Egypt Braces for Massive Protest
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Thousands of protesters are expected to march on the streets demanding his resignation after Mubarak remained defiant.


Hundreds of thousands of pro-democracy protesters are expected to march on the streets of Cairo and other Egyptian cities on Friday, in what could become the largest - and some fear the most violent - protests thus far.

The demonstrators’ hopes for the resignation of the President were dashed on Thursday as Hosni Mubarak, in a 17-minute address on television, said he was determined to stay in power until September, when his current term ends.

Mubarak said he was handing "the functions of the president" to Vice-President Omar Suleiman and that he would oversee an "exit" from the current crisis, and "realise the demands voiced by the youth and citizens ... without undermining the constitution in a manner that ensures the stability of our society".

Before he finished his anticlimactic speech, protesters camped in Tahrir Square, the epicentre of Egypt’s revolution, shouted "donkey, leave!"

Rabab Al Mahdi, a professor at the American University in Cairo, told Al Jazeera that the level of anger and frustration at the square was "unprecedented".

"This is putting us into a messy situation that can turn bloody at any moment," she said, adding that the fact that Mubarak "for more than 10 minutes, was talking about himself - very narcissistic, again, giving the message that he's still in control, and this, in and by itself, offended people."

Egyptian state television did not broadcast the scenes of anger after Mubarak's speech. 'People in tears' >>> Al Jazeera and agencies | Friday, February 11, 2011

Egypt's Hope Turns to Fury as Mubarak Clings to Power
THE GUARDIAN: President hands some powers to vice-president Suleiman but will remain in control until September elections

President Hosni Mubarak dashed the hopes of hundreds of thousands of Egyptians celebrating what they expected would be his resignation speech by defiantly telling them he would not bow to domestic or foreign pressure to quit.

Mubarak said he would hand some powers to his vice-president, Omar Suleiman, but would remain in overall control until September to oversee what he called an orderly transition to an elected government. He repeated a pledge not to seek re-election.

He also said that there would be no going back on a commitment of long-term political reform after the two weeks of growing protests to demand his resignation. However, he ominously referred to the army playing a role in ensuring an orderly transfer of power.

The president's defiant tone angered the crowds packed in to Cairo's Tahrir Square, the centre of protests against Mubarak's 30-year rule, and may have set the stage for an ugly confrontation at the mass demonstrations called for across Egypt. Many of the protesters waved their shoes, a traditional sign of contempt, and chanted: "He must leave", and shouted "Mubarak you are finished". >>> Chris McGreal in Cairo | Thursday, February 10, 2011

Egypt's Mubarak Refuses to Quit
BBC: Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak has said he will stay in office and transfer all power only after September's presidential election.

His comments in a national TV address confounded earlier reports that he was preparing to stand down immediately.

Mr Mubarak said he would delegate some powers to Vice-President Omar Suleiman, but would ignore "diktats from abroad".

Thousands of anti-government protesters in central Cairo reacted angrily to his announcement. >>> | Thursday, February 10, 2011

Mubarak Refuses to Stand Down
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Egyptian president vows he will stay in office until September, and will not bow down to 'foreign pressure'.

Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, has refused to step down from his post, saying that he will not bow to "foreign pressure" in a televised address to the nation.

Mubarak announced that he had put into place a framework that would lead to the amendment of six constitutional articles in the address late on Thursday night.

"I can not and will not accept to be dictater orders from outside, no matter what the source is," Mubarak said.

He said he was addressing his people with a "speech from the heart[.]"

Earlier, the Supreme Council of Egyptian Armed Forces had met to discuss the ongoing protests against Mubarak's government.

In a statement entitled 'Communique Number One', televised on state television, the army said it had convened the meeting response to the current political turmoil, and that it would continue to convene such meetings.

Thurday's meeting was chaired by Mohamed Tantawi, the defence minister, rather than Mubarak, who, as president, would normally have headed the meeting.

"Based on the responsibility of the armed forces and its commitment to protect the people and its keenness to protect the nation... and in support of the legitimate demands of the people [the army] will continue meeting on a continuous basis to examine measures to be taken to protect the nation and its gains and the ambitions of the great Egyptian people," the statement. >>> Source: Al Jazeera and agencies | Thursday, February 10, 2011

Indonesia’s Minority Religions Targeted

Tunisian Deposed Leader Dominated by 'Lady Macbeth'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Tunisia's deposed dictator's final moments before fleeing his country's "jasmine revolution" were yesterday revealed as being spent enduring a flurry of insults from his fearsome wife.

