As the state continues to mull ways of securing the release of seven Egyptian soldiers kidnapped in the Sinai Peninsula last Thursday, all possible options appear to bear serious consequences, say local analysts.

Egyptian Culture Minister Alaa Abdel-Aziz has filed a legal complaint with the prosecutor-general against Sameh Mahran, head of Egypt's Academy of the Arts, citing "defamatory" statements by Mahran regarding an alleged sexual relationship between the minister and a university student.

A recent decision by Egypt's Shura Council to amend banking regulations increasing the tax burden on the nation's banks has provoked anger on the part of many banking officials.

A spokesperson for Bedouin tribes in the Sinai Peninsula has denied knowing the location of seven Egyptian security personnel kidnapped in the region on Thursday.

One third of Egyptian households had internet access in 2012, three million more than in 2011, Egypt's official statistics agency CAPMAS announced on Saturday.

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi observed Friday prayers at Quds Mosque in New Cairo, the upscale suburb where he lives, listening to a sermon by the imam on 'hypocrites and haters of Islam.'

Thousands of protesters converged on Cairo's Tahrir Square on Friday to join a planned rally in solidarity with the recently-launched "Rebel" campaign, which aims at "withdrawing confidence" from Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi and bringing about early presidential elections.

Egyptian policemen have closed the Egyptian port of Rafah entrance and exit gates to protest the kidnapping of their fellow security personnel, Al-Ahram Arabic-language news website reported on Friday.

Operations at Egypt’s North Cairo Electricity Distribution Company (NCEDC) have been on hold for the fifth day in row due to a sit-in by workers demanding the release of 17 of their colleagues who are currently under arrest.

Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi on Thursday summoned his defense and interior ministers over the kidnapping hours earlier of policemen and soldiers in the Sinai peninsula, the official MENA agency reported.

Unemployment rate in Egypt increased to 13.2 percent in the first quarter of 2013 from 13 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012, reported the Central Agency for Public Mobilization & Statistics (CAPMAS) on Wednesday.

President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Cairo on Wednesday for talks with his Egyptian counterpart Muhammad Mursi, the PA ambassador to Egypt said.

Minister of Culture Alaa Abdel Aziz said in an announcement on the ministry’s Facebook page on Wednesday that he will fight against corruption and support any ministry employees in need of help.

Getting a KFC home delivery in the Gaza Strip is not easy . . . there are no branches in the Palestinian territory.

Egypt’s Bassem Youssef, the TV host called to court for poking fun at President Mursi, was applauded at this week's Arab Media Forum (AMF) after making a rousing argument for free speech.

First, campaigners petitioned to send Egypt’s President Mohammed Mursi into space. It was an unusual stunt which gathered pace, but remained trivial all the same.

Three activists arrested during a March protest in Egypt said they were mistreated during their detention at Cairo's Al-Aqrab Prison.

Hundreds of people besieged the security directorate in Gharbiya's Kafr El-Zayyat on Wednesday over the alleged disappearance of a woman in nearby Asdima village

A jailed cousin of former Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi has accused Egypt of trading his freedom and its principles for US$2 billion (Dh7.34bn) in aid for the floundering economy.

"I, the undersigned, of my full volition as a member of the National Assembly of the Egyptian people, hereby announce that I withdraw confidence from the President of the Republic, Dr. Mohammed Morsi Isa al-Ayyat, and I call for the holding of early presidential elections. I hold fast to the goals of the revolution, and working toward attaining them and spreading a campaign of insurrection among the ranks of the public so that together, we can bring about a society of dignity, justice and freedom."

Only 18 companies are currently licensed to distribute bottled water in Egypt, the health ministry stated on Tuesday. According to a ministry press release, the licensed brands are Haya, Safi, Aqua Siwa, Siwa, Aman Siwa, Nahl, Organica, Aqua Sky, Mineral, Nestle, Vera, Baraka, Alpha, Aquafina, Tiba, Aqua Delta, Dasani, and Aqua Paris.