A bank employee who called 911 at the beginning of a three-hour standoff told dispatchers that she was ordered to call police by the armed man who was holding another worker at gunpoint. (Feb. 11)
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News of Egyptian president’s departure spread rapidly through region, where other authoritarian rulers are in power Algeria In another military dominated north African state with a long-term authoritarian ruler, the Egyptian drama came on the eve of pro-democracy protests that could turn violent. “Even with Mubarak’s departure, it’s not certain that everything will be immediately resolved,” said historian Daho Djerbal. “But a shockwave is running through all the societies of this region, and other despots will go. There is an idea of the birth of a new republic in which sovereignty is being returned to the people. The people are becoming aware of their power. In Algeria it’s slower than elsewhere because we only have a very young new middle class, after it was destroyed under colonialism.” Tunisia Four weeks after Tunisia’s own revolution, the news from Egypt was received with joy. “There has been an explosion of joy on the streets of Tunis. People are gathering outside the Egyptian embassy to express their happiness,” said Abdelraham Hedidhi, a trade unionist. “There has been a great breath of revolution blowing on the wind across the region and Tunisians are very proud to have played their part in starting it. Mubarak’s departure will help us in our efforts to set up our own democracy. Because of the power and importance of Egypt in the Arab world, other countries will follow: Yemen, Jordan, Algeria. There is a new power to the people.” Jordan Six weeks of calls for political change have led to a tense truce between Jordan’s monarchy and a restless opposition. Central Amman, which has played host to waves of protests in recent weeks, was alive with talk of Egypt and the rapid success of the region’s rage against the regimes. Former deputy prime minister Ayman al-Safidi was confident that the people’s demands could be addressed through reform rather than revolution. “The old guard has been forceful in protecting their interests,” he said. “We have to be much more assertive in pushing for the type of reforms that we are going to have. We cannot stand still in the face of time.” Israel Israel will now be uncertain about future relations with Egypt. The peace treaty between the two countries that has been in place for more than 30 years has not exactly made them warm allies, but the peace has held. Israeli ministers have been warning for almost three weeks that regime change in Egypt could end the “cold peace” between the nations. Their worst fears are that the Muslim Brotherhood will gain in power and influence and Egypt will adopt a hostile attitude towards the Jewish state. There was no immediate reaction to Mubarak’s resignation from the prime minister’s office. Binyamin Netanyahu has been telling international counterparts that Israel expects any future Egyptian government to honour the peace treaty and that the international community should be making that clear. Gaza Hamas called on people to rally all over Gaza on Friday night to celebrate Mubarak’s resignation. People were raising Egyptian flags, and some Hamas fighters have fired weapons into the air since the announcement. Mahmoud Zahar, a senior Hamas leader in Gaza, said Hamas hoped to benefit from the developments, calling for improved relations between Egypt and the Islamic movement. The Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas’s close allies, “are present everywhere”, he said. He would not be drawn on whether a new Egyptian regime may wish to review the peace treaty it signed with Israel more than 30 years ago. “There is no clear picture about the new government, but it will be controlled by the army to begin with,” he said. “We are hoping to benefit.” Lebanon Guns were fired into the air in the Shia Muslim stronghold suburbs of south Beirut last night as residents celebrated the news. Mubarak had been the subject of regular taunts from Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah, particularly over Egypt’s strict control of the Rafah border crossing in southern Gaza, which was rarely opened to allow Palestinians to cross. In the predominantly Sunni Muslim west Beirut, the public reaction was muted, although there was keen interest in cafes and bars where television coverage of the momentous events in Cairo was screening continuously. Middle East Egypt Hosni Mubarak Algeria Tunisia Jordan Israel Gaza Palestinian territories Lebanon Harriet Sherwood Angelique Chrisafis Martin Chulov Hazem Balousha guardian.co.uk
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Ingmar Guandique, an illegal immigrant from El Salvador convicted of first-degree murder in Washington intern Chandra Levy’s 2001 disappearance and death, was sentenced Friday to 60 years in prison. (Feb. 11)
Continue reading …The Sudanese ceasefire has been broken, with more than 100 people killed in a series of clashes between the Sudanese army and rebels, al-Jazeera reports. The military says fighters loyal to rebel leader George Athor attacked an army base in Jonglei earlier this week, setting off the violence. In the…
