Some scenes and thoughts from watching AlJazeera live and other sources. Newest entry on top.

End of day comment:

Mubarak, after taking advice from Washington, has today installed three high militaries – Suleiman as VP,  Anan as second VP, Shafik as Premier Minister – as his follow on triumvirate. All three are well known and loved in Washington and Tel Aviv. Mubarak sent his children and their families to London. It seems Washington told him to get ready to step down if needed and, if he has to step down, to hand his military dictatorship over to Washington's selected officers. Washington may then later find or not find a better solution. 

Meantime Mubarak is trying to create chaos and fear by first pulling all police, even traffic police, from the streets for over 24 hours and then sending some of them back in civil cloth to loot and do other bad things. Some people who called AJ to report about looting seem to have been stooges supporting that strategy.

After the big win against the regime on Friday and the peaceful big demonstrations today the people are unlikely to accept these machination. The protests will continue.

The military has decided not to act against the people. That could change later, though I find it unlikely after seeing the ways the people and soldiers colaborated today.

ElBaradei is now nicely positioning himself as an interim leader within some temporary national unity government. That would be a good solution in my view.

—live blogging from today below in time reverse order—

Alexandria – some neighborhoods report no tap water

AJ just repeated the swearing in ceremony of Suleiman. After reading his oath, Suleiman gave a military(!) salute to Mubarak (both were in civil outfit).

AJ reports – Officials say NOTHING has been stolen from the "looted" museum [another hint towards a government "looting" strategy] – things have just been put on the ground and two mummies are damaged

19:00 GMT – 21:00 Cairo

Alexandria by phone – reporter has eyewitness reports of looters killed by civilians – some reported no tap water – residents chasing looters in the streets

AJ reporter – state TV claims some Muslim Bortherhood have been jailed for looting – reporter doesn't trust the report of MB looting — thinks it is government nati-MB campaign.

Steve Clemons of The Washington Note on Suleiman: Omar Suleiman: Egypt's Own George Mitchell

Egypt was selected by the Arab League to lead these talks — and Suleiman became the Egyptian "George Mitchell" for these unity efforts. Fatah and Hamas came close several times to a deal — but ultimately, the United States privately conveyed to Mubarak and to Suleiman that it didn't want to see the process succeed.
…
Suleiman, intel chief and now Egypt's VP, was America's proxy.

Cairo – Two vans with blue flashlights in Tahrir square – protestors let them pass – can not see if police or ambulances, but assume ambulances

Alexandria – by phone – protests ongoing – complete breakdown of law and order – young man with clubs and chains looting – people create civil patrols in their area to prevent looting – there was a protest march against him after announcement of Suleiman as VP

18:00 GMT – 20:00 Cairo

Alexandria – by phone – protesting people shouting against Suleiman – police has released thugs that are looting

Cairo – AJ reporter -  no police, security forces has been seen on the streets for 24 hours – reporter says that Interior Ministray has 1.2 million on its force – they just "melted away" – or are looting …

Baradei in Arabic on AJ – calls for system change – moving faces within the system not enough – wants new national government – Mubarak hasn't got the message – countries (U.S.) should recalculate – Baradei calls on the youth to protect Egypt and property and for the army to protect the people

Cairo AJ reporter says has been getting several reports from eyewitnesses – looters where caught and had government issued security service identification – other looters also described as security service people on motorcycle – reporter says same happened in Tunisia – sees regime intend to create chaos

Cairo live camera – people in Tahrir Square shouting slogans – still several thousand at least

The Angry Arab: The US is cooking in Egypt

Aljazeera is reporting that Egyptian Army's chief-of-staff, `Anan, who was in Washington, DC until yesterday, will be sworn in as the second vice-president of Egypt. The man (Mubarak) who always insisted that there is no need for a vice-president, now has two. The US is clearly trying to abort the change agenda of the Egyptian people but I doubt that the mass genie which is out of the bottle–how is that for a cliche?–will put up with that plot.

Mubarak's children reported to be in London now [rats … ship]

Cairo – View form AJ studio – pretty empty – a few cars, few people – Tahrir Square seems to get emptier

AJ: Military is reinforcingin  all areas to increase security everywhere

17:00 GMT – 19:00 Cairo

Suez – phone report – army starts to enforce curfew – without violence so far – throughout the day army did not intervene in looting says the reporter

Cairo live TV – about a quarter of the people in Tahrir Square bowing in neat rows for evening prayer

Baradei interview – people need real change – Mubarak has to go – wants a substantive transition from authoritarian to a democratic system 

[I get the feeling that this "we turn the program over now to our looting reporting phase" is somehow scripted]

Another caller to AlJazeera – whining loud about looting – waiting for police – no military there – but doesn't describe any looting he has witnessed himself – "they are coming from the poor areas" – says where he is there are civilians in the street guarding the shops and streets [so why does he whine?]

