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Egypt

ARABICA - A Daily Shot Of What the Arab World is Saying/Hearing/Sharing

ARABICA - A Daily Shot Of What the Arab World is Saying/Hearing/Sharing

All signs in and out of Egypt say the revolution will not be turning back.

A R A B I C A ارابيكا

By Kristen Gillespie

ARAB HUMOR

*All signs in and out of Egypt say the revolution will not be turning back. Rumors circulating all day in diplomatic and journalistic circles about a highly anticipated speech from President Hosni Mubarak, where the embattled leader may announce his resignation. Protesters, meanwhile, have been unleashing a very different kind of weapon: the Arab world's famously wicked sense of humor. Photographs and placards mercilessly mocking Mubarak and his government is yet another sign that what pro-democracy activists are calling "the wall of fear" has truly fallen.

*A member of the 61,000-strong facebook group "We are all Khaled Said" that is driving the youth-led protests in Egypt posted this picture

of two scuba divers holding up a sign reading, "The fish want the regime to resign."

*An email circulating features pictures of signs mocking President Hosni Mubarak. This one, referring to the leader's 30-year grip on power, reads: "The carpenters of Egypt want to know: what kind of glue are you using?"

*Another poster features hieroglyphics, with the corresponding Arabic letters underneath spelling out the word "L-E-A-V-E." Underneath is written:"Maybe in hieroglyphics you'll understand, Pharoah."

*An email being forwarded among Jordanians takes the names of popular American movies and television shows and comes up with their Jordanian equivalents:

"The Usual Suspects' becomes: "The Muslim Brotherhood"

"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets' becomes: "Samir Rifai and the Lower Chamber of Parliament," a reference to the recently resigned prime minister whom protesters forced out of office.

"The Social Network" becomes: "The Tribe."

TWITTERING

*@naglarzk tweeted a comment from recently released Google executive Wael Ghonim: "President Mubarak is paying the price for his lack of interest in the youth movement and killing a large number of young people."

*On his own twitter feed, Ghonim paints the end he sees coming: "I feel that the pen is writing the last line and soon enough we will turn the page and draw our future with our own hands."

*@demaghmak sees another unlikely digital hero of the revolution: "After the Egyptian revolution, heads of state will roll out the red carpet to welcome Mark Zuckerberg as he arrives in their countries."

REALITY VIDEO

*An unnamed child in the Egyptian port city of Alexandria leads a protest: "Hosni Mubarak!" he shouts. "Down, down!" the crowd answers. "Prime Minister} Ahmed Shafiq!" "Down, down!" Other chants include, "revolution until victory" and "Good morning, Mubarak – this is your last day."

*In Tahrir Square, protests sang along with a musician… and the lyrics are simple: "We are all one, we all ask one thing: LEAVE LEAVE LEAVE!"

Feb. 10, 2011

photo credit: illustir

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FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War

Black Sea Survivor: Tale Of A Ukrainian Special Agent Thrown Overboard In Enemy Waters

This is a tale of a Ukrainian special forces operator who wound up surviving 14 hours at sea, staying afloat and dodging Russian air and sea patrols.

Black Sea Survivor: Tale Of A Ukrainian Special Agent Thrown Overboard In Enemy Waters

Looking at the Black Sea in Odessa, Ukraine.

Rustem Khalilov and Roksana Kasumova

KYIV — During a covert operation in the Black Sea, a Ukrainian special agent was thrown overboard and spent the next 14 hours alone at sea, surrounded by enemy forces.

Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, with our exclusive international coverage.

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The agent, who uses the call-sign "Conan," agreed to speak to Ukrainska Pravda, to share the details of nearly being lost forever at sea. He also shared some background on how he arrived in the Ukrainian special forces. Having grown up in a village in a rural territory of Ukraine, Conan describes himself as "a simple guy."

He'd worked in law enforcement, personal security and had a job as a fitness trainer when Russia launched its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022. That's when he signed up with the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Main Directorate of Intelligence "Artan" battalion. It was nearly 18 months into his service, when Conan faced the most harrowing experience of the war. Here's his first-hand account:

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