Showing posts with label Egypt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Egypt. Show all posts
Saturday, 4 November 2017
Tuesday, 8 July 2014
Egypt Raises Fuel Prices 78% Overnight
Zero Hedge
Egypt's surging budget deficit has hit its limit and the Oil Ministry has decided to cut its $20bn plus fuel subsidies. The result - mainstream fuel prices by up to 78% from midnight on Friday. As Reuters reports, previous governments have failed to curb energy product subsidies, fearing backlash from a public used to cheap fuel. We will wait and see the response but as one analyst noted "It should be noted that the effect of a rise in fuel prices will not affect the poor directly, since they do not own cars..." which makes perfect sense as long as the poor do not use or purchase any item that has fuel in its supply chain - brilliant! The government hopes the fuel subsidy cut will raise 40 billion pounds.
Read more
Egypt's surging budget deficit has hit its limit and the Oil Ministry has decided to cut its $20bn plus fuel subsidies. The result - mainstream fuel prices by up to 78% from midnight on Friday. As Reuters reports, previous governments have failed to curb energy product subsidies, fearing backlash from a public used to cheap fuel. We will wait and see the response but as one analyst noted "It should be noted that the effect of a rise in fuel prices will not affect the poor directly, since they do not own cars..." which makes perfect sense as long as the poor do not use or purchase any item that has fuel in its supply chain - brilliant! The government hopes the fuel subsidy cut will raise 40 billion pounds.
Read more
Tuesday, 20 May 2014
MI5 stands accused of complicity in torture this year after 'trying to recruit man from Egyptian jail
The Independent
Ahmed Diini, 25, alleges that he was questioned by a member of MI5 earlier this year while being tortured in an Egyptian prison. The claim challenges assurances given by Britain’s security and intelligence agencies last year that they no longer take part in operations where a suspect is being tortured or illegally detained by a foreign state.
In November, the head of MI5 told MPs that his officers would never participate in or condone torture.
Mr Diini, a grandson of the deposed Somalian dictator Mohamed Siad Barre, alleges that during his eight months’ imprisonment in Cairo he was shackled, hooded, repeatedly beaten, stripped and threatened that his wife would be raped. He also alleges he was threatened with electrocution and being whipped.
In a letter written from his prison cell and smuggled to his lawyer, Mr Diini says that during his detention and torture he was visited this year by a British man who, he believes, works for MI5. He says the man promised him his freedom if he agreed to work for the security service.
Read more
Ahmed Diini, 25, alleges that he was questioned by a member of MI5 earlier this year while being tortured in an Egyptian prison. The claim challenges assurances given by Britain’s security and intelligence agencies last year that they no longer take part in operations where a suspect is being tortured or illegally detained by a foreign state.
In November, the head of MI5 told MPs that his officers would never participate in or condone torture.
Mr Diini, a grandson of the deposed Somalian dictator Mohamed Siad Barre, alleges that during his eight months’ imprisonment in Cairo he was shackled, hooded, repeatedly beaten, stripped and threatened that his wife would be raped. He also alleges he was threatened with electrocution and being whipped.
In a letter written from his prison cell and smuggled to his lawyer, Mr Diini says that during his detention and torture he was visited this year by a British man who, he believes, works for MI5. He says the man promised him his freedom if he agreed to work for the security service.
Read more
Friday, 21 February 2014
Ukraine at the Brink to NATO-backed Civil War as West Demands Transitional Government
Comment: Excellent article. Gives a clear and accessible appraisal of how NATO and American backed forces are doing what they have been doing for many decades: regime change for resources. And in this case, to make sure that Russia becomes the new Cold War villain once more.
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The US Independent
The Death toll in the Ukrainian capital has risen to 67, hundreds, including 500 police officers, have been injured by gunshot wounds. After protesters armed with assault rifles and handguns opened fire at both co-protesters, journalists and unarmed police, killing 26, Tuesday night, the Interior Ministry has authorized the use of firearms against armed radicals in Kiev’s burning Maidan Square. The situation in Kiev reflects the modus operandi that has been observed in Yugoslavia, Libya, Syria and Egypt. The foreign ministers of France, Germany and Poland are in Kiev, calling for the immediate establishment of a “transitional government”.
Interior Ministry authorized use of Firearms by Police – 67 Police Officers feared taken Hostage by armed Rioters.
