Egypt receives Iran navy request to use Suez canal

 

 

 

Released on - Friday,18 February , 2011 -18:48

Egypt has received a request from Iran to allow two of its warships to use the Suez Canal, but the defence ministry has yet to decide whether to approve it, the foreign ministry said on Friday.

Spokesman Hossam Zaki said the ministry received the request to allow the ships to pass through the waterway on Thursday and passed it on to the defence ministry, which must approve the crossing of any warship through the canal.

"It is with them now, they will decide," he said. "The defence ministry has to study the request."

If approved, it would be the first time Iranian naval vessels have passed through the canal since the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran, which led to a severing of diplomatic ties with Egypt.

Iran's official Fars new agency, quoting senior naval commanders, said the ships are the 33,000-tonne refuelling and support vessel Kharg and the 1,500-tonne light patrol frigate Alvand, both British-built.

The Kharg has a crew of 250 and can carry up to three helicopters. The Alvand is armed with torpedos and anti-ship missiles. They intend to enter the Mediterranean Sea and head to Syria.

Israel's Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Wednesday branded the mission a "provocation".

Egypt protesters keep up the pressure

Released on - Friday,18 February , 2011 -12:47

Egyptian activists ratcheted up pressure on the country's new military rulers by calling for a massive march in Cairo on Friday to commemorate the uprising's martyrs and press for the release of detainees.

Several thousand flag waving Egyptians massed in Cairo's Tahrir Square -- the focal point of anti-government demonstrations that brought down strongman Hosni Mubarak-- as crowds were expected to swell after Friday prayers.

Hundreds of military police in red berets were already manning the square on Friday morning and a military band entertained the festive crowd, one week after Mubarak stepped down and handed power to a military junta.

The Coalition of the Revolution Youth, which groups pro-democracy movements that helped launch the revolt, have called for the gathering to "remember the martyrs of freedom and dignity and justice," after at least 365 were killed and 5,500 injured in the protests, according to the health ministry.

The coalition has vowed to keep up the pressure to ensure the rest of its political demands are met, including the "immediate release of all detainees," it said in statement posted on Facebook.

Hundreds of people went missing during the protests, rights groups said, blaming the army which they also accused of torture.

Gamal Eid, a lawyer who heads the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, said: "There are hundreds of detained, but information on their numbers is still not complete ... The army was holding detainees."

On Thursday, Amnesty International called on the Egyptian military to halt the use of torture against detainees, saying it had fresh evidence of abuse.

Both Amnesty and the New York-based Human Rights Watch said they interviewed former detainees who described being tortured by the military.

The coalition of activists is also calling for "a speedy replacement of the current caretaker cabinet by a government of technocrats" that are not seen as corrupt, it said.

Pro-democracy activists are also seeking an investigation into the deaths during the uprising, a lifting of the decades-old emergency law, and support for the pay strikes that have surged around the country.

"We are going today to commemorate the martyrs and in doing so we are awaiting justice," Mohammed Waked, a protest organiser, told AFP.

"If those detained during the protests are not released, let alone the older political prisoners, it would be a bad sign," he said. "It would show the army is not sincere about political reforms."

Activists who are also calling for a complete dismantling of Mubarak's regime welcomed the arrest of reviled former interior minister Habib al-Adly, whose security forces were given wide powers of arrest under the emergency law.

Adly was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of money laundering and ordered held for 15 days.

And prosecutors ordered former tourism minister Zuheir Garana, former housing minister Ahmed al-Maghrabi and businessman Ahmad Ezz also to be held for 15 days "to assist in an investigation," a judicial source said.

Ezz, a steel magnate, was a member of the former ruling National Democratic Party. He was considered to be a mentor of Mubarak's son Gamal, who was long considered a possible successor to his father.

Since Mubarak's fall, Egyptian workers have tested the limits of their new found freedom, staging pay strikes despite calls from the new military regime for them to return to work and warning of "disastrous" consequences should strikes continue.

Workers are calling for the resignation of the leaders of state-controlled trade unions and company board members, who they accuse of corruption, as well as higher wages and better working conditions.

On Thursday, the United States gave Egypt, a key ally in the region, $150 million in crucial economic assistance to help transition towards democracy.

"I am pleased to announce today that we will be reprogramming $150 million for Egypt to put ourselves in a position to support the transition there and assist with their economic recovery," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said.

