29-01-2011, 12:09 AM
[Image: 737d4316-2aef-11e0-a2f3-00144feab49a.jpg]
Egyptian security forces have used rubber bullets, tear gas and water canon in running battles with tens of thousands of anti-government demonstrators demanding that Hosni Mubarak, the president, step down.
The demonstrations, the fourth consecutive day of protests in Egypt, started after Muslim Friday prayers. The most serious clashes took place in the capital Cairo, but people also took to the streets in towns across the country.
Their scale is unprecedented in a country where any form of public dissent is usually harshly suppressed. Local media reported at ;east two deaths, one in Cairo and one in Suez, and dozens of injuries.
Some protesters shouted: “The people want to bring down the regimeâ€, a slogan taken from the recent protests in Tunisia, that toppled Zein al-Abidine Ben Ali, who had been president for 23 years.
Sarah, a media production worker handing out vinegar to protesters to combat the effect of tear gas, said she was not afraid even though she knew the authorities might turn violent. “I know that they will attack us and maybe we will die,†she said.
Mohamed, a student soaked by water cannon fire, said he would not be cowed by the police response. “We will do what we need to,†he said.
Obtaining an accurate picture of the unfolding events has been hampered by the authorities ordering all mobile phone operators to suspend services in certain parts of the country.
There has also been a blackout of the internet countrywide for most of the day.
Mohamed ElBaradei, the Nobel laureate and reform advocate who returned to Egypt vowing to join the protests on Thursday, and thousands of people with him near Giza on Cairo’s outskirts were driven from the main streets following the heavy use of tear gas by the security forces.
However the crowd quickly regrouped and advanced again towards the police lines, demanding Mr Mubarak resign and singing the national anthem. Many chanted “Salamiya,†which, they said, means peaceful, to show they were not seeking confrontation.
A policeman said: “Whoever raises his head today we will stamp on it with our feet. Who is this ElBaradei who thinks he can lead Egypt?â€
Al Arabiya television reported some policemen took off their uniforms and either joined the protesters or went home.
A Cairo housewife not participating in the protests said of Mr Mubarak said: “He should go now, with dignity. How long can this go on?â€
Local media reported that security forces were beating many people, with Al Arabiya reporting that its crew was among those assaulted and had had its equipment confiscated. CNN, the US-based network, also reported that one of its cameras had been confiscated.
Police have closed off Tahrir Square in the centre of modern Cairo and clashes were reported outside the Azhar mosque in the heart of the old city. Protests were reported in Mohandassin, Shubra and Matariya in Cairo and in the provincial towns of Minya, Mansoura, Aswan and Alexandria, the port city of Suez, scene of violent clashes on Thursday, and the tourist resort town of Luxor.
Al Jazeera television reported that tens of thousands of people in Mansoura were trying to storm the headquarters of the ruling National Democratic party. Protesters have also been seeking to approach the presidential palace.
Vodafone, the UK-based mobile operator which runs a joint venture with Egypt Telecom, confirmed on Friday that it had been asked by the Egyptian government to “suspend services in selected areasâ€.
The crackdown on communication networks follows the arrest overnight of several leading members of the opposition banned Muslim Brotherhood.
Abdel-Gelil El-Sharnoubi, the editor of the Brotherhood’s official website, told Bloomberg that seven senior leaders from the group’s guidance council had been detained overnight.
Access to the internet was cut countrywide and television correspondents reported interference with mobile phones. Heba Morayef, Egypt researcher at Human Rights Watch, said: “The government stopped blocking Twitter yesterday, but then all of a sudden last night a lot of us couldn’t get internet – so people can’t organise.â€
Ban Ki-moon, UN secretary-general, on Friday appealed to both Egypt’s leaders and its people to “avoid further violenceâ€. “I have been calling on the authorities to see this situation as an opportunity to address the legitimate concerns of their people,†he told a news conference at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
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In case you are not tracking this news and kept wondering if the UMich Sentiment Survey has such drastic effect on the markets tonight, this is the actual reason.
And to add on.. Yemen and Jordan has just joined the Egyptians in their respective countries protests after the Tunisians.