Today, the Interior Minister of the Ukraine,Vitaly Zakharchenko, authorized security forces to use firearms in mass riots. The decision came after three more police officers had been killed, bringing the death toll among police up to thirteen, and after more than hundred additional police officers had been injured by gunfire. Zakharchenko issued a statement, saying:
Police Officers Held Hostage. The Interior Ministry stressed that police also are authorized to use firearms to free seized government buildings and kidnapped law enforcement officers and added, that Rioters have seized 67 police officers who are being held hostage. The statement stipulates that;
Modus Operandi the same as in Yugoslavia, Libya, Syria and Egypt. A brief Review of Historical Precedence. The Rioters claims about the police use of firearms, killing “protesters” is practically identical with the NATO backed subversions in Yugoslavia, Libya, Syria and Egypt.
Yugoslavia War planned since Mid-70s.
The retired French Brig. General Pierre Marie Gallois admitted in a video-recorded interview, that the subversion and war against Yugoslavia had been planned by German, French, British and other NATO member’s top-politicians and military brass in meetings near the German city of Munich, since the mid-70s.
Please listen to the statement of ret. Brig. General Pierre Marie Galois after reading this article.
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The Death toll in the Ukrainian capital has risen to 67, hundreds, including 500 police officers, have been injured by gunshot wounds. After protesters armed with assault rifles and handguns opened fire at both co-protesters, journalists and unarmed police, killing 26, Tuesday night, the Interior Ministry has authorized the use of firearms against armed radicals in Kiev’s burning Maidan Square. The situation in Kiev reflects the modus operandi that has been observed in Yugoslavia, Libya, Syria and Egypt. The foreign ministers of France, Germany and Poland are in Kiev, calling for the immediate establishment of a “transitional government”.
Interior Ministry authorized use of Firearms by Police – 67 Police Officers feared taken Hostage by armed Rioters.
Today, the Interior Minister of the Ukraine,Vitaly Zakharchenko, authorized security forces to use firearms in mass riots. The decision came after three more police officers had been killed, bringing the death toll among police up to thirteen, and after more than hundred additional police officers had been injured by gunfire. Zakharchenko issued a statement, saying:
“As part of the work of the anti-terrorist center of the Security Service of the Ukraine, I have signed the respective orders – the law enforcers have been handed combat weapons, which will be used in accordance with the law of the Ukraine”.After the announcement, Zakharchenko addressed the armed rioters and opposition leaders, demanded that the arms are laid down immediately and that opposition leaders dissociate themselves from the use of firearms. Stressing that this statement was published on the ministry’s website, for everyone to read, Zakharchenko said:
“The Interior Ministry demands that the extremists voluntarily lay down their weapons and return to peaceful protesting. The leaders and representatives of the opposition, who are able to make a sober estimate of the situation, must disassociate themselves from the radicals and must not support them any further”.Up until today, the Ukrainian police had, despite the fact that armed rioters killed scores and injured hundreds, not been authorized to use firearms. The Interior Minister stressed that Ukrainian law authorizes the use of firearms by police;
“To protect citizens from attacks which are posing a danger to their life and health, to rescue hostages, to counter life-threatening attacks on police officers and members of their families, as well as to thwart attacks on homes, government buildings or specially protected sites”.
Police Officers Held Hostage. The Interior Ministry stressed that police also are authorized to use firearms to free seized government buildings and kidnapped law enforcement officers and added, that Rioters have seized 67 police officers who are being held hostage. The statement stipulates that;“During extremist attacks on law enforcers, 67 troopers were captured. So far, nothing is known regarding the state of their health and their fate”.While the Ministry and police maintain that the shooting on Tuesday was committed by Rioters, some media quote Rioters as stating that 70 protesters had been killed by gunshot wounds Tuesday night. Although there are images of slain protesters, the information is inconsistent with forensic reports which state that those who were killed had been injured by munitions that were not used by law enforcement. Moreover, the government maintains that it is only today, Thursday 20 February, that police has been authorized to use firearms.
Modus Operandi the same as in Yugoslavia, Libya, Syria and Egypt. A brief Review of Historical Precedence. The Rioters claims about the police use of firearms, killing “protesters” is practically identical with the NATO backed subversions in Yugoslavia, Libya, Syria and Egypt.
