CAIRO

Egyptian police detained a second batch of 14 leading members of the opposition Muslim Brotherhood in the Nile Delta in dawn raids on Monday, the Brotherhood said. The detentions bring to about 39 the number of members held since Saturday morning.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has denied that Egypt had forgiven all Iraqi debts to Cairo in comments published in a newspaper on Sunday. Iraqi Finance Minister Bayan Jabor had told reporters at an international conference to pledge support for Iraqi institutions in early May that Egypt had agreed to waive Iraq’s -million debt.

Police have arrested 172 militants who were plotting to attack Saudi Arabia’s oil fields, the Saudi state TV channel al-Ekhbariah reported on Friday. The channel broadcast footage of the large quantity of weapons of all kinds that were discovered buried in the desert. The arms included bricks of plastic explosives, ammunition cartridges, handguns and rifles.

Strong desert winds whipped up a severe sandstorm that engulfed Cairo and other parts of Egypt on Tuesday, forcing the closure of Cairo International Airport due to poor visibility. Cairo’s airport authorities announced at 8am GMT that visibility was reduced to 100m, leading to the cancellations of more than 15 departures.

Arab, African, European and United States diplomats began talks in the Egyptian capital on Tuesday in a bid to see how they can help Somalia’s transitional government restore law and order in the Horn of Africa nation. The talks, which are expected to last one day, are being held in the Arab League’s headquarters in Cairo.

Egyptian security forces broke up an opposition protest in Cairo on Sunday, on the eve of a referendum on constitutional changes which opponents fear will strengthen the ruling party’s grip on power. The government says the amendments are necessary to avert sectarianism and terrorism.

An Egyptian judge, who chairs the court that is to hear a blogger’s appeal against a four-year jail sentence that drew criticism from around the world, is seeking to gag 21 websites, said a judicial source. The revelation came on the eve of the opening hearing of Abdel Karim Suleiman’s appeal against his conviction for insulting Islam and defaming Mubarak.

Egyptian bloggers have come into the spotlight, on the one hand as a forum for political debate, on the other as the target of government attempts to limit their freedom of expression. Earlier this month, Abdel-Karim Suleiman (22), became the first Egyptian jailed for his blogging when he was handed a four-year prison sentence.

A Japanese archaeological team has discovered three painted wooden coffins in Egypt, including two from the little-known Middle Kingdom period dating back more than 4 000 years. The sarcophagi were found in tomb shafts in the vast Saqqara necropolis south of Cairo.

Six Egyptians were hospitalised on Saturday after showing symptoms of bird flu amid fears of a global surge in infections by the deadly virus, the official Mena news agency said. Egypt — the Arab world’s most populous state — is on a major route for migratory birds.

Al-Qaeda’s deputy leader has urged Somalia’s Islamist guerrillas to remain steadfast in their battle against ”invaders” and ”crusaders”, according to an internet audiotape released on Friday. Somalia’s Islamic Courts rebels were resoundingly beaten by pro-government and Ethiopian troops earlier this week.

A speech posted on the internet on Friday by the purported leader of an al-Qaeda-linked militant group has offered United States troops a one-month truce for withdrawing from Iraq without being attacked. The leader of the Islamic State of Iraq also called on former officers in Saddam Hussein’s disbanded army to join his militia.

Rebels in Sudan’s western Darfur region said on Friday they had downed two helicopters and killed 13 Sudanese officers, and denied that 200 members of their movement had died in a government attack. ”The Sudan Liberation Movement and its allies categorically deny information put out by the Sudanese army on Thursday,” the rebel movement said in a statement.

As the year draws to a close, prospects for constitutional reform remain ”bleak” in the view of Egypt’s fragmented opposition, who continue to accuse the governing National Democratic Party of operating a ”police state”. Despite promises of reform and constitutional amendments put forward by the NDP, the coming year promises to be complicated and troublesome.

Mohamed Gad walks barefoot through the muddy tannery, seemingly not bothered by the acrid odours of chemicals and the stink of unprocessed skins. He places piles of shaved leather on a cart, pulls it across the workshop and unloads the lot next to the colouring drums where the leather is cleaned and tanned using chrome.

Egypt are hoping Tottenham Hotspur striker Mido recovers in time from a knee injury to play against South Africa in London on Wednesday. The forward, who did not play against Reading in the English premier league on Sunday, has been named in a 20-man squad for the match at Griffin Park.

Egyptian police have arrested a blogger who posted comments critical of the country’s Islamic authorities, a security official said on Tuesday, a day after a leading media watchdog ranked Egypt as one of the world’s top ”enemies of the internet”. Abdel Karim Nabil Suleiman (22) was detained on Monday in Alexandria.

To veil or not to veil is no longer the question in Egypt. From abject neighbourhoods to chic suburban enclaves Muslim women are instead mulling whether to opt for a strict coverall, or a hipper headscarf. After three decades of Islamic revival, bare-headed women have become a slender minority — and many of them are Coptic Christians

Excluded from the World Cup, Cameroon, Nigeria and Egypt seem intent on making amends in the African Cup of Nations. Cameroon and Nigeria won their second in as many matches and African Cup champion Egypt drew away from home this weekend as all three took control of their respective groups.

Egyptian international defender Mohammed Abdel Wahab died of a heart attack while training with his club, champions al-Ahly, on Thursday. The 22-year-old collapsed on the pitch and was immediately transferred to a nearby hospital but resuscitation efforts failed.