Palash Twitter: Breaking News and Commentary from Citizens for Legitimate Government

Breaking News and Commentary from Citizens for Legitimate Government
29 Jan 2011
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'Police open fire as protesters re-gather in Cairo' --Eyewitnesses claim that security forces shot at protesters in Egyptian capital angry at President Mubarak's refusal to step down; Mubarak sacks gov't, defends police crackdown on protesters. 29 Jan 2011 Hundreds of Egyptians gathered in central Cairo on Saturday morning, renewing protests calling on Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to resign. Police opened fire on a number of the protesters according to eyewitness reports, al-Jazeera reported.

Mubarak Orders Ministers to Resign but Backs Armed Response to Egypt Protests 29 Jan 2011 President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt appeared on television early Saturday morning and ordered his government to resign, but backed his security forces' attempts to contain the surging unrest around the country that has shaken his three-decade-long authoritarian rule. He did not offer to step down himself and spent much of his speech explaining the need for stability, saying that while he was "on the side of freedom," his job was to protect the nation from chaos.

Egypt protesters defy curfew as tanks roll into Cairo --At least 25 killed on day of violent protest --Mubarak stays but dismisses government --Demonstrators defy nationwide curfew 28 Jan 2011 Tanks moved on to the streets of Cairo and Alexandria as protesters in Egypt defied a nationwide curfew ordered by President Hosni Mubarak in an effort to quell the fourth and most violent day of demonstrations against his 30-year rule. In a late-night TV address, Mubarak refused to relinquish power, but dismissed his government, promising a new administration to tackle unemployment and promote democracy. But his call for stability appeared to cut little ice with many protesters, who surged on to the streets as soon as he finished speaking, defying a curfew.

Shot in the head: The moment Egyptian police gunned down an unarmed protester for throwing a rock --State TV announces 6pm to 7am curfew in Cairo, Alexandria and Suez --Mubarak asks army to help police deal with protests --Protester in Suez killed in clashes, say witnesses --Total blackout on internet access and text messaging services disrupted --Tear gas and water cannon used against protesters 28 Jan 2011 A protester tumbles to the ground as he is gunned down by police revealing the brutal reaction of the Egyptian regime as it tries to contain the unrest that is spreading across the country. Mohamed Atef, 22, died instantly from a shot to the head as he demonstrated in the town of Sheikh Zoweid in northern Sinai... The shooting came as police fought protesters in Suez and Ismailia, two cities straddling the Suez Canal that separates Sinai from the rest of Egypt. Today thousands of anti-government protesters clashed with police in Cairo, who fired rubber bullets into the crowds and used tear gas and water cannons to disperse them.

Military deployed in Cairo, ElBaradei put under house arrest 28 Jan 2011 Chaos has enveloped Egypt as the military has been deployed in major cities and curfews imposed. Buildings have been set ablaze including a police station and the ruling party's headquarters, while a clampdown on the media has been stepped up. Security forces shut down al-Jazeera's Cairo office while a CNN camera crew was attacked and their camera taken by security forces. Protestors have surrounded the government TV and radio compound which is being closely guarded by the military.

Mubarak will step down: Brotherhood 28 Jan 2011 The Muslim Brotherhood has said that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will be stepping down. At 11:51 p.m. Cairo time on Friday night, the Muslim Brotherhood's website Ikhwanweb.com posted the sentence: "Semi-confirmed: The dictator will step down, his family fled the country secretly." However, a few hours later the word "Semi-confirmed" was changed to "Unconfirmed."

BBC journalist arrested and beaten by Egyptian police 28 Jan 2011 A BBC journalist has been beaten during riots in the Egyptian capital. Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters demanding an end to President Mubarak's 30-year rule took to the streets after Friday prayers. BBC Arabic reporter, Assad Sawey, told Lyse Doucet that his arrest by the police had been "brutal".

