Thousands of workers in Egypt have gone on strike, causing chaos in some of the country's largest textile factories. The workers from three factories in the northern Delta region are demanding better pay and bonuses.
Strikes are illegal in Egypt and in the past the police have been ordered to break them up using force.
Officials are unlikely to seek major confrontations with workers as they want to press on with privatisation plans, our Cairo correspondent reports.
Negotiations are continuing to end the strike.
In December, a stoppage at another textile mill, which employs 27,000 workers, ended when a settlement was reached.
The most recent strike began on Sunday at the Kafr al-Dawar textile mill in the Nile Delta.
One-Minute World News 
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