Revolutionaries call for million-man 'Friday of Victory' celebration in Tahrir

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The
coalition of the 25 January Revolution has called for a million-man
celebration on Friday in Cairo's Tahrir Square and other prominent
public spaces throughout the capital to commemorate those who lost
their lives in the 25 January uprising and celebrate the ouster of
longstanding president Hosni Mubarak.

In
a statement on Wednesday, the coalition also called for the immediate
release of all political prisoners, the formation of a government
cabinet consisting of technocrats, the abolition of Egypt's
longstanding Emergency Law, and the abolition of the State Security
Investigation Bureau.

The statement also called for the retrieval of all monies pilfered from the public purse by members of the former regime.

The
Muslim Brotherhood, meanwhile, has announced that it would participate
in the celebrations on Friday, to be dubbed the “Friday of Victory.”

International institutions offered to finance Egypt economy, says minister

Photographed by Hafez Diab

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A
handful of international financial institutions have offered to finance
Egypt's economy following the recent 25 January uprising, newly-appointed Finance Minister Samir Radwan said on Wednesday.

“Offers were made by the World Bank and the African Development Bank,” he said.

During the Sharm El-Sheikh
economic summit in January, Radwan had signed a memorandum of
understanding between the Arab League and World Bank to finance small
businesses and train young entrants to the Arab labor market.

"We're
concentrating now on the state budget deficit, which reached LE100
billion in the 2009/10 fiscal year,” Radwan said. “We will look into
these offers once things are back to normal.”

Gunmen shoot two US agents in Mexico

A US agent has been was shot and killed in Mexico and a second wounded amid a surge in violence in a country ravaged by crime cartel turf wars and a government crackdown on the drug trade.

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were attacked while driving in a car between Mexico City and the northern industrial city of Monterrey, US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said late Tuesday.

The pair "were shot in the line of duty" by "unknown assailants," Napolitano said in a statement.

The second agent was "shot in the arm and leg and remains in stable condition," she added.

The Mexican Foreign Ministry said it "strongly condemns this grave act of violence," and that it was working closely with US officials to solve the crime and help the wounded agent.

US embassy officials in Mexico City told AFP that the agents were assigned to an ICE office in the Mexican capital, but did not say if they were on an assignment when they were attacked.

A US law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Dallas Morning News that the agents, who were probably unarmed, were shot as they approached an unofficial checkpoint apparently manned by members of the Zetas paramilitary drug gang.

Drug gangs sometimes set up roadblocks to search for potential kidnap victims, steal cars, or rob travelers.

It was unclear whether the agents were targeted because they worked for the US government.

Mexican officials did not say where the attack took place, but local TV networks showed footage of a dark colored SUV with tinted glass windows marked with bullet holes on the side of a highway in the central Mexican state of San Luis Potosi.

State officials said that they found a bullet-riddled car with US license plates near the town of Ojo Caliente at 3 pm (2100 GMT) Tuesday.

More than 34,600 people have died in drug violence since December 2006, when President Felipe Calderon deployed soldiers and federal police in a widespread crackdown on the illegal cartels.

Amid the latest cycle of violence in northeastern Mexico, 18 people were killed in a series of attacks on a bus, a private car and public buildings on Monday.

In the state of Nuevo Leon, where Monterrey is located, attackers blew up a car in which the state intelligence chief was riding late Sunday.

Earlier Sunday, eight people were killed in a gun battle when a special police unit stopped a suspicious vehicle in Monterrey.

Monterrey, a prosperous city and home to the local operations of several multinational corporations, is at the intersection of several highways -- often used as drug smuggling routes -- heading north into the United States.

Two rival drug organizations, the Gulf cartel and their former allies, the Zetas, are battling for control of the area.

It was the first killing of a US official in Mexico since March 2010, when a pregnant employee of the US consulate in the violent northern border city of Ciudad Juarez was killed with her husband.

ICE director John Morton called the shooting a "stark reminder of the risks confronted and the sacrifices made by our men and women every day."

"US law enforcement agencies are working closely with Mexican authorities who are investigating the shooting to ensure the perpetrators of this unconscionable crime are captured as quickly as possible," Napolitano said.

"Let me be clear: any act of violence against our ICE personnel -- or any DHS personnel -- is an attack against all those who serve our nation and put their lives at risk for our safety," she added.

