Tunisian Revolution and the Middle East--And Now, The Withdrawal From Afghanistan (M.E.T.)

[visionary]

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/politics/2012/11/kuwait-is-in-crisis-heading-into-elections.html

Kuwaiti Youth Shape Opposition Movement

The decree passed by Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad has reduced from four to one the number of votes that can be cast by a voter. The decision has caused an uproar. The one-vote project and the Dec. 1 elections have triggered massive popular and youth protests, and have reshaped the role of the Kuwaiti political opposition.

The independent youth movements are demanding that the decree be annulled and that the election go ahead according to the previous law, which had five districts and four votes per voter. The Kuwaiti opposition has taken the same position, thus turning the opposition into a majority. At the same time, certain tribal forces have become a numerical minority and are concerned about the Kuwaiti opposition’s increasing strength and about its own base of support in the tribal majority areas.

The current dispute and the Kuwaiti political movement associated with it is full of vitality and is interacting with the Kuwaiti changes over the past 20 years. Over the past two decades, there has been an increased community awareness among Kuwaitis. New social forces have emerged, such as a middle class that spans all segments of society and is adversely affected by bad management, lack of economic transparency and corruption. Also over the past 20 years, the role of the tribal regions has changed. The people there have become more educated to confront their marginalization. There is now a large sector of society whose progress has become linked to its ability to build a political system that achieves accountability and puts the right person in the right place, promotes freedoms, improves democracy and respects the rights of all of society's components....

[visionary]

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/11/20121111192710305682.html?utm_content=automate&utm_campaign=Trial6&utm_source=NewSocialFlow&utm_term=plustweets&utm_medium=MasterAccount

ECOWAS agrees to Mali intervention force

West African leaders at an emergency summit have agreed on a 3,300-strong force to wrest control of northern Mali from Islamist fighters, as fears grow over risks they pose to the region and beyond.

"We foresee 3,300 soldiers for a timeframe of one year," Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara, the current ECOWAS chairman, told journalists on Sunday after the summit.

The troops would come primarily from ECOWAS, but possibly from countries outside the bloc as well, he said.

The summit in the Nigerian capital Abuja was aimed at setting out a blueprint for military force in Mali's north that would be transferred to the UN Security Council via the African Union.

Discussions also involved the potential training of 5,000 Malian troops, according to Ouattara.

Ouattara said he hoped UN Security Council approval could come in late November or early December, which would allow the force to be put in place days afterward.

"We have countries that are offering battalions, others companies," he said.

ECOWAS countries he named were Nigeria, Senegal, Niger, Burkina Faso, Ghana and Togo.

From outside of ECOWAS, "Chad could also participate. We have had contacts with other countries - Mauritania, South Africa."

[visionary]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ivZ8TleQE-BcFrD8eFYvCc6TgIPQ?docId=CNG.fb3bd09177c5a6b080a3a68b3038a92e.671

Obama tells Abbas of opposition to UN move: Palestinians

US President Barack Obama told Mahmud Abbas on Sunday that his administration opposes a Palestinian bid for non-state membership of the UN, the Palestinian leader's spokesman said.

"There was a long telephone conversation between president Mahmud Abbas and Barack Obama," Nabil Abu Rudeina told AFP. "Obama expressed the opposition of the United States to the decision to go to the UN General Assembly."

[visionary]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/13/us-iraq-politics-idUSBRE8AC0H620121113

Rivals of Iraq's Maliki try to block third term

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's rivals have started campaigning for term limits in an attempt to block the Shi'ite leader running for a third term in 2014, opening up a new battle in the country's fragile cross-sectarian government.

Since the last American troops left Iraq nearly a year ago, the country's Shi'ite, Sunni Muslim and ethnic Kurdish parties have been caught up in a power-sharing stalemate that has left key oil and investment laws paralyzed in parliament.

Kurdish parties, the Sunni-backed Iraqiya bloc and even some rivals in Maliki's own Shi'ite coalition failed earlier this year to trigger a vote of no confidence against a prime minister whom they accuse of consolidating power at their expense.

