Egypt gives public workers a big raise.

[uscitizen]

Just saw that on a news ticker a while ago.

 

[Ropey]

Finding jobs is more important and that's where they really need help. I mean, you saw the Camels, right? Eighty million people and the unemployment rate is only for the populations of the cities and the tribal authorities. Not "out there" in the boonies.

I've been to Egypt many times. Like much of the Muslim countries, they have some major cities and squalor and then poverty full ahead.

The MB get their most fanatic from the squalor. That's where they spend much of their time.

 

[waltky]

Let's send Pete Seeger over there to sing some union organizin' songs...

Strikes erupt as Egypt protesters defy VP warnings
9 Feb.`11 — Thousands of state workers and impoverished Egyptians launched strikes and protests around the country on Thursday over their economic woes as anti-government activists sought to expand their campaign to oust President Hosni Mubarak despite warnings from the vice president that protests won't be tolerated much longer.

Some 8,000 protesters, mainly farmers, set barricades of flaming palm trees in the southern province of Assiut, blocking the main highway and railway to Cairo to complain of bread shortages. They then drove off the governor by pelting his van with stones. Hundreds of slum dwellers in the Suez Canal city of Port Said set fire to part of the governor's headquarters in anger over lack of housing. Efforts by Vice President Omar Suleiman to open a dialogue with protesters over reforms have broken down since the weekend, with youth organizers of the movement deeply suspicious that he plans only superficial changes far short of real democracy. They refuse any talks unless Mubarak steps down first.

Showing growing impatience with the rejection, Suleiman issued a sharp warning that raised the prospect of a renewed crackdown. He told Egyptian newspaper editors late Tuesday that there could be a "coup" unless demonstrators agree to enter negotiations. Further deepening skepticism of his intentions, he suggested Egypt was not ready for democracy and said a government-formed panel of judges, dominated by Mubarak loyalists, would push ahead with recommending its own constitutional amendments to be put to a referendum.

"He is threatening to impose martial law, which means everybody in the square will be smashed," said Abdul-Rahman Samir, a spokesman for a coalition of the five main youth groups behind protests in Cairo's Tahrir Square. "But what would he do with the rest of the 70 million Egyptians who will follow us afterward." Suleiman is creating "a disastrous scenario," Samir said. "We are striking and we will protest and we will not negotiate until Mubarak steps down. Whoever wants to threaten us, then let them do so," he added.

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See also:

Analysis: Egypt military in power grab amid unrest
Feb 9,`11 -- After two weeks of protests, Egypt's military now has four of its own in the nation's top government posts and thousands of its soldiers providing security in the streets.

The military, already the country's most powerful institution, has taken advantage of the unrest to solidify its authority, using a combination of force and public relations to deliver what amounts to a soft coup in a country where it is widely viewed as the ultimate guarantor of national interests. Vice President Omar Suleiman, a former army general and chief of intelligence, issued a veiled threat that the army could go even further. He warned that an outright coup could take place if the protests by tens of thousands continue in Cairo's central Tahrir Square.

It was a strong hint that the military could move to impose martial law and snuff out the protests, which have grown since Jan. 25, demanding the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak and the implementation of sweeping democratic reforms. "We cannot bear this for a long time," Suleiman told a round-table briefing of newspaper editors on Tuesday. "There must be an end to this crisis as soon as possible." The mention of a coup left the circle of editors in stunned silence, media reports of the meeting said.

Suleiman may have been bluffing, but some analysts believe the military could be left with a limited number of options, especially if the strikes and protests grow in number or intensity. "If this thing continues or grows, the military will have to decide whether to stage a coup and order a crackdown," said Michael W. Hanna, an Egypt expert at the New York-based Century Foundation. "In the meantime, the situation will not change unless the army decides to change it." Holding so much sway is not new for the Egyptian military.

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[waltky]

Just like Arafat, Mubarak got his...

Mubarak used last 18 days in power to transfer wealth to untraceable overseas accounts
Sunday 13th February, 2011 - Western intelligence sources have claimed that former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak had transferred his vast wealth into untraceable accounts overseas within 18 days of political unrest in that country.

