BBC News - Egypt unrest

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1. 1033: For those who didn't catch it on our live news feed, the BBC's Frank Gardner says there's a joke doing the rounds among Egyptians that they'll soon be watching Mr Mubarak on the History Channel - not on the BBC or CNN.
2. 1028: The BBC's Mark Georgiou reports from Cairo that state TV news at noon didn't show the crowds gathering in Tahrir Square.
3. 1025: The UN human rights chief, Navi Pillay, says she has unconfirmed reports that up to 300 people may have died in the unrest in Egypt, Reuters reports.
4. 1022: The BBC's Jon Donnison in Jerusalem reminds us that Israel, which already faces instability or uncertainty in many neighbouring states, is watching events in Israel very closely, and is very concerned.
5. 1018: Mr Erdogan adds that any problems should be resolved through the ballot box, Reuters reports.
6. 1015: Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Hosni Mubarak "should listen to the demands of the people."
7. 1014: Just a reminder that there are also big protests expected in Alexandria. The BBC's Wyre Davies, who is there, says civilians wearing armbands are now keeping protesters in order - a job normally done by the police.
8. 1006: The BBC's Paul Danahar says there are now some 50,000 people packing into Tahrir Sqaure.
9. 0959: Lyse Doucet, one of the BBC correspondents in Cairo, reports: "Tahrir Square is now an organised event. Queues for men and women. Military checkpoints. Checkpoints manned by young men and women. Female security checks. Inside people are writing slogans on cardboard , taking photographs, singing, chanting. Crowds already much bigger than previous days."
10. 0943: British politician Sir Menzies Campbell raises the question on the BBC News channel: The Egyptian army says it will not use force against protesters, but what if, for example, they try to storm the presidential palace?
11. 0939: Cris Jones, who is originally from Manchester but has lived in Alexandria for two years with his wife and son, tells the BBC: "I have been trying to arrange flights to get them out of the country. The situation has deteriorated rapidly. I just wanted to highlight the attitude of our Foreign Office compared to other nations. In the apartment block where I live there are a number of US families. The US government has arranged armed escort to Alexandria airport and for passenger jets to take them home. The British government has essentially said 'make your own way back by any commercial means'... Why isn't our government doing more to help its nationals? The British consulate has taken refuge in a local hotel. They're too afraid to venture out and return to their offices."
12. 0937: International ratings agency Standard&Poor has followed rival Moody and lowered its rating of Egypt's debt, reports AFP.
13. 0929: And from Sharif Kouddous, also in Cairo Sharif Kouddous, in Cairo, Egypt there's this: "Wow. It's 10am and already more people in Tahrir than I have ever seen. And there's more flooding in #Egypt."
14. 0925: From Cairo Ashraf Khalil tweets "Fears that pro-Mubarak rally/thug-squad will try to spark violence. Protesters completely aware and expecting this."
15. 0922: The BBC's Wyre Davies in Alexandria says there's widespread evidence of attacks against symbols of authority in Egypt's second city. There's a sense of a breakdown in law and order, he says, with civilians wearing armbands patrolling.
16. 0909: A BBC correspondent at Cairo airport says the authorities there confiscated some equipment as he arrived.
17. 0907: More from Paul Danahar: "Already 30,000 people in Tahrir Square calling for Mubarak to go."
18. 0901: The BBC's Paul Danahar reports: "Hundreds of people are now streaming in Tahrir Square for today's protests as a military helicopter watches from overhead."
19. 0850: The BBC's Jim Muir reports from Cairo: "The numbers are building up. Whether they will get a million is hard to say. Apparently a lot of roads to Cairo from outlying areas and provinces have been cut, so that will obviously hinder people. However, Cairo's own population is more than 20 million. So it's certainly going to be a big day."
20. 0841: Finance Minister Radwan also says Mr Mubarak looked like a very determined man at the first meeting of the new cabinet appointed on Monday. "Don't forget he's a fighter," he says of Egypt's leader for the last three decades.
21. 0839: Newly-appointed Finance Minister Samir Radwan tells the BBC World Service that the situation is "very serious" but still "manageable" for the government. It has a "very clear plan" to deal with unemployment, poverty and corruption, he says.
