AP Live Blog

A Cairo court has convicted and sentenced former President Hosni Mubarak's ex-housing minister to eight years in prison for corruption.

Egypt's MENA state news agency says Mohammed Ibrahim Suleiman was found guilty of squandering public funds, profiteering and illegally seizing a large swathe of land.

MENA says the court on Thursday also sentenced businessman Magdi Rasekh in absentia to three years in prison in the same case. Rasekh is the father-in-law of Alaa Mubarak, the former dictator's eldest son. Suleiman and Rasekh were fined nearly 2 billion Egyptian pounds ($330 million) combined.

Suleiman's case is one of many involving ex-Mubarak Cabinet ministers and close associates who have been charged since last year's popular uprising that forced Mubarak from power.

[AP]

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is in Afghanistan to meet with troops, commanders and Afghan government officials just days after a US soldier allegedly went on a deadly shooting spree.

The visit was planned months ago, long before the weekend slaughter that claimed the lives of 16 villagers, including women and children.

But the trip propels Panetta into the center of escalating anti-American anger and sets the stage for some difficult discussions with Afghan leaders.

Panetta and other US officials say the shooting spree should not derail the US and NATO strategy of a gradual withdrawal of troops by the end of 2014.

But it has further soured relations with war-weary Afghans, jeopardizing the US strategy of working closely with Afghan forces so they can take over their country's security. [AP]

The European Union is preparing new sanctions against Syria amid continuing attacks by government forces on the opposition stronghold of Homs, a senior EU official has told AP.

A senior EU official said foreign ministers meeting in Brussels next week will add seven Syrian government ministers to those already sanctioned. Sanctions include asset freezes and visa bans for officials, commanders of the security forces and others considered responsible for human rights abuses.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of EU rules, said additional restrictions may be imposed on Syria's central bank, on imports of precious metals from the country, and on cargo flights. 

The EU had already sanctioned more than 70 Syrians and 19 organizations, and has banned the import of Syrian crude oil. [Associated Press]

Egypt said Sunday it was withdrawing its ambassador to Syria, the latest Arab country to scale back its relations with the embattled regime in Damascus, the country's foreign ministry says.

Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Amr Roshdy, told reporters Sunday that the decision to recall the ambassador sends "a message of Egypt's dissatisfaction with the situation in Syria."

He added that Egypt will keep staff at its embassy in Damascus and said the move to downgrade its presence in Syria was in "the interest of the Syrian people".

He said the view of the Egyptian public was taken into account when making the decision.