Tory Chief Baroness Warsi Attacks 'Bigotry' Against Muslims
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Prejudice against Muslims has become widespread and socially acceptable in Britain, the Conservative chairman will claim.

Baroness Warsi will warn against trying to divide Muslims into 'moderates' and 'extremists' saying that it simply fosters intolerance. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
Islamophobia has “passed the dinner-table test” and is seen by many as normal and uncontroversial, Baroness Warsi will say in a speech on Thursday.

The minister without portfolio will also warn that describing Muslims as either “moderate” or “extremist” fosters growing prejudice.

Lady Warsi, the first Muslim woman to attend Cabinet, has pledged to use her position to wage an “ongoing battle against bigotry”.

Her comments are the most high-profile intervention in Britain’s religious debate by any member of David Cameron’s government.

They also confirm the Coalition’s determination to depart from its Labour predecessor’s policy of keeping out of issues of faith.

Lady Warsi will use a speech at the University of Leicester to attack what she sees as growing religious intolerance in the country, especially towards followers of Islam. >>> James Kirkup, Political Correspondent | Wednesday, January 19, 2011

So what does this stupid woman expect us to feel about Muslims after 9/11, and all the other attacks on Western civilization? Is this the best that the Conservative Party can now kick up? Is this really the voice of Conservatism in Britain today?

Muslims have attacked Western civilization at each and every turn. So what else does this benighted woman expect the British to feel about her so-called religion. (I would call it a socio-political system clothed in a deity, but that’s for another day.) If Baroness Warsi really expects people to be less Islamophobic, it is my opinion that she should start to do hard work on her own Muslim community first, in order to make her Muslim brothers and sisters less xenophobic, more community-cohesive, and further, she should exhort them to stop being so supremacist, to stop them wanting to take over Western civilization and turn it into an Islamic civilization (if that word isn’t a contradiction in terms).

If Islamophobia exists at all, then it is because Christophobia by Muslims exists (witness what happened in Alexandria at Christmas). It exists because it is so clear to non-Muslims (or so-called “infidels”) that Muslims want desperately not to integrate and wish desperately to replace Western civilization and the rule of law with Islamic ‘civilization’ and sharia law. In short, Muslims want to establish the caliphate. Little wonder that Westerners are “Islamophobic”, if indeed they are! – © Mark

How Christianity Led Me to Islam - Musa Cerantonio

Denmark Starts Cartoon Attack Trial
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Somali man charged with attempted murder says he just wanted 'to scare' cartoonist who caricatured Prophet Muhammad.

Westergaard's 2005 caricature of Prophet Mohammed stirred anger in the Muslim world. Photograph: Al Jazeera English
A Somali man charged with trying to kill a Dane who caricatured Prophet Mohammad has appeared in court, saying he was only trying to scare the cartoonist.

The 29-year-old defendant, who axed his way into the home of Kurt Westergaard on New Years Day last year, pleaded not guilty to attempted murder on the first day of his trial on Wednesday.

"I was irritated and frustrated by his comments. I wanted to frighten him but not to kill him," he told a packed court in the central Danish town of Arhus.

The man was also charged with attempted murder for throwing the axe at police when they confronted him. He could face life in prison if found guilty on all counts: attempted terrorism, attempted murder, attacking a police officer and illegal arms possession.

The defendant, who Danish intelligence police say is linked to the Somali movement al-Shabab, insisted he had "bought the axe to help a friend cut down a tree."

"But I brought it with me to Arhus because I was very angry with [Westergaard] and wanted to break down his door to talk with him," he said. >>> Source: Agencies | Wednesday, January 19, 2011

The 'New' Rhetoric of Islamophobia
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Islamophobes in and outside Congress are claiming that a mass 'radicalisation' of American Muslims is taking place.

New York City's former mayor, Ed Koch, has taken time off from his new career as a film critic to offer a valentine to Rep. Peter King (R-NY), the new chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, for scheduling hearings on the dangers posed by Muslim Americans.

Koch's support for King is not surprising. Koch has always been open about his contempt for Arabs and Muslims and his belief that a war of civilisations is now in progress between Muslims and everyone else. He recently wrote:

For me, the question is this: will the secular Western civilisation shared by America and Europe, which allows us to enjoy life and its creature comforts, still be standing at the end of that war? Or will radical Islam, with an aggressive culture that treasures martyrdom and death over life, prevail.... [italics mine*]

For years, Koch, King and others who share their anti-Muslim views hid behind that word: "radical". They said that they have no problem with Muslims as people or Islam as a religion. It is only "radical Islam" or "Islamists" that they can't abide.

