Egypt Islamists lead Cairo rally

29 July 2011 Last updated at 21:40 GMT The protest is one of the largest since the toppling of President Hosni Mubarak Tens of thousands of people have packed Cairo's Tahrir Square, after the first call by Islamist leaders for nationwide demonstrations since President Hosni Mubarak was overthrown in February.

Many protesters - dominated by Muslim Brotherhood supporters - are calling for an Islamic state and Sharia law.

Correspondents say the rallies will be a worrying development for secularists.

The Brotherhood is the most organised political force in Egypt, although it was not prominent in the revolution.

Tensions have been running high between Egypt's Islamist and secular groups, who are at odds over the transition to democracy in the Arab world's most populated country.

Casualties

Later there were a number of casualties when violence broke out in a separate incident in Sinai.

"We have two bodies of civilians in the morgue now and 12 police conscripts being treated for injuries in hospital," Hisham Shiha, Egypt's deputy health minister, told state television.

Around 100 armed men drove around the city of El-Arish, shouting Islamic slogans, and firing into the air, before attacking a police station.

Terrified residents fled into their homes. One of those killed was a 13-year-old boy, according to reports in the local media.

Turning point?

Among the earlier protests in Tahrir Square, liberal groups called for guarantees of a constitution that will protect religious freedom and personal rights, whereas Islamists demanded speedy elections and a recognition of Islam - in one form or another - in the new Egyptian state.

Now the Islamists want their voice to be heard and are showing their muscle for the first time since Mr Mubarak stepped down on 11 February, says the BBC's Jon Leyne in Cairo.

Although the Muslim Brotherhood can turn out huge crowds by rallying its supporters at mosques, it does not necessarily represent the majority of Egyptians and is predicted to win around 20% of the vote in an election, our correspondent says.

There was little sign of any secular groups at Friday's rally, he says, adding that it will be interesting to see how they re-group after today's events.

Since early July, the mainly secular protesters had camped out in Tahrir Square - the epicentre of protests that toppled Mr Mubarak - to denounce the ruling military council over the slow pace of reform.

Islamist groups had for the most part stayed away from the sit-in. Last week, they held their own demonstration and accused the Tahrir protesters of going against the country's "Islamic identity", the AFP news agency reports.

But with Islamists and the more conservative Salafist groups now filling Tahrir Square, it could mark a turning point in Egypt's post-revolution period, our correspondent says.

Later on Friday, witnesses in el-Arish reported men in trucks and on motorbikes firing their assault rifles into the air and forcing frightened residents into their homes.

The men are reported to have been confronted by policemen and soldiers.

"We have two bodies of civilians in the morgue now and 12 police conscripts being treated for injuries in hospital," Hisham Shiha, Egypt's deputy health minister, told state television.

View the original article here

Egypt changes Mubarak trial venue

31 July 2011 Last updated at 01:50 GMT Hosni Mubarak is currently in a hospital in the resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh Egyptian authorities say the trial of deposed President Hosni Mubarak's trial will be moved from a Cairo convention centre, for security reasons.

The trial, due to open on Wednesday, will now be held at a police academy further from the city centre.

Mr Mubarak, 83, has been under arrest at a hospital in the coastal resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh since April.

He is charged with corruption and ordering the killing of protesters before he was toppled in February.

Appeals court president Abdel Aziz Omar said Mr Mubarak's trial was being moved "because it is difficult to guarantee the protection of the other place".

The police academy auditorium where the trial will now be held can hold 600 people, Assistant Justice Minister Mohammed Munie told Egypt's Mena news agency.

A cage for the defendants has already been prepared, he said.

Protesters still demonstrating in Egypt have made swift prosecution of officials from the former regime a key demand.

Family trial

Doctors have said Mr Mubarak's condition is poor, that he has lost weight from refusing food and is suffering from depression. But the government has said he is well enough to be moved to Cairo for trial.

Mr Mubarak is expected to be tried alongside his two sons, Alaa and Gamal, and former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly, as well as six senior police officials.

Adly has already been sentenced to 12 years in jail for corruption.

The justice minister has said Mr Mubarak could face the death penalty if found guilty of murder.

