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WORLD NEWSMonday 14 September 2015
Egypt’s government resigns amid corruption probe
NOUR YOUSSEF report detailing the perfor- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, right, meets with Petroleum Minister Sheriff Ismail in
Associated Press mance of the government, Cairo, Egypt. Egyptian Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb and his Cabinet resigned this weekend. El-
CAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s gov- which two officials from the Sissi tasked Ismail with forming a new Cabinet within a week.
ernment resigned over the president’s office said el-
weekend in the face of in- Sissi found “unsatisfying. (MENA via AP)
tense criticism from state- ” The officials spoke on
friendly media that reflects condition of anonymity be- lowing through on memo- the government in recent “El-Sissi and the armed
growing discontent but cause they are not autho- randums of understanding weeks, accusing ministers forces are responsible for
stops short of faulting Presi- rized to brief reporters. that el-Sissi signed during a of incompetence and of the accomplishments we
dent Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, Egypt’s president is gen- much-publicized econom- being out of touch with see,” said Ibrahim Eissa,
the former general who led erally in charge of major ic summit in March, they ordinary citizens suffering a prominent journalist and
the overthrow of an Islamist affairs of state while the said. from years of turmoil since popular TV host, who called
president two years ago. prime minister, whom he The country’s private me- the 2011 uprising that top- Mehleb and his Cabinet a
The office of the president appoints, handles day-to- dia, while lavishing praise pled longtime autocrat “burden” on the president.
said he accepted the res- day running of the govern- on el-Sissi, have slammed Hosni Mubarak. q
ignation of Prime Minister ment.
Ibrahim Mehleb and his El-Sissi in recent months
Cabinet but that the min- has had to perform tasks
isters would continue to that normally should fall to
serve until a new body is Mehleb, such as arranging
appointed. El-Sissi tasked meetings with ministers and
Petroleum Minister Sherif negotiating business deals
Ismail with forming a new with foreign investors, ac-
Cabinet within a week. cording to the two officials.
Prior to handing in his resig- Mehleb also failed to pres-
nation, Mehleb provided a sure his ministers into fol-
Syria group:
Russia seen expanding major Syrian airport
SARAH EL DEEB Syria’s government, denies port currently under devel-
Associated Press it’s trying to bolster Assad opment is located. Israeli
BEIRUT (AP) — Russian and says its increased mili- officials also say the aim
forces are expanding the tary activity is part of the appears to be a military
tarmac of a major airport international effort to de- base. The airport, known by
in Syria’s coastal province feat the Islamic State group its old name Hemeimeem,
of Latakia, a stronghold which has wreaked havoc already houses a military
of President Bashar Assad in Syria and Iraq. On Sun- base and has come under
and his minority sect, a day, the Russian foreign shelling from advancing
prominent Syrian monitor- minister called for the in- militants in the countryside.
ing group said Sunday. ternational community to After the Damascus air-
The report comes amid ris- include the Syrian govern- port, it’s the most important
ing concern among U.S. ment in efforts to fight IS. functioning government-
officials of increased Rus- A former Lebanese general controlled airport in Syria.
sian military activity in Syria. with knowledge of the Syr- Officially named the Basel
President Barack Obama ian military told The Associ- al-Assad International air-
cast the buildup as an ef- ated Press last week that port, after the president’s
fort to prop up the coun- there are plans to build a brother who died in a car
try’s embattled leader, military base in the coastal accident in 1994, it has one
warning Moscow against town of Jableh, about 25 ki- terminal, according to the
doubling down on Assad. lometers (15 miles) south of Syrian Civil Aviation Author-
Russia, a longtime backer of Latakia city, where the air- ity website.q
