Calls for mass rally to bring Egypt revolt 'back to basics' (AFP)

CAIRO (AFP) – Egyptian activists are calling for a massive rally on July 8 to "save the revolution" that toppled Hosni Mubarak, urging politicians to drop debates on the timing of elections and focus on restoring basic freedoms.

On a Facebook page entitled "The 2nd revolution of anger", activists say the fundamental demands of the uprising -- to protect rights and freedoms -- have not been met, and have instead become clouded by arguments on whether elections or a constitution should come first.

"To all rival political forces debating which should come first, constitution or elections, save your revolution first, save Egypt first. Our revolution is collapsing," the activists said on their Facebook page, which by Friday had garnered over 55,000 members.

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which took over when nationwide protests forced Mubarak from power in February, has scheduled parliamentary elections for September.

But an autumn poll is expected to play into the hands of the well entrenched Muslim Brotherhood, prompting calls from secular politicians for a delay to allow new parties to organise themselves.

Some have also called for a new constitution to be drawn up before the election, for fear that the Islamist group will otherwise have too much influence over the drafting of the charter.

But those behind the call for the July 8 protest say the debate is premature, arguing that the priority should be on ensuring freedom of expression, the public trial of those found guilty of abuse, and an end to military trials of civilians.

"When (a) protest is dispersed with the use of thugs and when the army performs virginity tests on women, and when protesters are tortured, then something is definitely wrong," the activists said in a video posted on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhlnuQX3qVI&feature=player_embedded).

The army, which has been accused of rights abuse since taking over in February, has come under intense fire from local and international rights watchdogs for allegedly performing virginity tests on female protesters they detained during a March 9 demonstration in Cairo.

"When army officers who killed protesters are not put on trial, and when those who joined the protesters are tried and sentenced to 10 years, then something is definitely wrong," they said.

"When journalists and judges are referred to military prosecution for mentioning the military council and there is no freedom, then everything is wrong," they continued.

Protesters who first took to the streets to demand the overthrow of Mubarak, began shifting their anger towards the ruling military council, accusing it of using Mubarak-era tactics to stifle dissent.

Politics during Mubarak's three decade-rule was dominated by his National Democratic Party, working among a stagnant opposition. Any credible dissent came from the banned Muslim Brotherhood and a handful of opposition groups working outside the formal framework.

Then came the January 25 uprising, opening the door to new parties, new ideas and new debates in a scene that would have been inconceivable just months earlier.

But some argue that this new political effervescence risks turning flat if the basic goals of the revolution are not fulfilled, with irrelevant battle lines being drawn.

Debating whether elections or the constitution should come first pits the Islamists against the secularists whereas the focus should be on working for a civilian democratic state, argues Rabab al-Mahdi, professor of political science at the American University in Cairo.

"We in Egypt have paid the price for a democratic state which separates the army from politics... based social justice. This democratic state is now being threatened by a minority concerned only with the relationship between religion and the state," Mahdi wrote in the independent daily al-Shorouk.

The activists calling for the July 8 protest are urging Egyptians to look at the broader picture. The page's slogan: "I haven't felt the change, I'm going back to Tahrir Square" -- the epicentre of protests that toppled Mubarak.

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Zimbabwe military calls PM a 'security threat' (AP)

HARARE, Zimbabwe – A Zimbabwean general has described the country's prime minister as a "security threat" and accused him of taking instructions from Westerners that endanger national security, in an interview published Thursday by a state-run newspaper.

Brig. Gen. Douglas Nyikayaramba told the Herald Newspaper that the military will do anything to keep longtime President Robert Mugabe in power.

"We will die for him to make sure he remains in power," the Herald quoted him as saying. The Herald is a mouthpiece for Mugabe and his ZANU-PF party.

Nyikayaramba, a member of the Joint Operational Command of generals and police chiefs, said the military and Mugabe's Zanu-PF party are "inseparable."

Mugabe joined a troubled coalition in 2009 with Morgan Tsvangirai, the former opposition leader. Tsvangirai on Sunday accused the military of bias and meddling in politics.

