W O R L D

Egyptian protesters give Mubarak Friday deadline
Ask army to choose ‘Egypt or Mubarak’ Plan a ‘million man march’ in Cairo today
Cairo, January 31
Embattled President Hosni Mubarak today sacked his interior minister in a revamped cabinet and appointed a new intelligence chief to mollify opposition groups, which called for a million people to take to Cairo's streets tomorrow to demand his ouster.
Egyptian Nobel Peace laureate and democracy advocate Mohamed ElBaradei addresses the crowd at Tahrir Square in Cairo on Sunday. — AP/PTI

Mubarak’s family flees Egypt
London, January 31
In the wake of the current unrest in the country, the panic-stricken family of President Hosni Mubarak has reportedly fled Egypt for the luxurious refuge of their £8.5 million London townhouse. 

Pak: Court will decide on immunity to US diplomat
Amid diplomatic spat with the United States over trial of an American citizen involved in a double murder case, Pakistan has reiterated that it would not accept any pressure to circumvent judicial process. Pakistani officials said the court would decide the validity of diplomatic immunity to Raymond Davis and his claim that he shot dead two youths in Lahore in self-defence. Meanwhile, the Lahore High Court on Monday admitted a petition requesting intervention to restrain the Pakistan government from sending Davis to the US. It issued notices to the government to clarify position whether the accused had diplomatic status.

Egyptian protesters give Mubarak Friday deadline
Ask army to choose ‘Egypt or Mubarak’ Plan a ‘million man march’ in Cairo today

Cairo, January 31
Embattled President Hosni Mubarak today sacked his interior minister in a revamped cabinet and appointed a new intelligence chief to mollify opposition groups, which called for a million people to take to Cairo's streets tomorrow to demand his ouster.

Habib al-Adly, widely despised by the protesters, was axed and was replaced by Mahmud Wagdi, a police general and former head of criminal investigations department.

Mubarak, 82, facing the first serious challenge to his 30-year-rule, appointed a top general Murad Mowafi, a former north Sinai governor, as the new intelligence chief. Mowafi takes over charge from Omar Suleiman who has been appointed Vice-President.

The new team dominated by regime veterans was, however, rejected by the protesters. Stepping up their campaign, a coalition of opposition groups called a general strike and hoped to put up a massive show of strength tomorrow to force Mubarak to leave the country by Friday.

The coalition including the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood also served an ultimatum, telling the powerful army to choose between "Egypt or Mubarak", indicating that a decisive stage in the confrontation may be near. The death toll in seven days of violence has crossed 150 already.

Anti-Mubarak sentiments reached a feverish pitch, as thousands converged on Tahrir or Liberation Square, the hub of the protests in the heart of Cairo, to make the call for a "million man march" tomorrow.

The call by the so called 'April 6 Shabab Movement' came as an indefinite countrywide strike gripped the nation, paralysing all essential services, including government offices, banks and trading centres. — PTI

Mubarak’s family flees Egypt

London, January 31
In the wake of the current unrest in the country, the panic-stricken family of President Hosni Mubarak has reportedly fled Egypt for the luxurious refuge of their £8.5 million London townhouse. According to reports circulating in Britain’s Egyptian community, President Mubarak, 82, and wife Suzanne, 69, are also planning to head to their London townhouse.

Egyptian baggage handlers at Heathrow are even said to have already spotted the First Lady arriving at the airport. Mubarak’s son Gamal, 47, has already arrived in Britain on a private jet with his own family and 97 pieces of luggage.

He owns the six-floor Georgian mansion a stone’s throw from Harrods in Knightsbridge, West London, The Sun reports.

Mubarak is said to have amassed a £25 billion fortune for his family since grabbing power in 1981. Suzanne, Gamal and older son Alaa, 49, have become symbols of excess and corruption in Egypt.

The fashion-loving First Lady holds a British passport because her mother Lily May Palmer was a Brit, whose dad was a miner who went on to manage a colliery in Pontypridd, The Sun reports. — ANI 

Pak: Court will decide on immunity to US diplomat
Afzal Khan in Islamabad

Amid diplomatic spat with the United States over trial of an American citizen involved in a double murder case, Pakistan has reiterated that it would not accept any pressure to circumvent judicial process. Pakistani officials said the court would decide the validity of diplomatic immunity to Raymond Davis and his claim that he shot dead two youths in Lahore in self-defence.

Meanwhile, the Lahore High Court on Monday admitted a petition requesting intervention to restrain the Pakistan government from sending Davis to the US. It issued notices to the government to clarify position whether the accused had diplomatic status.

“No decision has been made to hand over Raymond Davis to the US government,” Presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar here said while acknowledging that there was considerable pressure on the issue. However, he emphasised that the government would not accept any pressure on a case that will be decided by the court.

The US embassy here claimed that Raymond enjoyed diplomatic immunity and regretted that the police in Lahore had kept him in custody against Geneva Conventions.

“It is wrong to say that at this stage the government has decided to send Davis to the US,” said president’s spokesman Farhatullah Babar in a statement. “The government will not sit quiet on the shooting of our nationals,” he said.

Babar added: “The law will take its own course and investigations are still going on. Legal process will be observed and respected.”