Egypt's military to move on cabinet, march expected (Reuters)

CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt's new military rulers were expected to unveil a new cabinet on Tuesday with pro-democracy protesters planning a march to pressure the generals to purge the old guard of deposed president Hosni Mubarak.

Leaks of the reshuffle to state media showing key ministers, such as foreign, finance and interior, unchanged were greeted with a sour reaction by reformists who want a fresh cabinet with technocrats to run the Arab world's most populous nation.

As the military struggled to organize a handover to power with free and fair elections in six months after the downfall of Mubarak, its neighbor Libya was engulfed by a fierce crackdown on a mounting revolt to the 41-year rule of Muammar Gadaffi.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton was in Cairo on Tuesday to offer international aid to help the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces to get the country back to work and to secure a peaceful, swift and orderly transition of power.

"I am certainly looking at ways for us to offer support," Ashton told reporters, after a visit by British Prime Minister David Cameron and U.S. officials, offering help to the rulers of this key American ally that has a peace treaty with Israel.

The Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's most powerful political organization which has a growing influence in the post-Mubarak era, said it was not offered a portfolio. Others referred to in leaks of a reshuffle defended their appointments.

BROTHERHOOD, OTHERS WANT PURGE

Others involved in the movement that toppled Mubarak's 30-year rule with an 18-day uprising signaled their displeasure at the plans by the council, led by Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, who has been defense minister for two decades.

Millions turned out for Egypt's uprising, centered around Cairo's Tahrir Square, to protest about corruption, repression and poverty, whipping up a revolution that toppled Mubarak, a former air force commander who took over after Anwar Sadat was assassinated in 1981.

The military dissolved parliament, suspended the constitution and promised presidential and parliamentary elections in six months but reformists are urging wider reforms and the lifting of emergency law imposed after Sadat's killing.

A group of youths called the People's National Movement for Change will stage a march from Talaat Harb Square to Tahrir Square at 2 p.m. on Tuesday to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq's interim government.

The protesters said they would give the cabinet until Wednesday to resign and will call for a big sit-in in Tahrir on Thursday and a march on Friday.

"We will march in protest to demand the resignation of Shafiq's government and abolishing emergency law and the trial of Mubarak and his family," the movement's Mohamed Fahmy said, adding the group also demanded setting a new minimum wage.

The military, facing protests over wages and conditions that sprang out of the nation's new found post-Mubarak freedom, has effectively banned strikes and industrial action to get the nation back on its feet and to restart the damaged economy

(Writing by Peter Millership)

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Yemeni police block protesters' march on palace (Reuters)

SANAA (Reuters) – Anti-government protesters clashed with police blocking them from marching to Yemen's presidential palace in Sanaa on Sunday, witnesses said.

The clashes occurred while President Ali Abdullah Saleh and the main opposition group were preparing for talks that the government hoped would help avert an Egyptian-style revolt in the Arabian Peninsula state, a vital U.S. ally against al Qaeda.

Saleh decided to postpone a visit to the United States planned for later this month "due to the current circumstances in the region," the state news agency Saba said without elaborating.

About 1,000 people attended the demonstration shouting "the Yemeni people want the fall of the regime" and "a Yemeni revolution after the Egyptian revolution," before dozens broke off to march to the palace.

In the harshest response yet to a wave of protests in the capital, police prevented the smaller group from reaching the palace, hitting them with batons, while protesters threw rocks at the police, witnesses said. Four people were injured.

Anti-government protests have gained momentum in Yemen in recent weeks, inspired by protests in Tunisia and Egypt, and prompted Saleh to offer significant concessions to calm tensions, including a pledge to step down in 2013.

Many of the Sanaa protests, including a "Day of Rage" on February 3 attended by tens of thousands of opposition and pro-government demonstrators, ended peacefully.

Although pro- and anti-government protesters have clashed in recent days, police have generally stayed out of the fray in Sanaa. They have clamped down more firmly outside the capital.

Opposition officials said 10 protesters were briefly detained in Sanaa on Sunday and 120 more were taken into custody overnight in the city of Taiz after protests on Saturday.

