By Ashraf Sadek-The Gazette Online Saturday, March 26, 2011 05:29:58 PM
CAIRO - Police have detained a score of men who tried to break into el-Mazraa Prison on Friday morning to free hundreds of inmates, including ex-Interior Minister Habib el-Adli, who is awaiting trial next month, security sources said.
The unidentified men tried to storm into the prison building on the outskirts of Cairo to release their imprisoned friends and family members including el-Adli, who has been charged with committing capital crimes, the sources added.
The break-in attempt is the latest in a string of embarrassing security lapses in Egypt, raising questions about the country's ability to ensure its own security after the January 25 revolution, which toppled Mubarak.
The entire prison staff as well as riot police fired warning shots in the air to disperse the crowd and prevent the convicts from escaping, according to the sources.
The police arrested 20 suspects, who said that they were trying to release their relatives and friends, who should only be set free after serving half of their prison terms in accordance with a decree issued by ex-Interior Minister Major-General Mahmoud Wagdi.
The attack on el-Mazraa (The Farm) Prison, in Tora, south of Cairo, came just one hour before the weekly Friday noon prayers.
Authorities said the attackers tried to prise open the main gate to help the convicts, who were gathering in the main courtyard, to escape.
However, no-one on the inside appears to have been actively involved in organising the failed breakout, they stressed.
The attack triggered an immediate backlash in Cairo against top security officials, while a special committee has been formed to investigate the incident.
The committee has ordered that the number of police checkpoints be increased on the road leading to el-Mazraa Prison.
Official figures have shown that one-quarter of the nation's prisoners have managed to escape since January 28.
Some allege that the prison breaks have been engineered by the embattled el-Adli, who is trying to cling to power by creating anarchy.
A few days after the revolt began on Jan. 25, police vanished from the streets and the military took over; a transition that was followed immediately by the eruption of looting, arson and lawlessness on the streets of the capital, Cairo.
under house arrest by the country's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.
The council made the announcement through a statement posted on its website on Monday.
The statement refuted reports that Mubarak had sought refuge in Saudi Arabia.
Following a popular revolution in the country, Mubarak handed over power to Egypt's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which is headed by Defense Minister Gen. Mohammed Tantawi.
The remarks come after local news reports said that Mubarak had traveled to Saudi Arabia to receive treatment for pancreatic cancer at a hospital in Tabuk.
The Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz was the first Arab leader to express a full support for Mubarak and to describe the Egyptian revolutionary forces as a handful of 'infiltrators.'
The developments come as Mubarak and his former petroleum minister Sameh Fahmy are under investigation for selling natural gas to Israel and several Western countries for artificially low prices.
In December, Israel signed 20-year contracts with Egypt worth more than USD 10 billion (EUR 7.4 billion) -- much cheaper than global prices -- to import Egyptian natural gas.
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CAIRO, Mar 28, 2011 (AFP) - The curfew imposed in Cairo and two other major Egyptian cities was reduced on Monday to three hours, state news agency Mena quoted a military official as saying.
"It was decided to lighten the curfew to three hours, from 0200 (0000 GMT) to 0500 (0300 GMT)," the official said.
The restriction had been in place between the hours of midnight and 0600.
It was imposed on January 28 in Cairo, Alexandria in the north and Suez in the east after violent riots during the popular uprising demanding the resignation of president Hosni Mubarak.
Mubarak was forced to resign and handed power to the army on February 11, after 18 days of an unprecedented revolt.
posted
just got this in my emails from travel advisory'
March 29, 2011
The U.S. Department of State urges U.S. citizens planning to travel to Egypt to consider the risks and to be aware of the information below. This Travel Warning replaces the Travel Warning dated February 18, 2011, to update information on the ongoing security and political situation in Egypt, including the return to Egypt of most non-emergency US Embassy personnel.
