Quote:"The oil field is in disputed territory in between Iranian and Iraqi border forts," he said, adding that such incidents occur quite frequently.

An official of the state-owned South Oil Co in the southeastern city of Amara, and west of the field, said: "An Iranian force arrived at the field early this morning (Friday).

"It took control of Well 4 and raised the Iranian flag even though the well lies in Iraqi territory," the official added.

"An oil ministry delegation is to travel to the area on Saturday to assess the situation."

Quote:Tension between the US and Iran heightened dramatically today with the disclosure that Barack Obama is deploying a missile shield to protect American allies in the Gulf from attack by Tehran.



The US is dispatching Patriot defensive missiles to four countries – Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait – and keeping two ships in the Gulf capable of shooting down Iranian missiles. Washington is also helping Saudi Arabia develop a force to protect its oil installations.



American officials said the move is aimed at deterring an attack by Iran and reassuring Gulf states fearful that Tehran might react to sanctions by striking at US allies in the region. Washington is also seeking to discourage Israel from a strike against Iran by demonstrating that the US is prepared to contain any threat.

Quote:Egypt allowed at least one Israeli and 11 American warships to pass through the Suez Canal as an Iranian flotilla approaches Gaza. Egypt closed the canal to protect the ships with thousands of soldiers, according to the British-based Arabic language newspaper Al Quds al-Arabi.



One day prior to the report on Saturday, Voice of Israel government radio reported that the Egyptian government denied an Israeli request not to allow the Iranian flotilla to use the Suez Canal to reach Gaza, in violation of the Israeli sea embargo on the Hamas-controlled area.

Quote:SANAA, Yemen – Tens of thousands of people called for the Yemeni president's ouster in protests across the country on Thursday inspired by the popular revolt in Tunisia.



[size="5"]The demonstrations led by opposition members and youth activists are a significant expansion of the unrest sparked by the Tunisian uprising,[/size] which also inspired Egypt's largest protests in years. They pose a new threat to the stability of the Arab world's most impoverished nation, which has become the focus of increased Western concern about a resurgent al-Qaida branch, a northern rebellion and a secessionist movement in the south.

Quote:Israeli security experts are casting an uneasy eye at the civil unrest spreading through the region.



On Thursday, Yemen joined the list of Arab states experiencing unprecedented demonstrations calling for authoritarian leaders to step down, and Egypt braced for more civil unrest.



While no analysts here predict any immediate ramifications for Israel’s national security, some said mass protest movements that begin as pro-democracy uprisings could easily be hijacked by Islamists.



“We need to understand that we are living on a volcano,” said Maj.- Gen. (res.) Ya’acov Amidror, former head of the IDF’s Research and Assessment Directorate.



“Conditions can change from today until tomorrow. We must ask ourselves, what is the worst case scenario,” he said. “We are on thick ice, but even that melts eventually."

Quote:The American Embassy in Cairo helped a young dissident attend a US-sponsored summit for activists in New York, while working to keep his identity secret from Egyptian state police.



On his return to Cairo in December 2008, the activist told US diplomats that an alliance of opposition groups had drawn up a plan to overthrow President Hosni Mubarak and install a democratic government in 2011.



The secret document in full



He has already been arrested by Egyptian security in connection with the demonstrations and his identity is being protected by The Daily Telegraph.



The crisis in Egypt follows the toppling of Tunisian president Zine al-Abedine Ben Ali, who fled the country after widespread protests forced him from office.

Quote:The documents show how Washington repeatedly pressed its ally to improve its treatment of dissidents and grant greater freedom of speech.



Protests in Egypt, inspired by the popular demonstations that resulted in the overthrow of the Tunisian government, are expected to come to a head today as thousands of worshippers emerge from Friday prayers.



In an interview broadcast live on YouTube on Thursday, Mr Obama said that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has been "an ally of ours on a lot of critical issues."



But Mr Obama added: "I've always said to him that making sure that they're moving forward on reform, political reform and economic reform, is absolutely critical to the long-term well-being of Egypt."



William Hague, the Foreign Minister, has also urged Mr Mubarak to respond to the "legitimate" grievances of protestors.

Quote:Saudi authorities detained hundreds of demonstrators on Friday in Jeddah who gathered to protest against poor infrastructure after deadly floods swept through Saudi Arabia's second biggest city, police and witnesses said.



Some Jeddah streets remained submerged on Friday, and electricity was still out in low-lying parts of the city two days after torrential rains caused flooding that killed at least four people and swept away cars.



The protest came after mass messages sent over BlackBerry smart phones called for popular action in response to the flood, an unusual move in the Arab state at a time of spreading anti-government unrest across the Arab world.



Protesters gathered for about 15 minutes after Friday prayers on a main Jeddah shopping street and shouted 'God is Greatest' before authorities broke up the protest and detained participants, a witness who works in a nearby shop told Reuters.



One police officer said around 30 protesters were detained and police were pursuing others who fled to a nearby building. Another officer put the number held at around 50.



About 12 police cars surrounded the building where protesters were hiding, and 30 more blocked off the street near where the protest happened.

Quote:Thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets again in Jordan. They are protesting inflation, unemployment, and corruption, and demanding sweeping electoral reforms.



The new wave of demonstrations broke out after Friday Muslim prayers in Amman and several other cities across the kingdom. Protesters chanted slogans, including some calling for corrupt officials to be put on trial.



Friday's protests were the latest in a series of demonstrations that began two weeks ago in the wake of steep increases in food and fuel prices.



The demonstrations have put pressure on King Abdullah, as the demonstrators call for sweeping political reforms that would result in his relinquishing the power to appoint top government officials

...



The protests are [color="#FF0000"]led largely by left-wing groups[/color] who call attention to the disparity between the rich and poor in Jordan. Hashem Abu Hassan is part of a coalition of labor groups and was among those organizing demonstrations in Amman on Friday.

Quote:The Suez Canal and the Suez Canal pipeline transport about 4.5 million barrels of oil per day between the two, so when oil investors/traders see protesters on tanks in the Suez, it creates panic because they’re concerned about the delicate balance between supply and demand on the world’s oil.



Any disruption in oil supply spikes prices, and these events are certainly cause for disruption.



Also very important is the geographic location — just across the canal is Saudi Arabia — the world’s largest producer of oil. If this unrest spills over into Saudi Arabia, prices could double to [size="5"]$200/barrel[/size]!

The effect on the U.S. economy would be disastrous and hamper the economic recovery.

Quote:Egyptian elites are fleeing the country, according to Al Jazeera.

They include both the country's rich, and otherwise famous.



Reports say they are fleeing by private jet.



No word on whether or not the Sawiris, all worth more than 1 billion, have fled or are still in the country.

Quote:6:58 PM: OK, here's the short version:

Obama is not throwing Mubarek under the bus...yet.

However, he made it clear that any attack on peaceful protestors might herald the end of American support.

That said, Obama appeared to suggest that if Mubarek is serious about reform he will have U.S. support.





Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/if-youve-just-tuned-in-heres-whats-happening-in-egypt-2011-1#ixzz1COuQ7i9v

Quote:[Updated 7:40 p.m. (0240 in Egypt)] A senior U.S. State Department official said Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak "was not particularly forthcoming" in his speech early Saturday. "Our initial impression is that he emphasized security far more than reform," said the official, who wasn't authorized to speak on the record.



A senior Muslim Brotherhood leader echoed those sentiments in an interview with Al Jazeera Arabic, saying that Mubarak has to step down and the military should intervene, according to Al Jazeera.