Evening Edition

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1 Bloody clashes rock Cairo as regime stands firm

by Samer al-Atrush, AFP

29 mins ago

CAIRO (AFP) – Partisans of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak stormed the Cairo stronghold of anti-regime protesters on Wednesday, sparking bloody clashes in which the government said three people were killed.

Washington, which has called for restraint since demonstrations broke out nine days ago, deplored the violence against “peaceful protesters” while UN chief Ban Ki-moon said the attacks on demonstrators were “unacceptable.”

The European Union added its voice to calls from US President Barack Obama for the transition from Mubarak’s three-decade-long rule to begin immediately after the veteran president announced late on Tuesday that he would not seek re-election in September.

2 Egypt’s Mubarak agrees to step down — but not yet

by Jailan Zayan, AFP

Tue Feb 1, 7:19 pm ET

CAIRO (AFP) – Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said on Tuesday he will not seek re-election in September but rejected demands that brought a million people on to the country’s streets demanding he quit immediately.

The veteran president’s announcement in a televised address drew angry jeers from demonstrators who again defied a curfew to spend the night in the capital’s Tahrir Square — epicentre of eight straight days of protests.

Mubarak’s insistence that he would remain at the helm to oversee the transition also fell far short of the demands of opposition groups that have set him a Friday deadline to quit to allow a clear break with his 30-year rule.

3 Egypt clashes turn deadly as Mubarak supporters storm Cairo rally

by Samer al-Atrush, AFP

Wed Feb 2, 1:26 pm ET

CAIRO (AFP) – Partisans of President Hosni Mubarak stormed a crowded anti-regime rally in central Cairo on Wednesday, sparking pandemonium in which at least 500 people were hurt and one killed, witnesses said.

The White House, which has called for restraint since demonstrations broke out nine days ago, deplored the violence against “peaceful protesters” while UN chief Ban Ki-moon said the attacks on demonstrators were “unacceptable.”

Supporters from both sides threw stones and battled with sticks and fists in Tahrir Square, the epicentre of nine days of protests, in the clashes that broke out early afternoon and were continuing after sunset.

4 Egypt troops fire warning shots as protesters clash

by Samer al-Atrush Samer, AFP

Wed Feb 2, 10:14 am ET

CAIRO (AFP) – Egyptian troops fired warning shots at the main rally against President Hosni Mubararak in central Cairo on Wednesday in a bid to end clashes with regime supporters and the protesters reacted jubilantly, an AFP correspondent reported.

“The army and the people hand in hand,” the crowd shouted after dozens were injured in running battles between pro and anti-Mubarak demonstrators on Cairo’s central Tahrir Square.

The army has positioned its tanks and troops around the square but this is thought to be the first time they have opened fire since they were deployed on Friday and police vanished from the capital’s streets.

5 Chaos as pro-, anti-Mubarak protesters clash

by Samer al-Atrush, AFP

Wed Feb 2, 9:30 am ET

CAIRO (AFP) – Supporters of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak clashed violently with opposition protesters on Wednesday after storming their rally in central Cairo, with dozens hurt, AFP correspondents and witnesses said.

Partisans from both sides threw stones and set on each other with sticks and fists in Tahrir Square, the epicentre of anti-regime demonstrations, a day after the embattled president rejected demands to step down and vowed to stay on to the end of his term.

Fighting took place around army tanks deployed in the square, with stones bouncing off the armour, an AFP reporter said, adding that at least 10 people were injured in the first fighting.

6 Under-fire Yemen leader pledges no life term

by Hammoud Mounassar, AFP

45 mins ago

SANAA (AFP) – Yemen’s Ali Abdullah Saleh, under opposition pressure to stand down, said on Wednesday he will freeze plans to change the constitution that would have enabled him to remain president for life.

On the eve of a “day of rage” called by civil society and opposition leaders, Saleh told parliament he had also put off controversial plans to hold elections in April without a promised dialogue on reform, and appealed for an end to street protests.

“I will not extend my mandate and I am against hereditary rule,” said Saleh, who has headed the Arab world’s poorest nation for decades and whose term is due to end in 2013.

