Egypt's prosecutor general called Monday for a freeze on the foreign assets of Hosni Mubarak's family 10 days after the former president was forced to leave power. Mubarak’s fortune is rumoured to be worth billions of dollars.
AFP - Egypt's prosecutor general on Monday requested a freeze on the foreign assets of Hosni Mubarak and his family, 10 days after the longtime president resigned in the face of a popular uprising.
Abdel Magid Mahmud tasked Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit with contacting foreign countries to seek a freeze on assets held by Mubarak, his wife Suzanne, sons Alaa and Gamal and their wives Heidi Rasekh and Khadiga al-Gammal, his office said.
A judicial source said the prosecutor's office had received several complaints regarding the former president's wealth being outside the country, "which necessitates an investigation."
Mubarak is widely thought to have grown wealthy during his three decades in power, although an unidentified legal adviser was quoted by the state-run MENA news agency on Sunday as saying talk of a multi-billion-dollar fortune was nothing but "a groundless rumour".
Switzerland, which froze Mubarak's assets within hours of his resignation on February 11, said on Sunday that the former president had "tens of millions of francs" in Swiss financial institutions.
"We do not yet know if these funds are legitimate or not," said Swiss foreign ministry spokesman Stefan von Below, adding that if they had been illegally obtained, "competent judicial bodies will decide who are the entitled parties".
Twelve people have had their assets pre-emptively frozen by Switzerland, including Mubarak's immediate family members as well as four of his government ministers.
One Swiss franc is worth about one US dollar or 77 euro cents.
The fate of Mubarak's assets in the European Union was likely to come up on Tuesday when EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton visits Cairo, after ambassadors from the 27 EU member states agreed in principle in Brussels on Friday to freeze the assets of members of his inner circle.
Mubarak, 82, withdrew to his heavily guarded villa in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh on the day he stepped down. He has not been publicly seen since, amid speculation about his health.
In the remarks carried Sunday by MENA, Mubarak's legal adviser "categorically denied false and misleading information" about Mubarak's wealth in both foreign and domestic news media.
Such speculation, he said, was meant "to undermine his reputation, his honesty... and the honourable history of Mubarak in the service of the homeland for 62 years."
Nationwide protests erupted on January 25, ending Mubarak's firm grip on power in less than three weeks and sending shockwaves far beyond the borders of the Arab world's most populous nation.
Around 365 people were killed and about 5,500 wounded during the 18 days of protests which led to Mubarak's resignation and a military rule headed by Defence Minister Hussein Tantawi.
As African leaders arrived in the Ivory Coast capital of Abidjan Monday in an attempt to resolve the ongoing political crisis, gunfire was reported in the city centre where one person was killed in protests against incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo.
REUTERS - African presidents charged with resolving Ivory Coast's crisis arrived in Abidjan on Monday as Ivorian troops opened fire to disperse protesters calling for Laurent Gbagbo to step down as leader.
A conflict over a disputed November election has paralysed the world's top cocoa-growing state and killed some 300 people.
A source who had access to preparatory talks on Sunday said the African panel would
insist that Gbagbo stand down, in return for a number of guarantees, to allow rival Alassane Ouattara to take charge after, according to U.N.-certified results, winning the Nov. 28 election in the west African country.
There was no statement from the leaders. Gbagbo has repeatedly rejected similar proposals.
The election, meant to reunite the country after a decade of economic stagnation and political crisis, has instead left it as divided as ever and in economic meltdown. Ouattara is widely recognised as the winner, but Gbagbo has refused to cede power.
Cocoa exports have dried up, pushing futures prices to fresh highs. International banks have shut down operations.
Ouattara's government has called for a "revolution" to oust Gbagbo. But attempts to demonstrate over the weekend were crushed by pro-Gbagbo forces, who witnesses said killed at least five people when they opened fire on attempted gatherings.
In downtown Abidjan and the pro-Ouattara neighbourhoods of Koumassi and Abobo on Monday, residents reported gunfire all morning as soldiers and paramilitaries broke up attempted demonstrations, killing at least one person.
"Youths were gathering but the armed forces started firing on the crowd. One man was killed in front of a hotel," said Sebastian Koliabo, an official at the mayor's office of Treichville, in downtown Abidjan, who witnessed the events.
No going bach for AU
The leaders of South Africa, Mauritania, Chad, Burkina Faso and Tanzania met in Mauritania on Sunday to discuss proposals drafted by African Union experts on Ivory Coast.
"We could not go back on the previous decision made by the AU commission (which has recognised Ouattara as winner of the election)," said the source, who asked not to be named.
