Security top priority for new Egypt government: PM

Egypt's new military-installed prime minister said Sunday that security was his top priority, with police and soldiers facing near daily attacks since the July ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

In his first address to the nation, Ibrahim Mahlab, a former member of the party of toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak, said Egypt faced "challenges that are like mountains", but vowed to confront them with transparency and firmness.

On Saturday, Mahlab unveiled a new 31-member cabinet that retained Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as defence minister, after the previous government made a surprise exit amid mounting criticism over the battered economy and major industrial strikes.

"The first priority is to impose security, counter terrorism firmly and legally, and restore stability by preserving human rights and democracy," Mahlab said in a televised speech.

"I know that the responsibility is big, that the challenges are bigger. But together, we will face all crises and steer the nation's ship to the shore of security."