Looters broke into Cairo's famed Egyptian Museum, ripping the heads off two mummies and damaging about 10 small artifacts before being caught and detained by army soldiers, Egypt's antiquities chief said yesterday.

Zahi Hawass said the vandals did not manage to steal any of the museum's antiquities, and that the prized collection was now safe and under military guard.

The museum, which is home to the gold mask of King Tutankhamun that draws millions of tourists a year, also houses thousands of artifacts spanning the full sweep of Egypt's rich pharaonic history.

The greatest threat to the collection inside is posed by the torched ruling party headquarters building next door.
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"What scares me is that if this building is destroyed, it will fall over the museum," Hawass said as he watched fire trucks spray water on the still smoldering NDP headquarters.

Thousands escape jails
Thousands of inmates escaped prisons across Egypt on Sunday, including at least one jail that housed militants northwest of Cairo, adding to the chaos engulfing the country as anti-government protests continue to demand the ouster of longtime authoritarian President Hosni Mubarak. Security officials said the prisoners escaped overnight from four jails after starting fires and clashing with guards. The inmates were helped by gangs of armed men who attacked the prisons, firing at guards in gun battles that lasted hours.The security officials said several inmates were killed and wounded during the escapes early yesterday, but gave no specific figures.

Indians to be airlifted

The Indian Embassy in Cairo has made arrangements to airlift Indian nationals in Egypt wanting to return home in the wake of violent agitation against the Hosni Mubarak regime. The arrangements are being coordinated by Indian Ambassador R Swaminathan. The embassy officials are in touch with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi, which is closely monitoring the situation. The officials said most of the Indians are PIOs who have settled in Egypt and the Government will make arrangements if they wish to return to the country.
The MEA had yesterday issued a travel advisory asking Indians to avoid non-essential travel to that country. There are about 3,600 People of Indian Origin in Egypt, of which some 2,200 are in Cairo. "In view of the prevailing situation in Egypt, Indian nationals are advised to avoid non-essential travel to Egypt for the present...," the advisory had said.

Is Mubarak in resort town?

Workers in the resort of Sharm-el-Sheikh are convinced President Hosni Mubarak is holed up in his winter residence after fleeing rioters in Cairo. The president is a frequent visitor to the resort and has hosted a number of world leaders there at his home, which is located inside the sprawling complex of a golf hotel.
Last night, the long entrance driveway to the residence was guarded by a small number of armed police who turned away all approaching vehicles. At the nearby main public entrance to the Maritim Jolie Ville Golf Hotel, guards refused to answer questions about the whether Mubarak was at home. A tourist shuttle bus driver claimed to have seen Mubarak's entourage arrive on Wednesday, and that his official plane was at Sharm-el-Sheikh airport but nobody at the airport would confirm if this was true.

Al Jazeera's bureau shut down

Egyptian authorities have said they are shutting down Al Jazeera's Cairo bureau, the network said in a statement yesterday."Al Jazeera sees this as an act designed to stifle and repress the freedom of reporting by the network and its journalists," the network said. "In this time of deep turmoil and unrest in Egyptian society it is imperative that voices from all sides be heard; the closing of our bureau by the Egyptian government is aimed at censoring and silencing the voices of the Egyptian people." The network's Arabic-language channel was off the air in Egypt Sunday afternoon, but Al Jazeera English was still on the air.