Mr Mubarak was deposed on 11 February, after 18 days of mass demonstrations in which some 850 people were killed.

View the original article here

Egypt to sack 700 police officers

13 July 2011 Last updated at 17:02 GMT Protesters have again struck camp in Tahrir Square following Friday's massive rally Almost 700 senior police officers in Egypt are being removed from their jobs over the killing of protesters during the revolution earlier this year.

Interior Minister Mansour Essawy said 505 generals and 164 officers would end their service on 1 August.

The move comes as protests continue in Cairo's Tahrir Square, calling for the speedy trials of police officers and corrupt Mubarak-era officials.

The military also confirmed that polls set for September would be delayed.

"It has been decided to hold [parliamentary elections] in October or November," an official from Egypt's interim ruling military council told the Mena state news agency on Wednesday.

Many of Egypt's new political parties have called for the vote to be delayed so that they can compete against better organised and more powerful opposition groups, notably the Muslim Brotherhood.

On Tuesday, the military said it would draft guidelines for selecting the 100-member assembly that will write a new Egyptian constitution. That could make it more difficult for any Islamist-led legislature to choose the body and thereby give the charter an Islamist slant, analysts say.

'Biggest shakeup'

As protests in Tahrir Square entered a sixth straight day, the interior ministry - which oversees the much detested security services, known for their brutality under the Mubarak regime - unveiled what it termed the "biggest shakeup in the police force's history".

Among those dismissed were 505 major-generals, including 10 of the interior minister's top assistants, 82 colonels, and 82 brigadiers, the report said.

Egyptian state TV said that 37 of the dismissed officers face charges of killing protesters.

More than 800 protesters were killed during the 18-day revolt that led to the ousting of President Hosni Mubarak on 11 February.

The move seems to be a victory for Egypt's embattled Prime Minister Essam Sharaf, says the BBC's Jon Leyne in Cairo. An earlier announcement by him to take similar action was blocked by the interior minister.

Protesters have vowed to keep up pressure on Egypt's military rulers. They are calling for a new government, limited power for the military council, the release of civilians being tried in military tribunals, and speedy public trials for former regime officials.

View the original article here

Egypt sit-in despite concessions

12 July 2011 Last updated at 21:39 GMT Activists are frustrated with the slow pace of reform Thousands of Egyptians have protested in Cairo to demand faster political reform, despite warnings and fresh concessions from Egyptian officials.

The protesters dismissed the offer from Prime Minister Essam Sharaf on Monday to reshuffle his cabinet this week.

After calls for a million-man march on the cabinet office today, the interim military rulers warned protesters against "harming public interests".

The march was called off, but thousands held an evening rally in Tahrir Square.

It is the fifth day of a sit-in in the central Cairo square - the heart of Egypt's uprising that toppled former President Hosni Mubarak in February.

Tens of thousands of people demonstrated there last Friday, calling for faster reform and for corrupt Mubarak-era officials to be brought to justice some four months after his ousting.

Protests have also been held in the coastal cities of Alexandria and Suez.

Minor clashes Continue reading the main story Jon Leyne BBC News, Cairo

Once again Tahrir square is full with protesters. Once again, just as in the revolution in February, it looks like they are not going to go away until their demands are met.

Five months after the ousting of President Mubarak, the opposition are coming ever closer to an all-out confrontation with the military council who now rule Egypt. Protesters complain that nothing has changed, and believe the military rulers are stalling on bringing to justice those accused of corruption and the killing of demonstrators.

For the military, they seem at a loss how to respond. Their language alternates between threats and conciliation. They fear for their own position, and also perhaps genuinely fear that Egypt could be slipping into chaos. It could be a long hot summer.

In the strongest response so far by the Egyptian military to the growing signs of dissatisfaction, the spokesman for the military authorities, Mohsen El-Fangary, issued a warning those who "deviate from the peaceful approach during demonstrations and sit-ins and obstruct the institutions of the state".

Although the protests have been peaceful, six people were injured on Tuesday by a small group of men armed with knives and sticks who stormed the protest camp. They were forced out of the square by the protesters.

