UPDATE: People Power Pushes Mubarak Out

Several hundred thousand protesters massed in Cairo's central Tahrir Square exploded into joy Friday, after Vice-President Omar Suleiman made the announcement that Hosni Mubarak had resigned as president of Egypt after three decades in office.

EGYPT: Mubarak ‘Out of Touch With Reality’

In a televised address late Thursday night, embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak delegated executive authority to his newly-appointed vice-president, but stopped short of stepping down. The announcement enraged anti-Mubarak demonstrators in Cairo's Tahrir Square, who say they will maintain their uprising - now in its 18th day - until Mubarak's unconditional resignation.

EGYPT: Muslims and Christians Protest as One

Over recent years, Egypt has witnessed mounting tension between its Muslim majority and its sizeable Coptic Christian minority. But in Cairo's Tahrir Square, the site of ongoing mass protests against the ruling regime, members of both faiths chant in unison: "Muslim, Christian, doesn't matter; We're all in this boat together!"

EGYPT: Political Energy Powers Exhausted Protesters

Tens of thousands of protesters continue to occupy Cairo's Tahrir Square to demand the ouster of longstanding President Hosni Mubarak. The regime is waging a war of attrition aimed at exhausting demonstrators - and the population at large. But the protest is holding firm.

EGYPT: ElBaradei Appears an Unconvincing Alternative

Since early last year, former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Mohamed ElBaradei has been touted as a possible successor to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. But many protesters say ElBaradei enjoys little if any credibility on the street.

Egypt’s Fate Lies in a Square

Demonstrators who turned up in Cairo's Tahrir Square Friday in even larger numbers than on earlier days are from all walks of life: old men wearing traditional galibiyas, young people in jeans and T-shirts, and women of all ages wearing Islamic head scarves. The protesters, whose numbers across the nation are now estimated at more than one million and growing, shout variations of one slogan: "The people want the fall of the regime!"

Torn Egypt Resigned to Sudan Split

Egypt, now itself torn by strife, has worked since 2005 to promote the unity of Sudan, Africa's largest country that is its neighbour to the south. But after overwhelming support for independence for southern Sudan, Egyptians are now preparing to accept partition.

EGYPT: Shark Attacks Bite Tourism

The beaches of Egypt's Red Sea resort city of Sharm al-Sheikh are tentatively back to normal after having recently been the site of five separate shark attacks, one of which proved fatal. While the phenomenon's precise cause remains undetermined, local experts fear that the spate of attacks could have dire consequences for Egypt's vital tourism industry - especially in the event of another incident.

MIDEAST: Israel Now Builds Separation Wall With Africa

After the separation barrier against Palestinian territories, Israel has begun to build a new wall, this one to keep migrants from Africa out. The new wall is coming up on the Egyptian border, and with Egyptian support.

Sudan Set to Split Despite Egyptian Moves

The U.S. has rejected an Egyptian proposal for a "confederation" between northern and southern Sudan, insisting that a Jan. 9 referendum - which will determine the fate of the south - go ahead as scheduled. According to Egyptian analysts, the move proves Washington's determination to see Africa's largest country split in two.

EGYPT: Soaring Food Prices Squeeze Poor

Prices for most basic food commodities in Egypt have finally returned to earth - more or less - after soaring to unprecedented levels over the summer. But steadily rising food costs in recent years, along with the government's seeming disinclination to take effective steps to regulate the market, continue to be the source of mounting public anger.

EGYPT: Cornered Bedouin Play the Border Card

Since June, Egypt's Sinai Peninsula has witnessed an unusual flurry of local crises. The peninsula shares a border with both the Gaza Strip and Israel, and is inhabited mostly by the Bedouin tribe.

EGYPT: Brotherhood Struggles Against Shut Doors

As Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood gears up to contest November parliamentary elections, some analysts note the relatively few gains made by the Brotherhood- led opposition over the last five years in an assembly dominated by the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP).

Egypt Punishes Gaza More

Almost two months since Egypt announced it would reopen its Rafah border terminal with the Gaza Strip, operation of the crossing remains sorely limited.

‘Mediterranean Intifada’ Helping Hamas

Israel's deadly assault on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla last month has led to mounting international pressure to end the ongoing Israeli and Egyptian blockade of the Gaza Strip. The incident, say local analysts, has also served to bolster the position of Palestinian resistance group Hamas, which has governed the strip since 2007.

Egypt Practices for Bigger Rigging

Egypt's recently concluded Shura Council elections were accompanied by widespread reports of serious electoral breaches by the ruling party. According to analysts and opposition figures, such voting "irregularities" bode poorly for upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections.

Upstream States Challenge Egypt Over Nile Waters

A water-sharing treaty among five upstream Nile Basin countries - to the exclusion of Egypt and Sudan - has reignited the longstanding dispute over water distribution. Local experts, however, say the agreement will not jeopardise Egypt's historical share of Nile water.

EGYPT: Extension of Law Becomes an Emergency

The government's decision to renew Egypt's longstanding Emergency Law has drawn furious reactions from opposition figures and rights advocates. While government spokesmen say the law will only be used against terrorism and drug trafficking, critics say it is aimed primarily at stifling political dissent.

EGYPT: Historically Apolitical, Sufis Now Side With the State

Although Egypt's many Sufi orders have traditionally been known for keeping a safe distance from politics, recent events suggest they are now closer than ever to the ruling regime.

EGYPT: Hopes Fade for US Help to Restore Civil Liberties

Egypt's decision to extend its oppressive Emergency Law for two more years drew a tepid response from Washington, prompting criticism that U.S. administrations - including that of President Barack Obama - only push for political reform in Egypt when it suits their geostrategic interest.

EGYPT: New Head of Al-Azhar Quits Party Politics

When Ahmed al-Tayeb, the newly-appointed grand sheikh of Egypt's prestigious Al-Azhar religious institution, relinquished his membership in President Hosni Mubarak's ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), it carried significance.