"It was considered that the two candidates could not co-exist, so a transfer of power with guarantees to the losing party was favoured ... The high-level panel agreed on the path to be chosen but there are still many details to work out."
By 1300 GMT, South Africa's Jacob Zuma, Chad's Idriss Deby, Tanzania's Jakaya Kikwete had landed at Abidjan airport.
Ouattara and Gbagbo have formed rival parallel governments, though Ouattara remains restricted to a lagoon-side hotel protected by a ring of U.N. peacekeepers.
Citing the "rapid deterioration of the financial sector", SIB, which is part of the Moroccan Attijariwafa Group, on Monday became the latest international bank to suspend operations in the country on Monday.
Nearly all other international banks have closed up shop and Gbagbo, who remains in power with the backing of the military despite international sanctions, had pledged to reopen on Monday two French banks nationalised last week.
But finance ministry sources said Gbagbo officials were due to meet with pro-Gbagbo staff in the Ivorian branches of Societe Generale and BNP Paribas, with a view to re-opening them as nationalised banks on Tuesday.
Officials in Burkina Faso said President Blaise Compaore would not join the other four in Abidjan, giving no reason.
Gbagbo's supporters have protested against Compaore's inclusion on the AU panel. They say the president, accused of backing rebels who seized the north during the war before he became mediator in the crisis, is biased in favour of Ouattara.
Pro-democracy activists in China have been thwarted in their attempt to start Middle East-style protests demanding more rights.
Scores of police turned out in Beijing to prevent pro-democracy protests
Messages calling for a "Jasmine Revolution" - the name given to the Tunisian uprising which toppled President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali - had been circulated on the internet ahead of protests in 13 cities across the country.
But as the time for the protest approached in Beijing, scores of police descended on the designated area in Wanfujing, an upmarket shopping district.
Side streets were lined with security forces, police vehicles, Swat police and at least 100 uniformed personnel, while dozens of plain-clothed officers also looked on, conspicuously wearing identical coats.
In the end there were very few signs of demonstrations beyond sporadic scuffles between police and several individuals.
Members of the public seemed unaware of the planned protest
The messages calling for democracy had been circulated on Boxun.com, a Chinese-language microblog based in the US.
Anonymous battle cries also circulated with the hashtag #cn220, inviting China's disenfranchised to "seek freedom, democracy and political reform to end one-party rule".
Another post instructed protesters to shout slogans such as "We want justice", "long live freedom" and "long live democracy".
Some crowds did gather in Wanfujing, but only through curiosity after seeing a strong police presence.
One taxi driver mused that a foreign dignitary or celebrity must have arrived in town.
After approximately two hours, police began to retreat and China's so-called "Jasmine Revolution" fizzled out without a spark.
The protest had lacked the determination, organisation and popular support which was seen in the Middle East.
Plain clothes officers tackled some protesters
Whereas in Tunisia, unemployment and rising prices were key factors for toppling an unpopular regime, Chinese people largely support the current leadership.
The Communist Party is credited with three decades of uninterrupted economic growth which has lifted millions out of poverty and secured it as the second largest economy in the world.
But despite its successes, China also remains an autocracy, determined to stamp out any challenge to its one-party rule.
During recent turmoil in the Middle East, Chinese authorities restricted media reports and heavily censored any related content online.
Many political dissidents and well-known activists were also detained ahead of the planned demonstrations today, or had their mobile phones blocked.
The call for protest had come at a particularly sensitive time in China - only two weeks ahead of the annual convention of China's rubber-stamp parliament, the National People's Congress.
During the convention, a five-year plan will be decided to determine the country's political and economic course.
Violent clashes continue to erupt across the Middle East as reports surface of Iranian officials using tear gas to disperse crowds in Tehran.
A fresh wave of protests, inspired by the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, has swept across the region, with demonstrations taking place in Libya, Yemen, Morocco, Iran and Djibouti.
Thousands also continue to occupy Bahrain's Pearl Roundabout after a week of protests which has seen sporadic violent clashes.
While each country has its own grievances, the protest movement is said to be largely caused by high unemployment, rising food prices and a large young population who are disillusioned with corrupt and repressive regimes.
Troops have apparently used heavy weaponry, such as machine guns, to fire at the crowds protesting against Colonel Gaddafi's 40-year rule.
Clashes have erupted with Yemeni government supporters
Here is a round-up of the other key clashes across the region:
Iran: Opposition websites have called for more anti-government protests today and as people take to the streets, witnesses have reported seeing tear gas fired in Valiasr Square and outside the state television building in Tehran.
