HSH (homesweethome)

Housing and lving costs

2011-02-23T15:12:00.000-08:00

Although Egypt has extrmaly high food prices living expensise are relitively cheap.For a nickel you can ride the bus to work and labour is almost free the average day laborer makes just 2 dollors a day.What makes living in Egypt diffifult is there 11% inflation rate which makes everything more expensive,but do not feal discouraged Egypt has made great strides in reducing there anula inflation rate.For example last yesar it was 18% this year 11% thats a 7% difforence in just one year.
   Housing is a difforent story though to our standards housing costs a ver resnable and just to give you a good idea of prices below I have listed some prices for houses .

To rent
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre           $ 460.71
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre      $250.00
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre           $894.71
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre    $ 874.11

To Buy per square Meter

Price per Square Meter to Buy Apartment in City Centre          $1,047.50
Price per Square Meter to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre $ 919.74

Living in what might become the most dangerous place in the world

2011-02-22T14:00:00.000-08:00

So you are considering living in Egypt.In this short mini series of blog posts I will go over with you every thing you need to consider when moving to Egypt.
If you haven't figured out already Egypt is experiencing a revolution.This is a big deal for many reasons.The stability of the government is questionable and with no end in sight to the riot,s no one really knows what will happen.Inn the past week it is safe to say the crime rate has skyrocketed.A already troubled economy has just gotten worse.The U.S government has already advised not going there and thousands of people are awaiting transport out of the country .Some people say due to the blocked communications and halt of trade gas prices will go up.But in my opinion that is the least of our worries.The Muslim brotherhood is already active and if the wrong person gets into power it could be worse then Mubarak,I worry we could be facing a huge issue.But I'm getting off topic,I'm sure you know about safety issues,With an unemployment rate of over 10% Egypt is in a financial recession.But Egypt up until the riots had made good strides in its inflation rate of 11%. Although high, it is considerably lower then last year when it was at 18%Think about this next time you decide to invest or consider staying in Egypt.

Language

2011-02-22T13:41:00.000-08:00

Language is a huge issue in any country you visit.In some countries were no one knows your native language getting things done proves difficult.In Egypt the official language is Arabic, a Semitic tongue.But don't worry ,most educated people speak French and English so Americans won't have a to difficult time getting around but the language barrier plays a huge role in how you do business.Most signs will be in Arabic so a simple task like driving is almost impossible.I would recommend anyone going to Egypt learn some basic words in Arabic.It really helps,for instance, knowing bathroom or toilet. It can really help when you've got to you know go.

In addition to speaking Arabic, in Egypt they write in Arabic.This is were it gets confusing .Arabic is unique. It is the only language ito my knowledge that reads backwards.Below I have written something in Arabic

www.devinsamarikyle.com is the best place to go for information on Egypt

هو أفضل مكان للذهاب للحصول على معلومات عن مصرwww.devinsamarikyle.com

As you can see in Arabic they write and read backwards.So next time you plan on moving to Egypt stop and think about the huge language gap you will face.

soccer

2011-02-19T05:32:00.000-08:00

Check out this youtube video on Egyptian soccer.

