Egypt parliament gets legislative powers

Mohamed Saad al-Katatni of the Muslim Brotherhood speaks to other members of the Egyptian parliament during the first session after the revolution that ousted former dictator Hosni Mubarak, Cairo, January 23, 2012

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/222766.html

Egypt's military rulers, who took over the reins after a revolution ousted former Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak, have handed legislative powers to the country's parliament.

“Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, the head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, has announced in a letter to the people's assembly the transfer of legislative power to the assembly," the cabinet said in statement on Monday.

The lower house of parliament convened for the first time on Monday, two days before the first anniversary of the start of the revolution, which began on January 25 and culminated on February 11 with Mubarak's ouster.

During the marathon parliamentary elections, which ended just days ago, Egypt's two main Islamic parties secured over three quarters of the 498 seats.

The Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) secured the biggest share of seats (47.18) in the parliament while the Islamic al-Nour party finished second with 29 percent of the seats.

During the Monday session, the parliament also elected the FJP's nominee, Mohamed Saad al-Katatni, as speaker of the house.

Egyptian parliament speaker elected

Saad al-Katatni has been elected as speaker of the Egyptian parliament.(File Photo

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/222670.html

The Muslim Brotherhood's Saad al-Katatni has been elected as speaker of the first post-revolution parliament in Egypt.

On Monday, Katatni won 399 votes out of 496 in the first session of the lower assembly, held two days before the first anniversary of the Egyptian revolution.

With 47.18 percent, Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), the political wing of Muslim Brotherhood, the biggest political party in the country, secured the biggest share of seats in the recently-concluded general elections.

The country's new parliament will also elect a 100-strong body with the task of drafting a new constitution.

The party, which was officially banned under Mubarak's authoritarian rule, has pledged to guide Egypt on the path towards the transition of power to a civilian government.

Over the past months protesters have been staging mass demonstrations, calling on the ruling Supreme Council of Armed Forces to hand over power to a civilian authority, accusing it of moving against the country's revolution by using violence against civilians.

SCAF took over after the ouster of the former Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak in a popular revolution in January 2011.

Egypt's new parliament to hold first session

An Egyptian man takes pictures inside the parliament's meeting hall in the country's capital Cairo on January 22, 2012.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/222560.html

Egypt's new parliament is preparing to meet for its first session since the country's popular revolution ousted former dictator Hosni Mubarak in February.

The opening session will be held on Monday, two days before the first anniversary of the start of the revolution that began on January 25, 2011 and culminated on February 11 with Mubarak's resignation.

Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), the political wing of Muslim Brotherhood, the biggest political party in the country, has secured the biggest share of seats, 47.18, in the recently-concluded general elections. The party, which was officially banned under Mubarak's authoritarian rule, has pledged to guide Egypt in the path towards transition of power to a civilian government.

"It will be a historical session in Egypt's transition to democracy and civilian rule," Mohamed Beltagy, a leading member of the FJP, said before the session, due to begin at 11:00 a.m. local time (0900 GMT).

In Monday's session, the parliament is likely to elect the FJP's nominee, Mohamed el-Katatni, as speaker of the legislature.

The Islamic al-Nour party finished second in the polls with 29 percent of the seats.

The country's new parliament will also elect a 100-strong body with the task of drafting a new constitution.

Egypt's MB wins majority of parliament seats

Egyptians voting in the country's elections which began in November. (File photo)

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/222331.html

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party has won 47.18 percent of seats in the country's parliamentary elections, officials say.

According to the chairman of election's judicial commission, the Muslim Brotherhood won 235 seats in the new People's Assembly.

The Islamic al-Nour party came in second with 29 percent of the seats.

The country's new parliament is to select a 100-strong body with the task of drafting a new constitution.

Tension heightens between Marshal Tantawi, head of Egypt's ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) and revolutionary forces ahead of 25 January revolution's anniversary as many Egyptians are calling for the downfall of the junta.

Egyptians have in recent weeks staged mass demonstrations against the military rulers.

Protesters have been calling on the SCAF to hand over power to a civilian authority, accusing it of moving against the country's revolution by using violence against civilians.

The ruling Supreme Council of Armed Forces took over after the ouster of the former Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak in a popular revolution in February.

Egyptian protesters slam US meddling

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/219908.html

Egyptian protesters have condemned the United States' interference in their country's internal affairs, demanding the closure of US embassy in Cairo.

