This is certainly a positive development.

CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt on Saturday released on bail Ayman Nour, an opposition leader detained since the end of January and whose jailing aroused Washington’s concern.

Scores of people, waving orange Ghad (Tomorrow) party flags, cheered Nour as he left a Cairo detention center after supporters paid his bail of 10,000 Egyptian pounds ($1,724).

Nour, leader of the opposition Ghad party, was held for about six weeks during investigations into allegations that his party forged documents when it applied for recognition last year. The party says the allegations are fabrications.

“He came out much stronger than he went in ???????? himself, the party and most of all the spirit of freedom in Egypt,” party member Mazen Mostafa told Reuters.

Nour, wearing white prison overalls, addressed a crowd at a cultural center he set up, thanking them for supporting him in detention, as riot police waited nearby in case of trouble.

Public prosecutor Maher Abdel-Wahed had earlier ordered Nour and five others to be freed on payment of bail of 10,000 pounds each, but said the investigation was continuing.

The United States has said it has “very strong concerns” about the Nour case.

There are plenty of news articles about this, but what I found really cool was that Big Pharaoh practically liveblogged the event. It has a lot of commentary. Check out the post-event commentary as well. Also, as far as he is concerned, Nour passes the test.

Lastly, Mubarak has just announced that he is submitting changes to the political laws governing elections and parties.

CAIRO (Reuters) – President Hosni Mubarak on Sunday proposed changes to some of Egypt’s laws, including one governing political parties, two weeks after announcing changes to allow multi-candidate presidential elections.

Mubarak said other laws slated for amendment include those on political rights and on the two parliamentary chambers.

“I will submit to parliament drafts of these laws for review and approval during this parliamentary session and before the coming legislative elections,” Mubarak said in a televised speech delivered in the northern port city of Alexandria.

He gave no details of the proposals.

And just as he gave no details, I can’t determine if these changes are significant or not until they are. Conventional wisdom tells me to be skeptical, though.