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Now available on www.ourplanet.com, the Living Planet Report 2010

This provides indicators showing that human consumption has almost doubled since 1961, while vertebrate species populations have diminished by around 30%.

The Living Planet Report also looks forward, providing scenarios and analyzing routes to sustainability for the world.

The document is now available in easily downloadable sections - for reading on line, or downloading.

Also NEW is the latest blog from Fabio, from the Ecuadorian Amazon. He describes life returning to normal after new year with the usual Saturday market.

Foreigners scramble to leave Egypt as protests enter 9th day

More foreigners scrambled to leave Egypt on Wednesday as crowds took to the streets for the ninth day to demand the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak.

Chartered planes will start flying out nonemergency U.S. personnel, their relatives and any American citizens who wish to evacuate, said the U.S. State Department, which has ordered all nonemergency government personnel and their relatives to leave the country.

About 1,000 Americans will be evacuated Wednesday and Thursday, officials said.

Mubarak announced Tuesday that he will remain in office until elections in September, sending hundreds of thousands to the streets to demand his resignation. Demonstrators -- who started protesting on January 25 -- had declared Tuesday the day for a "march of millions" in Cairo, Alexandria, and other areas.

As the protests raged on, uncertainty over security sent governments scrambling to evacuate their citizens.
American vows to stay in Egypt
Travelers' stories of escaping Egypt
Americans evacuating Egypt
Egypt prisoner escapes to Gaza
RELATED TOPICS

* Egypt
* Cairo (Egypt)
* Hosni Mubarak

The U.S. State Department said 1,600 Americans had been evacuated Tuesday while British carrier BMI said it has organized an extra flight to help British nationals get back to the United Kingdom.

The British Foreign Office said it is sending a charter flight to Cairo on Wednesday to fly back British citizens with no other way to get home.

Greece has sent military aircraft to evacuate 215 Greeks from Egypt, the official Athens News Agency said.

Other countries including China, Canada, India, Thailand and Australia were attempting to get stranded citizens out of Egypt.

A plane carrying 212 Chinese citizens stranded in Egypt arrived in the country Tuesday night, said the nation's state media. Two hours earlier, an aircraft carrying 268 Chinese nationals had arrived in Beijing from Egypt, Xinhua news agency said.

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard said her government would provide an emergency flight that will depart from Cairo on Wednesday, a statement from her office said.

The flights are part of a broadening effort by governments worldwide to transport their citizens out of the country, where widespread anti-government demonstrations have led to clashes between protesters and police, looting and other dangers.

About 52,000 Americans are believed to be in Egypt -- more than 2,600 of whom have asked to be evacuated, the State Department said.

The State Department said Americans seeking flights out of the country should make their way to Cairo International Airport's HAJ Terminal 4, where officials will arrange charter travel out of the country. Those Americans seeking evacuation will be asked to sign documents promising they will reimburse the government for the flights, the State Department said.

Exact costs hadn't been determined, but a State Department official said it should be comparable to a one-way commercial flight from Egypt to the evacuation points.

Source: CNN

Volatile scene unfolds in Cairo as opposing sides clash

A dramatic and potentially deadly situation unfolded Wednesday at the epicenter of Cairo's demonstrations as pro- and anti-government forces clashed, and supporters of embattled President Hosni Mubarak thundered through the crowds on horses and camels in Tahrir Square.

At least one man was pulled off his horse and beaten.

People hurled verbal insults, rocks and anything else they could find -- shards of metal, sticks, shoes -- at one another. They beat each other in what quickly turned into utter mayhem. But despite the extremely volatile altercations, the police were nowhere to be seen and the army did little.

Blood streamed down the faces of some protesters, who were carried away from the square into a nearby makeshift clinic. Others climbed atop army tanks, waving flags and chanting loudly.
Supporters on horseback in Tahrir Square
A young woman's fight for freedom
Mobilized against Mubarak
Big turnout for 'march of millions'

The melee erupted after pro-Mubarak demonstrators broke through a barricade separating them earlier from anti-government protesters who have been amassing for nine days in the downtown plaza that has become the symbol of Egypt's uprising.

