Tunesia, Egyt and now Yemen: a domino effect in the Middle East?

I'm just recalling the angry and defensive speeches that Mubarak made two weeks ago (and he hasn't spoken publicly since). I can't begin to guess what he's going to say.

Well, this is probably correct. But the protesters doubtlessly see it as a major victory, and they should.

Even if the VP stays in power, he's already been largely curtailed by the events which have taken place.

Cycloptichorn

I understand but I doubt the protesters are going to be crowding the streets bringing Egypt to a standstill forever and then the spotlight will be off.

On the other hand; I have read somewhere that someone said, (vague I know) that you can't put the genie back in the bottle, and I hope that remains true even after this all subsides.

7:43pm GMT: The Associated Press tries to make sense of the Egyptian military moves today, after its leadership announced on national television that it had stepped in to secure the country and promised protesters that all their demands would be met.

The military's moves had some trappings of an outright takeover, perhaps to push Mubarak out for the army to run the country itself in a break with the constitution. But comments by Mubarak's aides and his meetings with the top two figures in his regime – Vice President Omar Suleiman and Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq – before his speech suggested he may try to carry out a constitutionally allowed half-measure of handing his powers to Suleiman while keeping his title as president.

And here's more detail on the announcement:

The military's dramatic announcement in the early evening appeared to show that that its supreme council, headed by Defense Minister Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, had taken the reins of leadership.

Footage on state TV showed Tantawi chairing the council with around two dozen top stern-faced army officers seated around a table. Not at the meeting were Mubarak, the military commander in chief, or his vice president Suleiman, a former army general and intelligence chief named to his post after the protests erupted January 25 and has led regime efforts to resolve the crisis.

7.50pm GMT: It will be a footnote in history, if that, but Egyptian prosecutors have filed charges today against three former ministers and a prominent businessman of abusing their position and misusing public money, according to state television.

If this takes hold and proven, it should be the final noose that hangs Mubarak.

Yaknow, I gotta say. There's been a lot of criticism of Obama for the way he's acted or the things his office has said during this crisis.

Seems to me that 95% of the complaints have been bullshit.

Cycloptichorn

He's getting an awful lot of heat from the leaders throughout the middle east. I think Americans, for the most part, have been behind him.

8:02pm GMT: On the information minister's statement (below) that Mubarak is "definitely not going to step down," my colleague Chris McGreal in Cairo comments:

It might be a question of nuance. If Mubarak transfers powers but retains the title then technically he hasn't stepped down.

Still waiting for Mubarak to appear on television.

7.57pm GMT: Egypt's information minister Anas el Fekky has told Reuters: "The president is definitely not going to step down", shortly before Hosni Mubarak's address to the nation is broadcast.

And if you can't believe the information minister, who can you believe? Two words: Baghdad Bob.

From the NYT blog

Ashraf Khalil, a freelacne journalist reports via Twitter from Cairo's Tahrir Square:

Wife tweeting for me as I am in Tahrir Square: mood is beyond Euphoric. Saw a Conga line chanting "Hosni's leaving tonight."

If Mubarak somehow doesn't leave in an hour, Tahrir is going to explode. Many protests strongly reject the idea of Omar Suleiman in power.

Chants from Tahrir Square: "We're the internet youth; we're the youth of freedom."

Tahrir square happiest place on earth... so many Egyptians had given up on themselves and their ability to change things.

Watching the Egyptians regain that sense of power and ownership is thrilling. I am starting to tear up;

More chants from Tahrir Square: "The pilot, the pilot, your plane awaits you" (all chants rhyme in Arabic so sound better...):

Mubarak's speech is now 30 minutes late.

Yeah, but the last time he was scheduled to speak at 10:00 local time, it was actually midnight.

Those online wire transfers to offshore accounts can take a bit of time if there's a lot of 'em.

Yeah, like until September.

At the best of times, they're working on a different schedule.

8:39pm GMT: Al Arabiya television is reporting what it claims are details from Mubarak's speech this evening, citing what it called trusted sources, that Mubarak will announce a transfer of power to his vice president, though it was unclear just when that would happen.

More to come.

He's on!

Uh oh

He repeats he will not stand for election in Sept but will carry on until then.