Leila Ben Ali's words of "encouragement" to her husband, Zine al-Abidine as he refused to board the plane to spirit him out of Tunisia and to Saudi Arabia were reported as: "Get on imbecile. All my life I've had to put up with your screw ups."

An unnamed senior air force official recounted the 74-year old ex-president's feeble attempt to disobey Lady Macbeth of Carthage, as his wife has been dubbed, in the French weekly, Nouvel Observateur.

As revolt rumbled in the capital, Mr Ben Ali, who was ousted after 23 years of iron rule on January 14, stood on the tarmac in Tunis airport with a small briefcase wringing his hands, and saying: "Leave me, I don't want to go, I want to die here for my country."

At Leila's side was Ali Seriati, Mr Ben Ali's feared and hated political police chief, who pushed him onto the steps, shouting: "For ----'s sake, get on!"

None of the soldiers present from the army that had helped topple Mr Ben Ali budged as the fallen leader slowly climbed the steps.

With him were his wife, their son Mohammed, their daughter Halima, her fiancé, their butler and two Philippine maids. >>> Henry Samuel, Paris | Thursday, February 10, 2011

Iran's Larijani on Egypt Unrest
Egypt's uprising is being closely watched in Iran. Ali Larijani, the Iranian parliament speaker, blames the US and Israel for bringing instability to the region. He explained his reasons for doing so to Al Jazeera's Nick Clark

Égypte : Moubarak pourrait démissionner rapidement
LE FIGARO: Le premier ministre égyptien a évoqué pour la première fois jeudi après-midi un éventuel départ du raïs. Le président va s'adresser à la nation dans la soirée, a annoncé la télévision d'État.

Les choses semblent brusquement s'accélérer en Égypte. Le premier ministre égyptien Ahmed Chafik a déclaré ce jeudi après-midi à la BBC que le président Hosni Moubarak pourrait démissionner. La situation sera rapidement clarifiée, a ajouté le chef du gouvernement, au 17e jour du soulèvement populaire pour réclamer le départ du raïs. La télévision d'État a d'ailleurs annoncé que celui-ci s'adressera à la nation dans la soirée depuis le palais présidentiel au Caire.

L'annonce du premier ministre a été prise très au sérieux par la CIA, qui a jugé fort «fort probable» que le président égyptien quitte le pouvoir dans la soirée. Le cas échéant, Omar Souleiman, le vice-président nommé fin janvier par Hosni Moubarak, serait selon l'agence américaine de contre-espionnage son remplaçant vraisemblable. >>> Par lefigaro.fr | Jeudi 10 Février 2011

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

"Es endet heute Nacht": Mubarak tritt angeblich zurück
DIE PRESSE: Der ägyptische Präsident wird am Abend eine TV-Ansprache halten. "Ich rechne damit, dass der Präsident auf die Forderungen der Menschen eingeht", sagt der Generalsekretär der Regierungspartei.

Der ägyptische Präsident Hosni Mubarak soll noch heute Abend zurücktreten. Das berichten mehrere internationale Medien. Das Staatsfernsehen kündigte für den Abend eine Ansprache Mubaraks an. Ein genauer Zeitpunkt für die Rede wurde nicht genannt.

Der neue Generalsekretär der Regierungspartei NDP, Hossan Badrawi, sagte der "BBC": "Ich rechne damit, dass der Präsident auf die Forderungen der Menschen eingeht, denn es geht ihm um die Stabilität des Landes, der Posten ist ihm derzeit nicht wichtig". Er hoffe, dass Mubarak die Macht an seinen Stellvertreter Omar Suleiman übertrage. Suleiman und Mubarak haben sich am Donnerstagabend zu einem mehrstündigen Gespräch getroffen, über den Inhalt gab es keine Informationen. >>> Ag. / Red. | Donnerstag, 10. Februar 2011

Interview: Mona Eltahawy
Mona Eltahawy, an award-winning writer and an international public speaker on Arab and Muslim issues, spoke to Al Jazeera, live from New York, on the latest developments in Egypt

Mubarak to Step Down?
Egyptian president to make address

AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Hosni Mubarak 'may step down': Ruling party officials suggest Egypt's president will 'meet protesters demands', ahead of televised statement. >>> Source:
Al Jazeera and agencies | Thursday, February 10, 2011

Report: Mubarak Expected to Respond to Protesters' Demands
Implications of uncertainty in Egypt

Iran: Mehdi Karroubi 'House Arrest' after Protest Call
BBC: Iranian opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi has been put under house arrest, his official website says.