Instability in Yemen would present serious political and security risks for Gulf states. The United States relies heavily on Saleh to help combat al Qaeda's Yemen-based arm, which also carries out attacks in neighboring Saudi Arabia.

In the south, where the government faces al Qaeda and secessionist militants, a court sentenced six men to death for kidnappings and armed attacks on police, Saba said.

RIGHTS CRITICISM

U.S.-based Human Rights Watch criticized Yemen for allowing government supporters to assault, intimidate and sometimes clash with protesters calling on Saleh to quit.

"The Yemeni authorities have a duty to permit and protect peaceful demonstrations," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. "Instead, the security forces and armed thugs appear to be working together."

There was no immediate response from Yemeni officials.

Saleh, in power for more than three decades and concerned about unrest in some parts of the Arab world, said more than a week ago he would step down when his term ends in 2013 and pledged his son would not take over the reins of government.

U.S. President Barack Obama has urged Saleh to follow up his pledges of reform with concrete action.

The offer, which included an invitation to dialogue, was Saleh's boldest gambit yet to avoid a showdown with protesters in the poverty-stricken country, where some 40 percent live on less than $2 a day, while a third suffer from chronic hunger.

"The opposition does not reject what came in the invitation by the president and is ready to sign an agreement in no more than a week," said former Foreign Minister Mohammed Basindwa, now an opposition politician.

Another opposition official said the talks should start within days. Yemen's opposition, which wants the talks to take place under Western or Gulf auspices, has said it is seeking assurances reforms would be implemented.

Saleh, a shrewd political survivor, has backed out of previous promises to step aside. Analysts say his concessions could be a genuine way to exit gracefully but he may hope to wait out regional unrest and reassert his dominance another day.

(Additional reporting by Mohammed Mokhashaf in Aden; Writing by Cynthia Johnston and Firouz Sedarat; editing by Andrew Dobbie)

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Yemeni police block protesters' march on palace (Reuters)

SANAA (Reuters) – Anti-government protesters clashed with police blocking them from marching to Yemen's presidential palace in Sanaa on Sunday, witnesses said.
The clashes occurred while President Ali Abdullah Saleh and the main opposition group were preparing for talks that the government hoped would help avert an Egyptian-style revolt in the Arabian Peninsula state, a vital U.S. ally against al Qaeda.
Saleh decided to postpone a visit to the United States planned for later this month "due to the current circumstances in the region," the state news agency Saba said without elaborating.
About 1,000 people attended the demonstration shouting "the Yemeni people want the fall of the regime" and "a Yemeni revolution after the Egyptian revolution," before dozens broke off to march to the palace.
In the harshest response yet to a wave of protests in the capital, police prevented the smaller group from reaching the palace, hitting them with batons, while protesters threw rocks at the police, witnesses said. Four people were injured.
Anti-government protests have gained momentum in Yemen in recent weeks, inspired by protests in Tunisia and Egypt, and prompted Saleh to offer significant concessions to calm tensions, including a pledge to step down in 2013.
Many of the Sanaa protests, including a "Day of Rage" on February 3 attended by tens of thousands of opposition and pro-government demonstrators, ended peacefully.
Although pro- and anti-government protesters have clashed in recent days, police have generally stayed out of the fray in Sanaa. They have clamped down more firmly outside the capital.
Opposition officials said 10 protesters were briefly detained in Sanaa on Sunday and 120 more were taken into custody overnight in the city of Taiz after protests on Saturday.
Instability in Yemen would present serious political and security risks for Gulf states. The United States relies heavily on Saleh to help combat al Qaeda's Yemen-based arm, which also carries out attacks in neighboring Saudi Arabia.
In the south, where the government faces al Qaeda and secessionist militants, a court sentenced six men to death for kidnappings and armed attacks on police, Saba said.
RIGHTS CRITICISM
U.S.-based Human Rights Watch criticized Yemen for allowing government supporters to assault, intimidate and sometimes clash with protesters calling on Saleh to quit.
"The Yemeni authorities have a duty to permit and protect peaceful demonstrations," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. "Instead, the security forces and armed thugs appear to be working together."
There was no immediate response from Yemeni officials.
Saleh, in power for more than three decades and concerned about unrest in some parts of the Arab world, said more than a week ago he would step down when his term ends in 2013 and pledged his son would not take over the reins of government.
U.S. President Barack Obama has urged Saleh to follow up his pledges of reform with concrete action.
The offer, which included an invitation to dialogue, was Saleh's boldest gambit yet to avoid a showdown with protesters in the poverty-stricken country, where some 40 percent live on less than $2 a day, while a third suffer from chronic hunger.
"The opposition does not reject what came in the invitation by the president and is ready to sign an agreement in no more than a week," said former Foreign Minister Mohammed Basindwa, now an opposition politician.
Another opposition official said the talks should start within days. Yemen's opposition, which wants the talks to take place under Western or Gulf auspices, has said it is seeking assurances reforms would be implemented.
Saleh, a shrewd political survivor, has backed out of previous promises to step aside. Analysts say his concessions could be a genuine way to exit gracefully but he may hope to wait out regional unrest and reassert his dominance another day.
(Additional reporting by Mohammed Mokhashaf in Aden; Writing by Cynthia Johnston and Firouz Sedarat; editing by Andrew Dobbie)
View the original article here

