The EU should be stronger and more united. Great Britain should belong to the Union.
Die EU sollte stärker und geeinter sein. Großbritannien sollte der Union angehören.
L'UE devrait être plus forte et plus unie. La Grande-Bretagne devrait appartenir à l'Union.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Le président Ben Ali a quitté la Tunisie et laissé le pouvoir à son ancien Premier ministre. Le mystère entoure la destination de l'ancien président tunisien. Photo : leParisien.fr
EN DIRECT. La France refuserait d'accueillir l'ex-président Ben Ali
lePARISIEN.fr: La Tunisie a connu vendredi une journée historique. Après un mois d'émeutes, le président Ben Ali a quitté le pouvoir et fui le pays. Mohammed Gannouchi, l'ancien Premier ministre, assurera la présidence par intérim jusqu'à des élections anticipées.
Revivez minute par minute le récit de cette journée. >>> leparisien.fr avec l’envoyé spécial du Parisien à Tunis, Pascal Lemal | Vendredi 14 Janvier 2011
Fresh Fierce Clashes in Tunisia as Cops Fire Tear Gas, Government Dismissed
Tunis: Police Snipers Killing
Channel 4: Tunisia in Turmoil
Arab Bloggers Cheer on Tunisia’s Revolution: فيديو: اليوم في العاصمة: النشيد الوطني التونس
For the Arab World, a Potent Lesson
THE NEW YORK TIMES: BAGHDAD — The reported departure of Tunisian President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, after popular protests in his North African country, electrified an Arab world whose residents have increasingly complained of governments that seem incapable of meeting their citizens’ demands and bereft of ideology save a motivation to perpetuate themselves in power.
“We hope that what happened in Tunisia could happen in other Arab countries where leaders and kings have rusted on their thrones,” said Abeer Madi al-Halabi, a newscaster on New TV, a Lebanese station that supports leftist causes.
Since their beginning, the protests have been closely followed by Arabic-language networks, as well as social networking sites, like Facebook and Twitter. Hours after Mr. Ben Ali’s departure, messages were posted to Facebook celebrating the fall of one of the Arab world’s heaviest handed dictatorships. >>> Anthony Shadid | Friday, January 14, 2011
Web News: Online Mobilization for Tunisia
PM Replaces Tunisia President
Photograph: Al Jazeera English
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali leaves country following violent clashes in the capital, Tunis.
Tunisia's long-standing president has left the country amid violent protests and the prime minister has taken over control of the government from him.
"Since the president [Zine El Abidine Ben Ali] is temporarily unable to exercise his duties, it has been decided that the prime minister will exercise temporarily the [presidential] duties," Mohammed Ghannouchi, the Tunisian prime minister, said on state television.
Ghannouchi is now the interim president.
Maltese air traffic controllers have told Al Jazeera that Ben Ali is bound for Paris.
During the televised address, prime minister Ghannouchi vowed to respect the constitution and restore stability, and called on citizens to "maintain patriotic spirit ... in order to brave through these difficult moments".
He also vowed to carry out inflation and unemployment redressal policies "exactly" as they had recently been announced by President Ben Ali. >>> Source: Agencies | Friday, January 14, 2011
Ben Ali a quitté la Tunisie, le premier ministre le remplace
Un portrait du dirigeant tunisien visible dans les rues de Tunis vendredi alors que manifestants et forces de l'ordre se sont de nouveau affrontés. Photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: Le président tunisien serait en route pour la France, selon Al-Jazira, mais l'Elysée dit n'avoir «aucune information» à ce sujet. Le premier ministre assure l'intérim pendant une période indéterminée.
L'annonce de nouvelles élections législatives n'aura pas suffi à calmer les manifestants. Face aux troubles persistants, le président tunisien Zine El Abidine Ben Ali a quitté la Tunisie vendredi après-midi. Selon la chaîne de télévision Al-Jazira, il serait en route vers Paris, mais l'Elysée a affirmé vendredi n'avoir «pas d'information» à ce sujet.
Le premier ministre Mohammed Ghannouchi a annoncé dans la soirée à la télévision qu'il assurait l'intérim de la présidence car Ben Ali «n'est temporairement pas en mesure d'exercer ses responsabilités». Mohammed Ghannouchi a lancé à cette occasion un appel à l'unité des Tunisiens, toutes sensibilités confondues, et promis qu'il respecterait la Constitution. >>> Par lefigaro.fr | Vendredi 14 Janvier 2011
Ben Ali déserte la Tunisie après 23 ans de pouvoir
LE POINT: Le chef de l'État a quitté son pays, vendredi, au terme d'un mois d'émeutes sanglantes. Le Premier ministre assure l'intérim.
Montage : Le Point
La rue a été plus forte. Le président tunisien Ben Ali a quitté le pays, vendredi. Le Premier ministre Mohamed Ghannouchi a annoncé à la télévision qu'il assurait l'intérim de la présidence jusqu'à la tenue d'élections anticipées.
"Conformément à l'article 56 de la Constitution, j'assume à partir de cet instant la charge de président par intérim", a annoncé Mohamed Ghannouchi, 69 ans. Le nouveau président, filmé dans le palais présidentiel de Carthage, a lu sa déclaration debout, entouré par le président de la Chambre des députés, Fouad Mebazaa, et par celui de la Chambre des conseillers (Sénat), Abdallah Kallel. "Je m'engage à respecter la Constitution et à mettre en oeuvre toutes les réformes sociales et politiques qui ont été annoncées en collaboration avec les partis politiques et les composantes de la société civile", a-t-il déclaré.
