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Egypt is about to dump Mubarak


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Squatters take over Saif Gaddafi's London home

Saif-Gaddafis-house-in-Ha-007.jpg

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/mar/09/libya-muammar-gaddafi

America's secret plan to arm Libya's rebels

Obama asks Saudis to airlift weapons into Benghazi

By Robert Fisk, Middle East Correspondent

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/americas-secret-plan-to-arm-libyas-rebels-2234227.html

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CAIRO — Clashes that broke out when a Muslim mob attacked thousands of Christians protesting the burning of a Cairo church killed at least 13 people and wounded about 140, officials said Wednesday.

The Muslims torched the church amid an escalation of tensions over a love affair between a Muslim and a Christian that set off a violent feud between the couple’s families.

The officials said all 13 fatalities died of gunshot wounds.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

The clashes late Tuesday night added to a sense of ongoing chaos in Egypt after the momentous 18-day democracy uprising that toppled longtime leader Hosni Mubarak on Feb. 11. The uprising left a security vacuum after police pulled out of Cairo and several other cities three days into the uprising.

The police have yet to fully take back the streets, leaving space for a wave of violent crime and lawlessness in some parts of the nation.

In a separate incident, at least two people were wounded when rival crowds pelted each other with rocks at Cairo’s central Tahrir Square, the uprising’s epicenter, according to an Associated Press Television News cameraman at the scene. He said the violence pitted youths camping out at the square to press their demand for a complete break with the ousted regime and another group that is opposed to their continued presence at the square.

The Christian protesters on Tuesday blocked a vital highway, burning tires and pelting cars with rocks. An angry crowd of Muslims set upon the Christians and the two sides fought pitched battles for about four hours.

Mubarak handed power to the military when he stepped down, but the military does not have enough troops to patrol every street in Cairo, a sprawling city of some 18 million people that is chaotic at the best of times.

Even before the uprising unleashed a torrent of discontent, tensions had been growing between Christians and Muslims in this country of 80 million.

On New Year’s Day, a suicide bombing outside a Coptic church in the port city of Alexandria killed 21 people, setting off days of protests. Barely a week later, an off-duty policeman boarded a train and shot dead a 71-year-old Christian man and wounding his wife and four others.

Egypt’s ruling generals have pledged last week to rebuild the torched church and the country’s new prime minister, Essam Sharaf, has met the protesters outside the TV building in downtown Cairo to reassure them that his interim government would not discriminate against them.

But the Christians were not appeased. At least 2,000 of them protested on the highway on Tuesday night and a separate crowd of several hundred has been camping out outside the TV building for days to voice their anger at what they perceive to be official discrimination against them.

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CAIRO Clashes that broke out when a Muslim mob attacked thousands of Christians protesting the burning of a Cairo church killed at least 13 people and wounded about 140, officials said Wednesday.

The Muslims torched the church amid an escalation of tensions over a love affair between a Muslim and a Christian that set off a violent feud between the couples families.

The officials said all 13 fatalities died of gunshot wounds.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

The clashes late Tuesday night added to a sense of ongoing chaos in Egypt after the momentous 18-day democracy uprising that toppled longtime leader Hosni Mubarak on Feb. 11. The uprising left a security vacuum after police pulled out of Cairo and several other cities three days into the uprising.

The police have yet to fully take back the streets, leaving space for a wave of violent crime and lawlessness in some parts of the nation.

In a separate incident, at least two people were wounded when rival crowds pelted each other with rocks at Cairos central Tahrir Square, the uprisings epicenter, according to an Associated Press Television News cameraman at the scene. He said the violence pitted youths camping out at the square to press their demand for a complete break with the ousted regime and another group that is opposed to their continued presence at the square.

The Christian protesters on Tuesday blocked a vital highway, burning tires and pelting cars with rocks. An angry crowd of Muslims set upon the Christians and the two sides fought pitched battles for about four hours.

Mubarak handed power to the military when he stepped down, but the military does not have enough troops to patrol every street in Cairo, a sprawling city of some 18 million people that is chaotic at the best of times.

Even before the uprising unleashed a torrent of discontent, tensions had been growing between Christians and Muslims in this country of 80 million.

