Thousands march in Yemen to demand change of government
'If the (ruling) party doesn't respond ... we will escalate this until the president falls, just like what happened in Tunisia'

By Khaled Abdullah and Mohammed Ghobari
Reuters
updated 42 minutes ago 2011-01-27T14:22:35

SANAA — Thousands of Yemenis took to the streets of Sanaa Thursday to demand a change of government, inspired by the unrest that has ousted Tunisia's leader and spread to Egypt this week.

snip

Yemen, in the shadow of the world's top oil exporter Saudi Arabia, is struggling with soaring unemployment and dwindling oil and water reserves. Almost half its 23 million people live on $2 a day or less, and a third suffer from chronic hunger.

article here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41291736/ns ... tn_africa/

Tunisia Unrest Inspires Jordan Protesters

Demonstrators in Jordan say they are preparing for more protests. Massive demonstrations inspired by unrest in Tunisia have shaken what historically has been one of the most stable nations in the Middle East and raised questions about the future role of the country's popular monarch.

snip

It is rising food prices, unemployment, and anger over corruption that prompted thousands to take to the streets of Amman last week.

con. here: http://www.voanews.com/english/news/mid ... 63549.html

The Jasmine Revolution - Tunisia, seed of revolution

from Wikipedia

The 2010–2011 Tunisian Revolution, also known as the Jasmine Revolution,[2][3] is a continuing series of street demonstrations taking place throughout Tunisia from December 2010 onwards. The demonstrations and riots were reported to have started over unemployment, food inflation, corruption,[4] freedom of speech[5] and poor living conditions. The protests led to the ousting of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who stepped down from the presidency and fled Tunisia on 14 January 2011 after 23 years in power.[6][7]

snip

On December 17, 2010 in Sidi Bouzid, Mohamed Bouazizi set himself alight in front of the municipal building to protest corruption and ill-treatment by the local police.[27] This immolation and subsequent heavy-handed response by the police to peaceful marchers caused riots the next day in Sidi Bouzid that went largely unnoticed, although social media sites such as Facebook and YouTube featured images of police dispersing youths who attacked shop windows and damaged cars. Bouazizi was subsequently transferred to a hospital near Tunis where he died on 4 January.[28]

snip

On 6 January, 95% of Tunisia's 8,000 lawyers went on strike, according to the chairman of the national bar association. He said "The strike carries a clear message that we do not accept unjustified attacks on lawyers. We want to strongly protest against the beating of lawyers in the past few days."[40] It was reported on the following day that teachers had also joined the strike.[41]

snip

On 14 January, Ben Ali dissolved his government and declared a state of emergency. Officials said the reason for the emergency declaration was to protect Tunisians and their property. People were also barred from gathering in more than groups of three people otherwise courting arrest or being shot if they try to run away.[65][66] He also called for an election within six months to defuse demonstrations aimed at forcing him out.[citation needed] France24 also said the military took control of the airport and closed the country's airspace.[67]

On the same day, Ben Ali fled the country for Malta under Libyan protection[68] and landed in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, after France rejected a request for the plane to land on its territory. Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi then briefly took over as acting president.[6][

excellent description and analysis of the revolution here at Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010%E2%80 ... n_uprising

ruts: In the reports I am posting I see a common thread - the influence social media has in spreading revolution, opening a window for the world to view events in all locations, and actually changing the course of history. Again I refer to Grist's query on the GT as to what course lies open for the world to affect change. Perhaps I have been too pessimistic.... this is only one step we are seeing, it will be a long time before we see if permanent changes will be made in the countries undergoing revolution, and what types of changes those will be.

Pentagon monitors situation in Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon
English.news.cn 2011-01-27 08:46:33 FeedbackPrintRSS

WASHINGTON, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Defense Department on Wednesday said Defense officials are closely watching protests that have flared up in Egypt, Tunisia and Lebanon, as Pentagon hosts senior Egyptian military leaders for talks this week.

con.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/w ... 708978.htm

Lebanon

...Parts of Lebanon were ... ablaze on Tuesday, albeit they were fires a different kind. Instead of a nationwide movement calling for change and an end to unjust leadership, protests in Lebanon only fanned the flames of sectarian tensions in the deeply divided nation.

