This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/middle_east/7021790.stm

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Egypt editor tried over 'rumours' Egyptian editor's trial adjourned
(about 2 hours later)
An Egyptian newspaper editor is going on trial for undermining state security by reporting false rumours about President Hosni Mubarak's health. A court in Egypt has adjourned the trial of a newspaper editor accused of undermining state security by reporting rumours about the president's health.
Al-Dustour editor Ibrahim Issa, a scathing critic of Mr Mubarak, faces up to three years in jail if convicted. The trial of al-Dustour editor Ibrahim Issa was postponed until 26 October after his lawyer, Hafaz Abu Sada, asked for more time to prepare the defence.
The trial, along with prison sentences passed this month against 11 other journalists, has provoked the anger of the independent and opposition press. Mr Sada has told the BBC that the case is an attack on freedom of expression.
The Egyptian media accuses the authorities of trying to muzzle it. The trial, along with prison sentences recently given to 11 other journalists, has greatly angered the Egyptian press.
Mr Issa has long been a thorn in the side of the Egyptian authorities - his newspaper is an implacable opponent of the government of Mr Mubarak. On Friday, the editors of 15 opposition and private newspapers in Egypt agreed not to publish on 7 October in protest at what they see as government harassment.
The prosecution has denied news last week that Mr Issa was going to be tried before an emergency court with no right of appeal, but his lawyers insist that was the original plan.
They say the public outcry in Egypt and abroad caused the government to back down.
Press protestPress protest
On Friday, the editors of 15 opposition and private newspapers in Egypt agreed not to publish on 7 October in protest at what they see as government harassment of the printed press. Mr Issa was charged last month with disturbing the peace and harming the economy after his newspaper published several stories saying President Hosni Mubarak was dead or seriously ill. One alleged that Mr Mubarak sometimes lapsed into comas
Journalists losing tug of war Cost of saying Mubarak is ill Opponents of the government, ranging from bloggers to members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood movement, have been arrested in recent months. I think this is to keep Ibrahim Issa silent Hafez Abu SadaLawyer for Mr Issa Journalists losing tug of war Cost of saying Mubarak is ill
Public anxiety over rising food prices and water shortages this summer has also put the Egyptian authorities on edge. State prosecutors said the false rumours about the 79-year-old's health prompted investors to take $350m (£172m) out of the Egyptian economy in less than a week.
Mr Mubarak has ruled Egypt for more than 25 years but has no designated successor, although many believe his son Gamal is being groomed for the role.
Mr Issa, who has long been an implacable opponent of Mr Mubarak and his government, faces up to three years in jail if found guilty.
His lawyer said the trial was an attempt by the authorities to keep him silent.
"This is against the level of freedom of expression in Egypt now, because Ibrahim Issa now is mainly criticising the government, President Mubarak himself, the family of the president, and they consider this... crossing the red line," Mr Abu Sada told the BBC's World Today.
Authorities on edge
Last week, the prosecution denied reports that Mr Issa was going to be tried before an emergency court with no right of appeal.
Mr Issa is well known for his criticism of President Mubarak
His lawyers have insisted that was the original plan and claim the public outcry in Egypt and abroad caused the government to back down.
The US government recently denounced the moves against the independent press and the closure of a human rights organisation.
The Egyptian authorities have also been placed on edge this summer by public anxiety over rising food prices and water shortages.
Thousands of workers recently took control of one of Egypt's biggest state-owned textile factories in a continuing protest over pay and work conditions.Thousands of workers recently took control of one of Egypt's biggest state-owned textile factories in a continuing protest over pay and work conditions.
Mr Issa's newspaper had published several front page stories saying the president was dead or seriously ill. One alleged that Mr Mubarak had lapsed into comas. Opponents of the government, ranging from bloggers to members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood movement, have also been arrested in recent months.
State prosecutors said investors quickly took $350m (£172m) out of Egypt following these stories.
Mr Mubarak has ruled Egypt for more than 25 years but has no designated successor, although many believe his son, Gamal, is being groomed for the role.
The United States has denounced the recent moves against the press but the Egyptian government has rejected what it called interference in its affairs.