Google faces more questions over how it dealt with other search engines
A new complaint about Google's alleged anti-competitive behaviour has been filed by specialist French search engine 1plusV.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
New Zealand earthquake: Death toll rises to 75
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has declared a national state of emergency as the death toll from Tuesday's earthquake in Christchurch rose to 75.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
G20 meeting urged to act on food price inflation
What to do about the rising price of basic goods like food is likely to preoccupy the G20 meeting
The G20 is being urged to tackle the issue of price inflation affecting basic goods ahead of a two-day meeting which kicks off later.
Brazil bishops say reality TV is bad for society
Gyselle Soares has modelled in Paris after appearing on Big Brother Brazil
Brazil's Catholic bishops have criticised the country's popular reality TV shows.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Scientists build the world's first anti-laser
Traditional lasers rely on gain mediums to produce beams of coherent light
Physicists have built the world's first device that can cancel out a laser beam - a so-called anti-laser.
Bahrain urged to show restraint after bloody clampdown
Protesters prayed for injured comrades outside Salmaniya hospital in Manama late on Thursday
Washington has urged Bahrain to show restraint in dealing with protesters and called for meaningful reform in the small Gulf state kingdom.
Japan ends Antarctic whaling season early
The BBC's Roland Buerk says the rights and wrongs of whaling is not debated publicly in Japan
Now the fisheries minister says the fleet will return home.
Sea Shepherd said the decision was "great news".
"We will however stay with the Japanese ships until they return north and make sure that they're out of the Southern Ocean whale sanctuary," Paul Watson, founder of the Sea Shepherd group, told the Agence France-Presse news agency.
Commercial whaling was banned in 1986 but Japan uses a regulation permitting hunting for scientific research.
Iceland and Norway have lodged official objections to the ban and continue to hunt commercially.
'Unjustified interference' Japan had said it had suspended its hunt on 10 February. Normally the season continues until mid-March.
Announcing that whaling was being abandoned for this season, Japan's Farm and Fisheries Minister Michihiko Kano said: "Even now the mothership is being chased, and it is difficult to ensure the safety of the crew members."
Japan's fleet involves 180 people on four ships, with the aim to kill up to 945 whales in Antarctic waters during the southern winter season.
Japan says the aim is to study their impact on fish stocks.
Few Japanese eat whale regularly, but many object to what they see as unjustified foreign interference in a cultural tradition, the BBC's Roland Buerk in Tokyo reports.
Anti-whaling nations, led by Australia and New Zealand, and environmental groups say the hunts are cruel and unnecessary.
Australia is taking legal action in the International Court of Justice against Tokyo over whaling.
Japan has stopped its annual Antarctic whale hunt before the end of the season, saying "harassment" by US activists had made it impossible to continue.
The hunt had been halted temporarily last week, after the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society chased the Japanese fleet's mother ship.Now the fisheries minister says the fleet will return home.
Sea Shepherd said the decision was "great news".
"We will however stay with the Japanese ships until they return north and make sure that they're out of the Southern Ocean whale sanctuary," Paul Watson, founder of the Sea Shepherd group, told the Agence France-Presse news agency.
Commercial whaling was banned in 1986 but Japan uses a regulation permitting hunting for scientific research.
Iceland and Norway have lodged official objections to the ban and continue to hunt commercially.
'Unjustified interference' Japan had said it had suspended its hunt on 10 February. Normally the season continues until mid-March.
Announcing that whaling was being abandoned for this season, Japan's Farm and Fisheries Minister Michihiko Kano said: "Even now the mothership is being chased, and it is difficult to ensure the safety of the crew members."
The Legalities of Whaling
- Objection - A country formally objects to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) moratorium, declaring itself exempt. Example: Norway
- Scientific - A nation issues unilateral "scientific permits"; any IWC member can do this. Example: Japan
- Aboriginal - IWC grants permits to indigenous groups for subsistence food. Example: Alaskan Inupiat
Activists' ships have been harrying the fleet for weeks in the icy seas of Antarctica.
