The EU should be stronger and more united. Great Britain should belong to the Union.
Die EU sollte stärker und geeinter sein. Großbritannien sollte der Union angehören.
L'UE devrait être plus forte et plus unie. La Grande-Bretagne devrait appartenir à l'Union.
Monday, January 31, 2011
WikiLeaks: Britain Secretly Advised Libya How to Secure Release of Lockerbie Bomber
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Ministers secretly advised Muammar Gaddafi’s Libyan regime how to secure the successful early release of the Lockerbie bomber, documents obtained by The Daily Telegraph have disclosed.
Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi clasps the hand of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the Libyan leader's son, after arriving back in Tripoli. Photograph: The Daily Telegraph
A Foreign Office minister sent Libyan officials detailed legal advice on how to use Abdelbaset al-Megrahi’s cancer diagnosis to ensure he was released from a Scottish prison on compassionate grounds.
The Duke of York is also said to have played a behind-the-scenes role in encouraging the terrorist’s release.
The Libyans closely followed the advice which led to the controversial release of Megrahi – who was convicted of the murder of 270 passengers on Pan Am Flight 103 – within months of the Foreign Office’s secret intervention.
The disclosure seriously undermines British Government claims that is was not complicit in the release of al-Megrahi, and that the decision to free the convicted terrorist was taken by the Scottish Executive alone.
It will also lead to renewed pressure from senior American politicians on David Cameron to release all internal documents detailing Britain’s role in the scandal. Last summer, the Prime Minister pledged to release the relevant information – but the publication has yet to occur sparking fears that a cover-up may have been ordered. >>> Christopher Hope and Robert Winnett | Monday, January 31, 2011
Egypt Crisis: President Hosni Mubarak on the Brink as He Offers Concessions to Demonstrators
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt made a last desperate attempt to cling on to power on Monday night ordering his new vice-president to make concessions to demonstrators.
Omar Suleiman, the long-standing security chief appointed as Mr Mubarak’s deputy on Saturday, went on state television to announce negotiations for constitutional reform.
His move came after the army issued a statement promising it would not fire on demonstrators planning “million-strong marches” in the capital Cairo and Alexandria on Tuesday.
There was no immediate sign that Mr Mubarak was in a mood to concede to the demonstrators’ central demand that he hand over power, despite calls from world leaders, including those of America, Britain and the European Union, for an orderly transition.
He ordered a closure of railway lines and Egypt Air flights to prevent people flocking to join “million-strong marches” planned for Cairo and Alexandria on Tuesday. He also swore in a new cabinet, including a general, Mahmoud Wagdy al-Solaya, to replace the hated interior minister, Habib al-Adly, who was sacked on Friday.
Western diplomats who have talked to officials close to the president earlier said he seemed determined to stay on.
“President Mubarak still regards himself as playing a clear role in the future government of Egypt and he is not persuaded of the need to leave,” commented one diplomat. >>> Colin Freeman, Cairo and Richard Spencer in Cairo and Bruno Waterfield in Brussels | Monday, January 31, 2011
Face to Face: Lauren Booth vs Anjem Choudary
Anjem Blows His Cover on Newsnight
Egypt Crisis: Country Braced for 'March of a Million'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A "march of a million" against the Egyptian regime has been called for Tuesday in Alexandria after one was announced in Cairo and all train services were cancelled, an aide to dissident Mohamed ElBaradei said.
Protest organisers announced earlier that they would stage a mass march from Cairo's Tahrir Square, the epicentre of nationwide protests against President Hosni Mubarak's regime that have been raging for a week, leaving at least 125 people dead.
"We wanted to take part in the march from Tahrir Square tomorrow but given that all the trains have been stopped and there's no other means of transport we have decided to stay and organise a march of a million tomorrow," Abeer Yussef told AFP on Monday by telephone from Alexandria.
Mr Yussef said separate demonstrations would leave different districts of the Mediterranean port at 11:00am (0900 GMT) on Tuesday and congregate on the square in front of the main Masr train station.
Countries around the globe stepped up evacuation of foreign tourists and workers from Egypt on Monday as anti-government protesters applied further pressure to force out beleaguered President Hosni Mubarak.
Britain was advising its nationals to leave flashpoint Egyptian cities, but tour operators stressed there was no need to pull tourists out of popular Red Sea resorts.
"We do want people to take the opportunity if they are able to leave ... but as yet the situation has not reached the stage where we would necessarily be considering chartering planes and getting larger numbers out," Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt told the BBC. >>> | Monday, January 31, 2011
Carla Bruni-Sarkozy Confession: 'I No Longer Feel Left Wing'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: France's first lady, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, has confessed to no "longer feeling left-wing" after three years of marriage to the country's conservative president, Nicolas Sarkozy.
The supermodel-turned-singer's reputation as a "luvvie Lefty" has been cited as a major handicap to Mr Sarkozy's re-election, and her political change of heart is an attempt to boost support for her unpopular husband among his core Right-wing electorate.
Only two years ago Mrs Bruni-Sarkozy had claimed that she was "instinctively left-wing" after at one stage supporting her husband's Socialist rival in the 2007 presidential elections. She had also publicly opposed Mr Sarkozy's plan to conduct DNA tests on immigrants.
In 2008, she told the Libération newspaper: "Nobody has to be joined at the hip in politics or with one's husband". A year earlier she told a British newspaper: "I would never vote on the Right."
But in Monday's interview with Le Parisien newspaper, she said her previous political persuasion was only due to her belonging to a "community of artists." "We were bobo (bourgeois bohemians), we were left-wing but at that time I voted in Italy (her native country)." I have never voted for the Left in France and I can tell you, I'm not about to start now. I don't really feel left-wing anymore," she said. >>> Henry Samuel, Paris | Monday, January 31, 2011
Opposition Leader Back in Tunisia
Rachid Ghannouchi, leader of the previously banned al-Nahda party, returns to native Tunisia after 22 years in exile.
YNET NEWS: Op-ed: Obama offers hesitant response while America’s most important Mideast ally collapses
American President Barack Obama has divorced the Middle East, even if it he did not declare it or present the world with the divorce certificate.
