Egyptian police detains former information minister, state broadcasting chief

Egyptian police detained former information minister Anas al-Fikki and former state broadcasting chief Osama al-Sheikh on Thursday as part of a probe into alleged graft under ousted president Hosni Mubarak. Both men were arrested from their homes during the morning on warrants from the financial affairs section of the prosecutor's office.

Fikki is the fourth member of Mubarak's former government to be detained, after the former ministers of interior Habib al-Adly, tourism Zoheir Garranah and housing Ahmed al-Maghrabi.

On Wednesday, the judiciary announced that former culture minister Faruk Hosni, who stood unsuccessfully for the leadership of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in 2009, was banned from leaving the country pending further inquiries.