Iraq to slash politicians' wages amid protests

Iraq's government plans to slash the salaries of ministers and MPs, a top official said on Wednesday, as protests swept the country against widespread corruption and poor basic services.

The new legislation will result in savings of at least $19 million annually, and will be seen as an attempt to ward off worsening protests that earlier in the day saw a 16-year-old boy killed.

"We will submit to the council of ministers next week ... a good substantial reduction, in some cases more than 50 percent, of present salaries," cabinet general secretary Ali al-Alaak told AFP in an interview.

If approved by the cabinet, the bill will need to be passed by Iraq's parliament.

The new legislation will reduce Maliki's own salary to 13 million Iraqi dinars ($10,100) per month, from 35 million dinars now, while Iraq's 42 ministers and 325 MPs will receive eight million dinars per month, down from their present salaries of 13 million dinars.

The Iraqi premier had earlier this month pledged to halve his salary.

Alaak said the most important provisions of the bill were likely the reduction in pension payments -- because MPs and ministers receive pensions based on their final salaries, the reduction in pay means lower payouts for former politicians.

In addition, the bill lowers the percentage of the final salary paid out to retired MPs and ministers.

Earlier on Wednesday, a teenager was killed when private guards shot at protesters who set fire to several government offices in the southern city of Kut, in Iraq's most violent demonstration since uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt led to their presidents being ousted over the past month.

The protests, which also left 27 people wounded, took place in the southern city of Kut, capital of Wasit province, with more than 2,000 demonstrators calling for the provincial governor to resign over poor basic services.

The demonstration broke out at 9:00 am (0600 GMT) and saw protesters set fire to three buildings -- the offices of Wasit provincial council, the governorate's main administrative building and the governor's official residence.

Policemen and soldiers fired their weapons into the air in a bid to dissuade protesters, while private security guards employed by Wasit council opened fire directly into the crowd, for which a senior policeman pledged punishment.

Kut hospital put the toll at one dead, a 16-year-old boy who suffered a bullet to the chest, and 27 wounded.

"Measures will be taken against the private guards but after the situation has calmed down," said Major Mohammed Saleh, the top police intelligence officer in Kut.

Illiteracy, poverty and access to clean water in Wasit are all worse than the Iraqi national average, according to the United Nations, while Transparency International rates Iraq as the world's fourth-most corrupt country.

Earlier, the demonstrators chanted slogans calling on Tarfa to resign, and held up placards that sarcastically read: "To all citizens: Electricity is only for officials," a reference to Iraq's dire shortfall in power provision.

"We demand that our rights be met, that we have better services and that the authorities fight corruption," said 54-year-old Ali Mohsen, a professor at Wasit university.

"We demand that the governor resign ... all we need is services."

In the southern port city of Basra, more than 200 unemployed demonstrators gathered in front of the provincial government headquarters, while clerics in the holy Shiite city of Najaf urged officials to listen to protesters' demands.

Hezbollah threatens Israelis

Hezbollah's chief on Wednesday urged his Shiite fighters to stand ready to take Galilee in any future Lebanon-Israel war and threatened Israelis "anytime, anywhere" to avenge a top operative's killing.

"I say to the fighters of the Islamic Resistance: Be ready. If a new war is imposed on Lebanon we may ask you to take Galilee, to free Galilee," Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised speech to mark his Shiite party's martyrs' day.

He vowed that the death of Imad Mughnieh, killed in a February 2008 car bombing in Damascus that Iranian-backed Hezbollah has blamed on Israel, would not be forgotten or go unpunished.

"I do not want to go into details. Suffice to say that our decision remains the same and will be executed, God willing, at the right time," he said to thunderous applause from hundreds of his supporters gathered in a stadium.

"To the Zionist generals, I say: Anywhere you go in the world, at any time, watch out, for the blood of Imad Mughnieh will not go to waste."

A month-long war between the Shiite militant group and Israel in 2006 destroyed much of Lebanon's infrastructure and killed more than 1,200 Lebanese, mainly civilians, and 160 Israelis, mainly soldiers.

Nasrallah's comments came a day after Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak warned that his army may have to re-enter Lebanon to ensure Hezbollah "remembers" the 2006 war.

"Even though it's quiet and deterrence exists -- Hezbollah remembers the heavy beating they suffered from us in 2006 -- but it is not forever, and you may be called to enter again," Barak said during a tour of the border region.