US Administration officials are treating the protests in Egypt as a constitutive event in the Mideast and comparing them to the revolution in Europe in the wake of the Berlin Wall’s collapse. However, Obama, loyal to his worldview that the US should not build or ruin foreign regimes, presented the world with a hesitant response over the weekend: He did not support Mubarak, but also did not go all the way to the other end of the spectrum and called for general elections or the replacement of the Egyptian regime.
Obama could have led a revolution in the Middle East: As the leader of the Free World, he could have facilitated peace agreements, if not by coercion then at least by exerting massive pressure. Yet precisely when he chose to take one step back, America’s most important ally in the Middle East, Egypt, collapsed right before his eyes. >>> Orly Azoulay | Sunday, January 30, 2011
Huckabee: Israelis Should Be Able to Live Anywhere in Jewish State
YNET NEWS: Likely US Republican presidential candidate attends cornerstone-laying ceremony in Jewish neighborhood in east Jerusalem, tells MKs 'I don’t see why bedrooms for their children built by Jews on hilltop in Samaria pose threat to world peace'; calls lack of construction in settlements 'irrational'
Israelis should be able to live "anywhere in Israel they wished to live," Iikely US presidential candidate Mike Huckabee said Monday during a visit to the Mount of Olives for a cornerstone-laying ceremony in a Jewish east Jerusalem neighborhood.
"It is inconceivable in many ways that we would have to even argue and debate whether or not Israelis could live in Israel, not just in parts of Israel but anywhere in Israel they wished to live," said Huckabee, who is expected to run against US President Barack Obama in the 2012 elections on behalf of the Republican Party.
"I cannot imagine as an American being told that I could not live in certain places in America because I was Christian, or because I was white, or because I spoke English. I would be outraged if someone told me that in my country, I would be prohibited and forbidden to live in a part of that country, for any reason," the former governor of Arkansas added. >>> Yair Altman | Monday, January31, 2011
All By Himself
YNET NEWS: Hosni Mubarak never thought this moment would arrive. But tough general, who has ruled Egypt with iron fist for 30 years, found himself in a dark corner, in a battle for his own survival. At 82 he's all alone: Hated by masses that idolized him, abandoned by world's leaders
President Hosni Mubarak's popularity reached its peak 18 months ago when his 12-year-old grandson Muhammad died suddenly of a blood hemorrhage. Millions throughout Egypt, especially among the lower sectors of Egyptian society sympathized with the pain of the 'Rais'.
They took to the streets, begging to be interviewed by any media outlet that would give them the opportunity to offer their condolences.
"We are one family and Mubarak is everyone's father," the Egyptians said between heartfelt sobs. "The Rais' tragedy is our tragedy." And yet, for over a week now, those same sobbing masses are thronging the city streets and squares, screaming "Go home Husseini," while tearing up his portraits in anger.
Meanwhile, the target of the protestors' anger is sitting in front of his television watching each and every one of his rebellious citizens. What is going through his head as he's holed up in the family villa in Cairo's Helipolis suburb or at the nearby Unity Palace?
Wherever he is, he will be surrounded by a close ring of security guards from the elite of Egypt's security forces, tense silence around him. The presidential guard is charged with watching over the top of Egypt's governmental pyramid, they won't be out in the streets trying to instill calm – they are responsible for the president alone.
Mubarak is never alone at his private villa in Helipolis – a modest residence when compared with the extravagant palaces enjoyed by other Arab rulers. His wife Suzanne, his firstborn son Alaa with his wife Heidi and young grandson Omar, his younger son Gamal with his wife Khadiga and baby Sara, are all there with him.
But that isn't where it ends; a battery of his senior advisors and aides has remained with him since last Tuesday, and has yet to abandon ship. Each advisor with his own advice, each aide with his own recommendations for how to proceed, but those who know Mubarak will swear: Even at the ripe old age of 82, with his ill-health creating worry lines among the international intelligence community – Mubarak makes the crucial decisions on his own. He listens, digests, gets updates, reads the influx of intelligence reports, and makes the final decision – alone. >>> Smadar Peri | Sunday, January 30, 2011
Tony Blair Discusses Egypt Crisis
Who Is Hosni Mubarak?
What Is the Muslim Brotherhood?
Mideast expert Barry Rubin weighs in
Where in the World Is Gamal Mubarak?
Egypt Protests - Live Updates
THE GUARDIAN: • Calls for general strike as street demonstrations continue • Police been ordered back on to the streets • President Mubarak orders reforms in a bid to cling to power >>> | Monday, January 31, 2011
Israël redoute l'essor des Frères musulmans
LE FIGARO: Israël risque de perdre avec Hosni Moubarak son dernier «ami» dans la région au moment où les relations avec l'ancien allié turc traversent une crise aiguë.
Israël croise les doigts pour Hosni Moubarak. Les menaces sur le régime d'un président qui a connu huit premiers ministres israéliens depuis son accession au pouvoir ont provoqué une véritable bouffée d'angoisse. «Un nouveau Moyen-Orient» : ce titre barrait dimanche la une de deux quotidiens populaires, faisant référence non pas à une région sur le point de devenir un havre de paix, mais plutôt à une montée des périls tous azimuts.
Officiellement, Benyamin Nétanyahou, le chef du gouvernement a imposé le silence dans les rangs parmi ses ministres. Il s'est contenté d'affirmer que «la paix avec l'Égypte dure depuis plus de trois décennies. Notre objectif est que cela continue.» Il a prôné «la stabilité et la sécurité dans la région». Une déclaration dont chaque mot a été soigneusement pesé pour éviter de fournir le moindre argument aux opposants du président Moubarak. >>> Par Marc Henry | Lundi 31 Janvier 2011
Immer mehr Staaten empfehlen ihren Bürgern die Ausreise
NZZ ONLINE: Angesichts der unsicheren Lage haben mehrere Staaten ihren in Ägypten weilenden Bürgern empfohlen, das nordafrikanische Land zu verlassen. Auch viele Ägypter versuchten am Sonntag, ihr Land per Flugzeug zu verlassen, darunter viele Reiche und Prominente.
