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Monday, February 21, 2011

Bloodiest revolt in Libya & Bahrain turn violent

Security forces in the Libyan city of Benghazi killed dozens of people as they fought to crush an uprising against leader Muammar Gaddafi's rule, the bloodiest of multiple revolts now rocking the Arab world. More than 200 people have died in an iron-fisted security crackdown in unrest-swept eastern Libya, Human Rights Watch said on Sunday, fearing a "catastrophe" as protests spread closer to the capital. Witnesses said Benghazi was in a state of chaos, with government buildings ransacked and troops and police forced to retreat to a fortified compound, from where snipers picked off demonstrators. On the other hand, in the Gulf kingdom of Bahrain, thousands of anti-government protesters camped over Saturday night in a Manama square. But after days of violence in the Sunni-ruled island state, the mood appeared to be more conciliatory with talks due to take place on Sunday between the opposition and the crown prince. Unrest also hit Yemen, Morocco, Oman, Kuwait, Algeria and Djibouti over the weekend as people took to the streets demanding political and economic change. Authorities in Saudi Arabia detained activists trying to set up the kingdom s first political party. The clamour for reform across a region of huge strategic importance to the West and the source of much of its oil began in Tunisia in December. The overthrow of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali then inspired Egyptians to rise up against strongman Hosni Mubarak, sending him packing on Feb. 11. The tide has challenged leaders of countries long backed by the West as well as erstwhile enemies. While each has its own dynamics, from religion to tribalism, all seem united by frustration over economic hardship and a lack of political freedom.

Egyptian tourism struggles to revive

The wind-swept pyramids of Giza were virtually deserted Sunday, symbols not just of the might and culture of the pharaohs but also the damage that Egypt's upheaval has inflicted on tourism, a pillar of the economy. Just two dozen foreign tourists were seen by midday at the wondrous monuments, where thousands flocked daily before protesters launched an uprising in late January that toppled the president. Camels-for-hire stood in the sand, bereft of riders. Subdued vendors clung to their postcards and tiny pyramid sculptures. Military-ruled Egypt is largely calm for now, despite a surge in labor protests after the Feb. 11 ouster of President Hosni Mubarak. But the nation is as fragile as it is hopeful, and fear of a backslide into chaos is likely to deter many visitors in the short term, even as the caretaker government and homegrown Facebook campaigns declare that Egypt is safe for tourism. The heavily guarded Egyptian Museum on the edge of Tahrir Square in Cairo, the backdrop to intense street battles and the target of looters who stole some small artifacts, was one of the places that welcomed its first visitors since the crisis. At the height of the unrest, military vehicles blocked access to the pyramids in the desert on Cairo s outskirts. They reopened Feb. 9, hosting a trickle of foreign visitors who ignored the travel warnings of their governments.