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Jubilant Egyptians celebrate Hosni Mubarak’s resignation Cairo, in Arabic, means “victorious”. Last night the Egyptian capital lived up to its name. The crowds that had been steadily gathering outside the presidential palace all afternoon were swaying with their normal rhythm of quietly controlled passion, pockets of singing here, flags waved there. Word spread that an important announcement was expected, but few held out much hope. They had anticipated triumph the night before and seen it snatched from their hands. This time, though, it would be different. At 6pm, beneath the Belle Époque domes of the building from which President Hosni Mubarak had ruled for so long, a cry went out that he was gone. In an instant the street was convulsed with a wild, directionless surge of energy. For a few moments it was simply a wall of sound, and Egypt’s national colours blurred through the sky from every angle. And then the world came back into focus. “Freedom,” roared a jubilant crush of humanity, as the party got under way. Families and friends were torn apart in the throng, but it didn’t matter; hugs and kisses and dances were being thrown out indiscriminately. People bounced from one circle of cheering youths to another; some put their Egyptian flags down on the floor and began to pray, others fainted – quite overcome with the emotion. “For 18 days we have withstood tear gas, rubber bullets, live ammunition, molotov cocktails, thugs on horseback, the scepticism and fear of our loved ones, and the worst sort of ambivalence from an international community that claims to care about democracy,” said Karim Medhat Ennarah, a protester with tears in his eyes. “But we held our ground. We did it. “My late father was part of a sit-in at the faculty of engineering in Cairo University in 1968 – the first protest seen in Egypt since Nasser took over in 1952,” he added. “His generation tell me that they were not as brave as us, but they started something and played their part. Today, we finished the job for them.” Soon the march back to Tahrir Square, in the centre of Cairo, was under way, serenaded by car horns, onlookers on their balconies punching the air, and a blast of amateur fireworks that shot through the crowd at just above head height and exploded to cheers. Tariq Ashri, a 42-year-old administrative assistant, had spent the morning walking the 10 miles down the road to the palace in a mood of defiance. Now he was walking back in joy. “I feel free at last,” he told the Guardian. “We’ve had 30 years of dreaming about democracy, now tomorrow the dreaming is over and the real work begins.” Around him, a chant went up in memory of the 300 people who have died at the hands of Mubarak’s forces since the protests began 18 days ago, as the 82-year-old president tried to cling on to power. “Be happy martyrs, for today we feast at your victory,” they sang. Military police in red berets were all smiles and thumbs-up to the crowd. Apprehension about what might happen next in a country now under army control was being pushed aside to allow for celebrations, but as the procession reached the high-walled ministry of defence, Egyptians could not resist reminding their new overlords of who now held the balance of power in the Arab world’s most populous nation. “Here, here, the Egyptians are here,” they shouted up at the darkened windows. From one, a senior officer responded with a V-sign peace salute. And so, at last, they reached Tahrir Square, the spiritual home of this revolution that showed the world not just how a western-backed strongman could be brought down by his own people, but how broad-based, non-sectarian and all-inclusive that population could be when doing it. With flares in one corner, an impromptu concert in another, and sheer exhilaration in between, the party was as leaderless as the uprising it celebrated. Haisam Abu-Sabra was in the thick of it. He said: “For the first time in my life tonight, I say proudly: I am Egyptian.” Egypt Middle East Hosni Mubarak Protest Jack Shenker guardian.co.uk
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Photo via Wikimedia creative commons Sea cucumbers are admittedly one of those critters where you look at them ant think, “Exactly what is your purpose?” The nubbed blobs don’t seem to do much at first glance, other than maybe an easy snack, but it turns out they could be exactly what we need to stave off pollution from aquaculture. Because sea cucumbers act like the worms of the sea, cleaning up the sea bed and mixing marine sediments, scientists at Newcastle University in North East England are calling them the next miracle for marine pollution. … Read the full story on TreeHugger
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Urban Improv of the Day: As promised, not-a-single-f*ck-giver Rémi Gaillard takes to the streets dressed as Mario for another authority-challenging round of Mario Kart IRL. (No turtles were harmed during the making of this video.) [ nqtv / thd .] Earlier: Remi Kart 1 . Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : The Daily What Discovery Date : 11/02/2011 20:59 Number of articles : 4
Continue reading …Egyptian army calls the shots as nation embarks on democratic transition