Die US-Botschaft in Kairo kündigte am Sonntagabend an, sie werde vom Montag an Flüge «zu sicheren Orten in Europa» organisieren. Neben den USA gingen Kanada, die Schweiz und die Türkei einen Schritt weiter und legten ihren sich in Ägypten aufhaltenden Staatsbürgern die Ausreise nahe. >>> ddp | Montag, 31. Januar 2011
Egyptian Icon Omar Sharif Says Time Mubarak Went
REUTERS AFRICA: PARIS - Egyptian film legend Omar Sharif on Monday joined the calls for President Hosni Mubarak to step down, saying he had failed to improve the standard of living for ordinary people and that 30 years in power was enough.
The 78-year old from Alexandria is best known for his role as Arab reformer and revolutionary Sherif Ali in the 1962 movie Lawrence of Arabia.
"The president should have resigned," Sharif told France Inter radio from his home in Cairo. "Given that the entire Egyptian people don't want him and he's been in power for 30 years that's enough." >>> Reporting by John Irish; editing by Jon Boyle | Monday, January 31, 2011
Obama Loses the Middle East
SULTAN KNISH: It's no coincidence that major revolutions against Western backed governments have occurred under weak American presidents. The Iranian revolution against the Shah happened on Jimmy Carter's watch. The current violence in Tunisia and Egypt is taking place under Obama. And the timing is quite interesting. Revolts which coincided with a new opposition congress almost suggest that they were scheduled for a time when Obama would be at his politically weakest.
Additionally the 2010 defeats would have indicated to the Iranian regime that they might only have a 2 year window in which to act before Obama is replaced by an unknown, but probably more conservative politician. A "Now or Never" moment. The Iranian Revolution might never have happened under Reagan. But Carter's weakness, left wing politics and contempt for the very notion of defending American interests made it possible. Similarly despite attempts by some Bush advisers to take credit for Tunisia and Egypt, it is unlikely that they would have taken place on Bush's watch. Not because the Bush administration was so omnipotent, but because it had regional credibility. The general perception was that the Bush Administration was on alert and supportive of allies. That is not at all the regional perception of the Obama Administration which doesn't seem to know what an ally is.
Obama's mistreatment of the UK, Israel and Honduras, the alienation of Karzai and continuing humiliation at the hands of China and Russia through diplomatic insults, showed weakness and stupidity. The Iranian takeover of the region is premised on that incompetence. Lebanon was a test. The next step was Tunisia. Then Egypt.
Iran has three major obstacles to regional dominance. Egypt, Israel and Saudi Arabia. Of these three, Egypt with its radicalized population, great poverty and limited influence in Washington D.C. was the most vulnerable. Any overthrow of Mubarak will move the Muslim Brotherhood closer to taking power. But for Iran the priority is to take Egypt out of the game. Whatever happens in Egypt, it will weaken the country. And what weakens Egypt, only strengthens Iran. Read on and comment >>> Daniel Greenfield | Sunday, January 30, 2011
THE NEW YORK TIMES –OP-ED CONTRIBUTION: Date With a Revolution >>> Mansoura Ez-Eldin | Sunday, January 30, 2011
Gamal Mubarak. Photograph: Google Images
Mubarak Family’s ‘Dash to London’
THE SUN: THE panic-stricken family of President Mubarak has reportedly fled Egypt for the luxurious refuge of their £8.5million London townhouse.
The leader's son Gamal, 47, is said to have spearheaded the move, flying to Britain on a private jet with his own family and NINETY-SEVEN pieces of luggage.
He owns the six-floor Georgian mansion a stone's throw from Harrods in Knightsbridge, West London.
But according to rumours sweeping Britain's Egyptian community, the President, 82, and wife Suzanne, 69, are also planning to head to the ritzy five-bed haven. >>> Rhodri Phillips | Monday, January 31, 2011
YAHOO! NEWS: NEW YORK – Egypt President Hosni Mubarak's family dynasty—from his wife Suzanne, who pals around with Carla Bruni, to his son who disappeared—has no shortage of drama, Karen Leigh reports. Plus, view photos.
The dictator’s wife is not who you’d expect.
Suzanne Mubarak —who reportedly fled to London from Cairo this week as husband Hosni, the country’s embattled president, struggled to keep his government from toppling in the midst of violent protests—is a half-Welsh heiress who loves fur, hangs with French First Lady Carla Bruni and sits on the board of the Arabian version of Sesame Street.
For decades she has been the silent, tweed-wearing force behind a Mubarak dynasty that began with Hosni’s 1981 swearing in and looked likely to continue with high-flying ex-banker son Gamal, until public backlash came to a fiery head last week.
"The majority of Egyptians over the last 15 years have grown very familiar with the family—they’re highly visible. Mubarak tried to present them as a dignified family in eyes of Egyptians—that they are to be loved and respected,” said Adel Iskandar, professor of Arab media at Georgetown University.
It’s a bit Beaver Cleaver—“that he's the father of the nation, the wife a maternal figure who embraces women and children—all of this an attempt to present her as someone very warm and nurturing."
But in December, a WikiLeaks cable from the U.S. Embassy in Cairo attested to an almost Manchurian hold on her son—“her power and influence, many argue, are keys to Gamal's viability,” it said. “Sources tell us that she has kept Mubarak pere from naming a Vice President.” (Mubarak appointed a vice president on Saturday.)
Gamal became a known entity once he was appointed to the National Democratic Party.
According to Iskandar, “he suddenly became a major figure without the credentials.”
Over the last half-decade, the public has grown increasingly weary of how Mubarak’s younger son has been presented—front-page newspaper coverage, sponsorship of youth empowerment initiatives—almost overnight and without media criticism.
“It became very clear in the last five years that he was being groomed to be a major figure politically in his own right—not just the son of the president. In that capacity he was very distant from [everyday] Egyptians,” he said. “And he became very ceremonial, traveling to D.C. to meet with state leaders. The Egyptian public was like, ‘who is this guy? This all happened behind our backs.’”
