埃及法院星期三下令释放前总统穆巴拉克

Judicial and security forces say an Egyptian court Wednesday ordered former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak be released from prison, where he has been held for more than two years after a popular uprising drove him from power.
 
Mr. Mubarak's lawyer, Fareed el-Deeb, tells Reuters the former ruler could be freed as early as Thursday. The 85-year-old Mubarak is being retried on charges he failed to stop the killing of protesters during the popular revolt that swept him from office.  But the court ruled there are no longer any legal grounds for his continued detention.
 
Earlier this week ((Monday)), an Egyptian court cleared Mr. Mubarak of charges that he and his sons stole public money for presidential palaces.
 
Also Wednesday, Egyptian authorities arrested a Muslim Brotherhood spokesman and a fiery preacher with ties to the group, as Egypt's interim government continues to pressure the party of ousted president Mohamed Morsi.
 
Mourad Ali, a spokesman for the Brotherhood's political arm was taken into custody Wednesday at the Cairo airport, while cleric Safwat Hegazy was arrested near the Libyan border.  Officials said both were trying to flee the country.
 
The arrests come a day after authorities detained Brotherhood spiritual leader Mohamed Badie. A court ordered him held for 15 days while prosecutors investigate allegations that he incited the torture and killing of protesters in June.
 
Also Wednesday, the United Nations political affairs chief is in Cairo for talks aimed at ending Egypt's political crisis.  Under-Secretary-General Jeffrey Feltman is on a three-day mission described by a spokesman as a "push to restore peace and forge reconciliation."