Egypt (and Beyond) Live Coverage: At Least 7 Killed in Clashes on Anniversary of Uprising

Scenes in Port Said today, from announcement of death sentences to violence that has killed at least 30 people

See also Syria Live Coverage: Insurgents Storm The Prison in Idlib
Saturday's Egypt (and Beyond) Live Coverage: The 2-Year Anniversary of the Uprising

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2105 GMT: Mali. French military officials say that French and Malian Government forces have taken control of Gao, one of three cities held by insurgents in the north since last spring.

Swooping in by land and by air and under the cover of darkness, French and Malian forces came under fire on Saturday morning and continued to face sporadic "acts of harassment" through the day, Colonel Thierry Burkhard said. He had no immediate estimate on casualties.

The Ministry of Defense later issued a statement that Government control was already being established, including the return of the mayor.

1805 GMT: Bahrain. The Bahrain Center for Human Rights has claimed that 18-year-old Hasan Abdulhadi Mushaima was seized and abused by security forces on Wednesday in an effort to get information about protesters.

Mushima's brother was the first person killed by security forces after the beginning of mass protests in February 2011. His father and uncle were detained, and his uncle is still in prison. BCHR says the family home "has been repeatedly attacked with tear gas and raided by security forces".

1715 GMT: Egypt. The death toll in the Port Said clashes today is now 30, with more than 300 injured.

Earlier, fans of Cairo's Ahly football team celebrate after 21 death sentences were handed down in Port Said, most of them on supporters of the rival Port Said team. The case stemmed from last year's deadly events in the Port Said football stadium when 74 people died.

1445 GMT: Iraq. Parliament has passed a law intended to block Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki from a third term.

The law restricts the posts of Prime Minister, Speaker of Parliament, and President to two four-year terms. It still needs the President's approval and is likely to face court challenges from al-Maliki's supporters.

1435 GMT: Egypt. The death toll in Port Said is now 28 --- 26 civilians and two police officers.

Rawya Rageh reports on the entry of armed forces into the city:

People tried to prevent military tanks from entering #PortSaid by sitting on ground, some brought down flags from tanks #Egypt

— Rawya Rageh (@RawyaRageh) January 26, 2013

1350 GMT: Egypt. Ahram Online reports the first death from Friday's protest in Cairo's Tahrir Square.

The unidentified man died in hospital today after he was hit by birdshot in the chest.

1336 GMT: Mali. French forces have seized the airport and the bridge over the Niger River at the insurgent stronghold of Gao, the French Ministry of Defence said today.

French and Malian Government troops have advanced rapidly in the last two weeks after Paris put in ground troops, supported by aerial attacks against the Islamist forces.

1316 GMT: Bahrain. A policeman slaps a senior member of the opposition Al Wefaq, Abdulla Alsaba'a, during Friday's protests in the capital Manama:

1310 GMT: Egypt. The death toll in Port Said is now 22, with 250 people injured.

The Egypt Independent has posted the names of 21 men sentenced to death, six of them in absentia, which aparked the deadly clashes.

1157 GMT: Egypt. Authorities now say 17 people --- 15 civilians and two police officers --- have been killed and 209 wounded in Port Said.

1150 GMT: Iraq. Mourners at the funerals of seven anti-government protesters, killed by Iraqi troops on Friday near Fallujah, have called on Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to quit.

Gunmen reportedly killed two policemen later on Friday in retaliation for the deaths.

1140 GMT: Egypt. At least 11 people are dead and dozens injured in clashes in Port Said, following this morning's court verdict of 21 executions over last year's deaths of 74 people in the city's football stadium.

Protesters gathered in front of a prison where the defendants are held. Later they stormed police dorms located in front of the main hospital, looting them before setting them on fire.,?p>

A police station and a news channel's minibus have also been burned.

Army forces have been deployed in the Suez Canal area. Trains are stopping at Ismailiya, the major station before Port Said, while residents of Port Said have blocked the highway to Ismailiya.

1024 GMT: Egypt. Two policemen have been shot dead outside a prison in Port Said, shortly after a court handed down 21 death sentences over the killing of 74 people in a football stadium last year.

Protesters and families of the condemned had gathered at the prison.

0856 GMT: Egypt. Twenty-one defendants have been given death sentences over football clashes killed 74 people in Port Said last year.

Families of victims of football stampede raise portraits of their kin. Some crying. Shouts of "Allahu Akbar" - approving judge's decision

— פלסטין משוחררת (@SultanAlQassemi) January 26, 2013

Families of those sentenced to death reportedly tried to storm the prison where the men are held.

The court's decision can be appealed. If it is upheld, Egypt's Grand Mufti will decide whether to carry out the executions.

A verdict against the remaining 52 defendants --- including nine senior police officers --- accused of attacking and killing fans of Cairo's Ahly football team, has been adjourned to 9 March because of new evidence submitted by the public prosecutor.

0746 GMT: Palestine. Dozens of Palestinian activists are attempting to resurrect the village of Bab al-Karamah, five days after their first encampment was demolished by the Israeli military.

Bab al-Karamah is the latest effort by activists to establish a village in Palestinian terroritory near Jerusalem in the E1 zone. The Israeli Government is supporting the establishment of Jewish settlements in the area.

Activists returned to Bab al-Karamah on Friday and performed the weekly prayer before re-erecting tents and planting olive trees.

0740 GMT: Mali. French and Malian troops have captured the town of Hombori in the north, moving closer to the insurgent stronghold of Gao.

To the west,French-led forces who recaptured the town of Diabaly on Monday were pushing towards the town of Lere. They then hope to take control of Timbuktu further north.

The three cities of Gao, Timbuktu, and Kidal were seized by an alliance of Tuareg fighters and Islamist groups last spring. The two groups later split, with the Islamist holding the cities.

Insurgents blew up a key bridge at Tassiga, which would have given African troops gathering in Niger to the south easy access to Gao.

The first detachment of troops, from Burkina Faso, joined French and Malian Government forces this week. More than 2000 Chadian soldiers are now in Niger.

0735 GMT: Egypt. The Guardian posts a series of dramatic photos from Friday's clashes --- this one is by Amr Nabil of AP:

0645 GMT: Egypt. At least nine people have been killed and 476 wounded in clashes between protesters and security forces during rallies and protests on the second anniversary of the uprising against the Mubarak regime.

Seven demonstrators, including at least four teenagers, and a soldier were slain in Suez amid fighting near the Governorate building. Stones and Molotov cocktails were thrown, and the building was set on fire.

The other death was in Ismailia.

President Mohamed Morsi sent army troops to Suez, saying, "Egypt's [security] apparatuses will chase the criminals and bring them to justice. They are also doing their best to protect and secure the peaceful demonstrations."

Protesters demanded the establishment of an official minimum wage and a suspension of the new Constitution, passed by referendum last month. Some  want Morsi to step down from power, and many chanted slogans against the Muslim Brotherhood.

Fighting also broke out near Cairo's Tahrir Square, and police fired tear gas at protesters in Alexandria. Headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood and its Freedom and Justice Party were sacked in Ismailia and Damanhour.