On New Years Day, a suicide bombing outside a Coptic church in the port city of Alexandria killed 21 people, setting off days of protests. Barely a week later, an off-duty policeman boarded a train and shot dead a 71-year-old Christian man and wounding his wife and four others.

Egypts ruling generals have pledged last week to rebuild the torched church and the countrys new prime minister, Essam Sharaf, has met the protesters outside the TV building in downtown Cairo to reassure them that his interim government would not discriminate against them.

But the Christians were not appeased. At least 2,000 of them protested on the highway on Tuesday night and a separate crowd of several hundred has been camping out outside the TV building for days to voice their anger at what they perceive to be official discrimination against them.

Totally sucks. During the protests Copts made human chains around Muslims that were praying and vice versa guess it's better when the two parties of god have a common enemy (there's been a history of discrimination against christian copts in Egypt).

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http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/110309/yemen-violence-protests-sanaa-nerve-gas

Doctors in Yemen say nerve gas used on protesters

Victims complain of symptoms similar to those caused by nerve gas after clashes with government forces.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12697077

Yemen: President Saleh announces 'parliamentary system'

Shortly after, opposition spokesman Mohamed Qahtan rejected the president's initiative, saying it had come too late.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/03/20113917595654981.html

Thousands stage rally in Bahrain

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2011/03/lebanon-protest-against-sectarian-system-draws-large-crowds.htmlgainst

LEBANON: Protest against sectarian system draws large crowds

http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/WTARC/2011/me_libya0257_03_10.asp

Syrian pilots said to be flying Libyan fighter jets

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CAIRO — Clashes that broke out when a Muslim mob attacked thousands of Christians protesting the burning of a Cairo church killed at least 13 people and wounded about 140, officials said Wednesday.

The Muslims torched the church amid an escalation of tensions over a love affair between a Muslim and a Christian that set off a violent feud between the couple's families.

The officials said all 13 fatalities died of gunshot wounds.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

The clashes late Tuesday night added to a sense of ongoing chaos in Egypt after the momentous 18-day democracy uprising that toppled longtime leader Hosni Mubarak on Feb. 11. The uprising left a security vacuum after police pulled out of Cairo and several other cities three days into the uprising.

The police have yet to fully take back the streets, leaving space for a wave of violent crime and lawlessness in some parts of the nation.

In a separate incident, at least two people were wounded when rival crowds pelted each other with rocks at Cairo's central Tahrir Square, the uprising's epicenter, according to an Associated Press Television News cameraman at the scene. He said the violence pitted youths camping out at the square to press their demand for a complete break with the ousted regime and another group that is opposed to their continued presence at the square.

The Christian protesters on Tuesday blocked a vital highway, burning tires and pelting cars with rocks. An angry crowd of Muslims set upon the Christians and the two sides fought pitched battles for about four hours.

Mubarak handed power to the military when he stepped down, but the military does not have enough troops to patrol every street in Cairo, a sprawling city of some 18 million people that is chaotic at the best of times.

Even before the uprising unleashed a torrent of discontent, tensions had been growing between Christians and Muslims in this country of 80 million.

On New Year's Day, a suicide bombing outside a Coptic church in the port city of Alexandria killed 21 people, setting off days of protests. Barely a week later, an off-duty policeman boarded a train and shot dead a 71-year-old Christian man and wounding his wife and four others.

Egypt's ruling generals have pledged last week to rebuild the torched church and the country's new prime minister, Essam Sharaf, has met the protesters outside the TV building in downtown Cairo to reassure them that his interim government would not discriminate against them.

But the Christians were not appeased. At least 2,000 of them protested on the highway on Tuesday night and a separate crowd of several hundred has been camping out outside the TV building for days to voice their anger at what they perceive to be official discrimination against them.

Still at IT BROOOOOO????!!!....YOU AND YOUR LOT MAKE ME LAUGH, hahahahhahaha :):)

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CAIRO — Egypt’s interior minister has dissolved the country’s widely hated state security agency, which is accused in torture and other human rights abuses in the suppression of dissent against ousted Hosni Mubarak’s nearly 30-year rule.

The new Interior Minister Maj. Gen. Mansour el-Essawy, a former Cairo security chief, says in a statement issued Tuesday that a new agency in charge of keeping national security and combatting terrorism will be formed.