7 Spain signs ‘grand social pact’ for economic overhaul

by Daniel Silva, AFP

Wed Feb 2, 8:47 am ET

MADRID (AFP) – Spain’s government, unions and business leaders signed a “grand social pact” Wednesday on sweeping reforms to revive the economy and cut a sky-high jobless rate.

The deal is critical to Spain’s campaign to convince the markets that it can push through difficult labour reforms so as to speed up the economy, cut spending, and finance the debt.

Lurking in the minds of investors is the fear that Spain may fall into the debt quagmire that swamped Ireland and Greece, forcing it to request a bailout from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund.

8 Aussie swimmer Thorpe to return for 2012 Olympics

by Amy Coopes, AFP

Wed Feb 2, 11:16 am ET

SYDNEY (AFP) – Five-time Olympic freestyle champion Ian Thorpe announced his return to swimming for the 2012 London games, saying he could “actually taste” his desire to compete.

“Ian Thorpe is very much back,” said John Borghetti of sponsor Virgin Blue, opening a joint press conference with Thorpe on Wednesday.

“He registered this morning with the international drug testing register and he’s planning to win lots of gold at the 2012 Olympics.”

9 Mona Lisa model was a male say Italian researchers

by Eleanor Ide, AFP

2 hrs 51 mins ago

ROME (AFP) – Italian researchers who specialise in resolving art mysteries said Wednesday they have discovered the disputed identity of the model for Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa — and claimed he was a man.

Silvano Vinceti, chairman of the Italian national committee for cultural heritage, said the Florence-born Renaissance artist’s male apprentice and possible lover Salai was the main inspiration for the picture.

However his claim was immediately disputed by experts at the Louvre in Paris, where the painting is on display.

10 Murdoch launches iPad newspaper ‘The Daily’

by Charlotte Raab, AFP

2 hrs 37 mins ago

NEW YORK (AFP) – News Corp.’s Rupert Murdoch on Wednesday launched “The Daily,” a digital newspaper created for Apple’s iPad, in the latest move in his drive to get consumers to pay for news online.

“New times demand new journalism,” the 79-year-old News Corp. chairman and chief executive said as he took the wraps off the hotly awaited publication at a press event at the Guggenheim Museum in New York.

Murdoch, an enthusiastic fan of the iPad, said there will be no print version of The Daily and it will only be available on Apple’s touchscreen tablet computer for at least this year.

11 ‘Year of the Rabbit’ could be year of the love rat

by Joyce Woo, AFP

Wed Feb 2, 8:40 am ET

HONG KONG (AFP) – The Chinese calendar may be set to welcome in the ‘Year of the Rabbit’ but the new year could be auspicious for love cheats, astrologers predict, and those who want a younger partner.

China celebrates the first day of the Lunar New Year on Thursday and many Chinese people are keen on using the occasion to get a glimpse of what might be in store next year.

“The ‘Year of the Rabbit’ will see a lot of unusual romantic relationships,” Hong Kong astrologer Anthony Cheng told AFP. “Including extra-marital affairs and relationships with huge age differences.”

5 comments

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  1. is calling the pro-Mubarak demonstrators, “thugs”. Anderson Copper reporting that the anti-government protesters are using sheet metal shields to form a phalanx around the Antiquities museum to keep out the thugs.

    The military is doing nothing to stop the armed thugs from attacking the anti-Mubarak protesters, even though they control access to the square. Until today the military was doing searched to make sure those coming into the square were not carrying weapons of explosives, today they did not.

  2. Come over to the diner — I need you!

  3. WikiLeaks Nominated For Nobel Peace Prize

    OSLO, Norway – A Norwegian lawmaker has nominated WikiLeaks for the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, saying Wednesday that its disclosures of classified documents promote world peace by holding governments accountable for their actions.

    The Norwegian Nobel Committee keeps candidates secret for 50 years, but those with nomination rights sometimes make their picks known.

    Snorre Valen, a 26-year-old legislator from Norway’s Socialist Left Party, told The Associated Press he handed in his nomination in person on Tuesday, the last day to put forth candidates.

    Murdoch’s “The Daily” is $39/month for news you can get on the internet for free.

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