'It is not longer a Twitter or social revolt, it is an actual revolt.' --Richard Engel, NBC News, commenting on the people's uprising in Egypt. By Lori Price 28 Jan 2011 NBC News: The tear gas used against the protesters in Egypt was 'Made in USA.' Of course. There's no industry in the US, except for war and weapons of war. 'There is frustration with American involvement in Egyptian politics.' (MSNBC)

Egypt's Mubarak imposes curfew after day of protests rocks regime [Time to rock other regimes -- especially those owned and operated by US corpora-terrorists -- as well.] 28 Jan 2011 The headquarters of the ruling National Democratic Party were ablaze in Cairo on Friday night, shortly after a curfew came into force, live footage carried by Al Jazeera television showed. State television confirmed the building was set on fire. NDP branch offices in several other cities around the country were also set on fire or attacked during the day, witnesses said.

13 killed in Suez in 4 days 28 Jan 2011 At least 13 people have been killed and 75 injured in anti-government demonstrations in the Egyptian city of Suez over the past four days. On Friday, thousands of Egyptian protesters stormed the main police station in the port city of Suez, overwhelming security forces and raising an even bigger challenge to the embattled regime of President Hosni Mubarak. The protesters freed prisoners from the city jail [Awesome!], destroyed armored police vehicles, then sacked the building and looted its contents.

Israeli min. urges Egypt to use force 28 Jan 2011 An Israeli minister says Egyptian government forces will have to exercise force to rein in public protests as the African country is teetering on the brink of a Tunisia-style revolution. Inspired by the recent popular revolution in Tunisia, Egyptians have staged similar anti-government protests since Tuesday, calling on President Hosni Mubarak to relinquish power after three decades in office. Meanwhile, an Israeli cabinet minister who spoke on condition of anonymity to Israeli media stated on Thursday that the Egyptian president backed by a strong militarily prowess will eventually subdue the crisis,The Washington Post reported.

All Web sites in Egypt brought down as Internet goes offline 28 Jan 2011 Almost all Internet Service Providers in Egypt are down, the cause unknown, but suspected to be on the orders of the government. Unprecedented protests which have gripped the country are believed to have been largely co-ordinated on the Internet primarily through social messaging networks such as Facebook and Twitter. Both networks suffered widespread disruptions Thursday but by Friday were almost totally inaccessible.

Panel: Guantanamo prisoners still tortured 27 Jan 2011 All prisoners should be released from the United States' Guantanamo Bay facility, a former detainee [Omar Deghayes] and experts said Wednesday night at a UC Berkeley panel discussion. The three panelists criticized President Barack Obama for failing to follow through on a 2009 promise to close the prison, which opened in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks to hold people captured in Afghanistan and other countries with [alleged] terrorist ties. Torture has made it impossible to give detainees a fair trial, they said, making their imprisonment unjust.

Blair feared Cabinet leaks over Iraq, Chilcot told 29 Jan 2011 Tony Blair sidelined senior ministers in the run-up to the Iraq war because he feared they would leak details of talks about military action, the Cabinet Secretary said yesterday. Sir Gus O'Donnell took a series of swipes at the former Prime Minister's style of government, telling the Chilcot inquiry that Mr Blair did not feel the Cabinet was a "safe space" to discuss moves to war. Britain's most senior civil servant also argued that ministers should have been given full legal advice about the invasion and that more detailed records of crucial meetings should have been kept.

US Consulate car number plate fake: Police 28 Jan 2011 The number plate of the US Consulate vehicle that knocked down and killed a motorcyclist as it sped to help an American employee who had shot dead two youths in Lahore has been found to be fake, a probe has revealed. The US Consulate vehicle that killed motorcyclist Abdur Rehman carried a fake number plate, sources told Geo News Friday. Investigations have revealed that the car number was actually registered in the name of Sufi Munawwar Hussain, a resident of Sahiwal district in Punjab province.

'US embassy official Blackwater agent' 28 Jan 2011 Pakistani media say the US embassy official charged with the murder of two Pakistani citizens is an agent for the notorious security firm, Blackwater. The US official identified by police as Raymond Davis shot dead two men riding on a motorcycle in Lahore on Thursday in what he claimed was self-defense [Yeah, right!] during an attempted robbery. A third Pakistani was run over and killed in the incident after being hit by a US consulate vehicle rushing to the scene to the American's aid. [Well, that's a switch! Typically, Blackwater sociopaths are busy little bees blowing up mosques and markets so they can blame the Taleban for same. --LRP]

Blackwater:* Bombings kill 4, injure 19 in Pakistan 29 Jan 2011 Twin truck bombings in Pakistan's northwest have claimed the lives of at least four people, including two women, and left 19 others injured, Pakistani officials say. The attacks took place late Friday night in and outside a key road tunnel which connects the main city of Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the city of Kohat in the northwest Pakistan, AFP reported on Saturday. A truck packed with explosives entered a Japanese-built tunnel and then blew up, wounding five people in the first attack, a senior administration official said.