Chanting anti-US slogans, the demonstrators gathered outside the US embassy in the capital Cairo on Saturday to protest what they described as Washington's meddling in their country's internal affairs.

The demonstrators accused the US of meddling in Egypt's recent general elections and called for the expulsion of US ambassador to Cairo.

The protests came a week after Egyptian military forces raided offices of several NGOs (nongovernmental organizations) in Egypt, accusing them of receiving financial support from the US.

The military rulers have said repeatedly they will not tolerate foreign interference in the country's affairs.

Egypt embarked on a three-stage parliamentary election in late November 2011.

The Freedom and Justice Party of the Muslim Brotherhood said on Saturday that it had garnered 35.2 percent of the party list vote in the final stage of the election. Another Islamic party al-Nur said it received 27 percent in the poll held on January 4.

The ruling Supreme Council of Armed Forces took over after the ouster of the former Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak in a popular revolution in February.

Islamic parties win Egypt third vote

Egyptian women enter a polling center during the third round of the elections for Egypt's parliament, Jan. 4, 2012

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/219804.html

Two main Islamic parties in Egypt have announced wining over 60 percent of the vote in the final stage of the parliamentary elections.

The Freedom and Justice Party of the Muslim Brotherhood said on Saturday that it had garnered 35.2 percent of the party list vote. The al-Nur party also said it received 27 percent.

The two Islamic parties took 65 percent of the vote in the first two phases of Egypt's first general election since the ouster of former President Hosni Mubarak in February.

Egyptians went to the polls in three stages to choose a new parliament tasked with drafting a new constitution.

Once the new parliament has been sworn in, a commission will be appointed to draft a new constitution before presidential election is held by the end of June.

The elections came in response to increasing public demand for a shift from military rule to a civilian government.

Prosecution seeks death for Mubarak

Former Egyptian ruler Hosni Mubarak arrives by gurney to court in Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, Jan. 5, 2012

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/219537.html

Prosecutors have called on the court hearing the case of former Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak to hang him for the murder of protesters during the revolution that deposed him nearly a year ago.

Winding up their final arguments on Thursday, prosecutors said the 83-year-old, lying on a stretcher in the defendants' iron cage, bore full responsibility for the killings and should be executed for giving shoot-to-kill orders during anti-government protests.

Prosecutor Mustafa Khater made a passionate plea to the court demanding the death penalty for Mubarak, former Interior Minister Habib al-Adli and four of the police commanders.

They are charged with complicity in the killings of over 800 pro-democracy protesters during the 18-day anti-regime protests that forced Egypt's strongman to quit on February 11, 2011.

“The law punishes premeditated murder with execution. The prosecution demands the maximum punishment," Khater, one of five prosecutors in the case, told the court.

"Retribution is the solution. Any fair judge must issue a death sentence for these defendants," he pleaded.

He said the nation expects the truth, which all people are equal before the law, and that Egyptian blood is no longer cheap.

Khater's appeal came on the final day of court sessions--which began on Tuesday--in which the prosecution presented its case, following months of testimony by witnesses.

Earlier in Thursday's session, chief prosecutor Mustafa Suleiman argued that Mubarak was "politically and legally" responsible for the killing of the protesters.

He stated that Mubarak was aware from meetings with members of his inner circle, regional TV channels and reports by his security agencies that the killing of protesters was taking place but did not order to stop it.

Mubarak is the first Arab leader to stand trial in person since popular uprisings began in the Middle East and North Africa over a year ago.

Egypt officers join anti-junta protesters

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/212139.html

A number of Egyptian army officials join the chorus of calls for change amid mass demos in Cairo and other major cities demanding the downfall of the ruling junta, Press TV reports.

In Cairo, up to a million people gathered on Friday in and around Liberation Square, the focal point of a popular revolution which toppled the four-decade regime of former dictator Hosni Mubarak in February.

The protesters called for an end to the rule of the Supreme Council of Armed Forces which took over after Mubarak's ouster, and voiced their opposition to SCAF's nomination of Mubarak-era official Kamal el-Ganzouri as prime minister.

The calls were soon joined by Egyptians army officers, who supported popular demands for a civilian government and opposed the junta choice to head the transitional government.

