HOSNI MUBARAK LATEST

It seems he is in a coma; his family, including his two sons, are at his bedside. LL

Oh, that's not good, LL. Being cynical, I had had the stray thought that his illness was less than genuine, but it would seem not.

What has become of Zahi Hawass in all this? Or does he not greatly care who is in charge, as long as his mummies, etc., are looked after?

As far as I know, bonny, Zahi is okay. From wikipedia:

On March 3, 2011 he resigned after a list was posted on his personal website of dozens of sites across Egypt that were looted in the 2011 protests. On March 30, 2011 a tweet was posted stating that he was once again the Minister of Antiquities ("I am very happy to be the Minister of Antiquities once again!"). He was reappointed by Prime Minister Essam Sharaf at that time, but resigned on July 17, 2011, after Sharaf informed him he would not be continuing in the position. According to other newspaper reports, he was sacked from his job.

He is, still, a controversial figure. I however admire him greatly as he obviously loves his country's history. LL

Yes, I love watching the documentaries he is in, he brings it alive. I would NOT fancy working for him though, his rages are a wonder to behold.

In one show I saw, his people were trying to raise a pylon from Cleopatra's palace from Alexandria harbour, with all sorts of bigwigs due to arrive for the ceremony when they got it ashore.

Well, they had just got the pylon to the surface - when it fell back in the harbour again. Zahi's rage was rather like watching a nuclear explosion....

Like all good archaeologists, he is also a great showman! I agree, he is wonderful to watch, even when he is chewing the scenery! LL

The latest is that Mubarak's heart has stopped twice and been restarted. However, a Government spokesman says he is not in a coma, he has breathing problems and some complications. Who to believe? LL