THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Egyptian police have been fighting protesters in intensifying clashes, and demonstrations have reported from Yemen and Gabon – a sign that defiance against authoritarian rulers in the Middle East is spreading.
Security forces shot dead a Bedouin protester in Egypt's Sinai region on Thursday, bringing the death in the three days of protests to five. Police in Suez fired rubber bullets, water cannon and tear gas at hundreds of demonstrators calling for an end to the 30-year-old rule of Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president. Protesters chucked rocks and petrol bombs at police lines. In Ismailia, hundreds of protesters clashed with police, who dispersed the crowds with tear gas.
Like in many other countries in the region, protesters in Egypt complain about surging prices, unemployment and the authorities' reliance on heavy-handed security to keep dissenting voices quiet. The protests are inspired by Tunisia, where a democratic movement recently overthrew the government.
Egyptian Nobel laureate Mohamed ElBaradei announced on Thursday he was returning to Egypt to join the protests. "Tomorrow is going to be, I think, a major demonstration all over Egypt and I will be there with them," he said. Mr Baradei, who won the Nobel peace prize for his work as head of the UN's nuclear agency, called on Mr Mubarak to leave office, saying "he has served the country for 30 years and it is about time for him to retire."
His arrival could spur protesters who have no figurehead, although many activists resent his absences in recent months.
"Our government is a dictatorship. A total dictatorship," said Mohamed Fahim, a 29-year-old glass factory worker, as he stood near the charred skeleton of a car.
"It's our right to choose our government ourselves. We have been living 29 years, my whole life, without being able to choose a president." >>> | Thursday, January 27, 2011
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Les répercussions historiques de la «Révolution du Jasmin» : EFFET DOMINO | De l’Egypte à la Jordanie en passant par le Yémen, la "Révolution du jasmin" commence à toucher des régimes arabes qui se maintiennent depuis des décennies grâce au carcan de la peur. Eclairage. >>> AFP | Jeudi 27 Janvier 2011
