THE chief prosecutor delivered the harshest assessment of Hosni Mubarak’s rule ever heard in an Egyptian courtroom, accusing the ousted leader of tyranny and corruption and saying he devoted the last 10 years of his three decades in power to ensuring his son would succeed him.

The chief prosecutor delivered the harshest assessment of Hosni Mubarak’s rule ever heard in an Egyptian courtroom today, accusing the ousted leader of tyranny and corruption and saying he devoted the last 10 years of his three decades in power to ensuring his son would succeed him.

LIBYA declared itself liberated yesterday after 42 years of rule by Muammar Gaddafi ended with his capture and death last week, getting the North African state ready for a transition towards democracy.

A powerful steel magnate who was a senior insider in the regime of ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak has been jailed for 10 years after being convicted of corruption.

The judge in the trial of Hosni Mubarak has summoned the top brass in Egypt’s new ruling military council and his former vice president to testify in closed sessions on the ousted leader’s role in putting down protests against his rule.

THE personal assistant to businessman Philip Lynch asked a solicitor, just hours before a €25 million loan was signed by the Lynch family, whether the final terms of that loan meant AIB would have recourse only to lands for repayment, a court has heard.

EMAILS sent by solicitors with the LK Shields law firm to the family of businessman Philip Lynch just hours before they signed up to a €25 million loan to buy development lands with developer Gerry Conlan stated Allied Irish Bank only wanted recourse to the land, not the family, the Commercial Court has heard.

A DAUGHTER of Philip Lynch has denied AIB would not have sought a net-worth statement for Mr Lynch, which showed he had assets of more than €48 million in 2007, if a €25m loan to buy lands for development involved no recourse to the One51 investment group chief executive or his family.

Libyan warplanes have launched a fresh air strike on rebel positions around a key oil port, trying to block fighters from advancing toward Muammar Gaddafi’s stronghold in the capital, Tripoli.

TIMELINE

Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak has resigned as president and handed control to the military after 18 days of pro-democracy demonstrations.

Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak resigned as president and handed control to the military tonight bowing down after a historic 18-day wave of pro-democracy demonstrations.

Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak resigned as president and handed control to the military tonight bowing down after a historic 18-day wave of pro-democracy demonstrations.

Hosni Mubarak tonight resigned as president of Egypt and handed control to the military.

Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak refused to step down or leave the country and instead handed most of his powers to his vice president, enraging protesters who warned the country could explode in violence and pleaded for the military to take action to push him out.

HOSNI Mubarak, struggling to cling on as Egypt’s president in the face of unprecedented protests over poverty, corruption and oppression, said last night he would transfer powers to his vice president.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has handed his powers over to his vice president but refused to step down outright or leave the country.

Doctors in white coats and lawyers in black robes have streamed into Cairo’s Tahrir Square as strikes across the country give powerful momentum to Egypt’s wave of anti-government protests.

EGYPTIANS counted the economic cost of more than two weeks of turmoil yesterday as protesters on Cairo’s Tahrir Square looked ahead to their next big push to oust President Hosni Mubarak tomorrow.

A wave of strikes added to the chaos in Egypt tonight with thousands walking out of their state jobs in support of anti-government protests.

Anti-government protesters were angered today by a warning from Egypt’s vice president Omar Suleiman that unless they joined talks the country could fall to a coup.

EGYPTIANS staged one of their biggest protests yet yesterday demanding President Hosni Mubarak step down immediately, their wrath undiminished by the vice president’s announcement of a plan to transfer power.

One of the main internet organisers of Egypt’s protests was freed from custody to a tumultuous welcome from crowds of demonstrators today.

Egyptian protesters rallied around a recently released Google executive today as they tried to maintain the momentum of their mass anti-government protest.

Egypt’s largest opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, said it would begin talks today with the government to try to end the country’s political crisis.

TENS of thousands packed central Cairo yesterday, waving flags and singing the national anthem, emboldened in their campaign to oust President Hosni Mubarak after they repelled pro-regime attackers in two days of bloody street fights.

Tens of thousands packed central Cairo today on what they dubbed “the day of departure” in their campaign to remove President Hosni Mubarak.

The Egyptian military guarded thousands of protesters pouring into Cairo’s main square today in an attempt to drive out President Hosni Mubarak.

Talks are under way between the Obama administration and senior Egyptian officials on the possible immediate resignation of President Hosni Mubarak and the formation of a military-backed caretaker government, US officials said.

Egyptian protesters trying to topple the regime of President Hosni Mubarak called on their supporters to fill every square in the capital Cairo today.

Three hundred Irish people have been helped to leave Egypt since the current unrest began.

The Egyptian government has increasingly spread an image that foreigners are fuelling the turmoil that has gripped its streets.

A million people were urged to take to the streets today to demand that Egypt’s authoritarian leader step down as more signs emerged that army support for President Hosni Mubarak may be unravelling.

Egyptians jubilantly climbed on top of army tanks and armoured personnel carriers enforcing security in Cairo today.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak named a vice president today for the first time since coming to power nearly 30 years ago, as officials said the death toll from disturbances in the country had reached at least 62.

Nearly every woman in the Egyptian capital has experienced leering, whistles, groping or other sexual harassment in the street, according to some studies. Soon they will be able to instantly speak out on the internet.

US SECRETARY of state Hillary Rodham Clinton reassured the Lebanese people yesterday that Washington supports “voices of moderation” and will never make a deal with Syria that undermines the country’s interests.

MILITARY bands and a guard of honour greeted President Michel Suleiman yesterday as he entered Lebanon’s presidential palace to begin the monumental task of uniting a wounded nation and reconciling rival political factions.

Lebanon’s parliament elected army commander General Michel Suleiman as president today in a long-delayed vote that was a key step toward restoring political stability.

EGYPT was trying to persuade Hamas yesterday to accept a truce that would halt rocket attacks on Israel in an effort to put an end to Gaza violence and salvage Middle East peace talks.

Balint Szlanko reports from Beirut on the army’s victory over Fatah el-Islam and the prospect of transforming cross-party support into unity.

LEBANON’S army commander warned the government that Beirut’s daily protests were dangerously draining military resources.

Talks today between Israeli officials and a top Egyptian mediator failed to bring the release of an Israeli soldier captured by Hamas-linked militants last June any closer, an Israeli official said.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas will hold off on asking Hamas to form the next government until it renounces violence, an Israeli Foreign Ministry official said today.