BLOG WORD

Violent clashes hit the Egyptian capital after the national football team lost a World Cup qualifying match to Algeria. Christian Fraser looks at how Egypt’s failure on the pitch has exposed deeper frustrations inside the country.
You cannot say that the residents of Cairo’s diplomatic quarter enjoy the quiet life – after all this is officially the world’s noisiest city.
But the island of Zamalek, in the middle of the Nile, has the feel of an upscale enclave, with its embassy compounds and security guards, the sprawling villas, sushi bars and French patisseries.
Which made the violence that erupted in the aftermath of Egypt’s defeat in a World Cup eliminator all the more shocking to the people that live there.
The morning after a sleepless night, the talk at the Anglican cathedral’s Christmas bazaar – among both Egyptians and foreigners – was of little else.
They had watched crowds of Egyptian men surging upon the Algerian embassy – the police mounting just about enough resistance to ensure the compound walls were not breached.
Nearby, cars were overturned and shop windows smashed by gangs marauding along one of Cairo’s busiest streets. The residents feared for their safety.
In a country where demonstrations are routinely broken up well before the first sign of trouble, the violence was surprising.
The local residents demanded to know why the police had not intervened more quickly, suspecting that initially they had been directed to look the other way.
“It suits the government that people unite around a football match,” said one resident. “Now the attention is focused on Algeria. It diverts the attention from Egypt’s real problems.”
Cynical, perhaps, but politicians from Egypt’s ruling party have certainly fuelled the flames of anti-Algerian nationalistic fervour in recent days. What began as the fallout from a testy football game, escalated into a diplomatic slanging match between two neighbours.
The violence started during a crucial qualifier in Cairo.
My ribs are still bruised from the brick hurled by an Egyptian fan who mistook me for an Algerian – but that was nothing compared with the bloody head wounds sustained by three of the Algerian players whose bus was pelted with stones.
The Egyptian media still claim the players’ injuries were self-inflicted – by the window hammers they had found on the bus.
It was the first in a series of increasingly wild claims and counter-claims among politicians and television pundits, readily accepted by the man-on-the-street.
The result in Cairo – a 2-0 victory for the home side – set up a decider in neutral territory five days later.
One of President Hosni Mubarak’s sons, a businessman who rarely speaks in public, took the unusual step of phoning a television talk show and delivering a 40 minute rant.
Alaa Mubarak, who attended the match in Khartoum, called on Egypt to respond to the Algerians’ “terror and hostility”.
They came with knives and cudgels, he alleged.
“They are treating us as if we are Jews killing people in Gaza,” was one of his more incendiary comments.
The frenzied Egyptian media joined in. There were reports that Algerian prisoners had been released and flown in on military aircraft to mete out punishment.
Friends told me they had been forced to remove their Egyptian tops as they left the stadium and to dance with the Algerians in order to avoid being beaten up.

The central bank of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has said it will provide banks with extra liquidity.
The news comes days after the state-owned Dubai World said it would ask for an extension on repaying its debts, sending world stock markets tumbling.
The liquidity will be available to all UAE banks as well as foreign banks operating in the Emirates.
Dubai’s government is expected to make a statement before the market opens on Monday, to try to reassure investors.
Meanwhile, neighbouring Abu Dhabi has said it will “pick and choose” how to assist Dubai.
“We will look at Dubai’s commitments and approach them on a case-by-case basis,” an Abu Dhabi government official said on Saturday.
“It does not mean that Abu Dhabi will underwrite all of their debts,” he added.
The announcement from the central bank came the day before markets in the Middle East reopen after the Eid holiday.
“[The] central bank has issued a notice to UAE banks and branches of foreign banks operating in the UAE, making available to them a special additional liquidity facility linked to their current accounts at the central bank,” it said in a statement.
The bank added that the banking system in the UAE was more sound and liquid than a year ago.
As a result of Dubai’s debt problems, banks face heavy losses and the risk that depositors could rush to remove cash from the system.
“It might support the market a little bit but I don’t think it is enough,” said Shawkut Raslan from Prime Emirates brokerage.
“I think some foreigners will take their money out of the country and others will be afraid to put their money into these markets.”