On February 1, the Department of State ordered the departure of all non-emergency government personnel and family members from Egypt due to the ongoing political and social unrest. The U.S Embassy in Cairo remains on ordered departure status for dependents, but most employees have returned, and the Embassy is resuming normal operations.
Elements of the Egyptian government responsible for ensuring security and public safety are not fully reconstituted and are still in the process of being reorganized. Until the redeployment of Egyptian civilian police is fully restored, police response to emergency requests for assistance or reports of crime may be delayed. The Embassy’s ability to respond to emergencies to assist U.S. citizens is also significantly diminished. The Government of Egypt has implemented a country-wide curfew. As of March 29, the curfew hours are from 2:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. U.S. citizens should obey curfew orders and remain indoors during curfew hours.
The security situation in Luxor, Aswan, and the Red Sea Resorts, including Sharm el Sheikh, is calm; however, the situation across Egypt remains unpredictable and subject to change. Travelers should remain in contact with their tour operators.
All airports, including the Cairo airport, are open and operating; commercial airlines report flight availability. Travelers should remain in contact with their airlines or tour operators concerning flight schedules. U.S. citizens who reside in Egypt should keep their travel documents up to date and maintain sufficient funds on hand to depart by air should security conditions change.
Male dual Egyptian–U.S. nationals who have not completed military service and have stayed in Egypt for more than six months are required to obtain an exemption certificate through the Ministry of Defense Draft Office before they can leave Egypt. The Ministry of Defense Draft Office reports they are open daily to provide exemption certificates.
The U.S. Department of State strongly urges U.S. citizens to avoid all demonstrations in Egypt, as even peaceful ones can quickly become violent and a foreigner could become a target of harassment or worse. U.S. citizens who are near demonstrations should remain in their residences or hotels until the demonstrations subside. Security forces may block off the area around the U.S. Embassy during demonstrations, and U.S. citizens should not attempt to come to the U.S. Embassy during that time. U.S. citizens are urged to remain alert to local security developments and to be vigilant regarding their personal security. U.S. citizens should carry identification and, if moving about alone, a cell phone or other means of communication that works in Egypt.
The U.S. Embassy is open for all routine American Citizens’ Services by appointment. U.S. citizens needing emergency assistance do not need an appointment. Visit the Embassy website to check the latest changes to embassy hours or services. U.S. citizens with routine phone inquiries may call the Embassy’s American Citizens Services section at 2797-2301, Sunday to Thursday from 1:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. For emergencies after business hours and on weekends and holidays, U.S. citizens can contact the Embassy Duty Officer via the Embassy switchboard on 2797-3300. The U.S. Embassy is closed on U.S. federal holidays. U.S. citizens in Egypt are encouraged to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). By enrolling, U.S. citizens make it easier for the Embassy to contact them in case of emergency.
For the latest security information, U.S. citizens traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department of State’s Internet website where the Worldwide Caution, Country Specific Information for Egypt, Travel Warnings, and Travel Alert can be found. Follow us on Twitter and the Bureau of Consular Affairs page on Facebook as well. Up to date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the United States and Canada, or, for callers outside the United States and Canada, a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).
The Embassy is located at 5 Tawfik Diab Street (formerly known as Latin America Street), Garden City, Cairo. For emergencies after business hours and on weekends and holidays, U.S. citizens can contact the Embassy Duty Officer via the Embassy switchboard on 2797-3300. The American Presence Post (APP) in Alexandria is closed to the public until further notice. U.S. citizens in Alexandria needing emergency consular services may come to the Consular Section in Cairo during the hours noted above.
Posts: 9443 | From: USA...... | Registered: Jun 2006
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posted
I received the same e-mail Chef Mick. I will be returning to Egypt in July. By the following statement "U.S. citizens who reside in Egypt maintain sufficient funds on hand to depart by air" lets me know that there is the great possibility they won't charter flights as before if there is unrest.
