The newly appointed government announced on Monday a 15 percent increase in salaries and pensions in a bid to defuse popular anger against the regime of President Hosni Mubarak.
The cabinet decision follows earlier announcements to investigate election fraud and official corruption.
State TV also announced that the family of a detained Google Inc. marketing manager who helped organize protests, “has been notified that he will be freed this evening”. Wael Ghniem was a prominent organizer and was arrested by security forces on January 28.
According to the AP, Egypt's Finance Minister Samir Radwan conveyed some 6.5 billion Egyptian pounds ($960 million) will be allocated to cover the increases, which will take effect in April for the six million people on public pay rolls.
Meanwhile, Lebanon's Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah expressed on Monday his support for the unrest in Egypt. "We are completely with the revolution, the revolution of the poor, the liberals and students who refuse the humiliation and the surrender to America."
The Shiite leader added: "We see a real popular revolution in Egypt in which Muslims, Christians, and Islamic movements join hands."