In the past, Nyikayaramba has acted as unofficial spokesman for the usually secretive Joint Operational Command that is often seen as the real power behind Mugabe, 87.

Top military officials have repeatedly said they would not serve under Tsvangirai if he became president because he did not take part in guerrilla war that ended white rule at independence in 1980.

Military commanders have refused to salute Tsvangirai on state occasions.

Nyikayaramba, a former guerrilla in the seven-year bush war, said the military now viewed Tsvangirai as a security threat for his ties with Western nations demanding Mugabe's ouster.

"Tsvangirai does not pose a political threat in any way but is a major security threat ... taking instructions from foreigners who seek to effect illegal regime change in Zimbabwe," he said.

Tsvangirai and several independent rights groups blame the army and the police loyal to Mugabe for political violence and human rights violations in a decade of political and economic turmoil that led to Zimbabwe's economic meltdown.

Nyikayaramba also accused Tsvangirai of seeking to overturn Zimbabwe's successes in becoming independent.

"Daydreamers who want to reverse the gains of our liberation struggle ... can go to hell, they will never rule this country," he said.

Nyikayaramba said the military will ensure Mugabe remains in office.

"We cannot keep quiet," Nyikayaramba said. "As the security forces we will not sit back and watch things going wrong. President Mugabe will only leave office when he sees it fit or dies."

Mugabe, who has ruled since independence, has called for elections this year to end the coalition but has been put under pressure from regional leaders to complete electoral and constitutional reforms first.

Regional leaders have rebuked Mugabe's party for unleashing violence and intimidation against opponents and delaying reforms. At a summit earlier this month, the leaders endorsed those criticisms by the chief Zimbabwe mediator, President Jacob Zuma of South Africa. Mugabe later insisted that those criticisms had not been endorsed, but only noted.

Tsvangirai responded on Sunday by saying the Mugabe lied about the summit's outcome. Hardliners in Mugabe's party this week called for Tsvangirai's arrest for insulting the president, an offense under sweeping security laws.

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Obama calls for ceasefire in Sudan (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama on Wednesday urged Sudan's government to halt military operations in a troubled border state and called for a ceasefire in bloody fighting as the south prepares to secede next month.

"There is no military solution," Obama said, appealing directly to leaders on both sides, in an audio message issued through the government-funded Voice of America network.

The northern military has been fighting southern-aligned armed groups in Southern Kordofan -- the north's main oil state which borders south Sudan -- in recent weeks, raising tensions as the south prepares for independence on July 9.

Air strikes on Southern Kordofan, which is home to many fighters who sided with the south against Khartoum during the last civil war, may have killed as many as 64 people and caused tens of thousands to flee, the United Nations said.

"The leaders of Sudan and South Sudan must live up to their responsibilities," Obama said. "The government of Sudan must prevent a further escalation of this crisis by ceasing its military actions immediately, including aerial bombardments, forced displacements and campaigns of intimidation."

The south's main party has said the northern army sparked the fighting by trying to disarm southern-aligned fighters in the region ahead of the split. The north has accused the fighters of starting the conflict.

Southerners voted to secede in a January referendum that was promised in a 2005 peace deal that ended decades of north-south civil war. That conflict killed 2 million people. The formal split has been complicated by disputes over where to draw the common border and how to divide oil revenues.

Obama called on both sides to end the violence and allow free movement of aid workers and supplies. "I want to speak directly to Sudanese leaders: you must know that if you fulfill your obligations and choose peace, the United States will take the steps we have pledged toward normal relations," he said.

"However, those who flout their international obligations will face more pressure and isolation and they will be held accountable for their actions."

Washington has offered Khartoum incentives for an orderly transition, including gradual steps toward full normalization of diplomatic ties, the removal of Sudan from the U.S. terrorism blacklist and an international deal on debt relief.

(Reporting by Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Doina Chiacu and Bill Trott)

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EU calls for Mideast Quartet meeting (AFP)

BRUSSELS (AFP) – The European Union on Monday welcomed President Barack Obama's Middle East policy shift and called for an "early meeting" of the Quartet group of world powers seeking an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.

A statement issued by foreign ministers from the 27-nation bloc said Obama's speech last week "sets out important elements contributing to the resumption of negotiations".

