Washington (CNN) - A U.S. envoy sent by President Barack Obama urged Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to announce he won't run for re-election later this year, sources told CNN on Tuesday. The move signaled a major shift in U.S. foreign policy regarding Egypt, the main Arab ally of the United States and a vital partner in the Middle East peace process because of its 1978 treaty with Israel.

Raw Story: Egypt President Mubarak announces plan to retire in Sept.

Some weekend work that will (hopefully) enable more Egyptians to be heard [1/31/2011 02:27:00 PM] 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. Over the weekend we came up with the idea of a speak-to-tweet service—the ability for anyone to tweet using just a voice connection.

We worked with a small team of engineers from Twitter, Google and SayNow, a company we acquired last week, to make this idea a reality. It’s already live and anyone can tweet by simply leaving a voicemail on one of these international phone numbers (+16504194196 or +390662207294 or +97316199855) and the service will instantly tweet the message using the hashtag #egypt. No Internet connection is required. People can listen to the messages by dialing the same phone numbers or going to twitter.com/speak2tweet. We hope that this will go some way to helping people in Egypt stay connected at this very difficult time. Our thoughts are with everyone there.

Jason Ditz: Egypt Announces Total Shutdown of Cell Phone Service
HuffPo: Egypt Now In FULL Internet Blackout
The Economic Collapse: The Internet Kill Switch – One Of The Favorite New Tools Of Tyrannical Governments All Over The Globe

Over five million Egyptians have taken to the streets across the country to pressure President Hosni Mubarak and his government to step down. Large crowds have massed in capital Cairo for the biggest anti-government protest in Egypt's recent history. The demonstrators have flooded Cairo's Tahrir square, calling on President Hosni Mubarak to step down. Men, women and children from all walks of life are attending the rally which has so far been peaceful. Some reports put the total number of protesters across Egypt at about eight million. Tanks and troops have been stationed along the route of the march, but the army has promised not to use force against the demonstrators.

Protesters in the Egyptian capital have begun gathering for a planned "march of a million", calling for Hosni Mubarak, the embattled Egyptian president, to step down.

Thousands of demonstrators began gathering from early on Tuesday morning in Cairo's Tahrir Square, which has been the focal point of protests in the capital and served as the meeting area for the march to begin on the eighth day of an uprising that has so far claimed more than 125 lives. Another million-strong march is planned in the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria, as national train services were cancelled in an apparent bid to stymie protests. Protest organisers have also called for the march to coincide with the beginning of an indefinite strike. Reporting from Cairo, an Al Jazeera correspondent reported that the number of people gathered in Tahrir Square on Tuesday morning, was larger than had been seen before.

"The numbers are certainly larger than we've seen over the last couple of days. A lot of people I've spoken to have said they will be attending, despite reports that there is the possibility that it could turn violent," she said. "The mood and atmosphere is incredible. People are thronging to the square in their hundreds."

Soldiers at Tahrir Square have formed a human chain around protesters, and are checking people as they enter for weapons. Tanks have been positioned near the square, and officers have been checking identity papers.

"You certainly get the feeling that the organisers will get the numbers that they want. The word is out there, despite the fact that the internet is still down ... that people need to attend this march of a million," our correspondent said. "Possibly the only people who won't be attending today, obviously presidential supporters, ... Egyptians living in Cairo who have left to places like Sharm al-Shaikh where they're looking for some sort of safety, and those who will be remaining in their homes to protect them from looters. "But all groups, young, old, rich, poor, Christians, Muslims they are all heading [to Tahrir Square]."

Al Jazeera: Live Stream
Belfast Telegraph: If Mubarak wants to save his skin, he must go now
PressTV: 50 Egypt rights groups urge Mubarak out
PressTV: Egyptians converge in Cairo

King Abdullah of Jordan, a close U.S. ally, on Tuesday replaced his prime minister after protests over food prices and poor living conditions, naming a former premier with a military background to head the government. A Jordanian official said the monarch officially accepted the resignation of Samir Rifai, a wealthy politician and former court adviser, and asked Marouf Bakhit to form a new cabinet. Demonstrators inspired by mass protests in Tunisia and Egypt had called for Rifai's dismissal.

NYT: Jordan’s King Dismisses Cabinet After Protests

The man named by President Hosni Mubarak as his first ever deputy, Egyptian spy chief Omar Suleiman, reportedly orchestrated the brutal interrogation of terror suspects abducted by the CIA in a secret program condemned by rights groups. His role in the controversial "war on terror" illustrates the ties that bind the United States and the Egyptian regime, as an unprecedented wave of protests against Mubarak's rule presents Washington with a difficult dilemma. With Mubarak in jeopardy, Suleiman was anointed vice president last week and is now offering wide ranging talks with the opposition in a bid to defuse the crisis. Suleiman is a sophisticated operator who carried out sensitive truce negotiations with Israel and the Palestinians as well as talks among rival Palestinian factions, winning the praise of American diplomats. For US intelligence officials, he has been a trusted partner willing to go after Islamist militants without hesitation, targeting homegrown radical groups Gamaa Islamiya and Jihad after they carried out a string of attacks on foreigners.