In other developments on Tuesday:

Egypt's deputy prime minister, Yahya al-Gamal, resigned. He had been widely criticised for his apparently conciliatory approach towards businessmen backed by Mr Mubarak's regime.An Egyptian court sentenced former Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif to a one-year suspended jail term for corruption. Former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly was given five years and former Finance Minister Youssef Boutros-Ghali was sentenced in absentia to 10 years also on corruption charges. Both Adly and Boutros-Ghali have received jail sentences in earlier cases.The judiciary council recommended that the trials of Mubarak-era officials should be relayed onto TV public screens and moved to larger venues.

With activists showing no signs of backing down, the situation is building to a new confrontation between the protesters and the military, says the BBC's Jon Leyne in Cairo, adding that Prime Minister Sharaf is struggling to maintain control.

Mr Sharaf is under growing pressure from protesters to purge the police, civil service and the judiciary of remnants of the Mubarak regime and to speed up trials of those accused of corruption or the use of deadly force against protesters. Nearly 900 people were killed in the 18-day uprising.

Also for the first time, the military conceded that elections due to take place in September might be postponed, our correspondent says. The military issued a statement saying that only election procedures would begin in September, without explaining further.

View the original article here

Thousands gather for Egypt rally

8 July 2011 Last updated at 13:07 GMT The BBC's Jon Leyne said Tahrir Square looked reminiscent of rallies during the uprising

Tens of thousands of protesters have gathered in Cairo to press for speedier reforms from the Egyptian government.

They have taken over Tahrir Square - the focus of the 18-day uprising earlier in the year - with security forces maintaining a discreet presence.

Many activists are angry at the slow pace of change since President Hosni Mubarak's fall on 11 February.

They particularly want to see Mr Mubarak and his officials put on trial more quickly.

They also accuse the military government of failing to adequately try those accused of killing and injuring protesters during the January and February uprising, and want an end to military trials of civilian protesters.

"Nothing has changed," one protester, Mohammed Abul Makarem, 18, said. "Change takes time, but there are reforms we can do now."

One opposition leader, Tarek al-Kholy went further, telling state TV: "We want the cleansing of all state institutions of former regime members, including the universities and judiciary. We want a reform of the interior ministry.

Continue reading the main story Jon Leyne BBC News, Cairo

Today's demonstration in Tahrir square is an outpouring of frustration with the situation in Egypt, five months after the fall of Hosni Mubarak. Protesters say nothing has really changed, only the man at the top. Their grievances are compounded by the poor state of the economy and fears about law and order.

What seems to have brought things to the head is the situation in the town of Suez, where there have been clashes after several policemen accused of shooting protestor during the revolution have been released on bail.

The dilemma for Egypt's military rulers is whether they respond by speeding up the trials of Mr Mubarak and others members of the former elite. The danger is that they themselves might become implicated by what is said in court by senior figures now fighting to avoid the death penalty.

"Five months after the ouster of Mubarak, we have not achieved our goals".

Riots

Protesters began arriving in Tahrir Square throughout the night to pitch their tents. A large sunshade was erected in the middle of the square to give some relief from the scorching heat of the Egyptian summer.

Civilian checkpoints were set up to prevent trouble-makers getting into the square. Protesters were helping to direct traffic as police and security forces kept to the side streets in a bid to avoid confrontation.

Opposition leaders had called for a million people to turn out for the rally they had dubbed "Friday of Accountability", which followed Muslim prayers.

Even the powerful Muslim Brotherhood opposition movement said it would attend. "The law is above everyone, and justice has to prevail on all people, young and old," the group's Mahmoud Ghozlan said.

Official figures show that at least 846 people died and 6,000 more were injured during the 18 days of protests at the start of the year.

Since then, only one policeman has been convicted in more than a dozen court cases over the crackdown on protesters, the AP news agency reports. He was tried in absentia.

On Tuesday, a Cairo court acquitted three ministers from the Mubarak regime who had been charged with squandering public funds.

The decision, also this week, to release on bail seven policemen accused of killing 17 protesters sparked riots in both Cairo and Suez.

Activists are concerned that the 83-year-old former president remains in a regular hospital, with no date yet set for a court appearance for either him, his sons or his senior officials.

