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Pro-democracy
protesters gather in Cairo's Tahrir Square for the "day of departure," a day
they believe Egyptian Pres. Hosni Mubarak will relinquish power to an interim
government and commit himself to exile. |
Protesters
Amass in Cairo for
'Day of
Departure' for Mubarak
AP/The Independent
The Egyptian military guarded thousands of protesters pouring into Cairo's main
square today in an attempt to drive out President Hosni Mubarak after a week and
half of pro-democracy demonstrations. The Obama administration, meanwhile, said
it was in talks with top Egyptian officials about the possibility of Mubarak
immediately resigning, and an interim government forming before free and fair
elections this year. Egyptian Defense Minister Hussein Tantawi and senior army
officials visited the square this morning and soldiers were checking IDs and
performing body searches at its entrances, a sign that Egypt's most powerful
institution was sanctioning the demonstration. US officials said the creation of
a military-backed caretaker government was one of several ideas being discussed
between the Egyptian regime and the Obama administration...Among the options was
a proposal for Mubarak to resign immediately and cede power to a transitional
government run by Vice President Omar Suleiman, the officials said...
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 Algeria
Promises More
Freedoms to
Avert Protests
Thomson-Reuters
Algeria promised to end a 19-year-old state of emergency and provide more
political freedoms on Thursday, concessions designed to keep out a wave of
uprisings sweeping the Arab world. The announcement by the energy exporting
nation followed pressure from government opponents, some inspired by unrest in
Egypt and Tunisia, who demanded the emergency powers be scrapped and are
planning a protest in the capital on February 12. Algeria's government had
argued it needed the extra powers under the state of emergency to fight Islamist
militants linked to al Qaeda but the insurgency has abated, sparking public
debate about whether those powers are still justified. The lifting of the state
of emergency will happen "in the very near future," official media quoted
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika as telling a meeting of senior ministers.
 Yemen's
'Day of Rage'
More
Peaceful Than Raging
The Mail and Guardian
Tens of thousands of Yemenis squared off in peaceful protests for and against
the government on Thursday during an opposition-led "Day of Rage", a day after
President Ali Abdullah Saleh offered to step down in 2013. The peaceful
protests faded out by midday as planned, suggesting Yemenis outside the
traditional opposition activist core had not been motivated to transform the
rally into a self-sustaining, Egyptian-style mass upheaval. Still, the
opposition drew more than 20 000 people in Sana'a, the biggest crowd since a
wave of demonstrations hit the Arabian Peninsula state two weeks ago, inspired
by protests that toppled Tunisia's ruler and threaten Egypt's president...Saleh,
in power for 30 years but eyeing the unrest spreading in the Arab world,
indicated on Wednesday he would leave office when his term ends in 2013. He
pledged, among a host of other political concessions, that his son would not
take over the reins of government.
 Pro-Democracy
Protests
Held in
Jordan and Syria
Al Jazeera
Hundreds of Jordanians have marched in Amman, the capital, demanding economic
and political reforms, while also supporting the revolution unfolding in Egypt.
Protesters from leftist groups and the Muslim Brotherhood marched from the prime
minister's office to the Egyptian embassy on Friday, calling for change in their
country. The action comes a day after King Abdullah of Jordan met with Muslim
Brotherhood leaders at the royal palace, in an attempt to defuse tensions in the
country. Meanwhile, security is being beefed up in Syria ahead of planned
anti-government demonstrations in Damascus, the capital. Campaigns on social
networking sites Facebook and Twitter have called for a "day of rage" on Friday
and Saturday, following similar actions in Yemen, Egypt and Tunisia. Bashar
al-Assad, Syria's president, has resisted calls for political freedoms and
jailed many critics of his regime.
 Egyptian Army
Moves to
Stop Assault on Protesters
AP/Yahoo! News
Egyptian army tanks and soldiers cleared away pro-government rioters and
deployed between them and protesters seeking the fall of President Hosni
Mubarak, as the prime minister made an unprecedented apology Thursday for the
assault by regime backers that turned central Cairo into a battle zone. Prime
Minister Ahmed Shafiq told state TV that the attack Wednesday on the
anti-government protesters was a "blatant mistake" and promised to investigate
who was behind it. The protesters accuse the regime of organizing the assault,
using paid thugs and policemen in civilian clothes, in an attempt to crush their
movement. Government supporters charged central Tahrir Square Wednesday
afternoon, sparking 15 hours of uncontrolled chaos, with the two sides battled
with rocks, sticks, bottles and firebombs as soldiers largely stood by without
intervening.
