Saudi Arabia bans protest rallies

Interior ministry vows to use all steps "to prevent attempts to disrupt public order" following recent Shia protests. Last Modified: 05 Mar 2011 15:15 GMT

King Abdullah unveiled $37bn in benefits for citizens after returning from abroad last week Saudi Arabia has banned all protests and marches following recent anti-government protests in the kingdom’s east, reports say. State television on Saturday quoted the interior ministry as saying that security forces would use all measures to prevent any attempt to disrupt public order. The ban on public demonstrations comes amid media reports of a huge mobilisation of Saudi troops in Shia-dominated provinces in order to quell any possible uprising. According to The Independent, a British newspaper, 10,000 security personnel are being sent to the region by road, clogging highways into Dammam and other cities. Shia protests A restive Shia population has staged a series of protests in the kingdom’s east in the past weeks. Their grievances range from lack of equal economic and employment opportunities to detentions without trial. On Saturday, small protests were held in the cities of Hofuf and Qatif. The government of Saudi Arabia, an absolute monarchy without an elected parliament that usually does not tolerate public dissent, denies any discrimination against the Shia community. The authorities, however, are increasingly on edge following the anti-governmnent protests sweeping across the Arab world. Last week, King Abdullah returned to Riyadh after a three-month medical absence and unveiled $37bn in benefits for citizens in an apparent bid to insulate the kingdom from protests.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

Ex-Egyptian minister denies fraud

Habib al-Adly, the first member of Hosni Mubarak's ousted regime to be tried for corruption, pleads not guilty in court. Last Modified: 05 Mar 2011 10:23 GMT

Al-Adly was arrested on suspicion of money-laundering less then a week after Mubarak stepped down [AFP] The trial of Habib al-Adly, Egypt's former interior minister, has been adjourned after he pleaded not guilty to corruption charges at a court in Cairo. Standing in the dock and dressed in white prison clothes, Adly denied accusations of money laundering and unlawful acquisition of public money. "It didn't happen," he said twice, in a calm tone on Saturday. Judge Al-Mohammadi Qunsua swiftly adjourned the hearing to April 2, after a heated exchange between the defence team and civil society lawyers attending the trial. The defence had asked for more time to study the documents of the case. Al-Adly was brought back to the prison where he will stay until the trial resumes. Demand for death penalty Cairo's criminal court in the Tagammu Khames suburb was surrounded by heavy security and army tanks were positioned at the entrance ahead of the high-profile trial. Al Jazeera's Sherine Tadros, outside the court complex, said dozens of protesters had gathered there. "They want Habib al-Adly to face more serious charges than just money laundering and profiteering which carries a maximum sentence of about seven years," she said. "They want him to face charges on man slaughter for ordering his forces fire on protesters during the revolution. They're calling for his execution." She said al-Adly was mobbed by the crowds when he left the courtroom. A group chanted "the people want the execution of the murderer" as others held banners depicting al-Adly with a noose around his neck. Al-Adly is the first member of ousted president Hosni Mubarak's regime to stand trial. He was arrested last month as part of a sweeping corruption investigation by the new authorities, along with several former ministers and senior members of Mubarak's National Democratic Party. Mubarak stepped down on February 11 following a popular uprising. Several former ministers and high officials have since been arrested, accused of embezzlement. Egypt's public prosecutor has issued a travel ban on Mubarak and his family and ordered a freeze on their assets. State security buildings seiged Hours after al-Adly's court case was adjourned, protests had started forming around several state security buildings in Egypt, the largest crowd was formed in Nasr City, east of Cairo. Rania Anaa, a protester who took part in the demonstration, told Al Jazeera: "Since 13GMT, hundreds of protesters had gathered in front of the state security building in Nasr City. A few hours later, I could estimate at least 3,000 people. "The protesters managed to enter the state security compound from a side door, and they searched the building and found hundreds of documents," Anaa said in reference to files that have been kept on the population by the powerful regime apparatus of President Hosni Mubarak long accused of rights abuses. Anaa said: "Now, we are trying to search for detainees because a lot of the protesters here believe there are hundreds of detaines being kept underground. "I also heard that officials from the attorney general's office are coming to retrieve the documents and make proper use of them," she said.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

