Egypt unrest: Alert as mass protests loom

[nadinbrzezinski]

Source: BBC



The government says it is open to dialogue but also warned of "decisive measures" as the fourth day of violent protests loomed.

Widespread disruption has been reported to the internet and mobile phone messaging services.

There are also reports of arrests of opposition figures overnight.

The reported crackdown on the largest opposition movement, the Muslim Brotherhood, came after it said it would back the Friday protests.

On Thursday, Egyptian opposition figure and Nobel laureate Mohamed ElBaradei returned to Cairo, promising to join the street protests.



Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12303564

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nightly update, by the way... I wish our media was able to do this... I know it takes money and chiefly... a will. You know it is serious when Richard Angle gets on a plane tough.

[rabs]

1. U.S. Embassy Cairo; Warden Message #3 issued today

Just tried the U.S. Embassy Cairo website. Guess what, it is down.

And the dear embassy advises U.S. citizens in Egypt to monitor the website and to carry cell phones, but the government has shut down cell phone service, internet access, FB and Twitter !!!

Well, at least there is no standby for evacuation notice yet.

---------------------------------------
Warden Message below was issued by the US government on Thursday, January 27:

WARDEN MESSAGE NO. 3:
CONTINUED DEMONSTRATIONS IN EGYPT

January 27, 2011

This security notice is being issued to update the U.S. citizen community in Egypt about reports that anti-government demonstrations are expected to continue through the weekend. Since the Police Day protests on January 25, there have been daily demonstrations in several areas of Cairo as well as other cities in Egypt. There have been violent clashes that have resulted in injuries and deaths among both civilian demonstrators and police forces. Several websites are posting calls for demonstrations to take place after Friday prayers on January 28. Areas where people congregate should be avoided.

While many of the demonstrations have focused on the downtown Cairo/Tahrir Square area, violent confrontations have occurred at other locations both in the Cairo metropolitan area and in Alexandria, Suez, and other cities. Traffic and the Metro system have experienced serious disruptions. Local authorities have announced that the planned demonstrations are illegal and that police will take appropriate action to prevent unauthorized gatherings.

The Embassy urges American citizens to review their personal plans and remain alert to their surroundings at all times. Americans should avoid areas of planned demonstrations and be aware that spontaneous demonstrations can occur anywhere on short notice. If caught unexpectedly near a demonstration, Americans should obey instructions from police and leave the area as quickly as possible.

Americans resident in Egypt should monitor local news broadcasts and American visitors should ask tour guides and hotel officials about any planned demonstrations in the locations they plan to visit. Americans should carry identification and a cell phone which works in Egypt.

The U. S. Embassy will be open for normal business hours and consular services on Sunday, January 30. As always, any change to Embassy hours will be posted on the Embassy website.

Americans traveling abroad should regularly monitor the U.S. Embassy’s website the U.S. Department of State's, Bureau of Consular Affairs website , where the current Worldwide Caution, Travel Warnings, Travel Alerts, and Country Specific Information can be found. The U.S. Embassy also encourages U.S. citizens to review A safe trip abroad", which includes valuable security information for those both living and traveling abroad.

In addition to information on the Internet, travelers may obtain up-to-date information on security conditions by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada, or outside the United States and Canada on a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444.

American citizens are advised to maintain valid travel documents and register with the Department of State or the U.S. Embassy Cairo through the State Department travel registration website,https://travelregistration.state.gov. For further information, U.S. citizens may call the Embassy’s American Citizen Services Unit at 2797-2301 during business hours, Sunday to Thursday from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. For emergencies after business hours and on weekends and holidays, U.S. citizens can contact the Embassy Duty Officer via the Embassy switchboard on 2797-3300. The Embassy is located at 5 Tawfik Diab Street (formerly known as Latin America Street), Garden City, Cairo.

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. here I love geeks

omally176 Thomas Johnston
by JMOKC
#wikileaks #egypt AnonymousIRC: Egypt Gov only blocking by DNS. So for Twitter try 128.242.245.148 Facebook 69.63.189.11 Proxy retweet


But that is not a good thing... we are close to that... readying between the damn lines.

[rabs]

4. Embassy geeks better get to work on this

http://cairo.usembassy.gov/

Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage

Most likely causes:

You are not connected to the Internet.
The website is encountering problems.
There might be a typing error in the address.

This problem can be caused by a variety of issues, including:

Internet connectivity has been lost.
The website is temporarily unavailable.

OR HOW ABOUT THE EGYPTIAN GOVERNMENT HAS SWITCHED THE INTERNET OFF ??

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. they actually got an easy fix

it is called satellite... that is what they use for secret, top secret and other communications. So they should bring that up.

[rabs]

6. Yes, embassy and consulates will have satellite capability

But not the (I imagine) thousands of U.S. citizens living, working, studying in Cairo and around the country.

Anyway, I am hoping that the protests tomorrow do not turn into carnage at the hands of police/army.

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. It will get ugly but they have

not lost contact, the embassy that is, with the world.

I hate to say it, but this is not going to end well (ok if they succeed it will not end well for the security forces) but those forces will do all they can to stop this. Mubarak will not go quietly into that good night.

[Alamuti Lotus]

8. Possibly not in this case, Anonymous shut down many websites of the Egyptian government recently

[Hardrada]

9. Let the People arise and scatter their enemies!

[Catherina]

3. Oh now it's "open to dialogue". I don't think the Egyptian people are going

to give an inch, not willingly. The time for dialogue was decades ago, they're past the point of talking or falling for cast off carrots.