 Report:
Obama Administration Pressures
Removal of Mubarak
DEBKAfile
President Barack Obama delivered an ultimatum to Egyptian Vice President Omar
Suleiman and the army and security chiefs Wednesday: Mubarak must be removed in
the coming hours or else US aid to Egypt will be cut off, DEBKAfile's Washington
sources report. Pressure on the Egyptian armed forces to oust the president
forthwith was further applied by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who called
Vice President Omar Suleiman, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates who called
Egyptian defense minister Mohamed Tantawi, and US armed forces chief Adm. Mike
Mullen in a telephone call to the Egyptian chief of staff Gen. Sami Enan. Obama
slapped down his ultimatum when he saw Mubarak had unleashed the strong-arm
squads of his National Democratic Party against the anti-government protesters,
the day after he told the nation that he would stay for the remainder of his
term as president.
 Claims
Stuxnet Cleared from Bushehr
Nuclear Reactor Premature
AP/News.com.au
The control systems of Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant penetrated by a computer
worm unleashed last year could appear to be functioning normally while the
reactor is melting down. A new foreign intelligence report yesterday warned it
was premature to assume the danger posed by the Stuxnet virus - which Iran
admitted hit the laptops of technicians working at Bushehr - had passed. The
report, drawn up by a nation closely monitoring Iran's nuclear program and
obtained by The Associated Press, warned of a possible Chernobyl-like disaster
once the site becomes fully operational. The report said conclusions drawn up by
other watchdogs which claimed the danger had passed were premature and based on
the "casual assessment" by Russian and Iranian scientists at Bushehr.
 Egyptian
President Mubarak to Step Down in September
FOX News
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak says he will not run for a new term in office
in September elections and will work during the rest of his term for a "peaceful
transfer of power" in a new attempt to defuse massive protests demanding his
immediate ouster. In a speech aired on state TV Tuesday night, Mubarak said, "In
all sincerity, regardless of the current circumstances, I never intended to be a
candidate for another term." He says he will work during "the final months of my
current term" to carry out the "necessary steps for the peaceful transfer of
power." President Obama asked Mubarak Tuesday not to seek re-election in
September, effectively ending his 30-year reign, a source tells FOX News.
Al-Jazeera is reporting that the Egyptian Embassy in Tel Aviv is making
preparations to welcome him into exile.
 ElBaradei
Edging Closer to Being Named Interim Egypt's President
The London Telegraph
Mohamed ElBaradei was edging towards taking over as Egypt's interim president on
Tuesday afternoon as support fell away from President Hosni Mubarak. Reports
from sources close to the former UN nuclear agency chief said he met senior
figures from the army on Tuesday morning as protesters gathered in major cities
calling for Mr. Mubarak to go. He also held a meeting with Omar Suleiman, the
new vice-president, and representative of a number of opposition parties. Mr.
Suleiman also talked to other opposition figures. The US ambassador, was another
caller, by telephone – the United States had not confirmed any direct contact
with Mr. ElBaradeias as late as Monday afternoon...Mr. ElBaradei is not
personally popular, but the lack of an alternative future for Egypt after a
regime change that looks increasingly likely has made the former UN nuclear
agency chief the most credible candidate to maintain stable government.
 Mubarak Loyalists Attack Protesters
News24.com
Several thousand supporters of President Hosni Mubarak, including some riding
horses and camels and wielding whips, attacked anti-government protesters on
Wednesday as Egypt's upheaval took a dangerous new turn. In chaotic scenes, the
two sides pelted each other with stones, and protesters dragged attackers off
their horses. The turmoil was the first significant violence between supporters
of the two camps in more than a week of anti-government protests. It erupted
after Mubarak went on national television the night before and rejected demands
he step down immediately and said he would serve out the remaining seven months
of his term. At one point, a small contingent of pro-Mubarak forces on horseback
and camels rushed into the anti-Mubarak crowds, swinging whips and sticks to
beat people. Protesters retaliated, dragging some from their mounts, throwing
them to the ground and beating their faces bloody.
 UN:
North Korea Has Additional
Secret Nuclear Sites
BBC News
UN experts believe North Korea has at least one hidden nuclear site, according
to leaks of a UN report. The report relies on evidence from US scientist
Siegfried Hecker who visited a secret site in November last year. He told the
UN's panel of experts that the centrifuges he saw probably came from other
hidden facilities, say reports quoting unnamed diplomats. The panel's report,
which has not yet been published, was handed to the Security Council last week.
North Korean officials showed Mr. Hecker, from Stanford University, an
apparently fully functional uranium enrichment plant at the Yongbyon complex in
November. Diplomats told Bloomberg that their report concluded that centrifuges
and other equipment at the Yongbyon reactor had previously operated at one or
more secret locations. "There's no way they could have outfitted the centrifuge
facility between 2009 and now without there being additional secret sites." |
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