Egypt junta names panel to reform constitution

2011-02-15T12:47:00.001-08:00

CAIRO (AFP) – Egypt's military regime warned on Tuesday that a wave of strikes sweeping the country was "disastrous," as it gave a panel of civilian experts 10 days to revise the constitution.
Against a backdrop of persistent nationwide walk-walkouts and street protests, the junta promised to rapidly restore constitutional rule following the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak's regime.
US President Barack Obama said the transition under way in Egypt was a model for autocratic Middle Eastern allies and encouraged the Iranian people to press their quest for democracy after protests on Monday in which two people died.
Egypt's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces instructed an eight-strong panel of jurists and scholars to "amend all articles as it sees fit to guarantee democracy and the integrity of presidential and parliamentary elections."
The panel "must finish its work in a period of no longer than 10 days after the date of this decision," and must strike down the articles giving presidents unlimited terms in office and the right to refer cases to military courts.
The military took power on Friday when Mubarak's near 30-year rule was brought to an end by an 18-day street revolt. Since then, Egyptian workers have begun testing the bounds of their new freedom with strikes.
On Sunday, the military suspended the constitution and dissolved parliament, but it has promised to oversee a six-month transition to democratic rule. It urged strikers to return to work but stopped short of ordering them to do so.
"The Supreme Council is aware of the economic and social circumstances society is undergoing, but these issues cannot be resolved before the strikes and sit-ins end," state news agency MENA quoted the military as saying.
"The result of that will be disastrous."
The constitutional panel got straight down to work.
"The armed forces want to hand over power as soon as possible. They want amendments to the constitution," said panel member Sobhi Saleh, a lawyer and former lawmaker from Islamist opposition group the Muslim Brotherhood.
"We are revising the constitution to remove all restrictions and obstacles, and to meet the aspirations of the revolution's and the people's demands."
The committee is headed by Tareq al-Bishri, a respected former head of Egypt's administrative court, and includes jurists and constitutional experts from a broad cross-section of communities.
The strikes and protests abated on Tuesday as Egyptians marked the birthday of the Prophet Mohammed, but threaten to flare again as people use their new-found freedom to press long-suppressed grievances.
The central bank decided to keep banks closed until at least Sunday and the the stock exchange also stayed shut.
The Muslim Brotherhood -- which was banned but broadly tolerated under Mubarak -- confirmed that it plans to form an official political party to contest promised parliamentary elections.
Egypt's best organised opposition group fielded candidates as independents under the slogan "Islam is the solution" in 2005 elections, winning around 20 percent of the seats.
But it boycotted the second round of elections last year after failing to win a single seat in the first round amid widespread reports of violence and vote-rigging on behalf of the ruling party.
The Brotherhood belatedly joined the massive nationwide protests that led to Mubarak's ouster, but has said it will not put up a candidate in the election to replace him and has called for democratic reforms.
The group has triggered concerns in the West and among some of its secular rivals, who fear it may come to power through free elections only to then implement Islamic law in the most populous Arab country.
Brotherhood leaders adamantly reject such a scenario, insisting it supports the broader demands of the pro-democracy protesters and seeks a more open multi-party system.
Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit said the economy was "severely affected by the political crisis that has shaken the country" and called for international aid.
At the height of the revolt Egypt was haemorrhaging more than $300 million a day, according to the Egyptian unit of French bank Credit Agricole, which lowered a growth forecast for 2011 from 5.3 percent to 3.7 percent.
In a boost for the vital tourism sector, Britain lifted its advice against travel to Cairo and other major cities, while Denmark and Sweden said it was now safe to visit Red Sea resorts.
Egypt's protest movement, which was inspired by the ouster of Tunisian strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, has in turn triggered anti-government demonstrations around the Middle East, from Algeria to Bahrain and Yemen, as well as Iran.
Obama called on Western allies in the region to open up to their peoples and contrasted developments in Egypt with those in Iran, where the authorities crushed a wave of mass protests in 2009 and reacted furiously to opposition attempts to revive them on Monday.
"We have sent a strong message to our allies in the region saying let's look at Egypt's example, as opposed to Iran's example," he said . (found on yahoo.com)

Egypts food Prices

2011-02-12T04:12:00.000-08:00

Blog readers This post today is about food prices in Egypt and how it has contributed to the recent riots,I hope you find it very informative.

Egyptians are particularly vulnerable to increases in food prices because they spend an unusually high proportion of their income on food, according to a recent Credit Suisse survey. "Food inflation is a specific issue" in the country, the report notes, "having reached over 20 percent—amongst the highest rates globally." Egyptians spent more on food than respondents in any other emerging economy surveyed in the report—about 40 percent of their monthly income, versus about 17 percent for Brazilians and about 20 percent for Chinese and Saudi Arabians, The recent spike in wheat prices was not helpful for the millions of Egyptians who use it on a daily basis.

The Egyptian government does subsidize bread and other staples for poorer Egyptians, ameliorating the price increase somewhat. But most Egyptians purchase bread beyond what the subsidy allows. And the threat of instability has already pushed food costs higher in the Egyptian capital and elsewhere. Plus, rising food prices have a long history of causing social unrest in the country. In 1977, the state cut subsidies of basic staples, leading to deadly riots. In 2008, when food prices hit their first peak, Egyptians again took to the streets.

None of that comes as a surprise to social scientists.

So what is causing the rise in food prices—and might prices abate, easing tensions in Egypt? Unfortunately, the answer is probably no. Commodity speculation by hedge funds and financial entities might be contributing to the global run-up in prices. But much of the recent increase can be explained by the simple laws of supply and demand. First, there are constraints on yields, caused by recent droughts in Russia, floods in Australia and Pakistan, and increased production of crops for ethanol and other biofuels, rather than food. At the same time, demand for food commodities has continued to climb in big and fast-growing countries like India and China. And rising oil prices—a key component of food costs, given the cost of shipping goods—aren't helping, either.

