A wave of revolt is sweeping through the Arab world, and the last two weeks have seen mass protests all the way from Algeria to Yemen. Richard Lemmer powers on with Ctrl.Alt.Shift's news blog, and brings you the latest on the gripping events in the Middle East...

Egypt activists publish demands 

A loose coalition of activists in Egypt have begun to coordinate a set of demands that go further than demanding the immediate resignation of President Mubarak.

Groups within the protest movement have been meeting in Tahrir Square, Cairo, to discuss the larger movement’s direction and then issuing proposals over loudspeakers to gage public reaction.

Demands have included not just the resignation of President Mubarak (whose family fortune could be worth as much as £43 billion according to some experts) but also the entire ruling party.

The government has met with opposition groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood, but no resolution has been agreed. Noble peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei, seen by many as a key opposition figure, has criticised the recent governmental talks for not engaging with the popular protest movement.

Ahdaf Soueif, an Egyptian author, told the Guardian, “Genuine opposition politics in this country has always relied on people taking the initiative, and that’s what we’re seeing here - on a truly astounding level…there is more transparency and equality here in Tahrir than anything we’ve ever seen under the Mubarak regime; anyone and everyone can have their say, and that makes the demands that come out of the process even more powerful.”

Algerian man tries to set himself on fire at protest 

An unemployed Algerian man has tried to set himself on fire during a protest outside the Algerian Employment Ministry. According to Samir Laaribi, a spokesperson for the National Committee of the Rights of the Unemployed, the activists were demanding a decent job for every Algerian and unemployment benefit equal to half the minimum wage.

According to official figures, Algeria’s unemployment rate is roughly 10%, while for young people the figure is over 20%. Algerian opposition groups have said they will continue to organise a protest march for later this week, despite president Abdelaziz Bouteflika promising to meet some of their demands.

Abu Bendjoudi, one of the organisers of the protest outside the Employment Ministry, told Reuters, “What are those people at the top doing? They do not have the right to be there…if the government does not make an effort (to reduce unemployment), catastrophe approaches. What happened in Egypt and Tunisia risks coming here.”

Tunisian man sets himself on fire in protest

Aymen Ben Belgacem, a 21 year-old unemployed man from the Gafsa region of Tunisia, has set himself on fire in protest at the economic conditions of Tunisia and to draw attention to his “deplorable social conditions,” according to Ammar Amrousia, a union official. Belgacem is in a critical condition in hospital.

A recent UN report has found that the recent unrest in Tunisia killed over 219 people. In a recent protest in the town of Kef, police shot dead two activists, and injured a further 17.

Protest in Yemen

Over 20,000 anti-government activists have protested in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, in a “day of rage” aimed president Ali Abdullah Saleh. The protest called for Saleh, who has been in power for more than 30 years, to step down immediately.

The activists marched through the capital chanting “the people want regime change” and “no to corruption, no to dictatorship.”  At another protest, police opened fire on a crowd, leaving one activist critically wounded.

Abu Bakr, the foreign minister of Yemen, said, “I think the frustrations of younger generations are universal in the Arab world…in this dark tunnel, we can see light at the end of it.”
According to the BBC, Yemeni President Saleh has said he will not seek to extend his presidency when his current term expires in 2013.

 Words: Richard lemmer

Photos: Flickr user abjam77 and gwenflickr