Mubarak is accused to have gathered a fortune of over three billion pounds, though some people believe that it could be as much as 40 billion pounds, during his 30 years in power, The Telegraph reports. It is claimed that his wealth was tied up in foreign banks, investments, bullion and properties in London, New York, Paris and Beverly Hills, it added. Mubarak has strong connections to London and it is believed that he might have kept many millions in the UK.

On Friday, Swiss authorities had announced that they were freezing Mubarak and his family's assets in the country's bank. Meanwhile, pressure is also being reportedly built on Britain to freeze his assets. According to a senior Western intelligence source, Mubarak had begun moving his fortune in recent weeks.

"We're aware of some urgent conversations within the Mubarak family about how to save these assets. And we think their financial advisers have moved some of the money around. If he had real money in Zurich, it may be gone by now," the paper quoted the source, as saying. The revelations have come after the ruling military council, which took over from Mubarak on Friday, confirmed that it would eventually hand over power to an elected civilian government.

Mubarak used last 18 days in power to transfer wealth to untraceable overseas accounts

See also:

Egypt shutters banks after new protests from employees, police
February 13, 2011 -- Egypt's new government on Sunday ordered banks closed for the next two days after protests by National Bank workers apparently drove out the head of the institution.

The chairman of the National Bank of Egypt, Tarek Amer, told employees via e-mail that he submitted his resignation on Sunday, according to a person who received the message. "I was saddened because I could not enter the bank's building today due to hundreds of protesting employees," the e-mail said, according to a bank employee, who was not authorized to speak to the media and asked not to be named.

Amer was joined by two of his deputies and the bank's head of human resources, according to the message. It was not clear whether the resignations have been accepted. But Sunday evening, Egyptian state television announced that the country's lenders would be shut down until Wednesday. The announcement asked employees to consider the national interest in the wake of the revolt that drove longtime President Hosni Mubarak from office on Friday. The military council that took power from Mubarak has urged Egyptians to help bolster the country's economy, which had been paralyzed during the protests.

Sameh Shoukry, Egypt's ambassador to the United States, said Sunday that the new government has made restoring security and reviving commerce its top priorities. "The Egyptian economy has suffered during this period of unrest, and was suffering from the global recession with a rising unemployment rate," Shoukry told CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS."

Bank workers complained that members of Mubarak's family put their allies into positions of power at the bank with grossly inflated salaries. But the National Bank's headquarters in Cairo continued to function during Sunday's protests, with disgruntled staff taking turns to work and demonstrate. There were reports of protests at branches of the Bank of Alexandria and the Bank of Egypt as well.

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[California Girl]

Just like Arafat, Mubarak got his...

Mubarak used last 18 days in power to transfer wealth to untraceable overseas accounts
Sunday 13th February, 2011 - Western intelligence sources have claimed that former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak had transferred his vast wealth into untraceable accounts overseas within 18 days of political unrest in that country.

Mubarak is accused to have gathered a fortune of over three billion pounds, though some people believe that it could be as much as 40 billion pounds, during his 30 years in power, The Telegraph reports. It is claimed that his wealth was tied up in foreign banks, investments, bullion and properties in London, New York, Paris and Beverly Hills, it added. Mubarak has strong connections to London and it is believed that he might have kept many millions in the UK.

On Friday, Swiss authorities had announced that they were freezing Mubarak and his family's assets in the country's bank. Meanwhile, pressure is also being reportedly built on Britain to freeze his assets. According to a senior Western intelligence source, Mubarak had begun moving his fortune in recent weeks.

"We're aware of some urgent conversations within the Mubarak family about how to save these assets. And we think their financial advisers have moved some of the money around. If he had real money in Zurich, it may be gone by now," the paper quoted the source, as saying. The revelations have come after the ruling military council, which took over from Mubarak on Friday, confirmed that it would eventually hand over power to an elected civilian government.

Mubarak used last 18 days in power to transfer wealth to untraceable overseas accounts

See also:

Egypt shutters banks after new protests from employees, police
February 13, 2011 -- Egypt's new government on Sunday ordered banks closed for the next two days after protests by National Bank workers apparently drove out the head of the institution.