So why haven't Americans noticed an uptick in costs at the supermarket? Mostly because raw food costs are a smaller proportion of overall food costs for American consumers. When you buy a box of Wheaties, you're paying for packaging, advertising, and processing, as well as the wheat, making the price more insulated from inflation. In addition, U.S. food producers tend to trade in the futures markets to smooth costs—meaning ingredient costs get locked in months or even years in advance.

So, the global food crisis has remained mostly invisible in the United States. But it is all too visible in Egypt and other Northern African emerging economies. And the economic forces do not look like they will abate any time soon.So how has this affected people in Egypt.Well for a country where the average salary is 2 dollars a day it's a big deal.

Egypt rejoices as Hosni Mubarack leaves

2011-02-12T04:10:00.000-08:00

If you haven't heard already Hosni Mubarak and his family have left.Mubarak has officially resigned from power and the military has taken control of the government.What I want to now is what is next for Egypt.Who will take Mubarak's spot.To date no official leader has one favor with the country,but the speculation is sky high.Will the Muslim brotherhood have an influence on who next will go into power?Or will the election system change making it a nation which can chose it's president.I am spectacle about what will happen next.I was considering the investment opportunity's of Egypt with a new government and I think its safe to say its to early in the game to tell for sure who Egypt will pick as their leader.

2011-02-07T18:22:00.001-08:00

Turmoil in Egypt is growing as the days go by and Hosni Mubarich is still in power. As stated by Egyptnews.net

''Efforts by the United States to broker a gradual transition of power have been rejected by the local population. Hundreds of thousands of Egyptians gathered in Tahrir Square in Cairo on Tuesday to demand Mubarak and his government be removed now with one protester holding a banner saying, "U.S.A. it's our decision, not yours."

The United States initially stood by Mr Mubarak, 82, an ally for the past three decades, but then in an apparent shift began hinting he should go. Then in another about-face, the United States backed a plan for newly-installed Vice President Omar Suleiman to assume some of the presidential powers, to play a greater role in implementing reforms, and, with Mr Mubarak, to oversee the election process. Mr Suleiman is believed to be a candidate for president. On Tuesday it emerged from leaked cables that Israel has made known to the United States it would prefer Mr Suleiman to succeed Mr Mubarak.

It also emerged Tuesday that Mr Mubarak and his family have amassed a fortune in his time in public office, with his net worth estimated to be between $40 billion and $70 billion. Most of the funds have been invested in Swiss banks and U.S. real estate raising concerns about the effectiveness of money-laundering laws in both those countries. The news has angered Egypt's 82 million population, the majority of which survive on less than $2 a day.

Meantime Mr Mubarak has been hastily announcing reforms, and pay increases of up to 15% for people on government payrolls, in an effort to curb the public anger. On Tuesday it appeared the tactics were not working as momentum seemed to be building for his immediate ouster.

Anger seemed to be mounting too that Mr Mubarak should be involved in the election process, and an announcement on Tuesday that he was changing Egypt's constitution.

The youth of Egypt appear to be taking a more prominent part in protests with Mr Suleiman on Tuesday saying Mr Mubarak recognized their right to a say in the future of their country. He told protesters they would not be prosecuted and would not be restricted from expressing their views. Many of those turning out on Tuesday were encouraged to do so by messages on Twitter and Facebook which warned that if the momentum was not maintained the Mubarak regime would stay in power and continue to orchestrate Egypt's future."

Egypitain's Taxes

2011-02-04T07:29:00.000-08:00

In a daily life in Egypt you will not find many grocery stores or local shops that take credit or debit cards.

Make sure you carry 10-20 pounds on you at all times.

Use your common sense when carrying large amounts of pounds especially in public transportation and in major tourist location because their are pick pockets out their.

Egypt's currency is the Egyptian pound. Its most common denominators 5,10,20,50,100 and 200-pound notes.

youtube video on riots

2011-02-04T07:27:00.000-08:00

Egypt's upheaval takes dangerous new turn (all info found on yahoo)

2011-02-02T06:32:00.000-08:00

CAIRO – Several thousand supporters of President Hosni Mubarak, including some riding horses and camels and wielding whips, attacked anti-government protesters Wednesday as Egypt's upheaval took a dangerous new turn. In chaotic scenes, the two sides pelted each other with stones, and protesters dragged attackers off their horses.
The hours of turmoil were the first significant violence between supporters of the two camps in more than a week of anti-government protests. It erupted after Mubarak went on national television the night before and rejected demands he step down immediately and said he would serve out the remaining seven months of his term.