Security officials at the premises say the measures will last until next week, it adds. No one is being allowed to enter the house except his wife.

Mr Karroubi and Mir-Hossein Mousavi, another opposition leader, had called for a rally on Monday to support the popular uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia.

The authorities refused permission, calling it a political move. >>> | Thursday, February 10, 2011

Egypt Unrest: Striking Doctors Flock to Tahrir Square
BBC: Striking doctors and a host of other workers have joined thousands of anti-government protesters in Egypt.

Medics wearing white coats streamed into Cairo's Tahrir Square alongside demonstrators who continue to call for President Hosni Mubarak to resign.

A key Cairo hospital was reported to have been closed by strike action as an estimated 3,000 staff walked out.

The renewed protests come after Egypt's foreign minister criticised US calls for Egypt to lift its emergency law.

Rebuffing Washington's calls to speed up the pace of political reform, Ahmed Aboul Gheit said Washington should not "impose" its will on "a great country".

Many thousands of Egyptians have been protesting since 25 January, calling for President Hosni Mubarak to step down.

Mr Mubarak has said he intends to step down after presidential elections, due to be held in September.

Protests in Cairo have now spread to Egypt's parliament, with violence and reports of strikes in other cities.

Bus drivers, lawyers and textile workers were reported to have joined the doctors on strike on Thursday, with unions reporting walkouts and protests across the country. >>> | Thursday, February 10, 2011

Brits Urge Israel to Tone Down Rhetoric
Avoid 'belligerent' language?

Muslim State in Egypt Now Inevitable?
Amb. Bolton, K.T. McFarland weigh in

Report: Saudis Warned Obama Not to 'Humiliate' Mubarak
FOX NEWS: Saudi Arabia has threatened to prop up embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak if the Obama administration tries to force a swift change of regime in Egypt, The Times of London reported Thursday.

In a testy personal telephone call on Jan. 29, Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah reportedly told President Obama not to humiliate Mubarak and warned that he would step in to bankroll Egypt if the U.S. withdrew its aid program, worth $1.5 billion annually.

America's closest ally in the Gulf made clear that the Egyptian president must be allowed to stay on to oversee the transition towards peaceful democracy and then leave with dignity.

"Mubarak and King Abdullah are not just allies, they are close friends, and the King is not about to see his friend cast aside and humiliated," a senior source in the Saudi capital told The Times.

Two sources confirmed details of the King's call, made four days after the people of Egypt took to the streets.

The revelation of Saudi concerns sheds new light on America's apparent diplomatic paralysis and lays bare the biggest rift between the nations since the oil price shock of 1973.

The tough line from Riyadh is driven by concern that Western governments were too eager to shove aside Mubarak when the uprising began, without proper consideration of what should follow him.

"With Egypt in chaos, the kingdom is Washington's only major ally left in the Arab world and the Saudis want the Americans to remember that," said a source in Riyadh.

The White House declined to comment on the reports Wednesday, saying that the administration did not divulge what other leaders said to Obama. >>> | Thursday, February 10, 2011

This just goes to show how much might the US has lost in recent years. Now, under Obama, other countries are telling the US what to do, not the other way around. And this warning, it must be remembered, comes from a monarch who is himself propped up by the US! There seems to be something wrong with this picture. And isn’t this a clear case of the tail wagging the dog? – © Mark

THE TIMES: Exclusive: Saudis told Obama to back Mubarak: Saudi Arabia has threatened to prop up President Mubarak if the White House tries to force a swift change of regime in Egypt. In a testy personal telephone call on January 29, King Abdullah told President Obama not to humiliate Mr Mubarak and warned that he would step in to bankroll Egypt if the US withdrew its aid programme, worth $1.5 billion annually. America’s closest ally in the Gulf made clear that the Egyptian President must be allowed to stay on to oversee the transition towards peaceful democracy and then leave with dignity. “Mubarak and King Abdullah are not just allies, they are close friends, and the King is not about to see his friend cast aside and humiliated,” a senior source in the Saudi capital told The Times. >>> Hugh Tomlinson, Riyadh | Thursday, February 10, 2011 [£]

THE TIMES: How the anger of an oil-rich king has put Obama back on the wrong side of history >>> Giles Whittell, Washington | Thursday, February 10, 2011 [£]

Saudi-Arabiens König kanzelt Obama am Telefon ab
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Der Einfluss der USA in der Ägypten-Krise ist offenbar kleiner als gedacht: Saudi-Arabiens König Abdullah soll gedroht haben, sich auf die Seite von Mubarak zu schlagen. In dem hitzigen Telefonat mit dem US-Präsidenten verteidigte er seinen "Freund"- und beschert Barack Obama noch mehr Ärger.

