Showing posts with label unrest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label unrest. Show all posts
Monday, February 14, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Egypt wakes to devastation, Mubarak refuses to quit
Mubarak addresses the nation on Egyptian state TV in Cairo yesterday, January 28, 2011 where he called for dialogue and said he would name a new government today.
President Hosni Mubarak clung to power in Egypt today after days of popular protests against his 30-year-old rule in which at least 24 people were killed and more than 1,000 wounded.
Mubarak refused to bow to protesters’ demands that he quit and ordered troops and tanks into cities overnight in an attempt to quell demonstrations that left a trail wreckage across Cairo.
The ruling party’s headquarters were still burning this morning and demonstrators were still out in the streets in the early hours in defiance of a curfew. Daybreak revealed ransacked shops and burnt-out buildings.
Mubarak promised to appoint a new Cabinet today and called for dialogue to avert chaos.
Medical sources said at least 24 people had been killed and more than 1,000 wounded in yesterday’s clashes in Cairo, Suez and Alexandria.
“It is not by setting fire and by attacking private and public property that we achieve the aspirations of Egypt and its sons, but they will be achieved through dialogue, awareness and effort,” the president said in a midnight TV address, his first public appearance since the protests began four days ago.
The unprecedented unrest has sent shock waves through the Middle East, where other autocratic rulers may face similar challenges, and unsettled global financial markets yesterday.
US President Barack Obama said he spoke to Mubarak and urged “concrete steps that advance the rights of the Egyptian people”.
The protests bore many hallmarks of the unrest that toppled the leader of Tunisia two weeks ago, although the arrival of army troops to back up the police showed that Mubarak still has support of the military, the country’s most powerful force.
Protesters mocked his decision to sack his Cabinet as an empty gesture.
“It was never about the government, by God. It is you (Mubarak) who has to go! What you have done to the people is enough!” said one.
“The people want the president to fall,” dozens of youths chanted to a Reuters TV camera in the early morning in Tahrir square in central Cairo.
Some youths held up empty shotgun cartridges, teargas canisters and unused live rounds.
Tanks stood on roads leading into the square. One army armoured personnel carrier was gutted by fire. The square was strewn with rubble, burned tyres and charred wood that had been used as barricades overnight.
The army’s arrival had initially been welcomed by crowds, frustrated by heavy-handed police. But the damage to army vehicles showed that this swiftly wore off and protesters overnight accused the army of taking the same police line.
“What happened was a betrayal of the people... We were celebrating the army’s presence when they got to Tahrir, we let them through to take over from the dirty riot police and then we got fired at again,” Marzouq, a protester, in his 20s, said.
Cars began returning to the streets and there were other signs of normal life resuming but the wreckage was widespread.
In central Cairo, a petrol station was smashed and the burnt-out shells of three cars lay on the street nearby. Elsewhere, police trucks and pick-ups still smouldered in the acrid air, filled with the smell of smoke and teargas.
The ruling party headquarters in Cairo, set ablaze yesterday, was still burning.
In Cairo’s Mohandiseen district, jewellery shops were ransacked and emptied. A Reuters team saw a gang of looters storm into a bank and carry out the safe overnight.
More than half of the dead in yesterday’s clashes were reported in Suez, the eastern city which was a focus of the most violent protests over the past four days.
Some Egyptians expressed fear that more unrest would leave their country in ruins, and hoped Mubarak would go quickly.
“We don’t want this regime to leave this country in a state of destruction. We want it to go away. We need to give them a safe haven to leave this nation. Leave us, enough,” Salah Abdel Maqsoud, a senior official in the Journalists Union close to the opposition Muslim Brotherhood, told Al Jazeera television.
Mubarak, 82, has been a close ally of Washington and beneficiary of US aid for decades, justifying his autocratic rule in part by citing a danger of Islamist militancy.
The Muslim Brotherhood opposition, however, appears to have played a backseat role in the unrest.