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society says one of its boats has been blocking the main ship's stern loading ramp, preventing any harpooned whales from being loaded on to the ship. Japan's fleet involves 180 people on four ships, with the aim to kill up to 945 whales in Antarctic waters during the southern winter season.
Japan says the aim is to study their impact on fish stocks.
Few Japanese eat whale regularly, but many object to what they see as unjustified foreign interference in a cultural tradition, the BBC's Roland Buerk in Tokyo reports.
Anti-whaling nations, led by Australia and New Zealand, and environmental groups say the hunts are cruel and unnecessary.
Australia is taking legal action in the International Court of Justice against Tokyo over whaling.
US geologist loses China appeal over 'spy' conviction
Mr Xue says interrogators burned his arms with cigarettes
The eight-year jail sentence of a Chinese-born American geologist has been upheld by a Chinese court.
Egypt after Mubarak: Three ex-ministers arrested
Habib el-Adly has been blamed for deadly police violence during the protests
The authorities in Egypt have arrested three ex-ministers for corruption including the former Interior Minister, Habib el-Adly, judicial sources say.
Australian town becomes SpeedKills in safety campaign
Speed is becoming SpeedKills and resident Phil Down becomes Phil Slow Down
A small town in the Australian has decided to change it name for a month in a bid to boost road safety.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Japan and India sign free-trade deal after sales slide
India and Japan represent the fast-growing new and stagnating old guard of the global economy
Japan and India have signed a free-trade agreement that will see tariffs on 94% of goods scrapped within a decade.
Cyber war threat exaggerated claims security expert
Electronic attacks will play a part in conventional conflict, but they are not wars says Schneier
The threat of cyber warfare is greatly exaggerated, according to a leading security expert.
UK soldier killed in Afghanistan blast named
L/Cpl Marshall had led his team in the discovery of a bomb-making factory shortly before he died
A soldier killed in a blast in southern Afghanistan on Monday has been named by the Ministry of Defence.
UK unemployment total rises again
Many analysts expect unemployment to rise this year because of public sector job cuts
UK unemployment rose by 44,000 to almost 2.5 million in the three months to the end of December, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has said.
US Senator Kerry says Raymond Davis inquiry to go on
Raymond Davis says the men were trying to hijack his vehicle at gunpoint
US Senator John Kerry has said a US man arrested for killing two Pakistani men will be subjected to a criminal inquiry at home if Islamabad released him.
Libya: Protests 'rock city of Benghazi'
Fourteen people were reportedly injured during the clashes in Benghazi
Hundreds of people have clashed with police and pro-government supporters in the Libyan city of Benghazi, reports say.
US immigration agent shot dead in Mexico attack
The US government is working with Mexican authorities to investigate the shooting
A US immigration and customs agent has been shot dead and a second wounded in an attack on their car in Mexico.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Stock futures flat as retail sales data eyed (Reuters)
NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures were little changed on Tuesday as investors remained wary of indexes at loft levels, although retail sales later in the morning could drive markets.
Thareek Shodae Hazara All Parties Confrence here in Abbottabad.
Thareek Shodae Hazara All Parties Confrence here in Abbottabad.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Brazil legend Ronaldo retires from football
2002 - Brazil win fifth title (available to UK users only)
Brazilian legend Ronaldo has confirmed his retirement from football.
Seven charged by US with conspiring to aid Taliban - BBC Said
Afghanistan is dotted with poppy fields, which are used to produce opium and heroin
Seven people, including two Americans, have been charged with conspiring to aid the Afghan Taliban by selling the militant group weapons and moving drugs through West Africa, US officials say.
Mumtaz Qadri charged with Salman Taseer murder
Malik Mumtaz Hussein Qadri has become a hero to many in Pakistan
A police bodyguard who admitted assassinating Punjab Governor Salman Taseer last month has been charged with murder in a Pakistani court.
