Egypt’s parliament burns
The century-old building housing Egypt’s upper house of parliament, just a few blocks from my old apartment in Cairo, has gone up in flames: KHALED DESOUKI/AFP/Getty Images The BBC has the story: At least 13 people have been hurt in a fire at the upper house of the Egyptian parliament in Cairo, officials say. The ...
The century-old building housing Egypt's upper house of parliament, just a few blocks from my old apartment in Cairo, has gone up in flames:
The century-old building housing Egypt’s upper house of parliament, just a few blocks from my old apartment in Cairo, has gone up in flames:
The BBC has the story:
At least 13 people have been hurt in a fire at the upper house of the Egyptian parliament in Cairo, officials say.
The cause of the blaze is unclear, but officials say it could have been caused by an electrical short-circuit.
Elijah Zarwan relays word that newspaper Al-Badil was banned for its coverage of the blaze. You can download a compressed PDF of the paper here.
Here is a video of the fire:
The Arabist comments:
Several times last night as I went out to see the blaze I heard people make jokes about how they hoped the senators where still in there (especially Safwat al-Sherif, the head of the Council) or how this was revenge for the highly unpopular new traffic law.
Blake Hounshell is a former managing editor of Foreign Policy.
More from Foreign Policy

Chinese Hospitals Are Housing Another Deadly Outbreak
Authorities are covering up the spread of antibiotic-resistant pneumonia.

Henry Kissinger, Colossus on the World Stage
The late statesman was a master of realpolitik—whom some regarded as a war criminal.

The West’s False Choice in Ukraine
The crossroads is not between war and compromise, but between victory and defeat.

The Masterminds
Washington wants to get tough on China, and the leaders of the House China Committee are in the driver’s seat.