Oil spike? Maybe.. I can see alot of oil traders are taking large positions on either side right now. Its volatile at current moment.
Egyptian security forces have used rubber bullets, tear gas and water canon in running battles with tens of thousands of anti-government demonstrators demanding that Hosni Mubarak, the president, step down.
The demonstrations, the fourth consecutive day of protests in Egypt, started after Muslim Friday prayers. The most serious clashes took place in the capital Cairo, but people also took to the streets in towns across the country.
Their scale is unprecedented in a country where any form of public dissent is usually harshly suppressed. Local media reported at ;east two deaths, one in Cairo and one in Suez, and dozens of injuries.
Some protesters shouted: “The people want to bring down the regimeâ€, a slogan taken from the recent protests in Tunisia, that toppled Zein al-Abidine Ben Ali, who had been president for 23 years.
Sarah, a media production worker handing out vinegar to protesters to combat the effect of tear gas, said she was not afraid even though she knew the authorities might turn violent. “I know that they will attack us and maybe we will die,†she said.
Mohamed, a student soaked by water cannon fire, said he would not be cowed by the police response. “We will do what we need to,†he said.
Obtaining an accurate picture of the unfolding events has been hampered by the authorities ordering all mobile phone operators to suspend services in certain parts of the country.
There has also been a blackout of the internet countrywide for most of the day.
Mohamed ElBaradei, the Nobel laureate and reform advocate who returned to Egypt vowing to join the protests on Thursday, and thousands of people with him near Giza on Cairo’s outskirts were driven from the main streets following the heavy use of tear gas by the security forces.
However the crowd quickly regrouped and advanced again towards the police lines, demanding Mr Mubarak resign and singing the national anthem. Many chanted “Salamiya,†which, they said, means peaceful, to show they were not seeking confrontation.
A policeman said: “Whoever raises his head today we will stamp on it with our feet. Who is this ElBaradei who thinks he can lead Egypt?â€
Al Arabiya television reported some policemen took off their uniforms and either joined the protesters or went home.
A Cairo housewife not participating in the protests said of Mr Mubarak said: “He should go now, with dignity. How long can this go on?â€
Local media reported that security forces were beating many people, with Al Arabiya reporting that its crew was among those assaulted and had had its equipment confiscated. CNN, the US-based network, also reported that one of its cameras had been confiscated.
Police have closed off Tahrir Square in the centre of modern Cairo and clashes were reported outside the Azhar mosque in the heart of the old city. Protests were reported in Mohandassin, Shubra and Matariya in Cairo and in the provincial towns of Minya, Mansoura, Aswan and Alexandria, the port city of Suez, scene of violent clashes on Thursday, and the tourist resort town of Luxor.
Al Jazeera television reported that tens of thousands of people in Mansoura were trying to storm the headquarters of the ruling National Democratic party. Protesters have also been seeking to approach the presidential palace.
Vodafone, the UK-based mobile operator which runs a joint venture with Egypt Telecom, confirmed on Friday that it had been asked by the Egyptian government to “suspend services in selected areasâ€.
The crackdown on communication networks follows the arrest overnight of several leading members of the opposition banned Muslim Brotherhood.
Abdel-Gelil El-Sharnoubi, the editor of the Brotherhood’s official website, told Bloomberg that seven senior leaders from the group’s guidance council had been detained overnight.
Access to the internet was cut countrywide and television correspondents reported interference with mobile phones. Heba Morayef, Egypt researcher at Human Rights Watch, said: “The government stopped blocking Twitter yesterday, but then all of a sudden last night a lot of us couldn’t get internet – so people can’t organise.â€
Ban Ki-moon, UN secretary-general, on Friday appealed to both Egypt’s leaders and its people to “avoid further violenceâ€. “I have been calling on the authorities to see this situation as an opportunity to address the legitimate concerns of their people,†he told a news conference at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
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In case you are not tracking this news and kept wondering if the UMich Sentiment Survey has such drastic effect on the markets tonight, this is the actual reason.
And to add on.. Yemen and Jordan has just joined the Egyptians in their respective countries protests after the Tunisians.
Oil spike? Maybe.. I can see alot of oil traders are taking large positions on either side right now. Its volatile at current moment.