Footage has also emerged apparently showing security forces on motorbikes, chasing protesters through the streets in the city of Shiraz.
The daughter of former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani was reportedly arrested for taking part in a banned opposition rally, although it is believed she has since been released.
And there are also reports that protests have spread to the cities of Esfahan and Mahabad.
Rafsanjani's daughter has been arrested in Tehran - if anything tell you the governing elites in Iran are fracturing, that's it... #1esfandbyaaronjohnpeters
RT @MikVerbrugge: #Iran #1Esfand Tehran Crowd still growing at unbelievable rate. Sporadic Gun shots heard from many places. bybektashi
Islamic Regime of Iran use 2day all its thugs forces Bassijs Plain clouthes RG against our brave innocent ppl who still protest 2 peacefully byKoutchoulouJan
Yemen: Pro- and anti-government protesters have clashed in the capital Sanaa, with stones and missiles thrown between the two groups.
The embattled president Ali Abdullah Saleh has offered to oversee a dialogue between his ruling party and the opposition in a bid to end 11 days of violent demonstrations.
He has already made a series of concessions, promising that his son would not succeed him as president and saying he would not seek another term in office.
Morocco: Around 2,000 people have gathered in the capital, Rabat, to demand a clean-up of government corruption and constitutional reform.
Some protesters are carrying Tunisian and Egyptian flags, but it is thought unlikely that Morocco will succumb to the revolutions sweeping across the region.
The protests have been peaceful and there have been no direct attacks on the country's king. Police are currently keeping their distance from demonstrators.
Thousands have gathered for peaceful demonstrations in Rabat
Djibouti: The authorities have detained three top opposition leaders after several days of demonstrations.
Thousands have turned out for fresh protests and police have reportedly fired tear gas into the crowds.
New footage has emerged of demonstrations which took place in the country on Friday showing crowds of people calling for the resignation of the country's president.
Bahrain: Thousands of people continue to flock to Pearl Roundabout in the capital Manama, where protesters camped out overnight after troops and armoured vehicles left the area.
Most protesters are Shi'ite Muslims, who make up 70% of the population. They claim the ruling Sunni minority keep them out of state jobs, housing and healthcare.
However, there are reportedly Sunni Muslims also gathered at the roundabout, saying the protest is about unity, not division between the two groups.
Protesters have set up camp at the Pearl roundabout
Algeria: Police armed with batons yesterday thwarted a rally by thousands of pro-democracy supporters by breaking them up into smaller isolated groups and blocking their march route.
No firearms were used, but police tackled protesters to keep traffic moving and prevent a second protest a week after 10,000 people brought the city of Algiers to a halt.
The demonstration had been called by the Coordination for Democratic Change, but police were said to outnumber protesters, succeeding in keeping them away from main avenues and confined to the side streets.
Authorities have promised to lift a 19-year-old state of emergency that outlaws public gatherings in Algiers, by the end of February.
Anti-government protests are taking place in Libya's capital Tripoli for the first time since the uprising against leader Colonel Gaddafi began.
Eyewitnesses in the centre of the city have reported hearing gunshots and seeing burning vehicles as thousands of pro and anti-regime demonstrators clash.
The North African country has seen days of unrest as protesters, spurred on by the revolutions in neighbouring Egypt and Tunisia, call for Gaddafi to step down after 40 years.
Much of the violence has so far centred on the second city of Benghazi in the northeast of Libya where at least 200 people are believed to have been killed.
Speaking on Libyan TV on Sunday night Colonel Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam Gaddafi admitted that some people have died in the violence and that the poorly trained and equipped army has "made some mistakes".
But he said reports that 250 people have been killed is an "unimaginable exaggeration".
He added that wealthy businessmen and tradesmen had hired Arab and African expats to cause the violence.
Earlier, members of a Libyan army unit told Benghazi residents they have defected and "liberated" the city from pro-Gaddafi forces.
Speaking from the city, a local man named Benali, told Sky News that members of the Libya's armed forces have defected and that anti-regime protesters are now in control of the city.
Habib al-Obaidi, who heads the intensive care unit at the main Al-Jalae hospital, appeared to confirm the reports, saying the "Thunderbolt" squad arrived at the hospital with soldiers who had been injured in clashes with Gaddafi's men.
"They are now saying that they have overpowered the Praetorian Guard and that they have joined the people's revolt," said Mr al-Obaidi.
The doctor also confirmed the hospital had received the bodies of at least 50 people killed in clashes on Sunday afternoon.
