Egypt's press today covered a wide range of recent events in Cairo, including Friday's protest in Tahrir Square, in which the protestors called for the trial of all prominent former regime members including former President Hosni Mubarak; the end of the Maspiro protests due to the opening of a Church in Ain Shams; and sectarian clashes that occurred in that area. Al-Ahram (state-run) Yesterday the governorates of Cairo and Alexandria witnessed several protests in which thousands joined to call for the swift trial of former regime figures and to express the unacceptability of pardoning former president Hosni Mubarak. Today, former Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif is being tried in the Cairo Criminal court along with Habib al-Adly, former Minister of the Interior, and Yusef Boutrous Ghali, the fugitive former financial minister. The public prosecutor said they are accused of committing irregularities in the process of awarding contracts for the supply of license plates for cars. This is the first time Nazif will stand trial since being incarcerated in Tora prison. He will be tried alongside al-Adly, while Botrous Ghali and an unknown German defendant will be tried in absentia in the license plates case. Al-Akhbar (state-run) Former President Hosni Mubarak said in statements given to the Attorney General of the appeals division, Mustafa Suliman, that he denies killing protestors during the Revolution, selling gas to Israel at a low price and siphoning money from the Library of Alexandria. He also denied the accusations of illegitimate gains leveled at his sons Alaa and Gamal. He also denied having bank accounts abroad and clarified matters regarding his relationship with fugitive businessman Hussein Salem. The South Sinai Bedouin tribes have announced their stance against former President Mubarak after his latest speech, given on Al-Arabiya. They are adamantly against him and reject all attempts to depict them as being against the January 25 Revolution. Al-Wafd (opposition) The stock exchange's performance has been very strong lately thanks to the support of Arab and national institutions. The main stock index, EG X-30, managed to push out of the stagnation level by 5,000 points, reaching 5,249 at the end of the trading week. Dozens of people congregated yesterday afternoon in front of the Syrian Embassy in Cairo to protest the practices of the Bashar Assad's regime against dissidents. Al-Masry Al-Youm (independent) The Ministry of Health denied that a decision has been made to treat Mubarak at the expense of the state. Dr. Adel Edewy, Assistant Minister of Health, said yesterday that it is up the Attorney General and Ministry of Justice to determine who is to meet the costs of treatment. Leaders of Ain Shams families gathered to hold a hearing this evening to end the crisis of the Church of the Virgin after clashes took place between Coptic Christians and Muslims regarding the reopening of the church, which comes as a part of a ministerial decision to reopen 16 churches. Al-Dostor (independent) Chancellor Asem el-Gohary, director of the Illicit Gains Authority, begins investigations into Gamal Mubarak's fortune. According to a member Mamdouh Shahin's staff, the release of any person accused of a crime on bail or house arrest is not a dismissal of the charges leveled against him. Shahin explained at a press conference that the release of a defendant does not mean his case has ended, and the court retains the right to release the accused or to deny him release. Al-Shorouq (independent) 2011 presidential hopeful Mohamed el-Baradei said the new political rights law denies millions of Egyptians abroad the right to vote. He expressed concerns over Egypt's increasingly unclear future. Yousry Abu Shady, chief weapons inspector for the IAEA, said Egypt's Dabaa nuclear station was attacked by unknown assailants, causing damage to expensive machines including a simulator for the operation of nuclear reactors. Al-Gomhorreya (independent, government-leaning) Sharm el-Sheikh International Hospital awaits the arrival of the forensic unit headed by Dr. Ishan George, Chief Medical Examiner, to conduct a medical examination of the former President Hosni Mubarak, to resolve the possibility of a shift to Tora Prison Hospital. Suzanne Mubarak has refused to undergo a heart operation after being released by the Illicit Gains Authority.