Contesting rallies were also taking place further north in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria.

Earlier in Cairo, the crowds were smaller and the mood different on the streets the day after Mubarak announced his intention not to seek re-election and the military urged protesters to return the nation to normalcy.

"Your message is received ... (your) demands became known," a Defense Ministry spokesman said on state-run television. "And we are here and awake to protect the country for you ... not by power but by the love to Egypt. It is time to go back to normal life."

Angry Egyptians, fed up with Mubarak's rule, have camped out in the Egyptian capital's central plaza for a week. The burgeoning demonstrations led to the "march of millions" on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, the voices defending the government were louder. They called the media "traitors" and "agents" and said the country cannot survive without Mubarak. It was unclear how many were out on the streets from their own volition. Three employees of the national petroleum company told CNN they were forced to demonstrate Wednesday.

In a televised address Tuesday night, Mubarak announced he will not seek office again in elections scheduled for September, but vowed to stay in the country and finish his term.

"My first responsibility now is to restore the stability and security of the homeland, to achieve a peaceful transition of power in an environment that will protect Egypt and Egyptians, and which will allow for the responsibility to be given to whoever the people elect in the forthcoming elections," Mubarak said in a televised address Tuesday night.

The concession, large and remarkable for a man who has held a tight grip on power for three decades, may have been too little and too late for many Egyptians.

"He is unfortunately going to continue the agony for another six or seven months," said opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei.
Camping out in Cairo
American vows to stay in Egypt
Mubarak in 'state of denial'
Egyptians, Tunisians in China speak out
At a glance: Nations facing unrest
RELATED TOPICS

* Egyptian Politics
* Hosni Mubarak

"He's going to continue to polarize the country," said the Nobel Peace Prize winner. "He's continuing to get people even more angry and could result to violence. Whoever gives him that advice gave him absolutely the wrong advice. He just has to let go."

Mubarak's announcement largely rang flat in Tahrir Square, where thousands of protesters erupted in chants of "Down with Mubarak!" and "The people want the president to be judged!" following his announcement. Some waved shoes in the air -- a deep insult in the Arab world -- and said they would continue their demonstrations until Mubarak quits outright.

But Arab League Secretary-General Amre Moussa, a former Egyptian foreign minister, said demonstrators should weigh what Mubarak has said before responding.

"I'm aware that there are certain currents in Egypt that will not see that as satisfactory and they need more," Moussa, a possible presidential contender himself, told CNN. But, he added, "I believe that there is something new that has been offered."

Walid Tawfeeq, a Mubarak supporter, said not all Egyptians agree that Mubarak should step down immediately.

"Not everybody wants President Hosni Mubarak out," Tawfeeq said. "There are elements in the government that needed to be changed. ... There is reform. There is economic reform, but ... change will not happen overnight. There's not a magical button for change. Change will take time."

Mubarak has led Egypt for nearly 30 years since the 1981 assassination of his predecessor, Anwar Sadat, aided by an emergency decree that has allowed him to rule with an iron fist. But following demonstrations that have only grown in the past week, the 82-year-old former air force general told his people Tuesday night, "I have spent enough time serving Egypt."

"I will pursue the transfer of power in a way that will fulfill the people's demands, and that this new government will fulfill the people's demands and their hopes for political, economic and social progress," he said.

The Egyptian parliament has been suspended until a full judicial review is conducted of the November-December 2010 parliamentary elections.

In addition, a government-imposed curfew was shortened by a few hours compared to recent days, though many protesters have ignored the curfew. The new curfew lasts from 5 p.m. Wednesday until 7 a.m. Thursday.

Banks and schools have been closed during the demonstrations, teller machine screens were dark and gas stations have run out of fuel. Long lines snaked around bakeries and supermarkets as shops began to ration how much food customers could buy.

In Alexandria, protesters clashed with supporters of Mubarak, leaving 12 people injured, said Qutb Hassanein, a member of an opposition group. The military was called in to restore calm.

Mohammed Mahmoud, a protester, said he was hit in the head by a stick during the clash.