Blackburn shisha-smoker in blowtorch blast
Shisha pipes are filled with aromatic tobaccos and must be smoked outdoors
Egypt crisis: Protesters leave Tahrir Square
Egyptian security forces are removing the final protesters from Cairo's Tahrir Square after the new military rulers vowed to dissolve parliament and suspend the constitution.
China overtakes Japan as world's second-biggest economy
China's growth has been powering ahead while the wheels have come off Japan's economy
China has overtaken Japan as the world's second-biggest economy.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Nokia surrenders and enlists Microsoft in smartphone war
(Reuters Said ) - Nokia's last-ditch attempt to catch up with Google and Apple by teaming up with Microsoft Corp puts them back on the smartphone map, but gives rivals plenty of time to try and widen their lead.
Click Here To WatCH Video News
Click Here To WatCH Video News
Obama makes sales pitch for his 2012 budget
WASHINGTON (Reuters Said) - President Barack Obama made a sales pitch on Saturday for his forthcoming fiscal year 2012 budget, pledging that it would help the United States "live within our means while investing in our future. News taken By Wiki Tanoli From Reuters
China to vet inward M&A deals for national security
Feb 12 (Reuters Said ) - China will launch a state-level investment review body to check that merger and acquisition deals struck by foreign firms in one of the world's fastest-growing economies do not endanger "national security," China's State Council, the cabinet, said on Saturday.
Arrest warrant for Pervez Musharraf
Experts say that there is little prospect so far of Pervez Musharraf being indicted
A Pakistani anti-terrorism court has issued an arrest warrant for former military ruler Pervez Musharraf over the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto in 2007.
Benazir Bhutto's assassination sent shockwaves across Pakistan
Nepal PM Khanal appoints three ministers - BBC Said
Jhalanath Khanal has to deal with tricky issues in his inbox
Nepal's Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal has appointed his first ministers since being elected a week ago. BBC Said ... Wiki Tanoli
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Salman Butt investigated before spot - fixing affair - BBC
Butt has played 33 Tests for Pakistan since making his debut in 2003
Former Pakistan Test captain Salman Butt was investigated by the ICC's anti-corruption unit in connection with "suspicious" phone calls and texts from Mazhar Majeed during the World Twenty20 in the West Indies last May.
Custody of US man Raymond Davis extended in Pakistan - BBC Said
Raymond Davis says the men were trying to hijack his vehicle at gunpoint
A Pakistani judge has extended by another 14 days the detention of a US citizen arrested for killing two men in Lahore last month.
South Africa's Jacob Zuma creates $1.2bn fund for jobs
Jacob Zuma urged South Africans to send him suggestions for his speech via Twitter and Facebook
South African President Jacob Zuma has announced the establishment of a fund worth $1.2bn (£770m) to create jobs.
Social Network pips King's Speech at London
Colin Firth is expected to win the best actor Bafta on Sunday
The Social Network and The King's Speech have dominated this year's London Film Critics' Circle awards. (BBC Said)
Microsoft's Internet Explorer 9 browser goes live
Privacy and speed set IE9 apart, Microsoft said
Microsoft has said the latest version of its internet explorer web browser puts it ahead of competitors like Google and Firefox.
IE9 allows users to limit communication with other websites
Striking doctors flock to Tahrir Square : Egypt unrest
Medics say they are angry at corruption as well as low wages in Egypt
Striking doctors and a host of other workers have joined thousands of anti-government protesters in Egypt.
Egypt foreign minister criticises US calls for change
Protests and strikes in Egypt have spread out of Cairo once again
Egypt's foreign minister has rebuffed calls from Washington to speed up the pace of political reform.
Pakistan attack : Schoolboy suicide bomber hits Mardan
The BBC's Aleem Maqbool said the bomber was reportedly dressed in school uniform
A teenage suicide bomber dressed in school uniform has blown himself up at an army compound in Pakistan, killing at least 31 people, officials say.