Israel says Iran sending warships to Mediterranean

Iran is sending two warships into the Mediterranean Sea, Israel's foreign minister said Wednesday, calling the act a "provocation" the Jewish state could not ignore for long.

"Tonight two Iranian warships are supposed to cross the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean Sea on their way to Syria," Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said, speaking at a conference of American Jewish leaders in Jerusalem.

Lieberman said Iranian warships cruising past Israel's coast was something that had not happened for many years and was a "provocation that proves the self confidence and cheek of the Iranians is growing from day-to-day."

"To my sorrow the international community is not dealing with these repeated Iranian provocations," the hardline minister said, referring to a recent visit by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the Lebanese border with Israel.

"The international community has to understand that Israel cannot ignore these provocations for eternity," Lieberman said.

Israel reportedly sent one of its submarines through Suez in 2009 to take part in Red Sea military exercises that were interpreted as a warning to Iran.

The Suez Canal Authority said it had not yet been informed of an Iranian request to send its ships through the canal, but that it should not be a problem if they do.

"The Suez Canal authority allows all ships of any nationality to cross as long as the country is not in a state war with Egypt," the Authority said in a statement, noting "it would be the first time Iranian warships have used the Suez Canal since 1979."

"The Suez Canal does not accept the Iranian currency, but that does not mean that Iranian ships cannot use the canal."

The Tehran regime is seen by Israel as its principal threat after repeated predictions by its hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of the Jewish state's demise.

Iranian on trial over arms seized in Nigeria

An alleged Iranian Revolutionary Guard member went on trial Wednesday over weapons sent from Iran and seized in Nigeria, a case that has led to a probe of whether Tehran breached UN sanctions.

Azim Aghajani and Nigerian suspect Ali Abbas Jega, who were both in the dock as the trial began, have pleaded not guilty to three charges of importing 13 containers of weapons and falsely declaring them as building materials.

The arms shipment has drawn international attention because it could constitute a violation of UN sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme. It has also sparked diplomatic tensions between West African nations and Iran.

After Wednesday's brief court session, Aghanjani's lawyer told journalists his client was not a member of the Revolutionary Guards, the economic and military force in Iran, and was simply a businessman.

Court documents have identified Aghajani as a Revolutionary Guard member and a businessman.

Lawyer Chris Uche also said the arms shipment was a "normal business transaction" between Iran and Gambia, which Tehran says was the final destination for the weapons.

"The man is a genuine businessman," Uche said. "He is a Persian who is fluent in English language, and hence his being contracted. He does not belong to any such organisation," he said, referring to the Revolutionary Guard.

Uche said "the arms were passing through Nigeria and not to Nigeria."

Gambia has denied it was the intended recipient of the weapons and has cut diplomatic ties with Iran over the dispute.

Senegal also recalled its ambassador to Iran and expressed concern that the weapons could end up in the hands of separatist rebels from the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance, in Senegal's south, which has bases in Gambia.

Dakar announced last month, however, that it was reinstating its ambassador.

Prosecutors got off to a rocky start as the trial began Wednesday, with the judge criticising them over a conflict in dates provided for when Nigerian suspect Jega gave a statement to authorities.

Judge Okechukwu Okeke angrily tossed the written statement back at prosecutors over the one-day discrepancy in the day provided in it and the one given by a witness.

"If you mess up the case in your office, do not use the court as a cover," he said. "This is a very serious lapse."

Prosecutors' first witness was an agent from Nigeria's secret police.

He described how he went to the Iranian embassy on November 13 to "invite" Aghajani to his office for interrogation, days after going to Jega's office for the same purpose.

The arms, including rockets and grenades, were seized at a dock in Lagos in October. Iran's ambassador to Nigeria has said their final destination was Gambia and that they were being shipped as part of a deal between those two nations.

Iran is under four sets of sanctions over its nuclear programme, including a ban on arms sales, and Nigeria has reported the seizure to the UN Security Council.

A UN panel of experts on sanctions on Iran was recently in Nigeria to investigate the weapons shipment.

Two officials from the Iranian embassy attended the start of the trial, which took place under tight security, with dozens of armed policemen around the court and a bomb disposal team positioned inside.

The trial is to resume on Thursday.

