CAIRO - Fifteen Egyptian groups called on Wednesday for women's rights to be guaranteed in the new constitution, after a popular uprising that toppled the regime paved the way for a new charter. "We are not proposing a new constitution, but we want women's rights to be included," Amina ElBendary, a professor of Arab and Islamic Civilisation at the American University in Cairo, and one of the signatories, told a news conference.

CAIRO – Egypt's ex-president Hosni Mubarak, due to go on trial next week for murder, is refusing food in his hospital detention and has become extremely weak, state media reported on Wednesday. Mubarak, 83, has been detained since April on charges of ordering the killings of anti-regime protesters and corruption. He is under arrest in a Red Sea resort hospital, where he receives treatment for a heart condition.

CAIRO – "A maximum salary for Egyptian workers will be determined within a month,” newly appointed Minister of Finance Hazem el-Beblawi, who is also a deputy prime minister, has said. El-Beblawi, who has recently taken office, added that all State employees in every sector - companies, ministries, bodies and banks - will be subjected to the amended Law 105/1985, the official Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported on Tuesday.

CAIRO - Egyptian stocks fell on Tuesday on local and Arab selling amid low volumes, traders said. Locals and Arabs made net sell-offs worth LE9.6 million ($1.6 million) and LE9.2 million. Non-Arabs made net purchases worth LE18.8 million, according to the Egyptian Exchange. The country's benchmark index EGX 30 slipped by 0.36 per cent to 5,085.99 points. The broader indexes EGX 70 and EGX 100 were also in the red, falling by 0.28 and 0.22 per cent to 637.53 and 955.92 points respectively.

CAIRO: The New Cairo Court decided on Monday to try former interior minister Habib Al-Adly and six of his assistants, along side ousted president Hosni Mubarak on Aug. 3, for their involvement in killing and injuring peaceful protesters. One of the family members of the martyrs threw a hard object at the dock where El-Adly was being held and cursed him following the court’s verdict. Al-Adly was quickly ushered out of the dock.

CAIRO – Rights groups have accused Egypt’s Government, led by Prime Minister Essam Sharaf, of restricting their role, hindering their activities and excluding them from most of the forums for dialogue created by the institutions running the country.

CAIRO: Political forces and coalitions protesting in Tahrir Square blamed in a press conference Monday the ruling military council for the clashes in Abbasiya that marred a march from Tahrir to the Ministry of Defense on Saturday. "We have been following the smear campaign launched by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) against Tahrir protesters, and the escalating espionage accusations against national forces like 6 of April and Kefaya, a language that caused a rift between the protesters and the people," said the statement released by the protesters.

CAIRO: Five protesters detained by military and civilian police during the Abbasiya clashes Saturday night, were released on Sunday without any charges filed against them. Ahmed Ragheb director of the Hisham Mubarak Law Center said that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) and the government were responsible for securing the people and preventing the clashes.

CAIRO — Six months after the uprising that toppled Egypt's president Hosni Mubarak, the former strongman who is in custody in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh remains a thorn in the country's side. The trial of Mubarak and his two sons, which is scheduled for August 3, remains a huge source of tension and the state of his health is shrouded by confusion and contradictory statements. Mubarak's assets may have been frozen but his fortune remains unknown, despite mounting calls for disclosure.

CAIRO – Cairo Criminal Court in New Cairo adjourned on Monday the trial of the ex-interior minister Habib el-Adli and six of his aides who are charged with killing protesters in Tahrir Square in the January 25 revolution, the official Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported.

CAIRO—The head of Egypt's ruling military council has praised the youth who led the uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak, in an apparent effort to diffuse tensions between activists and the army. In a brief address Saturday on state TV, Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi called the youth activists "a great product of Egyptian soil" and saluted them for making history. Many protesters have grown

CAIRO: Several thousand protesters marched toward Egypt's ministry of defense and headquarters of the country's military rulers in a rare rally Friday following reports of scuffles between protesters and soldiers in other cities. Armored vehicles and hundreds of military police blocked the road leading to the defense ministry, however, preventing nearly 4,000 protesters from advancing any further.

CAIRO - The trial of former interior minister Habib el-Adli and six of his former senior aides will be aired live on Egypt's State TV on Monday, as preparations are underway for the first court session of former president Hosni Mubarak, scheduled for August 3, to be broadcast.

CAIRO: Army council General Mamdouh Shahin said Wednesday that international monitoring of the impending legislative elections will not be allowed because Egypt “doesn’t accept guardianship from any country”, adding that this was an issue of national sovereignty.

CAIRO - Egypt's new cabinet, aimed at mollifying protesters demanding quick reforms, was expected to be sworn on Thursday, three days behind schedule, after intense wrangling left the premier in hospital. "Prime Minister Essam Sharaf has completed discussions to form the new cabinet and it will be sworn in today (Thursday) in front of (the head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces) Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi," the cabinet's official Facebook page said.

CAIRO - For the second day in a row, Egyptian shares were mixed on Wednesday, traders said. The country's benchmark index EGX 30 fell slightly by 0.04 per cent to 5,142.45 points, according to Bourse data. The broader indexes EGX 70 and EGX 100 added 1.07 and 0.69 per cent to 639.48 and 964.08 points.

CAIRO - Former UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei is the most popular choice for next Egyptian president, according to an army survey conducted on Facebook, state media reported on Wednesday. The survey, which was launched a month ago on Facebook, asked members to rate their favourite for the country's top job, in an exercise criticised as unrepresentative.

CAIRO: Several political parties welcomed Tuesday the measures announced by the Supreme Electoral Commission concerning the next parliamentary polls, but demanded more steps. On Monday, the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) formed the Commission led by the head of the Cairo Appeals Court Abdel-Mo'ez Ibrahim.

CAIRO - Egyptian stocks ended mixed on Tuesday, while Arab buying weighed, traders said. The country's benchmark index EGX 30 fell by 0.6 per cent to 5,144.27 points, they added. But the broader indexes EGX 70 and EGX 100 were in the black, gaining 1.48 and 1.96 per cent to 632.74 and 957.48 points respectively. Locals and Arabs made net purchases worth LE9.2 million ($1.5 million)

CAIRO: Prime Minister Essam Sharaf on Monday postponed the swearing-in of a new

CAIRO: Presidential hopeful Mohamed ElBaradei and the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) agreed Sunday on guidelines for the formation of a representative constituent assembly that will draft Egypt’s new constitution following pending general elections. ElBaradei, the first presidential candidate to visit FJP's headquarters to formally congratulate its leaders on their newly-established party, agreed with the FJP’s general secretary, Saad El-Katatny, and deputy head, Essam El-Erian, that the assembly should include members from outside the elected parliament.