Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Fayza Abouelnaga on Wednesday denied that the government informed Israel of its intention to negotiate the gas prices.

The parliamentary majority’s refusal of the cabinet’s February briefing to Parliament has raised concerns of economists and bankers over the possible faltering of government negotiations of an International Monetary Fund loan. The IMF had stressed the need of obtaining government guarantees that the economic reform programs drafted by Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri’s cabinet would be implemented, to secure the US$3.2 billion loan.

After four days of discussions, the mediation committee that was formed to end the impasse over the Constituent Assembly's current makeup agreed that the assembly should be formed from outside Parliament.

The British government is facing embarrassing questions over the continued presence in London of Egypt's ex-finance minister Youssef Boutrous-Ghali despite an outstanding Interpol request for his arrest.

The decision to halt Egyptian natural gas exports to Israel was not simply due to commercial differences, international shareholders in the consortium involved said on Wednesday, dismissing claims they were behind in payments.

Egypt's Armed Forces have placed Dayan’s Rock under tight security, using armored vehicles and earth mounds to protect the rock , in anticipation of a rally Wednesday when activists said they planned to paint it with the colors of the Egyptian flag.

A representative for presidential hopeful Ahmed Shafiq on Wednesday appealed a decision made to exclude the former prime minister from the upcoming race. Judicial sources told Al-Masry Al-Youm that Presidential Elections Commission head Farouk Sultan would set a date within hours to consider the appeal, saying Shafiq had the right to appeal the political isolation law over its constitutionality.

Egypt's military is pumping LE400 million of its funds into North Sinai development projects to coincide with the 30th anniversary of Israel's return of the territory, the state-run Al-Ahram newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Drug abuse has increased in Egypt during the past five years, with the highest addiction rate in Cairo, according to a conference held Tuesday by the General Secretariat of Mental Health.

CAIRO—Hundreds of Egyptians protested outside the Saudi Embassy on Tuesday demanding the release of an Egyptian human-rights lawyer detained in Saudi Arabia for allegedly insulting the kingdom's monarch.

Egypt's ruling military council has received another international setback after Interpol rejected its request to put a dozen American pro-democracy workers on arrest notices.

Egypt's de facto leader has ratified a law that prevents certain officials who served under former President Hosni Mubarak from running in the presidential election slated for May, MENA state news agency reported.

Egypt's foreign ministry, according to spokesman Amr Rushdy, is following up with authorities in Saudi Arabia on the case of the Egyptian lawyer, Ahmed El-Gizawy, who is currently in Saudi custody facing one year in prison and 20 lashes.

Egypt said on Monday it formally requested that Israel look into a statement attributed to Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman in which he described Egypt as more "worrying" than Israel's arch-enemesis Iran.

The Egyptian company that cancelled gas exports to Israel has hired an international law firm after the Israel Electric Corporation announced Monday that it would take the case to international arbitration.

The People’s Assembly's Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee on Sunday approved a proposal submitted by a member of the ruling military council that says the military judiciary should be the only authority to decide on whether the cases submitted to it are under its jurisdiction

Egypt has unilaterally terminated its natural gas export contract with Israel, a shareholder in the export operating company, East Mediterranean Gas Company (EMG), said Sunday night.

Presidential candidate Amr Moussa is noncommittal on the future role of the Supreme Council of Armed Forces, saying it is not the right time to discuss the future powers of the generals that have been running Egypt for the past 14 months.

Supreme Presidential Electoral Commission (SPEC) Secretary-General Hatem Bagato announced Sunday that Egyptian civil society organisations registered by the Ministry of Social Solidarity would be able to monitor the upcoming presidential election, while the role of foreign groups is still under discussion.

Parliament Speaker Saad al-Katatny on Sunday called on the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces to ratify the political isolation law to be issued on the same day.

The governor of South Sinai, Major General Khaled Foada, said Saturday that Israel's warning to its citizens not to travel to Sinai "are mere rumors that Israel launch from time to time, especially as tourism in Sharm el-Sheikh recovers."