(Egyptians are adamantly opposed to hereditary rule, and have been since the 1952 coup that overthrew King Farouk.) “Gamal's image was suddenly being looked at under a microscope,” Iskandar said. “He looked like an impending reality." >>> Karen Leigh | Saturday, January 29, 2011
The mother-in-law of President Mubarak of Egypt grew up in Pontypridd. Lily May Palmer, daughter of colliery manager Charles Henry Palmer, married Saleh Sabet [also Thabet] and had a daughter Suzanne, who was born in the province of Menya (Upper Egypt) and later married Mubarak. [Source: BBC]
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Mubarak And His Half-Welsh Wife Are Worth £25 Billion
Photograph: India TV
INDIA TV: Dubbed ‘the Pharaoh’ for his 30-year iron rule, President Hosni Mubarak is said to have amassed a fortune of £25 billion for his family, reports Daily Mail, London.
Mubarak, 82, his half-Welsh wife Suzanne and sons Gamal and Alaa are seen in Egypt as symbols of nepotism and corruption with properties and business interests worldwide, including London.
The First Lady keeps a firm grip on Egypt’s leading social circles and is often pictured at diplomatic and charity events in stylish outfits alongside dignitaries’ wives including Carla Bruni.
Her charity donations total millions of pounds a year, though rumours have swirled that some of this money has found its way into her bank accounts.
As her profile in the state-controlled media has soared, critics have likened her to French Queen Marie-Antoinette.
Critics say the closest their sons have got to ordinary Egyptians was when they were driven past them in limousines. Both sons have been linked to arms-dealing.
Mubarak has survived at least six assassination attempts and fears have also been growing that he plans to groom the more political Gamal to inherit the throne.
Will first family flee to London? >>> | Updated: Sunday, January 30, 2011
USA sollen Unterstützung für Mubarak beenden
WELT ONLINE: Die Proteste reißen nicht ab, gleichzeitig versinkt Ägypten im Chaos. Oppositionspolitiker Mohammed al-Baradei verlangt von den USA eine Änderung ihrer Politik. (Die Unruhen im Live-Ticker) [Mit Video] >>> | Sonntag, 30. Januar 2011
Tunisian Islamist Leader Rachid Ghannouchi Returns Home
BBC: The leader of Tunisia's main Islamist movement has returned home after 22 years in exile following the ousting of President Ben Ali earlier this month.
Thousands of people went to the airport to welcome Rachid Ghannouchi, 69, as he arrived in Tunis from London.
He told AFP he would not run in the next presidential poll but his party would contest a parliamentary election.
Observers say his return is the most potent symbol yet of the change that has swept the country since then.
Mr Ghannouchi fled Tunisia after a crackdown President Ben Ali against his banned Ennahda movement.
He returned after the interim government's announced that media curbs would be lifted, banned political parties allowed to register and political prisoners given amnesty.
Alongside his supporters, the Reuters news agency said, was a small group of secularists with banners reading: "No Islamism, no theocracy, no Sharia and no stupidity!"
"I myself will not run for the presidency... We (Ennahda) have no intention of fielding a candidate in the upcoming presidential election," he said. >>> | Sunday, January 30, 2011
British Government Fails the People Again!
THE GUARDIAN: Britons should avoid nonessential travel, says Hague, but government does not offer to evacuate those already there
International alarm about the political and security implications of continuing unrest in Egypt intensified tonight as the United States, Israel and Turkey sent aircraft to evacuate their stranded citizens, and other countries advised their nationals to get out by any means possible.
Britain's foreign secretary, William Hague, said UK nationals should avoid nonessential travel to large cities such as Cairo, Alexandria and Suez. But the government did not offer to help evacuate those already there. They should leave by commercial flights unless they had vital reasons for remaining, Hague said.
The situation in Egypt's Red Sea resorts, where most Britons are staying, remained calm, he added. "We will watch over it very, very carefully, I'm sending extra resources to our embassy there."
The US government announced an immediate airlift for all Americans wishing to leave. "The department of state is making arrangements to provide transportation to safe haven locations in Europe," it said. Airlifts were also announced by Turkey and Israel.
Hague said Britain was concerned that Egypt could fall into the hands of extremists, but would not intervene directly. "What matters is that the process [of political reform] takes place, whatever that means for President Mubarak personally," he told Sky News. "It is important for him to initiate that transformation and broadly based government, and that is what we would like to see. That is far preferable of course to Egypt falling into the hands of extremism or a more authoritarian system of government." US, Israel and Turkey evacuate citizens from Egypt >>> Simon Tisdall | Sunday, January 30, 2011
Egypt Crisis: Mubarak Under Pressure from West as Lawlessness Takes Hold
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: President Hosni Mubarak came under increased pressure from the West yesterday, when Hillary Clinton called for an "orderly transition" to democracy as lawlessness took hold on the streets of Egypt.
As an anti-government revolt raged for a sixth day, with thousands of protesters still on the streets, the US Secretary of State and William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, only just stopped short of demanding that Mr Mubarak end his 28-year rule immediately.
But in a clear sign that their support for his regime is wavering, they made it clear they could envisage a time without the 82-year-old in charge in the not too distant future.
In an attempt by the Egyptian military to demonstrate its muscle power, two F-16 fighter jets swooped low over central Cairo in the afternoon, making multiple passes of a crowd of 10,000 people or more thronged in Tahrir Square. Mr Mubarak was pictured on state television in a meeting with his vice-president and defence minister at the military operations headquarters.
Before dawn, gangs of armed men attacked at least four jails across Egypt, helping to free hundreds of Muslim militants and thousands of other inmates. Young men with guns and large sticks smashed cars and robbed people in Cairo. The official death toll from the turmoil stood at 74, with thousands injured.
Two leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, the best-organised opposition to the regime, who were among those freed from jail were given a tumultuous welcome when they arrived at Tahrir Square last night. Esam al-Erian told the cheering crowd: "they tried every way to stop the revolution of the people. >>> | Sunday, January 30, 2011
Thousands Defy Egyptian Curfew
Jets Fly Low Over Cairo’s Demonstrators
Egypt Protests: ElBaradei Tells Mubarak to Leave 'Today'
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Egyptian opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei said he had a popular and political mandate to negotiate the creation of a national unity government.
"I have been authorised - mandated - by the people who organised these demonstrations and many other parties to agree on a national unity government," he told CNN.