“The Supreme Council of Armed Forces does not reflect the whole Egyptian army,” said Egyptian Army Captain Ahmed Shouman. “We must be in cohesion with the Egyptian people once again. This is the best way. We must resort to the essence of the revolution,” he stressed.

Shouman expressed regret about the crackdown on anti-junta protesters over the past days and described it as a sign of the despair of the remnants of the Mubarak regime, who want to stay in power.

The captain recalled that the people's demand since the start of the uprising in Egypt has been the establishment of a civilian government. He then called for the formation of a “real parliament” representing the Egyptian people and their demands.

The SCAF has a six-month mandate to help set up a transitional government and hold elections, but the junta is receiving dictations from outside Egypt, Shouman stated, without explaining where the junta receives commands from. "We must represent our people not the outside world," he urged, addressing the military.

On the nomination of Ganzouri, he expressed doubts about whether the former prime minister was the appropriate choice given the current situation in Egypt.

Another Egyptian army official also expressed regret over the killing of more than 41 protesters in the past week, and called for the junta to meet popular demands.

“I have been a military man for a long time,” said Army Major Amr Metwaly, producing his ID card. “It does not matter if we represent the Egyptian civilians or the armed personnel. But most important of all is that we are all from Egypt; we stand side by side with the revolutionaries and we stand in support of the revolution,” he said.

He condemned the killing of protesters as being part of a Western plot to derail the revolution in Egypt. He denounced the junta's stance against the revolutionaries and the use of excessive force against protesters.

Metwaly also echoed his comrade's remark on the presence of Mubarak-era elements in the defense ministry and the ruling military council.

He said Egyptians are against outside intervention from the West and above all the United States, which has made numerous attempts to hijack the Egyptian revolution.

The major called on Egypt's military ruler Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi to respect popular demand, step down and stand trial in a civilian court. He also urged the junta to hold national referendum for the people to decide on the future of their country.

Metwaly vowed the army personnel would not back off on their pledge to support the Egyptian people and would live up to their duty of maintaining security for the Egyptian public. He expressed hope that the ruling junta would step down in a week's time at longest and people's demands would then be met.

Fresh violence erupts in Egypt's capital

Egyptian protesters gather after clashes with Egyptian riot police at Liberation Square in Cairo November 19, 2011.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/211108.html

Fresh violence has erupted in Egypt's capital Cairo a day after deadly clashes between police and protesters left at least three people dead and hundreds wounded, Press TV reports.

Egyptian riot police on Sunday clashed for a second day with protesters demanding a speedy transition of power from the ruling military council to a civilian government.

The police used tear gas against thousands of protesters in and around central Cairo's Liberation Square.

At least one protester was injured in the violence.

Similar clashes on Saturday left three people dead and hundreds more injured in Cairo and Alexandria.

The latest clashes come just over a week before parliamentary elections.

Earlier this month, Egypt's Deputy Prime Minister Ali al-Silmi showed a draft copy of a revised constitution to political groups in the North African country. The draft would give the Army exclusive authority over its internal affairs and budget and would also shield the forces from legal scrutiny.

The opposition and democracy campaigners protested at the proposal.

Activists and political groups are increasingly critical of the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF)'s failure to live up to its promise of handing over power to a civilian ruling structure within six months of the February revolution.

Protesters have also criticized the head of the council, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, for his reluctance to implement sweeping changes and dismantle elements of the former regime.

The military rulers have promised to hold presidential elections by late next year.

'Nayef hires Egypt's ex-spy chief'

Egypt's former intelligence chief, Omar Suleiman

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/208993.html

Saudi Arabia's new Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz has reportedly appointed Egypt's former General Intelligence Director Omar Suleiman as his security advisor.

According to informed sources, Prince Nayef has employed Suleiman as his security advisor after Egypt's ex-spy chief attended a ceremony launched by the US-backed Saudi regime to welcome Hajj pilgrims in Mecca, Fars news agency reported on Tuesday.

This is while other sources have associated Suleiman's appointment with Riyadh's pressure on Egypt's Supreme Military Council to cease trial of former US-backed Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak.

Earlier last week, Suleiman went to Saudi Arabia to participate in Hajj rituals and was warmly received by ranking Saudi authorities, who extended an official welcome for the former Egyptian intelligence director in Riyadh airport, according to the report.

