Egypt (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Protesters Block Key Building for 3rd Day
Tuesday, February 12, 2013 at 13:45
Scott Lucas in Africa, Bahrain, Chokri Belaid, EA Global, EA Live, EA Middle East and Turkey, Egypt, Hamadi Jabali, Hamdeen Sabahi, Mahmoud Shaaban, Middle East and Iran, Mohamed ElBaradei, Mohamed Morsi, Mugamma, RRachid Ghannouchi, Tunisia

See also Syria Live Coverage: Car Bomb on Turkey Border; Insurgents Take Major Dam
Monday's Egypt (and Beyond) Live Coverage: The 2nd Anniversary of Mubarak's Fall


1739 GMT: Tunisia. The leader of the Ennadha Party, the dominant faction in the ruling coalition, has said he expects that agreement will be reached on a new Cabinet led by Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali.

Rachid Ghannouchi said, "I expect that agreement will be reached and I expect Jebali will remain the prime minister of a coalition government."

Following last week's assassination of opposition politician Chokri Belaid, Jebali proposed a Cabinet of apolitical technocrats but pthers in Ennahda objected.

Ghannouchi said a counter-proposal would be made, "There is a project for a political government that will be presented to the prime minister to form a team of politicians and technocrats."

The Ennadha leader continues, "We don't have much time before we announce this government. The time limit is this week."

Ghannouchi indicated that Ennahda was prepared to compromise over the control of portfolios such as defence, foreign affairs, justice, and interior.

Some groups in the ruling coalition, notably President Moncef Marzouki's Congress for the Republic, had threatened to withdraw their ministers if the Justice and Foreign Ministers were not replaced.

1449 GMT: Saudi Arabia. Journalist Ahmed al Omran posts information of the demise of Prince Sattam, Governor of Riyadh Province and senior advisor to the King:

Sabq now reports that Prince Sattam is dead, quoting his chief of staff who said the prince passed away at 5:15pm sabq.org/m7wfde

— Ahmed Al Omran (@ahmed) February 12, 2013

1443 GMT: Egypt. The Public Prosecutor has ordered the arrest of a Muslim cleric, Mahmoud Shaaban, who said leaders of the opposition National Salvation Front should be condemned to death under Islamic law for seeking to topple President Morsi.

In an online video clip for the religious channel al-Hafez, Shaaban singled out Front leaders Mohamed ElBaradei and Hamdeen Sabahi.

1353 GMT: Bahrain. Two teenagers have been imprisoned for six months each for dressing up as religious figures and mocking them on video.

The men, aged 18 and 19, were convicted of defamation by the Lower Criminal Court.

1345 GMT: Egypt. Protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square have blocked the Mugamma, the country's most important administrative building, for the third consecutive day.

Employees and visitors pleaded with protesters to be let in, but the demonstrators held firm, saying that the closure was an "escalation" to pressure President Mohamed Morsy into implementing the goals of the revolution.

Tahrir Square was calm on Tuesday morning, after thousands of people marched across Egypt on Monday to mark the second anniversary of the overthrow of the Mubarak regime.

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