Yugoslavia War planned since Mid-70s.
The retired French Brig. General Pierre Marie Gallois admitted in a video-recorded interview, that the subversion and war against Yugoslavia had been planned by German, French, British and other NATO member’s top-politicians and military brass in meetings near the German city of Munich, since the mid-70s.
Please listen to the statement of ret. Brig. General Pierre Marie Galois after reading this article.
Wednesday, 19 February 2014
Why Does Ancient Art Contain Depictions Of Flying Aircraft, Helicopters And Dinosaurs?
Comment: You do have to be careful of fakes but apparently this is the real deal - at least so far. But then, if you've read The Hidden History of the Human Race or Forbidden Archaeology it might not come as a huge surprise...
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The Truth Wins
The history of our planet is far more complex than most people would dare to imagine. According to the commonly accepted version of history that is taught in high schools and colleges all over the United States, ancient man was a very simple creature with extremely limited knowledge. Unfortunately for those that promote this flawed version of history, archaeologists keep digging up stuff that directly contradicts it. The truth is that there is a tremendous amount of evidence of great intellectual achievement in the ancient world. For example, just consider the Great Pyramid of Giza. It is a true technological marvel. It is such a massive structure built with such extraordinary precision that modern technology is only just now starting to catch up with it. We think that we could possibly build a similar structure today if we wanted to, but modern man has never actually constructed anything like it. And as you will see below, the Great Pyramid of Giza is far from the only example of advanced technology in the ancient world that we find in Egypt.
Posted below is a photograph of a wall in an ancient Egyptian temple at Abydos. Look at the hieroglyphics very carefully.
Do you see anything strange?
Researcher Lyn Leahz wrote about these incredibly bizarre hieroglyphics the other day. The following is what she had to say about them…
They can’t.
In the video shared below, Lyn Leahz shares even more about these hieroglyphics and discusses additional “out of place artifacts” around the globe…
There is also mounting evidence that mankind had knowledge of dinosaurs in ancient times.
Posted below is a photo of an ancient engraving on a Buddhist temple in Cambodia known as the Ta Prohm Stegosaurus. According to the commonly accepted version of history, such an engraving should be absolutely impossible because dinosaurs died out millions of years ago and modern scientists only started digging them up a couple hundred years ago. And yet this engraving is there…
According to archaeologists, this temple in Cambodia is approximately 800 years old…
Another unexpected place where we find “ancient dinosaur art” is on the ancient Ica Stones that were discovered down in Peru. These stones were originally found by the Spanish in 1535, and Spanish explorers sent some of these stones back to Spain in 1562.
The art on many of these stones is extremely beautiful, but what makes them extremely controversial is the fact that many of them appear to contain clear depictions of dinosaurs. Here is one example…
And here is another example. If you look closely at this one, you can see what very much looks like a Triceratops…
Once again, those promoting the commonly accepted version of history are at a loss to explain this. Most commonly, they attempt to explain this phenomenon away as a hoax because locals did start creating fake “Ica stones” in recent years once they discovered that tourists wanted to buy them.
But the Ica stones that are considered to be authentic contain some remarkable details. In fact, much of the anatomical knowledge about dinosaurs depicted on these stones was only discovered by modern scientists just very recently…
Anyone that attempts to convince you that humans that lived thousands of years ago were bumbling dolts that were lucky to build mud huts and cover their genitals with grass skirts is lying to you.
The truth is that human history is incredibly complex. There are monolithic structures all over the planet that are still standing after thousands of years that remind all of us that great civilizations with amazing technologies once thrived.
And there is actually evidence that modern humans are actually getting dumber. A Stanford University biology professor recently published a work in which he expressed his conclusion that humans have been getting dumber for thousands of years.
Also, Dr. John Sanford of Cornell University has conducted groundbreaking research that demonstrates conclusively that the human genome is steadily degenerating and is eventually heading toward extinction.
So perhaps we should not think of ourselves as so superior to ancient humanity. The reality is that they may have been physically and mentally superior to us in many ways.
About the author: Michael T. Snyder is a former Washington D.C. attorney who now publishes The Truth. His new thriller entitled “The Beginning Of The End” is now available on Amazon.com.