AJ now shows pictues from inside a museum that was a bit looted yesterday – later civilians protected the museum with a human chain -  military in museum now – looks like some, but small damage

Another caller on AlJazeerah – whining about looting – but has not seen any himself it seems [has U.S. slang in his English – likely a stooke in my view]

[Seems clear to me now that Suleiman is the U.S. selected person. Just replacing the dictator …]

WSJ

The king said protesters had been "exploited to spew out their hatred in destruction . . . inciting a malicious sedition,'' according to the statement, posted on the English website of the Saudi Press Agency.

[Looting could be government goons, setting the scene they need to denounce demonstraters. Could also be just normal criminals.]

AJ just had a call from another part of Cairo with reports of looting.

[That sounds like the U.S. accepts (selected) these folks but for PR reasons must push for some 'action' now]

Tweed from State spokesman Crowley

The #Egyptian government can't reshuffle the deck and then stand pat. President #Mubarak's words pledging reform must be followed by action.

[Still a military dictatorship with all top figures high rank military folks – bad move by Mubarak – he should have tried some civilians – but maybe Washington told him to stick with folks they know well]

Ahmed Shafik named new Prime Minister:

a fighter pilot who served as the commander of Egyptian Air Force from 1996–2002, and was nominated in 2002 to become the Egyptian Minister for Civil Aviation

[Suleiman/Soliman could be the selection of the higher military command – he is one of them]

Several analysts asked by AJ think the naming of Suleiman/Soliman VP will not be enough to stop the protests

16:00 GMT – 18:00 Cairo

Cairo – reporter – 8 prisoners have been killed in clashes with the police at a prison in Suz(?) – some vandalism, looting in a luxery shop street

Foreign Policy Review (now defunct) wrote (scroll down) about Suleiman in 2010:

A known quantity at the Pentagon, the CIA and State Department, Suleiman is also well respected in Israel, Jordan and Saudi Arabia—America’s most critical Middle Eastern allies. As the Obama administration struggles to restart Palestinian-Israeli peace talks and strengthen its anti-Iran coalition in the Middle East Suleiman’s diplomatic and intelligence background could prove to be a valuable asset.

Interview with NDP party speaker – "responding to the demand of people", "reform may not exchange faces", "Presdent can delegate to Vice Presdent" [or can not], "Mubarak is elected President" – calls people in the street "mob"

Cairo – Reporter says people in Tahrir Square already chant against Suleiman

Zainoba of Egyptian Chronicles wrote two years ago about Suleiman (also transliterated as Soliman):

I know that the West is seeing a candidate in Soliman because they consider Egypt as a Military police dictatorship and Soliman is a military contrary to GM and he is also an excellent diplomat with the foreign world ,still this is not enough.

Cairo live – now rows of people parying in the Tahrir Square

Alexandria – by phone – reporter says Suleiman was often seen but never heard – Egyptian can not judge his character – too loyal to Mubarak 

Wiki: Omar Suleiman:

Suleiman has acquired a more public profile while trying to broker a deal between the different armed Palestinian groups vying for power in Gaza as the top presidential envoy from President Hosni Mubarak as well as brokering deals or truces between the Palestinians and Israel. His perceived role in negotiations between Palestinian groups gave him the image of an effective behind-the-scenes figure in the Egyptian government as well as identifying him as potentially useful to foreign governments such those of the Arab countries, Israel, the Palestinians and the United States.

[Could that be the U.S. plan – a CIA stooge with good connections to Israel made VP, Mubarak steps back, VP becomes President?]

Intelligence chief Suleiman just made Vice President [the first VP in 30 years]

[the current AJ main talker is an annoying too fast talking agressive woman that asks the wrong questions]

Interview with some Muslim Brotherhood bigwig (Fotouh) – hopes for peaceful ower transfer – calls on people to stay  constrained – calls for Mubarak to setp down – wants national transition unity government – then new parliamentary election – points to U.S. and Saudi influence that keeps Mubarak going

Cairo – a M60 main battle tank loaded with protesters slowly crawling through the street

AJ reporter in Cairo says more people today in the streets than yesterday [my impression too]

[Yesterday AJ showed people praying in roes on the street – no such scene today. Does that mean that the Muslim Brotherhood, which did take part yesterday, is not on the street today?]

