Egypt Anniversary Response

Egypt silently marks revolt anniversary, police kill 3 militants Source: Xinhua 2016-01-26 CAIRO, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- Egypt looks so quiet on Monday as the country marks the national Police Day that coincides with the fifth anniversary of the Jan. 25 protests that toppled former long-time leader Hosni Mubarak in 2011. Prepared for the big day, the Egyptian police in cooperation with the armed forces have been intensifying security presence in vital squares and outside state institutions nationwide, particularly at Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo where the anti-Mubarak protests erupted five years ago. President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi took office in mid-2014 after he, as then the military chief, led the removal of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in mid-2013 in response to mass protests against Morsi's one-year rule and his now-blacklisted Muslim Brotherhood group. Crackdown on Morsi's loyalists following his removal left over 1,000 killed and thousands more in custody, while anti-government terror activities in Sinai and other provinces nationwide left hundreds of police and military men dead. The Brotherhood is the only group that called for anti-government protests on the fifth anniversary of the Jan. 25 protests, but they failed to mobilize rallies as few marshes with tens of protesters have easily been dispersed by police in Cairo, Giza and Alexandria. "I hear sometimes calls for a new revolution. Why? Why do you want to ruin the country?" Sisi said in a speech in December. "If any of these calls represent the will of the Egyptians, you needn't protest to realize it." On Monday, Cairo streets looked unusually quiet and free from vehicles and people, as if there was a curfew, except for few people gathering in a rainy afternoon at Tahrir Sqaure carrying flags of Egypt and Sisi's posters to mark the anniversary. Policemen, deployed everywhere with many armored vehicles, exchanged chocolates and flowers with the celebrating people in Tahrir, where the underground metro station was temporarily closed for security reasons. The cabinet's operation room said that the day was going smoothly, with neither clashes nor blasts reported. Meanwhile, the Egyptian police killed on Monday three men in Giza's districts of Kirdasa and 6 October near the capital Cairo, saying they were terrorists, also Brotherhood members, who opened fire at the security forces during their arrest. On the eve of the Police Day, militants on three motorbikes gunned down two policemen and a civilian and wounded four others as they assaulted a checkpoint in the Delta province of Sharqiya north of the capital Cairo. Earlier on Thursday, at least seven policemen and three civilians were killed and several others injured in a massive explosion after police broke into an apartment used by militants for making explosive devices. Although the Jan. 25 protests are referred to in Egypt's new constitution as a great revolution, most of Sisi's supporters and Mubarak loyalists look at it as a conspiracy to ruin the country and accuse its supporters of treason. Besides the Islamists behind bars, many liberal young men who spearheaded the 2011 revolt are currently in prison for taking part in anti-government marshes and violating the anti-protest law. Response: Fascinatingly, it seems as if peace, even if only partially and temporarily, has come to Cairo, Egypt. Yes, the militants are still active and injuring to the government, but at least the major fights and protests are completed and there was a day of quiet. The police and military still do have to be really cautious and on edge, because the inconsistency of attacks should keep everyone aware of their surroundings. I see a bias against the militants or the Brotherhood, considering they are the ones terrorizing the people and actively fighting the government. But considering this article was not written from a western perspective, it did a decent job summarizing the history and then present situations. As for myself, I tend to incline towards the publisher as well, realizing that most people prefer peace over conflict. Although informative, this article also gave a perspective and viewpoint that not everyone experiences. Citation: Xinhua. "Egypt Silently Marks Revolt Anniversary, Police Kill 3 Militants." African News. Africa Xinhuanet, 25 Jan. 2016. Web. 25 Jan. 2016. <http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-01/26/c_135044283.htm>.

Poland- Factors to Watch Response

Poland - Factors to Watch Jan 11

Mon Jan 11, 2016 12:42pm IST

Following are news stories, press reports and events to watch that may affect Poland's financial markets on Monday. ALL TIMES GMT (Poland: GMT + 1 hour):

DIPLOMACY

Poland's foreign minister on Sunday summoned the German ambassador to a meeting over what his department called "anti-Polish comments by German politicians," the conservative Warsaw government's latest broadside at Berlin.

