Stig Östlund

måndag, januari 31, 2011

The Right Man at the Right Time?

"--- If there is an opponent to President Mubarak, it is Mohammed ElBaradei, 68. Ironically, he too is a product of the Egyptian elite, born as the son of an influential and affluent family of lawyers, raised in Cairo and educated to work in the diplomatic service. As head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005, and he was subsequently awarded the Greatest Nile Collar, the highest Egyptian civilian decoration.
ElBaradei, a shy intellectual, golf player and opera lover, is everything but a revolutionary or tribune of the people, and he wields no official position of power in Egypt. And yet he could be the right man at the right time. He is relatively uninhibited, holding open discussions with the Muslim Brotherhood and, despite all differences, calling the Islamists "a legitimate movement." Moreover, he is not tainted by the suspicion of being an agent of the West or a corrupt recipient of US funds. In fact, as head of the IAEA ElBaradei quarreled openly with the Bush administration, and his phone was even tapped by the CIA.---"

>>  ("Nile Insurgency Creates Uncertain Future for Egypt")  >>  http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,742458,00.html

DER SPIEGEL ONLINE

Al Ghazera









Israeli-Egyptian relations

Israel is following the situation in Egypt with alarm, fearing the nationwide protests against President Hosni Mubarak could threaten peaceful Israeli-Egyptian relations, a cornerstone of its Middle East policy. Skip related content

Israel and Egypt fought four major wars in which tens of thousands lost their lives before they signed a peace treaty in 1979.
Following are key points about Israeli-Egyptian relations:


Anwar Sadat
* Former Egyptian president Anwar Sadat became the first Arab leader to visit Israel in 1977. The two sides subsequently signed a peace treaty in 1979, based on the so-called Camp David Accords. Under the deal, Israel withdrew from the Sinai Peninsula, which it captured in a 1967 war, and limits were set on the forces Egypt could deploy to the area. Ties between the neighbours are still at times tense, with some analysts defining their relations as the "cold peace."

* Sadat was assassinated in Cairo in 1981 by radicals opposed to the peace treaty with Israel. His deputy, Hosni Mubarak, was sworn in as president on October 14, 1981.


* Mubarak has worked with 8 Israeli prime ministers but has only visited Israel once, for the funeral of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who was assassinated in 1995 by an Israeli radical opposed to Arab-Israeli peace deals. Israeli leaders have regularly visited Mubarak in Egypt, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu going there twice over the past five months.

* Israel has cut its defence spending from 23 percent of gross national product in the 1970s to 9 percent today, according to the New York Times, safe in the knowledge that Egypt was not a major military threat.



* Israel shares a 250-km (160 miles) largely open desert border with Egypt. It has recently decided to seal off about half the frontier to try to halt the flow of illegal immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa.

* By being able to rely on Egypt's control of Gaza's southwestern border, Israel was able to pull out of the Gaza Strip in 2005. It has since complained that Egypt should be doing more to halt weapons being smuggled to Hamas.

* Israel imports nearly 40 percent of its natural gas from Egypt via an underwater pipeline. In 2005 the neighbours signed a 20-year deal to ensure the supply continues. The pipeline is operated by East Mediterranean Gas, an Egyptian-Israeli company.

* The Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics said bilateral trade totalled $502 million in 2010, with Egyptian imports worth $355 million and Israeli exports $147 million. Egypt is Israel's 38th largest export market, according to Globes business website.

IRIB 2


__________________________________________________________________________

IRIB 2
Jame Jam 2 (IRIB 2) is a television channel showing programs for Iranians living outside of Iran. This channel shows Iranian movies series, films, programs for children, major Iranian sporting events, news, and other special programs. Jame Jam has three channels. Jame Jam 1 (IRIB 1) is broadcast in Europe, Jame Jam 2 (IRIB 2) is broadcast America, and Jame Jam 3 (IRIB 3) is broadcast in Asia and Oceania. Many of the serials broadcasted on Jame Jam 2 are subtitled in english for english speaking viewers.

Swedish:  För ComHem kunder (som mig) finns IRIB1 att beställa

Suez Canal

Concerns have eased that the political turmoil in Egypt -- and a potential revolution in that nation -- could force the closing of the Suez Canal.


The crucial artery, through which about 4.5% of the world's oil production passes each day, is controlled by the Egyptian military and operated under the auspices of the government-owned Suez Canal Authority.

$1.3 billion that the U.S. annually provides to Egypt in military aid


Most of the $1.3 billion that the U.S. annually provides to Egypt in military aid goes for weaponry to defend Egypt against foreign assault, like Patriot air-defense missiles, Multiple Launch Rocket System rocket pods and TOW anti-armor missiles. That’s not particularly relevant for crowd control against protesters.


But it does speak to how close the U.S. and Egyptian militaries are. As the New York Times notes, a sizable chunk of Egypt’s officer corps gets educated at American war colleges. Every other year, Egypt hosts a huge multinational military exercise directed by U.S. Central Command called Bright Star, in which the U.S. and lots of its regional and European allies drill together.

WIRED
__________________________________________________________________________

Wired Magazine
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since March 1993, that reports on how technology affects culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast Publications, it is published in San Francisco, California.

It now has two international editions: Wired UK and Wired Italia.