Dismantling the agency was a major demand of the protest movement that led an 18-day uprising to oust Mubarak. Since he stepped down on Feb. 11, Egyptians have stormed the agency’s main headquarters and other offices, seizing documents to keep them from being destroyed to hide evidence of human rights abuses.

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America's secret plan to arm Libya's rebels

Obama asks Saudis to airlift weapons into Benghazi

By Robert Fisk, Middle East Correspondent

http://www.independe...ls-2234227.html

Secret?

Missiles strike Libya in first wave of allied assault

msnbc.msn.com

BENGHAZI, Libya — A coalition of American and European forces bombed Libyan targets by air and sea Saturday in the first phase of a military campaign to drive Moammar Gadhafi from power.

French warplanes fired the first shots in the broadest international military effort since the Iraq war, destroying government tanks and armored vehicles in the region of the rebels' eastern stronghold, Benghazi. Hours later, British and U.S. warships and submarines launched more than 110 Tomahawk missiles against Gadhafi's air defenses around the capital Tripoli and the western city of Misrata, which has been besieged by Gadhafi's forces, Pentagon officials said.

Early Sunday morning, several loud explosions were heared in Tripoli, followed by what sounded like bursts of anti-aircraft fire, CNN reported.

The aim of the coalition's operation, dubbed Odyssey Dawn, was to enforce a United Nations-sanctioned no-fly zone over Libya and stop Gadhafi from attacking overwhelmed rebel forces in the east.

"This is not an outcome the U.S. or any of our partners sought," President Barack Obama said from Brazil, where he is starting a five-day visit to Latin America. "We cannot stand idly by when a tyrant tells his people there will be no mercy."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Earlier Saturday in Libya, Gadhafi's troops pushed into the outskirts of Benghazi after a unilateral cease-fire declared by his government failed to materialize, prompting western leaders meeting in Paris to announce the start of military intervention.

"Those taking part agreed to put in place all necessary means, especially military, to enforce the decisions of the United Nations Security Council," French President Nicolas Sarkozy said after meeting Western and Arab leaders.

Sarkozy said the operation, also backed by Arab nations, would continue unless the Libyan leader ceased fire.

"Col. Gadhafi has made this happen," British Prime Minister David Cameron told reporters after the meeting. "We cannot allow the slaughter of civilians to continue."

He later appeared on television to say that British forces were in action over Libya.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

U.S. Naval Forces Open Odyssey Dawn, Prepare No-Fly Zone

navy.mil

By Defense Media Activity - Navy

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- U.S. naval forces participated in a Tomahawks missile strike March 19 on Libya as part of Operation Odyssey Dawn designed to set the conditions for a coalition no-fly zone.

Arleigh Burke-class, guided-missile destroyers USS Stout (DDG 55) and USS Barry (DDG 52) and submarines USS Providence (SSN 719), USS Scranton (SSN 756) and USS Florida (SSGN 728) participated in the strike.

More than 110 Tomahawk cruise missiles were used in the strike by U.S. and British ships and submarines against Libyan air defense, surface-to-air missile sites and communication nodes.

The U.S. Joint Task Force (JTF) is commanded by Adm. Samuel J. Locklear, III, commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa, and is operating from the USS Mount Whitney (LCC/JCC 20), currently deployed in the Mediterranean Sea.

In addition to the task force command ship, and the five ships and subs that took part in the strikes, the JTF includes USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), and USS Ponce (LPD 15).

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CAIRO, Egypt – Millions of Egyptians voted freely on Saturday for the first time in more than half a century, joyfully waiting for hours to cast their ballots on a package of constitutional changes eliminating much-hated restrictions on political rights and civil liberties. Preliminary results will be announced Sunday.

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That article I posted was from the 7th of March.

I guess that secret is out of the bag. I think they may have had this plan on ice over a period of many years, though. They hesitated to act in the past, wishing to take advantage of diplomatic options. But they realized that they wanted to prevent this slaughter so they could sleep at night.

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centurylink.net

Mohammed Faraj, a 44-year-old rebel fighter manning a checkpoint, said the rebels were now ready for anything from Gadhafi.

"Our spirits are very high," said Faraj, a grenade in each hand. "Me and all of Benghazi, we will die before Gadhafi sets foot here again."