15:00 GMT – 17:00 Cairo

Cairo – an M113 armourd personal carrier driving through Tahrir Square with some 30 civilians standing on top of it

Cairo – AJ reporter talked with tank commander – has no heavy ammunition for the tank gun, only for personal AK47 assault rifle [very good news]

[Circular news: The AJ studio talker announced the three people dead "according to Reuters", Reuters writes on its website (live.reuters.com/Event/Unrest_in_Egypt) at 3:28pm "Al Jazeera reports 3 protesters dead after attempt to storm Egyptian interior ministry"]

Three people dead after attempt to storm Interior Ministry

[Carried body could be show]

AJ live with feed from Tahrir (Liberation) Square now – looks pretty packed – several 10,000 people – reporter said some were carrying a dead(?) body through the crowd – crowd demanding the murderer – another camera had a short view of the body, immediately cut away – now back – a huge procession following

Some senior politician resigned from ruling NDP party [rats … ship]

14:00 GMT – 16:00 Cairo – start of official curfew

[I agree with Issandr that the military deployment is meager. Big tanks are not really useful for crowd control – they can be rushed by 'infantry' and can be blocked off. The number of M113 infantry carriers we see is not big either. Those aluminum cans on tracks (they burn well) hold 10 infantry soldiers each. With those dozens deployed we see that are only a few hundred men. Much less than the police numbers we saw yesterday and without chance with these big crowds.]

Issandr has a new piece up: The army and the people

Going around central Cairo today, it strikes me the deployment of the army is quite meager considering the circumstances. The crowds are very pro-army, I filmed an amazing moment when a charismatic one-star general addressed the public and spoke of the importance of maintaining public order. People kept shouting, are you with or against Mubarak? He answered that his mission is making sure the looting stops, and that the issue of who governs if the people's decision, not the army's, and that government should be civilian.
…

About a 1,000 people trying to storm Interior Ministry downtown Cairo – ministry seen as torture house

Heavy gunfire said to be heard at printing house of central bank [someone needs money?]

State TV reports a burned police station in a southern city

Cairo – live video – crowds, marching groups/columns seem to get bigger – tanks surrounded with people, very relaxed for now – some civilians directting traffic  – a military column of M60 tanks moving with civilians directing traffic for them – reporter says civilians handing flowers to soldiers

AJ talking to some leftist professor of the American University in Cairo and head of some worker groups – she calls for a general strike.

[Mubarak has few options now. Ordering the military to enforce the curfew will either not happen, when the military will not follow orders, or will be VERY bloody as the crowds are huge and still growing. The second would probably also lead to even bigger protests.]

ElBaradei on phone with AJ – appeals to army to stay on the side of the people

Cairo live – ongoing marches – people a bit euphoric – one M60 surrounded by some 2,000 people (my estimate), soldiers on top – central bank says all banks should close – one protester, elder man, with a piece of cloth with  "Israel head for death" written on it – state TV warns of violating the curfew (in 50 minutes) – to hold curfew will be impossible – roads are full with either cars or protesters

Alexandria live – ongoing peaceful protests – people act against vandalism – caught thieves get handed over to the military

13:00 GMT – 15:00 Cairo

AJ talking with some Egyptian analyst currently in Johannesburg – AJ presses for ElBaradei – analyst says not so sure, the soccer association is more popular and more involved – people did not like that he was absend during the last weeks – but analyst says Baradei could be an interim figure

Issandr El Amrani is back in Cairo and has a current report and his thoughts at The Arabist – seems to confirm what we see.

Human Rights Watch guy from Alexandia by phone – protests all around the city – several thousands – no uniformed police but some armed civil police in the street – hospitals overwhelmed with wounded – life ammunition shots – total dead in Alexandria at least 36 – protesters relatively firendly to soldiers, bring tea to them, but wonder what they will do when they get orders to shoot 

[AlJazeera is totally pro-protesters and anti-Mubarak – not sure that is officially intended but it is just so.] 

Cairo – video – soldiers sitting relaxed on tanks, drinking tea – protesters around shouting – one man climbs onto a tank, kisses soldier – waves flag jumping up and down – is asked by soldier to get back down – does so

Cairo – live video – two columns of protesters just met – some 10-20,000 (my estimate) shouting slogans, showing flags – no special type of people – socially mixed crowd, but not many women

Cairo – video  – protesters passing between tanks that seem to have been meant as a road block – soldiers do nothing

[Wondering who will enforce the curfue. No police has been seen today but the soldiers may need relief at some time and it could be that the likely hated police will come out again.] 