"We don't want him (Mubarak). We are staying here until we die," he said.

Mubarak's announcement came less than three weeks after a wave of protests forced Tunisia's longtime strongman to flee to Saudi Arabia in mid-January.

Protesters last week taunted, "Mubarak, Saudi Arabia is waiting for you." But despite calls for him to leave the country, the aging leader vowed Tuesday that "This dear country is my country ... and I will die on its land."

Opposition leader Ayman Nour called the speech "very depressing." Nour said Mubarak was already expected to step down at the end of his term -- but some believe Mubarak is maneuvering to have his son, Gamal, succeed him.

Mohammed Habib, deputy chairman of the officially banned Muslim Brotherhood, said Mubarak's speech was built around emotional appeals to his decades of military service and the presidency.

"After 30 years during which corruption and diminishing the strategic role of Egypt in the region became the norm, I do not feel it is time to appeal for people's emotion," Habib said. "We should say 'thank you' to him, 'and get out.' "

In Washington, President Barack Obama said he spoke with Mubarak soon after he announced he would not seek re-election.

Obama called for an orderly transition in Egypt that, he said, should be meaningful, peaceful and must begin now. The U.S. president stressed the Egyptian people will be the ones to determine their own leaders and destiny.

In Cairo, the U.S. ambassador to Egypt, Margaret Scobey, met Tuesday with ElBaradei and will be speaking with leaders of other political movements, a senior State Department official said. The official cautioned that Scobey's talks with ElBaradei doesn't mean the United States favors him.

As in Tunisia, the protests have been fueled by economic woes, including a dramatic rise in the cost of living coupled with high unemployment. Despite the government's food subsidies, people are struggling, with an estimated 40% of the country living in poverty.

The majority of Egypt's population -- and the vast majority of its unemployed -- is under 30, and many protesters are young men looking for economic opportunities and a better life.

As the demonstrations grew, Mubarak fired his Cabinet and ordered newly appointed Vice President Omar Suleiman to hold talks on political reform with opposition leaders.

Juan Cole, a Middle East historian at the University of Michigan, said he had expected the regime to endure the crisis with the support of the military, but that the military appears to have "cut Mubarak loose."

The demonstrations had turned ugly last Friday, when thousands of riot and plainclothes police used brutal force to crack down on people on the streets.

Unconfirmed reports suggest up to 300 people may have been killed during the protests, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said Tuesday. Human Rights Watch has reported 80 deaths from two hospitals in Cairo, 36 in Alexandria and 13 in Suez.

CNN has not been able to independently confirm the death toll. But since the weekend, the army has replaced police as the enforcers of security, and the gatherings, until Wednesday, had been largely peaceful.

In recent days, protests inspired by the Tunisian outcome have spread to Algeria, Yemen, Jordan and Sudan. Calls for political reform prompted Jordan's King Abdullah II Tuesday to dismiss his government and appoint a new prime minister. A Facebook page urged similar demonstrations in Syria.

And in Yemen, President Ali Abdullah Saleh -- who has been in office for 32 years -- said Wednesday he will not run for president nor hand over power to his son once his current term ends in 2013. Still, many Yemenis said they will proceed with their planned a "day of rage" protests Thursday.

John Entelis, director of Middle East studies at New York's Fordham University, said the Arab world is facing a "wave" of unrest sparked by the Tunisian revolt.

"If it were not for Tunisia, none of this would be happening at this time or in this way," Entelis said.

Source: CNN

Google, Twitter help give voice to Egyptians

(CNN) -- Google has launched the latest salvo in an effort to overcome internet blackouts in Egypt during anti-government protests there.

"Like many people we've been glued to the news unfolding in Egypt and thinking of what we could do to help people on the ground," Google said on its official blog.

The result was a collaboration between Google, Twitter and SayNow (a service Google acquired last week) to let people without access to the Web share messages on Twitter via voice mail.