"On this basis, it (the EU) looks forward to an early meeting of the Quartet Principals to take the process forward," a reference to a ministerial-level meeting.

In a US sea-change on the Middle East, Obama last week urged that borders that existed before the 1967 Arab-Israeli war form the basis of a future Palestinian state.

The EU has long maintained a deal should be based on lines prior to the 1967 war, with mutually agreed land swaps and secured and recognised borders on both sides.

The diplomatic Quartet on the Middle East -- the European Union, Russia, United Nations and United States -- too has expressed "strong support" for Obama's vision of Israeli-Palestinian peace, adding to pressure for concessions and a return to talks.

Obama relaunched direct talks between the two sides in September 2010, the first in nearly two years, but they ground to a halt over the issue of Israeli settlement construction.

A partial freeze on settlement building expired shortly after the talks started, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declined to renew the moratorium.

The Palestinians say they will not negotiate while Israel builds on land they want for their promised state.

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Saleh calls for early election as Yemenis protest (Reuters)

SANAA (Reuters) – Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh called Friday for early elections in an apparent bid to stave off Gulf and Western pressure to leave office, as thousands rallied for and against his three-decade rule.

Saleh has twice backed out of a Gulf Arab-brokered transition deal, most recently last Wednesday, despite diplomatic wrangling by U.S., Gulf and European officials.

Washington and Riyadh, both targets of foiled attacks by al Qaeda's Yemen-based wing, are keen to end a stalemate that has pushed fractious Yemen further onto the brink of chaos and could give the militant network more room to operate.

Saleh in March called for a presidential election by the end of this year, but in his Friday speech he did not give any time frame or details on a plan for an election, leaving some skeptical it may be a tactic to buy time.

"We call for an early presidential election to prevent bloodshed, to protect our family dignity and for a smooth democratic path," he told a cheering crowd of tens of thousands of supporters waving his picture and Yemeni flags.

Security analyst Theodore Karasik, of the Dubai-based INEGMA group, said: "I think it is a ploy to further delay the inevitable, to make it look like he is trying to leave power, but I don't think that is his full intention."

But Saleh appeared to lay the groundwork for his followers to prepare to relinquish some control over government.

"Your General People's Congress will remain both in power and out of power and they will educate them (the opposition) in how to be a responsible opposition. No cutting roads, no cutting tongues, no treachery."

Protesters are increasingly frustrated their three months of daily protests have failed to dislodge Saleh. They have begun blocking roads and staging mass strikes that have ground commerce to a halt in several cities.

Yemen also faces severe power and fuel crises since tribesmen blockaded the oil- and gas-producing Maarib province a few weeks ago. Loss of its exports, the government's main source of income, are likely costing Yemen some $3 million a day.

GULF BLOC MEETS SUNDAY

Gulf foreign ministers are planning to meet Sunday to discuss Yemen's political crisis, but have made no mention of another deal signing, although Yemeni officials in the opposition and government said they may try again to ink the twice-thwarted deal Sunday.

In the capital Sanaa and Taiz, to the south, protesters called on Saleh to end his nearly 33 years in power.

"Zayani, Zayani, we need another president," they shouted, referring to Abdullatif al-Zayani, secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), who has headed mediation efforts.

Saleh first refused to sign the GCC deal in April when he said he would only sign in his capacity as ruling party leader, not president. Last Wednesday he backed out in objection to the opposition's inclusion of a politician he did not want to be among those who would sign the deal.

Yemen, where half the 23-million people own a gun, and already facing regional rebellions, has become a concern for regional stability among its Gulf neighbors, particularly neighboring oil giant Saudi Arabia, and the United States, which has seen Yemen as an ally against al Qaeda.

In his widely anticipated speech on U.S. policy in the Arab world, President Barack Obama said Thursday that Saleh needed to "follow through on his commitment to transfer power."

On the streets of Sanaa, Obama's words received mixed reviews. Some protesters were optimistic that his call for a transition meant the U.S. president was on their side. Others argued he did not go far enough in confronting Saleh.

"The American position is still weak toward President Saleh. We were waiting for Obama to call on Saleh to leave immediately," Samir Abdullah said.