His government has largely shut Egypt off from the Internet, which protesters used to organise. The mobile phone network in Cairo was still out of action. Obama called for an end to interference with communications networks.
“I want to be very clear in calling upon the Egyptian authorities to refrain from any violence against peaceful protesters,” Obama said.
Anthony Skinner, associate director of political risk consultancy Maplecroft, said Mubarak’s conduct was reminiscent of that of Tunisia’s ousted leader Zine al-Abedine Ben Ali, who also fired his Cabinet hours before he was forced to flee.
“Mubarak is showing he is still there for now and he is trying to deflect some of the force of the process away from himself by sacking the Cabinet. We will have to see how people react but I don’t think it will be enough at all.”
Markets were hit by the uncertainty. US stocks suffered their biggest one-day loss in nearly six months, crude oil prices surged and the dollar and US Treasury debt gained as investors looked to safe havens.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei formally endorsed the second term presidency of hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - Israel threaten
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei formally endorsed the second term presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday after a disputed election that plunged Iran into its worst crisis since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
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Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on leaving the office to report, film or take pictures in Tehran. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad waits for Oman's Foreign Minister Youssef bin Alawi bin Abdullah before an official meeting in Tehran July 11, 2009. -
The results, which leading reformists and moderate defeated candidates Mirhossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi said were rigged to ensure victory for the hardline Ahmadinejad, led to violent protests and deep schisms within Iran's clerical and political elite.
Leading opposition figures and two former presidents, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mohammad Khatami, who backed Mousavi in the vote, were not at the ceremony although they had attended such events in the past, Iranian media reported.
Iranian officials deny any fraud in the election, in which Ahmadinejad was declared to have won 63 percent of 40 million votes cast, against 34 percent for Mousavi.
Part of Iran's influential Shi'ite clerical establishment has also signaled misgivings over the aftermath of the poll, which has touched off the country's worst internal upheaval since the 1979 revolution.
Iran Ayatollah urges Ahmadinejad to sack 'friend of Israel' VP
Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami, who led Friday prayers in Tehran, once again called on President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to sack his acting president, Esfandir Rahim-Mashaie.
"I hope that the president will pay attention to critics and especially the demand by the supreme leader ¬Ayatollah Ali Khamenei¬ and revise the appointment of his first vice-president," the ayatollah said.
Rahim-Mashaie's appointment led to widespread criticism even within pro-Ahmadinejad circles, owing to an earlier remark by the vice-president that Iran's political differences with Israel had nothing to do with Israelis and Jews.
His remark that Iran was also a friend of the Israeli people sparked particularly harsh protests and calls for his resignation. Rahim-Mashaie at that time served as vice-president and head of the tourism organization.
Parliament also demanded the vice-president be sacked, or they were to take the issue to Supreme Leader Khamenei who, according to constitution, has the final say on all state affairs.
Khamenei has reportedly informed the president already about his wish that Rahim-Mashaie should be replaced.
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- In July 2009 after the disputed results were announced , Demonstrators in Tehran burn trash, apparently to mitigate the effects of tear gas used by Iranian security forces. Witnesses said the unrest was brought under control within three hours. -
Violent clashes erupted Thursday in downtown Tehran between thousands of defiant protesters chanting "Death to the dictator" and security forces wielding truncheons, as the political crisis over Iran's disputed presidential election stretched into its fourth week.
Contingents of uniformed and plainclothes security forces flooded the city's central squares and managed with batons and tear gas to eventually disperse the demonstrators, many of whom wore black and held up their fingers in V-for-victory salutes.
Demonstrators said they were determined to defy the authorities, led by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who have demanded an end to rallies and acts of civil disobedience. Tracts distributed online and as leaflets called on protesters to borrow the nonviolent tactics of the U.S. civil rights movement, avoid rifts within their ranks and do nothing that would hamper morale.
Protesters chanted in support of Mir-Hossein Mousavi, who authorities say was defeated by incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the presidential vote, and they urged security forces to join them.
Mousavi and Karoubi say the next government will be illegitimate.
