An Islamist minister quit Egypt’s government on Thursday, the second cabinet resignation this week, as President Mohamed Mursi tries to shore up his authority and gather support for unpopular austerity measures. An economic crisis and a battle over a new constitution have underlined bitter divisions between Islamist-backed Mursi and his liberal opponents and delayed
A bomb intended to take out soldiers killed two youths from the same family in the restive Bouira region of central Algeria, newspapers said on Thursday. The two, aged 12 and 14, were on their way home from an olive grove when one of them trod on the explosive device which had been buried
The Egyptian pound fell to its weakest in almost eight years as concerns the government might devalue or place restrictions on currency movements prompted citizens to pile into dollars, forex traders said. Renewed political strife over the past month has thrown doubt on the ability of the government to push through a program of
Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi on Wednesday hailed an Islamist-backed charter as "a new dawn" for his country, and said he would now tackle a teetering economy, AFP reported. In a televised national address several hours after he signed the new constitution into law, Morsi said he would reshuffle his government and renewed an offer
Egypt’s President Mohamed Mursi on Wednesday said he would shuffle his government to tackle pressing economic problems. The announcement was made in a national address during which he hailed a new constitution backed by his Islamist allies. Mursi said he was consulting with Prime Minister Hisham Qandil on the ministerial changes. “I
The United States on Tuesday urged all sides in Egypt to increase political engagement after Egyptian officials announced that voters had overwhelmingly approved a new constitution drafted by President Mohammed Mursi’s Islamist allies. “President Mursi, as the democratically elected leader of Egypt, has a special responsibility to move forward in a way that recognizes
A new Constitution drafted by an Islamist-majority committee has been signed into law by Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi. With less than one one-third of voters turning out to decide the fate of the draft over the past week, those who did approved the document by 63.8 %. However, many Egyptian citizens appear to
Militant Islam is wiping out Christianity in the Muslim Middle East, according to a new study by the British think tank Civitas. “Christianity is in serious danger of being wiped out in its biblical heartlands because of Islamic oppression,” wrote the report’s author, journalist Rupert Shortt. Israel, the only country in the region
Egypt's electoral commission confirmed on Tuesday that a controversial, Islamist-backed constitution was passed by 64 percent of voters, AFP reported. The commission also rejected opposition allegations of polling fraud. Samir Abul Maati, president of the national electoral commission, told a Cairo news conference that a total of 63.8 percent of valid ballots supported
This Christmas, pastor Nazir Alam will stoke up a fire, lay a fresh cloth on the altar and welcome parishioners as they arrive at his church in Waziristan, a Pakistani tribal area known as an al-Qaeda haven. “The lights are all up, and the choir boys are ready. The church is looking its best,”