Iran’s government has approved plans to build 10 new uranium enrichment plants, according to state media.
The government told the Iranian nuclear agency to begin work on five sites, with five more to be located over the next two months.
It comes days after the UN nuclear watchdog rebuked Iran for covering up a uranium enrichment plant.
Western powers say Iran is trying to develop nuclear arms. Iran says its nuclear programme is peaceful.
BBC Tehran correspondent Jon Leyne says Sunday’s announcement is a massive act of defiance likely to bring forward direct confrontation over Iran’s nuclear programme.
Iran says the new plants would be of a similar size to its main existing one at Natanz.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told his cabinet that parliament had ordered that Iran should produce 20,000 megawatts of nuclear energy by 2020.
It therefore needed to make 250-300 tonnes of nuclear fuel a year, he said, which would require 500,000 centrifuges for enriching uranium.
Natanz has nearly 5,000 working centrifuges, with plans to build 54,000 in all.
Under the plan Mr Ahmadinejad presented to the cabinet, the level of enrichment would also be increased.
Such a move would be in direct contravention of UN Security Council resolutions, our correspondent says, though Iran counters that it is simply doing what is allowed under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
On Friday, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) passed a resolution that was heavily critical of Iran for covering up a uranium enrichment plant near the town of Qom.
Earlier on Sunday it was reported that the Iranian parliament had urged President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s government to reduce co-operation with the IAEA.

Russian police are appealing for witnesses following a bomb blast which derailed an express train north of Moscow on Friday, killing 25 people.
The BBC’s Richard Galpin, in Moscow, says investigators want to talk to a group of people seen close to the scene shortly before the derailment.
Forensic experts returned to the crash site on Sunday to comb the debris of the Nevsky Express for clues.
No-one has claimed responsibility for the explosion.
Police said an “improvised explosive device” derailed the last three carriages of the express, one of Russia’s fastest trains, which links Moscow with St Petersburg.
Officials originally said 26 passengers had been killed, but revised the figure down on Sunday.
More than 100 people were injured, some of them seriously. Authorities said six foreigners were among them – an Italian, a Belgian, an Azerbaijani, two Belarussians and one Ukrainian.
Our correspondent says the investigation is focusing on witnesses who may have seen suspicious activity near the town of Bologoye, about 400km (250 miles) north-west of Moscow.
In particular, a group of people were seen milling around the track on Friday.
Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev told Russian media they believed several people had taken part in the attack.
He released a description of one suspect – a stocky man of about 40 with red hair – based on statements from local residents.
Correspondents say key suspects in the investigation will be militants from the volatile North Caucasus region and extreme Russian nationalists.
The Nevsky Express is an expensive, high-speed train popular with government officials and business executives.
In 2007, a bomb on the same line derailed a train, injuring nearly 30 passengers.
That blast has been blamed on Chechen separatists.

Swiss voters have supported a referendum proposal to ban the building of minarets, official results show.
More than 57% of voters and 22 out of 26 cantons – or provinces – voted in favour of the ban.
The proposal had been put forward by the Swiss People’s Party, (SVP), the largest party in parliament, which says minarets are a sign of Islamisation.
The government opposed the ban, saying it would harm Switzerland’s image, particularly in the Muslim world.
The BBC’s Imogen Foulkes, in Bern, says the surprise result is very bad news for the Swiss government which also fears unrest among the Muslim community.
Our correspondent says voters worried about rising immigration – and with it the rise of Islam – have ignored the government’s advice.
“The Federal Council (government) respects this decision. Consequently the construction of new minarets in Switzerland is no longer permitted,” said the government in a statement, quoted by the AFP news agency.
Justice Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf said the result reflected fear of Islamic fundamentalism.
“These concerns have to be taken seriously. However, the Federal Council takes the view that a ban on the construction of new minarets is not a feasible means of countering extremist tendencies,” she said.
She sought to reassure Swiss Muslims, saying the decision was “not a rejection of the Muslim community, religion or culture”.
Switzerland is home to some 400,000 Muslims and has just four minarets.
After Christianity, Islam is the most widespread religion in Switzerland, but it remains relatively hidden.
There are unofficial Muslim prayer rooms, and planning applications for new minarets are almost always refused.
Supporters of a ban claimed that allowing minarets would represent the growth of an ideology and a legal system – Sharia law – which are incompatible with Swiss democracy.
But others say the referendum campaign incited hatred. On Thursday the Geneva mosque was vandalised for the third time during the campaign, according to local media.
Before the vote, Amnesty International warned that the ban would violate Switzerland’s obligations to freedom of religious expression.
The president of Zurich’s Association of Muslim Organisations, Tamir Hadjipolu, told the BBC that if the ban was implemented, Switzerland’s Muslim community would live in fear.
“This will cause major problems because during this campaign in the last two weeks different mosques were attacked, which we never experienced in 40 years in Switzerland.
“So with the campaign… the Islamaphobia has increased very intensively.”