(Additional reporting by Sara Anabtawi in Dubai; Writing by Erika Solomon)

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Obama calls for pre-1967 Israel borders

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Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama on Thursday made official the long-held but rarely stated U.S. support for a future Palestinian state based on borders that existed before the 1967 Middle East war.

In the past, the United States has unofficially backed a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict based on the borders in place prior to the war 44 years ago in which Israel seized the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Golan Heights and Sinai Peninsula.

In a major speech Thursday, Obama became the first president to formally endorse the policy, but he also acknowledged the need for modifications through the negotiating process due to conditions on the ground.

"The United States believes that negotiations should result in two states, with permanent Palestinian borders with Israel, Jordan, and Egypt, and permanent Israeli borders with Palestine," Obama said in the concluding section of his 45-minute address that looked at political and social change sweeping across the Middle East and North Africa.

"We believe the borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps, so that secure and recognized borders are established for both states," Obama continued.

His position agreed with the Palestinian negotiating stance on border issues in the staggering peace process, now stalled again by disputes over Israel settlements in the West Bank and the role of Hamas -- a terrorist group in the eyes of the United States and Israel -- in the Palestinian leadership.

At the same time, Obama reiterated unwavering U.S. support for Israel's security, and he endorsed major negotiating positions of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, including an incremental handover of security responsibilities by Israel when conditions on the ground allow it.

Obama declared the U.S. commitment to Israel's security "unshakable," and said "every state has the right to self-defense, and Israel must be able to defend itself -- by itself -- against any threat."

"Provisions must also be robust enough to prevent a resurgence of terrorism; to stop the infiltration of weapons; and to provide effective border security," Obama continued, touching on the major concerns of Israel in facing a new Palestinian neighbor. "The full and phased withdrawal of Israeli military forces should be coordinated with the assumption of Palestinian security responsibility in a sovereign, non-militarized state. And the duration of this transition period must be agreed, and the effectiveness of security arrangements must be demonstrated."

In a later interview with the BBC, Obama said that "the basis for negotiations will involve looking at that 1967 border, recognizing that conditions on the ground have changed and there are going to need to be swaps to accommodate the interests of both sides."

"That's on the one hand and on the other hand, and this was an equally important part of the speech, Israel is going to have to feel confident about its security on the West Bank and that security element is going to be important to the Israelis." Obama said in the interview.

Tony Blair, the former British prime minister now working as part of international efforts to secure an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement, said the security assurances and provisions are essential to the territorial issue.

"I think it's saying in essence, that the Palestinians have got to be sure that their state is viable in terms of territory," Blair told CNN shortly after Obama spoke. "Obviously, there are going to be deviations or changes (from the exact 1967 borders) that are mutually agreeable."

On the other hand, Blair said, Israel has the right to protect itself.

As expected, initial reaction was mostly negative. A statement from Netanyahu's office rejected what it called a withdrawal to the 1967 borders, calling them "indefensible" and noting it would leave major Israeli population centers in Palestinian territory. Hamas also rejected the speech.

Political opponents also criticized Obama, with possible Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney saying the president had "thrown Israel under the bus."

"He has disrespected Israel and undermined its ability to negotiate peace," Romney said in a statement. "He has also violated a first principle of American foreign policy, which is to stand firm by our friends."

The president used his speech to speak directly to both Israel and Palestinians, declaring that both sides must yield on some deeply entrenched positions in order to bring peace that is desired and needed by both the region and the world.

He criticized both sides for "unmet" expectations despite decades of efforts by U.S. administrations, including his own, to facilitate an agreement.

In particular, Obama cited Israel's insistence on building new housing settlements on the West Bank and other areas beyond its 1967 borders. On Thursday, Israel announced the approval of projects to build 1,500 housing units in Har Homa and Pisgat Zeev, which are outside the 1967 borders. Roye Lackmanovich, an Interior Ministry spokesman, said the projects had previously received initial approval.

"The status quo is unsustainable, and Israel too must act boldly to advance a lasting peace," Obama said, adding that "the dream of a Jewish and democratic state cannot be fulfilled with permanent occupation."