------------------------------
The Truth Wins
The history of our planet is far more complex than most people would dare to imagine. According to the commonly accepted version of history that is taught in high schools and colleges all over the United States, ancient man was a very simple creature with extremely limited knowledge. Unfortunately for those that promote this flawed version of history, archaeologists keep digging up stuff that directly contradicts it. The truth is that there is a tremendous amount of evidence of great intellectual achievement in the ancient world. For example, just consider the Great Pyramid of Giza. It is a true technological marvel. It is such a massive structure built with such extraordinary precision that modern technology is only just now starting to catch up with it. We think that we could possibly build a similar structure today if we wanted to, but modern man has never actually constructed anything like it. And as you will see below, the Great Pyramid of Giza is far from the only example of advanced technology in the ancient world that we find in Egypt.
Posted below is a photograph of a wall in an ancient Egyptian temple at Abydos. Look at the hieroglyphics very carefully.
Do you see anything strange?
Researcher Lyn Leahz wrote about these incredibly bizarre hieroglyphics the other day. The following is what she had to say about them…
Decorating an Egyptian temple wall at Abydos are strange hieroglyphics which depict what appears to be modern day aircraft. This finding has caused much controversy among Egyptologists and archaeologists who are not sure what to think. How could people 2-3,000 years ago possibly have known about modern-day aircraft?So how do those promoting the commonly accepted version of history explain this?
When Dr. Ruth Hover and her husband took a trip to the pyramids and temples of Egypt, they were shocked when they discovered, in the temple at Abydos, hieroglyphics depicting modern-day aircraft. She photographed a wall panel in a section where an overlaying panel with Egyptian hieroglyphics crumbled and fell, revealing an older panel beneath it. This older panel, shown above, contains images of what appear to be modern-day technology—a helicopter, a submarine, a glider, and another unknown type of aircraft (some believe resemble the Hindenburg).
They can’t.
In the video shared below, Lyn Leahz shares even more about these hieroglyphics and discusses additional “out of place artifacts” around the globe…
There is also mounting evidence that mankind had knowledge of dinosaurs in ancient times.
Posted below is a photo of an ancient engraving on a Buddhist temple in Cambodia known as the Ta Prohm Stegosaurus. According to the commonly accepted version of history, such an engraving should be absolutely impossible because dinosaurs died out millions of years ago and modern scientists only started digging them up a couple hundred years ago. And yet this engraving is there…
According to archaeologists, this temple in Cambodia is approximately 800 years old…
Deep in the jungles of Cambodia are ornate temples and palaces from the Khmer civilization. One such temple, Ta Prohm, abounds with stone statues and reliefs. Almost every square inch of the gray sandstone is covered with ornate, detailed carvings. These depict familiar animals like monkeys, deer, water buffalo, parrots, and lizards. However, one column contains an intricate carving of a stegosaur-like creature. But how could artisans decorating an 800 year old Buddhist temple know what a dinosaur looked like? Western science only began assembling dinosaurs skeletons in the past two centuries.Very strange stuff.
Another unexpected place where we find “ancient dinosaur art” is on the ancient Ica Stones that were discovered down in Peru. These stones were originally found by the Spanish in 1535, and Spanish explorers sent some of these stones back to Spain in 1562.
The art on many of these stones is extremely beautiful, but what makes them extremely controversial is the fact that many of them appear to contain clear depictions of dinosaurs. Here is one example…
And here is another example. If you look closely at this one, you can see what very much looks like a Triceratops…
But the Ica stones that are considered to be authentic contain some remarkable details. In fact, much of the anatomical knowledge about dinosaurs depicted on these stones was only discovered by modern scientists just very recently…
Other items of anatomical accuracy that attest to the authenticity of these Ica Stone depictions include the positioning of the tail and legs. Early critics said the Ica Stones were fakes, in part because their tails were sticking out while walking. Paleontologists in the 1960s were confident that dinosaurs dragged their tails. The paleontologists were wrong and the Ica Stones were right. Scientists now believe dinosaurs held their massive tails off the ground while walking, because there are no drag marks on dinosaur trackways. The dinosaurs on the Ica Stones are depicted standing upright, rather than with legs splayed out in a lizard-like position. That, according to dinosaur experts, is “dead on” accurate.Of course the Ica Stones are just one of the incredible examples of ancient dinosaur art that have been discovered all over the world. For many, many more examples of this phenomenon, just check out the article that you can find right here.
