Egypt, Defying West, Jails Hundreds at Rally

From the New York Times:

Egyptian security forces beat and arrested hundreds of demonstrators on Thursday, its leaders holding firm in a drive to silence protests and reassert the power of the state in the face of criticism from the United States and the European Union.

As Egypt prepared for officials from around the world to arrive for the World Economic Forum on Saturday, a judge was also reprimanded for saying publicly that elections here were rigged, and an opposition leader's appeal was denied, condemning him to serve a five-year prison term on charges widely seen as politically motivated.

The government rejected criticism from Washington and the European Union over its crackdown on demonstrators supporting judges' demands for independence, and for criticism of its use of emergency laws to detain political critics.

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--Tom Hayes