Olivia Wilde Wants The World To Be a Better Place - Video - Wired

Olivia Wilde Wants The World To Be a Better Place - Video - Wired

Castro says Obama has been underhanded in Egypt (CNN)

Castro (from the net)
Havana, Cuba (CNN) -- Cuba's former leader Fidel Castro accused U.S. President Barack Obama of underhanded dealings with Egypt, saying Monday that while Washington provided the government with arms, the United States Agency for International Development financed the opposition.

"Nobody is unaware that the United States converted Egypt into its main ally in the Arab world," Castro wrote in an essay published Monday in state media. "It was the Arab country that received more arms shipments."

A Concerned Israel Allows Egypt Sinai Troops

Israel, like the United States, has had to play a delicate diplomatic game since the popular uprising in Egypt against President Hosni Mubarak began last week.


For the first time in three decades, Israel decided to allow Egypt to station troops in the Sinai peninsula that divides their countries, and has begun telling their world partners to tone down the rhetoric against Mubarak.

CBS NEWS

Egyptians serve ultimatum to Mubarak to leave by Friday

EXTRACT FROM

---------------------


Press Trust of India


CAIRO, 31 JAN: Egyptian protesters gave a call for a million people to pour onto the streets of Cairo tomorrow to put up a massive show of strength to force the beleaguered President Hosni Mubarak to leave the country by Friday.

Upping the ante to topple Mubarak, a coalition of Opposition parties, including the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood also served an ultimatum telling the powerful army to choose between “Egypt or Mubarak”, indicating that a decisive stage may be near as the death toll in the last six days of violence crossed 150.

Anti-Mubarak sentiments reached a feverish pitch, as thousands of protesters converged on Tahrir or Liberation Square ~ the hub of the protests in the heart of Cairo to make the call for a “million man march” tomorrow.
---

The call by so called 'April 6 Shabab Movement' came as an indefinite countrywide strike gripped the nation paralysing all essential services, including government offices, banks and trading centres. As the oust Mubarak campaign gained strength, American and other world leaders ramped up pressure calling for an-orderly transition in the violence rocked country.

The 'Shabab' movement which has been formed of all Opposition groups and the leaders declared that the march would start from Tahrir or Liberation Square and was aimed at forcing Mubarak to step down by Friday.

On his part, 82-year-old defiant Mubarak told his new Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq to bring in immediate reform to stem the tide. His instructions to Shafiq were read out on state tv but had no discernible effect on protesters who vowed to continue their demonstrations until Mubarak steps down.

Terming the reforms as “too little and too late,” the protesters continued their sit-in at the Tahrir Square saying they would not budge till Mr Mubarak resigns, with indications that Egyptian strongman's fate now hangs on the military.

As the focus shifted on the influential army for a smooth transition of power, protesters enforced a countrywide general strike. Pro-democracy activist and Nobel laureate Mr Mohammad ElBaradei, who defied house arrest to join the protesters at the Tahrir Square last night, asked the embattled president to “step down today itself.”

“It is loud and clear from everybody in Egypt that Mubarak has to leave today,” Mr ElBaradei said in an interview aired on CNN.
---

Army positioned tanks around the square and were checking the identity papers, but were letting protesters in. Egyptian judges and scholars from world's prestigious Islamic seminary Al-Azhar joined mass protests
---  "

THE STATESMAN
____________________________________________________________________________
 
The Statesman is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper founded in 1875 and published simultaneously in Kolkata, New Delhi, Siliguri and Bhubaneswar. The Statesman is owned by The Statesman Ltd., its headquarters at Statesman House, Chowringhee Square, Calcutta and its national editorial offices in Statesman House, Connaught Place, New Delhi. It is a member of the Asia News Network.

The Statesman (average weekday circulation is approximately 180,000 and the Sunday Statesman has a circulation of 230,000). This ranks the Statesman as one of the leading English newspapers in West Bengal, India.


James Bond music composer John Barry dies

Composer John Barry, who won five Oscars for his film work but was best known for his contributions to a dozen James Bond movies, has died. He was 77.

Barry died in New York on Sunday, his family said.
The British-born composer won two Oscars, for the score and the song, for Born Free in 1966, and he earned single statuettes for The Lion in Winter (1968), Out of Africa (1985) and Dances with Wolves (1990).

GLOBE AND MAIL 

"Born free", kan man tänka sig något vackrare ordpar? Knappast!



Netanyahu hopes to maintain peaceful relations with Egypt.

Hosni Mubarak and Benjamin Netanyahu
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying that Israel hopes to maintain peaceful relations with Egypt.

"The peace between Israel and Egypt has endured for over three decades, and our goal is to ensure that these relations continue. We are anxiously monitoring what is happening in Egypt and in our region," he said after meeting with his cabinet.
Israel not only shares trade relations with Egypt that amounts to over 500 million dollars a year, but is also reliant on natural gas it gets from Egypt to fill its energy needs. Egypt has also aided Israel in thwarting the shipment of arms to Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.

New Kerala

Fege Carl Bildt

Återigen visar Carl Bildt  prov på feghet: kommenterar inte Mubarak (i och för sig kan man förstå Bildt).

Synovates väljarbarometer januari 2011

Enda överraskande: Maud Olofssons centerparti med den höga siffran ;)
Skall man tyda stämningarna ute bland folket (och inte bry sig om  ensidig massmedia) kommer SD snart att gå om FP.
Om Jonas Sjöstedt kommer att ersätta Ohlby kommer V att nå säker mark.