Yemen MPs quit ruling party

Several members of General People's Congress resign in protest against violence used against anti-government protesters. Last Modified: 05 Mar 2011 17:19 GMT

Yemeni anti-government protesters have called on president Saleh to step down immediately [AFP] Several members of Yemen's ruling General People’s Congress (JPC), including members of parliament and some ministers, have resigned from the party in protest against the violence and harassment used against anti-government demonstrators in the country. Ali Al-Imrani, an MP from al-Baida province, and Fathi Tawfiq Abdulrahim, head of the finance committee of the Yemeni parliament, resigned from the JPC on Saturday, local sources told Al Jazeera. This brings the number of resigned ruling party MPs to 13 since the wave of protests against Ali Abdullah Saleh's rule began. Sam Yahya Al-Ahmar, the deputy culture minister, Hashid Abdullah al-Ahmar, the deputy minister for youth and sports and Nabil Al-Khameri, a businessman, have also quit the ruling party. Al-Ahmar resignation comes a week after his brother Hussein Abdullah Al-Ahmar had left the party. Tens of thousands of people continued with protests in several key cities across Yemen, including Sanaa, Aden, Taiz and Hadramawt, pressing on with demands that the president step down. Protesters are also demanding an investigation into the killing of four people during protests on Friday in the northern town of Harf Sofyan, when soldiers opened fire, in an attack that also wounded seven others. The government suspended classes at the universities in the capital Sanaa and in Aden, which have been the focal points for daily demonstrations, the Associated Press news agency reported on Saturday. Proposal rejected On Saturday, Britain's Foreign Office issued a statement advising its citizens against all travel to Yemen "in light of the increasing violence" there. Human rights group, Amnesty International, estimates that at least 27 people have been killed since anti-government protests began on January 27. On Friday, Saleh rejected a proposal by opposition groups that offered him a smooth exit from power by the end of 2011. IN DEPTH Spotlight: Yemen's uprising Who's who in Yemen's opposition? Background: Saleh's eroding support Blog: The Yemeni president's playbook "The president rejected the proposal and is holding on to his previous offer," Yemen's opposition's rotating president, Mohammed al-Mutawakil, said. Saleh, who has been in power for 32 years, refuses to step down until his term ends in 2013. The proposal was made this week by a coalition of opposition groups and religious scholars. The offer sought to end the country's political crisis, calling for a "peaceful transition of power" from Saleh by the end of this year. It also called for a probe into the deadly crackdown on the recent anti-government protests. The proposal also called for steps to change the constitution and rewriting election laws to ensure fair representation in parliament, removing Saleh's relatives from leadership positions in the army and security forces, and a guaranteed right to peaceful protest.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

People of Libya want FREEDOM! Obama wants OIL !

Carlos Latuff

China Threatens to Expel Foreign Journalists

Peter Simpson | Beijing March 03, 2011

Photo: Reuters

A policeman tries to stop media from taking photos during the arrest of a man, after calls for a "Jasmine Revolution" protest, organized through the internet, in front of the Peace Cinema in downtown Shanghai, February 27, 2011

China is changing how foreign journalist can work in the country and reporters are being warned they risk expulsion if they try to cover pro-democracy rallies. Some tourist areas of the capital and Shanghai now have the same off-limits rules governing sensitive areas such as Tibet.

In a tense news conference Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu accused some journalists of deliberately inciting trouble while covering pro-democracy protests.

She warned those journalists accused of flouting the rules could not be protected under Chinese media laws.

Jiang said, however, that journalists who respect the rules will have the protection of the law.

She said there is no law to protect those who journalists who create what she described as "disturbances".

Jiang spoke after Chinese police warned foreign journalists this week to obey new restrictions on covering rallies called by an on-line protest campaign, or risking having their work visas canceled.

Jasmine revolution

Last Sunday, more than 16 journalists were physically harassed by plainclothes and uniformed police in Beijing, with one American journalist hospitalized after a severe beating.