Lately that caveat has been thrown to the winds. It is now clear that for Islamophobes (actually Islamohaters), "radical" Islam is just Islam. And "radical" Muslims are just Muslims. >>> MJ Rosenberg | Thursday, January 13, 2011

French Vote to Allow Their Bygone Heroes to Smoke
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: French lawmakers have voted to end a draconian antismoking rule that deprived iconic Gallic puffers like Jean-Paul Sartre and Coco Chanel of their cigarettes in posters or photos.

Fear of breaking the so-called Evin law, which bans the "direct or indirect" promotion of tobacco products, had led authorities to remove smouldering Gauloises from pictures of a string of famous French figures in recent years.

The rule reached new heights of absurdity in 2009 when the trademark pipe of the late Jacques Tati, one of France's most enduring comic characters, was replaced with a yellow windmill in a poster campaign – a move which one cinema expert said would have made him "die laughing".

On Wednesday, French MPs approved a bill that excludes "cultural heritage" from the antismoking rules.

"The falsification of history, the censorship of works of the mind, the denial of reality must remain the heinous marks of totalitarian regimes," said the bill. >>> Henry Samuel, Paris | Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Swiss Banker Convicted Over WikiLeaks Publications
THE GUARDIAN: Judge gives Rudolf Elmer suspended fine for breaching banking secrecy in giving client information to whistleblowing website

Rudolf Elmer is chased by the media as he leaves the Zurich district court. Photograph: The Guardian
A Swiss banker who publicised private client data on WikiLeaks was found guilty today of breaching strict banking secrecy and threatening former colleagues, but was given only a suspended fine.

The judge acquitted Rudolf Elmer on charges he sought $50,000 (£31,250) for returning client data to former employer Julius Baer and that he made a bomb threat to the bank's headquarters.

Elmer, who helped bring WikiLeaks to prominence three years ago when he used it to publish secret client details and who handed over new data to the website on Monday, had admitted sending Julius Baer data to tax authorities.

But he had denied blackmail and a bomb threat against Baer, and said he had never taken payments in return for secret data.

The court sentenced him to a fine of 7,200 Swiss francs (£4,700), suspended for two years, without giving reasons; those will come in a written judgment. The prosecution had called for an eight-month jail term and a fine of 2,000 francs.

The defence will decide whether to appeal within 10 days. >>> Reuters | Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Thilo Sarrazin FULL HOUR Interview on BBC radio - World Have Your Say

HT: Eeyore @ Vlad Tepes >>>

Arab Leaders Warned of 'Revolution'
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Head of Arab League warns regional leaders that recent political upheaval is linked to deteriorating economic situation.

Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, made no reference to the Tunisian revolt in his opening speech [EPA]. Photo: Al Jazeera English
The head of the Arab League has told the region's leaders that the recent upheaval in Tunisia is linked to deteriorating economic conditions throughout the Arab world, warning them that their people's anger has reached unprecedented heights.

Amr Moussa told an Arab economic summit in Egypt that "the Arab soul is broken by poverty, unemployment and general recession."

"This is in the mind of all of us," Moussa said in his opening address to the 20 Arab leaders and other representatives of Arab League members gathered in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

The summit is the first top level Arab meeting since protests fuelled by joblessness and other economic woes in Tunisia forced Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the president, to flee, bringing an end to his 23-year rule of the country.

The unrest has helped inspire similar protests around the Arab world and calls for political change, though activists face vast security forces heavily vested in the status quo backing hardline regimes ready to crack down on challenges to their rule.

"The Tunisian revolution is not far from us," Moussa warned. "The Arab citizen entered an unprecedented state of anger and frustration."

He called for an Arab "renaissance" to lift people from their frustration. >>> Source: Agencies | Wednesday, January 18, 2011

These OSTRICHES are forgetting MANY OTHER FACTORS: the GREED of their LEADERS; the CORRUPTION of their LEADERS; the INEQUALITY of the OWNERSHIP of WEALTH and the MEANS of MAKING MONEY; the FACT that their country was run as a PRIVATE BUSINESS, just as ROMANIA had been before the FALL of the Ceauşescus; the STEALING of the PEOPLE’S MONEY by the RULING CLASS; the LUXURY and EXTRAVAGANT LIVES of their RULERS whilst the ORDINARY FOLK GO WITHOUT. Then there is the SUPPRESSION of the PEOPLE by the SECRET POLICE and MACHINERY OF STATE; the LACK of FREEDOM and DEMOCRACY; the LACK of FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION. The list goes on and on and on. So these TWERPS are not going to SAFEGUARD THEIR POSITIONS by limiting their FOCUS only on JOBLESSNESS and OTHER ECONOMIC WOES. This REVOLUTION was caused by far more than that; and the REVOLUTION will spread to OTHER ARAB COUNTRIES if the PEOPLE'S PLIGHT is not addressed FUNDAMENTALLY. – © Mark

Related >>>

Confusion Reigns in Tunisia
Tunisian's are glad that Ben Ali has been ousted, but they are keen to see the country up-and-running again. However, confusion reigns in many banks and official departments, there are still protests on the streets of Tunis, and the current caretaker government is in a precarious position. Al Jazeera's Nazanine Moshiri reports

Tunisia Unrest

THE TIMES: Tunisian media seize opportunity for life without censorship >>> James Bone,Tunis | Wednesday, January 19, 2011 [£]

Tunisians Recall Living Next Door to "The Family"
ALERT NET: TUNIS – The sudden exit of ousted Tunisian leader Ben Ali and his family in a popular revolt has left a big hole in the life of the affluent suburbs of the capital that were once their playground.

