Fresh Clashes Erupt in Egypt

Local Editor

New clashes between police and protesters erupted on Wednesday in the Egyptian city of Port Said, the scene of several days of unrest, AFP reporters said.

Police and protesters lobbed rocks at each other under a volley of tear gas that caused several people to collapse. Gunfire could also be heard, as military planes circled low overhead.
Tension has been running high around the main security building in Port Said, which was set ablaze on Tuesday for the second day in a row.

"Dirty government!" the protesters shouted, as they ran away from the thick gas.
The unrest in the Suez Canal city, fuelled by January death sentences handed down to football fans over deadly rioting last year, flared again on Sunday when clashes killed six people, including three policemen.
Meanwhile, Egypt's president Mohammad Mursi considered handing the military full control of the restive city in a sign of the collapse of control there.

A handover to the military would be recognition of the failure of President Mohammed Mursi's government to bring calm to Port Said.

But Mursi appeared to back down from the idea. Tuesday evening, his office issued a statement denying Mursi had made such a decision and underlining that the police remain "the main authority in charge of securing the city."
Military spokesman Ahmed Mohammed Ali also denied Mursi had asked the army to take over.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by moqawama.org