Obama also rejected any Palestinian effort to challenge Israel's right to exist, saying they would "end in failure." He noted an expected push for a symbolic U.N. General Assembly resolution in September "won't create an independent state."

While calling for positive steps by both sides on territory and security issues, Obama said he recognized two "wrenching and emotional issues" remain unresolved -- the future status of Jerusalem, which is claimed by both sides, and the fate of Palestinian refugees who claim Israel as their homeland.

Obama also repeated the strong U.S. opposition to Hamas playing a leadership role unless it recognizes Israel's right to exist and renounces terrorism.

"The recent announcement of an agreement between Fatah and Hamas raises profound and legitimate questions for Israel -- how can one negotiate with a party that has shown itself unwilling to recognize your right to exist," Obama said. "In the weeks and months to come, Palestinian leaders will have to provide a credible answer to that question."

Netanyahu's statement cited the refugee and Hamas issues as major obstacles to renewed peace talks sought by Obama.

"Without a solution to the Palestinian refugee problem outside the borders of Israel, no territorial concession will bring peace," said the statement, adding that Netanyahu -- who will meet with Obama on Friday in Washington -- "will also express his disappointment over the Palestinian Authority's decision to embrace Hamas, a terror organization committed to Israel's destruction."

Obama acknowledged the "suspicion and hostility" that impeded the peace process, but added he was "convinced that the majority of Israelis and Palestinians would rather look to the future than be trapped in the past."

CNN's Kevin Flower and Elise Labott contributed to this report.

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U.N. calls to end forced displacement

Palestinians are gearing up to commemorate Nakba DayLarge demonstrations are expected in the West Bank, Jerusalem and in Israel SundayThe Israeli military has closed West Bank crossings in anticipation of the protestsThe United Nations' Valerie Amos is on a four-day visit of the region

Jerusalem (CNN) -- The U.N. humanitarian chief appealed Saturday for an end to forced displacement, one day before Palestinians are set to mark what they call the Nakba -- a day to commemorate the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians that accompanied the creation of Israel.

United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos arrived in Jerusalem for a four-day tour to the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel, her office said. She is expected to meet with members of the Palestinian leadership and also hopes to meet with Israeli authorities.

"These policies lead to forced displacement of Palestinians from Jerusalem and from the rest of the West Bank," Amos said in a statement about rules that limit new construction and the land available for Palestinian use.

"Palestinians must be able to plan and develop their communities. They must be able to access education and health care facilities and to conduct their professional and personal lives without restriction," she said.

She spoke just one day before Palestinians are expected to commemorate the Nakba -- translated as "catastrophe" in Arabic -- which commemorates the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in warfare that led to the establishment of Israel in 1948. More than 700,000 people fled or were forced from their homes during the fighting.

Their fate and that of their descendants has proven to be a key stumbling block to any Mideast peace. For most Palestinians the eventual return to their former homes in what is now Israel remains a fundamental requirement, while Israelis argue that any large-scale return of refugees would spell the end of the Jewish majority state.

Large demonstrations are predicted in the West Bank, Jerusalem and in other parts of Israel on Sunday to mark the day. In advance of the commemoration, the Israeli military closed West Bank crossings, it said.

For the past two days, military checkpoints along the Sinai have been turning back hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists intending to demonstrate Sunday at the Egypt-Gaza border.

"Hopefully, this will be the last time the 15th of May will be remembered as the Nakba," said Tarek Shalaby, a 26-year-old social media consultant. "The next time it will be known as the successful uprising, the third intifada."

The word intifada is popularly used to describe a revolt or rebellion. Palestinians have staged two intifadas, which began in 1987 and 2000 respectively. Violence surrounding the second intifada claimed the lives of thousands of Israelis and Palestinians.

Shalaby was turned around by the army on the road between Cairo and Rafah.

"We will try again tomorrow to go to Rafah but if that fails we'll head right to the Israeli Embassy in Cairo to protest," Shalaby said.

On Friday, about 6,000 Palestinian refugees gathered near Jordan's border with Israel to demand to return to their ancestral homes. Organizers of that rally said the demonstration will continue through Sunday to coincide with the start of the so-called third intifada.