The Australian government’s plans to enact a law for an emissions trading scheme
have been thrown into chaos.
A revolt within the opposition Liberal Party means a key deadline for the Senate
to pass the legislation has been missed.
Liberal leader Malcolm Turnbull had agreed with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to pass
the scheme in the Senate, where the government is in a minority.
If the Senate fails to pass the scheme, Mr Rudd can call a snap election.
That could be an appealing option, as he would be expected to win by a very big
margin, seriously damaging the Liberals.
The Senate adjourned on Friday – its last scheduled day of business in 2009 – but
agreed to return on Monday to continue debate on the package of 11 bills.
There have been mass resignations from the opposition front bench, and the party
is in open and angry rebellion.
Mr Turnbull said he would not stand down as leader. He warned that failure to
support the climate change bill would consign the Liberals to the political
wilderness.
“We would be wiped out,” he told Australian radio. “The vast majority of
Australians want to see action on climate change.
“If this legislation is knocked back, Kevin Rudd will have no choice but to go to
a double dissolution election. This is a fundamental plank in his platform.”
But that argument has not carried any weight with a strong rump in his party who
reject the scientific case that man is contributing to global warming, says the
BBC’s Nick Bryant in Sydney.
One leading climate change sceptic and senior party figure, Tony Abbott, has said
he will challenge Mr Turnbull for the leadership on Monday.
Mr Rudd had wanted to pass the bill – aimed at cutting emissions by up to 25% of
2000 levels by 2020 – in time for the UN climate change summit in Copenhagen in
December.
It was initially rejected by the Senate in August and revised to include more
support for industry and farmers.
Australia is the world’s largest emitter of carbon dioxide per capita.

Former Khmer Rouge prison chief Duch has shocked the UN-backed war crimes tribunal
by asking to be released on the final day of the trial.
Duch, whose real name is Kaing Guek Eav, had admitted being responsible for
overseeing the deaths of 15,000 people.
Duch commanded a prison from where thousands were killed in an orchard now known
as the “Killing Fields”.
His request for clemency cast doubt over the sincerity of his requests for
forgiveness from the victims’ families.
Duch, a former maths teacher, said he had co-operated fully with the tribunal and
had been detained since 1999.
“I would ask the chamber to release me. Thank you very much,” he said at the end
of his closing statement to the court.
His lawyer confirmed he was asking to be acquitted on the grounds that he was not
a senior member of the Khmer Rouge hierarchy.
The judges did not act on Duch’s request and closed proceedings. They are expected
to make a ruling on the verdict early next year.
Up to two million Cambodians died under Pol Pot’s brutal Khmer Rouge rule in the
1970s.
As many as 17,000 inmates are thought to have passed through the gates of the
prison which Duch controlled, known as S-21.
The vast majority were tortured, forced to “confess” to crimes against the regime
and then put to death just outside Phnom Penh.
Duch is the first of five leading Khmer Rouge figures to face the UN-backed
tribunal.
The joint trial of four other – more senior – Khmer Rouge leaders is expected to
start in 2011.

