Egypt's tourism faces meltdown

EGYPT'S tourism industry is facing meltdown as foreign governments order visitors to stay in their hotels and tour operators cancel trips to the crisis-hit country.

Fears of nationwide unrest in the wake of a violent crackdown by the military-backed interim government earlier this week have resulted in a string of countries issuing official advice against all but essential travel to the land of the Pyramids.

Tourists already in the country are being told to stay in their hotels and resorts, even in areas untouched by the troubles, adding to a sense of insecurity that has hit the beleaguered sector hard.

Tourism is a vital component of the Egyptian economy, accounting for more than 11 per cent of GDP before the current wave of political instability began with the Arab Spring in 2011.

German travel groups TUI and Thomas Cook announced on Friday that they were cancelling all holidays to Egypt until September 15 in light of the uncertain security situation.

Russia, which has more than 50,000 of its nationals currently on holiday in Egypt and a similar number booked to go there in the coming months, advised travel agents to stop selling packages to the north African state.

Britain, which had previously excluded Egypt's popular Red Sea resorts from its travel advisory, on Friday told its nationals visiting the resort of Hurghada to stay in their hotels, in line with advice received from the Egyptian police.

The warning followed a death in Hurghada on Wednesday.

"Hurghada police advised tourists to remain in hotel grounds," a statement from the Foreign Office said. "We advise you to follow their advice."

"You are strongly advised to avoid all demonstrations and large gatherings.

"If you become aware of any nearby protests, leave the area immediately. Do not attempt to cross road blocks erected by the security forces or protesters."

British travel association ABTA estimates that there are currently around 40,000 Britons in Red Sea resorts such as Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh, which is an eight-hour drive from Cairo.

Tour operator Thomas Cook said it had cancelled excursions from the Red Sea resorts to Cairo, Luxor, Moses' mountain and Saint Catherine's monastery.

But a spokeswoman added: "Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada are fully operational and holidaymakers are continuing to enjoy these popular resorts."

Italy, which has an estimated 19,000 citizens in Egypt, advised them not to venture out on excursions.

The foreign ministry also said the security situation in the northern part of the Sinai peninsula was "very precarious" and advised against any travel there.

"There is a risk of terrorist attacks. There should be particular caution in the region bordering the Gaza Strip, in Cairo and Alexandria," it said.

The warnings issued by Britain and Italy were mirrored in France, Germany and Spain.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius indicated that a possible evacuation of French nationals was being kept under review.

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Work begun on more US homes in July

US developers have broken ground on new homes at a faster pace in July, partly reversing a sharp drop the previous month. The figures suggest that housing construction is maintaining its recovery.

The Commerce Department said on Friday that builders began work last month on houses and apartments at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 896,000. That was up 6 per cent from June, though below a recent peak of just over 1 million in March. Construction began on 26 per cent more apartments, a volatile category, but 2.2 per cent fewer single-family houses.

Applications for permits for future home construction also rose, though mostly because of apartments. Permits rose 2.7 per cent to 943,000, boosted by a 13.5 per cent jump in apartment permits. Permits for single-family homes dipped 2 per cent.

In June, builders had sought the most building permits for single-family homes in five years. Americans are buying more new homes, and builders are increasingly optimistic that demand will keep rising. Both trends should spur more construction. New-home sales jumped in June to their highest level in five years.

And a measure of homebuilder confidence rose for a fourth consecutive month in August to nearly an eight-year high. The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo builder sentiment index, released on Thursday, rose to 59 from 56 in July. That is the highest level since November 2005. A reading above 50 indicates that more builders view sales conditions as good rather than poor.

Home prices and construction began to recover early last year, and the recovery has picked up in recent months. It has offset some of the drag this year from higher taxes and federal spending cuts.

Slow but steady hiring and historically low mortgage rates have encouraged more people to buy homes. Increased demand, along with a tight supply of homes for sale, has pushed home prices higher. It's also made builders more optimistic about the market for newly built homes, leading to more construction and jobs.

Though new homes represent only a fraction of the housing market, they have an outsize impact on the economy. Each home built creates an average of three jobs for a year and generates about $US90,000 in tax revenue, according to NAHB statistics.

Despite the lift from housing, the economy has been sluggish this year. It expanded at just a 1.7 per cent annual rate in the April-June quarter after a 1.1 per cent annual rate in the first three months of the year.

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Woman dies in northern NSW house fire

AN elderly woman has died in a house fire in northern NSW.

Emergency services were called to the home in Inverell shortly before 1pm (AEST) on Friday to find the place well alight.

Attempts to enter the house by police and an off-duty paramedic were unsuccessful.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze but the house suffered major internal damage.

The body of what is believed to be the 82-year-old female occupant was located inside.

Police said the fire was not believed to be suspicious and they will prepare a report for the coroner.

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Earthquake shakes Mexican capital

AN earthquake has shaken Mexico's capital with authorities putting it at a moderate magnitude of 5.3.

There have been no reports of damage or injuries from Friday's quake but many office workers evacuated their buildings after it set off alarms citywide.

Mexico's national seismology service says the quake was centred in the southern state of Guerrero.

Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera says in a message from his Twitter account there are no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

Mexico City is vulnerable to distant earthquakes because much of it sits atop the muddy sediments of drained lake beds. They jiggle like jelly when quake waves hit.