Poland's justice minister dismissed an EU commissioner's criticism of new media regulations as "silly" in a confrontational letter that marked a low in the new government's relations with the bloc and the commissioner's home Germany.

CENTRAL BANK

Polish central bank net profit likely amounted to around 8 billion zlotys ($2.00 billion) in 2015, Dziennik Gazeta Prawna said without naming its sources.

The 2016 budget assumes the profit at 3.2 billion zlotys. Ninety five percent of the profit is transferred to the state budget.

EMF

Private equity funds Bridgepoint and Mid Europa Partners as well as the businessman Maciej Dyjas, have submitted initial bids to buy Smyk, a children's apparel and toy store chain owned by Empik Media & Fashion (EMF), Puls Biznesu daily said quoting its sources.

Smyk is valued at 0.8-1.0 billion zlotys, Puls Biznesu said.

FORTUM, DUON<DUOP.WA.

Finnish state-controlled utility Fortum said on Friday it has launched a public tender offer worth up to 106 million euro ($115 million) for Polish electricity and gas seller Duon.

DEFICIT

Finance minister Pawel Szalamacha told W Sieci weekly that 2016 budget deficit will not exceed 3 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) thanks to bank and supermarket tax and dividends.

Response:

These factors to watch in Poland are slightly interesting, considering you don't see a list like this all the time. Not only is it informative to Polish citizens, but it might be useful to foreign businesses and countries. I couldn't really say there was a bias, considering there weren't really sides to take on this subject. But there was definitely a purpose to them giving this update. The five topics addressed provide the country with updates on their country and things that are going on that the average person may not see. Therefore, I don't hold a stance on this topic besides thinking that it is unique and unusual.

Citation:

"Poland - Factors to Watch Jan 11." Reuters India. Thompson Reuters, 11 Jan. 2016. Web. 11 Jan. 2016. <http://in.reuters.com/article/poland-factors-idINL8N14U0IE20160111>.

Egypt's Revolution Response

Egypt's 2011 revolution against Mubarak attacked by some in new parliament

Gamal Essam El-Din , Sunday 10 Jan 2016

Independent and party-based MPs in Egypt's new parliament seized its opening session Sunday to direct attacks against the revolution which forced president Hosni Mubarak to cede power in 2011

In its inaugural session held on Sunday, Egypt's new parliament saw a number of independent and party-affiliated MPs attacking the 25 January revolution that ousted president Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

By contrast, MPs heaped praise on the mass protests of June 30, 2013, which led to the removal of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi from office and ended the one-year rule of the Muslim Brotherhood.

The attacks against the anti-Mubarak revolution began when independent MP Mortada Mansour said he has so far not been able to "digest" it, and as a result cannot take the national oath because the preamble of the country's new constitution praises the 18-day revolt.

"The preamble of this constitution says that it reflects the principles of the 25 January revolution and the 30 June revolution, and I only believe in the second revolution," said Mansour.

Mansour also attacked Article 104 of the new constitution on the grounds that "it obliges MPs to pledge support for a part of the constitution we do not believe in."

In his speech after being elected parliament speaker, Constitutional law professor Ali Abdel-Al called on MPs to observe a minute of silence in respect for the "martyrs of both the 25 January and 30 June revolutions, as well as those among the police, military and judiciary.
Fierce critic
After Mubarak left office on 11 February 2011, Mansour faced charges that he had hired"armed thugs" to attack pro-democracy protesters at Tahrir Square on the first of February in what came to be known as "the Battle of the Camel."

Mansour and others, mostly leading officials who were affiliated with Mubarak's now-defunct ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), were acquitted of the charges in 2013. Since then, however, Mansour has been a fierce critic of the anti-Mubarak revolution.

