Egypt
© ReutersMen stand on top of an armoured Egyptian Army vehicle during a protest in Cairo January 29, 2011.
Tensions between pro-democracy groups in Egypt and the ruling military council have risen sharply after weekend violence in which knife-wielding supporters of the council set on thousands of activists determined to march on the defence ministry.

Analysts and activists say the clashes, which lasted for several hours on Saturday night and injured scores of people, mark a deterioration in a relationship that has come under mounting strain in recent weeks.

Several thousand activists from a spectrum of political groups had organised the march to press the military council to speed up trials of officials accused of killing 850 demonstrators during the revolt that toppled Hosni Mubarak, former president, this year.

Read the complete article at the Financial Times