Most had died of bullet wounds and another 100 others were admitted with serious injuries.
The news of further deaths comes as Libya's representative to the Arab League tendered his resignation in protest to "oppression against protesters".
Coffins of protesters are carried through the streets. Photo: Flickr a7fadhomar
The extent of the chaos and violence in Libya has been difficult to ascertain as foreign journalists are banned from the country.
Furthermore, telecommunications have been interrupted and the internet cut off.
The FCO has advised against all but non-essential travel to Libya and is helping British nationals to leave the country.
The United States has said it is "gravely concerned" by "credible reports" that hundreds of people had been injured or killed in a government crackdown, including reports that troops have fired machine guns at crowds.
The protesters' coffins are lined up in Benghazi. Photo: Flickr a7fadhomar
There was also widespread speculation within Libya that the regime had hired African mercenaries to suppress any anti-government action.
One doctor in Benghazi was quoted as saying his hospital has counted at least 200 dead since the unrest began.
Separately, a hospital worker in the city named Abdullah told Sky News: "(On Saturday) we had a heavy attack - gunshots by the army forces, especially at night.
"People were protesting... the forces just attacked to make them leave."
A video posted on the internet on Saturday night apparently shows protesters in Benghazi being fired on - but it is unclear whether those shooting are Libyan troops.
Colonel Gaddafi came to power in Libya after a 1969 coup
A resident of the city, Mary, also told Sky News there had been a fierce confrontation between protesters and the military on Saturday evening.
"There was artillery fire back at young boys who were protesting infront of a big military compound where Colonel Gaddafi usually lives when he's here," she said.
"The boys are trying to take this from the army but I don't think they'll have any chance because of the heavy artillery they're using against them."
It followed reports that said snipers opened fire on a crowd of mourners during the day who had gathered to bury those killed in earlier protests.
Resident Mary said there was another demonstration in front of Benghazi's courthouse on Sunday.
"There was 50 bodies taken for burial from the courthouse and I heard they were travelling to the funeral procession and there was very heavy gunfire," she said.
"I don't know if they were firing at them (the mourners), but it seemed like it."
Protesters gathered outside the Libyan embassy in London
Separate reports backed her comments, indicating Libyan forces had again opened fire on mourners on Sunday.
Britian's Foreign Secretary William Hague has condemned the violence unleashed by Colonel Gaddafi.
He told Sky's Murnaghan programme: "It is such a closed society to the international media, nevertheless the world is watching.
RT @faizaan_9: @hindhassan I just spoke to a friend in tripoli says 800 dead in benghazi according to al hurra byhindhassan
RT @iyad_elbaghdadi: OK, Reuters just confirmed our earlier tweets about #Libya army special brigade joining the people and liberating #Benghazi! byCaliowa
RT @ChangeInLibya: Wow.. women, daughters and children in Misurata and Benghazi are telling the men to go, and to either bring freedom or go to heaven.. #feb17byAloha_Analytics
RT @Tripolitanian: #Benghazi hospital has ran out of anesthesia a day ago, have to perform surgery without painkillers, please send supplies byinzilbeth666
The United Kingdom condems what the Libyan government has been doing and how they have responded to these protests.
"What Colonel Gaddafi should be doing is respecting basic human rights and there is no sign of that in the dreadful response, the horrifying response, of the Libyan authorities to these protests."
He later phoned Colonel Gaddafi's son Saif to express his "grave concern" about the deteriorating situation in Libya.
In London on Sunday, demonstrators also gathered outside the Libyan embassy, with some telling Sky News they had lost loved ones in the Benghazi violence.
Elsewhere, the EU presidency said it has been warned by Libya to stop "encouraging" the protests - otherwise Tripoli will "suspend co-operation" in the fight against illegal immigration.
Libya is divided down sectarian lines - Colonel Gaddafi draws his main support from the western regions.
In the east there is an opposing tribe to that of the Libyan leader and there have been unrest in Benghazi before.
Over the past two years there has been very violent protests in the city.
Meanwhile, the state-run Jana news agency said authorities had arrested dozens of Arab nationals who were members of a "foreign network trained to damage Libya's stability, the safety of its citizens and national unity".
The group included Tunisian, Egyptian, Sudanese, Palestinian, Syrian and Turkish citizens.
However international observers considered the claim as a way to divert dissatisfaction with Colonel Gaddafi's regime.
Stateless Arabs protest in Jahra to claim their basic rights, Kuwaiti citizenships.