The service, which is live now, offers three international phone numbers to call -- +16504194196 or +390662207294 or +97316199855.
'Millions' march for a new Egypt
Egypt unites, tells Mubarak 'go'
Egyptians cut off from internet
RELATED TOPICS

* Egypt
* Google Inc.
* Twitter Inc.
* Mobile

For each call, the service will instantly post a message to Twitter with a link to listen to the message.

"We hope that this will go some way to helping people in Egypt stay connected at this very difficult time," the post said. "Our thoughts are with everyone there."

The blog post, by SayNow co-founder Ujjwal Singh and AbdelKarim Mardini, Google's product manager for North Africa and the Middle East, said people without internet access can listen to the messages by calling the same number or or going to twitter.com/speak2tweet. Twitter users can follow that account to see the messages in real time.

The messages also will be posted with the hashtag #egypt -- another way for Twitter users to follow them.

One difficulty Egyptians may face, however, is that mobile-phone networks also have been shut down during the protests. Land lines, of course, could presumably still be used in areas where that is the case.

Last week, as demonstrators angry with the policies of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak took to the streets, the government shut down social-media websites, then blacked out all internet access in much of the country.

On Tuesday, as protesters began what's being called a "march of millions," which many observers say could be a decisive day in the effort to oust Mubarak, there were fresh reports of the internet being shut off in much of Egypt.

Source: CNN

Egypt turns out for 'march of millions' as Mubarak cuts communications

Cairo, Egypt (CNN) -- Protesters packed Cairo's Tahrir Square at mid-day Tuesday, standing shoulder-to-shoulder as large groups still streamed in for the planned "march of millions."

Soldiers stood guard and helicopters hovered overhead as demonstrators gathered to demand President Hosni Mubarak's resignation.

Egypt's government posted troops at key locations and cut internet service as activists pledged to hold major demonstrations in Cairo, Alexandria and other cities Tuesday -- a week after rallies began calling for an end to Mubarak's nearly 30-year rule.

In Cairo, protesters set up their own checkpoints to keep weapons out of Tahrir -- or Liberation -- Square.

Inside the square, the atmosphere was peaceful.

People brought food and beverages to share. Families stood together, with parents saying they came for their children. One group chanted "Down with Mubarak," while others listened to patriotic music. A large sign held by multiple people read, "People demand removal of the regime."

Scattered groups of demonstrators supporting Mubarak were also in the area, which has been a focal point of anti-government protests.

"No to the traitors," chanted a pro-Mubarak group as it headed toward the rally site.

Inside the square, some protesters suggested marching toward Mubarak's presidential palace.

One said, "Mubarak may have thick skin, but we have sharper nails."

The embattled president has given no indication that he plans to give up power, and the Interior Ministry said Monday that it planned to shut down mobile phone networks in preparation for Tuesday's protests. As of 11 a.m. (4 a.m. ET), some cell phone service in the country was still up and running.

Banks and schools were also closed, and there was a curfew aimed to keep people off the streets after 3 p.m. But protesters have defied previous curfew orders.

It will be "a very dramatic and perhaps even a decisive day," said Nicholas Burns, a professor of diplomacy at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and a former U.S. undersecretary of state.

"If the military cracks down on peaceful demonstrators on the streets of Alexandria or Cairo, that will be a decisive factor," he said.

The military said Monday evening that it would not open fire on peaceful protesters.

Mubarak, now 82, imposed an emergency decree after the 1981 assassination of his predecessor, Anwar Sadat. Since then he has ruled with an iron fist. The wave of protests against Mubarak's regime erupted following the uprising in Tunisia that ousted its longtime strongman January 14.

The protesters are calling for democratization -- for a government that they feel represents them. They want an end to what they complain is a corrupt regime. Some have called for the government to face a trial.

A joint statement issued Tuesday by a so-called coalition of six political parties, including the opposition Muslim Brotherhood, laid out five demands for the government:

The resignation of Mubarak. The statement calls his presidency illegitimate following the week of demonstrations against his government.

-- The formation of a transitional government to calm the unrest.

-- The establishment of a committee that will create a new constitution for the country, one that "will guarantee the principle of equality and the circulation of power."

-- The dissolvement of parliamentary councils in the wake of "forged" elections.

