Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Several Egyptian editors and head of press syndicate step down

Three prominent chairmen of Egyptian publications and one chief editor resigned on Tuesday, along with the head of the Press Syndicate himself, Makram Mohamed Ahmed.
Ahmed’s resignation was formally accepted today by the Press Syndicate Council. An emergency meeting on Saturday will be held to determine a temporary substitute, with the candidates currently under  consideration being Abdel Mohsen Salama and Salah Abdel Maqsoud.
Makram Mohammed Ahmed
Concurrently, Aly Hisham, the chairman of the historically most overtly Pro-Mubarak state-run newspaper, Al-Goumhoureyya, resigned along with the paper’s chief editor Mohamed Aly Ibrahim. Chairmen Abdel Kader Shaheeb of Al-Moussawar Magazine and Ismail Montaser of October also resigned. Meanwhile, Rose El-Youssef’s chief editor, Abdallah Kamal, insisted that he would continue in his work until his dismissal.
Three thousand protesters gathered on Tuesday in Tahrir Square to voice their anger that most of the January 25 Revolution demands have not been met. Standing in the middle of the square, protesters held a large banner listing six “demands” they claim have not been met since former president Hosni Mubarak stepped down on 11 February. The demands include the dissolving of the Ahmed Shafiq government, cancellation of the country’s state security intelligence, lifting the state of emergency, creation of a presidential council made up of two civilians and one army officer and the immediate release of all political prisoners.
The new cabinet was installed yetsrday. Apart from prime minisyer Ahmed Shafiq also the following ministers from the previous cabinet stay in place: Samiha Fawzy as industry minister; Ahmed Abul Gheit as foreign minister; Mamdouh Marei as justice minister; and Mahmoud Wagdy as interior minister. 

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