Those same factions have now handed a proposed law to parliament that would limit the mandate of prime minister to two terms, challenging a leader well-known for his skilful maneuvering through Iraq's shifting alliances.

"A proposed law was presented to the parliament with the support of more than 130 lawmakers," said Amir al-Kinani, a lawmaker with Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Sadrist bloc and a member of the legal committee.

Maliki's opponents would need a simple majority in the 325-seat Council of Representatives to pass the law. But in a country of often fickle political loyalties and divided parties securing that support faces huge challenges.

Edited November 13, 2012 by visionary

[visionary]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/13/jordan-gasoline-prices-idUSL5E8MDCKK20121113

UPDATE 2-Jordan lifts fuel subsidies, sparks protests

Jordan lifted fuel subsidies on Tuesday, aiming to reduce the budget deficit and secure a $2-billion IMF loan, but sparking public protests as gasoline and other prices soared.

More than 1,000 people hit the streets in the capital Amman and small protests erupted in several provincial towns after Islamist and tribal opposition groups said they would demonstrate. Authorities increased security measures across the country.

The move, announced by the cabinet and which takes effect after midnight, is the first major rise in petrol prices since street protests early last year, inspired by the wave of Arab unrest, pushed Jordanian authorities to expand social spending and freeze major fuel price hikes.

The price rises range from more than 50 percent for bottled gas used for cooking, 33 percent for diesel and kerosene for transport and heating and a 14 percent on lower grade petrol.

The government, mindful of public fury that exploded into street clashes in the depressed south of the country after price hikes in 1989 and 1996, had been reluctant to raise fuel prices.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour told state television that the price hikes were now unavoidable.

"If the move was delayed we would have faced a catastrophe and insolvency," he said.

https://twitter.com/AlexanderPageSY

CONFIRMED: protesters in Thiban now witnessing a crack down by security forces tear gas being used ridiculously

3:34 PM

BREAKING: I'm watching this: 100s of protesters now resisting crackdown by CSF at dawar al dakhlieh

3:44 PM

BREAKING: large anti government protest just by Hibba tishreen hospital in the capital Amman getting out of control

3:46 PM

Activist @omas7 has disappeared in middle of attack launched by jordan'ian CSF at dawar al dakhlieh amman Jordan

4:56 PM

BREAKING: thousands of protesters withstanding crackdown calling for fall of the system and the king to go DawarAlDakhlieh

5:00 PM

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2012/11/13/protests-break-out-in-jordan-mention-king-by-name/?Post+generic=%3Ftid%3Dsm_twitter_washingtonpost

Protests break out in Jordan, mention king by name

Almost two years after the Arab Spring began toppling dictatorships, Jordan is still there, ruled by a pro-Western Hashemite monarchy. There have been a number of will-they-or-won’t-they moments since then, including right now.

As of this writing, protesters are amassing in Amman, the capital, in a demonstration that was initially sparked by cuts to fuel subsidies but have come to more directly address the country’s governing system, including King Abdullah himself. For the moment, you can watch a video stream here.

Edited November 13, 2012 by visionary

[visionary]

https://twitter.com/pdanahar

Israel has carried out an attack in Gaza on individuals as yet unknown though rumours are it maybe a senior Hamas official

9:04 AM

BBC's @JonDonnison in Gaza & heading to location of israeli air strike on car hit we think not far from our bureau there

9:06 AM

Hamas has told BBC Ahmed Jabari was targeted but unclear if he was killed or injured. Israel also confirmed he was targeted

9:12 AM

Killed, injured or missed the attack on Hamas' Ahmed Jabari in Gaza will lead to an upsurge in fighting

9:16 AM

Hamas confirming to BBC that Ahmed Jabari, head of its military wing, military chief of staff killed in Israeli air strike

9:21 AM

https://twitter.com/alihashem_tv

Qassam brigades announces an open war with Israel after the assassination of its deputy commander Ahmad Jaabari

9:28 AM

Israeli channel 1 said that the assassination of JaabarI is only the first step

9:30 AM

https://twitter.com/petersbeaumont

Things that will no longer happen. Hamas now would seem to have v little interest in controlling other Gaza factions....

