Nation & World Digest || New Egypt PM picks most of new Cabinet

New Egypt PM picks most of new Cabinet

cairo

Egypt’s prime minister-designate named a caretaker Cabinet on Sunday to help lead the country through reforms and toward free elections after the uprising that ousted President Hosni Mubarak.

The changes include new faces in the key foreign, interior and justice ministries — a decision expected to be met with the approval of the pro-reform groups that led an 18-day uprising that forced Mubarak to step down Feb. 11.

Meanwhile, a rally outside the Interior Ministry in Cairo, which houses offices of the hated State Security agency, was violently broken up.

Farewells for 2 space crews, Discovery

cape canaveral, fla.

The space shuttle and space station crews hugged goodbye Sunday after more than a week together, but saved their most heartfelt farewell for Discovery.

On its final voyage after nearly three decades, Discovery, the most traveled rocketship ever, will be retired after this week’s return to Earth.

The hatches between Discovery and the International Space Station were sealed Sunday afternoon, setting the stage for the shuttle’s departure first thing today.

Police loot houses

abidjan, ivory coast

Gangs of young people, actively aided by uniformed police, ransacked at least 10 houses in Abidjan belonging to officials allied with the internationally recognized president of Ivory Coast, as heavy fighting broke out in the country’s west.

Security forces loyal to incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo, who refuses to cede power more than three months after the United Nations says he lost an election, have turned to increasingly criminal behavior in the past week.

Study: Mom’s blood can reveal syndrome

new york

Scientists in Europe report they were able to diagnose Down syndrome prenatally by giving a simple blood test to pregnant women, an approach that might one day help them avoid the more extensive procedure used now to detect the condition.

The preliminary report published online Sunday in the journal Nature Medicine is the latest of several recent studies that suggest scientists can spot Down syndrome through fetal DNA that has been shed into the mother’s bloodstream.

Beijing tightens control over media

beijing

China’s capital further tightened restrictions on reporting by foreign journalists on Sunday, the latest sign of the government’s determination to prevent the formation of a Middle East-style protest movement.

The requirement to obtain government permission before any newsgathering in the city center is the latest sign of official jitters sparked by Internet calls for popular protests each Sunday similar to those that have toppled authoritarian leaders in Egypt and Tunisia and continue to roil North Africa and the Middle East.

Official resigns

tokyo

Japan’s foreign minister suddenly quit for having accepted a political donation from a foreigner — a violation of Japanese law — dealing another blow to the embattled administration of Prime Minister Naoto Kan.

Seiji Maehara, 48, was foreign minister for six months until Sunday, and was viewed as a leading candidate to succeed Kan. The government said today that Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano will temporarily double as foreign minister.

Associated Press