Egypt.....
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-07-07/pro-and-anti-egypt-coup-crowds-now-gathering-two-dramatic-pictures
The "Pro" And "Anti" Egypt Coup Crowds Now Gathering, In Two Dramatic Pictures
If there was a day when the post-military coup situation in Egypt could come to an explosive culmination, today is the first such opportunity. The pro-Morsi, Muslim Brotherhood-led supporters, having regained their bearings after last week's tumultuous events in which they were forcibly removed from power, have regrouped and are organizing protest marches across various Egyptian cities. The problem is that so are the victorious anti-Morsi groups, which match the supportive rallies in size, and also have the support of the military.
Marches in Cairo, planned to kick off at 5pm on Sunday, will set out from Fatah Mosque in Cairo's Ramses district; the nearby Sayeda Zeinab Mosque; Mohandeseen district's Mostafa Mahmoud Square and Dawaran Shubra Square in the working-class Shubra Al-Kheima district towards Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo and the Ittihadiya presidential palace in Heliopolis - focal points of mass rallies that led to the overthrow of the Islamist president.Anti-Morsi groups warn of a US-Brotherhood plot to "occupy" their protest venues - namely Tahrir Square - the cradle of the 2011 revolution.In Egypt's second city of Alexandria, two marches are planned to converge at the Sidi Gaber Square - a site of many recent clashes.Marches are scheduled towards flashpoint squares in the pivotal city of Suez, which will meet in Al-Arbaeen Square, and the Nile Delta city of Mahala at Al-Shoun Square.Provincial towns in Upper Egypt and the Nile Delta will see mass rallies converge outside governors' offices. Rival demonstrations by the former president's Islamist backers – a strong force in Upper Egypt - are planned in the same cities, heightening fears of more violent showdowns.Since president Morsi's ouster on Wednesday, street battles between rival factions have killed at least 37 people and injured more than 1,400.The Muslim Brotherhood-led National Alliance in Support of Legitimacy has called for mass nationwide rallies on Sunday to defend Morsi's "constitutional legitimacy." Thousands of Morsi supporters have already been camping out at Rabaa Al-Adawiya Mosque in Cairo for over a week with plans to continue.More pro-Morsi demonstrations are planned in other focal points in Cairo, inducing the Presidential Guard Building and Nahda Square near Cairo University - a scene of fierce clashes between rival camps last week.
Yet little does the combustible situation justice quite as effectively as the following two images from Al Jazeera, showing both the anti-Morsi demonstrations in Tahrir Square...
... and the pro-Morsi protest gathering in Nasr City.
As well as this panorama shot courtesy ofJamalsNews:
http://www.debka.com/article/23101/Obama-frowns-on-Egyptian-army%E2%80%99s-alignment-with-Gulf-regimes-coming-crackdown-on-Muslim-Brotherhood-
After US Secretary of State John Kerry was filmed vacationing on his yacht at the peak of the Egyptian crisis, President Barack Obama released this statement early Sunday, July 7: “The US is not aligned with and is not supporting any particular Egyptian political party or group and condemns “ongoing violence across Egypt.” Obama made these points in a telephone conference with the National Security Council from Camp David.
To further rebut US media criticism, the administration reported that Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel had spoken three times with Egypt’s Defense Minister Abdel Fattah El-Sisi about the military coup which deposed Mohamed Morsi on July 3, to demand the expeditious reinstatement of civilian rule.
To further rebut US media criticism, the administration reported that Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel had spoken three times with Egypt’s Defense Minister Abdel Fattah El-Sisi about the military coup which deposed Mohamed Morsi on July 3, to demand the expeditious reinstatement of civilian rule.
Nothing was said about the general’s response. The military has along denied staging a coup, insisting it only stepped in to avert civil bloodshed and a provisional government would prepare the country for early elections.
Both parties to this exchange were putting on an act. For President Obama, the Muslim Brothers’ ouster was and remains unacceptable. By denying support for any particular party or group, he was also saying he wants no truck with the generals who made it happen.
It was also evident that Gen. El-Sisi rejected Hagel’s demand.
Indeed, the army chief is determined not to let Washington interfere with his next moves, realizing that the Muslim Brotherhood’s president dismissal was but the first step in a process which must be followed up if it is not to implode in chaos.
At least another six months are needed for the rewriting of the constitution, installing a working interim administration and setting up elections for the presidency and parliament. In that time, Egypt will be on a knife’s edge.DEBKAfile’s Middle East sources report the army chief plans two steps for cutting through the tension, in the knowledge that the first, at least, will be strongly censured by Washington:
1. The Muslim Brotherhood’s top leadership was more or less decapitated when the army seized power Wednesday, July 3. Next, the generals plan to send security forces to fan out across the country for mass arrests of thousands of local activists. They will be confined in detention centers already in preparation.