NATO tankers attacked in Pakistan 28 Jan 2011 Militants in southwest Pakistan have targeted a convoy of NATO tankers carrying supplies for US-led foreign troops in neighboring Afghanistan. Local police officials say the incident took place in Bolan area, some 20 kilometers from Quetta, the capital of southwestern Baluchistan Province. Militants set fire to at least two vehicles and fled the scene of the attack.

Suicide bomber kills Kandahar deputy governor 29 Jan 2011 A suicide bomber on a motorcycle killed the deputy governor of Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province on Saturday, a NATO official and the governor's spokesman said. Deputy Governor Abdul Latif Ashna was killed inside Kandahar city, capital of Kandahar province, said the governor's spokesman Zalmay Ayoubi.

Nine killed in Kabul attack 28 Jan 2011 A suicide bomber blew himself up inside a Western-style grocery store on Friday in Kabul, killing at least nine people in what was the deadliest attack in the capital against a location frequented by foreigners in just over a year... Six others were wounded, including two who suffered critical injuries, Kabul police chief Mohammad Ayub Salangi told reporters at the scene. The Taleban claimed responsibility, saying the attack was against a US-based security contractor.

Minot police: 'Multiple homicides' at 2 residences 28 Jan 2011 Police say they're investigating "multiple homicides" [four dead] at two Minot residences in north central North Dakota. A Friday statement from police says the homicides appear to be related and that a "person of interest" is being questioned. Minot is home to the Minot Air Force Base, which has about 4,800 active-duty military personnel. The base is the command center for about 150 Minuteman III missiles, sunk in hardened silos, and is 1 of the nation's two B-52 bomber bases.

Man's body found at Fort Bragg 28 Jan 2011 Military officials say a man's body was found near the corner of Ardennes and Reilly streets at Fort Bragg around 9:30 a.m. Friday. A news release from the base said Army criminal investigators have opened an investigation. The release did not say if there were any clues as to how the man died, if the case is being treated as a homicide, or his identity.

Anonymous: UK arrests are a 'declaration of war' 28 Jan 2011 Anonymous has issued a warning to the UK government after five young men suspected of being connected to the group were arrested on Thursday. The group, which has claimed responsibility for a series of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks launched in support of whistle-blowing site Wikileaks, said it viewed the arrests as "a declaration of war" by the British authorities. "Anonymous believes... that pursuing this direction is a sad mistake on your behalf. Not only does it reveal the fact that you do not seem to understand the present-day political and technological reality, we also take this as a serious declaration of war from yourself, the UK government, to us, Anonymous, the people," the group said in a statement on Thursday.

WikiLeaks probe: Army commanders were told not to send Manning to Iraq 27 Jan 2011 Investigators have concluded that Army commanders ignored advice not to send to Iraq an Army private who is accused of downloading hundreds of thousands of sensitive reports and diplomatic cables that ended up on the WikiLeaks website, McClatchy has learned. Pfc. Bradley Manning's direct supervisor warned that Manning had thrown chairs at colleagues [?!?] and shouted at higher ranking soldiers in the year he was stationed at Fort Drum, N.Y., and advised that Manning shouldn't be sent to Iraq, where his job would entail accessing classified documents through the Defense Department's computer system.

Pentagon: Training on 'don't ask, don't tell' starts in Feb. for troops, commanders 28 Jan 2011 Using lectures, videos and PowerPoint slides, the Pentagon plans to start training commanders, chaplains and troops next month on how to adjust to a military that will allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in uniform, a critical step in ending the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, officials said Friday. The new guidelines come as President Obama and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates vowed this week to lift the ban this year, a promise in line with the expectations of gay rights groups who are seeking a swift end to the policy.

US fighter jets scrambled to intercept rogue aircraft 29 Jan 2011 A pair of F-16 fighter jets were scrambled Friday to intercept an unresponsive commercial aircraft over the US capital, but returned to base near Washington after regaining communication, officials said. The military jets took off from Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, at 11.53am (1643 GMT) in response to the apparently threat. The 'small commercial jet aircraft regained communication prior to the fighter aircraft intercepting,' added Norad, the command responsible for North American air defence.