Latest

Youssef Boutros-Hali

Egypt forms new govt, Finance Minister Youssef Boutros-Ghali replaced

Panic-stricken Hosni Mubarak's family flees Egypt

----------------------------------------------------India

Diktatorn - från nätet

London, Jan 31 : In the wake of the current unrest in the country, the panic-stricken family of President Hosni Mubarak has reportedly fled Egypt for the luxurious refuge of their 8.5 million pound London townhouse

According to reports circulating in Britain''s Egyptian community, President Mubarak, 82, and wife Suzanne, 69, are planning to head to their London townhouse.





Egyptian baggage handlers at Heathrow are even said to have already spotted the First Lady arriving at the airport.
Mubarak is said to have amassed a 25 billion pound fortune for his family since grabbing power in 1981.

NEW KERALA
http://www.newkerala.com/

The oilprice

Oil prices extended gains above $89 a barrel Monday in Asia as anti-government protests continued to rock Egypt and threatened to spread unrest across the oil-rich Middle East.

Spontant:
Visst kan man oroas för oljepriset, och som tidigare har framhållits i bloggen: sprids oroligheterna till Saudarabien  då blir det kris. Det verkar dock, just nu iaf inte troligt att detta förunderliga land kommer att "drabbas" av i och för sig berättigade protester från fotfoket.
Detta menar jag som fräckt  ger mig in på det svåra att analysera  det aktuella läget i Mellanöstern (inte ens många av de s.k. eperterna vågar sig på någon analys).
I övrigt konstateras ånyo att Obama har fått ett problem lika stort (?) som hälsoreformen och att man är mycket berättigad skraja i Israel.

Man kan också fundera lite över bilder man se,r som visar  egyptier framför stridsvagnar i böner vända mot Mecka. I början av upproret sades det allmänt att protesterna inte har något med religion att göra. De kan man ju fortfarande tro, och att Mubamas diktaturskap är huvudanledningen till upproret.
Men ändå, visst hajar man till när man ser de bedjande muslimerna.

World leaders call on Egypt to enact reforms


By KIRSTEN GRIESHABER

 German Chancellor Angela Merkel and several other heads of state urged the Egyptian government on Sunday to implement democratic reforms and to stop any further violence against protesters.
Merkel told Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in a phone call that she expects him and his newly nominated government to grant freedom of information and the right to assemble to the people of Egypt, government spokesman Steffen Seibert said in a statement.
She urged Mubarak in a lengthy conversation to open dialogue with the country's citizens, and focus in particular on the concerns of Egypt's youth. She also told him that security forces have to stop exercising further violence against protesters.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, speaking at the African Union's regular summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, said that "It is with friendship and respect that France will be on the side of Tunisians and Egyptians in such a crucial period."
"Our conscience needs to be pricked by the cries of innocent victims and move us toward finding a workable solution to prevent further suffering," he added.

British Prime Minister David Cameron and U.S. President Barack Obama discussed the Egyptian crisis Sunday evening, a spokeswoman for the prime minister said.
"The prime minister and the president agreed that the Egyptian government must respond peacefully to the ongoing protests," a spokeswoman said on condition of anonymity in line with department policy. "They
condemned the violence of recent days... The prime minister made clear that restrictions on the media and Internet were unacceptable and should be lifted immediately."

Cameron and Obama "were united in their view that Egypt now needed a comprehensive process of political reform, with an orderly, Egyptian-led transition leading to a government that responded to the grievances of the Egyptian people," the spokeswoman said.
The British Foreign Office confirmed that a conversation between Foreign Secretary William Hague and his Egyptian counterpart had also taken place, but did not release any further details.

European Union officials said the unrest in Egypt will top the agenda at a meeting of EU foreign ministers today in Brussels, as European countries advised their nationals to leave the region.
The EU has traditionally had close relations with Egypt as part of its partnerships with countries on the eastern and southern rims of the Mediterranean.

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini demanded an end to violence and looting on Sunday, particularly of Egypt's cultural heritage, after would-be looters broke into Cairo's famed Egyptian Museum and ripped the heads off two mummies and damaged some artifacts.
Italy helped fund the restoration of Baghdad's museum after looters carted off thousands of artifacts following the downfall of Saddam Hussein in 2003.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Sunday that the U.S. wants to see "real democracy" emerge in Egypt, "not a democracy for six months or a year and then evolving into essentially a military dictatorship."
-------------------Monterey County The Herald
_________________________________________________________________________
 
The Monterey County Herald, sometimes referred to as the Monterey Herald, is the major daily newspaper published in Monterey, California, and serving Monterey County. The paper is owned by MediaNews Group. In addition to its main office in Monterey, it maintains a satellite bureau in Salinas, California.

White House quietly prepares for a post-Mubarak era in Egypt (L A Times)

The White House stance has been even-handed as officials have suggested President Hosni Mubarak might stay in power if freedoms, competitive elections are allowed. But an insider says the U.S. is not ready to keep Mubarak in power at all costs.