Jordan distances itself from 'hero' remark on killer

Jordan on Wednesday distanced itself from a minister's remarks that a convicted killer of seven Israeli schoolgirls was a "hero," saying the official was expressing his "personal views."

"The statement of Justice Minister Hussein Mujalli does not represent the Jordanian government's official position at all," foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Kayed told the state-run Petra news agency.

"It represents the minister's personal views."

Mujalli's remarks on Monday about the Jordanian soldier, Ahmad Dakamseh, drew an expression of "revulsion" from Israel.

"I support the... demand to free Ahmad Dakamseh. He's a hero. He does not deserve prison," said Mujalli, who became a minister last week.

Mujalli, a former president of the Jordan Bar Association, was Dakamseh's lawyer.

Israel summoned Jordan's ambassador on Tuesday, protesting that the call to release Dakamseh was "all the more serious as it came from the minister in charge of law and order."

Tensions were already running high in Israel amid the turmoil in the Arab world that saw its long-time peace partner Hosni Mubarak of Egypt quit office last week.

Jordan is the only other Arab nation to have signed a peace treaty with the Jewish state.

In March 1997, Dakamseh fired an automatic weapon at the Israeli schoolgirls as they visited Baqura, a scenic peninsula on the Jordan River near the Israeli border, killing seven and wounding five as well as a teacher.

The attack came less than three years after Jordan and Israel signed their peace treaty.

The motives of Dakamseh, who was 30 at the time and a married father of three, were never clear.

Then-king Hussein cut short a visit to Europe and rushed home to condemn the attack. He later travelled to Israel to offer his condolences to the families of the murdered schoolgirls. Jordan also paid compensation.

Oman raises minimum wage for private sector workers

Oman has raised the minimum wage for nationals working in the private sector from $364 to $520, as protests sparked by unemployment and poverty spread to several Arab countries.

The cabinet has "decided to raise the minimum wages for national workers in the private sector to 200 riyals per month" on the orders of Sultan Qaboos, state news agency ONA said late on Tuesday.

Before the raise, the minimum salaries in the small non-OPEC producer were 140 riyals ($364). From a population of 1.96 million Omanis, 150,000 are employed in the private sector.

On January 17, 200 Omanis protested against high prices and corruption, in a rare demonstration in the Gulf monarchy.

A popular revolt in Tunisia, sparked by the death of 26-year-old graduate Mohammed Bouazizi who set himself ablaze, led to the fall in mid-January of its longtime president Zine El-Abidine Bin Ali.

As similar protests followed in several Arab states, Egypt's president Hosni Mubarak was toppled last week. Protests have also spread to Bahrain, a partner of Oman in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council.

Last Friday, Bahrain's king ordered that each family in his country be given $3,000 to mark the 10th anniversary of a national charter for reforms.

Nobel laureate, rights groups urge end to Iran executions

Iranian Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi and six major human rights organisations called Wednesday on the United Nations and the international community to denounce a wave of executions in Iran.

At least 86 people have been executed since the start of 2011, according to information received by the six organisations, which include Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

"The Iranian authorities have shown they are no longer content to repress those contesting the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad by arresting and convicting them," Ebadi said in a statement issued by the groups.

"They have shown they will now resort to execution," the exiled Nobel peace laureate said.

To put an end to this killing spree, other nations should demand that Iran immediately end these executions and respect its obligations under international law, the statement said.

The statement came as Iran's regime called for a rally in Tehran for Friday to express "hatred" against the opposition movement, as its two key leaders launched fresh anti-government tirades despite demands they be hanged.

Wednesday's call for the mass rally came as clashes erupted at a funeral attended by thousands in Tehran of a student killed in anti-government protests of Monday.

Iranian opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi have been in the firing line since they called a rally on Monday in support of Arab uprisings but which quickly turned into anti-government demonstrations and ended in clashes that left two people dead and several wounded.

Both are under de facto house arrest and Karoubi's son, Hossein, said Wednesday, in a statement on his father's Sahamnews.org website, that "security forces are currently occupying my house... after breaking into the building...they are searching my and my family's personal belongings."

Iran's prosecutor general Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejeie has warned that action would be taken against Mousavi and Karroubi.

"The heads of seditions are the people who should be punished for their criminal acts and God willing actions in this regard are being taken," Mohseni Ejeie said, according to Fars news agency.