By this action, Gen. El-Sisi will be treading in the footsteps of Gemal Abdul Nasser in the fifties and Anwar Sadat in the seventies. Those rulers kept thousands of Muslim Brotherhood national and field operatives in pirson and under tight control for years before gradually letting them out on condition they did not run for office.
The army chief, while bracing for Washington’s condemnation, is also assured of approval by the Gulf rulers led by the Saudi royal house.
Likewise, if the US cuts off or reduces military aid to Egypt, currently running at $1.3 billion a year, the Egyptian strongman has Gulf guarantees to make up the difference.
Cairo’s post-coup military rulers are therefore squaring up for a major collision with Washington, which would also encompass their backers, the conservative pro-West Arab governments of the Persian Gulf.
At the same time, say our Middle East sources, Gen. El-Sisis is looking to the long term. He believes that his alignment with the Gulf will eventually lead to back to an understanding with the United States, although he will have to ride out the initial rift with the Obama administration.
2. The second step he plans is a crackdown on the estimated 10,000 armed Salafists, some of them working for al Qaeda, who have made Sinai their stamping ground.
DEBKAfile’s military sources recall that as a past military intelligence chief, later commander of Egyptian forces in Sinai, Gen. El-Sisi is thoroughly acquainted with the terrain and conditions of the peninsula.
Our intelligence sources disclose that the generals in Cairo now believe the Muslim Brotherhood regime deliberately turned a blind eye in the past year to the massive flow of weapons smuggled in from Libya into Sinai and onto the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. The Brotherhood, it appears, had been quietly accumulating an arsenal for the contingency of its downfall by setting up a clandestine armed "Center of Revolt" for resistance operations against any takeover of rule in Cairo.
This Center of Revolt has set up a coalition with the armed Islamist gangs terrorizing Sinai. This was confirmed in the last 24 hours by Salafist statements, such as: “Sinai is the center of revolt against the military coup which deposed Mohamed Morsi as president.”
The generals realize the urgency of cutting down this Islamist terrorist-backed revolt before it spreads out of control to Cairo and the Suez cities of Port Said, Suez and Ismailia - not to mention the threat of sabotage to the international cargo and oil shipping traffic passing through the Suez Canal.
Since Friday, the first attacks have been ongoing on Egyptian military targets in Sinai, leaving five officers and a Coptic priest dead. Early Sunday, Salafist Bedouin blew up the Sinai gas pipeline to Jordan. Sabotage of the pipeline stopped after Egypt discontinued supplies to Israel.
On this second step by the Egyptian military, the Obama administration faces a serious dilemma: On the one hand, the United States can hardly object to a major Egyptian military crackdown on Salafist terrorist groups which work hand in glove with al Qaeda and the Palestinian Hamas.
On the other, in order to succeed, the Egyptian army must destroy the weapons caches the Muslim Brotherhood hoarded in Sinai. This would further weaken the movement after its loss of rule in Cairo.
Another problem for the US president is that in Sinai, Egyptian and Israeli security interests undeniably converge.
Another problem for the US president is that in Sinai, Egyptian and Israeli security interests undeniably converge.
Full-scale Egyptian military operations in Sinai are dependent on Israel’s consent under the demilitarization clauses of their 1979 peace treaty. They would also be welcomed by Jerusalem which kept anti-terrorist forces parked on the Egyptian border from the time that the Muslim Brotherhood came to power a year ago.
The crackdown on Islamist terrorists in Sinai will bring the collaboration between Egypt's military rulers and Israel out in the open and further complicate the Obama administration’s stance in relation to the new regime in Cairo.
Uncertainty persists over Egypt PM nomination | ||
Reports of Mohamed ElBaradei being picked are denied, highlighting challenges new leaders face in finding consensus.
Last Modified: 07 Jul 2013 09:56
     | ||
| The continuing chaos in Egypt in the aftermath of last Wednesday's military coup has been compounded further after the choice of liberal politician Mohamed ElBaradeias interim prime minister was thrown into doubt by objections from conservative groups. ElBaradei's nomination had been confirmed by several sources and state media on Saturday, but just before midnight a presidential spokesman told reporters that no prime minister had yet been chosen.  The abrupt U-turn came amid opposition to ElBaradei's appointment by the Nour Party, Egypt's second-largest religious force that backed the military coup that toppled PresidentMohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood. The dispute has highlighted the challenges the military faces in finding consensus among liberals and conservatives on who should run the country. The Al-Nour Party's deputy leader Ahmed Khalil told the state news website that the party would withdraw from the political transition process if ElBaradei was confirmed in his post. Authorities acknowledged that there had been strong opposition to the possible appointment of the liberal Egyptian politician, but said that he was the most possible choice. "ElBaradei is the strongest candidate," Muslimani said. "He is on top of the list of names" under discussion, he said. Meanwhile, tension was still running high in the divided nation with opponents and supporters of Morsi remaining on the streets. Deadly clashes between them on Friday that continued until early on Saturdayhad claimed at least 30 lives and left more than 1,000 wounded. Country divided When initial news of ElBaradei's choice was leaked it was greeted with cheers outside Cairo's Ittihadiya presidential palace, where opponents of Morsi, the country's first freely elected president, frantically waved Egyptian flags and honked car horns.