LOS ANGELES TIMES

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-white-house-egypt-20110131,0,571491.story

Vad skall man säga om detta?
Egyptian protesters on Monday called for an indefinite general strike and said they planned a "million man march" on Tuesday to mark one week since the start of deadly anti-government protests.
CRISIS IN EGYPT


Iran wins, Israel loses in turmoil
Nervousness in Israel over the turmoil in Egypt stands in sharp contrast with jubilation in Iran. Whereas for Tehran pent-up popular anger is an opportunity to break regional isolation as the United States drops the ball on the nuclear issue, the biggest worry for Tel Aviv in losing Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak - its only friend in the Middle East - is that the new realities may compel America to reset its regional sights. - M K Bhadrakumar

Read more (Asia Times) >>  http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/MB01Ak01.html

__________________________________________________________________________

The last trick up Mubarak's sleeve

United States President Barack Obama may have jumped the gun in interfering mostly on the side of protesters. The battle is far from over. Hosni Mubarak is one of the world's most experienced leaders, and may be waiting for the right moment to play his last cards. Should he survive, the Egyptian president would likely view Obama's actions as an act of betrayal and henceforth prove an unruly ally. - Victor Kotsev

Read more (Asia Times) >>  http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/MB01Ak03.html

------------------------------
_________________________________________________________________________

Asia Times Online is an Internet-only news and commentary publication that reports and examines geopolitical, political, economic and business issues, looking at these from an Asian perspective. 'ATol' is the official abbreviation of Asia Times Online and is commonly used on the website. Asia Times Online was founded at the beginning of 1999 and is incorporated and duly registered in Hong Kong. It derives its revenues from advertising and the resale of original content to other publications and news services.

Helicopters hover as protesters gather in heart of Cairo (CNN)

Helicopters hovered over Cairo's Tahrir Square Monday morning as anti-government demonstrations continued for a seventh day and showed no signs of waning.

Thousands of protesters were gathered in the area, a focal point of the protests that started Tuesday. Some of them said they had spent the night, and the smell of smoke from campfires lingered in the air.

Yesterday:



CNN

Analysis: The US Moral Conundrum in Egypt


As with Iran 30 years ago, American leaders again are wrestling with the moral conflict between Washington's demands for democracy among its friends and strategic coziness with dictatorial regimes seen as key to stability in an increasingly complex world, particularly the Middle East.

The turmoil in Egypt — and its potential for grave consequences for U.S. policy throughout the region — was inevitable. The recent WikiLeaks release of U.S. diplomatic reports showed that Washington knew what problems it increasingly faced with the regime of President Hosni Mubarak and his three decades of iron-fisted rule.

As importantly, the U.S. handling of Egyptian uprising, regardless of how it plays out, now has other close American friends in the Middle East — particularly in Saudi Arabia and Jordan — watching closely, looking for foreshadowings of what might be in store for them.

For that reason, U.S. officials have taken great pains to walk a middle line between Mubarak, an old friend and bulwark ally in the Arab world, and the street protests that threaten to drive him from power.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was spreading that message widely on U.S. television talk shows Sunday.

"It's not a question of who retains power," she said. "It's how are we going to respond to the legitimate needs and grievances expressed by the Egyptian people and chart a new path. Clearly, the path that has been followed has not been one that has created that democratic future, that economic opportunity that people in the peaceful protests are seeking."

Läs mer:     http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=12800027&page=2

Both the State Department and the White House, in apparent frustration with Mubarak, quickly began talking late last week about the future of America's $1.5 billion in annual military and economic aid to Egypt. That sum is second only to America's annual grant to Israel, a practice that dates to the 1979 peace treaty the U.S. brokered between the two neighbors.

Assad: Syria in better position than Egypt since it has no ties with Israel

Syrian President Bashar Assad says he will promote political reform in his country in the wake of popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal on Sunday, Syrian President Bashar Assad suggested that the pressure he will face from the Syrian people to institute reforms will be less than that faced by embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak because he has not pursued close diplomatic relations with the U.S. and Israel, a position that he said puts Arab leaders at odds with their citizens.

HAARETZ

Så blev de miljonärer

Bara 16 procent av världens rika har ärvt sina pengar. Andelen löneslavar är också begränsad. Den största gruppen förmögna är i stället entreprenörer, enligt färsk statistik, som också slår fast att de rika blivit fler.

DAGENS INDUSTRI


Läs mer:  http://di.se/

Dansk läsövning

Selvom Ulrik Wilbek
(det danska handbollslandslagets tränare):
gik glip af en guldmedalje, kunne han godt glæde sig over VM-turneringen, som han vurderer således:

- Fantastisk!
- Vi har spillet ti fremragende kampe. Vi har faktisk ikke tabt. Så det er ærgerligt ikke at blive verdensmester. Det har været godt, og vi har bevist, at vi allerede er på niveau med Frankrig.
- Jeg er overrasket over, at vi har ramt så højt et niveau, men jeg er selvfølgelig også skuffet over, at vi ikke kunne tage det verdensmesterskab, når vi var så tæt på, siger landstræneren.
EKSTRABLADET

Inga problem med kusin Danmarks språk hoppas vi alla kan säga. "Selvfølgelig" funkar bra för oss alla (?) nu.