"I hope that I should be in touch soon with the army and we need to work together. The army is part of Egypt."
The United States is "losing credibility by the day" in calling for democracy in Egypt while continuing to support President Hosni Mubarak, leading dissident Mohamed ElBaradei said Sunday.
"You are losing credibility by the day. On one hand you're talking about democracy, rule of law and human rights, and on the other hand you're lending still your support to a dictator that continues to oppress his people," ElBaradei told US network CBS from Cairo.
Fighter jets swooped low over Cairo in what appeared to be an attempt by the military to show its control of a city beset by looting, armed robbery and anti-government protests.
Minutes before the start of a 4 p.m. curfew, at least two jets appeared and made multiple passes over downtown, including a central square where thousands of protesters were calling for the departure of President Hosni Mubarak. >>> Telegraph reporter | Sunday, January 30, 2011
ElBaradei: Egypt’s Mubarak Must Leave
Egypt Protests: Is This 'The End' for Mubarak?
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: The graffiti on the smashed-up police riot van in downtown Cairo on Saturday seemed to speak for the hopes of millions. Daubed in two-feet high letters across a battered side panel, it read simply: 'The End'.
Yet as tens of thousands of Egyptians poured into the city centre for a fifth day of protests demanding a finish to President Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule, it seemed the moment they all longed for was still some way off.
While a carnival atmosphere prevailed during the morning in the city's Tahrir Square - the focus of much of last week's protests - events elsewhere suggested the hopes of a peaceful revolution were somewhat premature.
Just a few miles away across the Nile, the crack of police tear gas guns could be heard as demonstrators tried to storm a Ministry of Interior building, with reports of at least one of them killed.
Meanwhile, doctors at a central Cairo hospital told The Sunday Telegraph of the high price paid during demonstrations the night before - some 30 bodies brought in, many of them apparently killed after the Presidential Guard, a special army unit loyal to Mr Mubarak, opened fire using live ammunition.
In other cities across the country, there were similar reports of further violence, suggesting that "The End" might well just be the beginning, and that a great deal more blood might yet be spilt on the way. In all, across the country, there were credible reports of deaths totalling 89 on Friday. >>> Colin Freeman, Cairo | Saturday, January 29, 2011
Egypt Turmoil: What Does It Mean for the Middle East?
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: As the unrest continues in Egypt, leaders across the Middle East are nervously watching their backs.
What happens when an unstoppable force meets an unmovable object? No one can predict for sure but anyone who knows Egypt can't be surprised at what is happening, only why it took them so long.
For decades it has been received wisdom in the Arab world that its regimes are too powerful to be confronted by unarmed people. "You are just fighting a mountain," they say in Arabic. "Don't knock your head against it."
So when Tunisia provided a real, live example of how, when the security forces kill demonstrators the revolution can still intensify, with protesters using new media technology to organise and outwit security forces, it did not just come as a big surprise to Arabs (and provide practical tips about how to bring about change).
It also overturned years of accepted dogma about the relationship between the rulers and the ruled, bringing the Berlin Wall inside people's minds crashing down. Suddenly the Middle East's authoritarian states only look rock solid until the day they turn into jelly and revolution seems possible everywhere.
Tunisia was a powerful ignition switch because events there were spontaneous and unexpected. Algeria, Egypt, Jordan and Libya all seemed more likely candidates to go first.
Now the tumult has engulfed Egypt, the most populous Arab state and the cornerstone of much Middle Eastern politics - and the domino effect is in full swing. Jordan, Algeria, Syria, Yemen and Morocco are all candidates to suffer the same fate. Read on and comment >>> Hugh Miles | Saturday, January 29, 2011
Egypt Spy Chief Made Vice-president
Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, has for the first time during his three decades in power appointed a vice-president. The move came after days of violent protests in which tens of thousands have called for Mubarak's resignation. But the appointment has done little to quell the unrest. The man now second-in-command is Omar Suleiman, the country's former spy chief, who has been working closely with Mubarak during most of his reign. The 75-year-old has been mediating in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and won the respect of both Washington and Israel. Al Jazeera's Hoda Hamid portrays the military veteran whose nomination is seen is an attempt by Mubarak to retain international support.
Looters Break into Cairo Museum
Looters have managed to break into the Egyptian museum in Cairo during violent protests and several priceless and ancient artefacts were damaged. Officials say nothing was stolen, but the images of empty cabinets suggest otherwise. Troops have now secured the museum and authorities at sites across the country have taken precautions to secure antiquities. Al Jazeera's Will Jordan reports.
Police appear to have withdrawn from many parts of the Egyptian capital and it is the people who now own the streets. Locals armed with sticks and knives are setting up their own neighbourhood security groups to protect their homes and property. Al Jazeera's Jacky Rowland reports from Nasr City in Cairo.
La chaîne satellitaire Al-Jazira interdite
20 MINUTES ONLINE: L'Egypte se préparait dimanche matin à une nouvelle journée de révolte qui a fait plus de 100 morts en cinq jours, malgré des changements annoncés à la tête du gouvernement.
Le ministre égyptien sortant de l'Information Anas el-Fekki a ordonné l'interdiction de la chaîne satellitaire Al- Jazira, a annoncé dimanche l'agence officielle MENA. La chaîne de télévision a largement couvert les manifestations anti- gouvernementales.
Le ministre «a décidé que le service d'information de l'Etat devait fermer et annuler les activités de la chaîne Al-Jazira dans la République arabe d'Egypte, annuler toutes ses autorisations et retirer toutes les cartes (de presse) de ses employés à compter d'aujourd'hui» dimanche, a rapporté la MENA.
Mais, quelques minutes après l'agence, la chaîne, qui a fait état de la décision égyptienne, continuait de diffuser ses programmes en Egypte. >>> afp | Dimanche 30 Janvier 2011
THE OBSERVER – EDITORIAL: It is in the interest of autocratic Arab nations to note the mood in Egypt and effect change
Days of rage in Egypt signify the end of days for Hosni Mubarak's repressive and bankrupt regime. For 30 years, the president has held his country down through fear, secret police, emergency laws, American cash subsidies and a lamentable absence of vision and imagination. His crude, Gaullist message: without me, chaos. Now the chaos has come anyway. And Mubarak must go.