Riad/Washington - Die Krise in Ägypten sorgt für diplomatische Verstimmungen zwischen den USA und Saudi-Arabien, einem wichtigen Verbündeten des Westens in der Region. König Abdullah warnte die US-Regierung in einem Telefongespräch davor, einen Umbruch in Ägypten zu forcieren. Am 29. Januar - vier Tage nach Beginn der ersten Massenproteste in Kairo und anderen ägyptischen Städten - griff Saudi-Arabiens Regent zum Hörer und maßregelte US-Präsident Barack Obama. Das berichtete die Londoner "Times" am Donnerstag, sie bezieht sich auf hochrangige Diplomaten in Riad.

Der Tonfall sei "gereizt" gewesen, schreibt die Zeitung. Abdullah drohte, Ägyptens Präsident Husni Mubarak zu unterstützen, sollten sich die USA gegen den umstrittenen Machthaber stellen. Zudem werde er Ägypten finanziell aushelfen, sollten die Amerikaner ernsthaft erwägen, die milliardenschweren Rüstungshilfen an Kairo einzufrieren. Abdullah mahnte Obama der Zeitung zufolge, die USA dürften Mubarak keinesfalls mit offenen Rücktrittsforderungen "demütigen".

"Mubarak und König Abdullah sind nicht nur Verbündete, sondern auch Freunde. Der König wird nicht dabei zuschauen, wie sein Freund weggeschoben und erniedrigt wird", zitierte die "Times" einen Diplomaten. Nach den Unruhen in Ägypten verbliebe den USA derzeit nur noch ein stabiler Partner in der arabischen Welt: Saudi-Arabien. "Und die Saudis werden die USA genau daran erinnern", ergänzte der Diplomat.

Die US-Regierung steckt in der Ägypten-Krise in einem Dilemma: Einerseits unterstützt sie die Forderungen der Demonstranten nach einem längst überfälligen Machtwechsel, andererseits fürchtet Washington, zu viel Druck könnte eine friedliche Lösung erschweren. Wann genau Mubarak abtreten soll, ließ Obama bislang offen. >>> amz/AP | Donnerstag, 10. Februar 2011

Egypt Protests: 'The Revolution Shows the Beauty of the People'
Egyptian actor Mohsena Tawfik explains why she has joined the protesters in Tahrir Square
[Source: The Guardian] Mustafa Khalili | Wednesday, February 09, 2011

Set Up Special Villages Away from Normal Folk for 'Scum', Says Wilders
DUTCHNEWS.nl: Persistent troublemakers should be kept away from the rest of the population in special ‘scum villages’, Geert Wilders, leader of the anti-Islam PVV says in an interview with the Telegraaf on Thursday.

‘Repeat offenders should be forcibly removed from their neighbourhood and sent to a village for scum,’ Wilders said. ‘They will then be put into converted containers as homes. If juveniles are involved, their families should be moved too. Put all the trash together.’ >>> | Thursday, February 10, 2011

Abu Bakar Bashir Terrorism Trial Begins in Jakarta
THE AUSTRALIAN: THE trial of alleged terrorist cleric Abu Bakar Bashir began this morning under massive security at South Jakarta District Court, only to be adjourned almost immediately.

Bashir, 72, who was convicted of conspiring in the 2002 Bali bombings but acquitted on appeal, faces seven terrorism-related charges stemming from his alleged role in organising an Islamic militant training camp in Aceh province that was broken-up last February.

The most serious charge, “planning or motivating others to commit terrorist acts carries a mandatory maximum penalty, either execution or life imprisonment.

More than 1500 police, including heavily armed rapid response officers, surrounded the courtroom and plainclothesmen moved among his supporters, who appeared to number about 300.

As Bashir was brought from a holding room to the court, the broadly smiling cleric said: “I feel as usual, the Prophet Mohammed also experienced this.” >>> Peter Alford, Jakarta correspondent | Thursday, February 10, 2011