9:38 AM

What is different this time if things really escalate, is that Egypt's has Muslim Brotherhood led gov not Mubarak. Different dynamic

9:40 AM

Question is why Israel chose to light this fuse now. Either elections in Jan or poss of UN Gen Assemb vote on Pal observer status later Nov.

9:41 AM

https://twitter.com/raghda44

Ahmed Jabari becomes the most senior Hamas official to be killed since an Israeli invasion of Gaza 4 years ago

9:42 AM

Holy ****....this is getting crazy.

https://twitter.com/alihashem_tv

Israel channel 10: Israeli internal front calls on the Israelis close to Gaza to go to safe shelters

9:50 AM

breaking Israel tv said moments ago that a second high profile commander was also killed

9:52 AM

the Israeli army names Jabari assassination 'Operation Pillar of Cloud'

10:05 AM

Edited November 14, 2012 by visionary

[visionary]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/18/us-egypt-army-land-idUSBRE8AH0BN20121118

Three killed as Egyptian soldiers, residents clash over land

Three people were killed and 12 injured in a firefight between soldiers and armed residents over a disputed island in the Nile west of Egypt's capital Cairo, a security source said.

An army statement said the authorities were clearing the island, which the army says it owns and is a centerpoint for its operations to keep Cairo secure, after armed-residents raided it on Friday night forcing guards out.

Residents exchanged fire with security forces from buildings overlooking the island, at Giza, injuring four soldiers.

[visionary]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/20/us-mali-militants-prodi-idUSBRE8AJ1FW20121120

U.N. envoy rules out international action in Mali for now

The U.N. envoy to the troubled Sahel region on Tuesday ruled out an international military option in Mali before next summer, saying everything should be done to avoid war.

European leaders are growing increasingly anxious that Mali could turn into a platform for militant attacks, including in Europe.

African leaders put the finishing touches to an international intervention plan to retake Mali's north from a patchwork of armed groups, some of them linked to al Qaeda.

France, Spain, Italy and Belgium have indicated willingness to take part in the mission, an EU official said.

But Romano Prodi, recently appointed envoy, played down the idea of imminent action during a trip to Rabat, a Moroccan foreign ministry official said.

"He said that military action in north Mali will not be possible before September or October next year," said the official, who asked not to be named.

[visionary]

http://world.time.com/2012/11/20/can-mauritanias-president-survive-both-coup-plotters-and-al-qaeda/

Can Mauritania’s President Survive Both Coup-Plotters and al-Qaeda?

For presidents, one rule of thumb for political survival is not to leave your country for too long, especially if you are thinking of waging a regional war against al-Qaeda militants. That seemed to be the thinking for Mauritania’s leader Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, when he emerged on Tuesday, nearly six weeks after being shot in the stomach back home and airlifted to France for surgery—complicating the West’s plans for a military assault against Islamic hardliners across Mauritania’s border in northern Mali.

Having vanished from sight since Oct. 14, Aziz, looking somewhat drawn and thin, met French President François Hollande at the Elysée Palace. “I am fine, I am starting to recover,” he told reporters afterwards. “I have the intention to return quickly, in the next days.”

Aziz had better hope he returns in time. During his long recuperation in Paris, his rivals have begun to plot their future without the president, who came to power himself in a political coup in 2008. Officials from within the ruling circle recently met with opposition parties, in an attempt to piece together a post-Aziz plan. And the biggest opposition party has called a national day of protest for Wednesday, in a move to declare Aziz’s four-year rule over. The official government version of Aziz’s shooting on Oct. 13 was that a soldier had fired at the presidential convoy by accident, while Aziz was traveling on a country road.