What Lebanon shares with the rest of the region is that allies of the West inside the country are quickly losing their influence. In recent weeks, the US-backed March 14 coalition lost its majority status in Lebanon's government. Two weeks ago, Sunni leader and then prime minister Saad Hariri's government was collapsed by the Syria and Iran-backed March 8 coalition, which includes the Shia resistance and political movement Hezbollah.

read article here: http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/fe ... 15315.html

Egypt Opposition Leader Speaks Out As U.S. Urges Political Reform
January 26, 2011

Egyptian officials continued a crackdown on anti-government protestors Wednesday as the United States urged one of its closest Middle Eastern allies to accept political reform.

snip

The Egyptian government has blocked social media sites Facebook and Twitter, which have been widely credited with organizing the protests that began yesterday, the Wall Street Journal reported. Three protestors and a police officer were killed Tuesday.

con. here: http://www.neontommy.com/news/2011/01/m ... cal-reform


Harper signals support for Mideast protests
Last Updated: Thursday, January 27, 2011 | 9:38 AM ET Comments46Recommend12
CBC News

For the past two days, thousands of protesters in Egypt have demanded the resignation of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

The protests were sparked by the ouster of Tunisian President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali, who was forced to flee after 23 years in power and a month of street protests.

"We support the democratic development that is taking place there and obviously want to see that proceed positively," Harper said.

Harper also stressed that members of the former regime of Ben Ali are not welcome in Canada.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/politics/story/2011/0 ... z1CG0uuPbq

Violent protests escalate outside Egypt's capital

By HAMZA HENDAWI and HADEEL AL-SHALCHI, Associated Press Hamza Hendawi And Hadeel Al-shalchi, Associated Press – 38 mins ago

CAIRO – Violence escalated in two cites outside the capital Cairo Thursday where anti-government protesters torched a fire station and looted weapons that they then turned on police. Egypt's top democracy advocate returned to the country and declared he was ready to lead the campaign to oust longtime President Hosni Mubarak.

con. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110127/ap_ ... pt_protest

Meanwhile, from Twitter,

More of our "friends in low places." GAH! How this country can continue to support these aholes is beyond me!

Egypt protesters, police brace for 'day of rage'

CAIRO — Egypt's grass-roots protest movement got a double boost Thursday that could energize the largest anti-government demonstrations in years — the return of Nobel Peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei and the backing of the biggest opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood.

The real test will be whether Egypt's fragmented opposition can come together, with Friday's rallies expected to be some of the biggest so far.

On social networking sites, there was buzz that the gatherings called after Friday prayers could attract huge numbers of protesters demanding the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak after nearly 30 years in power. Millions gather at mosques across the city on Fridays, giving organizers a vast pool of people to tap into.

Read more here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41288680/ns/world_news-mideastn_africa/

Internet Down In Egypt

Reports are emerging that Internet has gone down in Cairo and perhaps throughout Egypt, only hours before the largest planned protests yet.

According to a report from The Arabist, "Egypt has shut off the internet."

snip

The news of the Internet outage came minutes after the Associated Press published a video of an Egyptian protestor being shot.

CNN reporter Ben Wedeman confirmed Internet is down in Cairo and writes, "No internet, no SMS, what is next? Mobile phones and land lines? So much for stability. #Jan25 #Egypt"

The Los Angeles Times is also reporting that BlackBerry Internet has been taken offline in Egypt.

UPDATE (7:05 p.m. ET) Reuters confirms "major network disruptions" for Egypt Internet users at this time, with reports in Cairo that there is no Internet altogether. A top state official declined to comment.

Read more here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/27/egypt-internet-goes-down-_n_815156.html

As protests swell from Yemen to Egypt, Middle East faces uncertainty

Washington Post

A wave of political unrest threatening Middle Eastern governments grew ominously larger Thursday as new protests shook impoverished Yemen and Egyptian authorities braced for massive anti-government demonstrations set to begin Friday.

The fresh turbulence deepened fears of a prolonged period of chaos and uncertainty in the region while raising new questions about the viability of autocratic governments that have been stalwart allies of the United States for more than a generation.

In Egypt, there were signs that the government was moving to shut down access to the Internet and disable text-messaging services in a bid to stifle further protests. Meanwhile, pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei returned to the country to join the protests and rally the opposition.

con. here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... id=topnews

Riots in Algeria Protest Autocratic Rule

January 25, 2011 by Staff

AP reports that helmeted riot police armed with batons and shields on Saturday clashed with rock- and chair-throwing protesters who tried to march in defiance of Algeria’s ban on public gatherings.

snip

http://www.popdecay.com/2011/01/25/riot ... -rule/7910


After Riots, Algeria Considers a Reshuffle

Algeria's President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is considering high-level cabinet changed in hope of showing a reformist bent after the country was shaken by riots, people familiar with the matter said.