But, says the BBC's Jon Leyne, other Egyptians are opposed to the continuing protests and just want a return to normality, law and order and the revival of the economy.

Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7725 100 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.

Read the terms and conditions

View the original article here

Egypt probes Tahrir Square clash

29 June 2011 Last updated at 15:14 GMT Clashes continued as dawn broke over Cairo on Wednesday

Egyptian officials have ordered a probe into overnight clashes between police and protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square that left hundreds of people injured.

Riot police used tear gas to disperse hundreds of demonstrators, who pelted officers with stones and fire bombs.

Fresh clashes broke out on Wednesday as angry crowds demanded action over the previous night's unrest.

The riots are the most serious violence in Egypt in weeks - officials say more than 1,000 people were injured.

Activists are calling for the speedy implementation of reforms demanded during the revolution that toppled President Hosni Mubarak in February.

They also want senior officials to face justice for the deaths of 850 protesters during the uprising, including Mr Mubarak himself, who is due to stand trial on 3 August.

Tear gas

After a long night of fighting, Egypt's Prosecutor General, Abdel Meguid Mahmoud, ordered the formation of a committee to investigate the clashes in Tahrir Square - the epicentre of the Egyptian protest movement.

The announcement came hours after the interior minister ordered police to leave the square in an attempt to avoid any further violence.

Continue reading the main story President Mubarak due to go on trial on 3 August alongside his sons, Alaa and Gamal, charged with the deaths of protestersInterior minister, Habib al-Adly, sentenced to jail for corruptionTrade Minister Rachid Mohamed Rachid sentenced to five years in absentia for embezzling public fundsFormer Finance Minister Yussef Boutros Ghali given 30 years in absentia for corruptionSeveral other senior officials and businessmen yet to be tried"The regrettable incidents in Tahrir Square... are designed to destabilise the country and pit the revolutionaries against the police," the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces - Egypt's ruling military council - said in a statement.

But some angry demonstrators have remained in the square, says the BBC's Jeannie Assad in Cairo.

There were more scenes of violence as youths threw stones and other missiles at the police, who responded with tear gas.

Protesters outside the interior ministry demanded the resignation of several key figures over Tuesday's violence - including the head of the military council, Gen Mohamed Tantawi, and the Minister of the Interior, Mansour Essawi.

"I am here today because I heard about the violent treatment of the police to the protesters last night," said accountant Magdy Ibrahim.

Another protester said police tactics had not changed since the revolution, despite promises that the country's hated security forces would be dismantled and reformed.

"They're still using an iron fist against us," he said.

'Fuelling the fire'

There are conflicting reports as to how Tuesday's clashes began.

Some witnesses say they started outside the interior ministry, where bereaved families were demonstrating against what they perceive as the slow prosecution of security officers alleged to be responsible for the deaths of hundreds of protesters.

Some protesters have blamed the violence on "thugs" in the square

Violence then spread to Tahrir Square as other people joined in and threw stones at the security forces, they say.

Mazzly Hussein, who took part in the protests which unseated Mr Mubarak, said the police force was "as violent and as brutal as ever".

"Families of martyrs were attacked and a lot of them were arrested and when they demanded the release of the arrested young men, all hell broke lose and the violence started," she told the BBC.

However, others claim the conflict started when a group of "thugs" attacked a gathering at a Cairo theatre to honour those killed during the uprising earlier this year.

"These aren't revolutionaries, they have no clue about the revolution, politics or anything else. They're here to destroy, nothing more," said one man at the scene.

"Egypt is now falling apart. Why?" said another angry witness. "Because [the protesters] are fuelling the fire."

Deputy Health Minister Abdel Hamid Abaz told the Mena state news agency more than 1,000 people had been injured over the past two days - 120 people had been taken to hospital, he said, and 16 people were still being treated.

Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7725 100 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.

Read the terms and conditions

View the original article here

Egypt abandons plans for IMF loan

25 June 2011 Last updated at 11:43 GMT Many Egyptian protesters distrust the intentions of institutions such as the IMF Egypt has dropped plans to seek loans from the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, Finance Minister Samir Radwan has said.