A product of the US-Egyptian relationship, Suleiman underwent training in the 1980s at the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare School and Center at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. As spy chief, Suleiman reportedly embraced the CIA's controversial "extraordinary rendition" program, in which terror suspects snatched by the Americans were taken to Egypt and other countries without legal proceedings and subjected to interrogations. He "was the CIA's point man in Egypt for rendition," Jane Mayer, author of "The Dark Side," wrote on the New Yorker's website.

The New Yorker: Who Is Omar Suleiman?
Angry Arab News Service: `Umar Sulayman family album

Protests in Egypt continued for a seventh day today, and pro-democracy demonstrators are organizing a “march of millions” to take place tomorrow. As financial markets dip across the Middle East, financial prognosticators are trying to divine what continued unrest will mean for the economies of the Middle East and the price of oil.

One of the driving factors behind the protests is the decades-long stagnation of the Egyptian economy and a growing sense of inequality. “They’re all protesting about growing inequalities, they’re all protesting against growing nepotism. The top of the pyramid was getting richer and richer,” said Emile Hokayem of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in the Middle East.

Al Jazeera English Leads Egypt Coverage, But Most Americans Still Can’t Watch It. While some of the American TV networks are receiving praise for their coverage of the situation in Egypt (ABC News and CNN come to mind) there is little doubt that the one network receiving the most praise from media critics is Al Jazeera English. Even after the Egyptian government revoked its broadcast license, the network continued to broadcast to the rest of the world. This morning six Al Jazeera reporters were detained by the military. They have since been released, but their equipment has been confiscated.

While Al Jazeera English is available via an online stream here in the U.S., it is only available on cable TV through a few small cable providers in places like Vermont and Washington DC. Journalism professor Jeff Jarvis has started a campaign called “We Want Our Al Jazeera English Now,” but will the big guys like Comcast or Time Warner Cable take that cue? Probably not.

A Pakistani judge has banned any move to hand over to US authorities an American government employee who is under investigation for double murder.

Lahore High Court Chief Justice, Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry, ordered on Tuesday that Raymond Davis remain in prison until next week while Pakistani police investigate the shooting, a Press TV correspondent reported.

"I am restraining him (from being handed over to US authorities). Whether he has or does not have (diplomatic) immunity will be decided by the court," ruled Chaudhry. "An order is issued to put his name on the ECL (exit control list). The case is adjourned for 15 days," [Chaudhry added.]

Hundreds of Pakistani demonstrators staged protests in the eastern city of Lahore on Monday, demanding the execution of the US consulate official who shot two Pakistani motorcyclists in broad daylight in Lahore on Friday. A third Pakistani was run over and killed in the incident after being hit by a US consulate vehicle rushing to the scene to the American's aid.

AWIP: US embassy official Blackwater agent [ = CIA ]

One of the tiny group of Jews - oh, to live under deep ZOG! - permitted to give advice to Obama on Egypt (that's why the American response is so freakin' fantastic!), Elliott Abrams, actually blew him off! He had other commitments more important than advising the President of the United States in the middle of a massive diplomatic crisis which deeply concerns the only thing Elliott Abrams cares about, building a racist violent supremacist Jewish Empire in the Middle East. It is fun to watch the neocons spinning in the winds of change.

The British government is under pressure to take up the case of Bradley Manning, the soldier being held in a maximum security military prison in Virginia on suspicion of having passed a massive trove of US state secrets to WikiLeaks, on the grounds that he is a UK citizen. Amnesty International tonight called on the government to intervene on Manning's behalf and demand that the conditions of his detention, which the organisation has called "harsh and punitive", are in line with international standards. Amnesty's UK director, Kate Allen, said: "His Welsh parentage means the UK government should demand that his 'maximum custody' status does not impair his ability to defend himself, and we would also like to see Foreign Office officials visiting him just as they would any other British person detained overseas and potentially facing trial on very serious charges."

MSNBC on Bradley Manning:"Does the government have the right to arbitrarily treat a new class of prisoners as they see fit without any sort of evaluation by our Congress or legislation..."

Former Bush Ambassador John Bolton has been one of the few defenders of the Mubarak regime in Egypt after massive anti-government protests broke out there last week. Yesterday on Fox News host Sean Hannity’s radio program, Bolton continued his defense of the authoritarian regime, noting the “substantial economic growth” under Mubarak’s reign, and warned that the dictator’s downfall would “speed” the timetable for what he views as an inevitable war with Iran:

HANNITY: Do you think that the Israelis are going to have to strike — they are going to have to take action. … As you pointed out, El Baradei, you know, ran cover for the Iranians for all those years that he was with the IAEA. And, I just don’t think the Israelis have much longer to wait…they’re going to have to act in fairly short order.