(BBC News Say)
Lindsay Lohan pleads not guilty to necklace theft
Actress Lindsay Lohan pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to stealing a $2,500 necklace from a Los Angeles jewelry store.
Dressed all in white for a brief court appearance, Lohan, 24, was charged with a single count of felony grand theft. If convicted, the "Mean Girls" star could be sent to prison for up to three years, prosecutors say.
Lohan is accused of walking out of a Los Angeles jewelry store without paying for a gold designer necklace in January -- just three weeks after ending her fifth stint in drug and alcohol rehab in three years.
Lohan lawyer entered the not guilty plea for the actress in front of a packed courtroom and cameras televising the hearing.
Friends have said Lohan believed the necklace, which has been returned to police, was on loan.
Lohan, dressed in a long-sleeved white dress and looking calm, was expected to be released on bail, set at $20,000, later on Wednesday after being booked and photographed by court officials.
Wednesday's felony grand theft charge was the most serious allegation yet against the actress in more than three years of failed drug tests, brief spells in jail and missed court appearances.
"You are no different than anyone else, so please don't push your luck," judge Keith Schwartz told Lohan, saying the felony charge was different from previous charges against her because it is considered a more serious crime with greater punishment.
Lohan is still on probation for a 2007 drunk driving and cocaine possession offense that has halted her once promising Hollywood movie career. If convicted of the theft charge, she would also be in violation of probation, which would mean even more jail time for the troubled actress.
In early January, she completed a court-ordered three month stint in rehab and appeared to have renounced a former lifestyle that revolved around night clubs and partying.
Lohan also faces possible criminal charges for an alleged attack on a worker while in her recent rehab at the Betty Ford Center in southern California. That case is under review by prosecutors.
The actress made her name as an 11-year-old in the Disney movie "The Parent Trap" and went on to have hits with "Freaky Friday" and "Herbie Fully Loaded".
But her seemingly constant legal troubles have prevented Lohan from reviving her career. Her latest stint in rehab cost her the lead role in a planned movie about 1970s porn star Linda Lovelace. Her last movie, the action comedy "Machete" released in September 2010, made just $26.6 million at U.S. box offices.
Germany ties 1-1 with Italy in friendly soccer match
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Germany's Per Mertesacker (back) is challenged by Italy's Giampaolo Pazzini during their international friendly soccer match in Dortmund, Feb 9, 2011. |
BERLIN - Italian striker Guiseppe Rossi denied Germany the first victory in 16 years against the Azzurri with his later equalizer at Signal Iduna Park on Wednesday.
Germany had a good opportunity against the new-look Italy to wrap up a victory since 1995. Italy staged an insecure start while Germany showed good passing on poor pitch conditions.
With 16 minutes into the match, Germany opened the scoring in front of the home crowd. After a terrific one two combination, Thomas Mueller set up for Mirsolav Klose, who had no problems to drive the ball home.
As the match progressed, Italy recovered from the shock and German defender Per Mertesacker was at the end of his tether when he fouled striker Antonio Cassano inside penalty but referee Eric Braamhaar denied the penalty.
After the break, Germany eased up and tried to kill the clock but to no effect since striker Guiseppe Rossi utilized a pass into path by defender Domenico Criscito to slot home with a follow-up shot from close distance. The draw revived the match as both sides performed an exchange of attacks without the last accuracy.
Fighting for a job Japan
Japanese college students raise their fists at a rally in Tokyo Feb 8, 2011. About 1,500 students from business schools attended the rally to boost their morale ahead of their job hunt.
Japanese college students watch a cheerleader at a rally in Tokyo Feb 8, 2011. About 1,500 students from business schools attended the rally to boost their morale ahead of their job hunt.
DPRK, ROK talks end with no progress
BEIJING - Working-level military talks between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea (ROK) at the truce village of Panmunjom ended in an impasse on Wednesday.
An official from the ROK's Defense Ministry told Yonhap News Agency on condition of anonymity that the talks stalled and both sides were unable to reach an agreement on a date for future dialogue.
