Self-immolation and Individual Freedom
THE JERUSALEM POST – EDITORIAL: The personal stories of despair that led up to these acts of self-sacrifice are inevitably brought to the forefront.

Self-immolation is horrifying. Yet the pent-up turmoil and despair to which it gives graphic expression has the potential to move masses to action.

Such was the case with Muhammad Bouazizi, a 26-yearold Tunisian college graduate who set himself on fire last month. Unable to find employment commensurate with his skills, Bouazizi settled for peddling fruits and vegetables in his home town. He became despondent when security forces brutally destroyed his unlicensed cart and confiscated his wares. His desperate act of protest touched a nerve with educated Tunisian youths in situations similar to Bouazizi’s and helped spark a revolution.

It also set off a spate of self-immolation attempts this week in Africa and the Middle East. >>> JPost Editorial | Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Tunisia's Upheaval Stirs Emotions Throughout the Arab World

Russian Woman Who Wear Miniskirts 'Should Not Be Surprised If They Get Raped'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A top cleric in the Russian Orthodox Church is under fire for saying that women who wear miniskirts and get drunk should not be surprised if they get raped.

The problem, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin said, was that some Russian women confused the street with a strip club and dressed like prostitutes. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, the head of the Orthodox Church's department for relations between the church and society, complained that Russian women dressed like strippers and suggested a nationwide dress code should be introduced to ensure both sexes dress more conservatively.

"If she (a woman) is wearing a miniskirt, it is provocative," he said. "If she is drunk at the same time then she is even more provocative, and if she herself is actively seeking contact with people and is then surprised when that contact ends in rape she is wrong."

The problem, he laimed, was that some Russian women confused the street with a strip club and dressed like prostitutes.

"A woman who is barely dressed or made up like a clown will certainly not find a man as a partner in life with an ounce of sense or self-respect," he said. >>> Andrew Osborn, Moscow | Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Jean Tulard : "L'an 1789 de la révolution tunisienne"
Jean Tulard est historien, spécialiste de la Révolution française et des révolutions en général. Selon lui, l'avenir du soulèvement tunisien dépendra du rôle joué par l'armée
Photo : Le Monde
LE MONDE: En un mois de soulèvement, le peuple tunisien a obtenu la chute du régime de Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali. S'agit-il d'une révolution ?

Nous sommes en ce moment même dans une phase charnière du soulèvement tunisien. De simple révolte, ce mouvement est en train de devenir une révolution.

Une révolte est un acte spontané, qui naît d'une indignation, d'un ras-le-bol, d'un accès de désespoir. Elle est généralement anarchique, sans chef, sans mot d'ordre, et limitée localement. Autant de caractéristiques qui correspondent parfaitement au cas tunisien, au moins dans ses débuts.

La révolution, elle, prône un changement radical d'hommes, d'institutions, de façon de penser. Pour prendre l'exemple de la Révolution française, le soulèvement était prévisible et ses objectifs connus : égalité, à travers l'abolition des privilèges, suppression des droits féodaux qui pesaient sur les paysans, fin de la monarchie absolue. Le modèle tunisien ne correspond pas à ce schéma, puisqu'il a débuté et perduré sans leader ni assise idéologique.

Mais il suit une trajectoire parallèle à celle de la Révolution française qui rend les deux événements assez comparables. La Révolution est elle aussi passée par une phase d'émeutes avant de pénétrer les esprits d'une part plus importante de la population, comme le 14 juillet 1789 ou le 10 août 1792. Des émeutes de la faim et du chômage, comme en Tunisie.

Une révolte peut donc engendrer une révolution. Pour cela, il faut que les exaspérations de départ trouvent un écho avec des aspirations plus profondes concernant l'ensemble du pays, et non plus un territoire limité. C'est ce qui s'est passé à l'été 1789, quand les paysans français, sans bien comprendre ce qui se passait à Paris, se sont armés et ont pris d'assaut les châteaux des nobles. C'est aussi ce qui s'est passé en Tunisie, ou la révolte a commencé à Sidi Bouzid, loin de la capitale, avant d'essaimer dans tout le pays.

C'est d'ailleurs bien cette distinction entre révolte et révolution qui explique les atermoiements des dirigeants français. Jusqu'à la mi-janvier, on pensait encore avoir affaire à de simples émeutes de la faim, à une révolte limitée. Or, il est facile de mettre fin à une révolte : soit le pouvoir réprime, soit il répond favorablement aux revendications. Arrêter une révolution, c'est une tout autre affaire... >>> LeMonde.fr | Mardi 18 Janvier 2011

Tunisian Anger at 'Unity Govt'
A new national unity government has been announced in Tunisia, but protesters are angry at how many members of the previous government have been allowed to keep key posts, including the ministers of defence, finance, the interior and foreign affairs. Tear gas and water cannons were used by police to disperse demonstrators, who have demanded, along with opposition parties, a government consisting of more members not belonging to the ruling RCD party. Al Jazeera's Ayman Mohyeldin reports from the Tunisian capital, Tunis