Svenske turisten Nijim fast i kaosets Kairo

Aaed Nijim från Skåne lyckades fly efter att ha suttit i förvar hos polisen i Kairo sedan i onsdags. Där är han strandsatt utan pengar. UD kan dock inte bekräfta hans uppgift om att Sveriges ambassad avvisat hans vädjan om hjälp.
DAGENS NYHETER

Efterlysning

Vårt lands mest efterlysta kriminella



Övre raden från vänster:
1. NASER SAITI, 47, FORNA JUGOSLAVIEN. Internationellt efterlyst för: Grovt narkotikabrott. Dömdes 2002 till 8 års fängelse, men rymde 2004 vid en permission.
2. STEFAN TAPAI, 44, SVERIGE. Internationellt efterlyst för: Grova smugglings- och dopingbrott begångna 2008-2009. Han är häktad i sin frånvaro.
3. RAMUNAS BUZUNAS, 40, LITAUEN. Internationellt efterlyst för: Grovt narkotikabrott. Dömdes 2003 till 9 års fängelse, men rymde 2004.
4. AZID ABDELKARIM, 47, IRAK. Internationellt efterlyst för: Mord. Häktad i sin frånvaro, på sannolika skäl misstänkt.
5. VIKTOR ROUSOMBERG, 35, RYSSLAND. Internationellt efterlyst för: Mord. Han är häktad i sin frånvaro sedan 2000, på sannolika skäl misstänkt.
6. JONAS LUNDÉN, 39, SVERIGE. Internationellt efterlyst för: Grova bedrägerier 2004-2005. Han är häktad i sin frånvaro.
7. DEJAN DODOS, 31, SVERIGE. Internationellt efterlyst för: Medhjälp till grov misshandel, grovt vållande till annans död och grovt vapenbrott 2006.

Nedre raden från vänster:
1. ODAY JASEM ALMOHAMADAWI, 28, IRAK. Internationellt efterlyst för: Mord. Häktad i sin frånvaro, på sannolika skäl misstänkt.
2. PHILIP HOLST-CAPPELEN, 46, NORGE. Internationellt efterlyst för: Människorov och grov utpressning. Häktad i sin frånvaro.
3. GALAK OSMAN, 31, SVERIGE. Internationellt efterlyst för: Mord. Försök till mord. Häktad i sin frånvaro, på sannolika skäl misstänkt.
4. SERGEI ALBIEV, 26, RYSSLAND. Internationellt efterlyst för: Mord. Häktad i sin frånvaro, på sannolika skäl misstänkt.
5. PASI MIETTINEN, 43, SVERIGE. Internationellt efterlyst för: Mord och försök till mord. Häktad i sin frånvaro, på sannolika skäl misstänkt.
6. DONALD ROSKIC, 44, SVERIGE. Internationellt efterlyst för: Grovt narkotikabrott. Häktad i sin frånvaro, på sannolika skäl misstänkt för brott begångna december 2004–januari 2005.
7. DENHO ACAR, 36, TURKIET. Internationellt efterlyst för: Anstiftan till mordbrand, försök till grov utpressning, ansiftan till försök till mord. Med mera. Häktad i sin frånvaro, på sannolika skäl misstänkt.

Sena x2000-tåg i morse

Fyra X 2000-tåg blev upp till en halvtimme försenade i morse, enligt SJ. Orsaken var ett fel som drabbade tåg- och vagndepån i Hagalund i Solna utanför Stockholm. Följden blev att tågen inte gick att köra ut därifrån, enligt Trafikverket.


SVENSKA DAGBLADET
 
Kan inte vara möjligt

Vår galna värld

Pakistan har fördubblat sitt lager av kärnvapen under de senaste åren, till upp emot 110 utplacerade kärnvapen, skriver Washington Post som hänvisar till oberoende analytiker. Det innebär att Pakistan har passerat Indien i de båda ärkefiendernas kapprustning. Indien beräknas förfoga över mellan 60 och 100 kärnvapen.

SVENSKA DAGBLADET
Cairo, January 30, 2011


A protester in Cairo holds a sketch depicting Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak with a Star of David on his forehead. The caption reads: “Thirty years of devastation and treason.”
It refers, not only to Mr. Mubarak’s more than 30-year tyrannical rule, but also to the historic peace agreement his predecessor signed in 1979 and he continued with Israel.



AMMAN, JORDANOIN : Hundreds of protesters on Saturday called on Jordanian Prime Minister Samir Rifai and his government to resign at the Prime Ministry headquarters in Amman, Ammon News reported.
Former President Jimmy Carter called the weeklong political unrest and rioting in Egypt an “earth shaking event” and said that the country’s president, Hosni Mubarak, “will have to leave.”

La Liga söndag

OSASUNA - REAL MADRID 1 - 0


Målet: Camuñas i 62a min.

Espanyol - Villarreal 0-1
Målet Rossi i 44e min.

Tabelltoppen (en match återstår i omgång 20: Racing-Valencia i kväll):
1 Barcelona  21 spelade 19 vunna 1 oavgjord 1 förlorad  67-11 i målkvot  58  poäng
2 R. Madrid 21 16 3 2 48-18    51
3 Villarreal    21 14 3 4 41-21   45
4 Valencia    20 12 4 4 33-23    40

Från matchen i går i Pamplona:
China's Foreign Ministry on Monday said it hoped Egypt would quickly restore social stability

'China is closely watching the development of the situation in Egypt,' ministry spokesman Hong Lei said in a statement.
'Egypt is a friendly nation of China. We hope Egypt can quickly restore social stability and normal order,' Hong said.

Asia Stocks Drop as Dollar, Yen Rise on Egypt Unrest; Oil Gains

Jan. 31 (Bloomberg) -- Asian stocks fell, extending the biggest global share slump in two months, while the dollar, yen and Japanese bonds gained as anti-government protests rocked Egypt for a sixth day. Crude oil rose to a one-week high.

