The new rulers in Egypt have submitted a request to Switzerland for legal assistance, the justice ministry revealed on Wednesday.
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On Friday the Swiss authorities asked Swiss banks to search for and block any assets that might belong to Mubarak and ten members of his family and entourage, who stood down the same day after 30 years in power.
Anti-corruption campaigners praised Switzerland’s move to block Mubarak’s assets but said funds should never have been allowed in.
In Egypt on Wednesday the military hoped tens of thousands of Egyptians would heed its appeal to get back to work and abandon the strikes and protests that flared after the downfall of Mubarak offered new freedoms.
Facing a rash of pent-up labour demands from groups ranging from bank staff and tour guides to policemen and steelworkers, the military has urged people not to disrupt further an economy damaged by the 18-day uprising.
Youth activists behind the protests asked for a meeting with the Higher Military Council, which has promised a swift handover to democracy and civilian rule, but had yet to receive a reply, a leading activist said.
The opposition want more steps from the military, including the release of political prisoners and lifting of emergency laws.
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Swiss journalists return home safely
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There were violent clashes in Cairo on Wednesday between opponents and supporters of President Hosni Mubarak as the Egyptian government rejected international calls for the leader to end his 30-year-rule immediately. The army did not intervene, other than to fire shots into the air, and no uniformed police were in sight. However, government opponents say…
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Middle East expert Yves Besson tells swissinfo.ch that recent events now require the West to formulate new policies towards the region and also pave the way for Turkish diplomacy to play a role. Tuesday saw the largest protest in the popular movement to oust Mubarak’s regime with hundreds of thousands of people peacefully taking to…
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“Mubarak’s regime lies in tatters,” wrote Zurich’s Tages-Anzeiger on Monday, the seventh day of demonstrations across the country calling for democratic reforms and in protest against Mubarak’s 30-year regime. Describing the situation on the ground, the newspaper said: “Egypt is caught in a painful vacuum between a dictatorship and something new, from which everyone hopes things…
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Hundreds of thousands of Egyptians demonstrated in the capital, Cairo, and other big cities to protest against the autocratic rule of President Hosni Mubarak. Unruffled by the presence of troops and police, they were resolute in calling for basic human rights.
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