But many Mauritanians are incredulous, speculating instead that the shooting involved a dispute between the president and another man over a woman. No matter the cause, Aziz’s absence has provided his foes with a chance to try to remove him. “The people have been preparing to get him out of power,” says Hacen Ould Lebatt, a French-Mauritanian journalist in Marseille, who keeps close contact with politicians in his country. “If people had not seen him today it would be very easy for them to meet tomorrow and say, ‘he’s not coming back,’” Lebatt says. “President Hollande has saved him.”

http://www.channel4.com/news/congo-rebels-claim-control-of-city-as-rwanda-tensions-rise

Congo rebels claim control of city as Rwanda tensions rise

Hundreds of fighters from the M23 group entered Goma after days of clashes with UN-backed Congolese soldiers that forced tens of thousands of residents to flee. A senior UN source told Reuters that international peacekeepers had given up defending the city after the Congolese troops evacuated.

The rebellion has aggravated tensions between Congo and its neighbour Rwanda, which Kinshasa's government says is orchestrating the insurgency as a means of grabbing the chaotic region's mineral wealth.

Rwanda denies the assertion. However, Congolese information minister Lambert Mende ruled out talks with the rebels, suggesting they were proxies of the Rwandan government.

We will continue (resisting) until Rwanda has been pushed out of our country ... There will be absolutely no negotiations with M23," Mende said, adding that Kinshasa would talk only directly with Rwanda.

Hundreds of M23 fighters accompanied their leader Sultani Makenga into Goma, where they were greeted by cheering crowds shouting "welcome" and "thank you".

"We've taken the town, it's under control," said Colonel Vianney Kazarama, a spokesman for the rebels. "We're very tired, we're going to greet our friends now." On Monday, Kazarama had denied the rebels would take the city.

The U.N. has about 6,700 peacekeeping troops in North Kivu, including some 1,400 troops in and around Goma, and the mission had previously promised to defend the town.

On Tuesday afternoon, armoured U.N. vehicles continued to circulate in the town offering help to residents, but troops did not try to block the rebels. No government troops were to be seen.

Edited November 20, 2012 by visionary

[visionary]

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/11/20121122161830842641.html

Egypt president sacks prosecutor general

Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi has issued a declaration dismissing the country's prosecutor general and ordering new investigations into the deaths of protesters killed during last year's popular revolt.

Thursday's development came one month after a deal was struck that saw Abdel-Meguid Mahmoud continue in office after a failed attempt by Morsi to have him replaced.

The agreement, sealed after a meeting between Morsi and Mahmoud, stipulated that the prosecutor general would remain in office until retirement age.

Al Jazeera's Peter Greste, reporting from Cairo on Thursday, said the new declaration means that Mahmoud is now retroactively dismissed as he has already been in office for six years.

"What they've done is to make an administrative change. The prosecutor general, under the old law, was appointed for life. What the president has done is change the tenure to a four-year term," he said.

"This is important because here's a man that a lot of people, including the president, held responsible for the failure of prosecution of the people who were charged with the attempted murder of protesters who were behind the revolution that overthrew [former President] Hosni Mubarak."

Morsi's statement also indicated that there would be a re-trial of all who were acquitted of the murder and attempted of protesters, because, according to Morsi's spokesman, they were acquitted based on flawed evidence.

http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_15727/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=LvOowaFE

Egypt's Morsi grants himself far-reaching powers

Egypt's president on Thursday issued constitutional amendments granting himself far-reaching powers and ordering the retrial of leaders of Hosni Mubarak's regime for the killing of protesters in last year's uprising.

Mohammed Morsi decreed immunity for the panel drafting a new constitution from any possible court decisions to dissolve it. He granted the same protection to the upper chamber of parliament, which is largely toothless. Both bodies are dominated by Morsi's Islamist allies.

Several courts are currently looking into cases demanding the dissolution of both bodies. Parliament's lower chamber, also dominated by Islamists, was dissolved in June by a court decision on the grounds that the rules governing its election were illegal.

The Egyptian leader also decreed that all decisions he has made since taking office in June and until a new constitution is adopted are not subject to appeal in court or by any other authority, a move that places Morsi above oversight of any kind. He already has legislative powers after the powerful lower chamber was dissolved days before he took office June 30.