Selon des sources proches de la présidence, le scrutin anticipé devrait être ouvert au multipartisme, une première depuis l'indépendance du pays, en 1956. >>> Le Point.fr | Vendredi 14 Janvier 2011
THE GUARDIAN: Bloody street clashes in Tunis trigger fears of a domino effect that could shake other authoritarian states
A Tunisian demonstrator throws a rock after police fire tear gas during demonstrations in the capital, Tunis. Photograph: The Guardian
Echoes of Tunisia's unprecedented mass unrest are reverberating across the Arab world – which is watching in fascination as one of the most repressive regimes in the regions makes far-reaching concessions to people power.
Protests over rising food and fuel prices triggered emergency economic measures from Jordan to Libya and Morocco this week as dramatic scenes of street clashes in the small north African country fuelled official nervousness about a domino effect that could shake other authoritarian states short on jobs, hopes and freedoms.
"Every Arab leader is watching Tunisia in fear," tweeted one Egyptian commentator. "Every Arab citizen is watching Tunisia in hope and solidarity."
The impact of Tunisia's unrest is all the greater because Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali – known to his long-suffering subjects as "Ben A Vie" ("president for life") – had been seen as one of the most effective of Arab autocrats. His announcement on Wednesday that he will not stand for another term is a huge boost for reform, whatever happens next.
The obvious contrast is with Egypt, the most populous of Arab countries. Hosni Mubarak, 82, who like Ben Ali keeps Islamists firmly out of power and tolerates only weak secular opposition, is seeking another presidential term next year- when he will mark three decades in power.
If Ben Ali, 74, is on his way out, that will be a democratic advance and a ringing wake-up call for a region where a trend towards republican dynasties – in Syria, Libya and Egypt – sits alongside the hereditary monarchies and emirates of the Gulf and Morocco. >>> Ian Black, Middle East editor | Friday, January 14, 2011
SUEDDEUTSCHE: Nach tagelangen blutigen Unruhen hat der autoritäre tunesische Präsident Ben Ali sein Amt aufgegeben und das Land verlassen. Zuvor hatte er die Regierung aufgelöst und den Ausnahmezustand ausgerufen. Das Militär hat den Flughafen der Hauptstadt Tunis abgeriegelt.
"Ben Ali, raus!" heißt es auf Protestplakaten in Tunis. Auch an diesem Freitag demonstrierten Tausende gegen den Präsidenten Ben Ali. Bild: Sueddeutsche
Tunesiens Präsident Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali hat nach tagelangen gewaltsamen Protesten gegen ihn das Land verlassen. Dies berichtete der Sender Al-Dschasira am Freitag. Ministerpräsident Mohamed Ghannouchi erklärte, er habe vorübergehend das Amt übernommen.
Er werde die Verfassung respektieren und die Stabilität im Land wiederherstellen. Der Präsident sei derzeit nicht in der Lage, sein Amt auszuüben. Zudem plane er vorgezogene Parlamentswahlen innerhalb der kommenden sechs Monate, hieß es in dem Bericht der amtlichen Nachrichtenagentur TAP weiter. Er äußerte sich jedoch nicht, ob er selbst zurücktreten werde.
Ben Ali hatte am Freitagnachmittag die Regierung aufgelöst, Neuwahlen innerhalb von sechs Monaten angekündigt und den Ausnahmezustand ausgerufen. Anschließend hatte die Armee die Kontrolle über den Flughafen der Hauptstadt übernommen und ihn abgeriegelt. >>> AFP/dpa/dapd/Reuters/liv/segi | Freitag, 14. Januar 2011
Tunisian President Forced from Power as State of Emergency Declared
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Tunisia's president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali forced out after days of rioting. as troops surround airport.
Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi has gone on state television to say he is assuming power in Tunisia.
The country's airspace was shut down as weeks of unrest escalated.
"I can confirm that the army is at the airport. Armoured vehicles are surrounding the airport," an official source said when asked about rumours that members of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's circle were about to flee the country. "The airspace is closed too."
Thomas Cook had begun to evacuate 1,800 tourists from Tunisia on Friday as the unrest that has killed at least 23 people spread.
Tunisian authorities released opposition leader Hamma Hammami of the banned Tunisian Workers' Communist Party, three days after arresting him, the party said in Paris.
Earlier, the Tunisian government declared a national state of emergency, banning public gatherings and authorising security forces to fire on anyone refusing to obey orders. >>> \ Friday, January 14, 2011
Tunesien: Soziale Unruhen sprengen Regierung
DIE PRESSE: Präsident Ben Ali beugt sich dem Druck der Massen und kündigt die Auflösung der Regierung an. Außerdem verhängt er den Ausnahmezustand über das ganze Land.