Tunisia in a Fragile State
There are still security concerns in Tunisia, even though the overnight curfew has been lifted in the Capital. Some citizens are concerned and remain skeptical about the current government, despite Ben Ali having left the country. Locals man barricades to protect their property, the army continues to patrol the streets, and there are reports of renewed clashes between portesters and security forces. Al Jazeera's James Bays reports from Tunis

US: Trial to Begin in Decapitation Case

Pakistani TV executive who set up pro-Muslim station in the U.S. goes on trial accused of beheading his wife >>> Daily Mail Reporter | Tuesday, January 18, 2010

L'Égypte annonce la fermeture de la tombe de Toutankhamon
LE POINT: À partir de la fin de l'année, les touristes n'auront plus accès qu'à un fac-similé de la grotte, en cours de réalisation à Madrid.

Bientôt fermé au public, le tombeau de Toutankhamon est en passe d'être reproduit à l'identique sur fac-similé par l'entreprise Factum Arte. Photo : Le Point
La vallée des Rois et la grotte de Lascaux, même combat. Le grand patron des Antiquités égyptiennes Zahi Hawass vient de confirmer la prochaine fermeture de la tombe de Toutankhamon au profit d'un fac-similé qui devrait voir le jour fin 2011. Du reste, les principales tombes de la vallée des Rois semblent être condamnées au même destin. À commencer par celles de Néfertari et de Seti I, fermées aux visites depuis de nombreuses années déjà pour les protéger de l'excès d'humidité provoqué par l'afflux de visiteurs. D'ores et déjà, certaines peintures présentent de légères détériorations. >>> Par Frédéric Lewino | Mardi 18 Janvier 2011

Filming British Muslims' Fight Against Extremism
THE GUARDIAN: Documentary maker Masood Khan explains why he was inspired to make Muslim Resistance, a series of films examining British Muslims' efforts to combat extremism

Whenever you read something negative about Muslims in the press, it is often followed by someone saying: "Where are all the moderate Muslims? Where are all the Muslims who are against terrorism, against extremism ... why aren't we hearing from them?"

The reality is that Muslims have been working against the extremists in the their community way before 7/7 or even 9/11. It is the reason why the likes of Abu Hamza and Omar Bakri, the now exiled leader of al-Muhijiroun, were shunned by the Muslims up and down the country way before they became the known faces of Islamic extremism. It is also why their followers number in the hundreds rather than in the hundred of thousands. But nobody talks or writes about that.

Growing up in Britain, in a pre 9/11 world – it is strange how one can define one's life this way, by a single event - I gave very little consideration to my Muslim identity. Nor did anyone else around me. Yes, like countless other Pakistanis, I would be called "Paki", but that was the worst of it.

How times have changed. My sister, a primary school teacher in the town in which we grew up, was alarmed when one of her seven-year-old pupils called another child of Arab origin "Muslim" as a term of abuse. The boy was surprised to hear that my headscarf-wearing sister was in fact a Muslim herself. There is a perception out there that Muslims are bad, or that they are extremists, or terrorists - or do not take the threat of terrorism seriously. What I wanted to show by making these films was that Muslims of all persuasions were as keen as any other citizen to rid Britain of Islamist extremism. I want to challenge the perception that Muslims are not doing their bit to take on extremism. >>> Masood Khan | Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Watch Guardian video here

Covering Egypt - Egypt
Watch Journeyman Pictures video here

The Veil as Resistance: Muslim Women and Social Change

Scientists Warn of 'Superstorm' Heading for California
YAHOO! NEWS UK: Scientists have warned politicians to take preventative action as a superstorm, dubbed the 'Big One', is expected to hit California.

US Geological Survey scientists predict that the storm could last 40 days, producing up to 10-feet of rain and causing £190 billion ($300 billion) worth of flooding damage, which would make it the most destructive storm in California's modern history.

National Weather Service images show an atmospheric river system - a huge hose-like flow of Pacific Ocean moisture - moving onto the state increasing the risk of the winter weather phenomenon.

The storm scenario, combining prehistoric geologic flood history with modern flood mapping and climate-change projections, was released at an ARkStorm Summit in Sacramento, California last week.

The scenario suggests that a quarter of houses in the Golden State could be battered by flooding. >>> Gaby Leslie, Yahoo! News | Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Tunisia Riots Because It Lacks Jobs and Opportunities - Analysts

Jobs Takes Sick Leave at Apple Again, Stirring Questions
THE NEW YORK TIMES: SAN FRANCISCO — Steven P. Jobs, the visionary co-founder and chief executive of Apple, is taking a medical leave of absence, a year and a half after his return following a liver transplant. The leave raises questions about both his long-term prognosis and the leadership of the world’s most valuable technology company.