February 11, 2011 No Comment
• Veteran commander will steer Egyptian political reforms • Uncertainty over military’s role following years of control Field Marshal Mohammed Hussein Tantawi, the 75-year-old commander of Egypt’s armed forces and head of the Supreme Military Council, is the new face of power in Cairo now that Hosni Mubarak has finally stepped down. Tantawi is in charge of steering the country through political reforms that should change the way Egypt has been ruled for nearly 60 years – a prospect that is already sending shockwaves across the Arab world. It is a task which is also likely to pose problems for an institution that is keen on preserving its own power, privileges and status. The military council is expected to quickly suspend both houses of parliament and rule with the civilian head of the supreme constitutional court for a transitional period of just a few months. A free and fair presidential election has been promised for September. If Tantawi and the generals are still in charge at the end of this year, then the great hopes of the uprising will have been dashed. Last night, Egypt’s military said it would not act as a substitute for a “legitimate” government. A military spokesman, in a brief televised statement, said the armed forces would later announce measures and arrangements to introduce the changes Egyptians want. He also praised Mubarak for his contribution to the nation. It always seemed likely that the army, the most powerful player in Egyptian politics since the 1952 revolution, would step in as the guardian of stability once the unprecedented unrest began. The US, Israel and other Arab regimes will most likely welcome it, keeping their qualms to themselves. And so, for the moment, will many ordinary Egyptians – but only if it is the prelude to far-reaching change. Rule by the military can only be temporary. Mubarak’s exit, the dissolution of what is seen as an illegitimate parliament dominated by the ruling party, key constitutional reforms and abolition of the hated emergency laws are all non-negotiable demands. If those reforms are achieved then Egypt will have witnessed a real, transformative revolution – far beyond the removal of a stubborn 82-year-old president long past his sell-by date. It had seemed clear from the events of recent days – especially the contradictory messages before Mubarak’s last defiant TV address to the nation on Thursday – that the army is divided. Tantawi, privately scorned by younger officers as Mubarak’s “poodle,” is a conservative figure and like his old boss a veteran of wars with Israel. But as the dust cleared, the newspaper al-Ahram reported that the addresses by Mubarak and his vice-president and former spy chief, Omar Suleiman, were in defiance of the wishes of the armed forces. If the military now moves solely to protect its own position, and that of the big businessmen who have done so well out of their links with the regime – then the system will not open up, at least not without repression and bloodshed. Mubarak’s replacement by the military council will mean a resumption of talks that began earlier this week on constitutional and other changes, though they were pronounced dead by opposition groups almost before they began. But with goodwill it should now be possible to amend or rewrite the constitution to allow the election of a new parliament and president. It could, however, all still take months to agree, risking impatience in the streets and new unrest. Egyptian and foreign commentators are sharply aware of how difficult it will be for the military to accept a democratic transition that includes the legalisation of its bugbear, the banned Muslim Brotherhood, the most powerful opposition force in the country. “This is just the end of the beginning,” said Jon Alterman of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies. “Egypt isn’t moving toward democracy, it’s moved into martial law and where it goes is now subject to debate.” Analysts also see risks for the army in the new situation, exposed to demands for a civilian transitional government that could challenge or dilute its own authority or launch investigations into corruption or human rights abuses. The army may also want to avoid an armed clash with the Republican Guards that would seriously destabilise the country and further rob the regime of legitimacy. Another danger, commented the Arabist blogger Issandr Amrani, is that the army could become a target of the protesters. “There’s always been a core of activists who want to see the end of military dominance over Egypt,” he wrote. “It’s not clear whether it’s the majority, or even if this sentiment is echoed in the wider, silent Egyptian public. The army’s key problem … is that they suck at communicating. Their battle to retain public legitimacy may be lost because of bad PR and tone-deafness.” Egypt Hosni Mubarak Middle East Ian Black guardian.co.uk
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As the military in Egypt takes power, the United States is hoping years of joint exercises with its armed forces pays off. Egyptian military officials have trained with their US counterparts and top commanders keep close contact. (Feb. 11)
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