Unter dem Eindruck der entfesselten Volkswut hat der tunesische Langzeit-Machthaber Zine el Abidine Ben Ali am Freitag seine Regierung entlassen und vorgezogene Parlamentswahlen angesetzt. Außerdem hat das autoritäre Regime den Ausnahmezustand verhängt. Dieser gelte für das ganze Land. >>> Ag. | Freitag, 14. Januar 2011
EU entschuldigt sich bei Kirche für falschen Kalender
KRONEN ZEITUNG: EU-Kommissar John Dalli hat sich bei der Kirche für die Fehler bei der Erstellung des EU-Schülerkalenders entschuldigt. Die EU-Kommission hat fünf Millionen Euro für Kalender ausgegeben, in denen weder Weihnachten noch irgendein anderer christlicher Feiertag verzeichnet ist (siehe Infobox). Die Feiertage anderer großer Religionen sind in dem Kalender hingegen aufgeführt. >>> | Donnerstag, 13. Januar 2011
AlJazeera English: Inside Story – Pakistan’s Blasphemy Law
Australia Floods: Residents Warned Against Entering Flooded Suburbs
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: As Brisbane's flood deadly dangers held a world class city its its grip, one man succumbed to an unfortunate ending.
Officials last night revealed that an unnamed 24-year-old man was swept into a storm drain while inspecting his father's flooded property in Durack, just south of the city, during the inundation.
The man's body was found by police after being washed through the drain and surfacing on the other side. He has not yet been named.
His death prompted Anna Bligh, the state's premier, to reissue warnings about entering the murky floodwater.
"Right now we don't want to see any more loss of life and we don't want to see any injuries," she said.
"I do understand how keen everybody is to get back into their houses, to go out and have a look at what's happened to their neighbourhoods but these are still rapidly moving, swirling, dangerous waters." >>> Bonnie Malkin, Brisbane | Thursday, January 13, 2011
PARIS MATCH: En réaction au mouvement de protestation inapaisable et sans précédent depuis qu'il est au pouvoir, le président tunisien Ben Ali a fait de nouvelles annonces, concernant des baisses de prix et les droits de l'Homme. Il a aussi promis qu'il ne se représenterait pas en 2014. Jour historique ou simple manipulation du pouvoir? Sur place, les réactions de Tunisiens se contredisent.
«Je vous ai compris», a rabâché Zine el Abidine Ben Ali tout au long de son discours. «Je comprends les Tunisiens, je comprends leurs demandes. Je suis triste de ce qui se passe aujourd'hui, après 50 années au service de ce pays, mon service militaire, tous les différents postes, 23 années de présidence», a déclaré le président tunisien, qui s'exprimait pour la troisième fois depuis le début des émeutes il y a près d’un mois. Quatre jours seulement après avoir pris la parole à la télévision nationale, annonçant tout une série de mesures pour résorber le taux de chômage –cause initiale de la colère du peuple-, notamment la création de 300 000 emplois avant la fin 2012, celui qui dirige le pays d’une main de fer depuis 1987 a réitéré, faute d’accalmie. Cette fois-ci, le président fondateur du Rassemblement constitutionnel démocratique (RCD) est allé beaucoup plus loin, annonçant qu'il ne briguerait pas un sixième mandat en 2014. «J'ai dit en 1987 qu'il n'y aurait pas de présidences à vie. Je le répète à présent: pas de présidences à vie, a-t-il lancé. Je refuse de toucher à la Constitution, je ne changerai pas l'âge inscrit dans la Constitution», à savoir 75 ans alors qu’il en a 74.
En outre, pour réagir aux protestations concernant la cherté de la vie, l’homme fort du pays a promis une baisse des prix sur les produits de première nécessité tels que le sucre, le lait et le pain. Autre mesure importante: après la mort de dizaines de manifestants abattus par la police, qui tire à balles réelles pour disperser la foule, Ben Ali a ordonné aux forces de l’ordre de cesser l’usage d’armes à feu contre les manifestants. S’exprimant en arabe tunisien plutôt qu’en arabe littéraire, ce qui est symbolique car contraire à ses habitudes, il a assuré qu’il n’avait pas été informé de la gravité de la situation, selon Afrik.com. En réponse enfin à l’énorme besoin de liberté qui s’est finalement exprimé dans les rues tunisiennes –alors que tout est partie de l’immolation par le feu d’un jeune diplômé désespéré par le marché de l’emploi- le chef d’Etat s’est engagé à faire respecter la liberté de la presse. Il a promis de rouvrir les sites qui avaient été fermés, et de laisser leur liberté d’expression aux opposants. >>> Marie Desnos, Parismatch.com | Vendredi 14. Janvier 2011
THE INDEPENDENT: The Liberal Democrats are making a final attempt to persuade David Cameron to rein in bankers' bonuses amid growing public anger over the imminent payout estimated at £7bn.
Liberal Democrat MPs believe that Mr Cameron, rather than the Chancellor, George Osborne, has emerged as the main obstacle to tough action against the bankers. They are furious that Downing Street signalled a climbdown this week while talks continued with the big banks on a new settlement covering bonuses and lending to small businesses and first-time buyers.
"You don't wave the white flag in the middle of tough negotiations," Baron Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay, a Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman, told The Independent yesterday. "This is the moment of truth on fairness for our Coalition. We can't allow a bonus bonanza in the age of austerity." >>> Andrew Grice, Political Editor | Friday, January 14, 2011
Tunisia Riots: Thomas Cook Evacuates Tourists
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Thomas Cook, the British tour operator, is evacuating about 1,800 tourists from Tunisia, as unrest spreads across the country.