US to provide specifics in future terrorism alerts 28 Jan 2011 The Obama administration on Thursday unveiled a new system to warn Americans about terrorism threats that will include specific information about the threat, scrapping the widely ignored colour-coded alerts. The old approach was criticized because it lacked specifics about threats, prompting people to ignore the warnings. The new approach will tell the public whether the threat is "imminent" or if there is an "elevated" risk of threat.

DHS to begin deployment of Einstein 3 system this year 28 Jan 2011 The Department of Homeland Security plans to begin deploying its Einstein [LOL!] 3 network intrusion detection and prevention system this year, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano said. Einstein 3 will provide DHS "with the ability to automatically detect and disrupt malicious cyber activity", Napolitanotold an audience at the George Washington University Homeland Security Policy Institute. The department is currently implementing Einstein 2, which alerts US Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) to respond when it detects unauthorized users trying to access government systems.

UK and US hold anti-terror talks 27 Jan 2011 Anti-terror talks between the United States and the UK are due to be held. Plans to strengthen cyber, cargo and aviation security against terrorism and natural disasters will be discussed in the private talks between Home Secretary Theresa May, Transport Secretary Philip Hammond and the US Homeland Secretary Janet Napolitano, US officials confirmed. It comes after Scotland Yard said a bomb 'found' on a cargo plane at East Midlands Airport in October was timed to detonate over the eastern seaboard of the US.

Golden Gate Bridge to move to all-electronic tolls 28 Jan 2011 The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District's board of directors approved a proposal this morning to collect tolls electronically [using FasTrak] only on the bridge starting in September 2012.Bridge users who do not use FasTrak will still have their license plate read. They will be sent a bill for the toll or they can pay it at kiosks in Bay Area stores.

Arizona birthright bill 'may violate constitution' 29 Jan 2011 The state of Arizona is returning to the front line of the simmering debate over immigration after local politicians unveiled a plan to scrap the law requiring all children born on American soil to be classified as US citizens. Declaring war on so-called "anchor babies", the author of the controversial legislation, Republican John Kavanagh, said he believed it to be "irresponsible and foolish to bestow citizenship based upon one's GPS location at birth". Under his bill, authorities will in future issue one of two forms of birth certificate to a newborn baby. The offspring of legal immigrants and existing citizens will get one declaring them to be a bona fide American. Anyone else will get a different certificate, which makes it impossible to access public services.

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Previous lead stories: Explosion at Davos hotel close to where top executives and world leaders were meeting 27 Jan 2011 Left-wing activists claimed responsibility for a minor explosion on Thursday at a hotel in Davos, close to where top executives and world leaders were meeting, but nobody was hurt. Swiss prosecutors said they were investigating the explosion, implying that there might be a criminal motive, but they declined to give further details. A group calling itself Revolutionary Perspective said in a statement on an activist website it had targeted the luxury Posthotel with a firebomb and said Swiss ministers and representatives of top bank UBS were staying there.

NATO not to leave Afghanistan after 2014 transition: official 26 Jan 2011 NATO and the countries participating in the operation in Afghanistan will not leave the country after 2014, when Afghan troops will have taken over the security responsibility, a senior NATO official said Tuesday. NATO's Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan Mark Sedwill made the remarks at a joint press conference with Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb after the two held a meeting here. The transition in 2014 will not be the end of NATO's operation in Afghanistan, but the beginning of a new phase of the campaign [to fund US mercenaries to protect gas and opium routes], Sedwill said.

German Held by US Military at Bagram Prison --The arrest took place in the middle of the night. 26 Jan 2011 US forces are holding a German citizen of Afghan descent at Bagram prison outside of Kabul. The man's family insists he was merely in Afghanistan to visit his father -- and says German officials were complicit in his arrest. The arrest took place in the middle of the night. In early January, US troops in Afghanistan stormed a house in Kabul and detained 23-year-old Haddid N., according to the Süddeutsche Zeitung on Wednesday. He is now being held at the Bagram Airforce Base on the outskirts of the Afghan capital.

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--
Palash Biswas
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