Posts: 133 | From: egypt/usa | Registered: May 2009
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quote:Originally posted by Dilemma: I received the same e-mail Chef Mick. I will be returning to Egypt in July. By the following statement "U.S. citizens who reside in Egypt maintain sufficient funds on hand to depart by air" lets me know that there is the great possibility they won't charter flights as before if there is unrest.
i am not scared....i will be with my family..if i could id stay there...( will be soon anyway). i should be returning the end of summer..god willing. you should be fine by July Posts: 9443 | From: USA...... | Registered: Jun 2006
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I havent had any hassles or problems whatsoever throughout everything. I never thought about leaving
Posts: 313 | From: maadi cairo | Registered: Dec 2007
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My employer have given me until July to return. I will return with my friend.
Posts: 133 | From: egypt/usa | Registered: May 2009
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Egypt revolution fortunes swing back up despite Brotherhood backtracking The revolution is far from being over, even if the Muslim Brotherhood has sold out, say young revolutionaries reinvigorated by the success of the Friday to Save the Revolution
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Apr 1st, 2011 | By Manar Ammar | Category: Egypt, Featured, Women, Women Featured
Former Egyptian television anchor and activist Bothaina Kamel announced on her Twitter account late Friday evening Cairo time that she plans to run for president in the next round of elections, making her the first woman ever to announce her candidacy for Egypt’s highest office.
“I intend to run for [the] presidency in 2011,” Kamel wrote. Coinciding with the announcement, she also changed her profile description to “Journalist & Mother and Egyptian presidential nominee.”
Kamel was active before and during the 18 day revolution that brought down former President Hosni Mubarak on February 11. She is known as being a supporter of the youth movements and a familiar face at almost all pro-democracy protests in previous years leading up to the January 25 movement.
Kamel began her career in radio where she hosted a popular radio show called “e3terafat li’leya,” or “Nightly Confessions,” where anonymous callers told her personal stories. She later moved to television, and until recently hosted “argook ifhemny,” or “Please Understand Me,” where she interviewed many social and political figures in Egypt.
posted
A friend has just posted on his FB that protestors are throwing rocks into the Museum by which I assume he means the Egyptian Museum. I think he is actually there right now but not 100% sure.
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From what I heard, it wasn't the army but thugs of the old NDP. I don't know what the actual source of this is, just something I heard. Perhaps I should have asked. Posts: 1283 | From: Cairo | Registered: Feb 2006
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Mubarak made speech by phone. He said he and his family dont have any money outside egypt.
Posts: 313 | From: maadi cairo | Registered: Dec 2007
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It was the army and sooner or later there will be a face off between the people and the army. The army leadership is just as corrupt and as backward as the government was. They have to be cleaned out.
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Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Sunday issued his first public remarks since his recent ouster, decrying corruption accusations against him.
In a brief audio message aired on Al-Arabiya television, Mubarak said the Egyptian government's probe into his finances is aimed at tarnishing his reputation and undermining his "history."
"I cannot keep silent facing this continued falsified campaign and the continued attempt to undermine my reputation and the reputation of my family," he said.
Mubarak, in the taped message, said he has agreed to allow the public prosecutor to contact governments around the world "to take all the proper legal steps to reveal" whether he and his family own any properties or real estate outside of Egypt. He also claimed he has no bank accounts abroad.
The former president said he, his wife and sons will account for everything they own, and that his sons will be able to show that anything they own, whether in Egypt or beyond, was not obtained through political influence or illegal means.
"I will reserve my legal right to sue anybody who attacked me or tried to undermine my reputation," he added.
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quote:Originally posted by this: It was the army and sooner or later there will be a face off between the people and the army. The army leadership is just as corrupt and as backward as the government was. They have to be cleaned out.
I agree, and it is inevitable that the old guard is purged. Unlike the police/amn-al-dawla I don't despise the Army in general. Hopefully the younger higher ranking officers will help facilitate the inevitable purge. The Army has some good people in it, unlike the police who were literally vile top to bottom.