The move comes after the planned deficit in the 2011-12 budget was revised down from 11% to 8.6% of GDP, Mr Radwan told Reuters news agency.

An adviser told AFP news agency the decision had been partly a response to the "pressure of public opinion".

Many of those who took part in Egypt's uprising denounced the role of the IMF.

It was seen as bolstering the rule of now-deposed President Hosni Mubarak while imposing harsh economic conditions that benefited the rich more than the poor, says the BBC's Arab affairs editor Sebastian Usher.

But the uprising led to a haemorrhaging of public finances, he says.

But Mr Radwan turned to the IMF in May, telling the BBC that the situation was "very difficult", and extra funds were needed to finance the demands of the people on the heels of the revolution.

He agreed a $3bn (?1.9bn) 12-month stand-by loan facility - an agreement which came on top of loan deals agreed with the World Bank and the African Development Bank.

Despite apparently lenient terms on which the IMF offered the loan, many Egyptians were unhappy, feeling it was a betrayal of the protest movement that had denounced the IMF as a tool of imperialism, our correspondent says.

Mr Radwan now says that following discussions with civic and business groups and the military council, the budget forecast has been revised down from a deficit of 170 billion Egyptian pounds ($28.5bn; ?17.8bn) to 134 billion pounds, and loans are thus not needed at this stage.

Dilemma

He said Egypt would cover the greater part of the deficit from "local sources", as well as packages from Gulf Arab states such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which he said had provided $500m in the past week as a "gift".

The issue over the loan highlights the huge dilemma facing Egypt - and the rest of the Arab world, our correspondent says.

The protesters want a complete change from the lumbering, state-controlled economic systems that failed to provide jobs for tens of millions of young people.

But the unrest has paralysed business and decimated tourism. To remake Arab economies, many state jobs will have to go - and the private sector is too weak to provide replacement jobs.

View the original article here

Egypt anger at Mickey Mouse tweet

28 June 2011 Last updated at 12:40 GMT Naguib Sawiris is a leading secularist and recently formed a political party One of Egypt's richest men has been accused of mocking Islam after tweeting cartoons of Mickey and Minnie Mouse wearing conservative Muslim attire.

Telecoms mogul and Coptic Christian Naguib Sawiris apologised for re-posting the images on Twitter a few days ago, saying he meant no offence.

But several Islamic lawyers have filed a formal complaint and there are calls for a boycott of his businesses.

The outcry comes at a time of tension between Egypt's Christians and Muslims.

There are also concerns about the growing influence of the ultra-conservative Salafists in Egypt. Salafists take their inspiration from the early generations of Muslims who were close to the Prophet Muhammad and his message.

The tweeted images showed Mickey Mouse wearing a traditional Islamic robe with a full beard, while Minnie Mouse is wearing a niqab - a full-body veil - with just her eyes showing.

She is identifiable by her large ears and trademark pink hair ribbon.

The cartoons were already widely circulating online, but when Mr Sawiris re-posted them last week, he received an immediate angry reaction from people who said they were offended.

On Friday, he tweeted: "I apologise for those who don't take this as a joke, I just thought it was a funny picture; no disrespect meant. I am sorry."

But tens of thousands of people have joined groups on Facebook and other social media condemning him.

"There's a fine line between expressing your opinion/freedom of speech and being flat out disrespectful," said one woman.

Secular champion

Shares in Mr Sawiris' telecoms company, Orascom - Egypt's largest private employer - have already fallen as a result of the row and subsequent calls for a boycott.

Cairo has seen violent clashes between Christians and Muslims in recent months

The prosecutor general's office said a group of Salafist Muslim lawyers had filed a complaint accusing Mr Sawiris of religious contempt.

"How can a man like this make fun of Muslims, in a country on the brink of sectarian discord," Muslim cleric Mazen el-Sersawi said in a television interview.

"If this is just joking, why don't you depict Mickey Mouse as a monk or a nun?"

Mr Sawiris, whose father is the richest man in Egypt, is a champion of secularism and has spoken out against the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in the country, including the increasing number of women wearing full-face veils.

He was a leading voice in the anti-government protests that ousted Hosni Mubarak from power in February and recently started a new political party, The Free Egyptians.

