Thousands of people took to the streets in Egypt in a fifth day of protests Jan. 29, despite President Hosni Mubarak appearing on TV to announce he is sacking his government. In Cairo, after police used rubber bullets and tear gas to break up a protest at the Interior Ministry on Tahrir Square, they resorted to real bullets—leaving some ten protesters dead. Clashes with police are also reported from Ismailiya and Alexandria, where several police stations were torched. At least six are reported dead in Alexandra, including one police officer. Police finally retreated in Alexandra, leaving the city in the hands of protesters. Opposition activist Mohamed ElBaradei, who arrived in the country three days earlier, called for Mubarak to step down, saying "the Egyptian people have revolted against 58 years of repression." (NYT, Jan. 29; BBC News, AlMasry AlYoum, AlMasry AlYoum, Reuters, Jan. 28)

The US is doing away with the color-coded terrorism alerts adopted by the Bush administration in the wake of 9-11, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced in the State of Homeland Security address at George Washington University on Jan. 27. The following day, Russia's Duma voted to adopted such a system in response to this week's deadly bombing at the Moscow airport. (UPI, Jan. 28; RTT, Jan. 27)

A US company apparently sold Egypt technology to monitor Internet and mobile phone traffic—now being used by the regime to crack down on communications as protests erupt across the country. Boeing-owned, California-based Narus sold Telecom Egypt, the state-run Internet service provider, "real-time traffic intelligence" equipment, more commonly known as Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) technology. DPI is content-filtering technology that allows network managers to inspect, track and target content from Internet users and mobile phones as it passes through Web routers.

Tunisia's interim regime followed through on its pledge to replace the cabinet of ousted president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali Jan. 28, sacking the ministers of defense, interior and exterior. The changes were announced by Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi—himself a target of resignation demands by protesters who continue to take to the streets.

More than 1,000 protesters have been detained in Egypt as demonstrations against the 30-year reign of President Hosni Mubarak entered their third day on Jan. 27. Protests were held Cairo, as well as the port city of Suez, and are reportedly spreading across the country. In Suez, police resorted the use of rubber-coated bullets, water cannons and teargas, after protesters burnt down a police post. On Jan. 25, Egypt's Ministry of Interior announced it would no longer tolerate the protests, which have resulted in several deaths. Meanwhile, Nobel Peace Prize winner and Egyptian opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei has expressed his willingness to lead a transitional government. Elbaradei, who previously led the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said he is planning to return to Egypt to join the protests.

The new governor of Mexico's conflicted Oaxaca state, Gabino Cué Monteagudo, was sworn in last month after winning on the ticket of United for Peace and Progress Coalition, made up of all the state's major opposition parties (PAN, PRD, PT and Convergencia). But much of the state bureaucracy remains loyal to the long-entrenched machine of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). Upon taking office, Cué says he found the bureaucracy crippled by years of endemic corruption. "There were no computers," he said. "We found that the staff payroll didn't match who actually was working... The bank statements were out of balance. The state automotive fleet was in terrible shape." Cué also faces local conflicts in 47 of the state's 570 municipalities, where local elections were annulled because of irregularities. (Miami Herald, Jan. 26)

US military agencies in September 2010 signed contracts for construction at Tolemaida, Larandia and Málaga bases in Colombia worth nearly $5 million, according to documents obtained by the anti-war group Fellowship of Reconciliation. US military contracts for Tolemaida in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30 were larger than the last four years combined.

Thousands again took to the streets of Sana'a Jan. 27, calling for the resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. "It's over Saleh, your time is up!" chanted a crowd of students, rattling the gates of Sana'a University. The protests are organized by an opposition coalition, including the Islamist party Islah, as well as the Socialist and Nasserite parties. Emphasizing a commitment to nonviolence, the protesters have adopted pink as their color, but warned that they will escalate to "red" to press their demands if necessary. (The Guardian, The Lede, Jan. 27)