Discussions between colonels from both sides lasted for two days, and their meeting was the first dialogue since the exchange of fire at the ROK's Yeonpyeong Island in November.
Analysts said the deadlock was possibly due to the ROK's demand that Pyongyang apologize for the attack on the island and the sinking of the ROK warship Cheonan last March, which the DPRK denies having caused.
"Our stance has not changed. A higher-level military meeting will be possible only if the DPRK takes responsible measures for the attacks on Yeonpyeong Island and the Cheonan warship and promises not to carry out any more provocations," an ROK Defense Ministry spokesman told Yonhap after the military meeting.
Xinhua News Agency reported that the DPRK condemned Seoul's bid to take Pyongyang's uranium enrichment program to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper of the DPRK's ruling Workers' Party, published a commentary warning that the ROK's attempt would escalate the confrontation between the two sides.
The article stressed that the DPRK's uranium enrichment program is for peaceful purposes and Seoul will not benefit from its attempt to refer the issue to the UNSC "along with outside forces". It also warned that such moves will hamper the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
"The ROK's actions in recent years have shown that policy of the current Lee Myung-bak government toward the DPRK shares no common ground with the 'Sunshine Policy' (pursued by the previous ROK administration of president Roh Moo-hyun)," said Zhang Liangui, an expert on Korean affairs at the Central Party School in Beijing.
"Seoul has set the condition that the DPRK must give up its nuclear program if it expects more economic assistance and cooperation," Zhang said.
Fortunately, some signs of an easing in cross-border tension continue to exist with the ROK agreeing in principle to hold talks with the DPRK about reunions of separated families and other humanitarian issues.
"We conveyed our agreement to hold the Red Cross talks, as it is important for the DPRK and the ROK to discuss and resolve such issues of humanitarian concerns," ROK Unification Ministry spokeswoman Lee Jong-joo told a media briefing, according to AFP.
The last round of temporary reunions for families separated by war 60 years ago took place last November, before the attack on Yeonpyeong.
In a survey by Professor Eun Ki-soo of Seoul National University, the proportion of ROK respondents with a positive view of reunification with the DPRK dropped from 58 percent in 1995 to only 12.3 percent in 2008, according to a report in the Straits Times newspaper.
China Daily - Agencies
$1b to help battle worst drought in 60 years
2.6 million people suffer shortages of drinking water
BEIJING - The government will spend $1 billion to battle the drought plaguing huge areas in the north, as wheat prices continued their climb and the UN warned of serious consequences for the winter harvest.
The drought is the worst in six decades in many areas, and has left a swathe of grain-producing regions reeling from a lack of any significant rainfall in more than three months.
The government will spend at least 6.7 billion yuan ($1.02 billion) to divert water to affected areas, construct emergency wells and irrigation facilities, and take other measures, the State Council, or the Cabinet, said in a statement on Wednesday after an executive meeting chaired by Premier Wen Jiabao.
The move was included in a 10-measure package to spur grain production and tackle the persisting drought, which poses a grave threat to wheat production.
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Wheat is generally grown in the north, while rice is primarily cultivated in the wetter south.
The State Council warned the situation could worsen, saying rainfall across northern China for the foreseeable future would remain "persistently below normal levels and major rivers will continue to be generally dry".
Some 2.57 million people and 2.79 million livestock are suffering from drinking water shortages, official figures showed.
The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) also issued a warning on Tuesday over the impact on the winter wheat crop.
"The ongoing drought is potentially a very serious problem," the Rome-based agency said.
Eight major grain-producing provinces, including Shandong, Jiangsu, Henan, Hebei and Shanxi, have been affected. Together they produce more than 80 percent of China's winter wheat.
The situation in the regions could become critical if temperatures dropped further this month and a spring drought followed the winter one, the FAO said.
By Wednesday, a total of 7.8 million hectares of winter wheat had been affected by the drought in the eight provinces, accounting for 42.4 percent of their total wheat-sown area, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.
