CAIRO (Reuters) – Lawyers representing the families of those killed in the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak said on Sunday that Egypt’s top general had been given an easy ride in questioning behind closed doors at the trial of the deposed president.

Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, who now leads the military council ruling Egypt, testified on Saturday. The judge ordered a news blackout on his testimony citing national security, angering protesters who wanted a transparent trial.

CAIRO (Reuters) – Egyptian rights groups have accused Egyptian authorities of carrying out random arrests after this month’s attack on the Israeli embassy in Cairo, citing it as another example of a return to the ways of ousted President Hosni Mubarak.

Security forces detained around 200 people after Egyptians took part in a protest on September 9 at the embassy. The protesters stormed the embassy building and clashed with police. Three people died and more than 1,000 were injured.

CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt’s Prime Minister Essam Sharaf said a peace deal with Israel was not “sacred” and could be changed for the benefit of peace or the region.

His comments, made in an interview with a Turkish television channel and broadcast on state television, were the strongest yet by the new government which took over after president Hosni Mubarak was overthrown in February.

CAIRO (Reuters) – Political parties have called on Egypt’s military rulers to ensure that figures associated with the government of ousted President Hosni Mubarak cannot run in parliamentary elections expected this year.

The military council that took over from Mubarak after street protests forced him to stand down in February has said it will hold a parliamentary vote this year, although a statement earlier this week announcing plans for voter registration did not mention any dates.

CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt’s most powerful Islamist group warned Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday that his country should not seek to dominate the Middle East despite his enthusiastic welcome at the start of a regional tour.

After his widely praised call for democracy in the Arab world, Erdogan was given a more reserved reception by officials of the Muslim Brotherhood, whose old guard do not share the admiration of the group’s younger generation for the Turkish leader.

CAIRO, Sept 13 (Reuters) – Arab League states on Tuesday called for “immediate change” in Syria and an end to the violence after months of a government crackdown on pro-democracy protesters opposed to President Bashar al-Assad’s rule.

The Syrian leadership must also start a national dialogue to resolve the conflict, foreign ministers said in a statement at the end of a meeting in Cairo.

CAIRO (Reuters) – Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan threw Turkey’s weight behind a Palestinian bid for statehood and criticized Israel in an address to Arab states meeting in Cairo geared to buttress his image as a leader of a region in turmoil.

Erdogan is touring Arab states to capitalize on Arab regard for Turkey’s blend of Islam and democracy as a model for movements that have toppled several Arab autocrats, and on popular Arab support for his sparring with Israel.

CAIRO (Reuters) – Arab League states want Syria to use dialogue, not arms, to address a five-month-old rebellion that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been trying to crush with tanks and troops, the League’s head said on Tuesday.

In an opening address to an Arab foreign ministers’ meeting, Arab League chairman Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani, the Qatari prime minister, also urged the international community to back a Palestinian bid for statehood, which Arabs will support at the United Nations this month.

CAIRO (Reuters) – Turkish Prime Minister Taypip Erdogan received an enthusiastic welcome in Egypt at the start of a North African tour which will assert Turkey’s role as a friend and helper of the popular movements that have toppled long-standing Arab leaders.

Boosted in the eyes of the Arab public by his sparring with Israel, Erdogan will address the 22-member Arab League and hold talks with the military council steering post-Mubarak Egypt to civilian rule amid rising popular anger against Israel.

DUBAI/CAIRO, Sept 12 (Reuters) – Gulf markets ended lower on Monday as investor worries grew
about a possible Greek default amid signs of rifts among euro zone policymakers, with Saudi
Arabia’s bourse leading the decline on a tight correlation to oil prices.

Lingering fears the U.S. economy may be heading into a double-dip recession exacerbated
global sentiment. World shares tumbled nearly 2 percent on Monday with European equities at
26-month lows, down more than 20 percent this year. Brent crude oil LCOc1 fell as much as
$2.35 per barrel to a low of $110.42 but then recovered some ground to trade around $111.40 by
1000 GMT.