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Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Sunday issued his first public remarks since his recent ouster, decrying corruption accusations against him.
In a brief audio message aired on Al-Arabiya television, Mubarak said the Egyptian government's probe into his finances is aimed at tarnishing his reputation and undermining his "history."
"I cannot keep silent facing this continued falsified campaign and the continued attempt to undermine my reputation and the reputation of my family," he said.
Mubarak, in the taped message, said he has agreed to allow the public prosecutor to contact governments around the world "to take all the proper legal steps to reveal" whether he and his family own any properties or real estate outside of Egypt. He also claimed he has no bank accounts abroad.
The former president said he, his wife and sons will account for everything they own, and that his sons will be able to show that anything they own, whether in Egypt or beyond, was not obtained through political influence or illegal means.
"I will reserve my legal right to sue anybody who attacked me or tried to undermine my reputation," he added.
Ahhhhhhhh ..... Hosny is back!!! Honestly I am not so certain that he is still in Egypt!! Posts: 30135 | From: The owner of this website killed ES....... | Registered: Feb 2004
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السماح للمصريين بالخارج بالإدلاء بأصواتهم في الإنتخابات القادمة
قامت اللجنة الوزارية التشريعية بالموافقة على إجراء تعديل في قانون مباشرة الحقوق السياسية ليتم السماح للمصريين بالخارج بالإدلاء بأصواتهم في الانتخابات النيابية والرئاسية القادمة.
وسيناقش مجلس الوزراء التعديلات المقترحة من هذا القانون في اجتماعه المقبل.
Egyptians abroad will be able to vote in the upcoming elections.
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Mubarak suffers a heart attack while being questioned on corruption charges. Is this true or another ploy. I'm skeptical because the prosecutor stated he wasn't even questioned.
Anonymous sources told Ahram Online that Suzanne Thabet, the wife of Egypt’s ousted president Mubarak, is being questioned now inside a government building.
Mubarak’s wife faces accusations of profiteering, specifically, with regard to secret accounts linked to the Alexandria Library as well as siphoning money from the yearly Reading for All Festival.
The probes also include alleged gold funds that were supposed to be delivered by the ex-minister of information, Anas El-Fiqi to Mrs Mubarak.
Ahram Online has also learnt that ex-minister of health, Hatem El-Gabaly will be summoned on accusations of profiteering. Both the ex-minister of culture, Farouk Hosni and ex-minister of finance, Youssef Boutros Ghali, will also be summoned on accusations of administrative corruption while they were in office.
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A friend and I were wondering earlier what sort of funeral Mubarak would get if he died in the next few months given that there are still a lot of Egyptians who believe he didn't know what was going on and was manipulated by wife and sons and ministers reporting to him?
Do you think he would get some kind of state funeral and if so how much pomp and ceremony, and if not, a private funeral somewhere?
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Apparently mubark and sons start their trial in Cairo on the 19th April ? Do people think it will go ahead, and if so does people think there could be trouble ?
He will definitely have a sizable funeral and it won't be quiet. The evil bastard that he is, there are many evil bastard supporters that will see to it. Whether of not it will be a State funeral, I don't know, but if he dies with the Junta still in power, it is a possibility.
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quote:Originally posted by Exiiled: Suzanne Mubarak is being questioned
Anonymous sources told Ahram Online that Suzanne Thabet, the wife of Egypt’s ousted president Mubarak, is being questioned now inside a government building.
Mubarak’s wife faces accusations of profiteering, specifically, with regard to secret accounts linked to the Alexandria Library as well as siphoning money from the yearly Reading for All Festival.
The probes also include alleged gold funds that were supposed to be delivered by the ex-minister of information, Anas El-Fiqi to Mrs Mubarak.
Ahram Online has also learnt that ex-minister of health, Hatem El-Gabaly will be summoned on accusations of profiteering. Both the ex-minister of culture, Farouk Hosni and ex-minister of finance, Youssef Boutros Ghali, will also be summoned on accusations of administrative corruption while they were in office.