Concerns about the impact of the drought sent wheat prices on the Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange soaring nearly across the board on Wednesday.
Prices of a key contract had hit a "historic high" of 2,865 yuan per ton on Tuesday, the Chinese finance website Hexun reported, without specifying.
President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen paid separate visits to stricken areas last week and called for "all-out efforts" to fight the drought.
Footage from CCTV on Wednesday showed withered crops in parched farmland in Shandong, which could suffer its worst drought in 200 years.
Wheat prices in China have also been rising rapidly in the last few months. Average flour prices in the country rose more than 8 percent in January from the previous two months, the FAO said.
"China's grain situation is critical to the rest of the world - if they are forced to go out on the market to procure adequate supplies for their population, it could send huge shockwaves through the world's grain markets," the New York Times quoted Robert S. Zeigler, director- general of the International Rice Research Institute in Los Banos, the Philippines, as saying on Tuesday.
But Chinese agricultural experts believed it is still too early to predict a decrease in the country's wheat output.
"We can still expect a wheat harvest if these regions have sufficient rainfall next month," Lu Bu, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, told China Daily on Wednesday.
China Daily
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Facebook and Google size up takeover of Twitter: report
In December, Twitter raised $200 million in financing in a deal that valued it at $3.7 billion. The company, which allows users to broadcast 140-character messages to groups of followers, had 175 million users as of September.
The Wall Street Journal reported on its website that executives at Twitter have held "low level" talks with executives at Facebook and Google in recent months about a possible takeover of Twitter.
Citing people familiar with the matter, the WSJ said other companies have also held similar talks.
"But what's remarkable is the money that people familiar with the matter say frames the discussions with at least some potential suitors; an estimated valuation in the neighborhood of $8 billion to $10 billion," the report said.
The paper said the talks have so far gone nowhere and that Google, Facebook and Twitter all declined to comment.
Despite the valuation, the report said Twitter's executives and board were working on building a large, independent company.
"People familiar with the situation said the company believes it can grow into a $100 billion company," the WSJ said.
Twitter, created in 2006, is among a crop of popular Internet social networking services that includes Facebook, Zynga and LinkedIn.
A growing secondary market has developed in shares of the privately held Web sensations and investors are monitoring the companies closely in the hope they might float shares.
It was only in the middle of 2010 that Twitter offered marketers a way to advertise on the service.
Industry research firm eMarketer said last month that Twitter, which doesn't disclose financial information, generated an estimated $45 million from advertising in 2010 and is expected to generate some $150 million this year.
Google, the world's number 1 Internet search engine, generated roughly $29 billion in revenue in 2010 and Facebook, recently valued at $50 billion, produced about $1.9 billion, eMarketer said.
(Additional reporting by Alexei Oreskovic; writing by Neil Fullick, Editing by Dean Yates)
Protesters keep up momentum as Mubarak refuses to quit
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: Parliament moved after protesters overflow into nearby area
- Egypt's foreign minister tells PBS that Mubarak exit would mean chaos
- The protests expand beyond Tahrir Square into a government compound
- The momentum keeps up Wednesday as massive crowds show up again
The government again sought to portray the imminent threat of chaos if the octogenarian president, Hosni Mubarak, were to end his 30 years of autocratic rule by stepping down right away.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit told PBS' "NewsHour" Wednesday that the military might have to intervene if that were to occur.
"Do we want the armed forces to assume the responsibility of stabilizing the nation through imposing martial law, and the army in the streets?" Aboul Gheit asked rhetorically. "For the army to rule, to step in, to put its friends on the scene, that would be a very dangerous possibility."
Protests going strong in Cairo
Freed prisoners tell their stories
Egypt getting mixed signals?
A new 'normal' for Egypt?
Aboul Gheit told PBS that Mubarak's interest was to protect the stability of the most populous nation in the Arab world. That's why he will not accede to the protesters' demands that he relinquish power immediately, he said.
