EGYPIT'S CRIISIS--LATEST NEWS

           EGYPIT’S CRISIS

          Egyptian protesters are holding huge rallies in Cairo and other cities as they step up their efforts to force President Hosni Mubarak from power. Organizers say they hope one million will come on to the streets of the capital in what is expected to be the biggest demonstration yet. The atmosphere has been festive, with protesters singing and chanting. Protest leaders, including Mohamed El Baradei, have called on Mr. Mubarak to step down by Friday at the latest.

             Journalists at the scene estimated that hundreds of thousands of people - men, women and children from a cross-section of Egyptian society - have gathered, although in the absence of official estimates, there is no way of finding out the exact numbers. Hundreds of thousands of people, young and old, men and women of all faiths are taking to the streets. In the northern city of Alexandria the main focus was the famous Ibrahim Mosque in the centre of this historical coastal city. Tens of thousands descended on the square. They climbed on roofs and the tops of cars and in trees to get a vantage point, all calling for the removal of Hosni Mubarak. Many carried placards and banners daubed with anti-Mubarak slogans. Mr. Mubarak reshuffled his cabinet on Monday to try to head off the protests, replacing the widely despised Interior Minister Habib al-Adly. The UN human rights chief, Navi Pillai, says 300 people may be killed across the country since the protests began a week ago. They followed an internet campaign and were partly inspired by the ousting of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in Tunisia last month. Egypt has since cut off the internet in the country and text messaging services have been disrupted.

Meanwhile as tensions mounted, the US state department announced it had ordered all non-emergency US embassy and government personnel to leave Egypt. In Egypt's second biggest city, Alexandria, thousands of people have gathered to call for the president to step down. Thousands more were out in the streets in Suez, and the Associated Press news agency reported protests in Mansoura, north of Cairo, and the southern cities of Assiut and Luxor.Some protesters camped out in Tahrir Square on Monday night, saying they would stay there until Mr. Mubarak's 30-year rule ended.

         Meanwhile, crowds of pro-Mubarak demonstrators held counter-protests elsewhere in the capital, raising fears of possible confrontations between the different groups. A coalition of political opposition groups - incorporating the Muslim Brotherhood, political parties such as that led by Mr. E lBaradei, and other prominent figures - has reportedly met, and told the Egyptian government that it will begin talks on its demands only after Mr. Mubarak has stood down. Meanwhile, the US has dispatched a special envoy to Cairo, former ambassador to Egypt Frank Wisner.  (   From BBC NEWS)

Prof. John Kurakar