EGYPT: New government moves ahead on corruption probe.
Egypt’s top prosecutor on Monday barred former President Hos ni Mu barak and his family from leaving the country and seized control of Mubarak’s assets as the new government moved ahead with an investigation into charges of corruption.
Mubarak, who fled Cairo more than two weeks ago, is accused by opponents of diverting millions of dollars from official coffers.
Experts in the field said tracking down Mubarak’s millions may be time-consuming because they likely are hidden in shell companies and entities incorporated in tax-haven countries, they said.
Estimates of Mubarak’s wealth have ranged between $1 billion and $70 billion.
YEMEN: Protesters call for “day of rage.”
Having endured wars, rebellions and an ongoing battle with al-Qaeda, Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh may not be easily toppled from power. Saleh, 64, has spent the past 32 years co-opting and outflanking his enemies. Opposition and clan leaders have called for a “day of rage” today that is expected to draw more than 100,000 demonstrators to the capital, Sana, and other key cities. Protesters are seeking political reform and job opportunities in a nation where nearly half earn less than $2 a day. The new rally comes as Saleh’s concession to form a national unity government has so far been rejected by the main opposition Joint Meeting Parties.
IRAN: Whereabouts of two opposition leaders unknown.
The mystery over the whereabouts of the two main Iranian opposition leaders, Mir Hussein Moussavi and Mehdi Karroubi, deepened Monday with contradictory reports over whether they had been jailed on the eve of a nationwide protest or remained under extreme house arrest, cut off from the outside world.
The two have not been seen in public or by their adult children since just before the Feb. 14 protests that they called for in solidarity with Arab uprisings. The website Kaleme, published by Moussavi supporters, said both men and their wives were now incarcerated at Heshmatieh prison in Tehran. However, the semiofficial Fars news agency quoted an unidentified official as saying the two men remained under house arrest, if isolated.
OMAN: Sultan attempts to appease demonstrators.
Demonstrators blocked roads and held demonstrations Monday in Oman, as 3-day-old protests calling for political reforms and better living conditions spread to Muscat, the capital. In an attempt to ease tensions, Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who has ruled for four decades since seizing power from his father, sent delegates to Sohar on Monday to negotiate with the protesters there. He also promised to give more powers to the legislative council, according to ONA, the state news agency.
VIETNAM: Dissident out on bail after calling for revolution.
A well-known Vietnamese pro-democracy dissident has been released on bail after calling for a revolution inspired by protests in the Middle East, state- controlled media reported Tuesday. Dr. Nguyen Dan Que was detained Saturday for allegedly attempting to overthrow Vietnam’s Communist government, Tuoi Tre newspaper reported.
CANADA: Singer to donate $1 million payment to charity.
Canadian pop singer Nelly Furtado says she was paid $1 million to perform for members of Libyan leader Moammar Khadafy’s “clan” in 2007 at a hotel in Italy, but she now intends to donate the money to charity.