Although Mansour was forced by Bahaaeddin Abu-Shoqa, an appointed MP who chaired the parliament's opening procedural sitting, to read out the oath completely and verbatim, his negative remarks about the anti-Mubarak revolution struck a chord with a lot of MPs.

Tawfik Okasha, an independent MP and owner of the private TV channel Al-Faraeen, also insisted that the new parliament "represents the 30 June revolution only".

Okasha, who submitted a bid for the post of parliament's speaker, said "it is a big honour for me to be one of those who urged people to revolt on 30 June and as a result the new parliament should represent the 30 June revolution only."

"I decided to run for the speaker's post because I was one of those who were about to sacrifice their life during 30 June and because this parliament represents its principles."

Okasha was an MP in 2010's parliament, which was dissolved after Mubarak's ouster. He used his Faraeen channel to defend the ruling military junta that took over in Egypt after Mubarak was ousted and to attack president Morsi.

One MP, Mohamed El-Itmani, was silenced by his peers when he attempted to defend the 25 January revolution.

Mansour and Okasha, alongside other MPs, intervened to prevent El-Itmani, a young MP affiliated with the pro-government bloc entitled The Pro-Egyptian State Coalition, from speaking about the 25 January revolution.

El-Itmani, who was introducing himself as a nominee for the speaker's post, said "we are here to represent the two great revolutions of 25 January and 30 June." No sooner had El-Itmani uttered the words when Okasha and Mansour led a chorus of MPs in attacking him.

El-Itmani defended himself by saying, "I, as a young man, had the honour of participating in the 25 January revolution, but I admit that the 30 June revolution came to correct the mistakes of 25 January revolution."

"But nobody can forget the people who sacrificed their lives in 25 January to build a more democratic Egypt and we have to respect their souls."

Egypt's new parliament includes a large number of MPs who were members of Mubarak's ruling party and who insist that the January uprising was a conspiracy led by the United States.

Saeed Sadek, a political analyst and a professor of sociology with the American University in Cairo, told Ahram Online that "early attacks against the anti-Mubarak revolution in Egypt's new parliament come as no surprise" to him.

"This parliament includes a large number of former Mubarak ruling party MPs who have a grudge against the Muslim Brotherhood and America, taking both to task for spreading chaos in Egypt in the past four years," said Sadek.

"It is not good for Egyptian MPs to begin their work by alienating a big sector of the Egyptian society who believe in the January revolution."

The opening procedural sitting of Egypt's new parliament comes one day after the Court of Cassation – the country's highest judicial authority – upheld the conviction of Mubarak on corruption charges. 

Citation:

El-Din, Gamal Essam. "Egypt's 2011 Revolution against Mubarak Attacked by Some in New Parliament." Politics. Ahram Online, 10 Jan. 2016. Web. 12 Jan. 2016. <http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/180611/Egypt/Politics-/Egypts--revolution-against-Mubarak-attacked-by-som.aspx>.

Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Their Hate Response

5 reasons Saudi Arabia and Iran hate each other

Gregg Zoroya, USA TODAY 1:07 p.m. EST January 4, 2016

The bitter faceoff between Iran and Saudi Arabia over the Saudis' execution of an Iranian-aligned cleric is the latest flash point in a long-simmering conflict between two Middle East powers, and it threatens to add more turmoil to an already unstable region.

Saudi Arabia announced Sunday that it was severing ties with Iran, hours after Iranian protesters set fires in the Saudi embassy compound in Tehran to protest the execution the day before the Shiite cleric, Sheik Nimr al-Nimr.

At the root of their rivalry is Islam's centuries-old schism between Sunni Muslims, who make up the majority in the oil-rich Saudi Kingdom, and Shiites who dominate Iran. Their enmity has exacerbated conflicts in the Middle East and U.S. efforts to bring peace to the region.

Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia is home to Islam's holiest city of Mecca, where millions of the faithful journey for the annual Hajj. Iran, the world's leading Shiite powerhouse, is governed by radical clerics.