[visionary]

http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_289563/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=M4pag90Y

Blogger's death in Iran window onto cyber patrols

In his last blog entry, activist Sattar Beheshti wrote that Iranian authorities had given him an ultimatum: Either stop posting his "big mouth" attacks against the ruling system or tell his mother that she will soon be in mourning.

"We will tear down your cruel cage," Beheshti typed on Oct. 29 before signing off.

A day later he was arrested. Within a week, his family had collected his body. They began calls for an investigation that have been echoed by Washington, European allies and rights groups.

Arrests of activists and claims of abuse in detention are commonplace in Iran, but deaths behind bars are much rarer. Iran's judiciary responded to the growing pressure and authorized an investigation. It claims three of Beheshti's interrogators have been arrested while post-mortem reports are studied.

But while the specific circumstances of Beheshti's death may be given a public reckoning, the more far-reaching aspect of the case - Iran's rapidly growing corps of Web watchers - may remain in the shadows, as well as their motives in targeting an obscure blogger whose site was actively followed by more than a few dozen viewers.

[visionary]

https://twitter.com/rhreid

(AP) Egypt's state TV says President Morsi opponents set fire to the offices in the Suez Canal cities of Suez, Port Said and Ismailia.

7:42 AM

https://twitter.com/BreakingNews

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood Alexandria headquarters torched by protesters - @AlArabiya_Eng

7:41 AM

https://twitter.com/Alaabayoumi

AlJazeera: Morsi’s presidential aide, Sameer Morqous, a Copt, resigns

7:38 AM

Edited November 23, 2012 by visionary

[twa]

"Morsi today usurped all state powers and appointed himself Egypt's new pharaoh," ElBaradei said on Twitter. "A major blow to the revolution that could have dire consequences."

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/23/15384363-protesters-torch-muslim-brotherhood-offices-in-egypt-amid-anger-over-decree?lite=obnetwork

Tahrir square is flooding with protesters. Street battles on at least two streets. #egypt pic.twitter.com/cEozlmnf

[visionary]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/24/us-egypt-president-judges-strike-idUSBRE8AN0AI20121124

Egyptian judges announce strike in protest at Mursi decree

The body representing Egypt's judges called on Saturday for an immediate strike in all courts and prosecutors offices in protest against President Mohamed Mursi's decree expanding his powers.

[visionary]

http://blogs.aljazeera.com/liveblog/topic/egypt-155

about 9 hours ago

Reuters reports that opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei has called for President Mohamed Morsi to recind his decree:

'There is no room for dialogue when a dictator imposes the most oppressive, abhorrent measures and then says 'let us split the difference'," ElBaradei said after talks with opposition figures.

ElBaradei, who said he expected to be coordinator of a new opposition National Salvation Front, said Morsi's declaration threatened Egypt's troubled transition to democracy and actions were needed to stop a 'cycle of violence'.

'How are we going to do that? I do not see any other way other than through Mr. Mursi rescinding his dictatorial declaration,' he said, adding the decree created a 'new pharaoh'.

[Larry]

Is it possible that a precedent is being established? That governments are accountable to the people?

(Crossing fingers.)

[visionary]

https://twitter.com/SenJohnMcCain

President Morsi should renounce his power grab before things get out of hand

3:06 PM 24 Nov

https://twitter.com/SkyNewsBreak

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi reiterates "temporary nature" of his decrees saying he wants dialogue with political forces

10:35 AM

https://twitter.com/HodaAH

McCain calls on Obama to condemn Morsy's power grab. Don't think he can after the role Egypt played in the Gaza ceasefire

10:38 AM

I think he could do that, but he would have to compliment Morsi and his efforts on the Gaza deal, while pointing out that he may be taking a step in the wrong direction now. And that he believes Morsi will listen to his people and make the right decision.