Wednesday morning, a military spokesman appeared on state TV Wednesday and asked the protesters to disperse so life in Egypt could get back to normal. The announcement could mark a major turn in the attitude of the army, which for the past two days has allowed protests to swell, reaching their largest size yet on Tuesday when a quarter-million peacefully packed into Cairo's central Tahrir Square.
Nearly 10,000 protesters massed again in Tahrir on Wednesday morning, rejecting Mubarak's speech as too little too late and renewed their demands he leave immediately.
In the early afternoon Wednesday, an Associated Press reporter saw around 3,000 Mubarak supporters break through a human chain of anti-government protesters trying to defend thousands gathered in Tahrir.
Chaos erupted as they tore down banners denouncing the president. Fistfights broke out as they advanced across the massive square in the heart of the capital. The anti-government protesters grabbed Mubarak posters from the hands of the supporters and ripped them.
The two sides began hurling stones and bottles and sticks at each other, chasing each other as the protesters' human chains moved back to try to shield the larger mass of demonstrators at the plaza's center.

At one point, a small contingent of pro-Mubarak forces on horseback and camels rushed into the anti-Mubarak crowds, swinging whips and sticks to beat people. Protesters retaliated, dragging some from their mounts, throwing them to the ground and beating their faces bloody. The horses and camels likely were the ones used by touts giving rides for tourists.

Mubarach speech

2011-02-01T13:49:00.000-08:00

So I am writing this post right after Mubarach finished his speech I want your take on it.I for one am speechless.

Looking for info Not on this site

2011-02-01T13:06:00.000-08:00

Go to http://www.expat-blog.com/forum/viewforum.php?id=87 this site has a lot of good stuff on Egypt plus they have a great forum.

Egypts Goverment

2011-02-01T12:51:00.000-08:00

I am writing this blog post because I believe people don't realize how Egypt's current government works.Please comment on this post and tell me what you think.

''Egypt is governed under the constitution of 1971 as amended. Executive power is held by the president, who is the head of state and is elected by popular vote for a six-year term, with no term limits.The head of government is the prime minister. There is a bicameral legislature. The People's Assembly has 454 seats; 444 members are elected by popular vote and 10 are appointed by the president. All serve 5-year terms. The Advisory Council, with 264 seats, has 176 elected members and 88 who are appointed by the president. Members serve six-year terms and act only in a consultative role. The government must approve the formation of political parties, effectively assuring its monopoly on political power. Parties based on religion are illegal, but the largest one, the Muslim Brotherhood, has been permitted to operate openly at times. Administratively, Egypt is divided into 26 governors'' similar to ancient times.

I quoted from

http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/world/A0857910.html

U.S. steps up pressure on Egypt's Mubarak

2011-01-30T17:33:00.000-08:00

CAIRO (Reuters) – The United States led an international push on Sunday to force President Hosni Mubarak to yield to Egyptians' demands for democracy. But there was little sign the army was about to end his 30-year rule -- just yet.
Egyptian diplomat Mohamed ElBaradei, claiming a mandate from disparate opposition groups to negotiate a handover of power with the military, called on Washington to "cut off life support to the dictator." Six days of unrest has killed more than 100 people, rocked the Middle East and rattled global investors.

