CAIRO // Egypt's prosecutor general has accused four top security officials of ordering the use of live ammunition against protesters during the early days of the country's uprising.
Protesters have been calling for the trial of police officials responsible for the death of more than 300 protesters during the 18-day uprising that forced the long-time leader Hosni Mubarak to step down.
Police confronted the huge protests with tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition.
The prosecution announced the accusations yesterday against the Cairo security chief, the head of the hated state security agency, and the heads of General Security and the riot police.
The four, already under house arrest, will be jailed for four days pending investigation.
The announcement came as Egypt's new military rulers have ordered the release of two Islamist prisoners jailed over the 1981 assassination of President Anwar Sadat, state television reported yesterday.
Cousins Tareq and Abbud al Zomor, members of Egypt's Islamic Jihad, were convicted for their involvement in Sadat's murder but were never discharged from jail after their sentences expired.
Abbud al Zomor, at the time a senior military intelligence officer, was due to be released in 2006 but was kept in prison, while Tareq al Zomor was first ordered released in 2003 but was also kept behind bars.
The former interior minister Habib al Adly had used discretionary powers granted by the emergency law to overrule several judicial release orders.
The two were among 69 political prisoners freed on the orders of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which took power in Egypt after Mr Mubarak was forced to step down.
The military rulers said those released would be subject to surveillance for five years.
Sadat was shot dead by Islamic militants at a military parade in Cairo on October 6, 1981, three years after he signed the 1978 Camp David Accords that led to a peace treaty in 1979 with Israel, the first by an Arab country.
Abbud al Zomor is one of the members of the group who carried out the attack, while Tareq al Zomor was said to be involved in the planning.
The main convict in the case, Khaled al Islamboulli, was executed in 1982.
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In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
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Uefa Champions League quarter-final second leg:
Juventus 1 Ajax 2
Ajax advance 3-2 on aggregate
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
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Basquiat in Abu Dhabi
One of Basquiat’s paintings, the vibrant Cabra (1981–82), now hangs in Louvre Abu Dhabi temporarily, on loan from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
The latter museum is not open physically, but has assembled a collection and puts together a series of events called Talking Art, such as this discussion, moderated by writer Chaedria LaBouvier.
It's something of a Basquiat season in Abu Dhabi at the moment. Last week, The Radiant Child, a documentary on Basquiat was shown at Manarat Al Saadiyat, and tonight (April 18) the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is throwing the re-creation of a party tonight, of the legendary Canal Zone party thrown in 1979, which epitomised the collaborative scene of the time. It was at Canal Zone that Basquiat met prominent members of the art world and moved from unknown graffiti artist into someone in the spotlight.
“We’ve invited local resident arists, we’ll have spray cans at the ready,” says curator Maisa Al Qassemi of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's Canal Zone Remix is at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Thursday April 18, from 8pm. Free entry to all. Basquiat's Cabra is on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi until October
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How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
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- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
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- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
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- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
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- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
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- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
What is Genes in Space?
Genes in Space is an annual competition first launched by the UAE Space Agency, The National and Boeing in 2015.
It challenges school pupils to design experiments to be conducted in space and it aims to encourage future talent for the UAE’s fledgling space industry. It is the first of its kind in the UAE and, as well as encouraging talent, it also aims to raise interest and awareness among the general population about space exploration.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
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Investment raised: $4 million
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Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5