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/59123/Egypt/Politics-/Brotherhoods-Shura-Council-chairman-criticises-Mor.aspx

Brotherhood's Shura Council chairman criticises Morsi declaration

Ahmed Fahmi, chairman of the Islamist-dominated Shura Council (the upper, consultative house of Egypt's parliament), seized on Thursday's council session to criticise the constitutional declaration issued by President Mohamed Morsi on 22 November.

"We had hopes that President Morsi would put the constitutional declaration before a national referendum," Fahmi said. He also argued that the declaration "has severely divided the nation into Islamists and civilians." Fahmi urged Morsi to conduct a national dialogue with all forces to put an end to the crisis triggered by the declaration.

Fahmi’s comments came as a surprise to many, given that not only is the chairman of the Shura Council a leading member of the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) – the political arm of Muslim Brotherhood from which Morsi hails – but he is also a relative of Morsi himself.

In its brief debate over Morsi’s declaration, the council itself was divided into supporters and opponents. Islamists, led by FJP and the ultraconservative Salafist Nour Party, hailed Morsi’s declaration.

Tarek El-Sehari, a Salafist and the deputy Shura Council chairman, said the declaration "is a necessity, with a view to the fact that the Mubarak-appointed judges and prosecutors failed to refer the diehards of the former regime to trial or put a stop to their attempts to dissolve the Shura Council and the constitution-drafting assembly, and have indulged in thuggery and hooliganism under the banner of commemorating the revolution."

"These criminals can never be branded as 'revolutionary forces' and should rather be sent to trial as required by the constitutional declaration," said El-Sehary. "Everyone has the right to criticise the president, but nobody – especially those who failed to secure seats in the last parliamentary elections – has the right to attack public property or incite violence."

El-Sehary sharply directed attacks against those who "resorted to insults" when criticising Morsi’s declaration. He argued that the building of a new Egypt should not come at the expense of putting obstacles in the way of a democratically-elected president.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/25/us-egypt-mediation-idUSBRE8AO06J20121125

Egypt's justice minister seeks to end rift with judges

Egyptian Justice Minister Ahmed Mekky has started mediation efforts to try to end a crisis between Egypt's executive and judicial authorities, state TV reported on Sunday.

It was the first public sign of a government attempt to resolve a crisis ignited by President Mohamed Mursi's decision to expand his powers and protect his decisions from judicial review.

Mekky, who has said he has "some reservations" about Mursi's decree, convened a meeting at the Supreme Court headquarters in Cairo, state TV reported, without giving further details.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/25/us-egypt-council-idUSBRE8AO07P20121125

Egypt decree should have limited use: judicial council

Egypt's highest judicial authority said a decree issued by President Mohamed Mursi and which shields his decisions from judicial review must only be applied to decisions or laws relating to "sovereign matters".

The Supreme Judicial Council in a statement read on state TV also called on judges to keep courts and prosecution offices functioning after the influential Judges' Club called on Saturday for a countrywide strike in protest at Mursi's decree.

Edited November 25, 2012 by visionary

[visionary]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/25/us-egypt-president-idUSBRE8AM0DO20121125

Mursi to meet judges over power grab

Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi will meet senior judges on Monday to try to ease a crisis over his seizure of new powers which has set off violent protests reminiscent of last year's revolution which brought him to power.

Egypt's stock market plunged on Sunday in its first day open since Mursi issued a decree late on Thursday temporarily widening his powers and shielding his decisions from judicial review, drawing accusations he was behaving like a new dictator.

More than 500 people have been injured in clashes between police and protesters worried Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood aims to dominate the post-Hosni Mubarak era after winning Egypt's first democratic parliamentary and presidential elections this year.

The country's highest judicial authority hinted at compromise to avert a further escalation, though Mursi's opponents want nothing less than the complete cancellation of a decree they see as a danger to democracy.

[Larry]

deleted post. Didn't notice the dates.

Edited November 25, 2012 by Larry

[visionary]

deleted post. Didn't notice the dates.

It predates the Israel thread. :silly:

[Hubbs]

I think Mubarak's powers were "temporary" as well.

For about four decades.