Mr. Jobs, 55, who recovered from pancreatic cancer after surgery in 2004, has not appeared at public events since October, and has looked increasingly frail in recent weeks, according to people who have seen him.

An Apple spokeswoman, Katie Cotton, said Apple would have no further comment beyond a brief public statement in which Mr. Jobs announced he was turning daily oversight of the company’s operations over to the chief operating officer, Timothy D. Cook. >>> Miguel Helft | Monday, January 17, 2011

Swiss Lawyer Seeks Freeze on Any Ben Ali Assets
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A Swiss lawyer on Monday filed a legal request to freeze any assets held by Tunisia's ousted president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in Switzerland amid political pressure for a government freeze.

Mr Ben Ali is accused of ordering police to open fire on protesters. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
Ridha Ajmi told AFP he had also asked for international arrest warrants against Mr Ben Ali, his wife Leila Trabelsi and former interior minister Rafik Bel Hadji Kacem, claiming they had been involved in ordering police to open fire on protesters.

The move came after the Swiss Socialist Party said in a statement on Sunday that it would ask the government to freeze any Ben Ali accounts during a parliamentary foreign affairs commission meeting early this week.

A government spokesman told AFP that it was keeping watch on the situation and that "no decision has been taken on this matter."

Mr Ajmi, who is of Tunisian origin, said following a report on Swiss radio RSR that he was acting on behalf of about 30 people.

"We are asking for a criminal inquiry to determine whether or not funds that belong to the Tunisian people have been diverted ... to private accounts or companies." >>> | Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Gay Couple Awarded Damages After Christian Hotel Owners Refused to Let Them Share Double Room
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Christian hotel owners who refused a gay couple a double room acted unlawfully, a judge in Bristol has ruled.

Peter and Hazelmary Bull were breaking the law when they denied Martyn Hall and his civil partner Steven Preddy a room at their hotel in Cornwall in September 2008.

Judge Andrew Rutherford made the ruling in a written judgment at Bristol County Court as he awarded the couple £1,800 each in damages.

Mr Hall and Mr Preddy, from Bristol, were seeking up to £5,000 damages claiming sexual orientation discrimination under the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007.

At a hearing last month, the Bulls denied the claim, saying they have a long-standing policy of banning all unmarried couples both heterosexual and gay from sharing a bed at the Chymorvah Private Hotel in Marazion near Penzance.

Mr Bull, 70, and his wife, 66, said their policy, operated since they bought the hotel in 1986, is based on their beliefs about marriage and not a hostility to sexual orientation.

Mrs Bull told the court: "We accept that the Bible is the holy living word of God and we endeavour to follow it as far as we are able.

"We have a kind of routine we go through with folk. It is never our intention to offend so we try to make it as gracious and as helpful as we can." (+ video) >>> | Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Cheney: Obama’s Still a One-term President

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Tunisian Former President's Wife 'Fled Country with £38 Million in Gold'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Tunisian protesters were goaded to new pinnacles of indignation on Monday as it emerged that the former president's wife, Leila Trabelsi, spirited 1.5 tonnes of the central bank's gold onto the aircraft that flew her and her family to Dubai.


Intelligence officials in Paris told Le Monde, the French newspaper, that Mrs Trabelsi visited the bank last month, when protests were gathering momentum, and instructed the governor to hand over gold ingots worth £38 million.

Although he initially refused to comply, the personal intervention of the former president ensured that the gold was handed over.

The disclosure of Mrs Trabelsi's final act of avarice has enraged Tunisians, but not surprised them. The first lady's love of showy opulence and reputation for grasping corruption made her and her equally unpopular nephews the country's principle hate figures.

Three days after they ousted their president, Tunisian protesters returned to the battle-scarred streets of Tunis yesterday to demand the complete purge of former regime loyalists from government positions. >>> Adrian Blomfield, Tunis | Monday, January 17, 2011

Ben Ali Gets Refuge in Saudi Arabia
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Decision to host former Tunisian president sparks angry criticism on the internet.

The Saudi government welcomed Ben Ali on Friday, ushering him to a heavily guarded palace in Jeddah. Photograph: Al Jazeera English
Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia's former president, has taken refuge in Saudi Arabia following a mass public uprising and weeks of deadly protests.

Saudi Arabia confirmed on Saturday that he and his family have been welcomed into the kingdom due to "exceptional circumstances" in Tunisia.

"Out of concern for the exceptional circumstances facing the brotherly Tunisian people and in support of the security and stability of their country... the Saudi government has welcomed president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and his family to the kingdom," the government said in a statement.

Ben Ali fled to the Red Sea port city of Jeddah on Friday, where he and his family were ushered to a heavily guarded palace tucked behind palm trees and greenery.