The company said it had not seen any specific problems for travelers in Tunisia but was asking everyone to leave as a precaution. The evacuation, which was coupled with the cancellation of flights from Britain to Tunisia, was likely to hit the North African nation's tourism industry, a mainstay of its economy, hard. >>> | Friday, January 14, 2011
WikiLeaks Cables: Tunisia Blocks Site Reporting 'Hatred' of First Lady
THE GUARDIAN: US embassy warns Tunisian anger over corruption and unemployment, as well as 'intense dislike' for president's wife, threaten country's stability
Zine el Abidine Ben Ali and his wife, Leila Trabelsi. US embassy cables released by WikiLeaks said she was mocked by the president's opponents. Photograph: The Guardian
Tunisia has blocked the website of a Lebanese newspaper that published US cables released by WikiLeaks describing high-level corruption, a sclerotic regime, and deep hatred of President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali's wife and her family.
Deeply unflattering reports from the US embassy in Tunis, released by WikiLeaks, make no bones about the state of the small Maghreb country, widely considered one of the most repressive in a repressive region.
"The problem is clear," wrote ambassador Robert Godec in July 2009, in a secret dispatch released by Beirut's al-Akhbar newspaper. "Tunisia has been ruled by the same president for 22 years. He has no successor. And, while President Ben Ali deserves credit for continuing many of the progressive policies of President Bourguiba, he and his regime have lost touch with the Tunisian people. They tolerate no advice or criticism, whether domestic or international. Increasingly, they rely on the police for control and focus on preserving power.
"Corruption in the inner circle is growing. Even average Tunisians are now keenly aware of it, and the chorus of complaints is rising. Tunisians intensely dislike, even hate, first lady Leila Trabelsi and her family. In private, regime opponents mock her; even those close to the government express dismay at her reported behaviour. Meanwhile, anger is growing at Tunisia's high unemployment and regional inequities. As a consequence, the risks to the regime's long-term stability are increasing." >>> Ian Black, Middle East editor | Tuesday, December 07, 2010
Tunisia's Youth Finally Has Revolution on Its Mind
THE GUARDIAN: We've become used to gossiping about the regime and feeling that we're plotting. But now we see the time to rebel has come
I am part of the new generation that has lived in Tunisia under the absolute rule of President Ben Ali.
In high school and college, we are always afraid to talk politics: "There are reporters everywhere," we are told. Nobody dares discussing politics in public; everyone is suspicious. Your neighbour, your friend, your grocer might be Ben Ali's informer: do you or your father want to be forcibly taken to an undefined place one night at 4am?
We grow up with this fear of activism; we continue studying, going out and partying, regardless of politics.
During high school, we begin to find out the intricacies of the "royal" family and hear stories here and there – about a relative of Leila [Trabelsi, the president's wife] who took control of an industry, who has appropriated the land of another person, who dealt with the Italian mafia. We talk and discuss it among ourselves – everybody is aware of what's going on, but there is no action. We quickly learn that Tunisian television is the worst television that exists. Everything is relayed to the glory of President Ben Ali, who's always shown at his best. We all know he dyes his hair black. Nobody likes his wife, who has a wooden smile: she never seemed sincere. >>> Sam | Thursday, January 13, 2011
BBC: Hezbollah and its allies have threatened to quit the Lebanese cabinet unless their demands over a UN tribunal probing the murder of ex-premier Rafik Hariri are met.
The move would automatically bring down the government, ministers have warned.
Tension has been high in Lebanon, amid indications that Hezbollah members could be indicted by the UN tribunal.
The US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, told the BBC's Kim Ghattas that there was no reason to expect the tensions to lead to violent unrest.
Mrs Clinton said the US will "continue to support the integrity of an independent sovereign Lebanon". Watch BBC video >>> | Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Lebanon's Vines on the Frontline
It is estimated that Lebanon's winemaking tradition dates back 5,000 years. Photo: BBC
BBC: Lebanon's history dates back to Noah - the first winemaker mentioned in the Bible - and the winemaking tradition has defied many conflicts over the centuries.
One day not so long ago, I was driving from Damascus in Syria to Beirut.
After the border, the road winds down the Anti-Lebanon mountains. Ahead is the Bekaa Valley, laid out down below like a giant's play-mat.
On that morning, the road through the Bekaa was jammed.
The Lebanese army was rounding up some suspects and had put up a roadblock.
Dozens of soldiers with automatic weapons were outside a building and on the roofs opposite, while some of their colleagues pulled bearded, handcuffed men towards an army lorry.
The mood in the traffic jam was philosophical.
Military roadblocks and checkpoints are part of the scenery in Lebanon. So are contrasts that the Lebanese accept but which might surprise some foreigners. Almost Provence >>> Jeremy Bowen, BBC Middle East editor | Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Persecution of Muslim Converts to Christianity in Germany
Tunisia Riots: Reform or Be Overthrown, US Tells Arab States Amid Fresh Riots
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Riots by youths protesting against Tunisia's 50-year dictatorship clashed with police in the country's capital as the United States warned its Middle Eastern allies to reform or be overthrown.
Police in Tunis opened fire and shot tear gas in the air as stone-throwing youths breached a curfew and surrounded government buildings.
At least three people were reportedly killed, bringing to more than 60 the number said by human rights groups to have died in a wave of unrest in what was previously seen as one of the Arab world's most stable and prosperous countries.
Four more people had already been shot and killed in Tunis's suburbs on Wednesday night.
President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, 74, who has been in power since he overthrew his predecessor in 1987 sacked the interior minister on Wednesday but failed to quell calls for his resignation.