The journalists went to an area in Beijing known as Wangfujing. An on-line campaign called for people to go to that area, and other locations around China, on Sunday afternoons, to show support for the revolutions sweeping the Middle East, and to seek justice and reform in China.

It appears, however, that few actual protesters showed up Sunday. In Wangfujing, journalists reported seeing scores of security officers.

Beijing and Shanghai have clamped down on security in response to calls for rallies. Some dissidents said they face new restrictions on their activities.

On Thursday, Jiang said repeatedly there had been no change in the reporting regulations that were made law after the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

These allowed reporters to interview people as long as they had their consent - and permitted foreign correspondents to travel without permission, except to sensitive areas, such as Tibet.

Media restrictions

But security officials have told some foreign journalists they must seek official permission to conduct interviews and to report in public in many areas.

Journalists were told they must have permits to report from Wangfujing, a shopping street popular with tourists next to Tiananmen Square.

Officials told some foreign journalists they can report freely anywhere else in China except in the protest areas - and to stay away from those.

Some journalists have applied to report from the protest sites this coming Sunday, but have been denied permission.

The United States, the European Union and media groups have condemned the media curbs.

After 50-year hiatus, Egypt's first independent labor union is born

Jano Charbel

Thu, 03/03/2011 - 10:38

Mahalla Textile Worker Kamal al-Fayoumi Speaks at conference

" title="Mahalla Textile Worker Kamal al-Fayoumi Speaks at conference" class="imagecache imagecache-highslide_zoom" width="536" height="402">

Photographed by Jano Charbel

• 1

The Preparatory Conference for the Egyptian Federation of Independent Unions held on Wednesday marks thebirth of Egypt's first independent trade union federation since 1957.

Several hundred workers, professionals and labor activists from across the country cheered what they anticipated would amount to impending death for the state-run Egyptian Trade Union Federation (ETUF). For more than five decades, the ETUF has acted as the only federation of its kind allowed by law. ETUF President Hussein Megawer, along with other federation officials, has undergone investigation on charges of administrative corruption and union fund mismanagement following the ouster of former President Hosni Mubarak.

The new union falls within a larger context of political restructuring and the creation of new political parties following the 18-day uprising that began on 25 January. Workers and employees are capitalizing on the momentum by restoring their right to unionize and staging protests to demand long-ignored rights.

The ETUF claims a nationwide membership of over 4 million workers, most of whom are employed in the public sector. Owing to allegations of corruption, mismanagement, and misrepresentation, however, the state-controlled federation's is declining and the organization is on its way to becoming obsolete. Indirect elections had handed members of Mubarak's ruling party the presidencies of 22 out of 24 general unions within the ETUF.

Labor-leader Kamal Abu Eita declared the official inauguration of the independent federation, and added "from here we announce the downfall of the yellow Egyptian Trade Union Federation!" In response, a crowd of workers chanted "Oh Megawer, go away! Go away! Let unions see the light of day."

The formation of the independent federation was initially announced on 30 January, but its structure, membership mechanisms, electoral guidelines and bylaws are still being formulated. The Egyptian Federation of Independent Unions currently includes: the Real Estate Tax Authority Employees' Union, the Egyptian Health Technologists' Syndicate, Federation of Pensioners, and the Independent Teachers' Syndicate, all of which were established in the last two years.

Elsewhere across the country, an untold number of workers are organizing their own independent associations--leagues, unions, syndicates and federations--outside the framework of the ETUF.

Other workers have announced they will be joining the ranks of the new independent federation. These include tens of thousands from the Mahalla Textile Company, the Public Transport Authority (bus drivers, conductors, mechanics, engineers and employees across Cairo), national postal workers, the Helwan Iron and Steel Complex, and the industrial workers in the town of Naga' Hamadi.

Thousands in private sector enterprises, including industrial workers from the cities of Tenth of Ramadan and Sadat, have also expressed their intention to unionize and join the Egyptian Federation of Independent Unions.

"We have some 5,000 factories in the Tenth of Ramadan City, yet only 13 of these have unions,” lamented a worker-delegate who attended the conference.