By taking him in, the Saudis wanted to "defuse" the tensions on the streets of Tunisia. It was certainly "not out of sympathy" for Ben Ali, Mustafa Alani, research director at Dubai's Gulf Research Centre, said.

The Saudis had two options -- either they "contribute to solving the problem by giving him refuge" or "let him stay in the country ... (where) things would go from bad to worse," he said.

Conservative society

Ben Ali, renowned for cracking down on Islamists, had to finally settle in ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia as he was refused asylum by one of his closest allies, France.

"It might be ironic for a person who fought the hijab (Muslim women's head cover) to end up being given asylum in an Islamic state," Riad Kahwaji, head of the Dubai-based Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis, said.

"His wife will have to live veiled, under the law there."

In a post on Saudi news website sabq.org, one reader wrote: "Only now does the dictator who fought religion and the religious get to know the land of the two holy shrines (Mecca and Medina) ... You and your wife are not welcome."

"We hope the kingdom will help us bring this man [Ben Ali] to justice, if needed," said another post under the name of "citizen" on the Dubai-based and Saudi-owned alarabiya.net news website.

However, Ben Ali had to accept "a long list of conditions" before the secular leader was given asylum in Saudi Arabia, including being "shut out of the media and out of politics," according to Alani. >>> | Sunday, January 16, 2011

History Overturned as Anglican Bishops Are Ordained as Catholic Priests
THE GUARDIAN: A packed Westminster Cathedral plays host to a momentous day for Christianity in Britain

The three former bishops, (from left) John Broadhurst, Keith Newton and Andrew Burnham, after the ceremony. Photograph: The Guardian
In its 100-plus years Westminster Cathedral, the mother church of English Catholicism, will have seen few stranger sights than Saturday's procession of three Anglican bishops' wives, in matching beige coats, one with an outsized brown hat, going up on to the high altar to embrace their husbands, all newly ordained as Catholic priests. Catholicism isn't that keen on women on the altar – to the pain of the demonstrators from the Catholic Women's Ordination movement protesting outside the cathedral's doors – and it doesn't usually countenance priests having wives.

But this was no ordinary ceremony. Almost everyone who spoke during it used the word "historic" to describe the ordination as Catholic priests of John Broadhurst, Andrew Burnham and Keith Newton, all formerly Anglican bishops.

It is the Vatican's negative attitude to women's ministry that formed the backdrop to the whole affair. The three recruits oppose the Church of England's plans to appoint female bishops and regard the Catholic priesthood as a safe, female-free haven.

There has been a steady stream of converts since the Church of England voted in favour of female priests in 1992. What made the two-hour service in Westminster Cathedral genuinely historic, however, was that these three men were not simply joining the ranks of Britain's six million Catholics, or even being granted a special dispensation from Rome's usual rules to allow them to become married Catholic priests. That, too, has been happening in small numbers since 1992.

No, this whole ceremony, complete with 80 Catholic priests on the altar, plus six bishops, was a grand launch for Pope Benedict's new ringfenced section within Catholicism for Anglican dissenters. There has never been anything of its kind before. Its name was unveiled – the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham – as well as the identity of its first leader, Father Newton. He will preside over a church within a church, where the normal rules of Catholicism don't apply. As well as a married priesthood, it can also use its own prayer books and rites, imported from Anglicanism. >>> Peter Stanford | Saturday, January 15, 2011

Confusion, Fear and Horror in Tunisia as Old Regime's Militia Carries on the Fight
THE GUARDIAN: Tunisian capital witnesses violent clashes between armed forces and those loyal to former president Zine el-Abedine Ben Ali

As the sun set on Bourguiba Avenue in central Tunis, the lull of a distant call to prayer was drowned out by the relentless crackle of machine-gun fire as soldiers darted for cover from tree to tree along the deserted boulevard. Up above, on top of the interior ministry whose basements had housed the regime's torture rooms, snipers were firing down into the street.

"The old police loyal to Ben Ali are shooting from the roof," said a police officer as he hurried from room to room of a nearby hotel, crawling across the carpet to check windows were closed. Military helicopters hovered overhead as the gun battle raged.
There were other skirmishes outside the central bank and the PDP opposition party headquarters.

On the Mediterranean shore at Carthage, north of the capital, there was sporadic gunfire as fighting continued at the presidential palace. Residents barricaded themselves in homes, saying palace guards loyal to the ousted dictator were resisting the army.

Confusion reigned. For the first time in the Arab world, a people had forced out a leader by spontaneously and peacefully taking to the street. But although Zine al-Abedine Ben Ali has fled, the diehards of his brutal police force have not. During the day random yellow taxi-loads of militia loyal to the ousted leader had careered through the capital and some suburbs, firing randomly into the air. Armed gangs broke into homes and ransacked them, or fired shots in the street. >>> Angelique Chrisafis in Tunis | Sunday, January 16, 2011

Iran's 'Execution Binge' Condemned
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: Iranian authorities have unleashed an "execution binge" with an average rate of one person hanged every eight hours since the beginning of the year, a rights group monitoring the Islamic Republic says.