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Five dead in Philippines ferry sinking

A FERRY with nearly 700 people aboard has sunk near the central Philippine port of Cebu after colliding with a cargo vessel, killing at least five people.

Hundreds of others have been rescued following Friday night's collision.

The captain of the ferry MV Thomas Aquinas ordered the ship abandoned after it began listing then sank after hitting the cargo vessel, coast guard officer Joy Villegas said.

She said at least five people were confirmed dead, more than 250 rescued and authorities were still checking the number of others who had been taken to hospitals.

Two coast guard vessels and other nearby ships were involved in the rescue operation not far from the port of Cebu, Villegas said.

Passenger Jerwin Agudong told radio station DZBB that some people were trapped and he saw bodies in the water.

"It seems some were not able to get out. I pity the children. We saw dead bodies on the side, and some being rescued," he said.

He said the ferry was entering the pier when the cargo vessel, which was on the way out, suddenly collided with it. He said he and other passengers jumped in front of the cargo vessel.

"One of the persons who jumped with us hit his head on metal. He is shaking and he is bloodied," Agudong said.

He said the crew of the ferry distributed lifejackets while the ship was slowly sinking.

He said the ferry came from Nasipit in Agusan del Sur province in the southern Philippines on a daylong journey.

Accidents at sea are common in the Philippine archipelago because of frequent storms, badly maintained boats and weak enforcement of safety regulations.

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Egypt declares state of emergency

EGYPT has declared a month-long state of emergency as violence rages across the country following a crackdown on supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi.

The nationwide state of emergency started on Wednesday at 4pm, the presidency said in a statement read out on state television.

The exceptional measures came as "the security and order of the nation face danger due to deliberate sabotage, and attacks on public and private buildings and the loss of life by extremist groups," the presidency said.

Interim president Adly Mansour "has tasked the armed forces, in cooperation with the police, to take all necessary measures to maintain security and order and to protect public and private property and the lives of citizens.

Security forces on Wednesday stormed two huge Cairo protest camps occupied for weeks by supporters of Egypt's ousted president Mohamed Morsi, leaving at least 124 people dead in a crackdown that turned into a bloodbath.

A TV cameraman for Britain's Sky News, Mick Deane, was shot dead while covering the clashes, the network said.

And the teenage daughter of a senior Muslim Brotherhood leader was also reported among those killed.

Seventeen-year-old Asmaa al-Beltagui, daughter of wanted Brotherhood leader Mohammed al-Beltagui, was killed in clashes at the Rabaa al-Adawiya protest camp, Brotherhood spokesman Gehad al-Haddad said.

A spokeswoman for the main pro-Morsi coalition, the Anti-Coup Alliance, told AFP the girl had been shot twice, once in the chest and once in the back.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday condemned a police crackdown on protesters in Egypt that he said had left hundreds dead and injured.

"In the aftermath of today's violence, the secretary-general urges all Egyptians to concentrate their efforts on promoting genuinely inclusive reconciliation," his spokesman Martin Nesirky said.

An AFP correspondent counted at least 124 bodies in makeshift morgues.

The Muslim Brotherhood, from which Morsi emerged, said 2200 people had been killed and over 10,000 injured.

Egypt's Health Ministry said 95 people had been killed and more than 840 wounded in clashes across the country.

Egypt's government declared a daily curfew in Cairo and 11 other provinces in a bid to contain the violence.

The curfew was to begin at 7pm on Wednesday, before sunset, and run until 6am, a government spokesman said in a statement read out on state television.

It applies to the provinces of Cairo, Giza, Alexandria, Beni Sueif, Menya, Assiut, Sohag, Beheira, North Sinai, South Sinai and Suez.

The government later added that Ismailiya would also be under curfew.

The measure in all 12 provinces will last one month, the government said.

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UK Sky News cameraman killed in Egypt

A TV cameraman for Britain's Sky News has been shot and killed while covering the deadly violence in Cairo, the channel says.

Mick Deane, a 61-year-old father of two children, had worked for Sky for 15 years and was a veteran cameraman who had been based in Washington DC and Jerusalem.

He was part of a Sky News team reporting on the crisis in Cairo with the channel's Middle East correspondent Sam Kiley when he was shot and wounded on Wednesday.

Deane received medical treatment for his injuries, but died shortly afterwards.

None of the other members of the team were injured, Sky said.

The channel's foreign editor Tim Marshall said: "He was a friend. Our hearts go out to his family.

"He died doing what he'd been doing so brilliantly for decades."

British Prime Minister David Cameron said he was "saddened" by the news.

John Ryley, head of Sky News, said: "Everyone at Sky News is shocked and saddened by Mick's death.

"He was a talented and experienced journalist who had worked with Sky News for many years.

Security forces stormed two huge Cairo protest camps occupied for weeks by supporters of Egypt's ousted president Mohamed Morsi, leaving at least 124 people dead in a crackdown that turned into a bloodbath.

The Sky News cameraman was the second journalist to be killed in Egypt on Wednesday.

Habiba Ahmad Abdel Aziz, a 26-year-old reporter for the Xpress supplement of the Dubai-based Gulf News, died as troops clashed with pro-Morsi protesters.

She was visiting Egypt, her home country, on holiday and was not working at the time.

Reporters Without Borders told AFP that four other journalists, all Egyptians, were injured in Wednesday's clashes.

Three were photographers and cameramen while one was a reporter.

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