Palestinians have used social media to call for multiple demonstrations this year.

Last month, a controversial Facebook page calling for another Palestinian intifada was pulled off the social media website, following complaints from the Israeli government that it incited violence against Jews.

The Facebook page in question was set up in early March by a group of unidentified activists who called for a third intifada to start on May 15.

A statement from Facebook said the group page entitled the "Third Palestinian Intifada" -- which had garnered more than 350,000 "likes" over the course of a month -- was removed from the website because it contained direct calls for violence.

CNN's Kevin Flower and Journalist Ian Lee contributed to this report.

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Bin Laden buried at sea; Sunni educator calls it a 'sin'

Update at 4:40 p.m. ET: The sea burial was videotaped and probably will be publicly released soon, two Pentagon officials tell the Associated Press.

Photos of bin Laden's body before it was dumped into the North Arabian Sea may also be released.

More from AP on the burial:

The U.S. official who disclosed the burial at sea said it was not possible to find a country willing to accept the remains. Pressed by reporters to say which countries had been contacted about taking the remains, the official said, "I'm not going into details of those conversations."

Obama said the remains had been handled in accordance with Islamic custom, which requires speedy burial.

An official at Monday's Pentagon briefing said the body, once aboard the USS Carl Vinson, was washed and placed in a white sheet. It was then placed in a "weighted bag," and a military officer read prepared "religious remarks," which were translated into Arabic by a "native speaker" who was not further identified.

The body was then placed on a "prepared flat board, tipped up, whereupon the deceased's body eased into the sea," the official said.

Details on how the body was transported to the ship were not provided.

Update at 3:58 p.m. ET: An official with the most prestigious Sunni educational institute has told the Italian news agency ANSAmed that the sea burial was a "sin" and contrary to Islamic custom, despite what the White House has said.

Mahmoud Ashour of the Al Azhar Academy of Islamic Research, in Cairo, said that even when someone drowns the body must be searched for to be able to "bury it in the ground."

"They should bury it in the ground without putting anything on the grave," Ashour said.

Here's some background on Islamic funerals and burial.

By Douglas Stanglin
USA TODAY

Update at 2:38 p.m. ET: John Brennan, the White House adviser on homeland security, says one reason for the burial at sea was the desire to conform to Islamic custom by burying bin Laden within 24 hours.

He tells reporters that trying to contact third countries after the operation to discuss the prospects of a burial would have "exceeded the time period."

As for the burial itself, Brennan responded to a question as to whether an imam was on hand by saying that "appropriate people" were there.

Update at 12:13 p.m. ET: The Pentagon says Osama bin Laden's body was placed into the waters of the North Arabian Sea after adhering to traditional Islamic procedures — including washing the corpse — aboard the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, The AP reports.

Original post: Osama Bin Laden was buried at sea today after Saudi Arabia refused to take the body, CBS News reports.

CBS correspondent David Martin reports that the body was released at sea by a U.S. vessel early today, likely in the Indian Ocean.

U.S. officials tell the Associated Press that bin Laden was buried within 48 hours in according with Islamic custom, which requires a speedy burial.

The New York Times reports that the body was taken first to Afghanistan.

The AP quotes a senior Pentagon official as saying that after bin Laden's identification was confirmed, the body was taken to an unidentified U.S. warship for the burial.

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U.S. journalist held in Libya calls parents, says she's OK

More than two weeks after being detained by pro-government forces in Libya, American journalist Clare Gillis was heard from for the first time today, when she called her parents and told them she is in good health and being held in a civilian women's jail in Tripoli.

Gillis was reporting in Libya for The Atlantic magazine, USA TODAY and other publications.

"We are very relieved to hear Clare was able to reach her parents and now we're looking forward to her speedy release," said USA TODAY Editor John Hillkirk.

Her parents were happy to hear she is safe and pressed for her release as well.

"It's a hopeful good sign," her father, Robert Gillis, told USA TODAY. "Now we've made this contact, we really want to get things moving so she and the other journalists could be released."