Five days of rage on the streets of Cairo, Alexandria, Suez and dozens of other cities have transformed the way Egypt sees itself. For years, they said it was impossible. The regime was too powerful, the masses too apathetic, the security apparatus too ubiquitous. Like eastern Europeans trapped in the Soviet Union's cold, pre-1991 embrace, they struggled in the dark, without help, without hope. Movements for change, such as Kefaya (Enough!), were brutally suppressed. Courageous dissidents such as Ayman Nour were harassed, beaten and imprisoned.
Yet all the time, pressure for reform was rising. Every day, higher prices, economic stagnation, poverty and unemployment, political stasis, official corruption and a stifled, censored public space became less and less tolerable. Every day, impatience with the regime's insulting insouciance bred more enemies. Hatred seeped like poison through the veins of the people. Until, at last, in five days of rage, as if as one, they cried: "Enough!" And now, Mubarak must go. >>> Editorial | Sunday, January 30, 2011
Stakelbeck on Terror: The Muslim Brotherhood
„Ägypten muss friedliche Demonstrationen genehmigen!“
Die Stabilität des Landes sei extrem wichtig, aber nicht um den Preis der Meinungsfreiheit, sagte Merkel in Davos.
Weiter heftige Proteste gegen Mubarak
Trotz starker Militärpräsenz auf den Strassen in der Hauptstadt Kairo demonstrieren die Ägypter weiter.
Egypt Protests: Bloodshed on the Streets as Human Price of Hosni Mubarak's Clampdown Emerges
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: The full horror of Egypt's political convulsions has emerged, as relatives gathered at morgues filled with bodies and doctors described their heroic efforts to save the wounded.
As President Hosni Mubarak installed his head of intelligence as the first vice-president of his 30-year rule in a desperate effort to cling to power, it became clear that the death toll from the past two days of violent disturbances was even higher than officials claimed.
A tally of credible figures from around Egypt collated by The Sunday Telegraph showed that at least 89 people had died, compared with the 62 admitted by officials on Saturday. A further 2,500 were said to have been injured.
Among the dead were 10 policemen — some had been attacked by protesters. The civilian dead and injured included many shot with live rounds: doctors and protesters displayed bullets they had picked up from the streets after police — and in some cases soldiers — opened fire.
The use of live ammunition against his people, with witnesses claiming that deadly rounds had been fired by units of the elite presidential guard, throws into further doubt continued American support for Mr Mubarak’s regime.
President Barack Obama telephoned his counterpart late on Friday night to urge the 82-year-old leader to take concrete steps toward reform. “Violence will not address the grievances of the Egyptian people, and suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away,” he said after the 30-minute conversation. >>> Colin Freeman, and Richard Spencer Cairo | Saturday, January 29, 2011
What Next for Egypt, the USA and the Middle East?
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: As Washington struggles to come to terms with a rapidly changing Middle East, US President Barack Obama is acutely aware he must get Egypt right, for the wrong side of history eagerly beckons.
Faced with a dilemma that has long troubled Western leaders, including Britain's, Barack Obama's administration has not covered itself in glory vis à vis Egypt.
Hillary Clinton, the Secretary of State, was conspicuously caught between two natural inclinations - encouraging the forces of democracy and preserving an autocratic but deeply loyal friend of the United States and its allies.
Initially, she said that although the US supported "the fundamental rights of expression and assembly", in her view the Egyptian government was "stable".
The next day, as the turmoil deepened in Cairo, she declared that reform "must be on the agenda" of the Egyptian government, which should respond to "active, civil leaders".
Vice President Joe Biden, whose foot is never far from his mouth, rejected the suggestion that Mubarak was a dictator and questioning whether the crowds of Egyptians were indeed making "legitimate claims".
Those were dangerous words. The US provides $1.3 billion military aid annually to Egypt, money which helps fund a repressive apparatus that Washington now more than ever does not want to be closely identified with.
Rather late in proceedings, Mr Obama himself produced a more calibrated response on Friday, edging away from Hosni Mubarak and effectively putting the Egyptian leader on notice. "This moment of volatility has to be turned into a moment of promise," said the US president, who urged that "reforms that meet the aspirations of the Egyptian people". >>> Alex Spillius, Washington | Saturday, January 29, 2011
My comment:
In two years, Mr Obama has shown himself to be a quick learner.
The pace of his learning seems to have slowed considerably, then! He and his administration appear to have been caught on left foot. His reaction, and the reaction of his cronies, is way out there in left field. Neither Obama nor Hillary Clinton are doing themselves any favours by propping up Hosni Mubarak. However good an ally he has been to America, his reign is coming to an end. He's finished. He is an ailing, ageing man who has lost all credibility. Further, he has failed to understand that the people of Egypt do not want him any longer. Which part of the word 'go' doesn't this geriatric understand?
Asking Mubarak to reform is not enough. The man has had thirty-one years to reform; and in that time, he has demonstrated his reluctance to reform anything. Obama, Clinton, Cameron, and Hague are all wrong to back him any longer. The US, in particular, with all the billions they have been supplying this régime with, would have a lot of leverage with Egypt. Obama should be using that leverage to ease Mubarak out of power. Obama should be showing the young of the Arab world that America is committed to democracy, committed to the will of the people. After all, there was supposed to be “a new beginning.” So why not back ElBaradei? He is the right man waiting in the wings. He is perfectly capable and willing to take over from Mubarak. Further, at eighty-two, it is high time that Mubarak spent far more time with his family!
By going against the wishes of the people of Egypt, who, as we all know, have been suppressed and have suffered for far, far too long already, Obama risks a backlash against America in the post-Mubarak age. And that age is fast approaching. Mubarak may from here on in stumble along for a short while, but it is now only a matter of time.
Images of the thousands of Egyptian protesters that defied a curfew in the capital Cairo and other cities taken throughout the day
ElBaradei Urges Mubarak to Step Down
Opposition figure Mohamed Elbaradei interview about the situation in Egypt
Looting Spreads in Egyptian Cities
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Looters seen stealing objects in various cities as residents form vigilante groups in defence.
