Cairo, February 9
Anti-government unrest appeared to be spreading in Egypt as an obdurate President continued to cling to power even after days of a relentless ‘Go Mubarak’ campaign and the protesters attempted to storm Parliament today in their latest bid to oust a hated regime.

Infuriated by the new Vice-President Omar Suleiman’s threat of either “dialogue or coup,” protesters stepped up their stir, demanding an immediate dissolution of the assembly.

In a fresh move to broaden their movement, several hundred protesters attempted to block the entrance to the Parliament building, blocks away from the Tahrir Square, but were stopped by heavily-armed soldiers.

Unable to rush into the premises, the protesters squatted in front of the gates, blocking entry to the building and later announced that they would not allow lawmakers from the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) to go inside.

“Closed until the fall of the regime,” read a sign put up by the demonstrators outside the Parliament building. “We will die here till our demands for departure of Mubarak are met,” a protester said.

Thousands of protesters, who staged their biggest rally yesterday since the demonstrations began on January 25, ignored a government plan to transfer power in an orderly manner and continued their sit-in on the now iconic Tahrir Square, the hub of the mass uprising in the heart of Cairo.

The Muslim Brotherhood said today that they were open to a dialogue with the regime, but insisted that Mubarak has to go first. — PTI

Facing demands for political reforms from the opposition and international donors, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Wednesday dissolved his jumbo Cabinet to refurbish the image of his government that has been rocked by charges of inefficiency and corruption.

Gilani announced the dissolution of the cabinet during an address on state-run PTV after all members of the cabinet submitted their resignations during a meeting chaired by him on Wednesday.

The ruling Pakistan People's Party is also required to downsize the cabinet under the provisions of the 18th constitutional amendment, a landmark reforms package passed by Parliament last year. The 18th Amendment provided for only 11 per cent of the total membership of Parliament as the maximum size of the Cabinet.

Besides, the government is facing pressure from the main opposition PML-N to reduce the size of the Cabinet and cut spending.

Major Western powers and international donors like the US and the International Monetary Fund have called on Pakistan to reduce spending and implement wholesale economic reforms, including the introduction of a reformed tax regime.

Donors have also expressed concern about alleged corruption and misuse of funds.

Officials said the federal ministers submitted their resignations to enable Gilani to announce a new Cabinet in line with decisions taken recently by the PPP's central executive committee.

During his address, Gilani paid tribute to the members of his Cabinet and thanked them for their support. The Prime Minister did not say when a new Cabinet would be formed.

Analysts believe the PPP will face difficulties in striking deals with its coalition partners to accommodate members in a smaller Cabinet mandated by the 18th constitutional amendment.

The outgoing Cabinet had 52 members and Gilani is expected to form a new team with over 20 ministers.

During a meeting of the PPP's central executive committee on February 4, party chief and President Asif Ali Zardari had authorised Gilani to dissolve the Cabinet at a time of his choosing.

Vatican City, February 9
Catholics cannot confess via iPhone and technology is not a substitute for being present when admitting sins to a priest, the Vatican spokesman said on today. The statement by Father Federico Lombardi follows the launch of an iPhone application aimed at helping Catholics through confession sanctioned by the Catholic Church in the United States.

“One cannot speak in any way of confessing via iPhone,” Lombardi said on Wednesday, adding that confession required the presence of the penitent and the priest. “This cannot be substituted by any IT application,” Lombardi added.

Confession: A Roman Catholic app, thought to be the first to be approved by a church authority, walks Catholics through the sacrament and contains what the company behind the program describes as a “personalized examination of conscience for each user.”

The application is not designed to replace going to confession but to help Catholics through the act, which generally involves admitting sins to a priest in a confessional booth. — Reuters

BRIEFLY

TVU students asked for options
Washington: US immigration authorities on Wednesday asked the 1,555 students of California-based Tri Valley University (TVU), which has been shut down on charges of visa fraud affecting hundreds of Indians, to contact them directly to find out the options they have to pursue their studies in this country. ICE has posted an advisory on the SEVP link on ICE's website to direct students how to contact an SEVP representative to obtain information about their options. — PTI

Facebook founder being stalked
Boston: Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has obtained a restraining order against an Indian-origin man, who was allegedly stalking the billionaire CEO and his family and asking for financial assistance for his ailing mother. In the restraining order, a judge has ordered Pradeep Manukonda, 31, to remain at least 300 feet away from Zuckerberg, his sister Randi Zuckerberg and girlfriend Priscilla Chan. — PTI

Car bombs kill seven in Iraq
Baghdad: A suicide bomber struck a Kurdish security headquarters in the first of rapid-fire attacks on Wednesday through the oil-rich Iraqi city of Kirkuk that killed seven and wounded up to 80 persons in the heart of a region of long-simmering ethnic tensions. Two cops were among the dead, while five police and eight officials with the Kurdish intelligence forces known as the Asayish were wounded. — AP