Anyone that attempts to convince you that humans that lived thousands of years ago were bumbling dolts that were lucky to build mud huts and cover their genitals with grass skirts is lying to you.
The truth is that human history is incredibly complex. There are monolithic structures all over the planet that are still standing after thousands of years that remind all of us that great civilizations with amazing technologies once thrived.
And there is actually evidence that modern humans are actually getting dumber. A Stanford University biology professor recently published a work in which he expressed his conclusion that humans have been getting dumber for thousands of years.
Also, Dr. John Sanford of Cornell University has conducted groundbreaking research that demonstrates conclusively that the human genome is steadily degenerating and is eventually heading toward extinction.
So perhaps we should not think of ourselves as so superior to ancient humanity. The reality is that they may have been physically and mentally superior to us in many ways.
About the author: Michael T. Snyder is a former Washington D.C. attorney who now publishes The Truth. His new thriller entitled “The Beginning Of The End” is now available on Amazon.com.
Saturday, 30 November 2013
Gaza flooded with sewage and conspiracy
Asia Online
Ramzy Baroud
The latest punishment of Gaza may seem like another familiar plot to humiliate the strip to the satisfaction of Israel, Mahmoud Abbas's Palestinian Authority, and the military-controlled Egyptian government. But something far more sinister is brewing.
This time, the collective punishment of Gaza arrives in the form of raw sewage that is flooding many neighborhoods across the impoverished and energy-choked region of 360 square kilometers and 1.8 million inhabitants.
Even before the latest crisis resulting from a severe shortage of electricity and diesel fuel that is usually smuggled through Egypt, Gaza was rendered gradually uninhabitable. A comprehensive United Nations report last year said that if no urgent action were
taken, Gaza would be "unlivable" by 2020. Since the report was issued in August 2012, the situation has grown much worse.
Over the years, especially since the tightening by Israel of the Gaza siege in 2007, the world has become accustomed to two realities: the ongoing multiparty scheme to weaken and defeat Hamas in Gaza, and Gaza's astonishing ability to withstand the inhumane punishment of an ongoing siege, blockade and war.
Two infamous wars illustrate this idea: the first was Israel's 22-day war of 2008-9 (killing over 1,400 Palestinians and wounding over 5,500 more), and the second was the conflict of November 2012 - eight days of fighting that killed 167 Palestinians and six Israelis.
In the second war, Egypt's first democratically elected president, Mohammed Morsi, was still in power. For the first time in many years, Egypt sided with the Palestinians. Because of this and stiff Palestinian resistance in Gaza, the strip miraculously prevailed. Gaza celebrated its victory, and Israel remained somewhat at bay - while, of course, mostly failing to honor its side of the Cairo-brokered agreement of easing Gaza's economic hardship.
Read more
Ramzy Baroud
The latest punishment of Gaza may seem like another familiar plot to humiliate the strip to the satisfaction of Israel, Mahmoud Abbas's Palestinian Authority, and the military-controlled Egyptian government. But something far more sinister is brewing.
This time, the collective punishment of Gaza arrives in the form of raw sewage that is flooding many neighborhoods across the impoverished and energy-choked region of 360 square kilometers and 1.8 million inhabitants.
Even before the latest crisis resulting from a severe shortage of electricity and diesel fuel that is usually smuggled through Egypt, Gaza was rendered gradually uninhabitable. A comprehensive United Nations report last year said that if no urgent action were
taken, Gaza would be "unlivable" by 2020. Since the report was issued in August 2012, the situation has grown much worse.
Over the years, especially since the tightening by Israel of the Gaza siege in 2007, the world has become accustomed to two realities: the ongoing multiparty scheme to weaken and defeat Hamas in Gaza, and Gaza's astonishing ability to withstand the inhumane punishment of an ongoing siege, blockade and war.
Two infamous wars illustrate this idea: the first was Israel's 22-day war of 2008-9 (killing over 1,400 Palestinians and wounding over 5,500 more), and the second was the conflict of November 2012 - eight days of fighting that killed 167 Palestinians and six Israelis.
