Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/25070
8A – Daily News – Saturday, February 12, 2011 WORLD BRIEFING Egypt explodes in celebration CAIRO (AP) — Cries of ‘‘Egypt is free’’ rang out and fireworks lit up the sky over Cairo’s Tahrir Square where hun- dreds of thousands danced, wept and prayed in joyful pandemonium Friday after 18 days of mass pro-democracy protests forced President Hosni Mubarak to hand over power to the military, ending three decades of authoritarian rule. Ecstatic protesters hoisted soldiers onto their shoulders and families posed for pictures in front of tanks in streets flooded with residents of the capi- tal of 18 million people streaming out to cele- brate. Strangers hugged strangers, some fell to kiss the ground, and oth- ers stood stunned in dis- belief. Chants of ‘‘Hold your heads high, you’re Egyptian’’ roared with each burst of fireworks overhead. ‘‘I’m 21 years old and this is the first time in my life I feel free,’’ an ebul- lient Abdul-Rahman Ayyash, born eight years after Mubarak came to power, said as he hugged fellow protesters in Tahrir, or Liberation, Square. The military, which effectively carried out a coup at the pleas of pro- testers that it push Mubarak out, announced on state television that is was committed to shep- herding demands for greater democracy and that it would announce the next steps soon, possi- bly including the dissolv- ing of parliament and cre- ation of a transitional government to lead reforms. Mubarak’s downfall at the hands of the biggest ★★ ★ popular uprising in the modern history of the Arab world had stunning implications for the Unit- ed States and the West, Israel, and the region, unsettling authoritarian rulers across the Mideast. Analysis: Uprising forced exit, but military coup slowly filled vacuum CAIRO (AP) — It was the people who forced President Hosni Mubarak from power, but it is the generals who are in charge now. Egypt’s 18- day uprising produced a military coup that crept into being over many days — its seeds planted early in the crisis by Mubarak himself. The telltale signs of a coup in the making began to surface soon after Mubarak ordered the army out on the streets to restore order after days of deadly clashes between protesters and security forces in Cairo and much of the rest of the Arab nation. ‘‘This is in fact the mil- itary taking over power,’’ said political analyst Diaa Rashwan after Mubarak stepped down and left the reins of power to the armed forces. ‘‘It is direct involvement by the mili- tary in authority and to make Mubarak look like he has given up power.’’ Army troops backed by tanks and armored fighting vehicles were given a hero’s welcome by the protesters angry over brutal treatment by the police. The goodwill was reciprocated when the military vowed not to use force against protest- ers, a move that set them AMERICAN SELF-STORAGE 64 Mulberry Ave., Red Bluff • 527-1755 • Fully Fenced • Onsite Manager • Well Lit Property website: www.americanselfstorage.biz • RV & Vehicle parking now available $14 What a Sweet Deal!! 1st month MOVES YOU IN Some restrictions apply Good through 2/28/11 CALL NOW FOR RATES! 17 DAYS LEFT TO VOTE! apart from the much- hated police who operated with near impunity under Mubarak. The generals adopted a go-slow approach, offer- ing Egyptians carefully weighed hints that it was calling the shots. They issued statements describ- ing the protesters’ demands as ‘‘legitimate’’ and made halfhearted calls on the demonstrators to go home and allow nor- mal life to resume. Magnitude- 6.8 quake shakes Chile CAUQUENES, Chile (AP) — A magnitude-6.8 earthquake struck central Chile Friday, centered in almost exactly the same spot where last year’s magnitude-8.8 quake spawned a tsunami and devastated coastal com- munities. Electricity and phone service were disrupted and thousands of people fled to higher ground fol- lowing Friday’s quake, but the government quick- ly announced that there was no risk of a tsunami, and there were no reports of damage or injuries. President Sebastian Pinera appealed for calm and praised his govern- ment and Chileans in gen- eral for responding quick- ly. ‘‘Today we’re better prepared,’’ Pinera said. ‘‘I think we’ve learned the lesson of Feb. 27, 2010.’’ Rodrigo Ubilla, the vice interior minister, said the navy had ‘‘totally dis- counted any risk of a tsunami.’’ Republicans claim victory in spending cut package WASHINGTON (AP) — First-term Republican conservatives claimed victory Friday after forc- ing their own leadership to expand a package of spending cuts headed for debate on the House floor next week. ‘‘$100 billion is $100 billion is $100 billion,’’ said Rep. Tim Scott R- S.C., referring to amount the revised package would cut from President Barack Obama’s budget request of a year ago. That was the amount contained in the Republi- can ‘‘Pledge to America’’ in last fall’s campaign, and when party leaders initially suggested a smaller package of cuts this week, many of the 87-member freshman class who have links to the tea party rebelled. In fact, even some Republicans acknowl- edged privately the legis- lation will cut about $61 billion from current spending on domestic spending. No details were imme- diately available. The ear- lier draft legislation had called for termination of at least 60 federal pro- grams and cuts in hun- dreds more. Egypt coverage creates series memorable moments NEW YORK (AP) — The fall of Egyptian Pres- ident Hosni Mubarak’s government Friday made for a giddy day of media coverage that combined the historical sweep of an event such as the fall of the Berlin Wall with the pandemonium of New Year’s Eve in Times Square. ‘‘This is one of those days that all of us would say we’ll never forget,’’ CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer said, in words that were soon echoed in a mid- afternoon speech by Pres- ident Barack Obama. A week ago, Blitzer’s colleague Anderson Cooper cowered in a Cairo hotel room with shades drawn for a live broadcast, following two Pumpkinland Sweets FOR THE SWEET Chocolate Company Chocolates & sweets handmade by our Chocolatier • Solid milk chocolate valentine heart boxes (100% edible novelty!) • Chocolate valentines & lollypops (many sizes and styles) • Decortated gift trays • Boxed chocolate assortments Dark Chocolate * Milk Chocolate * White Chocolate * Sugar-free Dark Chocolate * Sugar-free Milk Chocolate Asparagus season opens soon! Tehama County Businesses! Online Ballots Only at www.redbluffdailynews.com Five Lucky Voters will be selected at random from all eligible ballots on March 1. Each will receive a $100 Shopping Spree at the Tehama County business of their choice! Vote for your favorite 10am-6pm daily 12000 Highway 99E, Red Bluff Ca. 96080 527-3026 days in which the Mubarak regime unleashed men to beat, intimidate and take into custody journalists who had entered Egypt to cover pro-democracy demonstrations. The cli- max of the 18-day revolu- tion came suddenly on Friday, in a short speech by Vice President Omar Suleiman that Mubarak had resigned and turned power over to the military. ‘‘It was so brief I thought I had missed it,’’ said NBC News reporter Richard Engel. ‘‘Then the crowds around me began to cheer.’’ Thousands danced in the street, waving flags, crying and cheering into the Egyptian night. The images of those scenes were key elements in all the coverage. End of the cell tower? NEW YORK (AP) — As cell phones have spread, so have large cell towers — those unsightly stalks of steel topped by transmitters and other electronics that sprouted across the country over the last decade. Now the wireless industry is planning a future without them, or at least without many more of them. Instead, it’s looking at much smaller antennas, some tiny enough to hold in a hand. These could be placed on lampposts, utility poles and build- ings — virtually any- where with electrical and network connec- tions. If the technology overcomes some hur- dles, it could upend the wireless industry and offer seamless service, with fewer dead spots and faster data speeds. Some big names in the wireless world are set to demonstrate ‘‘small cell’’ technolo- gies at the Mobile World Congress, the world’s largest cell phone trade show, which starts Monday in Barcelona, Spain. ‘‘We see more and more towers that become bigger and big- ger, with more and big- ger antennas that come to obstruct our view and clutter our landscape and are simply ugly,’’ said Wim Sweldens, president of the wireless division of Alcatel- Lucent, the French-U.S. maker of telecommuni- cations equipment. Shades of ’Seinfeld’ PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A memorable ‘‘Seinfeld’’ episode fea- tures Kramer and New- man taking thousands of cans and bottles to Michigan so they can get a nickel more per container than they would in New York, but beverage distributors say there’s nothing funny when it happens for real. In Maine, which has a more expansive bottle- redemption law than neighboring states, three people have been accused of illegally cashing in more than 100,000 out-of-state bottles and cans for deposits, the first time criminal charges have been filed in the state over bottle-refund fraud, a prosecutor said. A couple that runs a Maine redemption cen- ter and a Massachusetts man were indicted this week for allegedly redeeming beverage containers in Maine that were bought in other states. Thomas and Megan Woodard, who run Green Bee Redemption in Kittery, face the more serious charge of allegedly passing off more than 100,000 out- of-state containers — with a value of more than $10,000 — as if they had been purchased in Maine. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Sweetheart Dinner Special Steak & Lobster Tail Complete Dinner, including dessert OPEN MONDAYValentine’s Day 11am-9pm 645 Antelope Blvd. #1 Reservations recommended in Frontier Village across from the fairgrounds. 527-1420