Pope Francis expressed "profound sadness" over the beheading of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians by Islamic militants in Libya, saying they had been killed for their faith.
US Secretary of State John Kerry was meeting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to press the former military leader to adopt greater democratic reforms.
A son of ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, who was sentenced to a year in prison for possession and use of hashish, was arrested early Friday at a train station south of Cairo, security officials said.
Australian Al-Jazeera journalist Peter Greste has voiced his "outrage" at being jailed for seven years by an Egyptian court, saying the case was about silencing critical voices.
Four makeshift bombs exploded within minutes of each other at three Cairo metro stations during morning rush hour on Wednesday, wounding at least two people, Egyptian police said.
Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah visited Cairo, on his first trip to Egypt since the 2011 ouster of dictator Hosni Mubarak, for talks with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
The ex-army chief who ousted Egypt's first democratically elected leader and crushed his Islamist movement was set for a landslide presidential election win on Tuesday, the final day of voting.
The Egyptian judge who sentenced to death hundreds of supporters of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi will pass judgment Monday on another 700 people, including Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Badie.
Egyptian army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Wednesday he had quit the military to run for president and vowed to rid the country of "terrorism" almost nine months after he toppled its elected leader.
The first woman to head an Egyptian political party has expressed concern that a return to military rule could threaten democracy in a country roiled by three years of turbulence.
US Secretary of State John Kerry spoke passionately Wednesday about the "incredible yearning for modernity" sweeping across the world, warning that free elections do not necessarily usher in true democracy in many countries.
Egyptian army chief and likely new president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi meets top Russian officials on Thursday to negotiate a $2-billion arms deal that is meant to replace subsiding assistance from old ally Washington.
Egypt's top military commander Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said in comments published in Kuwait Thursday that he has decided to run in the presidential election scheduled for April.