Some 12 miles (20 kilometers) south down the road, the charred remains of seven government tanks, many with their turrets blown off, lay in a dusty field along with two armored personnel carriers, apparently hit by an allied airstrike overnight.

Hundreds of men roamed the site, climbing atop the tanks and snapping photographs with their cell phones. Shredded blankets, torn foam mattresses and empty cans of tomato paste littered the field. A goat head with a cigarette stuck in its mouth hung from the barrel of one of the tanks.

"Thank you France, thank you America," said Abdul Gader Dejuli as he surveyed the wreckage. "Obama good, Sarkozy good."

Along the tree-lined road into Benghazi, buildings riddled with pockmarks and burnt-out cars, buses and tanks gave testimony to the ferocity of the fighting that hit the city a day earlier.

"Yesterday was a catastrophe," said Salwa el-Daghili, a member of the opposition national council that governs rebel-held territory. "Today, there is hope — you can see it on the streets."

Some of the roadblocks that had been hastily thrown across Benghazi's roads on Saturday had been pushed aside Sunday to make way for the traffic that moved smoothly through the streets. While anti-aircraft guns remained on almost every corner, the young men who had taken up positions on the streets with homemade firebombs on Saturday were gone.

Most stores remained shuttered, although several butcher shops and vegetable vendors were open for business, and men crowded into corner stores to stock up on cigarettes. Long lines of cars curling around the corner could be seen at gas stations still stocked with fuel.

While Benghazi residents breathed a collective sigh of relief after the onslaught, worries remain about how the conflict with Gadhafi will play out, as do lingering fears that the Libyan leader's loyalists within the city will strike.

"Some people are still being assassinated," said Saad Radwan, the manager of a gas station in central Benghazi. "The women are afraid, the kids are afraid."

Even that, however, couldn't temper the joy over the allied airstrikes that many here said came just in time.

"We are grateful to the U.S. and France for what they have done," he said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In Washington, however, the Pentagon said there were no reports of civilian casualties in the air assault. U.S. Navy Vice Adm. William E. Gortney, staff director for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the strikes had inflicted heavy damage and largely silenced Gadhafi's air defenses.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Cuba expresses its strongest condemnation of foreign intervention in the interal conflict" of Libya, said a statement from the ministry read on Cuban television news.

On Saturday, delegates at a meeting in Bolivia of the left-leaning ALBA bloc condemned the airstrikes by the U.S. and its allies. The group includes Venezuela, Cuba and six other Latin American and Caribbean nations.

"We repeat our message from Venezuela, from the ALBA: We demand a halt to the attack against Libya," Chavez said Sunday. "What madness. ... It's imperial madness."

Chavez used his customary term "the empire" for the United States, accusing it of trying to overthrow Gadhafi simply to seize control of Libya's oil. "They don't care about the lives of the Libyan people," he said.

Chavez mocked U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton for expressing support for popular uprisings in the Arab world. "Man, what cynicism," Chavez said.

"I hope a revolution blows up on them in the United States. Let's see what they're going to do," he said.

Chavez has suggested that reports of atrocities by Gadhafi's troops have been overblown or unproven as the Libyan government has sought to crush the uprising by rebels.

Chavez's criticisms were echoed by some non-ALBA nations, including Paraguay, where President Fernando Lugo said: "I regret that the United Nations has legitimized those attacks."

But Peruvian President Alan Garcia praised the U.S. and its allies for defending Libyans against a regime that has attacked opponents to try to cling to power.

"I think it's very important that the world's nations unite to prevent this type of butchery and massacres that aim to silence people's just protests," Garcia said in Lima.

centurylink.net

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US fighter jet crashes during Libya mission

Both crew members ejected and are back in American hands, official says

msnbc.msn.com

video

One of the airmen landed in a field and approached a crowd of people, not knowing whether they were supporters of Moammar Gadhafi or members of the opposition, Britain's Daily Telegraph reported. It turned out they were locals who opposed the Libyan leader, the paper said. "I hugged him and said, 'Don't be scared, we are your friends,'" witness Younis Amruni told the Telegraph.

Locals reportedly lined up to shake the airman's hands in thanks.

"We are so grateful to these men who are protecting the skies," Amruni said. "We gave him juice and then the revolutionary military people took him away."

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