Egyptian police captured senior Muslim Brotherhood official Mohamed El-Beltagi yesterday, security sources said, as they pressed on with a crackdown that has put most of the Islamist group’s top leaders behind bars.

French President Francois Hollande said a military strike on Syria could come by Wednesday and that Britain’s surprise rejection of armed intervention would not affect his government’s stand.

German FM Guido Westerwelle has been quoted as saying that his country was “neither asked to, nor is considering” taking part in a possible attack on Syria. “We are in favor of the UN Security Council finding