(Bumped. – promoted by ek hornbeck)
News is breaking extremely fast. Both Al Jazeera and CNN are transmitting live images. You can watch the Al Jazeera broadcast live on line. Protests broken out all over Egypt and there are tanks on the streets of Cairo. Reports are that the police have withdrawn from the Alexandria.
Mohamed ElBaradei, the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, arrived in Egypt yesterday and it is being reported by numerous news agencies that he has been placed under house arrest
As I am writing this, the commentator is reporting that state security has entered Al Jeezera’s Cairo building in an attempt to shut down their feed. Communications have been hampered in the building. The cutting of cell phone connections and the Internet blackout the past three days is unprecedented and reporters and crews are missing, as per live reports.
It is prayer time and the protesters are organizing for evening prayer and the riot police has back off to give them time to pray.
There are reports of at least one person killed in Cairo and a curfew has been imposed for 6 PM Egyptian time (11 AM EST).
This is a video of clashes on a bridge that took place earlier today.
UP dates will continue as they happen.
I’ve been awake for 22 hours I’m going to bed- mishima
Up Date #1: CNN reports that the Egyptian Army has been ordered to take over the security from the police.
Up Date #2: The New York Times has continuous up dates on the protests as they receive them.
Egyptian President is expected to give a live address.
Up Date #3: A curfew went into effect at 6 PM (11 AM) and is being ignored.
Al Jazeera reports that 5 Army tanks have entered Cairo as protesters take over security police armored personnel carriers and police stations, setting them on fire.
Further up dates and videos will be below the fold.
Update #4: Al Jazeera is reporting that protesters have formed a human chain around the Cairo Museum to protest it from looting. (TMC)
Up Date #5: CNN reports the headquarters of Egypt’s ruling party, have been ransacked and burned.
Delta Airlines has suspended all flights to Egypt.
The U.S. State Department has issued a travel alert.
Lt. General Sami Hafez Enan is the Egyptian Armed Forces Chief of Staff who has cut short his visit to the US to return to Egypt.
Up Date #6: This is video from Al Jazeera has useful primer on Cairo geography, giving readers (and journalists) unfamiliar with the city’s plan an idea of where some of the scenes we have been witnessing in video of protests have taken place:
This video from Al Jazeera, shot earlier on Friday night in Cairo and uploaded to YouTube recently, shows people on the streets of Cairo on Friday night cheering units of Egypt’s Army, which is more respected than the members of the country’s police force:
Up Date # 7: President Hosni Mubarak finally spoke.
CAIRO – 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.
President Barack Obama spoke shortly after and said little, remaining neutral, more or less, but the White House seems to be giving Mubarak the benefit of the doubt but support is dwindling.
Pres. Obama spoke with Mubarak for 30 minutes before Mubarak spoke. What else did they talk about besides not using violence against peaceful protesters and turn back on the cell service and internet? That might have taken 3 minutes, what else did they say?
News organizations are reporting the cell and internet service is back.
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