"New Egypt" Feature: Military Detains "Thousands" (Hill)

Photo: ReutersBy positioning itself as the guardian of stability, the army has garnered support from a public that remembers clearly how the loathed police force abdicated responsibility for the looters, vandals and street thugs unleashed by the regime against the revolution just a few months ago.

But since it was deployed to the streets on January 28, that same army has subjected thousands of ordinary Egyptians to incommunicado detentions, trials and sentencings in front of military courts that provide little or no due process. Soldiers have stormed demonstrations in Tahrir Square and have beaten activists with metal bars, ropes and electrified batons.

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Middle East Video and Transcript: The Obama Speech

See also Middle East Special: Live Analysis of Obama Speech as It is Delivered

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  Thank you.  (Applause.)  Thank you very much.  Thank you.  Please, have a seat.  Thank you very much.  I want to begin by thanking Hillary Clinton, who has traveled so much these last six months that she is approaching a new landmark -- one million frequent flyer miles.  (Laughter.)  I count on Hillary every single day, and I believe that she will go down as one of the finest Secretaries of State in our nation’s history.

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Syria, Libya (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Occupation and Defiance

View Syria - Tuesday 17/05/11 in a larger map

Map of protests on 17 May

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Today's videos have moved to a separate entry "Syria and Yemen Video Special: The Protests of Defiance

2045 GMT: Within this summary of the Obama Administration's diplomatic push ahead of the President's speech on Thursday is this nugget:

White House counterterrorism advisor John Brennan has been busily firming up the administration's stance on Yemen, where protesters have been pressing the government to fulfill promises of a leadership change. Brennan called President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Wednesday to urge him to implement the Gulf Cooperation Council-brokered agreement, which would see Saleh step down from power.

"Brennan noted that this transfer of power represents the best path forward for Yemen to become a more secure, unified, and prosperous nation and for the Yemeni people to realize their aspirations for peace and political reform," the White House said in a statement about the call.

The US intervention did not work, at least in the short-term: Saleh pushed away the deal this evening.

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Syria, Palestine, Libya (and Beyond) LiveBlog: The Arab Spring Intersects with Nakba Day

2120 GMT: James Miller posted a video earlier depicting Baath Party members running out of a building as protesters attacked it. He has been contacted by the author of the video. The video was taken on Friday, May 13th, in Jisr Alshugour, in Idleb province, northern Syria. The building is the official headquarters of the Bath Party in the region (see video at 1730 GMT).

2000 GMT: Egypt's former First Lady Suzanne Mubarak has told prosecutors that she will turn over $3 million to the country, claiming this is all she has.

The wife of deposed President Hosni Mubarak was questioned last week over corruption charges before being hospitalised with a heart condition.

1945 GMT: Claimed footage of a Syrian armoured vehicle outside the Omari Mosque in the southern town of Daraa:

1930 GMT: Syrian soldiers repeatedly punch and kick two men:

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Syria, Yemen, Libya (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Just Another Manic Friday?

Video from today's massive protest in Yemen's capital, Sanaa:

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1935 GMT: A hospital official has said that Suzanne Mubarak, wife of ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, suffered a heart attack Friday after she was questioned over corruption allegations (see 1302 GMT).

Hosni Mubarak was hospitalised with heart problems soon after he was summoned for questioning last month.

1930 GMT: Libya State TV has broadcast an audio statement by leader Muammar Qaddafi, denying he is injuring. He condemns the NATO attack on his Tripoli compound, saying he is "in a place where you can't reach me".

(The announcer responds after the audio, "Yes, oh Brother Leader, the millions are with you and are behind you.")

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Israel-Palestine Special: 4 Ways to Understand Latest Situation (and Why Hamas is on the Rise)

Israel should understand that its state policy of collective punishment has cracked, if not come to an end: Egypt’s announcement that it will permanently open the border crossing with Gaza and plans for a new Gaza flotilla in June are only the drops of a shower washing away West Jerusalem's approach.

If the terms of the Shalit deal are made public, with Hamas offers a relatively "better" deal --- which it will do to increase the international pressure on Israel --- the Gaza group will not only advance in the hearts and minds of millions of Arabs, and possibly some Israelis, as well as boosting its credibility in the eyes of Western capitals. 

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The Real Net Effect: Arab Revolutions and Social Media (Harb)

Is this, then, the age of new media? Could the Internet be a free space for Arab citizens to express their opinion and fulfil their democratic aspirations in bringing about freedom of speech and political freedom generally? Is it able to form the new Arab public sphere?

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Egypt Latest: Six Die in Attack on Christian Church (Al Jazeera English)

UPDATE 2030 GMT: A large demonstration from Imbaba has arrived tonight in front of the State TV building in central Cairo.

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Palestine Special: Fatah & Hamas Make a Deal --- What Will Israel Do?

With smaller Palestinian factions’ signatures, Fatah and Hamas formally ended a four-year conflict on Wednesday. Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas’s Syria-based leader Khaled Mashaal were present in Cairo, and Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank celebrated by raising Palestinian, Hamas, Fatah and Egyptian flags.

The Ramallah-based website, Palestine Monitor, claimed to have the text of the reconciliation deal....

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Israel-Palestine Special: So What's the Deal Between Hamas and Fatah?

The rival Palestinian groups Fatah and Hamas have reportedly reached an agreement, brokered by Egypt,  to end their rift and that between the West Bank and Gaza. 

The two sides have been in a series of talks in the last few years, climaxing when Fatah signed a reconciliation deal in 2009. Hamas had reservations, however, over the arrangement for security forces in the Gaza Strip and the lack of a guarantee that its victory in elections would be recognised. Hamas demanded further gestures before considering unity, such as a release of hundreds of it prisoners locked up in the West Bank, the re-opening of Hamas charities, and the removal of a ban on its activities in the West Bank.

So why an agreement now? 

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