Egypt's new interim government sworn in

Egypt's interim government headed by newly-appointed Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab was sworn in Saturday, with the military chief, General Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, remaining in office as the defence minister, media reports said.

If Sisi, who also kept his post as the first deputy prime minister, announces that he will run for president which is a widely expected, he will have to resign as the minister and head of the armed forces, Xinhua reported citing state-run Nile TV. Sisi is expected to announce whether he will compete in the presidential election after a new presidential law is approved.

Meanwhile, Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim, who was appointed during former president Mohamed Morsi's one-year rule, also retained his post.

Ibrahim, who survived an assassination bid last September, is facing a tough task to keep the country's stability and security amid a string of terrorist attacks hitting the country and the growing militant insurgency in the restive Sinai peninsula, which killed dozens of policemen.