Egyptians rally against Mubarak-era candidate
Egyptians rally against Mubarak-era candidate
CAIRO — Thousands of people took to the streets in cities across Egypt on Friday to demand that Ahmed Shafiq, a former senior official in Hosni Mubarak’s ousted regime, be disqualified from next month’s presidential runoff.
Shafiq, who served as Mubarak’s last prime minister, was one of the top two finishers in the first round of Egypt’s landmark presidential election last month, advancing to a June 16-17 runoff against Mohammed Morsi, the candidate of the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood.
The Morsi-Shafiq race is a polarizing contest. It mirrors the conflict between Mubarak, himself a career air force officer like Shafiq, and the Islamists he jailed and tortured throughout his years in power. But it sidelines the mostly young, secular activists who led the popular uprising last year.
In the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria, at least 7,000 protesters, some of them carrying Egyptian flags or holding their shoes in the air in a sign of disrespect, said that Shafiq should be barred from running because of his senior position in the Mubarak regime.
Smaller rallies demanding Shafiq’s disqualification also took place in Cairo, Port Said, Suez, North Sinai as well as at least six other provinces.
Shafiq has cast himself as a strongman who will restore law and order after nearly 16 months of sporadic but violent protests and a lapse in security. Shortly after the first round results were announced this week, Shafiq’s campaign headquarters in Cairo was torched.
Opponents view Shafiq as the favorite of the ruling military council that took over after Mubarak’s ouster. Egypt’s four presidents all hailed from the military.
Many Egyptians say they want neither Shafiq, considered “feloul,” or a remnant of the Mubarak era, nor the Brotherhood’s candidate, Morsi, as their next president, and protesters criticized both candidates Friday.
Edwards advised
to keep low profile
RALEIGH, N.C. — Now that he has survived his campaign corruption trial, John Edwards may face an even tougher fight to regain the public’s respect.
Image experts and friends recommended that the disgraced former Democratic presdential candidate put his public and political life on hold for a few years. The details of his affair and child with his mistress that were replayed at his trial are too fresh, they say.
“Plant a small garden, tend that garden and wait and listen,” said Wade Smith, an attorney who hired Edwards when he was a young attorney and represented him before the trial.
Then a number of things might be possible — a legal career representing breast cancer patients, and the poor, or life as a stay-at-home father. But not a career in politics, ever.
“I think John Edwards has no political future. Nada, zip,” said Emory University political science professor Merle Black. “I can’t think of any Democrat in the country that would want to be on the same stage with John Edwards.”
911 callers report fight in face-chewing attack
MIAMI — Several people called 911 after witnessing events related to the vicious attack of a 65-year-old homeless man whose face was mostly chewed off along a busy Miami highway, according to recordings released Friday by authorities.
Callers only reported seeing two men fighting in the shadow of The Miami Herald headquarters but did not mention seeing Ronald Poppo’s face being chewed.
Surveillance video shows Rudy Eugene, 31, attacking Poppo alongside the highway last Saturday afternoon. A police officer fatally shot Eugene during the attack. Police have not released a motive for the attack.
“He’s going to kill that man, I promise you,” a female bus driver said, urging a 911 operator to send help. Poppo remains hospitalized.
The driver, who wasn’t named by authorities, described the scene as she drove by.
By wire sources