Al Jazeera's Sherine Tadros, reporting from Cairo, said that the view from the Egyptian people was that ElBaradei would bring about further divisions in the country. Mohamad Elmasry, a professor at the American University of Cairo, told Al Jazeera it was possible the announcement had been made by state media to gauge reaction to the appointment. "He is not a popular figure here, even though he is known to the West," Elmasry said. "He is not going to appease the pro-Morsi supporters, but revolutionary figures are also disappointed in him." Al Jazeera's Jamal Elshayyal, reporting from Nasr City, said the reaction from the Morsi's camp when it was thought the appointment was confirmed was one of rejection and anger. Elshayyal said: "One of the protesters here said that the appointment of ElBaradei is a move directed at appeasing the US and that he served them well, allowing for the invasion of Iraq when he was in the International Atomic Energy Agency and will now be their puppet again - we all know he is a puppet." Another person said that ElBaradei was even too scared to nominate himself in the elections. "That's how little support he has - he needed the army to put him in office. So to sum up the mood here: it is rejection, anger and dismissal," Elshayyal said. | ||
Bulgaria......
http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=151825
Bulgarian Trade Union Calls for Grand Assembly, Threatens National Strikes
Domestic | July 7, 2013, Sunday| 380 views
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Mass protests, calling for the resignation of Bulgaria’s new Socialist-led government, erupted in mid-June, over a series of controversial appointments. Photo by Dimiter Muftieff
One of the two biggest trade unions in Bulgaria has urged the president to convene a Grand National Assembly in reaction to the escalating tensions in the country.
“Bulgaria needs to urgently re-write the rules, which define the state governs. Otherwise, if he 42nd National Assembly failed to provide a reasonable solution, we will stage a national strike to protect the interests of our members and fellow citizens,” the trade union “Podkrepa” said in a statement, circulated to the media.
The news comes days after Bulgaria's president Rosen Plevneliev said on Friday that another early election should take place to deal with daily anti-government street protests.
“Bulgaria needs to urgently re-write the rules, which define the state governs. Otherwise, if he 42nd National Assembly failed to provide a reasonable solution, we will stage a national strike to protect the interests of our members and fellow citizens,” the trade union “Podkrepa” said in a statement, circulated to the media.
The news comes days after Bulgaria's president Rosen Plevneliev said on Friday that another early election should take place to deal with daily anti-government street protests.
Bulgaria has been in political turmoil for months.
The current government took office after a snap election in May, but mass protests, calling for its resignation erupted in mid-June over the controversial appointment of a media mogul, Delyan Peevski, as head of the national security agency.
Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski, who heads a Socialist-led coalition, later revoked the appointment and apologized, but protests against his coalition government continued.
His predecessor as prime minister, Boyko Borisov, resigned in February after big street protests about high electricity prices, austerity measures and mismanagement.
and.....
Bulgaria’s Constitutional Court Urged to Solve Political Deadlock
Domestic | July 7, 2013, Sunday| 520 viewsSend to Kindle
A protester in Sofia carries a poster, reading “You are not yourself when you are greedy”. Public outrage at the appointment of a media magnate to a top security post has boiled over into protests against the new government. Photo by Dimiter Muftieff
A ruling of the Constitutional Court may put an end to the political turmoil the country has been in for months, an analyst has argued.
“Bulgaria has reached a deadlock since both sides - the protesters against the government and the cabinet itself - are firm in standing their ground. A solution to the political crisis may be provided by the Constitutional Court,” pollster Mira Radeva toldBulgaria On Air TV channel.
According to her the whole of Europe, not only Bulgaria is witnessing how institutions have become totally helpless in coping with the issues on the society’s agenda.
“The democratic model itself, upon which we are trying to gain a foothold, is under question. More and more people feel that they are not represented by the state institutions, which in its turn trigger the creation of movements such as "Anonymous" and "Occupy", said Radeva.
“Bulgaria has reached a deadlock since both sides - the protesters against the government and the cabinet itself - are firm in standing their ground. A solution to the political crisis may be provided by the Constitutional Court,” pollster Mira Radeva toldBulgaria On Air TV channel.
According to her the whole of Europe, not only Bulgaria is witnessing how institutions have become totally helpless in coping with the issues on the society’s agenda.