BOLTON: I think that’s right. I don’t think there’s much time to act. And I think the fall of a Egyptian government committed to the peace agreement will almost certainly speed that timetable up.

Both President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have been criticized for being slow to grasp the scale of the upheaval in Egypt where tens of thousands of people have protested for days to demand the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak, a long-time U.S. ally. Clinton, in particular, was mocked for saying initially that Mubarak's government appeared "stable" before she joined Obama in toughening U.S. rhetoric over the weekend with a call for an "orderly transition" -- a signal that Washington feels the 82-year old leader's days may at last be numbered.

"The U.S. needs to break with Mubarak now," the Washington Post said in an editorial on Saturday, a demand likely to unsettle other authoritarian U.S. allies in the region ranging from Jordan to Saudi Arabia. But the speed with which Egypt's turmoil is unfolding, and the recognition of limited U.S. leverage, has left the Obama administration trying to perform a delicate dance: seeking to encourage reform without attempting to dictate Egypt's future.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has voiced concern that Egypt's uprising could lead to an Iranian-style revolution as protesters continue to demand Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's ouster.

"In a time of chaos, an organized Islamic group can take over the state. It happened in Iran and it also happened in other places," Netanyahu said at a press conference with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday.

Netanyahu's remarks were made as the Cairo regime wrestles with a wave of unprecedented anti-government protests which have pitted hundreds of thousands of demonstrators against the regime of embattled Mubarak. More than 10,000 protesters have gathered in the capital's Tahrir Square on Tuesday as the North African nation braces for a 'million man march' on the eighth day of protests.

Jason Ditz: Israeli President, Others Slam Obama for ‘Betrayal’ of Mubarak
Haaretz: Israel urges world to curb criticism of Egypt's Mubarak

You're not paranoid, they are watching you.

In the latest, probably eeriest example of civilian life imitating war, reports indicate that police all over the country want to employ high tech drones to engage in domestic surveillance operations.

That’s right – thanks to 10 years of war and the military’s drive to get increasingly sophisticated equipment to hunt down former sheepherders and poppy farmers armed with old Soviet rifles and cell phones, law enforcement here will soon be able to regularly deploy unmanned aircraft into the sky to “hover and stare” on the domestic population, engaging enough sensors and cameras – and who knows what weapons – to finally obliterate whatever expectation of privacy Americans had left.

Before you hand me a tin foil hat, just for a second think about it, the standard putdown of any conspiracy-minded individual – the Fox Mulder if you will – is that he is a card-carrying member of some “black helicopter” crowd. Well, black helicopters are being replaced by Draganflyer x6 and T-Hawk drones, and in this case, the Mulder doesn’t have to theorize – both are being employed by the government in both Texas and Colorado and purchased by urban police departments right now.

The army said on Monday it would not use force against Egyptians staging protests demanding President Hosni Mubarak step down, a statement said. It said "freedom of expression" was guaranteed to all citizens using peaceful means. It was the first such explicit confirmation by the army that it would not fire at demonstrators who have taken to the streets of Egypt since last week to try to force Mubarak to quit.

"The presence of the army in the streets is for your sake and to ensure your safety and wellbeing. The armed forces will not resort to use of force against our great people," [the army statement said.] "Your armed forces, who are aware of the legitimacy of your demands and are keen to assume their responsibility in protecting the nation and the citizens, affirms that freedom of expression through peaceful means is guaranteed to everybody."

WL Central: Army Vows Not to Shoot as Protesters make Million Man Marches in Cairo, Alexandria Today

Over the weekend, Al-Jazeera had its Cairo bureau shut down, though the network has still been able to keep reports going via call-ins and other on-the-ground dispatches. The network has also had a camera at Tahrir Square, though it's not clear how long they'll be able to keep that going. Between this and reports of the redeployment of police officers, this should raise worries of a hard crackdown by the Mubarak regime.

Al Jazeera: Live Stream

Lost tribe: Bow and arrow at the ready, and with faces contorted with curiosity, the group stare and point at the unknown object hovering in the sky

These incredibly detailed photographs offer a unique insight into the lives of one of the world's last uncontacted tribes. Spears aloft, faces daubed with vivid red paint these bewildered villagers stare up at the helicopter high above them. For them, as for those who saw them, it was a remarkable moment as the group live in total isolation in the dense Amazon rainforest along the Brazilian-Peruvian border. The aerial images were taken by Brazilian authorities, who have been monitoring the group for some time, and - concerned about their welfare - they have handed them to British charity Survival International, and other NGOs, in the hope that they can help protect their territory and preserve their isolated existence.