Residents in the Egyptian capital of Cairo have set up neighbourhood groups armed with guns, clubs and knives as looting spread across the capital, despite the deployment of army troops to restore order.
Witnesses also reported gangs of youths, some on motorbikes, roaming the streets, looting supermarkets, shopping malls and shops on Saturday. Some of the gangs also entered wealthy residential areas of the capital, and gunfire could be heard in the city centre as well as outlying districts.
Residents also said that banks were broken into and hundreds of young men carted away televisions, fans and stereo equipment looted from the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) near the Egyptian Museum, before setting the building alight.
The looting has prompted residents in some neighbourhoods, including the upscale Zamalek district in central Cairo, to set up vigilante groups to protect private property. Outside some apartment blocks, guards armed with machine guns had taken up posts.
In the Maadi neighborhood in south Cairo, neighbourhood mosques called on young men over loudspeakers to come down to the entrances of building and homes to ward off looters. >>> Source: Al Jazeera and agencies | Saturday, January 29, 2011
Egypt Protests Press On
Egyptian military tanks rolled into cities including Cairo, in President Hosni Mubarak's attempt to restore order. But Egyptians are angry, and Mubarak's speech on Saturday has done little to appease them. Protests continue for a fifth day, with demonstrators still calling for an end to his 30-year reign. Al Jazeera's Dan Nolan reports
Protesters Return to Cairo Streets, Calling for End to Mubarak Regime
THE GLOBE AND MAIL: Tanks guarded key government building around Cairo and the central square Saturday as protesters returned to the streets a day after massive and violent confrontations emboldened the movement demanding the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak. The Cabinet resigned in the midst of rampant looting across the sprawling city and the death toll since protests began rose to 45.
Dozens of military armoured personnel carriers and tanks as well as soldiers on foot deployed around a number of key government buildings in the capital, including state television and the Foreign Ministry after thousands of protesters besieged the two offices in Friday's riots. The military was protecting important tourist and archaeological sites such as the Egyptian Museum, home to some of the country's most treasured antiquities, as well as the Cabinet building. The pyramids on the outskirts of Cairo — Egypt's premiere tourist site — were closed by the military to tourists.
Last night, a defiant President Hosni Mubarak attempted to reassure the Egyptian people that he is still the best man to deal with the grievances of the people, and would do so in an orderly way.
Mr. Mubarak said he was aware of people’s hopes to improve the economy and would take steps to do so “as soon as possible.” To that end, he announced that he had dismissed the government and would appoint a new cabinet Saturday.
But, emphasizing the “thin line that separates freedom and chaos,” Mr. Mubarak said that the violence of protesters in recent days was an attempt “to destabilize the country,” something he would not tolerate.
Delivered after midnight on state television, these were the words of a man looking over the abyss: the 30-year rule of the Egyptian President is hanging by a thread. >>> Patrick Martin | Published: Friday, January 28, 2011; Updated: Saturday, January 29, 2011
Iranian Leaders Hope for Islamic Republic in Egypt
YNET NEWS: Clerics say protests against Mubarak government were inspired by 1979 revolution in Iran
Iranian leaders expressed satisfaction with the anti-government protests in Egypt, with one leader saying he believes the protesters were inspired by the revolution in his country in 1979.
“Today, as a result of the gifts of the Islamic revolution in Iran, freedom-loving Islamic peoples such as the peoples of Tunisia, Egypt and nearby Arab countries are standing up to their oppressive governments,” the New York Times quoted Ayatollah Mohammad-Taghi Mesbah-Yazdi as saying.
He congratulated the Egyptian people, saying their actions were "based on the principles" of the Islamic revolution.
Western officials fear Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will be replaced by a hardline cleric similar to the ayatollahs in Iran, like the Muslim Brotherhood opposition party, which also gave rise to Hamas.
Mohammad-Javad Larijani, secretary general of the Iranian High Council for Human Rights and a conservative leader, also voiced a positive opinion. "In my opinion, the Islamic Republic of Iran should see these events without exception in a positive light," he said. >>> Ynet | Saturday, January 29, 2011
Anger against Hosni Mubarak
Young Iranian's New Show of Freedom? Curly Locks
Photo: France 24
FRANCE 24: If Iran's hardliners had their way, men would keep their hair cropped short and women's locks would be out of sight under tight veils. As a result, free-spirited young Iranians have decided to wear their curly locks Jimmy Hendrix-style, a move less innocuous than it would first appear…
Iranian authorities banned “un-Islamic haircuts” in July 2010 during the yearly Modesty and Veil festival. Ponytails, mullets and punk hairstyles were forbidden, in favour of classic short cuts, with a dab of hair gel at the very most.
Brutal police repression in the face of a recent popular uprising silenced most opposition in Iran. As a result, Iranians have found other, less overtly political, ways to express their opposition to the government. For example, a Facebook group of curly-haired Iranians has been established, where its members rally Iranians with similarly large hair dos to meet in Tehran’s Mellat park on January 21, is one example of playful subversion. >>> | Friday, January 28, 2011
ÉGYPTE - Hosni Moubarak "doit partir", selon El Baradei
LE POINT: Le Prix Nobel de la paix, opposant au régime actuel, estime que les manifestants veulent le départ du président.
L'opposant égyptien, Prix Nobel de la paix, a fait savoir qu'il est prêt à mener une transition si le peuple le lui demande. Photo : Le Point
Le président égyptien Hosni Moubarak "doit partir", a déclaré samedi l'opposant le plus en vue, Mohamed El Baradei, dans une déclaration à la chaîne d'information France 24, alors que les manifestations contre le régime se poursuivaient en Égypte. "Je descendrai dans la rue aujourd'hui (samedi) avec mes collègues pour contribuer à apporter un changement (...) et pour dire au président Moubarak qu'il doit partir", a déclaré à France 24 Mohamed El Baradei, ancien chef de l'Agence internationale de l'énergie atomique (AIEA). >>> Source AFP | Samedi 29 Janvier 2011
YNET NEWS: Extremist takeover in Egypt would put Israel in ‘wholly different position,’ security official warns
A fundamental change of government in Egypt may lead to a “revolution in Israel’s security doctrine,” a defense official told Ynet Friday night, as protests against President Hosni Mubarak’s rule continued to intensify.
