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Abdullah Tells Obama he Supports Egypt Stability, Both Unhappy about ‘Chaos’

Saudi King Abdullah has told U.S. President Barack Obama that there should be no bargaining on Egypt's stability and the security of its people, the Saudi press agency said Sunday.

SPA said that Obama phoned the king in Morocco, where he is recuperating from surgery, and that both leaders were not happy with the chaotic situation and looting.

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Thousands of Inmates Escape Jails in Egypt Turmoil

Thousands of inmates escaped prisons across Egypt on Sunday, including at least one jail that housed Muslim militants northwest of Cairo, adding to the chaos engulfing the country as anti-government protests continue to demand the ouster of longtime authoritarian President Hosni Mubarak.

Security officials said the prisoners escaped overnight from four jails after starting fires and clashing with guards. The inmates were helped by gangs of armed men who attacked the prisons, firing at guards in gunbattles that lasted hours.

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Netanyahu: Israel Aims to Ensure that Ties with Egypt ‘Continue to Exist’

Israel is carefully watching developments in Egypt and its efforts are focused on maintaining the "stability and security" of the region, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday.

"We are attentively following what is going on in Egypt and in our region," Netanyahu told reporters at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting after holding late-night talks with top intelligence brass and key ministers.

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Britain, France, Germany Urge Mubarak to Avoid Violence

British Prime Minister David Cameron, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Egypt's Hosni Mubarak to avoid violence "at all costs" in a joint statement Saturday.

The three leaders called on Egypt's embattled president to commit to change in response to what they said were the "legitimate grievances" of his people.

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ElBaradei Advises Mubarak to Leave Egypt

Leading Egyptian dissident Mohammed ElBaradei said on Saturday that the appointment of a vice president and a new prime minister in Egypt was not enough to end a revolt against President Hosni Mubarak's rule.

He also urged Mubarak to leave Egypt as soon as possible for the good of the country, in comments to Al-Jazeera television.

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Gaddafi Telephones Mubarak on Egypt Crisis

Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi spoke by telephone with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Saturday, the fifth day of protests calling for the end of Mubarak's regime, the Libyan news agency Jana reported.

Without giving details of their conversation, the news agency said Gaddafi called Mubarak "to reassure himself on the situation in Egypt."

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Israel Evacuates Diplomats' Families from Egypt

Israel repatriated families of its diplomats in Egypt on Saturday in response to the unprecedented street protests in the Arab state with which it has a 1979 peace deal, the foreign ministry said.

"A special aircraft brought back to Israel on Saturday the families of diplomats and other official envoys, as well as about 40 Israelis on private visits to Cairo who wished to leave," said ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor.

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Sudan Facebook group calls for Sunday protests

Thousands of people have joined a Facebook group calling for anti-government protests across Sudan on Sunday, the day preliminary results are due out on the vote on southern independence.

Entitled "January 30, a word to the Sudanese youth," the Facebook site shows an angry protestor holding an Arabic placard that reads: "A better Sudan."

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Mubarak Names VP, New PM as Deadly Protests Continue

Embattled Hosni Mubarak tapped Egypt's military intelligence chief as his first-ever vice president and named a new prime minister as tens of thousands took their deadly revolt to the streets on Saturday for a fifth day demanding that the president step down.

Fresh riots erupted in several cities. In Cairo, three people were killed, and an enraged mob killed three police in the Sinai town of Rafah.

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Saudi King Abdullah Supports Mubarak as Egyptian Government Resigns

The Egyptian government has resigned, state television announced on Saturday, hours after President Hosni Mubarak said amid nationwide protests that a new cabinet would be appointed during the day.

Mubarak had also pledged reforms after four days of nationwide revolt against his decades-long autocratic rule.

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