On Thursday night Mr Ben Ali attempted to pacify protesters by saying in a television address that he would not change the constitution to allow him to run again when his term expires in 2014. He also ordered his security forces to stop using firearms against protesters and said prices for sugar, milk and bread would be reduced.
However, as the president was speaking, promising an end to force, two people were killed as police opened fire on protesters, witnesses said.
Hillary Clinton ended a tour of the Gulf with a warning that leaders who failed to carry out political and economic reform risked being cast aside.
"In too many places, in too many ways, the region's foundations are sinking into the sand," she said.
"Those who cling to the status quo may be able to hold back the full impact of their countries' problems for a little while, but not forever.
"If leaders don't offer a positive vision and give young people meaningful ways to contribute, others will fill the vacuum."
Protests over unemployment and food prices have also broken out in Algeria, Jordan and even Saudi Arabia in recent weeks, all countries with a high proportion of young people, many well-educated but jobless. >>> Richard Spencer, Middle East Correspondent | Thursday, January 13, 2011
THE AUSTRALIAN: IN a modest office in the drab Paris suburb of Nanterre, a tall, confident blonde sketches out her hopes of beating Nicolas Sarkozy in the French presidential election early next year.
Marine Le Pen, 42, daughter of Jean-Marie, France's far-right bogeyman, is predicting coming second in the first round and knocking out the President in a replay of 2002 when her father stunned Europe by eliminating Lionel Jospin, the Socialist and favourite. "I think the surprise can be repeated and I am not the only one to think it," Ms Le Pen told The Times.
A few years ago, that would have sounded preposterous but the prospect is now serious, not least in the eyes of Mr Sarkozy's own camp as the unpopular President struggles to regain favour. Jean-Francois Cope, the new leader of Mr Sarkozy's Union for a Popular Movement (UMP), sees Le Pen fille as "a major danger for our political family and the political life of France".
A less frightening but still formidable version of Jean-Marie, 88, Ms Le Pen is to be anointed by a congress this weekend as leader of the party that her father founded in 1972. She will then launch a presidential campaign on a tide of popularity never seen by her rabble-rousing father.
With her softer, modern discourse, Ms Le Pen is enjoying a political windfall because the hobbyhorses of the National Front (FN) - Muslims, immigrant-related crime and globalisation - have gone mainstream. "Time has proved us right in a quite spectacular fashion," said Ms Le Pen. "Our old themes, opposition to the euro, the EU, immigration, have taken on a different light. People are saying that this party that was stigmatised was right." With a touch of the apocalypse beloved of her father she added: "This touches the future of European civilisation." >>> Charles Bremner, The Times | Friday, January 14, 2011
Imam Criticized for NY Mosque Embarks on U.S. Speaking Tour
Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf. Photo: Reuters
REUTERS: The New York imam whose proposed Muslim cultural center and mosque near "Ground Zero" has stirred opposition is embarking on a U.S. speaking tour where he intends to correct misperceptions about his aims.
"The sentiment around Muslims and Islam, about who we are and what we are about, is something that cannot wait and must be dealt with," Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf said.
"We want to make it clear who we are and where we stand," he said. "We are part of this narrative for the worse, and we need to be part of it for the better."
But opponents say Rauf's debut in Detroit on Saturday before the Islamic Society of North America is indicative of his extremism, and his tour of universities and religious institutions amounts to blatant fund-raising for a widely condemned project. >>> Andrew Smith, Chicago | Thursday, January 13, 2011
THE ECONOMIST: Most of the Arab media are glum about the prospect of South Sudan’s secession
THROUGH the lens of the Muslim Brotherhood’s slick Arabic-language website, the referendum on the future of South Sudan looks rather different from its portrayal elsewhere. The looming partition of Sudan is not, it says, the logical outcome of five decades of civil war. It is the fruition of a century-old Western ecclesiastical plot to close Islam’s gateway into Africa, and the start of a plan to break other Arab countries into feeble statelets so as to grab their riches. >>> Cairo | Thursday, January 13, 2011
Tunisie: levée de la censure sur les sites internet bloqués
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Les sites internet qui étaient bloqués en Tunisie, notamment Dailymotion et Youtube, étaient de nouveau accessibles jeudi soir, peu après la promesse du président Zine El Abidine Ben Ali de garantir "la liberté totale" de l'information et de l'accès à l'internet.
Des utilisateurs ont très vite célébré la disparition du censeur du ministère de l'Intérieur, qui se faisait appeler "Ammar 404". >>> AFP | Jeudi 13 Janvier 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: More than 370 people have died and hundreds are feared dead as a result of floods and mudslides in Brazil in the worst natural disaster to hit the country for decades.
Three towns situated in the mountains north of Rio de Janeiro were devastated after up to 10 inches of rain - the equivalent of a month's rainfall - fell in 24 hours.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing cars, animals and human corpses carried away by torrents of water, while bodies recovered were stored in schools and churches.
Survivors in the towns of Nova Friburgo, Teresopolis and Petropolis tried desperately to claw away mud with their hands in a search for signs of life after the mudslides struck at around 3am (5am GMT) on Wednesday.
"We were like zombies, covered in mud, in the dark, digging and digging," said Geisa Carvalho, 19, of Teresopolis.
