Free Republic

CAIRO — Egyptian judiciary officials say former President Hosni Mubarak could be freed from custody this week. They say a court on Monday ordered his release in a corruption case that alleged he and his two sons embezzled funds for presidential palaces.

SNIPPET: "The new head of the Paris-based U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), an agency that gets 22 percent of its regular $600 million-plus annual budget from U.S. taxpayers, will be selected in a process that involves behind-closed-doors interviewing and a secret ballot vote." SNIPPET: "Farouk Hosni, who has been Egypt’s culture minister for more than two decades, leads a nine-strong field of hopefuls. He leads largely because he has the backing of the Arab League, the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the African Union, and because Arab governments say it is the Arab world’s turn." SNIPPET:...

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - President Hosni Mubarak expressed hope Saturday that Iraq's elections will be held on schedule but said all Iraqis need to participate to avoid further violence in the war-ravaged state. However, Mubarak, this country's sole ruler since 1981, sidestepped questions on whether he would support constitutional changes to loosen his own grip on power. His comments, made during an unprecedented telephone call to a popular talk show, come at a time of great political change in the Middle East, with Palestinian presidential polls on Sunday, Iraqi elections on Jan. 30 and a referendum on the Egyptian presidency...

MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) - Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak engaged Persian Gulf leaders Wednesday in an effort to build momentum toward peace in the Middle East, calling for support of the new Palestinian leadership and talking up the prospects of an Israeli-Palestinian settlement. Bahrain's king indicated he shared the new optimism about the peace process. "There is an opportunity (for peace) and hopefully it will not be squandered as many have been," the king, Sheik Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, told reporters after Mubarak arrived in his country. "At present the circumstances sound much more convenient and hopeful," the king added,...