But President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, along with European leaders, stopped short of urging the immediate departure of the 82-year-old Mubarak, who has made the most populous Arab state an ally of the West in its conflicts with Soviet communism and, now, with radical Islam.
For many, however, the writing is on the wall. "Mubarak's time has run out," an Obama adviser told the New York Times.
On the streets of Cairo and other cities, thousands kept up the momentum for change, inspired by the overthrow of Tunisia's veteran strongman Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali two weeks ago. They shared food and jokes with soldiers in American-built tanks, who kept order and let protests run into the night despite a curfew.
Mubarak, himself a former general who on Friday promised to listen to popular demands, met his military chiefs. They now seem to hold his future in their hands. Egypt's defense minister also spoke by phone to Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
OBAMA CALL
The White House said Obama spoke to the British, Israeli, Turkish and Saudi leaders, allies in a U.S. strategy for the oil-rich Middle East which has been plunged into uncertainty.
It said: "The president reiterated his focus on opposing violence and calling for restraint; supporting universal rights, including the right to peaceful assembly, association, and speech; and supporting an orderly transition to a government that is responsive to the aspirations of the Egyptian people."
Making good on such a transformation would spell the end for Mubarak and, potentially, for the military establishment which has run post-colonial Egypt since the 1950s. Many now see it as just a matter of time before the president steps down.
"The army is in a tight spot and they are deciding what to do about the president," said Exclusive Analysis's Faysal Itani. "The army may see Mubarak as a liability. But they won't want to see him flee with his tail between his legs like Ben Ali. I think they would like to see him go but in an orderly fashion."
Hoping to appease pent-up fury over poverty and oppression, Mubarak named a new prime minister on Saturday. Few Egyptians were impressed. On Sunday, he told the premier to restore confidence in the economy, curb inflation and protect subsidies.
More widely, international markets have reacted to fears of instability across the Middle East. Investors have pushed up the prices of oil and of "safe haven" assets like dollars and yen.
"REVOLUTION THE SOLUTION"
Thousands of people tried to maintain the momentum of street protests in Cairo and elsewhere. "Mubarak has to leave. We won't leave until he falls," said Cairo medical student Ahmed Fathi.
There was little of the violence seen last week when police shot dozens of demonstrators. Sporadic shooting rang out during the night as property owners tried to ward off looters.
After a two-day absence, police were back on the streets.
In Cairo's central Tahrir, or Liberation, Square, protesters chanted after dark, scenting victory: "In Tahrir Square until liberation, until Mubarak leaves!" they sang. "This is the will of 80 million citizens. The solution is the revolution!"
Baradei, the 67-year-old former head of the U.N. nuclear agency, told the crowd: "Change is coming in the next few days."
"You have taken back your rights and what we have begun, cannot go back," he said. "We have one main demand -- the end of the regime and the beginning of a new stage, a new Egypt."
Soldiers stood by tanks covered in graffiti: "Down with Mubarak. Down with the despot. Down with the traitor." Asked how they could let people scrawl such anti-government slogans on their mostly American-made vehicles, one soldier said: "These are written by the people. It's the views of the people."
Baradei, claiming endorsement from opposition groups which range from Twitter-savvy students to the mass Islamist movement the Muslim Brotherhood, said he had a mandate to speak to the army and organize a handover to a national unity coalition.
But a desire for stability, among both Egypt's 80 million people and world powers, has helped keep Mubarak at the head of Egypt's ruling military establishment for decades. It may yet allow him to stall the pace of street protests.
"I think Mubarak is going, but he is not going tomorrow," said Middle East commentator Rami Khouri.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made clear U.S. concern about an Iranian-style Islamist takeover, something the Muslim Brotherhood says it does not want: "We ... don't want to see some takeover that would lead not to democracy but to oppression and the end of the aspirations of the Egyptian people."
INVESTOR CONCERNS
Amid talk of authoritarian rulers starting to fall like dominoes across the Middle East just as they did in eastern Europe in 1989, global investors worry that instability in the region can push up oil prices and slow growth.
Egypt has little energy but can affect trade through the Suez Canal, ANZ Bank economist Sharon Zollner said.
"The greater fear is that the turmoil could spread to other Middle East countries, including even Saudi Arabia," she added.
"If that happens, then all bets on oil prices are off."
In an editorial, London's business newspaper the Financial Times said Western powers would benefit by ending support for "Arab ... tyrants for short-term and often illusory gains":
"The West has struck a Faustian bargain with Arab rulers, who have blackmailed them into believing that, but for them, the mullahs would be in charge," the paper said. "Instability is certain; it is the future that is up for grabs. For now it is young, mostly secular democrats who have taken a courageous initiative in the streets. They deserve support."
On Sunday, Western governments urged their citizens to get out of Egypt, ravaging the country's vital tourist business.
Arabs from the Atlantic to the Gulf are watching Egypt.
In Tunisia, an exiled Islamist leader was welcomed home by thousands. In Sudan, Egypt's southern neighbor, police beat and arrested students protesting against the government in Khartoum.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was closely watching events in Egypt, the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with the Jewish state, in 1979. That peace has been a key element of Israel's security for decades. Defense Secretary Gates also spoke to his Israeli counterpart Ehud Barak.
(Additional reporting by Dina Zayed, Marwa Awad, Shaimaa Fayed, Sherine El Madany, Yasmine Saleh, Alison Williams and Samia Nakhoul in Cairo, Alexander Dziadosz in Suez, Matt Spetalnick and Phil Stewart in Washington and Peter Apps, Angus MacSwan and William Maclean in London; Writing by Alastair Macdonald)this all brought to you by yahoo.com

