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Alaa Abd El Fattah was detained for two months, pending investigation into charges that he incited violence against military One of Egypt's most prominent revolutionaries has been released from jail after almost two months during which he missed the birth of his first child. An Egyptian investigative judge ordered that Alaa Abd El Fattah, who has been at the forefront of anti-regime struggles for a decade and was a political prisoner during the Mubarak era, be freed pending investigation into charges that he incited violence against the military. A picture posted by his sister Mona Seif showed him holding his new-born son Khaled on his release . His wife Manal Hassan, who is also an activist, gave birth to the couple's first child while he was in detention. Military prosecutors detained Abd El Fattah on 30 October after he refused to answer questions about their allegations that he played a role in clashes during a march by Coptic Christians on 9 October . At least 27 people, ...

Cricketer-turned-politician hits home with anti-corruption, anti-US message at rally in Pakistan's largest city More than 100,000 people have rallied in support of the Pakistani cricket legend and opposition politician Imran Khan in the country's biggest city, Karachi, further cementing his status as a rising force in politics. His message of cracking down on corruption and standing up to the US has found fresh resonance at a time when Pakistanis are fed up with the country's chronic insecurity and economic malaise. Khan, 59, entered politics 15 years ago when he founded Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or the Movement for Justice party, but has struggled to translate his fame into votes. His political fortunes shifted in October when he drew more than 100,000 people to a rally in the eastern city of Lahore. Since then, Khan has attracted many politicians to his party, including several prominent figures. "I came to support an honest politician who quit his lavish life for th...

Statistical model used by Department for Transport predicts 25 extra motorway deaths a year if plans to increase limit go ahead Government proposals to increase the motorway speed limit to 80mph would be expected to cause a 20%-plus increase in deaths, according to the statistical model the Department for Transport will use to assess the implications of the change. Road safety experts from Europe and the US are warning the DfT, which begins a consultation on the idea early next year, that while motorways remain significantly safer than other road types they are also especially susceptible to speed limit changes. The government's announcement in October that it would consider a 10mph increase drew condemnation from road safety campaigners. But the then transport secretary, Philip Hammond, said the change would bring economic benefits through quicker journey times and that safety worries were largely mitigated by improvements in vehicle technology since 1965, when the 70mph maximum ...

Military says Khalil Ibrahim, whose Justice and Equality Movement did not join peace talks, was killed west of Khartoum Sudanese troops have killed Khalil Ibrahim, the leader of the main Darfur rebel group, in fighting west of the capital Khartoum, the military said. Ibrahim led the Darfur-based Justice and Equality Movement, or JEM, which unlike other Darfur rebel groups did not join a peace deal with the government in Khartoum. An army statement, carried by the official SUNA news agency, said Ibrahim was killed in the North Kordufan state, at Wad Banda, an area 440 miles (700km) west of Khartoum, on Sunday. Ibrahim's group, JEM, could not immediately be reached for comment. Fighting in the area flared up in recent days. On Saturday, the Sudanese army said the rebels from Darfur attacked three locations in neighbouring North Kordufan, killing an unspecified number of civilians in an area where government forces were not present. JEM did not claim responsibility for Saturday's ...

Dr Rowan Williams to refer to the aftermath of summer riots and financial speculation in his Christmas Day sermon The Archbishop of Canterbury is to speak of the "broken bonds and abused trust" in a British society torn apart by riots and financial speculation in his Christmas Day sermon. Delivering his sermon from Canterbury Cathedral, Dr Rowan Williams will ask the congregation to learn lessons about "mutual obligation" from the events of the past year. He will say: "The most pressing question we now face, we might well say, is who and where we are as a society. Bonds have been broken, trust abused and lost. "Whether it is an urban rioter mindlessly burning down a small shop that serves his community, or a speculator turning his back on the question of who bears the ultimate cost for his acquisitive adventures in the virtual reality of today's financial world, the picture is of atoms spinning apart in the dark." It is not the first time the arch...

PYONGYANG, Dec. 25 -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Sunday accused South Korean authorities of barring South Koreans from visiting DPRK to mourn late leader Kim Jong Il, the official news agency KCNA reported. According to the KCNA, a spokesman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea (CPRK) said on Sunday that the South Korean authorities had not only prevented South Koreans from visiting the DPRK but also tried to justify their "unethical acts." The South Korean authorities even talked about "separating north leadership from the inhabitants" to escalate confrontation with the DPRK and break the single-minded unity of the people in the DPRK, said the spokesman. "The DPRK will never tolerate anyone checking mourners, branding them as top class criminals seriously insulting the supreme dignity of the DPRK," the spokesman stressed. The spokesman urged the South Korean authorities to "bear in mind that their o...

Libya marked its 60th anniversary of independence on Saturday, reviving a celebration that has been scrapped for more than 40 years. Prime Minister Abdul al-Raheem al-Keib said at the ceremony that the transitional government would provide nationals, especially soldiers involved in the fight to end Muammar Gaddafi's rule, with more job opportunities. The fighters could join the national army, security forces, or other national departments according to their contributions in the war. The transitional government would also offer subsidies for those who opt to start their own businesses. Al-Keib noted that the transitional government faced tremendous challenges in rebuilding the war-ravaged country, especially security threats from widespread holding of weapons by civilians. To improve the security situation, the prime minister said, the transitional government planned to create jobs to get more people employed, and gradually get back the weapons. Libya won independence from Italy...