Iranian officials accuse arch-foes the United States, Britain and Israel of influencing the opposition chiefs.

Protests in Jordan call for reform, curbs on king's powers

Around 1,500 Jordanians demonstrated on Wednesday in the northern city of Irbid, demanding reforms and denouncing "government corruption," one of the protesters said.

"Trade unionists, representatives of various political parties and women's organisations took part in the demonstration to protest against poverty, oppression and government corruption," the protester added.

The demonstrators called for a "trial of the corrupt" and demanded a new electoral law as well as economic reforms.

In Amman, a group of young Jordanian university students staged a sit-in outside the royal court and called for King Abdullah II's powers to be curbed.

"The king should not rule by appointing prime ministers," Basel Bashabshah, coordinator of the Youth for Change movement, told AFP.

"We demand constitutional and political reforms as well as limited powers for the king," Bashabshah said, as he and around 30 students held a "symbolic" sit-in outside the palace in the city centre.

He said the students called for parliamentary governments and "true" economic reforms.

The group held banners reading: "The people want to form their own government," and "reform starts with the constitution."

The demonstrators were echoing demands by the powerful Islamist opposition, which has called for constitutional amendments to curb the king's power in naming heads of government, arguing that the premiership should go to the leader of the majority in parliament.

Jordan's constitution, adopted in 1952, gives the king the exclusive prerogative to appoint and dismiss prime ministers.

Mideast peace should advance 'now more than ever': EU

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said on Wednesday that the deadlocked Middle East peace process needs to advance "now more than ever," after talks with Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh.

"The peace process now more than ever needs to move forward because ensuring stability and security for the people of Israel, the people of Palestine is a very important ambition," she told a joint news conference with Judeh.

"It is an important ambition that needs to be realised as quickly as possible."

Ashton said "the collaboration that could take place between Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu and president (Mahmud) Abbas to realise that ambition.

"We would like very much to see and would support," said Asthon, who also held talks with Jordan's King Abdullah II.

"So I hope they will get back into talks as quickly as possible and I think, if they do, they will find great support."

Ashton said in Israel on Tuesday that the international community still sought to achieve a peace deal and a Palestinian state by September, despite the political turmoil rocking the Middle East.

Ashton sought to galvanise Israel and the Palestinians into resuming peace negotiations, which have been deadlocked since September in a row over persistent Jewish settlement construction in the occupied West Bank.

The deadline for achieving a peace deal was initially set by US President Barack Obama when he launched American-sponsored direct peace talks on September 2, only for the process to be suspended three weeks later.

Egypt junta names panel to reform constitution

Egypt's military rulers warned that a wave of strikes

sweeping the country was "disastrous," as it gave a panel of civilian experts 10 days to revise the constitution.

Against a backdrop of persistent nationwide walkouts and street protests, the junta promised to rapidly restore constitutional rule following the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak's regime.

US President Barack Obama said the transition in Egypt was a model for autocratic Middle Eastern allies, and encouraged the Iranian people to press their quest for democracy after protests on Monday in which two people died.

US network CBS meanwhile said top foreign correspondent Lara Logan was recovering in hospital after suffering a "brutal and sustained" sexual assault and beating from a mob in Egypt while covering Mubarak's downfall Friday.

A group of women and soldiers had eventually rescued her, CBS said in a statement.

Egypt's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces instructed an eight-strong panel of jurists and scholars to "amend all articles as it sees fit to guarantee democracy and the integrity of presidential and parliamentary elections."

The panel "must finish its work in a period of no longer than 10 days after the date of this decision," and must strike down the articles giving presidents unlimited terms in office and the right to refer cases to military courts.

The military took power on Friday when Mubarak's near 30-year rule was ended by an 18-day street revolt. Since then, Egyptian workers have been testing the bounds of their new freedom with strikes.

On Sunday, the military suspended the constitution and dissolved parliament, but it has promised to oversee a six-month transition to democratic rule. It urged strikers to return to work but stopped short of ordering them to do so.

"The Supreme Council is aware of the economic and social circumstances society is undergoing, but these issues cannot be resolved before the strikes and sit-ins end," state news agency MENA quoted the military as saying.

"The result of that will be disastrous."

The constitutional panel got straight down to work.