There is no clear timing for the changes, but one scenario under consideration would include the promotion of Energy Minister Youcef Yousfi to be the new prime minister, replacing current Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia, they said. Such a move could be part of a broader reshuffle aimed at replacing officials with ties to political parties with technical experts whose reputations remain intact after the protests.

con. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... lenews_wsj

Not JMHO, the situation Egypt is very serious and will not pass quickly.

Egypt's Web, Mobile Communications Severed

The Egyptian government's crackdown on protestors intensified Friday with access to most forms of mass communication, including the Internet, mobile and SMS down, even as United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warned that "freedom of expression should be fully respected."

snip

In a blog, U.S.-based Internet intelligence firm Renesys recorded how late Thursday it saw "the virtually simultaneous withdrawal of all routes to Egyptian networks in the Internet's global routing table," in what it called "an action unprecedented in Internet history." and a VERY dangerous precedent!

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... l?mod=e2tw


Police Battle Huge Protests Across Egypt

CAIRO — Violent protest spread across Cairo and other Egyptian cities on Friday as tens of thousands of demonstrators intensified their campaign to oust President Hosni Mubarak, pouring from mosques after noon prayers and clashing with police who fired tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons.

con.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/29/world ... tml?src=mv

Tahrir Square in Cairo: Al Tahrir Square seems to be a center for protest in Cairo; could it become another Tianemen Square? (sp?)

.... Security vehicles were burned in Abdel Monim Ryad street located in Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo, while 40,000 protestors destroyed the National Democratic Party's headquarters in Mansourah city, capital of Daqahlia governorate, Al-Jazeera TV reported.

... All the streets that lead to Al Tahrir Square where thousands of people gathered were blocked.

There is a first-hand report on CBC that I will give a link to from a woman who was in Tahrir Square yesterday during the protests. Interesting account - see it here: http://www.cbc.ca/news/citizenbytes/201 ... ences.html

Protesters tell Yemeni President to quit
Tom Finn
January 29, 2011

SANAA: Thousands of people took to the streets of the Yemeni capital, calling for an end to the reign of the President, Ali Abdullah Saleh, in some of the biggest anti-government rallies Yemen has seen for a decade.

Spurred by events in Tunisia and Egypt, students and opposition activists assembled at four points across the capital on Thursday chanting for Mr Saleh to quit after 32 years in power.

con. http://www.smh.com.au/world/protesters- ... 1a8ef.html

I read a blog last night that it is rumored Mubarack's wife and son have already fled to London. I want to emphasize that this was an [url]unsubstantiated[/url] rumor.

Violent clashes erupt during protests in Egypt

Cairo, Egypt (CNN) -- Thousands of angry anti-government demonstrators took to the streets Friday in several Egyptian cities and clashed with police who fired tear gas to quell the crowds.

In Cairo, the capital, vans packed with riot police circled neighborhoods before the start of weekly prayers Friday afternoon. But protesters, fed up with high unemployment and a lack of freedoms, defied security warnings to demand an end to President Hosni Mubarak's authoritarian 30-year-rule.

Protesters hurled rocks and chanted that Mubarak, the dictator, must go.

The Muslim Brotherhood -- Egypt's largest opposition bloc -- urged its followers to protest after prayers, the first time in the latest wave of unrest that the group has made such a call.

Read more here: http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/01/28/egypt.protests/index.html?hpt=T1&iref=BN1

Breaking news -

Egypt arrests Nobel Prize winner amid violent clashes
Protesters reportedly take over central areas of Suez, Alexandria

CAIRO — Nobel Peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei was under house arrest in Cairo Friday, Egyptian security officials said, as violent anti-government demonstrations swept the country.

Tens of thousands of people were involved in clashes with police — who hit back with rubber bullets, batons, water cannon and tear gas — in a major escalation of the protests against President Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule.

The Al-Jazeera TV network said at least one person was killed in the violence, but this could not be immediately verified. The body of a protester was carried through the streets of the port city of Suez, although it was unclear when he died.

"They have killed my brother," one of the demonstrators shouted.

Reuters and Al-Jazeera reported that the police had abandoned central areas of Suez, after they were unable to disperse the protesters. At least eight police trucks were left behind, Reuters said.

Read more here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41307908/ns/world_news-mideastn_africa/

The Return of the Challenger

Nobel laureate Mohamed ElBaradei is headed back to Egypt despite direct threats against his life. On the eve of his return, the former U.N. official who is the Mubarak regime's most high-profile opponent shared his thoughts about the young people who’ve taken to the streets, political Islam, and the role of the United States.