more news on Cairo

2011-01-30T12:13:00.001-08:00

CAIRO (Reuters) – President Hosni Mubarak, clinging on despite mass popular demands for an end to his 30-year rule, met on Sunday with the generals who may hold the keys to Egypt's future, but in Cairo protesters defied a curfew.
As his key ally the United States called for an "orderly transition," Mubarak's disparate opponents, including the banned Muslim Brotherhood, rallied behind retired international diplomat Mohamed ElBaradei to lead possible talks with the army on organizing a handover of power to a national unity coalition.
"I ask of you patience, change is coming in the next few days," Baradei told thousands of demonstrators on Cairo's Tahrir Square after dark. "You have taken back your rights and what we have begun, cannot go back."
He added: "We have one main demand -- the end of the regime and the beginning of a new stage, a new Egypt."
"The people want the regime to fall!" thousands chanted as troops looked on patiently from their U.S.-built battle tanks.

Baradei, 68, won a Nobel peace prize as head of the United Nations' nuclear body. Though little known to many Egyptians, he had hoped to run in a presidential election in September.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told Fox News: "We want to see an orderly transition so that no one fills a void.
"We also don't want to see some takeover that would lead not to democracy but to oppression and the end of the aspirations of the Egyptian people."
For a week, since Egyptians inspired by the overthrow of the aging strongman in Tunisia began a push for change, it has been unclear who might emerge as an alternative to Mubarak and, more widely, to the military class which has run Egypt since 1952.
MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD
A senior figure in the Muslim Brotherhood, the banned Islamist group that has long seemed the strongest single force against Mubarak, said it backed ElBaradei as negotiator.
The Brotherhood has stayed in the background although several of its senior officials have been rounded up. The government has accused it of planning to exploit the protests.
Some of its leaders walked free from jails on Sunday.
As many as 10,000 people protested in Tahrir Square, a rallying point in the center of Cairo, to express anger at poverty, repression, unemployment and corruption -- themes that are rumbling across the Arab world after first Tunisia and now the most populous Arab state Egypt have been plunged in unrest.
As the curfew started and was ignored, warplanes and helicopters flew over the square. By late afternoon more army trucks appeared in a show of military force but no one moved.
"Hosni Mubarak, Omar Suleiman, both of you are agents of the Americans," shouted protesters, referring to the appointment on Saturday of intelligence chief Suleiman as vice president, the first time Mubarak has appointed a deputy in 30 years of office.
It was the position Mubarak, 82, held before he become president and many saw the appointment as ending his son Gamal's long-predicted ambitions to take over and as an attempt to reshape the administration to placate reformists.
Mubarak held talks with Suleiman, Defense Minister Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, Chief of Staff Sami al-Anan and others.
Clearly those in Tahrir Square did not wish to see Mubarak's ruling structure replaced by a military line-up featuring his closest associates. "Mubarak, Mubarak, the plane awaits," they said. There was also a big protest in Alexandria.
SHOCKWAVES AROUND MIDDLE EAST
The turmoil, in which more than 100 people have died, has sent shock waves through the Middle East where other autocratic rulers may face similar challenges, and unsettled financial markets around the globe as well as Egypt's allies in the West.
In Tunisia, the detonator of the regional movement, an exiled Islamist leader was welcomed home by thousands on Sunday. In Sudan, Egypt's southern neighbor, police beat and arrested students taking part in anti-government protests in Khartoum.
In Egypt, the military response to the crisis has been ambivalent. Troops now guard key buildings after police lost control of the streets, but have neglected to enforce a curfew, often fraternizing with protesters rather than confronting them.
It remains to be seen if the armed forces will keep Mubarak in power, or decide he is a liability to Egypt's national interests, and their own. It was also unclear if Mubarak had decided to talk with the generals or if he was summoned by them.
It was Tunisian generals who persuaded former President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali to flee last month after weeks of protests.
In Suez, on the canal, one senior local officer, Brigadier Atef Said said his troops would give protesters a free voice:
"We will allow protests in the coming days," he told Reuters. "Everyone has the right to voice their opinion."
The crisis deepened on Sunday after police had disappeared from the streets. Egyptians faced lawlessness on the streets with security forces and citizens trying to stop looters.
Through the night into Sunday, Cairo residents armed with clubs, chains and knives formed vigilante groups to guard neighborhoods from marauders after the unpopular police force withdrew following the deadly clashes with protesters.
Security sources said police would be back on Monday.
TANKS SPRAYED WITH SLOGANS
In surreal scenes, soldiers from Mubarak's army stood by tanks covered in anti-Mubarak graffiti: "Down with Mubarak. Down with the despot. Down with the traitor. Pharaoh out of Egypt."
Asked how they could let people scrawl anti-Mubarak slogans on their mostly American-made vehicles, one soldier said: "These are written by the people, it's the views of the people."
Egypt's armed forces -- the world's 10th biggest and more than 468,000-strong -- have been at the heart of power since army officers staged the 1952 overthrow of the king. It benefits from about $1.3 billion a year in U.S. military aid.
The army appears to be showing restraint and there is no talk at this time about halting U.S. aid to Egypt, Clinton said.
The government has interfered with Internet access and mobile phone signals to try and disrupt demonstrators' plans.
On Sunday, it ordered pan-Arab channel Al Jazeera to shut down and cut off its local broadcasts.
The tumult was affecting Egypt's tourist industry and the United States and Turkey said they were offering evacuation flights Other governments advised people to leave Egypt.
The United States and European powers were busy reworking their Middle East policies, which have supported Mubarak, turning a blind eye to police brutality and corruption in return for a bulwark against first communism and now militant Islam.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was closely watching events in Egypt, the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with the Jewish state in 1979.
"This is the Arab world's Berlin moment," said Fawaz Gerges of the London School of Economics, comparing the events to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. "The authoritarian wall has fallen, and that's regardless of whether Mubarak survives."
(Additional reporting by Dina Zayed, Marwa Awad, Shaimaa Fayed, Sherine El Madany, Yasmine Saleh, Alison Williams and Samia Nakhoul in Cairo, Alexander Dziadosz in Suez, Arshad Mohammed in Washington and Peter Apps, Angus MacSwan and William Maclean in London; Writing by Peter Millership, editing by Alastair Macdonald) found on yahoo.com

