Egypt rejects licences for U.S. groups

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt has rejected a request from eight U.S.-based civil society groups for licences to operate in the country after a crackdown on their activities sparked the first diplomatic spat with Washington since the ousting of Hosni Mubarak. In a move that may damage Cairo's relations with Washington, the Insurance and Social Affairs Ministry rejected the applications because it believed the groups' activities violated state sovereignty, Egyptian state news agency MENA reported on Monday. It said requests from the Carter Center for Human Rights, set up by former U.S. ...