"The Iranian judiciary is on an execution binge orchestrated by the intelligence and security agencies," Aaron Rhodes, a spokesman for the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, said yesterday. >>> | Monday, January 17, 2011

Egyptians Believe Their Turn Is Coming
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: CAIRO: Hours after riots forced the Tunisian president, Zine el Abidine ben Ali, to flee his country, hundreds of Egyptians poured into the streets of Cairo with a warning to their own authoritarian president, Hosni Mubarak.

''Ben Ali, tell Mubarak a plane is waiting for him too,'' they chanted. ''We are next. Listen to the Tunisians; it's your turn, Egyptians.''

The slogans were a burst of elation in a country where people have protested for years but have never ignited a mass movement to threaten Mubarak's nearly 30-year-old police state. Dissidents were finally daring to contemplate the possibility that public anger really could bring dramatic change. >>> Jeffrey Fleishman | Monday, January 17, 2011

A Fresh Le Pen Perks Up the French Right
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: PARIS: It is a measure of the inroads Marine Le Pen has already made in the French political debate that she now splits opinion in the rarefied world of Parisian intellectuals.

On the one hand, Bernard-Henri Levy, the philosopher, still thinks she reeks of sulphur. According to him, the youngest daughter of Jean-Marie Le Pen, 82, the long-standing National Front leader, is ''even more dangerous than her father''.

Yet on the other, Elisabeth Levy, the editor of Causeur magazine, suggests Miss Le Pen might well ''be truly breaking away from the old French extreme-right, to create something new''.

Yesterday marked a potentially pivotal moment for French politics. At a party conference in Tours she was to be formally declared winner of a postal ballot to elect a new leader of the National Front, the party created by her father and reviled for decades even among some of the most conservative French.

He has bowed out and is giving way to his daughter, a twice-divorced single mother with an infectious laugh and a no-nonsense manner, mitigated by charm, who represents a younger, more open-minded and more politically dexterous generation - and a far greater challenge to the two traditional parties. >>> Anne-Elisabeth Moutet | Monday, January 17, 2011

Related >>>

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Jean-Marie Le Pen signs off with anti-semitic comment: French far right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen handed control of his party to his daughter Sunday with a parting shot that maintained his reputation for controversy, joking about a Jewish reporter's nose. >>> Telegraph’s Froeign Staff | Sunday, January 16, 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Marine Le Pen becomes Front National leader: A pivotal moment for French politics? : The election of Marine Le Pen as leader of the far-Right Front National could mark a watershed moment for French politics, writes Anne-Elisabeth Moutet. >>> Anne-Elisabeth Moutet, Paris | Sunday, January 16, 2011

Muammar Gaddafi Condemns Tunisia Uprising
THE GUARDIAN: Libyan leader claims protesters led astray by WikiLeaks disclosures amid reports of unrest in Libya

Muammar Gaddafi, an ally of Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, said on Libyan TV that he was 'pained' by the fall of the Tunisian government. Photograph: The Guardian
The Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, has condemned the uprising in neighbouring Tunisia amid reports today of unrest on the streets of Libya.

In a speech last night Gaddafi, an ally of the ousted president, Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, said he was "pained" by the fall of the Tunisian government. He claimed protesters had been led astray by WikiLeaks disclosures detailing the corruption in Ben Ali's family and his repressive regime.

The leaked cables were written by "ambassadors in order to create chaos",, Deutsche Press-Agentur reported Gaddafi as saying.

His remarks came as Tunisian politicians hold talks to form a unity government to help maintain a fragile calm two days after violent protests forced Ben Ali from office.

Tanks were stationed around the capital, Tunis, and soldiers were guarding public buildings, but after a day of drive-by shootings and jailbreaks in which dozens of inmates were killed, residents said they were starting to feel more secure.
"Last night we surrounded our neighbourhood with roadblocks and had teams checking cars. Now we are in the process of lifting the roadblocks and getting life back to normal," said Imed, a resident of the city's Intilaka suburb.

Gaddafi's comments reflect a nervousness among other long-serving Arab leaders that the uprising in Tunisia will embolden anti-government protests elsewhere in the region. >>> Matthew Weaver and agencies | Sunday, January 16, 2011

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Tunisia in Turmoil after Uprising

Tunisia's Nervous Neighbours
Events in Tunisia are being closely watched across the Arab world, by both political leaders and citizens. While many people have been celebrating, leaders may be nervously wondering what happens next. Al Jazeera's Rawya Rageh reports from the Egyptial capital, Cairo

Tunisia Uprising

Mayhem in Tunisia

Arab Despots Should Heed Events in Tunisia
THE OBSERVER – EDITORIAL: Presidents-for-life offering bogus protection against phantom terrorists are not reliable friends

…the US and Europe have propped up blinkered, failing Arab regimes, judging them to be bulwarks against Islamist radicalism. It is a terribly misguided strategy, not least because it conforms to the jihadi narrative of a west hostile to the interests of ordinary Muslims. – The Editor
The fall from power of Tunisian president Zine al-Abidine ben Ali is one of those widely unpredicted turns of events that hindsight quickly labels inevitable.