Nearly all the worker-delegates who spoke at the conference expressed their support for the 25 January revolution and democratic demands. Speakers also mentioned that workers' protests and strikes assisted in ousting Mubarak, and that such actions must be allowed to continue as part of the ongoing fight for democracy.

Salah Abdel Salam, President of the Real Estate Tax Authority Employees' (Branch) Union in the Daqahliya Governorate, emphasized that the ETUF, along with Egypt's labor and trade union laws "denied us the right to strike or protest… or to establish our own independent unions." Abdel Salam added that independent unionization will help realize a new minimum wage law of LE1200 per month (US$215) and safeguard the right to peaceful strikes and protests.

Abu Eita explained to workers, "All that you need in order to unionize is to collect notarized signatures from your co-workers and submit them, along with documents pertaining to the establishment of your union, to the Ministry of Labor. You don't have to ask, or wait, for the approval of Megawer's federation to establish an independent union in your workplace."

In the lobby outside the conference hall, a labor lawyer addressed dozens of workers. “Since the Constitution and the legislation of the old regime are suspended,” he said, “we are entitled to organize ourselves in line with conventions of the International Labor Organization (ILO) which Egypt has ratified." His voice grew louder. "We are entitled to organize ourselves on the levels of workshops, factories and companies across the country; and on the basis of our industries, neighborhoods, towns, cities and governorates,” he added.

The lawyer was referring specifically to ILO conventions concerning “Freedom of Association & Protection of Right to Organize” (No. 87) and the “Right to Organize & Collective Bargaining” (No. 98). Though Egypt ratified the conventions in 1957 and 1954, respectively, it has failed to uphold them.

Egypt's Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq resigns

3 March 2011 Last updated at 11:18 GMT

Mr Shafiq was appointed days before President Mubarak was forced out of office

Egypt's Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq has resigned, the country's ruling military council has announced in a statement.

A former transport minister, Essam Sharaf, has been asked to form a new government, the statement adds.

Mr Shafiq was appointed days before President Hosni Mubarak was forced out of office following days of anti-government protests.

Protesters saw Mr Shafiq as too closely associated to Mr Mubarak's rule, observers say.

"The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces decided to accept the resignation of Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq and appointed Essam Sharaf to form the new government," the army said in a statement on its Facebook page.

Mr Shafiq was appointed by Mr Mubarak just days before he stepped down on 11 February after several weeks of popular protests against his rule.

It had been one of the protesters' key demands that Mr Shafiq and other top ministers appointed at the end of the Mubarak rule step down.

Analysis

Alastair Leithead BBC News, Cairo

---

President Mubarak may have gone, but the protests in Cairo have been continuing as people have been demanding the "old guard" of politicians step down. At the top of their list was Prime Minister Ahmed Shafik.

As a result his resignation, announced by the Armed Forces Supreme Council on its website, has been broadly welcomed by opposition groups. But a big demonstration is still planned for Friday in Tahrir Square where hundreds of people have been camping out.

The appointment of Essam Sharaf as the new prime minister is designed to placate them.

He's a former transport minister who opposed Mr Mubarak's government after stepping down from the cabinet, and supported the revolution.

The response from those demanding more change has been mixed, with some saying all politicians who served under Mr Mubarak should go while others think the new administration should be allowed to get on with the job of constitutional reform and elections.

Mr Sharaf's appointment is significant as he spoke out in support of the revolution and took part in the street protests, says the BBC's Alastair Leithead in Cairo.

It is a major step towards appeasing the demonstrators who have continued to camp out in Tarihr Square, as Mr Sharaf was a vocal opponent of the Mubarak government since his resignation as a minister five years ago, our correspondent adds.

Travel ban

The military council, which has been running the country since Mr Mubarak stepped down, has previously ordered the government to run the country's affairs for six months "or until the end of parliamentary and presidential elections" and is also examining constitutional reforms.

On Monday, Egypt issued a travel ban on ousted President Mubarak and his family.

Mr Mubarak is believed to be living in his villa in Sharm el-Sheikh, but in poor health, and has not been seen or heard of publicly since stepping down.