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31 Jan 2011 10:20

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World: The U.S. starts evacuating American citizens out of Egypt

  • 2,400 Americans on the waiting list (so far) source
  • » Only around 219 have left so far: With 52,000 Americans situated in Egypt at the moment, getting them all out, or even a good portion, might be quite the ordeal. And it’s not a cheap one for the evacuees, either. The U.S. is having the evacuees sign a clause promising to pay the government back for the trip elsewhere. The “elsewhere” varies – one flight headed to Cyprus while another headed to Athens.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Jan 2011 23:05

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Politics: Max Headroom: TweetDeck an unofficial “Meet the Press” panelist

  • The TweetDeck in the room: For their Egypt roundtable today, Meet the Press decided to take a cue from the CNN playbook and stick social media on a giant TV screen within plain sight. Surprisingly, Chuck Todd, Harold Ford and company weren’t completely distracted by this and had something pretty intelligent to say about Egypt. David Gregory’s intro was a weeeeeeeee bit forced, though. Next time, leave the innovative gimmicks to Jake Tapper … oh wait, he doesn’t have a show anymore. 🙁 Carry on.
  • Egypt: An excuse to drill in the gulf Look, it’s understandable that you feel that oil drilling should be allowed in the Gulf Coast, Rep. Jeff Landry of Louisiana. It was the first thing we thought of, too. But, you know, think this can wait a week? Maybe two? This is so close to the edge of the crisis that it seems a little insensitive.
  • Behind the scenes of al-Jazeera Commotion. Guy futzing with non-working cell phone. Hard work to ensure that al-Jazeera doesn’t go off the air in Egypt. What might surprise is that even they sound surprised at how strong the protests in Egypt were – and Ayman Gaballah, the guy talking, says they had word that this might go down!
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Jan 2011 22:08

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World: Egypt: Eight-year-old girl has message for Hosni Mubarak

  • Yo, Hosni Mubarak: This eight-year-old Saudi girl knows the score on Egypt – and some might argue she knows it a little bit better than the U.S. government. You tell ’em, Juju. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Jan 2011 21:29

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World: Yay dead trees: Egypt’s newspapers still going strong amid protests

  • If you’re like us, you’re utterly curious about how news outlets in Egypt are covering some downright historic news for them – and with most other outlets out of commission, they’re playing an immensely important role in keeping Egyptian citizens informed. Fortunately for us, The Economist is all over this, with copies of a number of newspapers in the region. Above is Al Masry Al Youm, an independent newpaper known for being critical of the Mubarak regime. Since we’re guessing you don’t read Arabic, that headline says “Conspiracy amid security forces to support chaos.” They have a bunch of others, if you’re curious. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Jan 2011 20:08

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Biz: Why do U.S. cable companies continue to block al-Jazeera English?

  • There was reluctance from these companies to embark in a direction that would perhaps be opposed by the Bush administration. I think that’s changed. I think if anything the Obama administration has indicated to al-Jazeera that it sees us as part of the solution, not part of the problem.
  • Al-Jazeera English’s head of North American strategies Tony Burman • Discussing why getting his network on U.S. cable systems has been such a hard sell. When the English-language network launched in 2006, it carried a bit of a reputation with it (despite its editorial independence and BBC-like business model), and it’s one that’s kept the network running in D.C., parts of Ohio and parts of Vermont. That’s it. (Oh, and if you happen to own a satellite dish.) This is despite the fact that the service is widely-available in Europe and Canada without any troubles. “Why in the most vibrant democracy in the world, where engagement and knowledge of the world is probably the most important,” Burman continues, “why it’s not available is one of these things that would take a PhD scholar to understand.” Meanwhile, Fox News airs unabated. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Jan 2011 11:48

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World: Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu speaks out about Egypt crisis

  • We are anxiously monitoring what is happening in Egypt and [elsewhere] in our region. The peace between Israel and Egypt had endured for over three decades and our goal is to ensure that these relations continue.
  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu • Speaking to his cabinet about what’s happening with their allies to the south. And of course, Netanyahu has reason to be worried – his country’s relationship with Egypt has a stabilizing effect on the entire region which could go away if things go the wrong way. This is the most we’ve heard from anyone in Israel about the Egypt crisis – Israel officials have otherwise been warned not to speak about the diplomatically-troubling situation. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Jan 2011 11:35

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World: Google’s Middle East head, Wael Ghonim, missing in Egypt

  • This is one of the last tweets Wael Ghonim sent. He hasn’t been heard from since last week, and many are worried about the head of Google Middle East – and it’s gotten to the point where al-Jazeeera is asking aloud where he is. Has anyone heard from him?  source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

30 Jan 2011 11:22

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World: United States, Turkey, Iraq encourage citizens to leave Egypt ASAP

It’s certainly not under the best of circumstances, what with the protests and all. The U.S. had previously suggested avoiding travel to the country. This is a step further than that. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Jan 2011 11:14

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World: ElBaradei: Hosni Mubarak needs to “leave today and save the country”

  • I think this is a hopeless, desperate attempt by Mubarak to stay in power. I think it is loud and clear from everybody in Egypt that Mubarak has to leave today, and it is non-negotiable for every Egyptian.
  • Mohamed ElBaradei • Speaking on CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS” about the situation in Egypt. The Nobel Peace Prize winner, who has also been the head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog, has also offered to lead on a temporary basis if the Egyptian people want him to serve. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Jan 2011 11:06

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U.S., World: Hillary Clinton toughens her words on Egyptian situation

  • yeah … U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is calling for Egypt to have an “orderly, peaceful transition” to a “real democracy,” which is much further than the Obama administration has gone so far during the crisis. Hopefully, they’ll go much further.
  • … but Clinton later dodged the military aid question: “We always are looking and reviewing our aid but right now we are trying to convey a message that is very clear, that we want to ensure there is no violence and no provocation that result in violence.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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