Both are vying to extend their influence across the volatile Middle East. Here are five sources of new collisions between the two:

THE UNITED STATES

As America's closest Arab ally in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia has enjoyed massive U.S. military aid and has long influenced American foreign policy. An added bonus for the Saudis has been America's estrangement from Iran since the 1979 revolution there that toppled the U.S.-backed shah.

The power balance shifted in 2015, however, when President Obama reached a historic agreement with Iran that limits Iran's ability to acquire nuclear weapons. In return for Iran's compliance with the terms of the deal, the U.S. and other world powers must lift crippling economic sanctions on Iran, something likely to occur this year.

The Saudis fear Iran will use the tens of billions of dollars in frozen assets and new business opportunities to support Shiite rebel groups in the region to destabilize Sunni-led governments, as well as use the new revenue to buy weapons in support of its expansionary goals. The Saudis also fear Iran will cheat on the nuclear deal, fueling a Mideast nuclear arms race.

YEMEN

Saudi Arabia's poverty-stricken southern neighbor at the foot the Arabian Peninsula has become the closest example of a proxy war between the Saudis and Iran.

The Saudi Kingdom is leading a local military coalition aimed at defeating Shiite-dominated Houthi rebels who are threatening to unseat the government. The Houthis have received direct military aid from Iran.

SYRIA

Iran is backing Syrian President Bashar Assad's embattled regime in his nearly 5-year-old civil war by providing both financing and fighters from Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Shiite militant group based in Lebanon. Assad, a longtime Iranian ally, received a boost in 2015, when Russia sent in military forces to assist him.

Saudi Arabia, along with the United States and Turkey, is backing Sunni rebel groups opposed to Assad. The U.S. is concerned that some of those groups are too extreme and might team up with the Islamic State, the Sunni radical group that a U.S.-led coalition is trying to repel from Syria and Iraq.

IRAQ

Although the population is mostly Shiite, Iraq had been ruled for decades by Saddam Hussein and his Sunni minority until the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 ousted Saddam's regime. The current, predominantly Shiite government has been heavily influenced by Iran, which has provided support for powerful Shiite militias in Iraq. Saudi Arabia is wary of the Iraqi government and is sympathetic to Sunnis who feel alienated by the government. Some of those Sunni residents are backing the Islamic State militant group.

OIL

As the leading global exporter of oil, Saudi Arabia has refused to cut production in the face of plummeting oil prices to defend its market share. As a result, the world is now awash in cheap oil. The drop in prices already has forced the kingdom to slash its government budget.

The glut may soon worsen — and the value of Saudi Arabia's virtually sole source of revenue further diminish — once sanctions against rival Iran are eased under the nuclear weapons deal. Iran, estimated to have the fourth largest oil reserves on the planet, is ready to export 500,000 barrels a day once it is given access to the world market. That figure could grow as Iran rehabilitates its aging oil industry infrastructure.

Response:

This article was particularly tough to read. When I saw what each side is doing to each other, it was easier to take a neutral standpoint and process the conflict. It almost seems as if Iran is becoming desperate and is seeking out help from each and every one of its neighbors. Meanwhile Saudi Arabia is attempting to protect itself and "fight off" Iran's allies. Saudi Arabia does have a strong country backing them though. Considering the US is willing to help and fight along their side, it balances out the scales a bit. You could tell the article was written from a western perspective, due to the slight bias towards Saudi Arabia. But the author did a pretty good job of  writing without showing his own views and opinions on the situation. Although anyone could read this and see it as informative, I think it was directed more towards the western world. It might have been for their own knowledge, or to show people that the conflict isn't really getting any better. But despite the intentions of Zoroya, I was captivated and informed after reading this article.

Citation:

Zoroya, Gregg. "5 Reasons Saudi Arabia and Iran Hate Each Other."
USA Today. Gannett Satellite Information Network, Inc., 4 Jan. 2016. Web. 4 Jan. 2016. <http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/01/04/five-flash-points-between-mortal-enemies-saudi-arabia-and-iran/78230580/>.