The security official made it clear that Israel’s peace treaty with Egypt constitutes an important strategic asset, “which enables the IDF to focus on other theaters.” The defense source said that the IDF would have to dedicate major resources in order to devote any attention to the Egyptian front as well.
“It is no secret that the IDF focuses on certain theaters and earmarks most resources to them,” the official said. “The Egyptians are only addressed on the margins. We are holding discussions, including updates relevant to recent years, yet without a doubt Egypt is not considered a theater that requires attention.”
Should a revolution indeed take place in Egypt, the rules of play will not necessarily change at once, the source added. “It won’t mean, heaven forbid, that Egypt would immediately turn into an enemy country, yet our attention would most certainly have to shift.” >>> Hanan Greenberg | Saturday, January 29, 2011
The American Dilemma
YNET NEWS – OPINION: Op-ed: Obama Administration must decide whether to support democracy or US ally Mubarak
WASHINGTON – The natural American tendency is to support individual freedoms, freedom of religion, freedom of expression and freedom of association, which constitute inalienable US assets and the essence of the American nation. However, democracy at home is one thing, while democracy abroad is an entirely different matter.
In order to preserve its global hegemony, the US over the years knew how to openly endorse democratic reforms in the Arab world and other regions, yet at the same time support tyrants such as Mubarak and the Saudi and Jordanian kings – as long as they were loyal to the US and to the West, of course.
When former President George W. bush [sic] attempted to push the Middle East to adopt democracy, in the wake of the Iraq takeover and the toppling of Saddam Hussein, he insisted on holding elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council, contradictory to Israel’s and the Palestinian Authority’s position. Hamas ended up winning most seats in the subsequent vote. Meanwhile, Bush’s democratization ideas in Lebanon opened the door for Hezbollah’s integration into parliament and beyond.
Obama appears to be more pragmatic than his predecessor on this front. He issued statements in favor of democracy, including in the famous Cairo speech, yet at the moment of truth he lowered his profile. The State of the Union Address Tuesday constituted an opportunity to speak about democracy, yet the word “Egypt” was not mentioned in the speech. Tunisia, however, was mentioned.
The latest developments in the Arab world caught the American Administration in a helpless position as it desperately seeks the help of its diplomats, and mostly its intelligence arms, in making sense of where the wind is blowing. >>> Yitzhak Benhorin | Saturday, January 29, 2011
Egypt: A Pivotal Moment
THE GUARDIAN – EDITORIAL: Mohamed ElBaradei must be free to give political leadership
It was the day on which Egyptians lost their fear: of green armoured personnel carriers, which swayed and toppled before the unstoppable tide of human wrath; of plainclothes thugs who had plagued their lives; of the ruling party's headquarters, from where elections were rigged and parliamentary seats managed – it too went up in flames; of military curfews; of the entire apparatus of a regime which had crushed all political dissent for nearly three decades. "Even if the dogs could speak," one of the hundreds of thousands who flocked the streets told our reporter, "they would tell you that they are fed up with [Hosni] Mubarak. We have to have change." This was a transformative day. The Arab world's largest power had just lost control of the streets of Cairo, Alexandria, Giza, Suez. The regime shut down the internet and unplugged the mobile phone network, a desperate move to stop the protests. It only propelled thousands more on to the streets. As darkness fell, shots were heard in Cairo and tanks were seen in Suez. And still the roar of protest continued.
The revolution threatens not only Hosni Mubarak's regime but the strategy the US and Britain have constructed in the Middle East. The hesitancy with which President Mubarak reacted last night was matched only by the perceptible shift in the emphasis of the statements by the US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton. Only two days ago she said the US assessment was that the Egyptian government was stable and was looking for ways to respond to the legitimate interests of the Egyptian people. The primary importance of keeping a key Arab ally and Middle East interlocutor stable was also emphasised yesterday by Tony Blair, the Quartet's envoy. Faced with the conflicting needs to keep an Arab partner of Israel afloat and to respond to demands for democratic reform, the US would choose the first every time. After yesterday's events, Ms Clinton's calls to lift internet controls and respond to the grievances of Egyptians became more strident. But it was too little, too late. Ms Clinton's initial support for the Mubarak regime had not been lost on Egyptians battling for their freedoms. Read on and comment >>> Editorial | Saturday, January 29, 2011
Afghanistan: Kabul Suicide Bomber at Supermarket Targets Western Diplomats
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: An Afghan suicide bomber targeting British diplomats killed up to nine people when he blew himself up in a supermarket servicing Kabul's expats in a wealthy district yards from the British embassy.
Afghan intelligence officials said four Filipinos and two Afghans were confirmed among the dead when a lone gunman opened fire, threw at least one grenade and then detonated his explosive harness. Women and a child were among those killed.
The Taliban immediately took responsibility in a text message claiming it had targeted the chief of the Blackwater security contracting firm.
The 2.30pm (10am GMT) blast struck Finest Supermarket in the relatively secure central Wazir Akbar Khan district which is popular with embassies.
The shop is across the road from the fortified British embassy compound and is frequented by expats for its range of Western groceries. Witnesses said the shop was full of foreigners on what is the Afghan weekend.
Mehrab Gol, who sells mobile phone cards outside the shop, said: "The suicide bomber fired first and then threw a grenade and then he blew himself up. >>> Ben Farmer, Islamabad | Friday, January 28, 2011
Albania Braces for Fresh Protests
THE AUSTRALIAN: THE mood of revolt has spread beyond the Arab world to the Balkans.
The Albanian opposition gearing up for another anti-government protest today and the police warning of a high risk of violence.
The opposition Socialist Party said the rally was aimed at honouring the three victims of violent clashes in last week's anti-government demonstration. Protesters have been calling on the government to resign, claiming corruption and electoral fraud.
"I want to assure you it will be peaceful and quiet, there will be flowers and candles," Socialist leader Edi Rama said yesterday. "Everything will be normal, not provoking anyone and not being provoked by anyone."
Police said the demonstration was a danger to national security, and warned that they could not guarantee the rally's safety. >>> AFP | Saturday, January 29, 2011
