Breaking News & LIVE THREAD- Egypt and Middle East

Various on the internet | 28 January 2011

[SE Mom]

From FOX:

DEVELOPING: Loud explosions and gunfire were heard in the Egyptian capital of Cairo Friday, as protesters demanding the removal of President Hosni Mubarak defied a curfew, Al Jazeera reported. Egyptian television reports the ruling party headquarters in Cairo are on fire.

From TWITTER:

WashingtonPost: Clinton: We urge #Egypt authorities to allow peaceful protest, reverse unprecedented steps it has taken to cut off communications less than 20 seconds ago

[McGruff]

Thanks for all the updates. I'm being held hostage in my cubicle by some paperwork.

[Girlene]

FR thread, Egypt Riots Escalate; Political Prisoners Shot

"Egypt riots escalate; political prisoners shot Riots break out at Egypt jail holding political prisoners, including Muslim Brothers members; eight detainees reportedly killed. Meanwhile, protests in Cairo, Alexandria rage on, demonstrators try to break into Interior Ministry headquarters "................

[SE Mom]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/9380534.stm

1718 The BBC’s Khaled Ezzelarab says he has had to cross several barricades set up by residents to protect themselves from looters in the eastern end of Cairo. Arguments have broken out between the army and protesters because people have been asking the officers to stop the looting, but the army is trying not to get involved at all.

1708 BBC Arabic’s Ranya Sabri says the people are not happy about intelligence chief Omar Suleiman being appointed vice-president. They want Mr Mubarak to leave and they are willing to put up with the chaos in the short-term to get the long-term change they seek, she says.

1704 The BBC’s Lyse Doucet says there is a power vacuum in Cairo, a sprawling metropolis of 12 million people. In some neighbourhoods there is a situation of anarchy, with police stations ransacked and looted, and weapons stolen. In other neighbourhoods, residents have formed vigilante committees, and civilians are even directing traffic. The police are nowhere to be seen.

[kalee]

I had a roommate in college who dated a very westernized Pakistani.
He went home between our jr and sr years told his family that he had met the young lady he wanted to marry and that he wanted to stay in the US with her. They married him off over that summer to the bride of their choice and when he returned she was with him. He kept calling my roommate to tell her he would work it out somehow and they would be together because he loved her. She would tell him no I will not see you, you are married. A couple of her friends, me included, thought he wanted his cake and eat it too, so we were stunned when he then committed suicide. His final note was to my roommate and in it he said he loved her and always would.

[Candor7]

with him in charge, we may end up facing a similar situation here as he imposes or tries to impose his will on us - on we the people!>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Already happening, and he gathers more power using DEATH CARE. Our freedoms have been under attack by him and his Czars since before he was inaugurated. I mean he was invited by Bush for input into the finanial crisis. Thats like having a commie say what he wants done to the country.He was hurting us even before he was elected.

Obama has never been helpful to America,and never will be. He is a parasitic curse on us. ONE which must be destroyed utterly IMHO, and sent packing back into the dark liberal facsist hole from which it emerged .

GET IT?????

HOW COULD AMERICA ELECT SUCH A SCOURGE ON ITS CITIZENS AND THE WORLD? SHAME!!!!!

No one knows even where he was born and yet no one dares to ask him in public to release his COLB?????You bet our freedoms have already been compromised. CAST HIM OFF AND DAMN THE CONSEQUENCES FOR DOING SO.!

[Girlene]

More from, Egypt Riots Escalate

........."Some people have exploited the ongoing riots to settle the score with Egyptian business figures. The al-Arabiya network reported a mass looting of businesses in the Suez area belonging to a prominent businessman, including a lynching at one of the sites. Just like in Tunisia, reports are coming in of "popular committees" set up to prevent attacks on businesses and homes. Overnight, attempts were made to loot the Egypt National Museum."..........

[no-to-illegals]

oh boy...just when I thought I could take a break.

Thank You Girlene, for the update.