"The recovery of bodies doesn't seem to end," added Ricardo Figueiredo, 52, who has spent his summers in the area since he was born. "If you walk through the streets you see only expressions of desperation, people shouting, stretchers passing by." >>> Robin Yapp, São Paulo | Thursday, January 13, 2011
THE GUARDIAN: Ten thousand sign petition for rightwing talkshow host to be removed amid accusations that he has whipped up hatred in the wake of the Arizona shooting
Glenn Beck has had to defend his record. Photograph: The Guardian
A protest was staged against rightwing talkshow host Glenn Beck today, calling for his immediate removal from Fox News.
The organisers, Jewish Funds for Justice (JFSJ), a charity that campaigns for social change, delivered a petition with 10,000 signatures.
In the wake of the Tucson shooting, the TV and radio personality has had to defend his record against accusations that he has whipped up hatred within the public discourse.
For a media figure who has been variously lambasted as a liar, buffoon, clown, bigot and racist Beck is no stranger to the vitriol that currently passes in America as public debate. In fact, he's built a multimillion dollar empire out of it.
So the protest rally that was staged outside the News Corporation headquarters in New York today probably troubled him as much as water flowing off a duck's back.
The petition was part of a groundswell of opinion that when it comes to Beck, arguably the most extreme of America's multitude of rightwing talk hosts, enough is now enough. >>> Ed Pilkington in New York | Thursday, January 13, 2011
Paedophilia 'Culturally Accepted in South Afghanistan'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: British forces were advised by a military study that paedophilia is widespread and culturally accepted in southern Afghanistan.
Older, powerful men boosted their social status by keeping boys as sexual playthings and the practice was celebrated in song and dance, a military study claimed.
British officers in Helmand requested the study to help them understand the sexual behaviour of locals and Afghan comrades after young soldiers became uneasy they were being propositioned.
American social scientists employed to help troops understand the local culture reported that homosexual sex was widespread among the Pashtun ethnic group in southern Afghanistan.
Strict separation of men and women, coupled with poverty and the significant expense of getting married, contributed to young men turning to each other for sexual companionship.
"To dismiss the existence of this dynamic out of desire to avoid western discomfort is to risk failing to comprehend an essential social force underlying Pashtun culture," the report said.
The study, called 'Pashtun Sexuality', said that as well as willing sex between young men, "boys are appreciated for physical beauty and apprenticed to older men for their sexual initiation". >>> Ben Farmer, Kabul | Thursday, January 13, 2011
LE FIGARO: «Il est plus facile de travailler avec Sarkozy qu'avec Mitterrand ou Giscard d'Estaing», raconte le premier ministre dans The Times. Il évoque aussi la cuisine anglaise, la mixité sociale des pubs, et mêmes les tenues de son épouse.
Et si la Grande-Bretagne, son crachin et son «fog», mettaient le premier ministre en confiance ? François Fillon le pudique, le flegmatique, s'y sentirait-il plus à l'aise pour fendre l'armure et parler de lui ? Avare de confidences avec la presse française, qu'il évite dès qu'il peut, le chef du gouvernement, qui fait la Une du Times [£] jeudi matin, s'est longuement confié à deux journalistes du quotidien britannique. Marié à une femme, «moitié anglaise, moitié galloise», «l'anglophile» Fillon, qui a reconnu jeudi devant les financiers de la City qu'il parlait anglais «comme un Pakistanais», a vanté les charmes du Royaume-Uni.
Et même la cuisine anglaise, «bien meilleure que ce que les gens disent». Il raconte avoir tenté à plusieurs reprises d'en convaincre Nicolas Sarkozy. «Nous avons eu des disputes animées à ce propos», plaisante-t-il. Le premier ministre explique aussi qu'il aimerait «importer» en France les pubs anglais dont il aime la mixité sociale et… la bière. «La première fois que j'ai été à un match de rugby, je ne pouvais pas comprendre pourquoi nous devions partir à 9 heures le matin pour un match qui commençait en début d'après-midi, raconte t il. Après avoir passé quatre heures à boire de la bière, suivre le match était devenu difficile…» >>> Par Solenn de Royer | Jeudi 13 Janvier 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Turkey has urged Israel to sack Avigdor Lieberman, its controversial foreign minister, escalating a protracted row that has badly damaged one of the Middle East's most important pro-western alliances.
Avigdor Lieberman suggested that Turkey was on the verge of succumbing to an Islamist-style revolution of the type that overthrew the Shah in Iran in 1979. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
In an interview on al-Jazeera television, Recept Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister, sought to present Mr Lieberman as an out-of-control maverick who had damaged Israel's international standing.
Reflecting deep anger in Ankara over a series of attacks that Mr Lieberman has directed at Turkey in recent weeks, the prime minister suggested that there was little hope of ending the diplomatic crisis with Israel while the foreign minister remained in office.
"Lieberman is Israel's chief problem and the Israelis should get rid of them," the prime minister said. "This is their problem not ours. If Israel doesn't fire him, their problems will get worse." >>> Adrian Blomfield, Middle East Correspondent | Thursday, January 13, 2011
Third of Young Japanese Men Not Interested in Sex
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: More than a third of Japanese males aged between 16 and 19 have no interest in or are actively averse to sex, according to a government survey.
Japan's birth rate stands at 1.21 per family, far below the rate of 2.08 babies that is required for a stable population.