Corrupt authoritarian regimes are generally brittle and Mr Ben Ali's was no exception. But few anticipated how quickly a spate of angry demonstrations could become a regime-changing rebellion. Other governments across the region, with populations hardly less repressed than Tunisia's, will look on in fear.

Mr Ben Ali was considered by western diplomats to be a relatively reliable fixture. Under his 23-year rule, the country had the status of a minor player in North Africa – avoiding involvement in wider Middle East disputes and carving out an economic niche as a Mediterranean holiday destination.

Meanwhile, the president, his wife and their extended family built a lucrative commercial empire. Political dissent has been crushed and media stifled. In a dispatch sent in July 2009 – one of the secret cables published earlier this year by WikiLeaks – the US ambassador to Tunis described rising frustration among ordinary Tunisians as a result of "First Family corruption, high unemployment and regional inequities". He also noted that major change would "have to wait for Ben Ali's departure".

Tunisians clearly shared that view. >>> Editor | Sunday, January 16, 2011

Marine Le Pen triomphe
LE POINT: La star du Front national succède à son père à la tête du parti. 2012 à l'esprit, elle doit déjà apaiser les tensions au sein du FN.

Rayonnante, Marine Le Pen savoure sa victoire. Photo : Le Point
Triomphante, le sourire aux lèvres, Marine Le Pen monte sur la tribune sous un tonnerre d'applaudissements. À 42 ans, la fille cadette de Jean-Marie Le Pen a été officiellement proclamée présidente du Front national dimanche matin. C'est son père et prédécesseur qui a annoncé les résultats du vote interne devant les 2.000 adhérents frontistes réunis en congrès à Tours ce week-end. Marine Le Pen a recueilli 67,65 % des suffrages contre son rival Bruno Gollnisch (32,35 %). La participation au vote - qui s'est fait par correspondance - a été forte, puisque 76,45 % des 22.403 adhérents à jour de leur cotisation se sont exprimés. >>> D’envoyée special du Point à Tours, Ségolène Gros de Larquier | Dimanche 16 Janvier 2011

Lien en anglais en relation avec l’article >>>

Tunisian Community Rally in Montréal

Leila Ben Ali. Photograph: Google Images
Tunisian President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali and His Family's 'Mafia Rule'
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: As Tunisia's President Ben Ali is granted leave to remain in Saudi Arabia, the lavish lifestyle enjoyed by the president and his family is coming into the spotlight.

Their preferred title was "Tunisia's First Family". To the people they ruled over, though, president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali and his clan were known as "The Mafia" - a ruling clique whose greed and nepotism ultimately caused their downfall.

Following in the footsteps of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin and numerous other deposed dictators, Mr Ben Ali was granted refuge in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, starting what will likely be a comfortable, if less than dignified, political retirement.

But as millions of Tunisians celebrated the end of his 23-year-long authoritarian rule, it was not just the 74-year-old president they were glad to see the back of.

Far more reviled, it seems, was his second wife Laila, a feisty brunette more than 20 years his junior, who was dubbed "The Regent of Carthage" for her power behind the throne.

A former hairdresser from a humble background, she stands accused of using her marriage to Mr Ben Ali to turn her family, the Trabelsis, into the desert nation's most powerful business clique.

As of Saturday night, the former first couple were keeping a low profile. Mr Ben Ali was reported to have flown into the Saudi Arabian port city of Jeddah, where Idi Amin spent his final years.

Meanwhile rumours circulated that his wife, who is thought to have fled the country separately and beforehand, had headed for Dubai - a destination with which she is said to be well acquainted through shopping trips. >>> Colin Freeman | Sunday, January 16, 2011

FOREIGN POLICY: Greed Is Global: A world of corruption revealed by WikiLeaks. – TUNISIA >>> Elizabeth Dickinson, Joshua E. Keating | Saturday, December 18, 2011

THE GUARDIAN: WikiLeaks cables: Tunisia blocks site reporting 'hatred' of first lady: US embassy warns Tunisian anger over corruption and unemployment, as well as 'intense dislike' for president's wife, threaten country's stability >>> Ian Black, Middle East editor | Tuesday, December 07, 2011

Marine Le Pen 'Chosen to Lead France's National Front'
BBC: France's far right National Front has chosen Marine Le Pen as its new leader, replacing her father Jean-Marie Le Pen, party officials say.

The results will be officially announced on Sunday, but party sources said she had secured about two-thirds of members' votes.