Yemeni police block protesters' march on palace (Reuters)

SANAA (Reuters) – Anti-government protesters clashed with police blocking them from marching to Yemen's presidential palace in Sanaa on Sunday, witnesses said.

The clashes occurred while President Ali Abdullah Saleh and the main opposition group were preparing for talks that the government hoped would help avert an Egyptian-style revolt in the Arabian Peninsula state, a vital U.S. ally against al Qaeda.

Saleh decided to postpone a visit to the United States planned for later this month "due to the current circumstances in the region," the state news agency Saba said without elaborating.

About 1,000 people attended the demonstration shouting "the Yemeni people want the fall of the regime" and "a Yemeni revolution after the Egyptian revolution," before dozens broke off to march to the palace.

In the harshest response yet to a wave of protests in the capital, police prevented the smaller group from reaching the palace, hitting them with batons, while protesters threw rocks at the police, witnesses said. Four people were injured.

Anti-government protests have gained momentum in Yemen in recent weeks, inspired by protests in Tunisia and Egypt, and prompted Saleh to offer significant concessions to calm tensions, including a pledge to step down in 2013.

Many of the Sanaa protests, including a "Day of Rage" on February 3 attended by tens of thousands of opposition and pro-government demonstrators, ended peacefully.

Although pro- and anti-government protesters have clashed in recent days, police have generally stayed out of the fray in Sanaa. They have clamped down more firmly outside the capital.

Opposition officials said 10 protesters were briefly detained in Sanaa on Sunday and 120 more were taken into custody overnight in the city of Taiz after protests on Saturday.

Instability in Yemen would present serious political and security risks for Gulf states. The United States relies heavily on Saleh to help combat al Qaeda's Yemen-based arm, which also carries out attacks in neighboring Saudi Arabia.

In the south, where the government faces al Qaeda and secessionist militants, a court sentenced six men to death for kidnappings and armed attacks on police, Saba said.

RIGHTS CRITICISM

U.S.-based Human Rights Watch criticized Yemen for allowing government supporters to assault, intimidate and sometimes clash with protesters calling on Saleh to quit.

"The Yemeni authorities have a duty to permit and protect peaceful demonstrations," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. "Instead, the security forces and armed thugs appear to be working together."

There was no immediate response from Yemeni officials.

Saleh, in power for more than three decades and concerned about unrest in some parts of the Arab world, said more than a week ago he would step down when his term ends in 2013 and pledged his son would not take over the reins of government.

U.S. President Barack Obama has urged Saleh to follow up his pledges of reform with concrete action.

The offer, which included an invitation to dialogue, was Saleh's boldest gambit yet to avoid a showdown with protesters in the poverty-stricken country, where some 40 percent live on less than $2 a day, while a third suffer from chronic hunger.

"The opposition does not reject what came in the invitation by the president and is ready to sign an agreement in no more than a week," said former Foreign Minister Mohammed Basindwa, now an opposition politician.