"The armed forces want to hand over power as soon as possible. They want amendments to the constitution," said panel member Sobhi Saleh, a lawyer and former lawmaker from Islamist opposition group the Muslim Brotherhood.

"We are revising the constitution to remove all restrictions and obstacles, and to meet the aspirations of the revolution's and the people's demands."

The committee is headed by Tareq al-Bishri, a respected former head of Egypt's administrative court.

Egypt's protest movement, inspired by the ouster of Tunisian strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, has in turn triggered anti-government demonstrations around the Middle East, including Algeria, Bahrain, Yemen and Iran.

Obama called on Western allies in the region to open up to their peoples.

He contrasted developments in Egypt with those in Iran, where the authorities crushed a wave of mass protests in 2009 and reacted furiously to opposition attempts to revive them on Monday.

"We have sent a strong message to our allies in the region saying let's look at Egypt's example, as opposed to Iran's example," he said.

The Muslim Brotherhood, banned but broadly tolerated under Mubarak, confirmed that it planned to form an official political party to contest promised parliamentary elections.

The opposition group has triggered concerns in the West and among some of its secular rivals, who fear it may come to power through free elections only to then implement Islamic law in the most populous Arab country.

But Brotherhood leaders insist it supports the broader demands of the pro-democracy protesters and seeks a more open multi-party system.

Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit, saying the economy had been "severely affected", called for international aid.

At the height of the revolt Egypt was haemorrhaging more than $300 million a day, according to the Egyptian unit of French bank Credit Agricole, which lowered a growth forecast for 2011 from 5.3 percent to 3.7 percent.

In a boost for the vital tourism sector, Britain, Denmark and Sweden all eased their travel warnings regarding Egypt.

Media professionals call for disbandment of Information Ministry

Photographed by Alsayed Albaz

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Several Egyptian media professionals have called for the abolition of Egypt's Information Ministry to bolster freedom of the media and help achieve a genuine transformation to democracy after the 25 January uprising that  led to the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak.   

Media professionals who spoke to Al-Masry Al-Youm said they consider the Ministry of Information and the Supreme Council for Journalism to be symbols of authoritative regimes.  

 

Hamdi Qandil, a media professional known for his opposition to the fallen regime, said both bodies must be abolished, adding that freedom of information needs to be bolstered for satellite channels and the press to respect professional and ethical standards in the conduct of their work.  

 

He added that it is no longer acceptable for the state to control media outlets as the world becomes more open.

 

Mohamed al-Khouli, a UN international media expert, said Egypt has signed international covenants that guarantee the freedom of expression.

 

He added that the state should support freedoms, especially those of the media and the press, and called for the abolition of all restrictions on the different media.

 

Al-Khouli predicted that the coming period will see more parties and syndicates being formed, and there will thus be a need for media outlets to serve as venues for the expression of different views.

Copts will not vote in parliamentary poll, says bishop

Photographed by Ibrahim Zayed

Naga Hammadi -- Egyptian Christians in the southern city of Naga Hammadi where six Copts were killed in a drive-by shooting in January will not cast ballots in Sunday’s parliamentary elections if security authorities fail to provide guarantees for their safety, an influential bishop said on Saturday.
In October, al-Qaeda threatened to attack Egypt’s Christian minority if the Coptic Church fails to release women who have allegedly converted to Islam, and who claimed that they are being held captive in monasteries.  
The measures came after the deadly attack on a Catholic church in Baghdad that killed 58 people and wounded nearly 80 when militants stormed the church during Sunday Mass.
"We told the people to go vote if polling stations are properly secured," Bishop Kirollos of the Naga Hammadi Diocese told Al-Masry Al-Youm hours before the elections. “As you can see, the atmosphere is not that safe."
In January, six Copts and a Muslim guard were killed in a drive-by shooting after they left a late night mass on the eve of Coptic Christmas.
At the time, local media quoted church officials as saying that the ruling National Democratic Party MP, Abdel Rahim al-Ghoul, is linked with a Muslim “thug” who is currently being tried for planning the attack.
Al-Ghoul, who is currently running for reelection in Sunday’s vote, vehemently denied the accusations.
On Wednesday, head of the Egyptian Coptic Church Pope Shenouda III denounced the use of force against Coptic protesters.
The statement followed Wednesday's clashes with security forces over a decision to halt construction on a Giza church.
Authorities claim the church lacked the required permits.
The violence left two Copts dead and scores injured.
"God gives authority to some people so they can give comfort to those under their rule, but authority should not be violently exercised," Shenouda said.
Bishop Kirollos called for the increased presence of security forces around Naga Hammadi’s churches.
“We got used to vandalism and attacks,” said Kirollos. “But recent violence has caused even more panic within the Coptic community in Naga Hammadi.”
Nearly two weeks ago, angry Muslim villagers torched dozens of Christian homes in the Nawahed village of Qena (twenty Kilometers north of Naga Hammadi), after rumors circulated that a Christian man was having an affair with a local Muslim girl.
In January, Copts blamed the police for not properly protecting the church where attacks took place despite the circulation of threat messages in the Christian dominated city following allegations that a Christian man raped a 12-year-old Muslim girl.
In recent weeks, the city has witnessed the proliferation of election related violence.
Eyewitnesses said that al-Ghoul's car was completely destroyed on Thursday.  
Last month, one election campaigner was killed in al-Raesiyya village, adjacent to Naga Hammadi.
Bishop Kirollos said that the Coptic community is largely disillusioned by the election candidates.
“The Coptic community feels badly discriminated against, and they think that none of the existing candidates are theirs" said Kirollos.  "All competing parties, whether belonging to the NDP or the opposition, have not addressed Coptic concerns in their election platforms.”
Copts, who account for nearly ten percent of Egypt’s population of 80 million, constitute the Middle East’s largest Christian community but complain of routine harassment and systematic discrimination.

