Campaigning began in Egypt's presidential election on Saturday with incumbent Abdel Fattah al-Sisi likely to romp to victory in the absence of a serious challenger in the two-candidate race.

Egyptians will head to the polls on March 26-28 in the first round of a presidential election, National Elections Authority chief Lasheen Ibrahim said Monday.

The first group of Russian troops deployed to Syria returned home on Tuesday, the army said, beginning a partial withdrawal announced by President Vladimir Putin.

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has vowed to respond forcefully after attackers killed at least 235 worshippers in a packed mosque in restive North Sinai province, the country's deadliest attack in recent memory.

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Tuesday urged Palestinians to unite and "be ready to co-exist" in peace with Israelis, in his address to the United Nations.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in New York to discuss the Middle East peace process in their first public talks, his office said on Tuesday.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will on Monday meet African leaders in Berlin on initiatives aiming to reduce the poverty and conflict driving a mass migrant influx to Europe.

Egypt's president has signed into law a contentious new bill to regulate non-governmental organisations, the official gazette said on Monday, triggering fears of an intensified crackdown on civil society.

It comes on the second day of a visit to Saudi Arabia, part of an eight-day foreign tour -- Trump's first since taking office -- that will take him next to Israel and the Palestinian Territories and then to Europe.

US President Donald Trump has called Egypt's Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to express his condolences about twin church bombings by the Islamic State group that killed dozens, the White House said Monday.

Egypt prepared to impose a state of emergency Monday after jihadist bombings killed dozens at two churches in the deadliest attacks in recent memory on the country's Coptic Christian minority.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced a three-month state of emergency following twin church bombings by the Islamic State group that killed dozens on Palm Sunday, the deadliest attacks on the minority in recent memory.