In the second war, Egypt's first democratically elected president, Mohammed Morsi, was still in power. For the first time in many years, Egypt sided with the Palestinians. Because of this and stiff Palestinian resistance in Gaza, the strip miraculously prevailed. Gaza celebrated its victory, and Israel remained somewhat at bay - while, of course, mostly failing to honor its side of the Cairo-brokered agreement of easing Gaza's economic hardship.
Read more
Saturday, 7 January 2012
Sunday, 18 December 2011
Thursday, 1 December 2011
Egypt imports 21 tons of tear gas from the US, port staff refuses to sign for it
Cryptogon via Bikyamasr
CAIRO: The arrival of 7 and half tons of tear gas to Egypt’s Suez
port created conflict after the responsible officials at the port
refused to sign and accept it for fear it would be used to crackdown on
Egyptian protesters.
The shipment has been moved by the ministry of interior to its Cairo
storage facility, amidst strict and secretive security measures. Local
reports say the staff, initially under investigation, have been spared
investigation after having a discussion over the matter with their
superiors.
Local news sites published documents regarding the shipment shows
that the cargo that arrived in 479 barrels from the United States was
scheduled to be delivered to the ministry of interior.
The reports also mentioned in the documents that a second shipment of
14 tons of tear gas was expected, making the total 21 tons, in one
week.
The importing of tear gas comes after thousands of tear gas canisters
were fired at Egyptian protesters last week as clashes raged in
downtown Cairo, just off from the iconic Tahrir Square, where thousands
of protesters had gathered.
The gas used has angered activists, who say the effects of exposure
has yet to wear off, with a number of protesters telling Bikyamasr.com
that they have coughing fits, chest pains, blurred vision and their arms
often shake. According to the Journal of Royal Medicine, the use of CS
Gas – the most common choice of Egypt’s police last week – can have
lasting symptoms for over one year.
Saturday, 26 November 2011
Millions demand downfall of US-backed Egyptian junta
WSWS
On Friday millions of workers and youth protested against military rule in Egypt and demanded the downfall of the US-backed Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) junta. In Cairo hundreds of thousands of protesters gathered on Tahrir Square. By the early afternoon, the square was packed with protesters chanting, “The people demand the removal of the field marshal,” “We will not go, he should go” and “Down, down with military rule.”
Throughout the day, mass marches kicked off from different locations in the capital, all converging in Tahrir Square. Thousands of marchers tore down the banners and posters of parliamentary candidates on their way to Tahrir, protesting the decision to hold parliamentary elections under the thumb of the SCAF junta, and denouncing the political establishment as a whole.
In major cities all over Egypt, hundreds of thousands took to the streets. In Alexandria tens of thousands of protesters gathered in front of Al-Qaed Ibrahim Mosque shouting against military rule and marching towards the Northern Military Zone near Sidi Gaber. Thousands of protesters gathered on Arbaeen Square in Suez. There were demonstrations in Tanta, Mahalla al Kubra, Sohag, Ismailiya, Damanhour, in the Upper Egyptian cities of Luxor, Minya and Assiut, and on the Sinai.
Friday’s mass demonstrations were the seventh day of continuous mass protests against the junta. Protests erupted last Saturday after the notorious Amn Al Markazi (Central Security Forces) violently attacked a small sit-in on Tahrir Square. Thousands of workers and youth poured into the streets to defend the sit-in against Mubarak’s generals, who have continued the same anti-social and anti-democratic politics as the ousted dictator.
The junta has launched a brutal crackdown against protesters since Saturday, killing at least 38 and wounding several thousand. Military and Central Security Forces have shot rubber bullets, birdshots and tear gas canisters at protesters. The latest autopsy records indicate that at least 22 protesters were shot with live ammunition. There is increasing evidence that the Egyptian military is also using armored vehicles against peaceful protesters. A Youtube video shows tanks chasing protesters through the streets of Ismailiya, an industrial city on the west bank of the Suez Canal.
The crackdown is closely overseen by Washington, the main sponsor of the Egyptian military. The ammunition used to kill and wound Egyptian workers and youth is labeled “Made in USA.” After the Tuesday speech by junta leader and de facto dictator Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, the US State Department cynically criticized “excessive force” used by the junta but praised Egypt’s military leaders for pledging to hold elections and supposedly hand over power to civilians before July.