[roses of sharon]

Al Arabiya: Egyptian Army publishes hotline number to call for help or report looting. Dial 19614 less than 20 seconds ago via Twitter for iPhone

[no-to-illegals]

Omar Shafeeq is the new Prime Minister

Has this been confirmed?

Post on main board

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2665328/posts .... saying Mubarak has only sworn his intelligence chief Omar Suleiman in as his Vice-President. I must admit, I haven't gone out to look...I will do so.

[SE Mom]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/12316240

Egypt protests day 5: Your stories

Resident, Arab Island street, Cairo
“I live in the Arab League Place in Arab Island street. We saw young people come to our street using motorcycles and other means of transport. They destroyed the shops in the buildings opposite to ours and robbed its contents of furniture and computers and loaded it on cars. They did the same thing to the shops at our building and the one next to us.

There are no security forces in the street, and I called the fire brigade but no one answered the phone. We spoke to a senior police officer and he told us that they were given strict orders to pull out.

They want the police to pull out so they’ll say that ‘these are the people who are uprising and protesting, and that Egyptians are thieves.’ But the protests in the morning were different and they aren’t the thugs and thieves who were carrying knives and swords whom we saw at night.

My granddaughter had to leave her home because of looting and smashing of shops and setting fire to them, but the fire brigade came and put it out.

We have no protection at all, there are no security forces now, while they were all over the place in the morning. There are also no army troops in the area, I don’t know if the army is conspiring with them or not.

We felt happy when the army tanks passed by our building, but they kept going without doing a thing. I thought of going down to the street to call them back and ask them to help us and protect us.”

...more at the link..

[no-to-illegals]

oh my...and I thought there was a lull .... I spoke or typed too soon .... my apology.

[SE Mom]

Well..there is a lull of sorts but now the action seems to be spreading around the country.

[Delta Dawn]

Truly a dumb idea. If you want to get American soldiers killed, station them in the middle of a war zone.

[Girlene]

Protests force Egypt bank and market shutdown

"Egypt's banks will be closed on Sunday, the first day of the country's business week, the deputy central bank governor said, a move analysts said could spook investors looking to trade after unprecedented countrywide protests.

In a week which has seen nervous investors scramble into gold, a traditional bolt-hole in uncertain times, Hisham Ramez also told Reuters the central bank's reserves were strong at $36bn, banks were liquid and any capital flight by foreign investor "hot money" would be short-lived."........

............." Egypt's stock market, which tumbled 16pc in two days after the unrest erupted, will also be closed on Sunday. The Egyptian pound fell to six-year lows.

"Obviously the central bank is worried about a run on the banks which is significant and foretelling about what they are expecting to happen in the next few days. There is a near paralysis," said John Sfakianakis, an economist at Banque Saudi Fransi-Credit Agricole. "..............

[sunmars]

Oh its getting worse, its regime thugs deliberately looting and attacking people, caught with police and Govt ID’s.

All over Al Jazeera : This will cause trouble. Complete collapse.

So thats where all the cops went?

[PghBaldy]

Fox occasionally will have one, but without sound, IIRC. I saw it in the last few days. It was someone else’s video, but it Fox News dot com had it.

[roses of sharon]

CNN reporting that youth rioters setting up ck points for vehicles...stopping people in their cars a robbing them, taking their cars.

CNN reporters blew past 3 of them.

[HollyB]

Thx for the updates.

Did you see the pics of the National Museum after the looting? Very sad, glass broken, some things were stolen. Appears the military is back in position there.

Opposition leader ElBaradei says nation will collapse if Mubarak stays.

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

The plan is to make this appear as a Liberal, liberation, freedom motivated effort. “All they want is Democracy, to be free of their oppressive government.”

But deep down inside the MB is positioning themselves to become hero's. Then will come the “wonderful” Clerics and Mullahs wanting “peace and Muslim unity”.

Then, will come the “vote”. That is when another Totalitarian Islamofascist ruler like Khomeini will likely take power. And like Iran, will have their future provided for them by Islamic Rule.

Next stop, Israel..........

[HollyB]

It has gone from political protest to anarchy.