Cairo – live video – outside state TV offices – several hundred+ protesters – a thin line of security forces – green cloth, red helmets – holding hands cordoning off an area – in front of them a row of civilians also holding hands – looking towards the protesters – protecting the security forces – behind the red helmet line in the cordoned off area soldiers in sand color fatigue – relexed but with assault rifles

Alexandia via phone – ongoing protesters – civilians regulating traffic – local police officer in civil cloth recognized, attacked by protesters – pictures from Alexandia morgue – some 20 bodies – reporter says another place has at least 8 more – total dead count now over a hundred

12:00 GMT – 14:00 Cairo

Cairo AJ says 50,000 protesters in Tahrir Square – live video feed from AJ offices shows several thousand marching in direction of Tahrir Square – roads towards Tahrir said to be blocked by many military

4:00pm – 8:00am curfew annonced for today

Cairo – video – Oct6 bridge full of cars – groups of some 300 protesters walking along – no police – more protests expected for the afternoon

Alexandria via phone – people lining in front of ATMs withdrawing money – videos shows several burned police vans – people shaking hands with soldiers – groups of protesters

11:15 GMT – 13:15 Cairo

Press TV reports that Israeli embassy personal in Cairo has been evacuated by helicopter and flown to Tel Aviv

Cabinet has now officially resigned – no new cabinett annonced yet

Phone interview with Iranian analyst Marandi – sees this as major loss for the U.S. – compares with Iranian revolution – "the region is changing" – U.S. ties to Israel are the problem

Video pictures from inside a morque in Cairo, five bloody corps – 30 dead there is said – angry people in front of the morgue

[interviewer is pushing NDP guy pretty hard]

Phone interview with NDP (ruling party) functionary (Boutros) – "Mubarak showed response to the people" – defends government and "elected president" – warns of chaos – "we admit mistakes" – (video now shows some broken shop windows – mobile phone shop, bank) – says security people have been killed – laments about looting – "criminals are loose now" – does not want answer further questions

Suez by phone – some dead people in the morgue riddled with bullet holes – 1-2,000 protesters in the street now 

Alexandria by phone – small gatherings of protesters – most of the dead were young twenty-somethings 

Cairo – more demonstrators marching towards Tahrir Square – video shows groups of people discussing with soldiers – Army asked people not to amass – is obviously not followed – view from AJ office shows protesters on Oct. 6 bridge around a burned out police truck trying to push it over – about a hundered people are protesting in front of a three tank (2xM60 1xM113) roadblock – only about 20 soldiers standing in a wide line in front of the tanks – have helmets with visors and assault rifles in hand – no police visible – protesters start walking away from them

10:00 GMT – 12:00 Cairo

Violent clashes reported in a city Ismaila(?) north of Cairo

Cairo – video at a military roadblock – officer comes towards camera – seems to want it stop filming – cut

Cairo – by phone – reporter at a morgue – people waiting for their dead – furious 

Suez – by phone – 2-300 protesters in the main street marching to the government building now – senior military officer says unofficialy to reporter that he will disregard orders to shoot if given, wants president down – no police in the street

Alexandria – by phone – protesters in a moving march – noise of protest slogans calling fro regime change – army in various positions around town protecting government buildings – provincial administration, mayor building police stations are burned out – bodies reporters has seen at morgue had bullet wounds, other bodies completely disfigured

Cairo studio – view shows some car traffic on the bridges crossing the Nile which have been fought about/on yesterday – pictures of a group of 500 protesters

Cairo – gunfire reported – video shows some protesters in the street – military blocks roads to state TV and Foreign Ministry 

9:00 GMT – 11:00 Cairo

Cairo – Reuters: police fire shoots in central Cairo square

Cairo – interview with some Egypt blogger – says protests will continue – high level of army loyal to Mubarak

Cairo video – 20-30 burned out civil vehicles inside the perimeter of  the still burning NDP party headquarter

Suez – phone interview – "orderly chaos" – army deployed in all the city covering banks – people not sure what to think about the military – ambivalent – 15 dead from yesterday at the morgue

Cairo – mobile phones now working again – some hundred people coming to Tahrir (Liberation) Square, the center of yesterdays protests- bridge in view from AJ stiudio Cairo seems to have been cleaned of yesterday's burned police vehicles

Alexandria – phone interview – all police stations burned down – 23 dead from yesterday in the morgue

Cairo – early morning video – some burned out M113 military tracked vehicle – more M113 and M60 main battle tanks deployed – people seem somewhat neutral to military

8:00 GMT – 10:00 Cairo