Fears are growing that an influx of illegal loggers from Peru could threaten their survival, by pushing back other tribes in the River Envira area and creating bloody conflict over raw materials and land. Three years ago Survival International released images of the same tribe to prove their existence and the fact that they should be protected from the loggers, who were scything their way though the rainforest. On that occasion the hunters of the group fired arrows and flung spears at the helicopter, not knowing - of course - what the helicopter was.

Mrs Watson, who has worked for Survival for 20 years, is fearful that if pressure is not put on the Peruvian government to expel the loggers, then this small cluster of tribes - and their fascinating way of life - will be lost for ever.

'I'm extremely angry and I don't understand why in our world today a lot of people don't think that these groups don't have as much rights as anyone else,' [she told MailOnline.] 'They are a fantastic example of how to live a sustainable life. They are very sophisticated and no one has a better understanding of their environment. We can learn a lot from them. 'What we are seeing is people who are living differently but they are human beings like you or me. There is a moral and ethical issue. What right do we have to tell them how to live?

Former US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld will be honored with the "Defender of the Constitution Award" at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), an annual event attended by numerous conservative activists, journalists, and politicians. WorldNetDaily columnist Brad O'Leary and American Conservative Union chairman David A. Keene will present the former Defense secretary with the award on Feb 10, according to the conference's schedule of events (.pdf). Conservative radio show host Rush Limbaugh was presented with the "Defender of the Constitution Award" at CPAC in 2009. Rumsfeld, who was Secretary of Defense under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2006, oversaw the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. He was replaced by current Defense secretary Robert Gates after a number of generals called for his resignation.

Pro-Palestinian adjunct professor preemptively fired by Brooklyn College, which struggles to explain why. An adjunct political science professor was fired Wednesday by Brooklyn College following complaints by a student and a local politician about his pro-Palestinian political views. The college maintains the instructor, graduate student Kristofer Petersen-Overton, was let go because he did not have proper credentials to teach a master's level course on Middle East politics. But there's evidence that other graduate students with the same level of experience as Petersen-Overton have had no trouble teaching advanced courses in the department both in the past and the present. And now a group of Brooklyn College professors are blasting the administration for undermining academic freedom.

The SPCA and the RCMP have launched an investigation following a report that a dogsled handler in Whistler, B.C., undertook the killing of 100 dogs when bookings slumped after the Olympic Games in Vancouver. Reports surfaced Monday that an unidentified man involved in the dogsledding operation was granted workers’ compensation after developing post-traumatic stress disorder for allegedly being forced to kill the dogs.

Vancouver Sun: Tourism lull led to ‘execution-style killings’ of 100 B.C. sled dogs -Video Report

Two University of Sheffield students have recorded a video of the Earth from the edge of space, using homemade equipment and on a shoestring budget.

The balloon was launched from Ashborne, Derbyshire on 17 December 2010, and was in flight for approximately two hours and 50 minutes, before landing in a field in Strethall, Cambridgeshire, a journey of over 100 miles. The location, which is Chris´ home town, was chosen specifically, as it was predicted that launching there would result in the device landing in a rural area. The video footage, which lasts for two hours, shows the balloon being launched at sunrise and rapidly climbing above the clouds, filming the ground below and eventually showing the curvature of the Earth´s atmosphere. The balloon, after swelling to many times its original size, eventually burst, allowing the parachute to open and the box to descend back to Earth. It is thought that at its maximum height, the balloon reached an altitude of 37km. The video also shows the box being built from scratch, and the journey to collect the device from a snowy field in Cambridgeshire.

Wikipedia: Stratosphere + Atmosphere of Earth

As if the world economy did not have enough problems already, now the riots in Egypt threaten to send the price of oil soaring into the stratosphere. On Friday, the price of U.S. crude soared 4 percent. A 4 percent rise in a single day is pretty staggering. The price of Brent crude in London closed just under the magic $100 a barrel mark at $99.42. The incredibly violent riots in Egypt have financial markets all over the globe on edge right now. Any time there is violence or war in the Middle East it has a dramatic impact on financial markets, but this time things seem even more serious than usual. Many believe that we could see an entirely new Egyptian government emerge out of this crisis, and the uncertainty that would bring would make investors all around the globe nervous. Financial markets like predictability, peace and security. If Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's 30 year reign is brought to an end, it will severely shake up the entire region, and that will not be good news for the global economy.

Some of the rioting has been motivated by economic factors, but unfortunately all of this rioting is only going to make the global economic situation even worse. Concern over all of these riots is driving up the price of oil and driving up the prices of agricultural commodities. These higher prices are going to make it even harder for the poor people in the Middle East to afford food.