"He thinks that it would entail chaos and it would entail violence and it would entail also opportunities for those who would wish to act in a manner to threaten the state, the stability of the country and society," Aboul Gheit said.
Human Rights Watch has put the death toll at more than 300 since the January 25 rally that ignited the movement.
"Instead of running scared, the regime is fighting back with both words and violence to quash its opponents, portraying the opposition as a foreign-backed, un-Egyptian group of conspirators," Human Rights Watch said Wednesday on its website. "Sadly, its propaganda campaign appears to be as crude as its actual physical crackdown has been."
The protests were largely peaceful Wednesday, with demonstrators in one rally composed solely of children who chanted anti-Mubarak slogans. "We want the whole regime to end because they are not making our lives any easier," said 11-year-old Yousef Saeed.
Some of their older relatives said they had brought the children to the square to witness history unfolding. "It is the birth of freedom," said Saeed's uncle, Mohammed Mostafa. "Witnessing this event will engrave in them love of this nation, loyalty, freedom and respecting change. I want them to be free."
But the prospect of freedom was competing with the cost of living as a motivator for some Egyptians, 20% of whom live in poverty. "Whether Hosni stays or Hosni goes, what's important is that the youth get jobs," said Amgad, a mother of three living an hour outside Cairo, in the rural town of Fayoum on the Nile Delta. Her work at a doctor's office earns her $30 per month -- not enough to pay the electricity bill.
Egyptian protesters shift tactics
Museum looters caught in Egypt
How wealthy is Egypt's Mubarak?
U.S. student home from Egypt
On the streets of Cairo, the people showed no signs of relenting. They chanted, "Mubarak is a thief."
The embattled president, meanwhile, went about business as usual Wednesday, meeting with his foreign minister and Russia's deputy foreign minister, state-run television showed.
The unrest extended beyond Cairo. Two people were killed and others were wounded in clashes with police in southern Egypt, state TV reported. A journalist said the hostilities stemmed from complaints about a member of the police force in Kharga.
In the northern town of Port Said, protesters attacked the governor's building over a land and housing dispute, state TV said.
The protesters were galvanized by the tears and words of an activist who was seized by security forces and held for 10 days before he was released Monday.
"If you are true Egyptians, if you are heroic Egyptians, it's time to step down," Wael Ghonim told CNN Wednesday in a message directed to the ruling elite. The 30-year-old Egyptian father of two administered the Facebook page that is widely credited with calling the first protest. Ghonim, on leave from his job at Google in Dubai, said he was prepared to die for the cause.
"Kidnap me, kidnap all my colleagues!" Wael Ghonim said in comments that challenged Vice President Omar Suleiman to try to undo his efforts and those of his supporters. "Put us in jail! Kill us! Do whatever you want to do. We are getting back our country. You guys have been ruining this country for 30 years. Enough! Enough! Enough!"
Mubarak's regime said Tuesday that it had discussed a number of reforms with leaders of various opposition groups and appointed a panel to look into amending the constitution. But its insistence that Mubarak's immediate exit was a recipe for chaos elicited impatience from the Obama administration.
Washington is calling on its African ally to expand negotiations with opposition groups, lift the 30-year state of emergency and make constitutional changes to bring about democratic elections.
But White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs expressed impatience Wednesday with the pace of progress on those matters. "I think it is clear that what the government has thus far put forward has yet to meet a minimum threshold for the people of Egypt," he told reporters.
A short White House statement on U.S. Vice President Joe Biden's telephone conversation with Vice President Omar Suleiman used the word "immediate" or "immediately" four times.
Biden "urged that the transition produce immediate, irreversible progress that responds to the aspirations of the Egyptian people."
The statement also hinted the White House harbors doubts as to whether the Egyptian government is seriously committed to reforms, referring to the regime's statements as "what the government is saying it is prepared to accept."
Meanwhile, an Arab diplomat said that Saudi Arabia would consider matching the more than $1.5 billion in military aid that the United States provides each year to Egypt if Washington were to cut it.
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