Thousands of petrol workers demand wage hikes

Photographed by أحمد شاكر

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Thousands of Petrotrade Co. (Egyptian Petroleum Trading Service Co.) workers organized a number of sporadic protests at the company’s Cairo branches, joined by workers from Petroment and Syanco petroleum companies.

A number of the protesters demonstrated outside the Ministry of Petroleum in Nasr City to demand salary increases and permanent job assignments.

The protesters chanted “Either Sameh comes down or we go to Tahrir” in reference to Petroleum Minister Sameh Fahmy and in a clear threat that the workers would join the general protest in Tahrir Square if their demands are not met.

 

The protesters staged sit-ins at the Abdeen, Maadi, Nasr City, Haram and Faisal branches of Petrotrade co., with some 1500 protesters at the Haram and Faisal branches. The workers complained that their monthly salaries of LE500-700 were not sufficient for a dignified life.
 

The petrol workers said in a statement that they do not receive incentives from the company's annual profits and they demanded their salaries be raised to LE3000-4000 pounds per month.

 

Meanwhile, one employee said the company's CEO threatened to bring in State Security forces and threatened the laborers on strike with his military connections.

Flights to Egypt down 70 percent

Photographed by Hossam Fadl

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Minister of Civil Aviation Ibrahim Mannaa said on Wednesday that flights to Egypt have declined by 70 percent, which led to a sharp drop in profits.
Sources at Cairo International Airport said 14 of the international airlines canceled their flights to Cairo on Wednesday due to a lack of passengers.
“Passengers boarding EgyptAir flights have dropped to 54 percent,” added Mannaa. “Losses during the past two weeks can only be calculated after all losses are identified.”
“The aviation sector in Egypt will carry out its development projects and pay for all its financial commitments. We paid all our installments in February,” Mannaa added.
Manna promised that airport workers would not be affected by the drop in profits saying, "They will not be laid off. Their salaries will not be cut.”
Navigational sources at Cairo Airport said EgyptAir decreased its local and international flights by slightly more than half.

Trains disrupted as 1000s of railway employees strike

Photographed by Mohamed Maarouf

Some 3000 Egyptian National Railways (ENR) employees went on strike demanding that Transport Minister Atef Abdel Hamid reconsider their incentives. The protesters sat on railway lines, disrupting train services, and threatened not to move until their demands are met. 

Egyptian Railway Authority (ERA) head Mustafa Qenawi along with a number of ERA management held talks with the protesters in an attempt to break the strike and restore train services.

An official source at the Transport Ministry told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the ENR had received instructions to respond to all of the demands and to resolve the strike peacefully.

Meanwhile, Public Transport Authority (PTA) drivers and employees said they will begin a strike on Thursday to demand that their incentives be reconsidered. One driver told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the strike will begin at the PTA’s Nasr City main branch and that bus services will be suspended until their demands are achieved.