Violence triggered by rumours of a Muslim-Christian inter-faith romance has claimed 12 lives and left over 220 injured in the Egyptian capital, with mobs setting fire two churches in one of the worst communal clashes rocking the country in recent times. PM Essam Sharaf cancelled his Bahrain and UAE visit, calling an emergency Cabinet meeting, a news agency said.
Justice minister Mohammad Abd-al-Aziz al-Guindi said anti-terror provisions will be applied from now “in order to strike with an iron fist”. These dictate sentences as strict as the death penalty.