Suleiman became a leading figure in Egypt's intelligence system after 1986 and was appointed vice president by the country's deposed ruler Hosni Mubarak on 29 January 2011, following the Egyptian uprising.

He was known as the “Iron Man” during Mubarak's era and was repeatedly criticized by rights groups for his 'inhumane' measures against Egyptian citizens.

Torture victims and human rights groups have widely charged that Suleiman oversaw the systematic use of torture on anti-government detainees.

Suleiman kept daily contact with Tel Aviv through a secret hotline and enjoyed very good ties with Israeli figures.

Egypt forces attack football fans

Egyptian protesters clash with riot policemen outside police Hosni Mubarak's court in Cairo, Egypt, September 5, 2011

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/197842.html

Egyptian government forces have attacked football fans chanting slogans against ousted President Hosni Mubarak at a stadium in the capital Cairo.

Reports say scores of people were wounded during clashes between police and al-Ahli club fans late Tuesday after government forces tried to forcibly remove fans from the stadium, Reuters reported.

More than a dozen people were also arrested during the incident.

Egyptians attending the game were also chanting slogans against Mubarak's former interior minister Habib al-Adly.

Both Mubarak and al-Adly are on trial on charges of corruption and ordering the killing of hundreds of demonstrators during the popular revolution in Egypt that led to Mubarak's ouster.

Egypt's ex-president was ousted in February following weeks of anti-government protests in the North African nation that put an end to his three-decade rule.

'Israeli PM meets with Tantawi in secret'

Egypt's head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces Mohamed Hussein Tantawi

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/197528.html

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has secretly met with Egypt's head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, a report says.

Israeli newspaper Maariv reported that the two sides met in secret because of the angry public opinions of Egyptian people toward Israel.

Thousands of Egyptians protested against Tel Aviv outside the Israeli Embassy in Cairo over the killing of five Egyptian policemen in an Israel attack near the border last month.

Cairo had decided to recall its envoy from Tel Aviv to protest the incident. During the secret session, Tantawi intervened and withdrew the decision to recall the Egyptian ambassador from Israel, according to the report. The paper said Tantawi ended the crisis in the last moments.

The two sides also discussed border security and anti-terrorism operations, the report added.

Egypt's revolution in February has put in danger the relations between Cairo and Tel Aviv

Egyptians hold massive anti-Israel rally

Egyptians hold a massive anti-Israel rally in Cairo, August 26, 2011.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/195906.html

Tens of thousands of Egyptians have staged a massive anti-Israel protest, demanding an end to the peace-accord between Cairo and Tel Aviv.

Following the Friday Prayers, protesters and activists gathered in several cities and Cairo's Liberation Square to stage a million-man demonstration.

Egyptians called for the expulsion of the Israeli envoy and chanted anti-Israeli slogans.

Since last Thursday when the Israeli military killed five Egyptian security personnel on the Rafah border crossing, anti-Israeli protests have escalated outside the Israeli embassy in Cairo

Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, but the situation has drastically changed since the Egyptian revolution which toppled former dictator Hosni Mubarak. A number of Egyptian political parties are now calling for changes to the peace treaty.

Under the US-backed Mubarak regime, Egypt consistently served Israeli interests and objectives by helping to impose the crippling blockade on the impoverished Gaza strip after the democratically elected Hamas government took control of the territory in 2007.

The crippling blockade on the territory has triggered a humanitarian crisis. The siege has left nearly one and a half million Gazans in dire need of basic supplies.

Egyptians urge freeze of Israel ties

Egyptian protesters gather in front of the Israeli embassy in Cairo, Egypt, August 20, 2011.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/195470.html

Egyptian protesters continue demonstrating in front of the Israeli embassy in the capital Cairo, calling for an end to Egypt's diplomatic ties with Israel.

The demonstrators insisted that they would press ahead with the protests outside the embassy until Tel Aviv's envoy to Cairo, Yitzhak Levanon, is expelled from the country, a Press TV correspondent reported on Wednesday.

The protesters also demanded efforts by Egyptian authorities to halt natural gas exports from Egypt to Israel and revoke the Camp David Accords -- a US-sponsored treaty that was signed in 1978 to establish 'peace' between Cairo and Tel Aviv.

Tensions between Egypt and Israel has climbed since Israeli forces killed five Egyptian border guards on Thursday at Egypt's border with the Gaza Strip.

