Tourists injured

ELEVEN tourists were injured on Tuesday when a tour bus overturned on a road in the southern Sinai Peninsula. The bus, which crashed when the driver lost control during heavy rain, was carrying 35 tourists from Saint Catherine's Monastery to the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh.

The injured, who included Ukrainians, Britons and Russians, were transferred to the nearest hospitals.

According to official statistics, approximately 6,000 people die each year in traffic accidents in Egypt, which happen as a result of poor roads and low levels of traffic control.

Precautionary measures

FOLLOWING the arrest of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, the American Embassy in Cairo issued a statement on Sunday 15 December.

In its statement the embassy said, "In response to the capture of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, Egyptian law enforcement and security services are taking steps to increase security around the US Embassy and other locations seen as sensitive."

The statement, however, denied that these extra security measures were being taken in response to a specific threat, describing them only as 'precautionary'.

Security was tightened months ago around embassies in Egypt, particularly the British and American, in the wake of protests against the US-led invasion of Iraq.

Football tragedy

THIRTY people were injured on Saturday, including five policemen, and 150 arrested during riots after Egyptian team Ismaili failed to win the final of the African Champions League against Enyimba of Nigeria.

Ismaili fans went on the rampage at the end of the match, which their team won 1-0 but lost on aggregate 2-1.

Almost 20,000 furious Egyptian supporters broke seats and hurled stones and bottles onto the pitch during the closing minutes of the game; security forces then formed a ring around the perimetre to protect the players and match officials.

On their way out of the stadium, the fans smashed car and bus windows, broke traffic lights and set trees on fire. When attempts were made to disperse the crowd, stones were thrown at police, who then responded with tear gas.

Brothers arrested

STATE security members allegedly aborted an attempt by the banned Muslim Brotherhood to create a new cell of 14 members.

According to police sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, 13 of the group, mostly university students, were arrested during one of their meetings in the coastal city of Alexandria; one suspect remains at large. At the time of the arrest, police seized documents outlining the group's plans to recruit new members, revive the group's activities and infiltrate universities for recruitment purposes.

Over the past week, interrogation of the suspects by state security prosecutors revealed that the group had allegedly damaged public facilities in the Fayoum governorate and were planning to conduct terrorist operations in various parts of Egypt.

The suspects were remanded in custody for 15 days pending investigation.

Since 1994 the state has employed a "preemptive strategy" in dealing with the Brotherhood, which is the oldest Islamist group in the Arab world. Despite the fact that it has been officially banned since 1954, analysts see it as Egypt's largest opposition bloc.

Founded in 1928 by Hassan El-Banna, the group's conflict with the state dates back to the early days of the 1952 Revolution, when, according to the government, the Brotherhood began to use violence in pursuit of its political goals. The government also believes that most -- if not all -- of Egypt's militant Islamist movements emerged from under the Brotherhood umbrella, a charge the Brotherhood has consistently denied.

Compiled by Jailan Halawi