Mubarak names deputy as thousands defy curfew (found on yahoo.com)

2011-01-29T14:26:00.000-08:00

CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt's street protesters pushed President Hosni Mubarak into naming a deputy on Saturday for the first time in his 30 years in power, but many went on defying a curfew, urging the army to join them in forcing Mubarak to quit.

Flames from the tax authority headquarters lit central Cairo after the building was set ablaze. Police again opened fire. The German, French and British leaders appealed jointly to Mubarak to stop violence against civilians and hold free elections -- a move that would surely bring his military-backed rule to an end.
In naming intelligence chief Omar Suleiman vice-president, many saw Mubarak edging toward an eventual, army-approved handover of power. The 82-year-old former general has long kept his 80 million people guessing over succession plans that had, until this week, seemed to focus on grooming his own son.
The elevation of Suleiman, a key player in relations with Egypt's key aid backer the United States, and the appointment of another military man, Ahmed Shafiq, as prime minister, pleased some Egyptians worried about a descent into chaos and looting.
According to a Reuters tally, at least 74 people have been killed during the week. Medical sources said at least 1,030 people were injured in Cairo.
U.S. President Barack Obama met Vice President Joe Biden and national security adviser Tom Donilon to discuss unrest in the Arab power that is a linchpin of U.S. Middle East strategy. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said the Egyptian government "can't reshuffle the deck and then stand pat."
Demonstrators continued to flock after dark to the squares of Cairo and other cities, ignoring a curfew. They went largely unmolested by troops on foot and in tanks.
"He is just like Mubarak, there is no change," one protester said of Suleiman outside the Interior Ministry, where thousands were protesting. The last vice-president was Mubarak himself, before he succeeded the assassinated Anwar Sadat in 1981.
Later, police opened fire on a crowd hundreds strong at the ministry. A Reuters reporter saw one protester fall wounded.
"This is the Arab world's Berlin moment," said Fawaz Gerges of the London School of Economics. "The authoritarian wall has fallen, and that's regardless of whether Mubarak survives.
"The barrier of fear has been removed. It is really the beginning of the end of the status quo in the region."
The prospect of even greater upheaval across the Middle East -- regardless of whether it is the crowd or their rulers who get the upper hand -- is prompting some investors to see risks for oil supplies that could in turn hamper global economic growth.
More immediately, Egypt's vital tourist industry is taking a knock. In prosperous parts of Cairo, vigilantes guarded homes, shops and hotels from looters. Thieves at the Egyptian Museum damaged two mummies from the time of the pharaohs. Of Suleiman, Cairo University politics professor Hassan Nafaa said: "This is a step in the right direction, but I am afraid it is a late step." A senior figure in the military class that has run Egypt for six decades, Suleiman might, Nafaa said, be able to engineer a handover that would satisfy protesters.
Jon Alterman at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies saw Suleiman as part of the status quo: "The appointment of Omar Suleiman is intended to send a message that if Hosni Mubarak leaves, the regime remains in place ... It is not intended to mollify. It is intended to show resolve."
Many saw Mubarak's concessions -- new faces and a promise of reform, as demanded on the streets and from Washington -- as an echo of those made two weeks ago by Tunisia's Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali. A day later, Ben Ali fled the country, deserted by an army which preferred to back less hated figures in his cabinet.