Bloomberg Businesweek
"Mubarak is stuck in a corner. The only one he can count on is the military," said Rabab al-Madhi of the American University of Cairo.
People pray in front of army tanks in Tahrir Square
on January 30, 2011 in Cairo, Egypt

'The King's Speech' wins at Screen Actors Guild Awards

Los Angeles Times
Jan. 30, 2011, 7:05 p.m. PT

"The King's Speech" was awarded the top prize -- outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture -- at the 17th Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday night. The film, starring Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter, depicts King George VI's struggle against a debilitating stutter.

Complete coverage of the SAG Awards at
http://theenvelope.latimes.com/.

Nu är det två filmer som väntar på att ses

Egypt's military moved more aggressively Sunday to take control over parts of the capital, but the sixth day of unrest ended with increasing questions about how much longer President Hosni Mubarak could withstand calls for his resignation, including an electrifying demand from opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei that he step down to "save the country."


Just hours after fighter jets buzzed overhead and a column of tanks tried to enter Cairo's central Tahrir Square, thousands of protesters defied a government-imposed curfew to gather in a peaceful nighttime demonstration that culminated in the dramatic appearance by ElBaradei.

Sunday's show of force by the military was seen as a sign that it could be preparing to crack down on protests to restore calm to Cairo and other cities.

The chaos in the streets has shocked entrenched strongmen throughout the region, galvanized the Arab world and left about 100 people dead, according to Egyptian media.

Thousands of protesters continued to occupy the city center until late Sunday, chanting anti-government slogans while army helicopters periodically flew overhead.

Earlier in the day, state television showed Mubarak meeting with military leaders and newly appointed Vice President Omar Suleiman to discuss the security situation. Many expect the military to play a critical role in the coming days.

Also Sunday, the State Department said it will begin evacuation flights for thousands of U.S. citizens in Egypt on Monday. The department has chartered planes for the evacuation, and believes it has the capacity to remove all who wish to go.

With few police on the streets, most Cairo residents spent a fitful night gripped by fears of looting and reports of several prison breakouts, unleashing thousands of criminals. Neighborhood vigilante squads quickly rose up throughout Cairo, blocking off residential roads and protecting homes with baseball bats, golf putters, meat cleavers and anything else they could find.

----------------------------LOS ANGELES TIMES

Swedish
Increasing från increase som är både substantiv och verb med betoning på första stavelsen increase 'ökning' för substantivet och på sista stavelsen increase 'öka' för verbet.
Detta vet de flesta av oss sedan tidigare, liksom att motsatsen heter decrease resp decrease.
Men increase vs grow då? Min gamla synonymbok från 1920 förklarar:

INCREASEGROW
Increase, from the Latin in, in and crescere, to grow (whence, crescent [min gamla cykel] is derived), signifies to grow larger and stronger.
Grow, Anglo-Saxon signified to put forth green shoots; it is allied to the word green.
The idea of becoming larger is common to both these terms, but the former expresses the idea in an unqualified manner, and th elatter annexes to this general idea also that of the mode or process by which this is effected. To increase is either a gradual or an instantaneous act; to grow is  gradual process: a stream increases by the addition of other waters; it may come suddenly or in course of time, by means of gentle showers or the rushing in of other streams; but if we say that the river or stream grows, it is supposed to grow by some regular and continual process of receiving fresh water, as from the running in of different rivulets or smaller streams.
To increase is either a natural or an artificial process; to grow is always natural; money increases by arfificial means; corn may either increase or grow: in the former case we speak of it in the sense of becoming larger or increasing in bulk; in the latter case w consider the mode of its increasing, namely, by the natural process of vegetation. On this ground we say that a child grows when we wish to denote the natural process by which his body arrives at its proper size; but we may speak of his increasing in stature, in size, and the like. For this reason likewise increase is used in a transitive as well as intransitive sense; but grow always in an intransitive sense: we can increase a thing, though not properly grow  thing, because we can make it larger by whatever means we please; but when it grows it makes itself larger.
In their improper acceptation these words preserve the same distinction: "trade increases" bespeaks the simple fact of its becoming larger; but "trade grows" implies that gradual increase which flows from the natural concurrence of circumstances. The affections which are awakened in infancy grow with one's growth; a natural and moral process is her combined. The fear of death sometimes increases as one grows old; the courage of a truly brave man increases with the sight of danger: a moral process is here indicated which is both gradual and immediate, but in both cases produced by some foreign cause.


Puh...jag hade inte kunnat förklara det bättre själv ;)
´
Hoppas nu bara att uppgifterna i min bok från 1920 fortfarande gäller till hundra procent.
PS Hur som helst, bäst av allt: The days grow longer.

söndag, januari 30, 2011

Why Are Oil Markets So Nervous About Egypt?

"---However an even more important concern for the oil markets is that the Egyptian unrest can spread to some oil exporting Arab countries.---"

>>  http://www.payvand.com/news/11/jan/1298.html
 Payvand (IRAN) News

Think you know the Middle East?

Which country ?
Morocco, Libya,Yemen, Syria,  Israel,  Djibouti  Tunisia,  Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sudan, Qatar, Kuwait, Iran, Iraq,  Oman or Saudi Arabia.
Correct answer >> check Your map.
















La Liga

Dagens matcher
Omgång 21


Spanjoren Toquero

Osasuna - R. Madrid pågår
Atlético - Athletic slutspelad   0-2
Målen: Toquero i 46e resp 64e min.
Espanyol - Villarreal börjar kl 21:00

Handboll

VM-final
Frankrike-Danmark 37-35 efter förlängning.
En mycket härlig match att skåda.
Bilden: Danmarks bästa spelare och en av världens bästa, Mikkel Hansen.

