role has grown since US ally Hosni Mubarak was ousted. Washington announced the plans in June, portraying such contacts as the continuation of an earlier policy. But analysts said it reflected a new approach to the way it dealt with a group which Mubarak banned from politics.

CAIRO/DUBAI - Egypt's bourse rose on Sunday on relief that a weekend protest to demand a swifter move to civilian rule was less violent than some investors feared, while trading was muted on most Gulf markets.

CAIRO: Thousands of protesters rallied in Tahrir Square on Friday dubbed "Reclaiming

CAIRO — Egypt's military ruler has defended his testimony in the trial of ousted President Hosni Mubarak, denying that the army was ordered to shoot protesters during the uprising earlier this year.

CAIRO - Zamalek and Enppi have advanced to the Egypt Cup final after defeating Harras el-Hodoud and Arab Contractors 2-1, 8-7 (on penalties kicks) respectively in their semi-final games on Saturday. Zamalek's coach Hassan Shehata expressed his delight at the result that has sent the White Knights through to the final.

CAIRO - The credibility of Egypt's first elections since the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak was thrown into question Thursday after a coalition led by the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood threatened a boycott. A statement late Wednesday by the Democratic Coalition said its members would not stand in November's legislative elections if a controversial article in the new electoral law was not amended.

CAIRO: Over 20 political powers including the April 6 Youth Movement, the Coalition of the Youth of the Revolution, the Revolution Forces Alliance, the National Association for Change and Kefaya are participating in mass protests in Tahrir Square on Friday dubbed the Friday "Reclaiming the Revolution." The Democratic Front, Al-Wasat, Al-Wafd, Al-Ghad and Al-Tagammu are also among the participating parties.

CAIRO - An Egyptian court on Wednesday sentenced former Information Minister Anas el-Feqqi to seven years in prison for squandering public fun from the state television union, the latest prison sentence to be handed to a member of Hosni Mubarak's former cabinet. The court also sentenced Osama el-Sheikh, the former head of the union, to five years on the same charges, the court ruled.

CAIRO: A walkabout in central Cairo by Egypt's military ruler Field Marshal Hussein Tantawy donning civilian clothes has unleashed a torrent of questions about his political intentions. Tantawy took a stroll in Cairo's Downtown area on Monday night wearing a business suit and with no personal security in tow.

CAIRO: Parliamentary election, the first since a popular revolt ousted president Hosni Mubarak in February, will start on November 28, the official MENA news agency reported on Tuesday. "The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces has set November 28 as the start of the first stage of the parliamentary election, which will be held over three rounds," it reported.

CAIRO – The Minister of Tourism Mounir Fakhri Abdel-Nour opened, on Tuesday, global festivities organised in Aswan to mark World Tourism Day, launched in collaboration with the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).

CAIRO: Presidential hopeful Mohamed ElBaradie met representatives of farmers unions

CAIRO - A fresh attack overnight on a pipeline delivering gas from Egypt to Israel left one person injured, witnesses and Egyptian security sources said Tuesday. At least three gunmen in a van opened fire on a gas installation before an explosion hit the pipeline near the town of al-Arish in the north of the Sinai peninsula, witnesses said.

CAIRO: Political forces slammed Monday amendments made to the parliament law that increase the share of party lists from 50 percent to two-thirds of the seats, while reducing the number of seats in both houses of parliament.

CAIRO: Following an altercation with reporters, lawyers representing the families

CAIRO – Egypt's Police and Armed Forces in Ismailia have seized four boxes containing eight anti-aircraft surface-to-air missiles and three empty boxes that probably included RPGs missiles, www.egynews.net reported on Sunday.

CAIRO: Public school teachers decided to suspend nation-wide strikes for one week until the education ministry presents a timeline for meeting their demands following a mass protest on Saturday. But teachers in some schools in Beni Seuif, Sharkiya, Suez and parts of Cairo continued the strike pending “positive steps” by the ministry, said Hala Talaat, activist and teacher.

CAIRO - Egypt's military rulers have agreed to amend election rules, state-run media said on Saturday, but some politicians say the changes still leave too much scope for supporters of ousted President Hosni Mubarak to seek parliamentary seats.

CAIRO: Mohamed ElBaradei was in his hometown of Ibyar in Al-Gharbeya governorate on Friday to “visit family,” according to the press office of the campaign supporting ElBaradei as Egypt’s next president.

ALEXANDRIA - Alexandria's criminal court on Saturday adjourned, until 22 October, the trial of two policemen implicated in the death of Khaled Saeed. Saeed, born in 1982, was allegedly beaten to death by two policemen in Alexandria on 6 June, 2010.

CAIRO (Updated) - Egypt's state of emergency will remain in place until June 2012, a military official said Wednesday, stressing that the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) seeks to "end the emergency as soon as possible".