As of March 2009, Japan's total population stood at just over 127 million, but that figure is projected to decline to 95 million by 2050. And if more drastic measures fail to encourage people to have sex - and hence children - then there will be a mere 47.7 million Japanese at the turn of the next century. >>> Julian Ryall in Tokyo | Thursday, January 13, 2011
Women 'Should Be Able' to Take Abortion Drugs at Home
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Women could be given the right to have abortions at home after campaigners mounted a legal challenge against 40-year-old laws.
Abortion provider, BPAS, is demanding that women be allowed to take the second of two drugs for an early medical abortion in the comfort of their own homes rather than in clinics.
The organisation, previously known as the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, said the Abortion Act does not take into account modern advances that mean terminations before nine weeks can be induced with drugs without having to resort to surgery.
Currently women have to attend the abortion clinic to be provided with the first drug, which stops the pregnancy progressing, and then she has to return 24 for 48-hours later for the second, which causes the miscarriage.
Doctors have said it is unnecessary for women to return to the clinic for the second drug and experience in other countries shows it is safe and acceptable to give them the medicine to take at home. >>> Rebecca Smith, Medical Editor | Thursday, January 13, 2011
Deutschland über alles!
WELT ONLINE: Deutschland soll Europas Vorbild sein. Die Kanzlerin fordert, dass sich schwächere Staaten an Deutschland orientieren – nicht am Mittelmaß.
Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel hat vor einer wirtschaftlichen Mittelmäßigkeit der Europäischen Union (EU) gewarnt. „Die Frage ist nicht, wie wir einen Mittelwert zwischen verschiedenen Staaten bilden“, sagte sie gestern auf dem „Welt“-Wirtschaftsgipfel in Berlin. Wichtiger sei es, die schwächeren Staaten wettbewerbsfähig zu machen. „Unsere Aufgabe ist es, dafür zu sorgen, dass sich Europa an den Stärkeren orientiert.“ Deutschland habe großes Interesse daran, dass sich die überschuldeten Staaten in der Euro-Zone wirtschaftlich schnell erholten. „Über 60 Prozent unserer Exporte gehen nach Europa, deshalb haben wir eigenes Interesse an wirtschaftlicher Prosperität“, betonte sie vor rund 60 Topmanagern und Politikern im Berliner Axel-Springer-Haus. Angela Merkel will deutsche Führung in Europa >>> fab, ams, jos | Donnerstag, 13. Januar 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Australia's third largest city is facing a clean-up of "post-war" proportions as thousands of residents returned to assess the damage caused to their homes by the biggest flood to hit Brisbane in decades.
The death toll from the floods sweeping the state's south-east rose to 15 during the day after a 25-year-old man was sucked down a storm drain to his death in the city when he went to check on his father's flooded home.
The Brisbane River peaked at 14ft overnight but the drama continued during the day with several dramatic rescues carried out on the fast-flowing water.
A man in a dinghy rescued two people from a boat that was careening down the river without power, and another man was plucked out of the torrent after he fell in from one of the riverbanks.
The rescues came hours after a tugboat helped avert disaster by nudging a large piece of floating concrete away from the supports of a major city bridge.
An estimated 50 suburbs across Brisbane have been swamped with dirty, muddy water and 11,900 homes have been hit by serious flood damage.
Another 14,000 properties and 6,000 businesses are partially flooded.
In some of the worst hit areas, residents who had fled to high ground with as many possessions as they could fit into their cars returned to survey the damage. >>> Bonnie Malkin, Brisbane | Thursday, January 13, 2011
BBC: New rules on the sale of alcohol in Turkey have raised fears its food and entertainment industries may be harmed.
The curbs ban alcohol from sports advertising and events for young people, and sales are limited to licensed shops and restaurants.
Critics say it will become harder for catering companies to organise wedding parties and similar gatherings.
A ruling party official said the rules were put in place to protect young adults from alcoholism.
An opposition spokesman said that an "oppressive mentality" was seeking to control Turkey, suggesting that the ruling AKP party was targeting secular lifestyles.
But Mehmet Kucuk, whose Tobacco and Alcohol Market Regulatory Board implemented the changes, insisted there was "no ideological dimension to the issue".
One small wine-maker told the BBC that, under the new regulations, he could no longer promote his wines via the internet, could not recommend wines to go with certain food, nor hold wine-tasting events. >>> | Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Bank of London and the Middle East Launches [sic] Sharia'a [sic] Compliant Premier Deposit Account in Sterling, US Dollars and Euros for Investors
iSTOCKANALYST: Bank of London and The Middle East plc (BLME), London's leading wholesale Sharia'a compliant bank whose main shareholders are Boubyan Bank, National Bank of Kuwait, the Securities House and the Public Institution for Social Security, announced today the launch of its Premier Deposit Account (PDA) in Pound Sterling, US Dollars and Euro for Kuwait investors. >>> Source: Middle East Company News | Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Greek Church Raps Bishop Over Muslim, Jew Remarks
THE WASHINGTON POST: ATHENS, Greece -- Greece's Orthodox church has rejected disparaging comments about Muslims and Jews by a senior cleric that sparked protests from representatives of both faiths.
A statement by the church governing body, the Holy Synod, condemned "any form of racial and religious discrimination." >>> The Associated Press | Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Assange 'Faces Death Penalty' in US
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Lawyers for WikiLeaks' founder say he could face death penalty or torture if he is extradited to the US via Sweden.