Japan’s finance minister has said the strength of the yen is harmful to the
country’s economy.
In trading the currency has touched 84 to the dollar, the US currency’s lowest
level since the mid-1990s.
A high yen damages the competitiveness of Japanese exports, which have been the
engine of the country’s growth.
Finance Minister Hirohisa Fujii said the government was watching closely, but did
not signal immediate intervention.
Everyone in Japan knows that the flimsy one yen coin is so light it can be made to
float on water, but now the currency is sinking to the bottom of the glass as the
dollar weakens.
Mr Fujii said the strength of Japan’s currency was “one sided” and harmful to the
economy.
With much of the relative strength caused by dollar selling rather than yen
buying, there may be little the government can do alone.
Japan is emerging from its worst recession since the end of World War II.
Figures out on Friday showed unemployment had fallen.
But the strong yen eats into the competitiveness of exporters like Sony, Toyota
and Honda.
Japan’s recovery is threatened by deflation, or falling prices.
And the strength of the currency threatens to make that worse too because imports
and raw materials become cheaper.

Worries over Dubai’s debt problems have driven down Europe’s share markets for the
second day running.
The main share indexes in London, Paris and Frankfurt all opened more than 1%
lower.
The moves follow news from the state-owned Dubai World that it would delay paying
some of its debt. Earlier, Asia’s markets were down sharply.
Tokyo’s benchmark Nikkei fell 3.2% to 9,081.52. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index
ended down 4.84% at 21,134.5.
Oil prices also fell. US crude dropped 4.5% to $74.51 a barrel and London Brent
Crude was down $1.26 to $75.73.
The biggest underlying fear is that Dubai’s problems could reignite the financial
turmoil of the credit crisis. That would lower global demand for a whole range of
commodities, including oil.
Dubai World is the emirate’s flag bearer in global investments.
It has a central role in the direction of the emirate’s economy and has four main
areas of operations: Transport & Logistics, Drydocks & Maritime, Urban
Development, and Investment & Financial Services.
Its assets include DP World, one of the largest marine terminal operators in the
world, which sparked a national security debate in the US when it moved to take
over six of the country’s ports.
Back home, its own maritime ambitions are driven by Dubai Maritime City which is
aiming to turn Dubai into a major ship-building hub.
Perhaps the most easily visualised area of operation is Nakheel, the property
developer behind projects such as The Palm Islands and The World.
Its fourth main business area is Istithmar World, which is the group’s investment
arm.
The Gulf state, which has less oil money than many of its neighbours, became a
trading and tourism hub with global ambitions.
It said on Wednesday it would ask creditors of the state-owned Dubai World and
Nakheel to agree to a standstill on billions of dollars of debt as a first step
towards restructuring.
Dubai World, the conglomerate that led the emirate’s expansion, had $59bn (￡36bn)
of liabilities as of August, a large proportion of Dubai’s total debt of $80bn.
Nakheel was the builder of the landmark palm tree-shaped island developments off
Dubai.
The news shook markets that are recovering from the collapse of the US housing
market and contagion that threatened to rupture the global financial system last
year.
“The panic button’s been hit again,” said Francis Lun, general manager of
Fulbright Securities.
Banks and builders were hit hardest as they are the most likely to be exposed to
firms with property at the sharp end of the slump.

GPs need to go “full throttle” to get as many vulnerable patients as possible
vaccinated against swine flu, the government’s immunisations chief says.
More than 1m people in the UK have been vaccinated a month into the programme –
one in 10 in the priority groups.
Professor David Salisbury said he would have hoped for more at this stage, but
accepted doctors were doing their best.
It comes as the number of deaths in a week has hit a record high. The UK total now
stands at 245 – up from 214.
This is a reflection of the fact that a greater proportion of people are ending up
in hospital and in critical care than at the start of the pandemic.
However, latest figures show the number of new cases of infection is falling or
remaining steady across the UK.
In England, there were 46,000 cases, down from 53,000. Scotland reported just over
21,000, almost the same as last week.
GPs said the immunisation programme was being slowed down because of the way the
vaccines were being delivered to them.
Doctors have to mix the doses themselves because the vaccine has a 24-hour self-
life.
However, each batch contains 10 doses, meaning GPs have to be confident they can
vaccinate that many patients within a day or else the jabs have to be thrown away.
Dr Richard Vautrey, of the British Medical Association, said: “With seasonal flu
we can vaccinate opportunistically – when patients come in for other appointments.
“But because of the way the swine flu one is being manufactured we have to make
sure we have enough patients so the vaccine is not wasted.
“It is slowing it down, but to be fair I think it needed to be that way to get the
amount we needed manufactured.”
He also said the programme was taking time as some doctors would have only
received their first batches in the last week or two.