An Egyptian court on Monday postponed trial proceedings against Egypt's flagship state daily Al-Ahram on libel charges. The lawsuit was filed by Qatar-based satellite television network Al-Jazeera following the newspaper's publication of "false and damaging statements" about the network and its management, according to statements issued by Al-Jazeera. According to well-informed sources, the Heliopolis Court of Misdemeanors decided to postpone trial proceedings until 20 January after Al-Ahram filed a request for reconciliation. Al-Ahram had published an article on 9 June alleging that five female anchors working for the Arabic-language news network had resigned after being sexually harassed by a superior. The lawsuit calls for criminal proceedings against both the writer and Al-Ahram's editor-in-chief. Al-Jazeera has also filed a civil and criminal lawsuit against the newspaper in the UK.