Another opposition official said the talks should start within days. Yemen's opposition, which wants the talks to take place under Western or Gulf auspices, has said it is seeking assurances reforms would be implemented.

Saleh, a shrewd political survivor, has backed out of previous promises to step aside. Analysts say his concessions could be a genuine way to exit gracefully but he may hope to wait out regional unrest and reassert his dominance another day.

(Additional reporting by Mohammed Mokhashaf in Aden; Writing by Cynthia Johnston and Firouz Sedarat; editing by Andrew Dobbie)

View the original article here

Sonos Android app coming in March

The free Sonos Controller for Android hits the Android Market in March.

(Credit: Sonos)

When Sonos launched its iPhone app in 2008, it was a big deal for the company because it allowed iPhone and iPod Touch owners to buy a Sonos system without spending the extra dough on a $400 Sonos remote. That helped spur sales of the popular multiroom music wireless system, which is easy to set up without the help of a professional home installer.

The app will be available for most Android smartphones.

(Credit: Sonos)

Now the company hopes its new free Sonos Controller for Android app will attract a whole new batch of potential Sonos converts--or just please existing ones who happen to own Android-based smartphones.

Sonos Controller for Android, which will be available in late March as a free download from Android Market, is designed to work on any Android smartphone running Android 2.1 or later with a screen size of 320x480 (HVGA), 480x800 (WVGA), or 480x854 (WVGA). That includes most popular Android phones, such as the Motorola Droid X, Samsung Galaxy S series, and Evo 4G.

Currently, the app isn't officially supported on Android tablets, but Sonos reps said the app would potentially work on tablets but running in a smaller window. They didn't say when a true tablet version of the app would be available that would be similar to the one available for the iPad.

Sonos does note that the Android app can do two things the iOS app can't:

Hard volume buttons on phones can be used to control the volume on your Sonos systemVoice search is enabled for music

Sonos had been running a special price on its S5 ZonePlayer bundled with a BR100 ZoneBridge for $448, or $50 off (the deal just ended but J&R still seems to have some white bundles in stock). It's also worth noting that when--or really if--the Spotify service becomes available in the U.S., it should also be available on Sonos. It's already available to Sonos users in Europe.

View the original article here

Sonos Android app coming in March

The free Sonos Controller for Android hits the Android Market in March.

(Credit: Sonos)

When Sonos launched its iPhone app in 2008, it was a big deal for the company because it allowed iPhone and iPod Touch owners to buy a Sonos system without spending the extra dough on a $400 Sonos remote. That helped spur sales of the popular multiroom music wireless system, which is easy to set up without the help of a professional home installer.

The app will be available for most Android smartphones.

(Credit: Sonos)

Now the company hopes its new free Sonos Controller for Android app will attract a whole new batch of potential Sonos converts--or just please existing ones who happen to own Android-based smartphones.

Sonos Controller for Android, which will be available in late March as a free download from Android Market, is designed to work on any Android smartphone running Android 2.1 or later with a screen size of 320x480 (HVGA), 480x800 (WVGA), or 480x854 (WVGA). That includes most popular Android phones, such as the Motorola Droid X, Samsung Galaxy S series, and Evo 4G.

Currently, the app isn't officially supported on Android tablets, but Sonos reps said the app would potentially work on tablets but running in a smaller window. They didn't say when a true tablet version of the app would be available that would be similar to the one available for the iPad.

Sonos does note that the Android app can do two things the iOS app can't:

Hard volume buttons on phones can be used to control the volume on your Sonos systemVoice search is enabled for music

Sonos had been running a special price on its S5 ZonePlayer bundled with a BR100 ZoneBridge for $448, or $50 off (the deal just ended but J&R still seems to have some white bundles in stock). It's also worth noting that when--or really if--the Spotify service becomes available in the U.S., it should also be available on Sonos. It's already available to Sonos users in Europe.

View the original article here

Rumor: MacBook Pro refresh set for March

stshank: Stephen Elop's blistering memo: Nokia is years behind competition. Expect radical overhaul announcement Friday. http://cnet.co/eY2HgV
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