Egyptian Journalist Gets 6 Months Over Articles

CAIRO, Egypt — A journalist who reported on the president's alleged health problems was sentenced to six months in prison, which rights groups criticized yesterday as harassment of press by the government.

Ibrahim Eissa, 42, is the editor of the Al-Dustour newspaper and an outspoken critics of President Mubarak and his government.

Judge Sherif Mustafa said Wednesday that the articles, published over a series of days in August, caused investors to withdraw their money from the country, the stock market to collapse, and the economy to decline.