Egypt's Tipping Point

Lots tourists

In 2010, Egypt registered a record influx of 14,7 million tourists, who put an estimated 12.5 to 13 billion dollars into the economy.

Egypt's Crisis: Tehran Sees Potential Benefit But Nervously

>> Egypt's Crisis: Tehran Sees Potential Benefit But Nervously

Factbox: Major foreign companies operating in Egypt


* BP -- has invested over $17 billion in Egypt, with an annual investment of $1 billion since 2007.
BP and partners have produced more than 40 percent of the country's domestic gas and has produced almost 40 percent of Egypt's entire oil production.

* ENI: -- has been operating in Egypt for 50 years, working in oil and gas exploration and production through branches of its subsidiaries Ieoc Exploration, Ieoc Production, and Ieoc.
Eni holds a 50 percent stake in Union Fenosa Gas that has passed to the Egyptian affiliate, the Spanish Egyptian Gas Company - SEGAS, the responsibility for the construction and operation of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant within the port area of Damietta.

* APACHE -- Apache is the largest producer of liquid hydrocarbons and natural gas in the Western Desert and the second largest in Egypt. Apache's production is operated under two joint ventures, Khalda and Qarun Petroleum Company.

* BG Group -- has played a leading role developing Egypt's natural gas industry and is responsible for over 35 percent of all gas produced in Egypt. The British gas company's activities in Egypt span the gas chain from exploration, through development and production, to LNG.

* BANKS:

* Barclays -- Barclays Bank Egypt has been present in the Egyptian market since 1864. Barclays re-entered Egypt 30 years ago as a joint venture company with Banque du Caire with Barclays increasing its shareholding equity to 60 percent in 1999 and 100 percent in 2004. It has 65 branches in Egypt.

* BNP Paribas -- In Egypt since 1977.

* HSBC -- HSBC Bank Egypt was established in 1982 as Hong Kong Egyptian Bank. The bank was rebranded HSBC Bank Egypt in April 2001 following an increase in parent HSBC's shareholding to over 90 percent of its issued share capital from 40 percent.

* Societe Generale -- Last November, Bernardo Sanchez Incera, deputy chief executive for international retail banking at SocGen said the French bank was interested in acquisition opportunities in Egypt and would keep its growth strategy organic in other areas where it is already present.

* Bank Audi

* BLOM Bank

* Citibank

* Credit Agricole

* Intesa Sanpaolo SpA

* MashreqBank

* Piraeus

OTHER FIRMS:

* Carrefour -- Europe's biggest retailer started in Egypt in 2002. Since government reform in 2004, the retail sector's contribution to GDP doubled to $19.5 billion in 2009.

* France Telecom -- Egyptian mobile operator Mobinil, jointly owned by France Telecom and Cairo-based Orascom Telecom, is to employ new mobile services in 2011 to help boost profit margins in an increasingly crowded market, chief executive Hassan Kabbani said last week.
Mobinil, which leads Egypt by subscribers, sees an increase in 2011 revenues per user thanks to technology such as mobile banking, cell phone data services and text messaging.

* Nestle -- said this month it would invest 1 billion Egyptian pounds ($171 million) in its existing factories and distribution centres in Egypt, creating 500 new jobs in addition to its 3,000 strong workforce. The three year investment, follows investments totaling 170 million Swiss francs ($180 million) in Egypt in the past ten years.

* Vodafone -- it and other mobile telecoms operators were told by Egyptian authorities to suspend services in selected areas of the country on Friday. Mobile phone services started to resume across the Egyptian capital on Saturday.

* Etisalat -- Emirates Telecommunications Company

SOURCES: Reuters/Company websites

(Writing by David Cutler, London Editorial Reference Unit, and Cairo newsroom; Editing by Dan Lalor)

---------_----ORLANDO SENTINEL

The Orlando Sentinel is the primary newspaper of the Orlando, Florida region. It was founded in 1876 and is currently in its 133rd year of publication. The Sentinel is owned by Tribune Company and is overseen by the Chicago Tribune. As of 2005, the Sentinel’s president and publisher was Kathleen Waltz; she announced her resignation in February 2008. Howard Greenberg, publisher of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, was named publisher of both the Sun-Sentinel and the Orlando Sentinel after Waltz left.
WIKIPEDIA

The accused person



Fighter jets roar over Cairo as tension rises further

Tensions in Cairo were raised further this afternoon as fighter jets started making several low passes over Tahrir Square, the focus of anti President Mubarak protests in Egypt.

Egypt send tanks into Cairo square as 20,000 protesters gather

No sign of police on the streets of Cairo on Sunday; Mubarak meets key security officials.


CAIRO - The Egyptian army on Sunday blocked entry to a central Cairo square that has been a focal point for demonstrators over the past six days of protests against the regime of President Hosni Mubarak. The move came, however, after some 20,000 people had already gathered there.

A row of advanced M1 tanks entered the central Cairo square Sunday afternoon with their cannons covered. It is unclear why such a large number of tanks were deployed. Despite this, tens of thousands of protesters have surrounded them, continuing to protest.

HAARETZ

Facebook album shows Egyptian women taking part in protests

With social networking sites playing an important role in the anti-government protests in Egypt, an album portraying the role of Egypt's women was posted on Facebook Sunday.