The Egyptian Gazette Online Thursday, April 14, 2011 03:33:04 PM
CAIRO – Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf appointed new governors on Thursday, responding to the calls from protesters to reshuffle the governors, as they are no longer suitable in the post-revolutionary era, the local media reported.
The acting Prime Minister named Abdel-Qawi Khalifa for Cairo, Ali Abdel-Rahman for Giza, Essam Salem for Alexandria, Mohamed Abdel-Moneim for Suez, Ibrahim Hammed for Assiut, Emad Shehata for Qena, Mohamed Abdel-Qader for Sharqiya and Samir Salam for el-Minya. Sharaf also appointed Ashraf Helal for Menoufiya, Khaled Fouda for Luxor, Ali Mohamed for Damietta, Ahmed Hussein Moustafa for Ismailiya, Ahmed Abdullah for Port Said, Mohsen Hefzi for Daqahliya, Mohamed Hindi for Behaira and Taha Mohamed el-Sayyed for Mersa Matrouh. The Prime Minister has retained Moustafa el-Sayyed for Aswan, Mohamed Abdel-Fadil Shousha for South Sinai, el-Sayyed Abdel-Wahab for Noth Sinai, Gamal Imbabi for the New Valley, Magdi Qobaisi for the Red Sea, Waddah Mohamed for Sohag and Ahmed Zaki Abdeen for Kafr el-Sheikh. Sharaf has also renamed some of the governorates.
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Witchhunting - now all new in Egypt! Because sure it was witches who were to blame for the drought, plague, and what not.
I find it disgusting that you let someone rule you for 30 years, do in general a fine job for his era and environment, then start accusing him, post-factum, of exactly same thing that the rest of country was also doing and tolerating in unison... I think wise people would let emotions cool before they start assessing someone. And democratic people would take part of blame, because you saw it and you tolerated it. You did not give appropriate guidance.
Hate it when people become like dogs - all licky-licky until they are alone and feel dominated, then all snarly the moment the master falls and a group of you gathers, so he can be safely devoured.
Posts: 1051 | From: Menoufeya | Registered: Feb 2005
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Nevermind, change your name to nomind. That would suit you well.
Mubarak and his family are accused of crimes that are being investigated. Should they be found guilty, the people will expect them to be treated like any other criminal and that is being generous. Because their crimes was against millions of people and deserve far worst penalty than the criminal justice is allowed to give them.
What they did was to infect the society with so much corruption that it became impossible to *live* without facing some sort of corruption. Then it became necessary, of the poor struggling Egyptian, to be corrupt in order to survive.
Anyone who tried to stand in the way of corruption was persecuted. Anyone who even wrote about corruption was persecuted. People were jailed, tortured, disappeared, slandered and force into exile.
The dogs (and I like dogs) are those who are too obedient and remain attached to their masters, refusing to be free. Barking to protect them. Demanding the return of their masters or seek new ones to enslave them.
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posted
They're reading the women prison and increasing security in preparation for Susan Mubarak. They start interviewing her next week.
قال المستشار محمد عبد العزيز الجندى، وزير العدل المصرى،أن استجواب سوزان مبارك سيكون الأسبوع المقبل فى الإتهامات الموجهة لها فى أكثر من قضية.
أكد وزير العدل المصري أن استجواب السيدة سوزان ثابت، زوجة الرئيس المصري السابق حسني مبارك ستبدأ الأسبوع المقبل، وذلك على خلفية اتهامات لها بالكسب غير المشروع.
وكانت مسألة التحقيق مع سوزان مبارك قد تعرضت لكثير من الإشاعات والتقارير المتضاربة، فقد سبق أن أفادت تقارير بأن التحقيق معها بدأ في المستشفى في اليوم ذاته الذي أدخل فيه زوجها إلى مستشفى شرم الشيخ الدولي.