Mr Le Pen is stepping down after leading the ultra-nationalist party, which he founded, for almost 40 years.

In 2002 he came a shock second in the first round of presidential elections.

Mr Le Pen lost the second round to incumbent Jacques Chirac.

A count of votes cast ahead of the annual FN congress in the central city of Tours showed Ms Le Pen, 42, who had the backing of her father, had easily beaten her rival, Bruno Gollnisch. >>> | Sunday, January 15, 2011

Helmut Schmidt: Wir brauchen mehr Verantwortung

Infostände über Islam in der Schweiz

Des milliers de manifestants en France célèbrent la chute de Ben Ali
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Des milliers de manifestants, dont 8.000 à Paris, ont défilé samedi après-midi dans les grandes villes françaises à Paris pour célébrer la chute du président tunisien Zine El Abdine Ben Ali et réclamer l’avènement de la démocratie.

A Paris, 8.000 manifestants selon la police, essentiellement des Tunisiens, des Franco-Tunisiens ainsi que des représentants des partis de gauche français, se sont rassemblés place de la République dans le centre de Paris.

Un groupe de jeunes gens portaient des cercueils recouverts de drapeaux tunisiens avec des pancartes "Merci à nos martyrs, nous ne vous oublierons jamais".

"On a fait la révolution, rien ne doit plus être pareil, on ne va pas se laisser voler la victoire du peuple", a témoigné Hedi, un étudiant de 17 ans. >>> AFP | Samedi 15 Janvier 2011

La Tunisie, un avertissement pour d'autres pays arabes
Des Egyptiens manifestent devant l'ambassade de Tunis au Caire, brandissant des pancartes où l'on peut lire : «Révolution en Tunisie, demain en Egypte». Photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: Certains spécialistes estiment que la «Révolution du jasmin» pourrait créer un effet d'entraînement dans les régimes autoritaires de la région. Mais des disparités locales demeurent.

Faut-il y voir un signe ? Les journaux du monde arabophone étaient nombreux, ce samedi, à saluer le départ du président tunisien Ben Ali sous la pression de la rue. «La révolte populaire des Tunisiens est à présent le nouveau phare du monde arabe», estimait le quotidien algérien El-Watan, tandis que le libanais An-Nahar prévoyait des répercussions « dans plus d'un pays de la région». Vendredi soir, des dizaines d'Egyptiens se sont joints au Caire à un groupe de Tunisiens pour célébrer le départ de Ben Ali, scandant «Ecoutez les Tunisiens, c'est votre tour les Egyptiens !»

Samedi, hormis quelques pays comme l'Egypte ou le Qatar, la plupart des gouvernements arabes restaient prudents ou silencieux samedi après la chute du président tunisien. >>> Par lefigaro.fr | Samedi 15 Janvier 2011

Tunisia Riots: Fears Mount Over Violent Power Struggle
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Armed gangs loyal to Tunisia's ousted president began random shooting sprees on the streets, raising fears that the country's pro-democracy uprising could erupt into a violent power struggle.

As thousands of British holidaymakers fled the North African nation, its cities echoed to the sound of gunfire and looters continued to go on the rampage, despite a heavy security presence.

In the capital, Tunis, gunmen in plain clothes drove around spraying the streets with bullets, in an apparent effort to intimidate protesters off the streets.

At least two people were believed to have been killed, with eyewitnesses reporting bodies left lying in a city centre square. Senior Tunisian military sources said the gunmen belonged to factions still loyal to the country's strongman leader, President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, who fled to Saudi Arabia on Friday night.

"It is certain the presidential police are behind all this," added Taoufik Ayachi, a Tunisian analyst. "They still hope to regain power."

In a symbolic celebration of the end of Mr Ben Ali's rule, cheering crowds tore a portrait of the former president outside the headquarters of his ruling party on Mohamed V Avenue in the centre of Tunis.

"We are very happy to be free after 23 years of prison," said Fahmi Bouraoui, who was drinking coffee in the Mozart cafe, one of a few businesses that re-opened on Saturday morning.

But others feared that such optimism could be short-lived as large parts of the country descended in to chaos. >>> Colin Freeman and Robert Mendick | Saturday, January 15, 2011

THE SUNDAY TIMES: Army awakes to calm frenzied Tunisia: As rioters smash and pillage every symbol of the exiled president’s 'ancien regime', the military is reasserting itself >>> James Bone in Carthage | Sunday, January 16, 2011 (£)

It’s Time to Take the Wild Out Of the West!
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH – EXTRACT: The shooting of Gabrielle Giffords shows why it is time to rethink America's gun laws, says Harold Evans.

…

A law-abiding American citizen is far more likely to die with a bullet in his body than a British citizen. All the comparable Western countries with reasonable gun laws have long had vastly fewer gun homicides. The murder rate per 100,000 people for the US is 5.2. For Australia it is 0.07, for Japan, 0.05, and for the UK 0.06.