Gillis, 34, was taken into custody April 5 while covering fighting between Libyan rebels and pro-government forces near Brega in eastern Libya. With her was another American, James Foley, a correspondent for Globalpost online international news agency, and Manu Brabo, a Spanish freelance photographer.

The journalists were split up earlier this week when Gillis was moved to the women's prison, The Atlantic reports. She described the prison uniforms as "pink pajamas" and said most of her fellow inmates spoke only Arabic.

Today, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton demanded the immediate release of U.S. citizens "unjustly detained" in Libya, including Gillis and Foley, according to the Associated Press.

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Tea Party Rally Calls for Budget Cuts

April 15: Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty speaks to a crowd at a Tea Party rally at the Statehouse, in Concord, N.H. (AP)

It’s never too early for presidential politics in New Hampshire. And in this first-primary-in-the-nation state, it almost seemed as if the campaign kicked off Friday.

Four prospective Republican candidates appeared together at a Tax Day-Tea Party rally, calling for lower taxes and major cuts in federal spending. Several hundred attended the event, held on the front lawn of the historic statehouse in the crisp New England sun, and sponsored by the group, Americans For Prosperity.

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, former U.S. Sen. for Pennsylvania, Rick Santorum, ex-Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer, and businessman Herman Cain, one-time head of Godfather’s Pizza, all attended and spoke.

The potential political rivals sounded a common theme: the federal government budget needs to be deeply trimmed, and taxes cut, to restore the nation's economic vitality.

"Valley Forge wasn't easy. Settling the West wasn't easy. Winning World War II wasn't easy," declared Pawlenty. "Thank you for being part of the Tea Party and let's take back this nation."

He asked the crowd "have you had enough of big government and big unions and big bail out businesses scratching each others back asking you to get your wallet out to pay for their recklessness and stupidity?," to which the attendees shouted "yes!"

"It takes a real re-awakening, it takes a Tea Party in generations, to re-establish those burning founding principles that made America that shining city on the hill," proclaimed Santorum, "What's at stake right now is a group of people who want you to believe that you need them, that you need to be taken care of, that you need to be provided for....the battle for freedom, fundamentally in America, is right here."

"We have a tax code that is 4,000 pages long and you can't read it," Roemer told the crowd. "We have a debt for the rest of our lives...We spend $300 billion a month and borrow $120 billion from our competitors. The game is rigged...the American Revolution was about a Tea Party, taxation without representation. I think it's time for a second revolution."

In a rousing address reminiscent of a preacher, Herman Cain said "stupid people are ruining this country

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Obama Calls His Senate Vote Against Lifting Debt Ceiling a Mistake

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President Obama says his vote as a senator in 2006 against raising the debt limit was a mistake motivated by politics.

Obama also says Senate Democrats will bear the burden this time around when Congress votes on whether to lift the cap.

The U.S. will hit its debt limit of $14.3 trillion by May 16. The government could be thrown into default if Congress doesn't raise the limit by then or soon after.

Republicans who control the House are demanding that Obama agree to major spending cuts in exchange for their votes.

Obama told ABC News on Thursday that no senator likes to be tagged as voting to increase the debt limit. But as president, he says he has a different perspective on the consequences.

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Obama calls for deficit cuts

By Pablo Martinez Monsivais, AP

President Obama outlines his fiscal policy during an address at George Washington University in Washington on Wednesday.

EnlargeCloseBy Pablo Martinez Monsivais, AP

President Obama outlines his fiscal policy during an address at George Washington University in Washington on Wednesday.

At the same time, Obama used a 43-minute address at George Washington University to deliver a scathing attack on Republican proposals for unprecedented cuts in Medicare and Medicaid and a vigorous defense of his vision for an activist government.

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Clinton 'Concerned' by Ivory Coast Violence, Calls on Election Loser to Step Down

Clinton 'Concerned' by Ivory Coast Violence, Calls on Election Loser to Step Down - FoxNews.com Skip to main content: Latino/SBC/Fox Business (Home/Slideshow/Interactive: Fox News/SBC/Latino/Fox Business) Skip to main content: Fox News/Fox Business (Article Page: Fox News/SBC/Latino/Fox Business)

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