Tunisians' Internet-fed uprising over economic hardship and political oppression has inspired growing masses of unemployed youth across the Arab world, leaving autocratic leaders worried.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spent two hours on Saturday discussing Egypt. Washington has already hinted it could cut aid if violence continues.
Another big donor, Germany, warned Mubarak that European states would hold back cash if his forces crushed the protests.
With the French and British leaders, Chancellor Angela Merkel said: "We call on President Mubarak to renounce any violence again unarmed civilians."
ISLAMISTS
Mubarak, like other Arab leaders, has long portrayed himself as a bulwark against the West's Islamist enemies. But Egypt's banned opposition movement the Muslim Brotherhood has been only one element in the week's events. It lays claim to moderation.
"A new era of freedom and democracy is dawning in the Middle East," Kamel El-Helbawy, an influential cleric from the Brotherhood said from exile in London. "Islamists would not be able to rule Egypt alone. We should and would cooperate.
A Brotherhood lawyer in Egypt told Reuters that Mubarak's hesitation to meet protesters' demands had increased their appetite for change. Abdel-Moneim Abdel-Maksoud said Mubarak should step down -- but that an interim government was needed to preserve order for some months until free elections. [nLDE70S0K8]
Until this week, officials had suggested Mubarak would run again in an election planned for September, which he would be guaranteed to win. If not him, many Egyptians believed, his son, Gamal, 47, could be lined up to run. This now seems impossible.
Suleiman, 74, has long been central in key policy areas, including the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, an issue vital to Egypt's relationship with key aid donor the United States.
On the Corniche promenade alongside the River Nile in Cairo, people stayed out after the curfew deadline, standing by tanks and chatting with soldiers who took no action to disperse them.
At one point, dozens of people approached a military cordon carrying a sign reading "Army and People Together." Soldiers pulled back and let the group through: "There is a curfew," one lieutenant said. "But the army isn't going to shoot anyone."
THE ARMY'S MOMENT
While the police are generally feared as an instrument of repression, the army is seen as a national institution.
Rosemary Hollis, at London's City University, said the army had to decide whether it stood with Mubarak or the people: "It's one of those moments where as with the fall of communism in Eastern Europe they can come down to individual lieutenants and soldiers to decide whether they fire on the crowd or not."
In Alexandria, police used teargas and live ammunition against demonstrators earlier on Saturday. Protests continued in the port city after curfew, witnesses said.
So far, the protest movement seems to have no clear leader or organization. Prominent activist Mohamed ElBaradei, a Nobel Peace Laureate for his work with the U.N. nuclear agency, returned to Egypt from Europe to join the protests. But many Egyptians feel he has not spent enough time in the country.
Banks will be shut on Sunday as "a precaution," Central Bank Governor Hisham Ramez told Reuters. The stock market, whose benchmark index tumbled 16 percent in two days, will also be closed on Sunday. The Egyptian pound fell to six-year lows.
(Additional reporting by Dina Zayed, Marwa Awad, Shaimaa Fayed, Sherine El Madany, Yasmine Saleh, Alison Williams and Samia Nakhoul in Cairo, Alexander Dziadosz in Suez, Arshad Mohammed in Washington and Peter Apps, Angus MacSwan and William Maclean in London; Writing by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Ralph Boulton)(this brought to you by yahoo.com)