ثم قيل إن التحقيق معها بدأ في مقر إقامتها، ومع ولديها علاء وجمال، غير أن أياً من تلك التقارير لم تثبت صحتها، رغم أن بعض تلك التقارير ذكرت أن التحقيق مع سوزان مبارك بدأ الأربعاء الماضي في "مقر جهة سيادية عليا"، وتناول التحقيق "تهماً تتعلق بالفساد المالي بشأن مكتبة الاسكندرية، إضافة إلى التحقيق في أمور تتعلق بمهرجان القراءة للجميع."
ونقل أحد الموقع أنه لم يحدد ما إذا كانت السيدة الأولى السابقة ستلحق بنجليها إلى أحد السجون المصرية، رغم أن مصدراً بمديرية أمن القليوبية، أفاد بأن هناك "تعزيزات أمنية مشددة داخل وخارج سجن 'القناطر الخيرية' للنساء، استعداداً لصدور قرار بحبس سوزان مبارك، وأخريات من السيدات اللاتي تولين مناصب في عهد النظام السابق، في قضايا فساد وتربح، ومنهن من شاركت في موقعة الجمل."
على أن المصدر، الذي رفض الكشف عن اسمه، أكد لموقع بوابة الأهرام أن "السجن لم يتلق أي قرار بوصول زوجه مبارك إليه"، مشيراً إلى تلقي تعليمات بالاستعداد "لأي قرار مفاجئ قد يصدره النائب العام، خاصة أن التحقيق يجري معها الآن"، بحسب موقع "أخبار مصر."
غير أن وزير العدل المصري، المستشار محمد عبدالعزيز الجندي، نفى حينها مثول سوزان مبارك، للتحقيق أمام النيابة العامة.
لكنه أكد أن "مبارك وأفراد أسرته جميعا سوف يخضعون للتحقيق أمام جهاز الكسب غير المشروع خلال الأيام القليلة القادمة، وأن القانون يطبق على الجميع في البلاد على قدم المساواة"، وفقاً لما نقله موقع أخبار مصر التابع للتلفزيون المصري.
كذلك نفى المتحدث باسم الادعاء العام المصري، تلك التقارير وقال "إن الشائعات المتناقلة حول التحقيق مع سوزان مبارك غير صحيحة، وقد أوضحنا أن المعلومات التي يجب الوثوق بها هي تلك الصادرة عن مصادرنا فقط."
وأضاف في تصريح لـ CNN أن على وسائل الإعلام أن تتجنب المعلومات الخاطئة التي قد تؤدي إلى تضليل الرأي العام.
وكان النائب المصري العام، المستشار عبدالمجيد محمود، قد أصدر في وقت سابق الأربعاء قراراً بحبس مبارك ونجليه علاء وجمال لمدة 15 يوماً على ذمة التحقيقات التي تجرى معهم بمعرفة النيابة.
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posted
Not guilty until proven everything else is just that - bullsh#t. This is my opinion on every single Mubarak which is being accused and all the other people who might participated in corruption and will be prosecuted. Right now the Egyptians are going after the big fish without realizing it's the WHOLE nation which's into that but on different levels. Or perhaps they think if they can put blame on few individuals than it will take away from their own guilt.
It still amazes me that people here in general think that once these people are prosecuted the corruption will stop. Again it's in the blood of the Egyptians to offer and take bribes. Stop moaning and learn to live with this fact. That's how the um el donya rules - and IT WON'T CHANGE. Posts: 30135 | From: The owner of this website killed ES....... | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
In this case they're guilty until proven guilty. Everyone knows the sun rises from the east, we do not need proof that it does but it is always interesting to read scientific explanation of how it works.
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posted
Ahhh is this how democracy will work from now on Egypt??? Well good luck then with making Egypt a better place - not.
Posts: 30135 | From: The owner of this website killed ES....... | Registered: Feb 2004
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