Middle East Online
Demanding basic rights
KUWAIT CITY - Hundreds of stateless Arabs demonstrated for the third day running on Sunday to press for basic rights and citizenship of the oil-rich Gulf state, an AFP photographer said.
Up to 300 protesters took to the streets in Jahra, west of Kuwait City and around 200 demonstrated in Sulaibiya, south west of the capital, and the two protests remained peaceful unlike the previous two days.
Stateless Arabs, who are locally known as bidoons, claim entitlement to Kuwaiti citizenship, but the government calls them "illegal residents."
The New York-based Human Rights Watch on Sunday called on Kuwait to free all bidoons arrested during the protests and to find a swift solution to their problem.
A number of MPs, meanwhile, filed a request that part of a regular session of parliament on March 8 be allocated to debate and approve draft laws granting bidoons their basic rights.
Opposition MP Hassan Jowhar said he had information that a number of bidoon detainees were tortured by police and some were taken to the military hospital for treatment.
The interior ministry on Sunday denied in a statement that any protesters had died as a result of injuries.
The bidoons, who are estimated at more than 100,000, claim they have the right to Kuwaiti citizenship, but the government says many of their ancestors came from neighbouring states and they are not entitled to nationality.
Kuwait launched a crackdown on the bidoons in 2000, depriving them of basic rights including the right to health, education and jobs, in a bid to force them to reveal what the authorities say are their true identities.
Many bidoons have no right to a driving licence, cannot get birth certificates for their babies or death certificates for the dead. They are also banned from getting their marriage contracts attested.
Because of stringent government restrictions, a majority of them are living in dire economic conditions in oil-rich Kuwait, where the average monthly salary of native citizens is more than $3,500 (2,575 euros).
Protesters in Moroccan cities to demand political reforms, but fail to turn up in masses.
Middle East Online
More reforms required
RABAT - Several thousand people rallied in Moroccan cities on Sunday demanding political reform and limits on the powers of King Mohammed VI, the latest protests demanding change that have rocked the region.
More than 2,000 people took to the streets of the capital Rabat, shouting: "The people want change."
In Casablanca, the North African nation's biggest city, over 1,000 people came out demanding: "Freedom, dignity, justice," an AFP correspondent reported.
Demonstrations were held in other Moroccan cities, including the port of Tangier. The demonstrations were peaceful as of midday.
Thousands of young Moroccans have joined the "February 20" movement on the social networking site Facebook, calling for peaceful demonstrations demanding a new constitution limiting the king's powers and more social justice.
The call has similar origins to the so-called "Facebook revolutions" that toppled decades-old regimes in Tunisia and Egypt and sparked deadly protests in Bahrain, Yemen, Algeria and Morocco.
In Rabat, protestors carried banners that read: "The king must reign not govern" and "The people want a new constitution."
"I want a Morocco that's more fair and with less corruption," said a student demonstrator in Casablanca who asked not to be named.
"We've got nothing against the king, but we want more justice and work," said another student who gave his name as Brahim.
Ahead of the protest, Morocco promised to inject 1.4 billion euros in subsidies to soften price hikes for staples -- a key factor among others including rampant unemployment behind the spreading unrest in the Arab world.
That came despite an earlier reassurance that Morocco was unlikely to see Tunisia or Egypt-style unrest due to ongoing reforms by the king, who has ruled the country for over a decade.
Human rights and civil groups as well as independent journalists joined the movement, calling for the adoption of a democratic constitution.
However on Saturday one of the protests' organisers, Rachid Antid, said he was pulling out of Sunday's rally due to the inclusion of Islamist and far-left groups with which they share "ideological differences."
The youth wing of banned Islamist group Justice and Charity, believed to be Morocco's biggest opposition force, called for a peaceful rally.
Others, including the pro-regime Istiqlal of Prime Minister Abbas el-Fassi and the Islamist opposition Justice and Development, openly rejected the demonstration.
Observers say that despite widespread inequalities in Moroccan society the existence of some political pluralism and a relatively free press mean that the country has as yet been spared the mass protests sweeping other Middle Eastern and North African nations.
But calls have been growing for the king to have less say in government. The current system is a constitutional monarchy granting the king sweeping powers including naming the prime minister.
The Moroccan authorities have repeatedly said that demonstrations show the country's political openness and that citizens can demonstrate freely provided they do not threaten "vital interests."
Finance Minister Salahedine Mezouar on Saturday said it was "positive" that Moroccans could express themselves via Facebook, while warning that "any mistakes... could wipe out in a few weeks what we've built over the last 10 years."