Former Prime Minister Mir Hossein Mousavi announced presidential bid on March 10(Left).Reformist Mehdi Karroubi (Right)
Both candidate above are favored among the moderate reformist supporters.However loss to incumbent hardliner Ahmadinejad .
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Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on leaving the office to report, film or take pictures in Tehran. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad waits for Oman's Foreign Minister Youssef bin Alawi bin Abdullah before an official meeting in Tehran July 11, 2009. -
The results, which leading reformists and moderate defeated candidates Mirhossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi said were rigged to ensure victory for the hardline Ahmadinejad, led to violent protests and deep schisms within Iran's clerical and political elite.
Leading opposition figures and two former presidents, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mohammad Khatami, who backed Mousavi in the vote, were not at the ceremony although they had attended such events in the past, Iranian media reported.
Iranian officials deny any fraud in the election, in which Ahmadinejad was declared to have won 63 percent of 40 million votes cast, against 34 percent for Mousavi.
Part of Iran's influential Shi'ite clerical establishment has also signaled misgivings over the aftermath of the poll, which has touched off the country's worst internal upheaval since the 1979 revolution.
The power struggle can only hamper the leadership's ability to tackle the Islamic Republic's economic problems, as well as the struggle over its nuclear program, which Iran says is only peaceful, but which the West suspects is aimed at bomb-making.
In an apparent effort to deter street protests, Iran on Saturday put 100 protesters, including several senior moderate figures, on trial. They face a range of charges, including acting against national security, which is punishable by death.
Rights groups say hundreds of people, including senior pro-reform politicians, journalists and lawyers, have been detained since the election.Iran Ayatollah urges Ahmadinejad to sack 'friend of Israel' VP
Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami, who led Friday prayers in Tehran, once again called on President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to sack his acting president, Esfandir Rahim-Mashaie.
"I hope that the president will pay attention to critics and especially the demand by the supreme leader ¬Ayatollah Ali Khamenei¬ and revise the appointment of his first vice-president," the ayatollah said.
Rahim-Mashaie's appointment led to widespread criticism even within pro-Ahmadinejad circles, owing to an earlier remark by the vice-president that Iran's political differences with Israel had nothing to do with Israelis and Jews.
His remark that Iran was also a friend of the Israeli people sparked particularly harsh protests and calls for his resignation. Rahim-Mashaie at that time served as vice-president and head of the tourism organization.
Parliament also demanded the vice-president be sacked, or they were to take the issue to Supreme Leader Khamenei who, according to constitution, has the final say on all state affairs.
Khamenei has reportedly informed the president already about his wish that Rahim-Mashaie should be replaced.
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- In July 2009 after the disputed results were announced , Demonstrators in Tehran burn trash, apparently to mitigate the effects of tear gas used by Iranian security forces. Witnesses said the unrest was brought under control within three hours. -
Violent clashes erupted Thursday in downtown Tehran between thousands of defiant protesters chanting "Death to the dictator" and security forces wielding truncheons, as the political crisis over Iran's disputed presidential election stretched into its fourth week.
Contingents of uniformed and plainclothes security forces flooded the city's central squares and managed with batons and tear gas to eventually disperse the demonstrators, many of whom wore black and held up their fingers in V-for-victory salutes.
Demonstrators said they were determined to defy the authorities, led by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who have demanded an end to rallies and acts of civil disobedience. Tracts distributed online and as leaflets called on protesters to borrow the nonviolent tactics of the U.S. civil rights movement, avoid rifts within their ranks and do nothing that would hamper morale.
Protesters chanted in support of Mir-Hossein Mousavi, who authorities say was defeated by incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the presidential vote, and they urged security forces to join them.
Mousavi and Karoubi say the next government will be illegitimate.
Former Prime Minister Mir Hossein Mousavi announced presidential bid on March 10(Left).Reformist Mehdi Karroubi (Right)
Both candidate above are favored among the moderate reformist supporters.However loss to incumbent hardliner Ahmadinejad .
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