Egypt's Islamist parties have called, in a meeting initiated by the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, for a new national conference to discuss responses to a Nile dam being built by Ethiopia.

Ahram Online spoke to producer Mohamed El-Adl and publisher Mohamed Hashem about recent protests by artists and other members of Egypt's cultural scene against new culture minister Alaa Abdel-Aziz. Ahram Online (AO): Do you think the Minister of Culture, Alaa Abdel-Aziz, wants to "Brotherhoodise" the ministry, as some have argued was the case in the education ministry?

A group of Egyptian human rights groups on Tuesday issued a statement denouncing a recent court verdict against Coptic Christian lawyer Romani Mourad.

Egypt's controversial culture minister, Alaa Abdel-Aziz decides not to renew the term of the head of the Egyptian National Library and Archives (NLA), as expected, and instead appoints professor of Arabic literature at Menoufiya University, Khaled Fahmy.

Scores of judges converged outside Egypt's High Court in downtown Cairo on Monday evening to demonstrate against proposed amendments to a judicial authority bill intially tabled by Islamist parliamentarians in April.

An Egyptian opposition activist has been given a six-month suspended jail sentence for insulting President Mohammed Morsi, state media say.

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood questioned on Sunday the difference between the Shura Council verdict issued by the High Constitutional Court and the ruling that dissolved the Parliament’s lower house, People's Assembly, last year.

The development of Sinai is a national security issue, said Chairman of the Al-Nour Party Younis Makhyoun on Thursday, calling to revisit the Camp David Accords.

In a press conference held on Sunday at the headquarters of the Building and Development Party in 6 October City outside Cairo, the political wing of the Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya, the founders of the ‘Impartiality’ (tagarod) campaign announced that the initiative had managed to collect 2 million signatures supporting President Mohamed Morsi.

An Egyptian court on Wednesday fined TV host and Salafi preacher Khaled Abdallah L.E10,000 for insulting actress Hala Fakher. 6th of October City’s Misdemeanor Court also sentenced Abdallah to a three-year suspended jail term in the same case.

Shura Council member and leader of the Salafist Asala Party Adel Afifi on Thursday called for the dissolution of Egypt's National Council for Women (NCW), Al-Ahram's Arabic-language news website reported on Thursday.

Al-Azhar, Egypt's leading seat of Islamic learning, is planning to launch its own television channel. The channel will promote a moderate version of Islam, Grand Imam Ahmed El-Tayyeb said on Thursday. It will be trialed in July to coincide with Ramadan and will feature social, cultural and historical programmes alongside its main religious content, El-Tayyeb said.

Governor of Egypt’s Central Bank Hisham Ramez said that he is unaware of the government’s plans to issue Islamic bonds (sukuk) worth $12 billion by next year’s outset, reported Al-Ahram’s Arabic-language website on Thursday.

A north Cairo court on Thursday ordered the release of seven people who had been arrested for suspected involvement in April clashes outside St Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Cairo. The suspects have been released from police custody with bail set at LE2000 each.

Head of the Islamist Wasat Party Essam Sultan, a former MP, was released on bail on Wednesday. On Tuesday, prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for Sultan and requested that the political immunity of Muslim Brotherhood Shura Council member Sobhi Saleh be lifted, so that the pair could be investigated on allegations that they had insulted the judiciary.

An Egyptian misdemeanors court on Wednesday fined controversial preacher Khaled Abdullah LE10,000 – and slapped him with a three-year suspended jail sentence – for slandering and defaming Egyptian actress Hala Fakher.

The new Egyptian constitution is based on discrimination, speakers at Al-Tayar Al-Shaaby’s conference on national harmony said on Wednesday.

Yosri Hammad, chairman of the Salafist Watan Party, has said that a court decision granting members of the army and the police the right to vote should be put to referendum by Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi.

Two prominent politicians are being investigated by prosecutors on allegations of insulting the judiciary.