… Gabrielle Giffords shooting: Why it is time to change gun laws >>> Harold Evans | Saturday, January 15, 2011

Tunisia Continues Descent into Chaos
THE INDEPENDENT: Rioters burned the Tunisian capital's main train station to the ground and sacked and looted shops in a wave of unrest after the North African nation's president was forced from power by protesters.

The departure of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali after 23 years of iron-fisted rule — demanded by protesters — appeared not to be enough to quell the unrest over soaring unemployment and corruption that has swept Tunisia for nearly a month.

An Associated Press photographer saw soldiers intervening this morning to try to stop looters from sacking a huge supermarket in the Ariana area, 20 miles north of the capital.

A helicopter circled low over the capital, apparently acting as a spotter for fires or pillaging. Gunfire was heard crackling anew in the mid-morning. >>> Elaine Ganley and Ben Bouazza, Associated Press | Saturday, January 15, 2011

Patrick Cockburn: Troubles Like These Are Brewing All Over the Middle East
THE INDEPENDENT: Is it a real revolution in Tunisia or will another member of the ruling elite succeed in replacing President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali who took flight yesterday?

It is a crucial question for the rest of the Arab world where other corrupt police states face the same political, social and economic problems as Tunisia.

A striking feature of the whole Middle East for more than 30 years has been the unpopularity of the regimes combined with their depressing ability to stay in power. Most have found ways of preventing revolutions or military coup d'etats through ferocious security services protecting rickety state machines that mainly function as a source of jobs and patronage.

In Tunisia, Mr Ben Ali, along with other Arab leaders, presented himself as an opponent of Muslim fundamentalism and therefore won tolerance if not plaudits in Western capitals.

But the revolution that is brewing across the Middle East is of a traditional model springing from high unemployment, particularly among better educated young men, and a ruling class unable to resolve any of their countries' economic problems. The most obvious parallel with Tunisia is Egypt where the sclerotic regime of President Hosni Mubarak clings to power. Read on and comment >>> Patrick Cockburn | Saturday, January 15, 2011

As Tunisia Events Play Out Live, The Middle East Watches Warily
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Middle East governments watched uneasily as events in Tunisia snowballed to a stunning climax Friday, while millions of their citizens followed on satellite television and the Internet the sudden departure of Tunisia's long-time leader amid growing street protests.

Tunisia's strong-man president, President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, fled the North African country yesterday after a month of popular protests gained strong momentum in recent days. His departure was broadcast to the region across a collection of media outlets, such as al Jazeera, that hardly existed a decade ago, as well as on the Internet and social networks such as Twitter and Facebook.

Scores of Arab Facebook users have changed their profile pictures to the Tunisian flag and sent congratulatory messages to the Tunisian people. One message asked, "can we Egyptians dare to dream of freedom next?"

Immediate official reaction was limited around the region. Qatar, a small Gulf emirate that has tried to exercise a voice in the region despite its tiny population, released a statement saying: "Qatar respects the will and wishes of the Tunisian people."

Response from other regional players was muted. Some of these countries, especially Egypt, Syria and Iran, share similar festering social and economic problems similar to those in Tunisia: high youth unemployment, lack of affordable housing and political freedom.

Last week in Algeria crowds of young people rioted over rising food prices and concerns about jobs. On Tuesday, the Jordanian government attempted to pre-empt possible public outcry by cutting fuel taxes and imposing food price controls. And on Wednesday, Egypt's trade minister was quoted in local press as saying he ruled out a "Tunisia Scenario" in his country.

On Thursday, the Arab League held a hastily called special session on the developments in Tunisia during their regular meeting in Qatar, reflecting concern about the instability there, according to an Arab official.

Mr. Ben Ali arrived early Saturday in Saudi Arabia, after what appeared to be a scramble to find a country to host him. >>> Margaret Coker, Summer Said and Jay Solomon | Friday, January 14, 2011

Jordanians March Against Inflation
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Thousands vent anger in Amman and other cities against government's inability to rein in prices and poverty.

Thousands of Jordanians have taken to the streets of the capital Amman and other cities to protest against rising commodity prices, unemployment and poverty.

The protesters are calling on the government headed by Samir Rifai, the prime minister, to step down.

Demonstrators, including trade unionists and leftist party members, carried national flags and chanted anti-government slogans in downtown Amman.

They called Rifai a "coward" and demanded his resignation.

"Prices, particularly gasoline and food, are getting out of hand,'' Buthaina Iftial, a 24-year-old civil servant, said.

"We're becoming poorer every day,'' she said, holding a poster with a piece of Arabic flatbread attached.

Police and plainclothes officers formed rings around the demonstrators to contain the protests. There were no reports of arrests or violence. >>> Source: Agencies | Friday, January 14, 2011