BREAKING NEWS

Muslim Brotherhood: Egypt assembly picks Islamist speaker

CAIRO - Egypt's Islamist-led parliament voted to appoint a top politician in the Muslim Brotherhood as the new assembly's speaker, the Brotherhood said on its website, a choice that would have been unthinkable when Hosni Mubarak was in power.
Mohamed Saad el-Katatni, secretary-general of the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, was appointed speaker in a vote during the parliament's first session on Monday, following a raucous debate about whether candidates for the post should be allowed to address the chamber beforehand.
The Brotherhood was officially banned under Mubarak but it was semi-tolerated. Some members of the group, such as Katatni, secured parliamentary seats even under Mubarak by running as "independent" candidates.