Journalists and bloggers attacked at Tahrir Square
Protest-riven Tahrir Square is becoming a savage minefield for women, as French and American female journalists are brutally beaten and raped, and Egypt’s ‘naked blogger’ mobbed. The latest victim is journalist for channel France 3 Caroline Sinz.
Sinz and her cameraman were attacked in the square on Thursday. She says several youths and men tore off her clothes and beat her, humiliating her in a way that she claims could be considered rape. After almost an hour, other Egyptians came to her rescue.
On the same day, US-Egyptian journalist Mona Eltahawy, an author for The Guardian and the Toronto Star, announced she had suffered brutal sexual and physical assault. She was arrested in Tahrir by Egyptian riot police and says that during the 12 hours she spent in Cairo’s Interior Ministry, she had bones broken in both wrists by security officials, who also grabbed her breasts and genitals.
RT’s own correspondent Paula Slier is reporting from Cairo, and she notes in her Twitter that she is “not feeling safe walking around Tahrir”.
It seems the brutality is not reserved for foreigners, either. Egypt’s ‘naked blogger’ is also reported to have been mobbed: Aliaa al-Mahdy, a young Egyptian student who posted a photo of herself naked on her blog, was allegedly beaten by an angry crowd. CBS channel footage shows the 20-year-old being dragged into the seething mob and thrown to the ground. The channel claims it was Aliaa al-Mahdy, which is confirmed by viewers in their comments. However, the last entry on Aliaa’s Facebook page was 10 hours after the video went on air, causing some to wonder why she does not mention the incident. It simply reads, “no one knows my whereabouts, and whoever tries to attack me will get what they deserve.”
Read more
Sinz and her cameraman were attacked in the square on Thursday. She says several youths and men tore off her clothes and beat her, humiliating her in a way that she claims could be considered rape. After almost an hour, other Egyptians came to her rescue.
On the same day, US-Egyptian journalist Mona Eltahawy, an author for The Guardian and the Toronto Star, announced she had suffered brutal sexual and physical assault. She was arrested in Tahrir by Egyptian riot police and says that during the 12 hours she spent in Cairo’s Interior Ministry, she had bones broken in both wrists by security officials, who also grabbed her breasts and genitals.
RT’s own correspondent Paula Slier is reporting from Cairo, and she notes in her Twitter that she is “not feeling safe walking around Tahrir”.
It seems the brutality is not reserved for foreigners, either. Egypt’s ‘naked blogger’ is also reported to have been mobbed: Aliaa al-Mahdy, a young Egyptian student who posted a photo of herself naked on her blog, was allegedly beaten by an angry crowd. CBS channel footage shows the 20-year-old being dragged into the seething mob and thrown to the ground. The channel claims it was Aliaa al-Mahdy, which is confirmed by viewers in their comments. However, the last entry on Aliaa’s Facebook page was 10 hours after the video went on air, causing some to wonder why she does not mention the incident. It simply reads, “no one knows my whereabouts, and whoever tries to attack me will get what they deserve.”
Read more
Monday, 21 November 2011
Crackdown in Cairo, excuses in Washington
It is unravelling because it wasn't a real revolution. It was managed by US interests just as it was during the introduction of Mubarak...And the people are startgin to wake up to it...
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As Egyptians return to Tahrir Square, the Obama administration sides with the military
Sitting across from me in a downtown cafe, disgruntled democracy activist Ismail Wahby looks defeated. “Everything is failing,” he says.
In many ways, Wahby personifies the Western stereotypes about the mislabeled “Facebook Revolution”: He is an upper-middle-class 20-something who blogs in English, French and Arabic. After the ouster of Hosni Mubarak, he worked as community organizer with the Union of Progressive Youth, one of the many revolutionary coalitions formed after the dictator’s fall. But as Egypt’s ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) became more oppressive in the months that followed, Wahby grew discouraged and withdrew from political activism. “I didn’t do a revolution for this shit,” he explains.
Wahby has a long list of grievances about the aftermath of Egypt’s largely peaceful revolution last January, including the persistence of the State of Emergency — which was supposed to have expired months ago — and the failure of the opposition to present a unified front. But mostly Wahby is concerned with the dominance of the military in post-Mubarak Egypt.