[visionary]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/27/world/middleeast/egypts-president-said-to-limit-scope-of-judicial-decree.html?smid=tw-share

Egypt’s Leader Said to Agree to Limit Scope of Judicial Decree

President Mohamed Morsi agreed on Monday to limit the scope of a sweeping decree he had issued last week that raised his edicts above any judicial review, according to a report by a television network allied with his party. The agreement, reached with top judicial authorities, would leave most of Mr. Morsi’s actions subject to review by the courts, but preserve a crucial power: protecting the country’s constitutional council from being dissolved by the courts before it finishes its work.

The Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist group that sponsored Mr. Morsi and his party, announced that it was canceling a major demonstration in support of the president that had been planned for Tuesday.

Mr. Morsi’s deal with the judges follows four days of rising tensions and flashes of violence across the country set off by his decree, which removed the last check on his power to rule Egypt.

Mr. Morsi said he was forced to issue the decree in order to protect the constitutional assembly from the courts, which had shuttered Egypt’s first freely elected parliament and disbanded an earlier constituent assembly, both dominated by Mr. Morsi’s Islamist allies. But the scope of the new powers claimed by the president galvanized his political opposition. Vandals attacked more than a dozen offices of his political party, and thousands of people demonstrated in the streets to vent their fears of a new autocracy in a country that had just shaken one off.

The agreement announced on Monday could be a watershed moment for Egypt’s new order: a triumph of respect for the rule of law and the independence of the courts, and a demonstration that Egypt’s new leaders are capable of the kind of compromise in the national interest that often eludes the party leaders in even the most practiced democracies.

[visionary]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/28/egypt-constitution-idUSL5E8MS9ZW20121128?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Egypt constitution draft to be finished Wednesday

The head of the assembly drafting Egypt's new constitution said the final draft would be finished on Wednesday, and three other members of the assembly told Reuters the document would be put to a vote on Thursday.

"We will start now and finish today, God willing," Hossam el-Gheriyani, the assembly speaker, said at the start of a meeting of the constitutional assembly in Cairo. He said Thursday would be a "great day", without elaborating, and called on the members who had withdrawn from the body to return.

Speaking to Reuters, assembly members Younes Makhyoun and Salah Abdel Maboud, both Salafi Islamists, said a vote on the final draft was planned for Thursday. Amr Abdel Hadi, one of the few remaining liberal members, said the same.

[visionary]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/29/us-mali-crisis-un-idUSBRE8AS02U20121129

U.N. chief recommends "offensive military operation" in Mali

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday recommended that the Security Council approve an African Union peace enforcement mission be deployed to combat Islamist extremists in northern Mali, but did not offer financial support from the world body.

Diplomats and U.N. officials say that peace enforcement missions allow the use of lethal force in serious combat situations, while peacekeeping operations are intended to support and monitor an already existing ceasefire.

The last U.N.-led peace enforcement mission approved by the 15-nation Security Council was in Somalia in the early 1990s when 18 U.S. troops were killed in the "Black Hawk Down" incident, an event that led to U.S. withdrawal of combat troops from U.N.-commanded peacekeeping operations.

Ban's cautiously worded recommendation made clear that the world body is still wary of getting back into the peace-enforcement business. He said that the council should ensure that political, human rights, training and operational benchmarks be met before any military offensive commences.

[visionary]

https://twitter.com/Reuters

FLASH: Egypt's constituent assembly votes to limit presidents' term of office to two 4-year terms | Live coverage http://bit.ly/Y1tfEj

2:43 PM

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/egypts-constitutional-panel-readying-vote

Egypt Islamists hurriedly approve new constitution

An Islamist-dominated panel has approved a draft constitution for Egypt without the participation of liberal and Christian members.

Members finished voting on all 234 articles individually, passing all largely by consensus, in a marathon 16-hour session that ended just after sunrise Friday.

The panel's rushed passage of the charter before a court ruling Sunday that could dissolve their panel is likely to further inflame a clash between Islamist President Mohammed Morsi and he largely secular opposition. The draft now goes to Morsi, who is expected to call for a referendum within 30 days.