Egypt shuts down archaeological sites over violence

Egypt's authorities closed Wednesday all sites of historical landmarks, including the Giza Pyramids, the Egyptian Museum near Cairo's Tahrir Square and the Alexandria Museum as of 2 p.m. (1200 GMT) due to ongoing violence in the country. The move is a precautionary measure, Egypt's Antiquities Minister Mohamed Ibrahim said, adding that security measures have been tightened at all historical sites near all monuments. Bloody clashes erupted on Wednesday between supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi and security forces after the forces moved to clear out protest camps at two major squares in Egypt set up by Morsi's loyalists demanding his return to power. Meanwhile, the Egyptian Railway Authority said that the Interior Ministry had ordered stopping traffic movement in Upper and Lower Egypt, according to the state-run Al-Ahram website. The authority said that the decision would go into effect until further notice.