Assange's lawyers said his human rights could be violated if he is extradited [AFP]. Photograph: Al Jazeera English
Defence attorneys for Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, has said he could end up facing the death penalty in the US if the UK extradites him to Sweden, where he is accused of sex crimes.
The lawyers fear that Sweden will in turn hand him over to the US.
Following Assange's appearance in a London court on Tuesday, his attorneys published an outline of the defence he will use at a full extradition hearing scheduled for February 7.
"There is a real risk that, if extradited to Sweden, the US will seek his extradition and/or illegal rendition to the USA, where there will be a real risk of him being detained at Guantanamo Bay or elsewhere" according to a legal memo on the website of the law firm Finers Stephens Innocent.
"Indeed, if Mr Assange were rendered to the USA, without assurances that the death penalty would not be carried out, there is a real risk that he could be made subject to the death penalty."
The Australian citizen, who has angered the US and other states by releasing embarrassing classified US diplomatic cables, is wanted by Sweden for questioning over alleged sexual offences against two women in Sweden last summer.
According to his lawyer, the allegations stem from a dispute over "consensual but unprotected sex". >>> | Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Brisbane Battens Down the Hatches as River Peak Looms
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Thousands of residents of Brisbane are rushing to evacuate homes and move to higher ground as the region's worst flood in decades bore down on the city.
Anna Bligh, the state's premier who has spearheaded the official response to the unfolding disaster, warned the country's third largest city would wake up to unprecedented damage.
"Brisbane will go to sleep tonight and wake up to scenes many will never have seen before in their lives," she warned.
The death toll from devastating floods swamping south-east Queensland climbed to 12, with another 43 people missing, the state capital Brisbane braced for more than 50 suburbs to be inundated with rapidly rising water.
The most recent estimates suggest that 20,000 homes, 3,500 businesses and 2,100 roads will be hit by the massive flood as the swollen Brisbane River peaks at 17ft early on Thursday morning.
In preparation, residents in affluent riverside suburbs rushed to save their most precious belongings as the water steadily inched higher throughout the day. >>> Bonnie Malkin, in Brisbane | Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Lebanon Government Collapses After Hizbollah Walks Out
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Lebanese government has collapsed after Hizbollah and its allies walked out of a coalition that had ensured an uneasy peace in one of the Middle East's most unstable countries.
Eleven ministers resigned in a well-timed move to undermine the pro-western prime minister, Saad Hariri. Mr Hariri was posing for photographs in the White House with President Barack Obama when the decision was announced.
The Hizbollah-led alliance acted after Mr Hariri refused to bow to demands to disavow an international tribunal into the murder of his father, Rafiq Hariri, a former prime minister, which is expected to blame the militant group.
Its move could reignite the three-way confrontation between pro-western parties, Shia factions tied to Iran and Syria, and Israel which has caused decades of political and military conflict in the country. >>> Richard Spencer, Middle East Correspondent | Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Erdogan Is Voted “Man of the Year”
The anti-Israeli rhetoric of Ankara, as well as the support for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip is certainly not aimed against Israel, but is directed towards the Arabs to enlist their support in the establishment of a Middle Eastern analogue of the EU
No matter how much the orthodox Islam resists the “pernicious Western influence”, the fashion for “Man of the Year” reached the Muslim world too. Naturally, the favourite was Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was voted “Man of the Year” for 2010 by readers of CNN Arabic. As reported by Today’s Zaman, Erdogan won 74% of the votes
PanARMENIAN.Net: The choice of Erdogan in this category was not arbitrary: Turkish foreign policy of the past several years has been focused specifically on becoming a mediator between the Arab and Turkic worlds. And it must be admitted that to some extent Turkey has succeeded. In this respect, the big time for Erdogan came in Davos in 2009, when he left the forum after quarreling with Israeli President Shimon Peres for the operation “Cast Lead”. As you remember, Erdogan was met in Turkey as a national hero, and there immediately began an anti-Semitic campaign. With his demarche Erdogan killed two birds with one stone: he showed the Arabs that Turkey does not sympathize with her long-standing ally Israel and supports the Palestinian side; besides Turkey defends Islam, or rather Pan-Turanism, or to be more precise - Ottomanism, without any prefixes like “neo-”. The anti-Israeli rhetoric of Ankara, as well as the support for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip is certainly not aimed against Israel, but is directed towards the Arabs to enlist their support in the establishment of a Middle Eastern analogue of the EU. By the way, there are rumours that the Greater Middle East, being the brainchild of the United States, may still be fulfilled by Erdogan. Perhaps that is why Washington turns a blind eye to the anti-Israeli and sometimes anti-American demarches of Ankara.
One may say that Erdogan follows two goals: membership in the EU and establishment of a similar structure in the Middle East with the involvement of some former Soviet republics. It may well be that both of these goals are achieved in the years to come if the Justice and Development Party (AKP) remains in power after the elections of 2011. And only a few doubt that it will be so. Naturally Ataturk’s legacy must be preserved, but Turkey, with the exception of Istanbul and Ankara, is still an Islamic country as a whole. In the central part of the country people still live under Sharia Law and the current situation is unlikely to change in the near future. The immortal phrase of Rudyard Kipling “East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet” is relevant today too. And no matter how often Turkey repeats to the world that she is the crossroads of civilizations and the bridge between East and West, yet an Islamic country is an Islamic country. >>> Karine Ter-Sahakyan / PanARMENIAN News | Tuesday, January 11, 2011
