LA Times News

LA Times News

Egyptians savor arrests of regime's privileged

Posted: 18 Feb 2011 06:34 PM PST

Images of a former Cabinet minister and a steel magnate walking into prison have sent a shiver of disgust across Egypt as prosecutors widen probes into the inner circle of ex-President Hosni Mubarak.

Images of a former Cabinet minister and a steel magnate walking into prison have sent a shiver of disgust across much of Egypt as prosecutors widen investigations of the corrupt inner circle of former President Hosni Mubarak.

Young Egypt musician's songs struck revolutionary chord

Posted: 18 Feb 2011 06:34 PM PST

'Leave' just came to him. Boiling with anger Feb. 1 after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak refused to step down, Ramy Essam grabbed his guitar, banging out lyrics cobbled from chants in Tahrir Square.

The song just came to him. Boiling with anger on that first day of February after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak refused to step down, Ramy Essam grabbed his guitar.

Thousands celebrate in Cairo

Posted: 18 Feb 2011 04:54 PM PST

Huge crowds return to Tahrir Square a week after the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak. A banned cleric, Yusuf Qaradawi, returns to lead Friday prayers, warning other Arab leaders not to be arrogant.

A week after the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak, Tahrir Square once again teemed with thousands of Egyptians on Friday, this time celebrating a Day of Victory; their chants and signs reflecting a renewed sense of patriotism and a new social order demanding accountability for ousted leaders.

Rival in Ugandan presidential election watches for fraud

Posted: 18 Feb 2011 04:20 PM PST

Kizza Besigye, opponent of incumbent President Yoweri Museveni, says he'll hold a parallel vote count.

Ugandans voted Friday in an election that saw President Yoweri Museveni seeking a fourth term after 25 years in power and his rival Kizza Besigye vowing a parallel vote count to guard against fraud.

U.S. vetoes U.N. Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements in West Bank

Posted: 18 Feb 2011 02:57 PM PST

The Obama administration exercises its first U.N. Security Council veto to kill an Arab-backed resolution calling West Bank settlements 'illegal.' The vote was seen by both Israelis and Palestinians as a crucial test of U.S. loyalty.

The Obama administration, opposing 14 other United Nations Security Council members, exercised its veto power for the first time Friday to kill a resolution calling for Israeli settlements to be condemned as illegal and seeking to halt construction.

From Libya to Yemen, no sign of unrest easing

Posted: 18 Feb 2011 10:41 AM PST

The death toll, and frustrations, rise as anti-government demonstrations in Libya, Yemen and Jordan are met with security forces and intimidation.

The unrest shaking the Middle East showed no signs of calming Friday as protesters determined to overthrow governments and remake a region plagued by corruption, poverty and decades of limited political freedoms continued to confront security forces and regime loyalists.

Bahrain troops open fire on demonstrators

Posted: 18 Feb 2011 10:41 AM PST

At least 50 people are wounded in Bahrain's capital, Manama, when troops attack marchers with live ammunition, rubber bullets and tear gas.

A violent crackdown on peaceful demonstrators in this Persian Gulf kingdom illustrated a troubling new chapter in the unrest sweeping the Middle East, as embattled rulers turn to force to silence calls for reform.

Suicide bomber kills 11 in eastern Afghanistan

Posted: 18 Feb 2011 09:35 AM PST

The massive car bomb in the city of Khowst also injures dozens, but officials say the attack could have been worse. In the north, a man in an army uniform opens fire on German soldiers, killing three.

A massive car bomb blew up Friday on the outskirts of a city in eastern Afghanistan, killing 11 people and injuring dozens, an attack that authorities said could have been far worse if the suicide bomber had managed to make his way into the more crowded city center.

Iran opposition movement denounced at pro-government rally in Tehran

Posted: 18 Feb 2011 06:12 PM PST

The government appears to back away from calls to execute opposition leaders Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, who have called for more street protests Sunday.

Thousands of Iranian government supporters gathered for a Friday prayer sermon rally meant to counter the resurgent opposition movement that staged a boisterous and scattered day of protests this week.

Egyptians pack Cairo square to celebrate Mubarak's fall

Posted: 18 Feb 2011 03:46 AM PST

One week after the president stepped down, thousands celebrate and pray. Many wear cards showing the faces of protesters who were killed.

Thousands of Egyptians packed Tahrir Square on Friday in a day of victory one week after the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak, turning the epicenter of the anti-government protests into a euphoric celebration.

Car bomb kills 8 in eastern Afghanistan

Posted: 18 Feb 2011 03:08 AM PST

The suicide bomber's explosion rocks the outskirts of Khost, site of a large U.S.-run military base known as Camp Salerno.

A massive car bomb blew up Friday on the outskirts of a city in eastern Afghanistan, killing at least eight people and injuring dozens -- an attack that authorities said could have been far worse if the suicide bomber had been able to make his way into the more crowded city center.

Protests grow more violent across Middle East, North Africa

Posted: 17 Feb 2011 09:21 PM PST

Reforms offered by some leaders have done little to quell anti-government anger across the region. Clashes leave at least four dead in Yemen and 20 dead in Libya. New rallies are set in Iran.

A wave of anti-government anger continued to sweep in a crescent from the Mediterranean to the Caspian Sea as tens of thousands of people joined violent, often lethal, protests Thursday against their autocratic Muslim leaders.

Violent clashes are over in Egypt, but economy is still hurting

Posted: 17 Feb 2011 08:29 PM PST

Banks and the Cairo stock market remain closed, and tourists have not returned. One bright spot for merchants: Bribe-seeking police are gone.

The pyramids rose majestically into a cloudless blue sky, and the Sphinx appeared as beguiling as ever, but 35-year-old Mohammed Abdullah looked down from his camel in despair.

Egypt police try to improve image through Facebook

Posted: 17 Feb 2011 03:52 PM PST

One officer launches a page to honor colleagues killed in the protests and to show that the police and the people are on the same side.

Social media aren't just for revolutionaries seeking leadership change. The Egyptian police, it seems, want to be friended too.