Cairo - Egyptian police shot dead a Sudanese man on Monday south of Rafah near the Egyptian-Israeli border, security sources said.

Cairo - Egypt's ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) began its fifth annual conference on Saturday, promising to tackle chronic education, housing and health issues, as opposition voices accused the government of economic policies "skewed" in favour of the rich.

Acknowledging the difficulties and challenges that face NDP's performance, NDP Secretary-General Safwat el-Sherif lashed out at the party's critics for what he called "baseless" attacks.

Cairo - The ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) begins its fifth annual conference on Saturday morning with a total of 2,700 delegates participating.

On the first day, NDP chairman President Hosny Mubarak is expected to address the 3-day gathering convened under the banner "A New Style of Thinking for the Future of Our Country," focusing on the challenges facing Egypt.

Mubarak's speech is to outline the party's vision and strategy in dealing with the global food and financial crisis.

A day would be devoted to the impact of global financial meltdown on Egypt, Gamal Essam el-Din, an Egyptian journalist specialized in parliamentary affairs told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

Cairo - Egypt imprisoned and said it would deport a German family that tore up its German identification papers upon arrival, fearing the documents would connect them to an "infidel state."

Egypt accused the family of Islamic extremism and imprisoned the family, which consisted of a man, his wife, his two sisters and his mother. They were being prepared for deportation, Egyptian Independent al-Badeel newspaper reported.

According to media reports, the family does not want to return to Germany.

Damascus, Cairo - Officials across the Arab World reacted with shock and outrage Monday at a US military raid that reportedly killed eight people - allegedly including children - in a small Syrian town Sunday.

The United States made no immediate official comment. A helicopter-borne commando raid was reported to have attacked the Syrian town of Abu Kamal, eight kilometres from the Iraqi border.

The US silence was met with increasing outrage from regional leaders, with the strongest statements coming from Syria.

Cairo - Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa on Monday condemned the US raid in Syria on Sunday, describing it as "a violation of Syrian sovereignty."

Mussa told reporters at the League's headquarters that the US action did not help stability in the already volatile region.

He underlined the Arab League's support for Syria's "right to defend its land and people" and called for an investigation in the incident to "hold those responsible into account."