EGYPT: Muslim-Christian clashes kill 13.
Clashes between Muslims and Christians in Egypt left 13 dead and 140 wounded, deepening a sense of chaos as the police and ruling military struggled to maintain order barely a month after a popular uprising ousted longtime leader Hosni Mubarak.
The pitched battles went on for nearly four hours Tuesday night as both sides fought with guns, knives and clubs. Army troops fired in the air to disperse the crowds to no avail.
The new Cabinet sought to reassure Egyptians on Wednesday night, ordering police to immediately take back the streets.
The fighting began when a Muslim mob attacked thousands of Christians protesting the burning last week of a church in Soul, a village just south of Cairo. The Muslims torched the church amid escalating tensions over a love affair between a Muslim woman and a Christian man.
MOROCCO: King unveils reform proposal.
King Mohammed VI announced Wednesday a broad revision of Morocco’s constitution, a move aimed to boost democracy in the North African country amid recent turmoil in the Arab world. In a rare speech to the nation on radio and TV, the king said a new commission would recommend constitutional revisions to him by June, and the overall project would be put to Moroccan voters in a referendum.
YEMEN: Thousands protest day after army attacked.
Thousands of Yemenis defiantly demonstrated at a public square, a day after the army stormed Sana University, firing rubber bullets and tear gas, killing one person and wounding scores of others. Protesters are seeking the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
SAUDI ARABIA: Shiites take to streets despite warning.
Nearly 200 Shiites chanting “We want freedom!” protested in Saudi Arabia’s eastern province, even as the foreign minister warned that the oil- rich nation will take strong action if activists take to the streets.
BAHRAIN: Shiites demand Sunnis be expelled.
Thousands of Shiite protesters demanded that naturalized Sunnis be stripped of their citizenship and sent out of the gulf country. The latest demand comes after three weeks of marches demanding political change in the strategically important island kingdom.
OMAN: Work stoppages hit state-owned companies.
Workers at two major state- owned companies joined protests in Oman, calling for pay hikes and greater benefits. Work came to a stop at Oman Telecommunications Co. and Petroleum Development Oman. Protesters also staged a second day of rallies to demand more media freedom.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Push for reforms reaches gulf federation.
A group of citizens signed a petition to allow a popularly elected parliament, signaling that demands for leadership overhauls raging across the Middle East have also reached the oil-rich gulf federation. There are no official opposition groups in the Emirates, a union of seven sheikdoms.
TUNISIA: Court cracks down on autocratic regime.
A court dissolved the party of ousted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and ordered all its assets seized, demolishing a key symbol of his autocratic regime. The state news agency TAP said 1,800 refugees entered Tunisia from Libya on Monday, down from up to 12,000 a day before. A total of 105,000 refugees have crossed the border in recent weeks, it said.
Denver Post wire services