Israeli Minister for military Affairs Ehud Barak on Saturday said “Israel deeply regrets the deaths of the Egyptian officers” after Egypt announced that it would withdraw its ambassador the Tel Aviv if no official apology was made.

Egyptian demonstrators, however, played down Barak's expression of “regret” over the death of Egyptian officers.

The US government earlier dispatched an envoy to Cairo to try to defuse the surging tensions in Egyptian-Israeli relations, which have further deteriorated in the wake of the killings.

Meanwhile, activists across Egypt have called for a huge protest rally on Friday to press the country's ruling military council into meeting their demands.

Anti-Israel rallies continue in Egypt

Photo of anti-Israeli protests in Egypt

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/195084.html

Egyptians carry on their protests against Israel, following Tel Aviv's killing of several Egyptian border guards on the country's soil.

Over 100 anti-Israeli protesters rallied in front of the Israeli embassy in the capital on Sunday, repeating the outraged populace's demand for termination of the country's ties with Israel and expulsion of Israel's ambassador to Cairo, a Press TV correspondent reported.

On Thursday, the Israeli Air Force killed five Egyptian border guards, attacking the vicinity of the country's border crossing with the Palestinian enclave of the Gaza Strip.

The demonstrators have downplayed the Israeli Minister of Military Affairs Ehud Barak's expression of 'regret' over the deaths.

Earlier, a young protester climbed the Israeli embassy's building and pulled down the Israeli flag.

Cairo has also demanded that Israel halt its deadly airstrikes against the Tel Aviv-besieged Gaza.

Also on Thursday, the Israeli military killed at least 16 Palestinians and injured more than 45 others during offensives against the coastal sliver.

The Egyptian protests mark the public's venting their anger over Cairo's 30 years of amity and cooperation with Tel Aviv under Hosni Mubarak -- Egypt's former dictator, who was deposed by a popular revolution earlier in the year.

US-Egypt military exercises cancelled

US Marines participate in Operation Bright Star exercises October 23, 2001 on Egypt's north coast.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/194421.html

The United States and Egypt have decided to cancel this year's planned military exercises dubbed Bright Star, as pressure builds up on the US-backed military rulers of the North African nation.

"The Bright Star military practice was called off exceptionally this year given the political situation in Egypt," an Egyptian army official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters on Wednesday.

The biannual military drills, the largest of their type in the region, date back to 1981 and are an outgrowth of the Camp David Peace Accords between Egypt and Israel.

The next Bright Star drill will be held in 2013 and formal planning meetings are due in June, 2012, a US military source said.

The US has spent tens of billions of dollars on Egypt's army by providing technology and training. The US military aid to Egypt totaled $1.3 billion in 2010.

However, the historic revolution that led to the downfall of Egypt's former dictator Hosni Mubarak, a staunch ally of the US, has cast doubts on ties between the two countries.

Following the overthrow of Mubarak, Egyptian people have repeatedly condemned the country's military rulers for cracking down on protesters demanding a democratic transition to a civilian government and this will add fuel to fire on the relations between the old allies.

US officials have conveyed their concerns to Egypt's military about growing anti-Americanism in the country.

Mubarak trial begins in Egyptian capital

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/192124.html

At a historic trial in the Arab world, ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is standing in the dock after the former ruler and his sons entered the purposely-built cage in a Cairo court.

The trial of the overthrown dictator started on Wednesday, months after a revolution in Egypt, which ended Mubarak's decades-long rule, AFP reported.

Shortly after being flown to the Almaza military airport in Cairo, Mubarak arrived at the Police Academy in a Cairo suburb where he and his two sons will stand trial on charges of corruption and ordering the killing of anti-government protesters in Egypt.

Mubarak was brought into the Cairo courtroom on a stretcher for the opening of his murder trial in the capital as his two sons stood by his side.

It was Mubarak's first public appearance since he was ousted by a revolution on February 11.

Mubarak's trial is taking place under tight security as nearly 3,000 riot police and security forces are ringing the courthouse.

Mubarak arrives in Cairo to stand trial

Security stand by as a van believed to be carrying the defendants arrives outside the court room set-up in the police academy on the outskirt of the capital Cairo, waiting for the start of the trial of ousted Egyptian president where he is to face murder

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/192114.html

The deposed Egyptian president has arrived in the capital Cairo where he and his two sons will stand trial on charges of corruption and ordering the killing of anti-government protesters in Egypt.