“The democratic model itself, upon which we are trying to gain a foothold, is under question. More and more people feel that they are not represented by the state institutions, which in its turn trigger the creation of movements such as "Anonymous" and "Occupy", said Radeva.
Bulgaria has been in political turmoil for months. The current government took office after a snap election in May, but mass protests, calling for its resignation erupted in mid-June over the controversial appointment of a media mogul, Delyan Peevski, as head of the national security agency.
Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski, who heads a Socialist-led coalition, later revoked the appointment and apologized, but protests against his coalition government continued.
His predecessor as prime minister, Boyko Borisov, resigned in February after big street protests about high electricity prices, austerity measures and mismanagement.
Bulgaria's president has said another early election should take place to deal with daily anti-government street protests.
Turkey .....
http://rt.com/news/turkey-tear-gas-gezi-744/
‘Everywhere is resistance’: Police use teargas and water cannon to disperse Istanbul protesters (PHOTOS)
Published time: July 06, 2013 16:03
Edited time: July 07, 2013 13:03
Edited time: July 07, 2013 13:03
Police fired volleys of tear gas and water cannon to disperse hundreds of protesters who gathered in Istanbul's landmark Taksim Square to enter Gezi Park which has been at the heart of protests since late May.
The Taksim Solidarity Platform, which encompasses a vast collective of political groups, organized the march, calling for protesters to try and gain access, according to Reuters' witness reports.
"We are going to our park to open the doors to its real owners ... We are here and we will stay here ... We have not giving up our demands," the umbrella group said in a statement.
The organizers of the demonstration said it was to draw attention to a court ruling against Prime Minister Erdogan’s plans to redevelop Gezi Park.
Responding to the move, Istanbul’s governor warned that any attempt to do so would be met with a police response.
"I can't allow a demonstration that I haven't permitted in advance," he said.
Since May 31, Istanbul has turned into the epicenter of anti-government demonstrations, when the police broke up a sit-in staged in the capital’s landmark Taksim Square to protest against the government’s redevelopment plan involving building on a nearby park.
In June an Istanbul court ruled against the development plans that included building a replica Ottoman-era barracks at Gezi, which has been a traditional gathering point for rallies and demonstrations. The ruling was deemed a victory for protesters and a blow for the Prime Minister who stood vehemently against protests and riots, accusing their perpetrators of being terrorists. The court’s decision however, is not final and is expected to be appealed to a higher administrative court.
On Saturday the protesters' way was cut off by police who fired tear gas and water cannon in an effort to disperse the protesters and stop them from entering the square.
Despite the warning, some 3,000 demonstrators, chanted "Together against fascism" and "Everywhere is resistance", gathered in the Istiklal Avenue to march to the cordoned-off park near Taksim Square.
According to reports, fighting between the security forces and protesters started after some of the demonstrators argued with police over their right to enter Gezi park.
‘Everywhere is resistance’: Police use teargas and water cannon to disperse Istanbul protesters (PHOTOS)
Published time: July 06, 2013 16:03
Edited time: July 07, 2013 13:03
Edited time: July 07, 2013 13:03
Police fired volleys of tear gas and water cannon to disperse hundreds of protesters who gathered in Istanbul's landmark Taksim Square to enter Gezi Park which has been at the heart of protests since late May.
The Taksim Solidarity Platform, which encompasses a vast collective of political groups, organized the march, calling for protesters to try and gain access, according to Reuters' witness reports.
"We are going to our park to open the doors to its real owners ... We are here and we will stay here ... We have not giving up our demands," the umbrella group said in a statement.
The organizers of the demonstration said it was to draw attention to a court ruling against Prime Minister Erdogan’s plans to redevelop Gezi Park.
Responding to the move, Istanbul’s governor warned that any attempt to do so would be met with a police response.
"I can't allow a demonstration that I haven't permitted in advance," he said.
Since May 31, Istanbul has turned into the epicenter of anti-government demonstrations, when the police broke up a sit-in staged in the capital’s landmark Taksim Square to protest against the government’s redevelopment plan involving building on a nearby park.
In June an Istanbul court ruled against the development plans that included building a replica Ottoman-era barracks at Gezi, which has been a traditional gathering point for rallies and demonstrations. The ruling was deemed a victory for protesters and a blow for the Prime Minister who stood vehemently against protests and riots, accusing their perpetrators of being terrorists. The court’s decision however, is not final and is expected to be appealed to a higher administrative court.
On Saturday the protesters' way was cut off by police who fired tear gas and water cannon in an effort to disperse the protesters and stop them from entering the square.
Despite the warning, some 3,000 demonstrators, chanted "Together against fascism" and "Everywhere is resistance", gathered in the Istiklal Avenue to march to the cordoned-off park near Taksim Square.
According to reports, fighting between the security forces and protesters started after some of the demonstrators argued with police over their right to enter Gezi park.
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