But many have questioned his wisdom in sharing the cartoons at a time of tensions between Coptic Christians and conservative Muslims.

Scores of people have been wounded and several killed in clashes between the two communities in recent months, and there are fears this row will increase the chances of more sectarian clashes in the run up to post-revolution elections in September.

View the original article here

Egypt

While best known for its pyramids and ancient civilisations, Egypt has played a central role in Middle East politics in modern times.

Its wars with Israel in 1948, 1956, 1967 and 1973, then its eventual peace with its adversary in 1979, have seen Egypt move from being a warring nation to become a key representative in the peace process.

Egypt's ancient past and the fact that it was one of the first Middle Eastern countries to open up to the West following Napoleon's invasion have given it a claim to be the intellectual and cultural leader in the region. The head of Cairo's Al-Azhar Mosque is one of the highest authorities in Sunni Islam.

But the historic step by President Anwar Sadat to make peace with Israel in the 1979 Camp David agreement led to Egypt being expelled from the Arab League until 1989, and in 1981 Mr Sadat was assassinated by Islamic extremists angry at his moves to clamp down on their activities.

Since then, President Hosni Mubarak took a more moderate line, but Islamic groups have continued their campaigns sporadically. They have been responsible for deadly attacks that have often targeted tourists and resort areas, and more recently have begun to target Egypt's Coptic Christian community.

Campaigners for political reform have become more vocal in recent times and have taken to the streets in defiance of an emergency law, in force since 1967, apart from an 18-month interruption in 1981.

Widespread anti-government demonstrations in January 2011 - encouraged by the flight of the long-term leader of Tunisia amid unrest - eventually led President Mubarak to step aside.

The military is now in charge but have promised to effect a quick transition to democracy. Under continuing pressure from pro-democracy protesters, a new interim government was formed. In March 2011, a series of constitutional changes paving the way for early elections were approved.

But a key demand of the revolutionaries - the lifting of Egypt's emergency law - has not been fulfilled. The military has promised to do so before the elections.

Egypt's teeming cities - and almost all agricultural activity - are concentrated along the banks of the Nile, and on the river's delta. Deserts occupy most of the country.

The economy depends heavily on agriculture, tourism and cash remittances from Egyptians working abroad, mainly in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries.

However, rapid population growth and the limited amount of arable land is straining the country's resources and economy.

Full name: Arab Republic of Egypt Population: 84.5 million (UN, 2010) Capital: Cairo Area: 1 million sq km (386,874 sq miles) Major language: Arabic Major religions: Islam, Christianity Life expectancy: 69 years (men), 73 years (women) (UN) Monetary unit: 1 Egyptian Pound = 100 piastres Main exports: Petroleum, petroleum products and cotton GNI per capita: US $2,070 (World Bank, 2009) Internet domain: .eg International dialling code: +20

Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces: Field Marshal Mohammed Hussein Tantawi

Mohammed Hussein Tantawi heads the military council which has been exercising power on an interim basis since President Hosni Mubarak stepped down in response to a popular uprising in February 2011.

Mr Tantawi has vowed to return Egypt to civilian rule

The council has set a tight timetable for a return to civilian rule. In March, Egyptians approved a set of constitutional changes aimed at allowing the country to move quickly to new elections.

It is hoped that a parliamentary election can be held as early as September, and a presidential vote soon after. The rapid agenda has been criticised by some in the opposition for allowing too little time for new democratic parties to organise.

Born in 1935, Mr Tantawi has been a career army officer since 1956, experiencing active service in the Suez crisis of 1956, the 1967 Six-Day War with Israel and the 1973 Arab-Israeli war.

Mr Tantawi has held the post of commander-in-chief of the armed forces since 1991. Before the 2011 revolution, he was also defence minister.

He is closely identified with the Mubarak era, but gained some credit with the pro-democracy campaign for refusing to fire on the protesters.

Prime Minister: Essam Sharaf

President: Muhammad Hosni Mubarak (resigned)

Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's longest-serving ruler since Muhammad Ali in the early 19th century and one of the longest-serving leaders in the Arab world, stepped down in February 2011 after 30 years in power.