The state television said that Hosni Mubarak's air ambulance landed in Cairo on Wednesday as tension between protesters and riot police is intensified outside his courthouse in the capital.

Shortly after he landed in Cairo, Mubarak was en route to court where is to face murder charges on Wednesday, a security official says.

"Mubarak has landed at Almaza military airport," the official said.

"He is now on his way to the Police Academy" where is due to appear in court along with his two sons Alaa and Gamal, the former interior minister and six security chiefs, the official went on to say.

Mubarak left the Sharm el-Sheikh hospital earlier in the day under tight security measures, including ambulances and security vehicles, a Press TV correspondent reported.

Police patrolled the street near Mubarak's hospital and barred the way to protesters who were chanting, "The people want the execution of the killer."

Large numbers of people also gathered outside a court in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, on Wednesday, awaiting the trial of the ousted ruler.

The ousted Egyptian president is due to appear in court along with several of his former associates on the outskirts of the capital city of Cairo on Wednesday.

He is reportedly receiving treatment for a heart condition.

Egypt's ruling military council has refrained from handing in Mubarak for imprisonment under the pretext that the ousted dictator is ill.

Mubarak's transfer to Cairo has been a key demand of people still protesting at the landmark Liberation Square.

Mubarak, his two sons, Alaa and Gamal, former Egyptian Interior Minister Habib al-Adli and six senior policemen are to face charges of ordering the killing of anti-government protesters in Egypt.

The Mubarak family is also facing allegations of corruption as well as the use of violence against protesters.

Mubarak was ousted in February following weeks of anti-government protests in Egypt that put an end to his three-decade rule.

The commission investigating the violence against the protesters in Egypt says more than 800 demonstrators were killed in the demonstrations.

Egypt's judicial officials say the former dictator could be executed if found guilty of ordering to shoot anti-government protesters.

Egypt army attacks protesters in Cairo

Egyptian demonstrators rally in downtown Cairo's Tahrir square on July 29, 2011.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/191848.html

At least 200 protesters have been injured as violent clashes erupted between Egyptian security forces and demonstrators camped out in the capital's landmark Liberation Square.

The clashes erupted when security forces entered the square to disperse protesters who have stayed there for over three weeks.

Dozens of troops entered the square with military vehicles and managed to open the square to traffic.

Witnesses say the troops fired into air and used live ammunitions in a bid to break up the demonstrations.

Some reports say at least 200 protesters have been injured. Some of the injured are said to be in critical condition.

The protesters have been calling for an end to the military rule.

The protesters are calling for swift change and the ouster of military rulers who have replaced the former dictator Hosni Mubarak.

One of their key demands is the swift trial of former regime members involved in the killing of protesters during the revolution.

They are also calling on de facto president and Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi to step down.

Following Mubarak's downfall, a military council took over in Egypt. Many Egyptians believe it is trying to derail the revolution.

Demonstrators call for an end to the military council's rule and want the military to go back to their barracks and hand over power to a civilian government.

Another blast hits Egypt-Israel pipeline

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/191530.html

An Egyptian pipeline carrying natural gas to Israel in the Sinai Peninsula has been hit by yet another attack, causing severe damages and halting the gas flow.

Unknown gunmen have exploded the cooling lines at the gas station in Sheikh Zuwayid region north of Sinai.

Witnesses say they have heard heavy gunfire at the station.

There are no reports of casualties. So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the attack -- which is the third of its kind in July.

Previous attacks on the pipeline stopped supplies of natural gas to Israel and Jordan.

Egypt supplies 40 percent of Israel's natural gas demand based on a deal reached between Cairo and Tel Aviv after the 1979 peace accord.

The Egyptian opposition groups are also openly against the new gas deals signed between Cairo and Tel Aviv under former dictator Hosni Mubarak in 2005.

The developments come as Mubarak and his former petroleum minister are being investigated for selling artificially cheap gas to Israel.

This comes after chief prosecutor received evidence that Mubarak and Sameh Fahmy had sold natural gas to Israel and several Western countries for artificially low prices.

Fahmy has recently told investigators that he was just carrying out orders from Mubarak.

Egyptians have held several anti-Israeli rallies in Cairo over the past few weeks. Protesters have demanded that the country's military rulers sever all ties with Israel.