The album, titled "Women of Egypt" shows various pictures of women taking part in the protests calling on Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to step down.
"For everyone who has been asking where the women of Egypt are! I´m trying to compile all the photos with Egyptian women in them," the description of the album explained.
The description explained that the album was "a homage to all those women out there fighting, and whose voices and faces are hidden from the public eye!"
JERUSALEM POST

Nytt land

Afrikas längsta inbördeskrig är slut.
Har krävt hela 2 miljoner människors liv
och 4 miljoner flyktingar.

King condemns violence in Egypt

By Arab News 
(Saudi Arabia)
Published: Jan 29, 2011 15:51 Updated: Jan 30, 2011 01:09

RIYADH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah condemned the violence in Egypt in a telephone call Saturday morning to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

“Egypt is a country of Arabism and Islam. No Arab and Muslim can bear that some infiltrators into the brotherly Egyptian people are attempting to destabilize that country’s security and stability in the name of freedom of expression, and they have been exploiting the public and spawning hatred and driving them to engage in destruction, arson, looting — terrorizing them and inciting sedition,'' the king said in a statement distributed by the Saudi Press Agency.

The king said he prayed to Allah Almighty to preserve the stability and unity of Egypt and its people so that the country can continue its historic role amidst its Arab brothers and Muslims.

During the conversation, President Mubarak reassured the king that the situation in Egypt is stable. “What have been seen by the viewers in the world outside are merely attempts of some groups who do not want stability and security for the Egyptian nation. These groups seek to achieve weird and dubious objectives.”

The president stressed that Egypt and its people are determined to stop anyone who tries to exploit the freedom of Egyptians and would not allow anyone to use those groups to achieve their agendas.

Meanwhile, the Saudi Embassy in Egypt has announced that Saudis in Egypt can call the following numbers if they need assistance: 3749-0775 or 3762-5000. Students can contact the cultural attaché at 3336-0612.
________________________________________________________________________

About us

Arab News is Saudi Arabia's first English-language newspaper. It was founded in 1975 by Hisham and Mohammed Ali Hafiz. Today, it is one of 29 publications produced by Saudi Research & Publishing Company (SRPC), a subsidiary of Saudi Research & Marketing Group (SRMG).

Apropå Saudi Arabia: sprids oroligheterna kan det bli hårda bud...även för oss (oljan).

US offers flights to citizens out of Egypt

The United States said on Sunday it was offering evacuation flights to Europe for US citizens who wish to leave Egypt, which has been rocked by violent protests seeking an end to President Hosni Mubarak's rule.

Men vissa svenska charterarrangörer fortsätter som om inget har hänt :)

Al Jazeera banned in Egypt

Egypt's outgoing information minister has ordered the closure of pan-Arab satellite channel Al Jazeera, the official MENA news agency said Sunday, after it gave blanket coverage to days of anti-government riots.
EMIRATES 24 NEWS

Detta är "stort" och är ytterligare ett bevis på att Egyptens diktator är desperat.

Netanyahu: Israel's objective is to maintain peaceful ties with Egypt


In first public comments on sweeping protests in Israel's southern neighbor, says Jerusalem is 'following with vigilance the events in Egypt and in our region.'

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet Sunday that Israel must exercise responsibility and restraint in the face of the unrest in Egypt, and that Jerusalem's primary concern was to preserve the more than 30 years of stability and peaceful ties with Cairo.


"The peace between Israel and Egypt has lasted for more than three decades and our objective is to ensure that these relations will continue to exist," Netanyahu said.

Yes, but unfortunately now it's different Benjamin, the people in Egypt want, and dare now require leaders which means real peace for them.  
PS I think You know it

Sudan

-- Nearly 99% of Southern Sudanese voted to split from the north with 100% of votes counted, organizers report.
CNN

Tom Hooper wins top honors from the Directors Guild of America

The Directors Guild of America on Saturday evening named Tom Hooper best director of 2010 for "The King's Speech," the film based on the real-life story of King George VI's battle to overcome a debilitating stammer. It is the first guild win in the feature category for the 38-year-old filmmaker.

LOS ANGELES TIMES



Directors Guild of America (DGA) is the labor union which represents the interests of film and television directors in the United States motion picture industry. Founded as the Screen Directors Guild in 1936, the group became the DGA in 1960.

Dubai Shares Fall Most in Year, Lead Gulf Drop, on Egypt Risk


Jan. 30 (Bloomberg) -- Persian Gulf shares plunged, sending Dubai’s index down the most in a year, on concern political unrest could spread after Egyptian protests persisted and the North African country’s president refused to resign.


Emaar Properties PJSC, which claims to be the largest foreign-direct investor in Egypt’s real-estate industry, tumbled as much as 9.7 percent. Air Arabia PJSC fell to the lowest intraday level on record. The DFM General Index plunged 6.2 percent, the most since December 2009, to 1,512.91 at 10:32 a.m. in Dubai. The Bloomberg GCC 200 Index slid 1.1 percent. Egypt’s market is closed today after tumbling 16 percent the past two trading days ---

"International investors are fleeing Middle East stock markets with justified risk aversion across the board’’ on fear the crisis may spread, said Mahdi Mattar, head of research at Abu Dhabi-based CAPM Investment PJSC, an investment banking company. ---

-----------------------------http://www.businessweek.com/

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