Read what he has to say here: http://www.newsweek.com/2011/01/27/moha ... enger.html

edited to add: El Baradei has now officially been taking into custody after resuming protests. he has been taken away by security services - confirmed

There are a couple of posters I am following on GLP who seem to have some reliable information. One claims to be a journalist in the UK - Janey. Another claims to be working for the military, but makes it quite obvious that he is spreading a lot of chaff about himself so as not to be indentifiable. I always do my own research on their postings and only post if I find verification. However, they agree on one thing that I cannot substantiate which I think is important enough to post as a rumor.

Police are being notified to be prepared for large demonstrations at Egyptian embassies and perhaps in other locals in major cities in the US, starting today, and also on Saturday. We will know soon, won't we?

Some unsubstantiated remarks from "Janey"

... confirmed some police officers in both Alex and Cairo have joined the protests
Military special forces and security police still holding firm to the regime

... latest figures - up to 1 million believed protesting in Egypt, hundreds of thousands elsewhere still growing exponentially!

... There are confirmed reports that Egyptian protesters are charging the presidential residence, now about 15000 at the palace

... Al Jazeera Arabic: Tahrir Square is now empty of security personnel and it belongs to the protestors.

... "Peter Bouckaert of Human Rights Watch in Alexandria, has just sent an update that the police where he is have given up and are withdrawing."



There is just too much to keep posting. If I see something exceptionally huge, I'll post it. Otherwise, just use Google or Twitter! or even the MSM is reporting though I don't know how much.

Quick summary: The military is coming out of the barracks and onto the streets. Some are telling the police to stand down. People are greeting them, cheering them, shaking hands with them. However there are parts of the military who are still loyal to the regime. How things play out will depend on numbers - what percentage of the military side with the protesters, what part will stay loyal to regime.

Reports: Syria Internet Down As Egypt Blackout Catches On In Middle East
(Friday, January 28th, 2011)

On the same day that Egypt has suspended online activity, Syria has also blocked internet service.

con. http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/Gen ... -East.html

Now Jordan!

Thousands protest in Jordan

Thousands of people in Jordan have taken to the streets in protests, demanding the country's prime minister step down, and the government curb rising prices, inflation and unemployment.

In the third consecutive Friday of protests, about 3,500 opposition activists from Jordan's main Islamist opposition group, trade unions and leftist organisations gathered in the capital, waving colourful banners reading: "Send the corrupt guys to court".

The crowd denounced Samir Rifai's, the prime minister, and his unpopular policies.

Many shouted: "Rifai go away, prices are on fire and so are the Jordanians.''

Another 2,500 people also took to the streets in six other cities across the country after the noon prayers. Those protests also called for Rifai's ouster.

Read more here: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/01/2011128125157509196.html#

Egypt opposition party calls for 'transitional government'
By JPOST.COM STAFF AND ASSOCIATED PRESS
01/28/2011 22:06

Number of dead rises to 16, 11 in Suez, in latest day of protests; military deployed on streets for first time since protests began; ruling party headquarters goes up in flames; ElBaradei under house arrest.

The head of the Egyptian opposition Wafd party on Friday called for a period of transitional rule in Egypt, new parliamentary elections and amendments to the constitution limiting presidential terms, Reuters reported.

con. http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=205675

Sources in Egypt and West: US secretly backed protest
DEBKAfile Special Report January 29, 2011, 3:49 PM (GMT+02:00)

"Egyptian people and army are one"

Persistent claims were heard Saturday, Jan. 29 in various Egyptian and informed western circles that the popular uprising against president Hosni Mubarak, still going strong on its fifth day, was secretly prepared three years ago in Washington during the Bush administration. Saturday morning, people rage gathered steam across Egypt from Mubarak's refusal to step down. Law and order is breaking down in Cairo. At least 100 were dead and 2,000 injured by afternoon as police fired live ammo.

con. http://www.debka.com/

It is confirmed that a great number of looters, including those at the Cairo museum, are police. Here is a pic of a human wall protecting the museum:


http://yfrog.com/h7h2fwj

Tourists besiege Cairo airport, but flights halt.

Associated Press | Posted: Saturday, January 29, 2011 9:58 am

"Hundreds of people crowded the capital's main international airport hoping for a flight out on Saturday but Western carriers were canceling, delaying or suspending service after days of violent unrest.

A British airline turned around its Cairo-bound jet in mid-flight.

con. http://www.mtstandard.com/business/arti ... 4ae23.html