Wahby’s pessimism is widespread. Since taking power last February, the military has perpetrated major human rights abuses and seems more interested in consolidating its own power than ensuring a democratic transition. Protesters have begun to set up tents in Tahrir Square in preparation for massive anti-SCAF demonstrations this Friday. A broad coalition of political parties and activists have threatened a prolonged sit-in protesting the military’s increasingly authoritarian ruling style and its unwillingness to share power with civilians. “The SCAF must step aside and respect the will of the people,” 45-year-old electronic engineer Mohammad Sayyid tells me from inside a tent he shares with half a dozen other men. Sayyid has been sleeping in the tent for over a week and promises that he will not leave the square until the military steps aside.
Sunday, 17 July 2011
Mass protests continue against Egyptian regime
WSWS
Huge protests took place across Egypt on Friday. Under the banner, "The Friday of Final Warning," tens of thousands gathered in Cairo’s Tahrir Square and the industrial city of Suez. Many smaller demonstrations took place across the country.
It was the second week of mass demonstrations in Egypt, as working people and youth voiced opposition to the military-dominated government that took over power after the ouster of Hosni Mubarak in February. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) is the ultimate power in the country; its generals, who were an integral part of the Mubarak dictatorship, have maintained Egypt’s repressive state apparatus and subservient relationship with US imperialism.
There is growing hostility to the regime, which is seen as shielding Mubarak, his family and top officials, as well as members of the security services responsible for the torture and killing of thousands of protesters during the February uprising.
Following last week’s protests, the SCAF announced Wednesday that 700 senior police officers linked to attacks on demonstrators would be moved from their posts. Under the plan, some officers would be offered early retirement and others would be relocated or promoted.
Interior Minister Mansour El-Essawy claimed the move was the "biggest reshuffle in the police force’s history," and that new recruits hired to replace those departing would "pump fresh blood in to the system."
The token gesture had no discernible impact of the mood on the streets across Egypt on Friday. "It’s just theatre," one protester camped out in Tahrir Square told Agence France-Presse. "These announcements are not enough," said another demonstrator. "The priority is to have trials for the murderers of the martyrs."
A number of those camping in Tahrir Square are on hunger strike to demand the prosecution of Mubarak-era officials. [...]
It was the second week of mass demonstrations in Egypt, as working people and youth voiced opposition to the military-dominated government that took over power after the ouster of Hosni Mubarak in February. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) is the ultimate power in the country; its generals, who were an integral part of the Mubarak dictatorship, have maintained Egypt’s repressive state apparatus and subservient relationship with US imperialism.
There is growing hostility to the regime, which is seen as shielding Mubarak, his family and top officials, as well as members of the security services responsible for the torture and killing of thousands of protesters during the February uprising.
Following last week’s protests, the SCAF announced Wednesday that 700 senior police officers linked to attacks on demonstrators would be moved from their posts. Under the plan, some officers would be offered early retirement and others would be relocated or promoted.
Interior Minister Mansour El-Essawy claimed the move was the "biggest reshuffle in the police force’s history," and that new recruits hired to replace those departing would "pump fresh blood in to the system."
The token gesture had no discernible impact of the mood on the streets across Egypt on Friday. "It’s just theatre," one protester camped out in Tahrir Square told Agence France-Presse. "These announcements are not enough," said another demonstrator. "The priority is to have trials for the murderers of the martyrs."
A number of those camping in Tahrir Square are on hunger strike to demand the prosecution of Mubarak-era officials. [...]
Friday, 17 June 2011
Egypt sent strong message by revealing spying networks
An Israeli was detained in Cairo on Sunday over charges of spying on Egypt as the latest case of several spy arrests in Egypt recently, which is also an evidence of Egypt's efforts in scrutinizing the volatile time with rapid response and awareness.
The declared detention of spies after the resignation of former president Hosni Mubarak is regarded as a message inside and outside the country that Egypt can overcome the security vacuum in a short time, local analysts said.
Mohammed Abd el-salam, chief of the regional security and arms control program in the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, said revealing spying networks sent two important messages.
"The first is to those countries seeking spying works that Egypt has regained its security capabilities in a short time. While the second is to Egyptian citizens, that they will live in a highly secured country," he told Xinhua.
Egyptian security service caught Ilan Chaim Grabel, who was believed to be a Mossad agent, and accused him of inciting sectarian strife and chaos during and after the massive anti- Mubarak protests. [...]
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