-- The use of the military "to protect the country according to the constitution."

The anger is driven largely by economic frustrations. Egypt has seen a dramatic rise in the cost of living in recent years. While the government has offered food subsidies to help people handle rising prices, many are struggling. Egypt's economy was stagnant for decades, but in the past 10 years started to grow, creating bigger differences between rich and poor, said Juan Cole, a Middle East historian at the University of Michigan.

The majority of Egypt's population is under 30 -- as is the vast majority of its unemployed. Many in the crowd are young men looking for economic opportunities and a better life.

Similar protests -- though not as big -- have been held in Algeria and Yemen, also inspired by Tunisia. In recent days the protests have spread to Jordan and Sudan as well. A Facebook page calls for similar demonstrations in Syria.

The political turmoil has paralyzed commerce and disrupted daily life in Egypt.

State television reported Monday that the crisis has cost the country an estimated 69 billion Egyptian pounds (nearly $12 billion) and set its economy back six months.
At a glance: Nations facing unrest
RELATED TOPICS

* Egypt
* Cairo
* North Africa
* Hosni Mubarak
* Mohamed ElBaradei

ATM screens went dark. Gas stations ran out of fuel. Long lines snaked around bakeries and supermarkets as shops began to ration how much food customers could buy.

Men with makeshift weapons guarded neighborhoods, creating checkpoints to fill the void left when police stopped patrolling the streets.

At demonstrations last Friday, thousands of riot and plainclothes police clashed violently with protesters in a brutal crackdown.

Since then, troops from the country's powerful military have had a strong presence in the streets as largely peaceful protests continued.

"The presence of the armed forces in the Egyptian streets is for your benefit to protect your safety and peace," an unnamed military spokesman announced on state television Monday night. "Your armed forces will not use violence against this great people, who have always played a significant role in every moment of Egypt's great history."

Soldiers at Cairo's Ramses Hilton hotel were putting on newly issued flak jackets -- straight out of their boxes -- on Tuesday morning.

Troops have been mingling with demonstrators in Cairo's Tahrir Square.

"There is no aggressive behavior from the army toward the peaceful assemblies," human rights activist Ramy Raoof said early Tuesday. "We hope that within a few hours, the same also will happen. We hope the army will not escalate violence against us."

Unconfirmed reports suggest up to 300 people may have been killed during the protests, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said Tuesday. CNN has not been able to independently confirm the death toll. Human Rights Watch has reported 80 deaths from two hospitals in Cairo, 36 deaths in Alexandria and 13 fatalities in Suez.

"I urge the Egyptian authorities to ensure police and other security forces scrupulously avoid excessive use of force, and there needs to be a full investigation into the role of security forces in the violence that occurred over the past few days," Pillay said in a statement.

While it was widely believed Mubarak was grooming his son, Gamal, as his successor, that plan now has been complicated by demands for democracy.

Mubarak fired his Cabinet on Saturday and his designated longtime intelligence chief Omar Suleiman as vice president -- the first time he has filled that post since he came to power in 1981.

Suleiman announced Monday that he had begun discussing reform with opposition parties. Speaking on the state television network, Suleiman said a reform package should be drawn up "expeditiously." "The other parties will also have a role to play, which will lead to real political reform," Suleiman said.

But there were no details about what proposals might be on the table or which parties were taking part.

Several opposition movements have been represented on the streets in the demonstrations.

Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour, secretary-general of the Wafd Party, told CNN the group's followers have been "extremely active."

Raoof, the human rights activist, said that many people with different perspectives were banding together around a common goal.

"There is no political group leading the people. There is no one leading the people. People are going in a very organic way ... people are just doing it," he said.

But others said they were opposed to the protests.

"I am upset with the revolution in Tahrir Square," said Muna al-Mahdi, her voice trembling with emotion as she spoke in her middle-class Cairo neighborhood. "It doesn't represent us. It doesn't represent our opinion. We are here sticking with Hosni Mubarak only.

"Give him two months, give him time to work," she says. "And then he can go peacefully."

Source: CNN