The chairman of the National Bank of Egypt, Tarek Amer, told employees via e-mail that he submitted his resignation on Sunday, according to a person who received the message. "I was saddened because I could not enter the bank's building today due to hundreds of protesting employees," the e-mail said, according to a bank employee, who was not authorized to speak to the media and asked not to be named.

Amer was joined by two of his deputies and the bank's head of human resources, according to the message. It was not clear whether the resignations have been accepted. But Sunday evening, Egyptian state television announced that the country's lenders would be shut down until Wednesday. The announcement asked employees to consider the national interest in the wake of the revolt that drove longtime President Hosni Mubarak from office on Friday. The military council that took power from Mubarak has urged Egyptians to help bolster the country's economy, which had been paralyzed during the protests.

Sameh Shoukry, Egypt's ambassador to the United States, said Sunday that the new government has made restoring security and reviving commerce its top priorities. "The Egyptian economy has suffered during this period of unrest, and was suffering from the global recession with a rising unemployment rate," Shoukry told CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS."

Bank workers complained that members of Mubarak's family put their allies into positions of power at the bank with grossly inflated salaries. But the National Bank's headquarters in Cairo continued to function during Sunday's protests, with disgruntled staff taking turns to work and demonstrate. There were reports of protests at branches of the Bank of Alexandria and the Bank of Egypt as well.

MORE

Many of those 'untraceable' accounts have already been found, and frozen.

 

[waltky]

Hosni gonna have to show `em the money...

Probe sought of Mubarak family's purported fortune
Feb 13,`11 -- Switzerland has frozen whatever assets Hosni Mubarak and his associates may have there, and anti-corruption campaigners are demanding the same of other countries. But experts say hunting for the deposed Egyptian leader's purported hidden wealth - let alone recovering it - will be an enormous task.

Mubarak's actual worth remains a mystery. A recent claim that he and his sons Gamal and Alaa may have amassed a fortune of up to $70 billion - greater than that of Microsoft's Bill Gates - helped drive the protests that eventually brought him down. "Oh, Mubarak, tell us where you got 70 billion dollars!" protesters chanted in demonstrations before Egypt's ruler of 30 years was driven from office Friday, and left Cairo for a gated compound in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. Corruption was endemic in Mubarak's Egypt where 40 percent of the country's 80 million people live on $2 or less a day, and critics accused officials of usurping the nation's wealth. Egyptians have long complained of an unspoken policy of sweetheart deals that allowed top officials and businessmen to enrich themselves.

In recent days, watchdog groups and private lawyers have demanded that the country's chief prosecutor launch criminal investigations against the Mubaraks and some of their wealthy associates. Scores of former government officials have already been banned from travel and several, among them four former Cabinet ministers, have had their assets frozen. How far these investigations will go ultimately depends on the political will of Egypt's leadership, said Eric Lewis, a partner with Washington-based law firm Baach, Robinson & Lewis, which specializes in international asset tracing and has done work in Kenya and Pakistan. "What you often find is that while there's a kind of political impetus that seems to want to do it, the reality is that the real urge for transparency is more symbolic than real," Lewis said.

Far-reaching corruption probes could test the resolve of senior military officials who are running the country in the transition period. Some warn that a purge of Egypt's tycoons could make economic recovery from the political crisis more difficult. Anti-corruption campaigners are calling for a speedy investigation and are urging countries other than Switzerland to freeze assets pre-emptively. "It's going to be a very difficult task, but in the interest of public money, things need to move now," said Omnia Hussien, Egypt expert at the advocacy group Transparency International.

The Mubaraks have never publicly discussed their assets. Hosni Mubarak's official monthly salary as president, counting benefits, came to 4,750 Egyptian pounds ($808), in 2007 and 2008, according to a Cairo think tank. Rumors of hidden riches, such as expensive real estate in Britain, the United States and elsewhere, were fueled by the cozy ties between the Mubaraks and Egypt's business elite. The sale of state companies and public land for cheap, starting in the 1990s, were key sources of enrichment for the two sides, said Ahmed Elsayed Elnaggar, editor of Egypt's Economic Report. "Privatization ... is the biggest corruption process in Egypt all over its history, from the period of the pharaohs, until now," he said.

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