22. 0835: Fawaz Gerges, professor at the London School of Economics, has told the BBC World Service that the opposition would not accept the "cosmetic changes" made by President Mubarak in the last few days. "The government has alienated all segments of society," he says. "Egypt was ready. Tunisia was the spark."
23. 0831: Al Arabiya TV is reporting that the ruling NDP party will hold a pro-Mubarak rally today in Ismailiya (125km/75 miles east of Cairo, Population 750,000).
24. 0824: Inoljt, writing on the Politikal Blog about the American Dilemma in Egypt, says: "Mr Mubarak's strongest political opponents are the Muslim Brotherhood... If the protests in Egypt succeed in toppling the dictator, the most likely situation is the formation (through free and fair elections) of an Islamic government hostile to the United States. Therein lies America's dilemma - betray its ideals and support an 'ally', or keep its ideals and allow an anti-American government to take power."
25. 0818: The Egyptian actor Omar Sharif tells BBC World he doesn't think there will be bloodshed - the protesters are not violent people, and they're enjoying the uprising, he says.
26. 0812: As we've reported, the army announced late yesterday that it would not use force against demonstrators. We now have the full statement.
27. 0808: Sandmonkey tweets: "Today is the big day :) going out soon. heard that girls are getting their mothers to join. People are getting friends. Everyone is going."
28. 0805: Sherif Azmy in Helwan, Egypt writes: "I am in Helwan at this moment, and I am speaking for the majority of Egyptians when I say we are satisfied with the president's changes. We do not want a civil war." Have Your Say
29. 0801: The BBC's Tim Willcox tweets: "Crowds gathering Liberation Square - following calls for million man march against Mubarak. Carnival-like atmosphere #egypt #jan25"
30. 0753: The French news agency also reports the head of the International Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, as saying that the agency stands ready to help Egypt rebuild its economy.
31. 0750: An appeal has been published by 50 Egyptian non-governmental organisations calling for President Mubarak to step down and "avoid a blood bath", AFP reports.
32. 0746: There's been an ongoing debate about the role of social media in the recent protests in Egypt, Tunisia and elsewhere. Social media intelligence firm Sysomos has the following research on how people have been using Twitter.
33. 0734: And for those looking for a little more background on the events that have shaken Egypt in recent days - and why it matters for the rest of the world, you can read our Q&A.
34. 0726: For those wondering what might happen next in Egypt, the BBC's Tarik Kafala has set out some of the possible scenarios. Read his analysis here.
35. 0721: Blogger Seif tweets: "Group of girls walking, must be 16 yrs old max, singing "Ana Masri" by Nancy Ajram... No serious serious chanting yet."
36. 0716: More from the BBC's Jon Leyne: He thinks that now that Mr Mubarak appears to have lost the military's support, it could be a matter of days or even hours before the Egyptian leader goes.
37. 0713: The BBC's Jon Leyne in Cairo says the army's announcement that it won't use violence is a clear signal that it's no longer backing President Mubarak. The military will now be looking to rescue what power they have left, he says, and the big question is whether they will now help shepherd a real political transition.
38. 0710: One protester, Amr Gharbeia, tells the BBC World Service's World Today programme that 8,000-10,000 people stayed the night in Tahrir Sqaure - the epicentre of the protests. "In the square more tents are appearing, people are having more fun, people are trying to break away from the layers and layers of security around them," he says. "This is a completely reclaimed space and people are very celebratory. It's more or less like Woodstock."
39. 0658: There are already reports of people gathering in Cairo ahead of a massive march on the capital planned by protesters. This is the eighth day of mass demonstrations against President Hosni Mubarak's regime.
40. 0658: Welcome to the BBC's live coverage of Egypt's eighth day of anti-government protests. We'll be bringing you the latest updates late into the night, incorporating reports from our correspondents on the ground, expert analysis, the most recent images and your reaction from around the world, which you can send via email, text or twitter. We'll publish what we can.

via bbc.co.uk

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