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  • Mubarak, Army, U.S., Israel vs Egyptian People

    [As government forces have attacked peaceful protesters in Tahrir Square, Emad Mekay from Cairo reports] Mubarak is clearly backed by the Americans. He took some moves after speaking with Obama and a visit by a former U.S. Ambassador to Egypt Frank Wisner. Mubarak, the army, the Americans and the Israelis are clearly on one side.…

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  • Unrest Spreads to Sinai

    A Bedouin youth casually spreads out a piece of cloth before a police headquarters in Sheikh Zwayyed town in Sinai, the vast desert area to the east of Cairo across the Suez. “I will leave when Mubarak leaves,” he says. [Full piece from Inter Press Service]

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  • Chomsky: Strategic and Economic Objectives, Not Anti-Islamization, Drives U.S. Policy

    [While many are claiming that a central goal of U.S. policy is to minimize influence of groups like the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Noam Chomsky contributed this to our blog] It is well-established, including the major scholarly literature, that the U.S. supports democracy if and only if that accords with strategic and economic objectives.  Following…

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  • An Open Letter to President Barack Obama

    ————————————————————————————————————————— [To sign; for recent news releases on Egypt from the Institute for Public Accuracy] Dear President Obama: As political scientists, historians, and researchers in related fields who have studied the Middle East and U.S. foreign policy, we the undersigned believe you have a chance to move beyond rhetoric to support the democratic movement sweeping…

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  • Report from Cairo

    From Alex Ortiz in Cairo: “The army is beginning to come into Cairo … tens of thousands converged in midan al-gala’ coming from three different protest marches. Total communication blackout. Reports of senior police officers ordering their men to stand down and not beat or fire tear gas at protesters in Midan al-gala an hour…

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  • Report on Latest from Cairo

    CAIRO, Egypt [11 p.m. local time] — 1-Some government media figures appear to be joining ranks with the protesters. Mahmoud Saad, a talk show host in the Egyptian state-run TV, has announced that he will no longer appear on TV starting tonight after he came under pressure from top government officials to report “untruths” about…

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  • Police in Cairo Beating up Jounalists

    [From 9:28 a.m. ET]: Police started beating up journalists protesting outside the Press Syndicate in downtown Cairo. They beat up women journalists too who were screaming and crying for help. “Do not club women. Do not club women,” some of the men rushed to the police asking them not to target women. “You’ll make things…

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  • From Alex Ortiz in Cairo

    [The Egyptian government has apparently block Twitter, Facebook (as of Wed. morn U.S. ET) and other internet tools, though apparently some people are able to get around such restrictions. Email from 8:45 a.m. ET:] Downtown Cairo today remains in a state of high alert. There are many security forces and plainsclothed policemen visible on every…

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  • Video from Cairo

    Phone lines are intermittent and Twitter has reportedly been blocked in Egypt. Here is a live video feed: ustream.tv/channel/cairodowntown [update: ustream has been blocked, streaming now intermittently at livestream.com/cairowitness — further update, now at: www.justin.tv/cairowitness] Here is a YouTube video from earlier today:

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  • Ukraine’s Assault on a Free Press

    In Ukraine, where media diversity is often defined by which powerful oligarch controls which TV station, one network, TVi — known for its independent investigative style — is under intense legal pressure, with its owner not part of Ukraine’s power circles. TVi faces a court hearing on Tuesday over a legal claim that the station’s…

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  • Protester Time’s “Person of Year” — As Congress Votes to Curtail Rights

    SHAHID BUTTAR, via Amy E. Ferrer, media at bordc.org Buttar is executive director of the Bill of Rights Defense Committee, which is organizing a news conference today at the National Press Club on the National Defense Authorization Act. He said today: “By naming ‘the protester’ as its ‘Person of the Year,’ Time magazine recognized the…

  • “The 10 Greediest Americans of 2011”

    SAM PIZZIGATI, editor at toomuchonline.org, Pizzigati edits “Too Much” the weekly Institute for Policy Studies newsletter on excess and inequality. He just wrote the piece “The 10 Greediest Americans of 2011,’ which lists the following: 10. Michael T. Duke, Wal-Mart CEO: Duke takes home his millions — $18.7 million in the company’s latest fiscal year…

  • Climate Talks Agreement a “Roadmap to Disaster”

    Video stream of protests at the Climate talks from today. The Guardian is providing live coverage. MICHAEL DORSEY, michael.dorsey at dartmouth.edu, Professor at the Environmental Studies Program at Dartmouth College, Dorsey said this afternoon: “This current draft text in circulation is a death sentence for Africa. Countries may not even examine progress until 2015. The…

  • * Iran Drone * Russia Protests * Nobel Prize Betrayal

    he following analysts are available for a limited number of interviews: REESE ERLICH, rerlich at pacbell.net Foreign correspondent Erlich’s books include The Iran Agenda: The Real Story of U.S. Policy and the Middle East Crisis and Conversations with Terrorists: Middle East Leaders on Politics, Violence, and Empire. He said: “The CIA has now acknowledged that…

  • Climate Disruption Talks and the Global 99%

    Global climate talks in Durban, South Africa are now in their final week. ANDREW BUTLER, campaigner at riseup.net Butler is executive producer of the new film “Carbon Markets, Trading Our Future”. He said today: “The same financial institutions who have brought the global economy to its knees, whilst at the same time personally profiting from…

  • Analyst Blasts U.S. Negotiator at Climate Talks: Warns of “Eco-Apartheid”

    MICHAEL DORSEY, michael.dorsey at dartmouth.edu, “The arrival of lead U.S. negotiator for the United States, Todd Stern, in Durban South Africa spells doom for Africa and the planet,” said Dartmouth College Professor Michael Dorsey, after leaving a closed briefing with U.S. Special Envoy for Climate Change Stern and the U.S. Deputy Special Envoy for Climate…

  • Climate Talks: “Africa vs the 1%”

    Reuters reports: “Global carbon dioxide emissions from industry rose about three percent in a weak global economy this year, a study released on Monday showed, adding fresh urgency to efforts to control planet-warming gases at U.N. climate talks in South Africa.” Large protests took place over the weekend outside the global climate talks in Durban,…

  • Activists Found Guilty in Drone Trial

    The New York Times is reporting that President Obama will not apologize for the recent drone strike that killed over 20 Pakistani soldiers earlier this week. The Syracuse Post-Standard is reporting: “DeWitt Town Justice David Gideon ruled Thursday night that 31 protesters were guilty on two charges of disorderly conduct. But, Gideon said, he spent…

  • * Egypt * Burma * Eurozone

    SHERIF GABER, sgaber at gmail.com Gaber recently graduated from law school at the University of Texas at Austin and, back in his native Egypt, has been active with the group No Military Trials for Civilians. He said today: “Tomorrow [Friday] is going to be an important day, a symbolic funeral for the 56 people who…

  • Police Strong-Arm, Evict Occupy LA and Philly

    Information, including contacts for different occupation cites, is at and video from various cites is featured at. JODY DODD, jdodd6 at gmail.com Dodd is part of the Occupy Philly legal collective. The webpage features more information including a video “Eviction – What the Mainstream Media Failed to Show the World.”

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