President Mubarak has pursued economic, but not political reform

He was responding to weeks of street protests, which began in January 2011, only days after the president of Tunisia fled a popular uprising.

His vice-president announced Mr Mubarak's resignation and said he had handed power to the army.

In April 2011, he was arrested along with his two sons, Ala and Gamal, on suspicion of corruption during his rule as president. He reportedly suffered a heart attack during interrogation.

Mr Mubarak is also suspected of involvement in ordering violence against protesters during the uprising that toppled him.

Mr Mubarak gained a fifth consecutive term in presidential elections in September 2005. The poll was the first under a new system which allows multiple candidates to stand, but the main opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, was banned from open political activity and could not field a candidate.

Mr Mubarak succeeded Anwar Sadat, who was assassinated in 1981. He pursued friendly relations with the West, breaking the isolation imposed on Egypt by Arab countries opposed to peace with Israel.

Since 1952, when army officers led by Gamal Abdel Nasser overthrew the monarchy, Egyptian leaders have been drawn from the military.

Hosni Mubarak was born in 1928. He and his wife Suzanne, who is part Welsh and part Egyptian.

Egypt is a major regional media player. Its press is one of the most influential and widely-read in the region, and its TV and film industry supplies much of the Arab-speaking world with shows from its Media Production City.

Press laws allow prison sentences for libelling the president, state institutions and foreign heads of state. Nevertheless, journalists openly express their views on political and social issues, including vigorous criticism of government officials and policies.

President Hosni Mubarak's departure precipitated an editorial u-turn among state media outlets that had served for decades as government mouthpieces.

Television is the most popular source for news. There are two state-run national TVs and six regional channels, but many viewers turn to pan-Arab stations for news.

Egypt is a big force in satellite TV. Most leading Arab pay TV networks have a presence at Media Production City in Cairo. Egypt was the first Arab nation to have its own satellite, Nilesat.

State radio's monopoly was broken with the arrival of private music stations in 2003.

Around 17 million Egyptians were online by February 2010 (InternetWorldStats.com). Bloggers have uploaded videos showing human rights violations and activists have embraced Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

Internet access was cut for a time in early 2011 in an effort to curb protests which eventually forced President Mubarak to resign. Social networks were used to organise the demonstrations.

The press

Television

Egypt Radio Television Union (ERTU) - state-run, operates domestic and satellite networks, including Nile TV International and Nile TV thematic channels Dream TV - private satellite network, operates Dream 1 targeting young viewers and Dream 2, an entertainment channel Al-Mihwar - private, via satellite

Radio

News agency

View the original article here

Egypt 'spy' is US student: Israel

14 June 2011 Last updated at 12:12 GMT Ilan Grapel was wounded fighting for Israel in the 2006 war with Lebanon Israel's foreign minister says a suspected Mossad spy detained in Egypt is actually a dual US-Israeli student.

Ilan Grapel, 27, is being questioned in Cairo after his arrest on Sunday. He is accused of trying to sabotage Egypt's revolution by inciting sedition.

But Avigdor Lieberman told Israel's Army Radio: "He has no connection to any intelligence apparatus, not in Israel, not in the US and not on Mars."

"This is a mistake or strange behaviour by the Egyptians," the minister said.

"They have received all the clarifications and I hope the whole story will end quickly," he added.

On Monday, Egypt's state prosecutor issued a statement saying that Ilan Grapel had posed as a foreign correspondent covering anti-government protests in Cairo's Tahrir Square earlier this year.

The statement said he tried to foment Muslim-Christian tension and turn the people against the army in the days following the ousting of President Hosni Mubarak.

Mr Grapel immigrated to Israel in 2005 from New York and served in its military in the 2006 Lebanon war, reports in the Israeli and Egyptian media said.

His mother said he was enrolled as a law student in the US but currently working for an NGO in Cairo, Saint Andrew's Refugee Services.

The US embassy in Cairo said a consular officer visited Mr Grapel on Monday and found him in good health.

The arrest has set off fears in Israel that relations with Egypt will sour now that Mr Mubarak has been deposed.

The former president had generally co-operated with Israel on security matters and upheld the 1979 peace treaty between the two neighbours.

View the original article here