The ruling clan of the North African country of 10 million were regular fixtures in the social scene of Gammarth, Marsa and Carthage districts where they maintained houses and had extensive business interests.

Many people were still afraid to talk openly about a clique referred to for years in whispers as simply "The Family".

Employees of empty hotels, restaurants and bars -- many owned by members of his clan -- said they hoped business would survive the upheaval. The country has been under curfew over the past week and tour operators have pulled out foreigners.

"We don't know the fate of these places," said a man who worked at a bar owned by a member of Ben Ali's wife's family. "We don't know what will happen with ownership. We're still working and we just come to work every day."

A palace often used by Ben Ali -- who fled to Saudi Arabia with family last week after unprecedented popular protests against poverty, corruption and political repression -- stood deserted on a hill over looking the Mediterranean. >>> Andrew Hammond / Source: Reuters | Wednesday, January 19, 2011

South Sudanese Vote for Independence – Poll
ALERT NET: JUBA, Sudan – South Sudanese have voted overwhelmingly to declare independence from the north in a referendum held last week, according to early figures and a Reuters survey of officials in nine of the region's 10 states.

Referendum officials reported on Wednesday that votes to secede approached 99 percent in some southern states and disapora communities in Egypt, Ethiopia and Kenya.

Southern leaders have urged people from the oil-producing territory to wait until official figures due in early February before celebrating, for fear of antagonising the north.

The figures are in line with expectations for the plebiscite, the climax of a 2005 peace deal that ended decades of north-south civil war.

Referendum officials told Reuters of large votes in favour of independence in the southern states of Central Equatoria, Unity, Lakes, Jonglei, Warrap, Western Bahr al-Ghazal, Northern Bahr al-Ghazal, Eastern Equatoria and Upper Nile. >>> Reuters | Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Greece to Police Ignored Smoking Ban More Strictly
ALERT NET: ATHENS – Greece said on Tuesday it will enforce a largely ignored smoking ban with hundreds more inspectors, the third time in recent years it has tried and failed to stop the EU's heaviest smokers flouting the ban.

"The Greek state cannot continue to be made a laughing stock," Health Minister Andreas Loverdos told reporters. "We are starting tomorrow -- the ban will be fully implemented."

Most cafes and restaurants had shrugged off the latest, Sept. 1 ban and taxi drivers smoke with impunity while driving.

Loverdos said the government would launch a fresh campaign against smoking and hire hundreds of additional inspectors to slap fines on business owners and smokers.

Inspectors can impose up to 10,000 euros ($13,350) in fines on bar and restaurant owners tolerating smoking and up to 500 euros for smokers who break the law. But only a handful of penalties have been imposed despite widespread violations. >>> Reuters | Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Switzerland Freezes Assets of Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and Laurent Gbagbo
THE GUARDIAN: Swiss president says measures against ousted Tunisian president and Ivory Coast incumbent will be imposed with immediate effect

Switzerland's federal council today agreed to freeze any assets of Tunisia's ousted president and the incumbent leader of Ivory Coast. >>> Associated Press | Wednesday, January 19, 2011

NZZ ONLINE: Bundesrat blockiert Gelder von Ben Ali: Auch Vermögen von Côte d'Ivoires Präsidenten Laurent Gbagbo gesperrt >>> sda/Reuters | Mittwoch, 19. Januar 2011

20 MINUTES ONLINE: La Suisse bloque les avoirs de Ben Ali et Gbagbo: La Suisse a décidé mercredi de bloquer les fonds du président tunisien Ben Ali. Les avoirs du président ivoirien Laurent Gbagbo seront aussi gelés. >>> ats | Mercredi 19 Janvier 2011

The Golden Ticket at Goldman Sachs

DealB%k >>>

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Tunisia Fallout: Arab Leaders Warned of 'Unprecedented Anger'
THE TIMES OF INDIA: SHARM EL-SHEIKH: Arab League chief Amr Mussa warned Arab leaders on Wednesday that the hardships of ordinary Tunisians that sparked a popular uprising were linked to "unprecedented anger" in the region.

Mussa was addressing an economic summit of Arab leaders in Egypt's resort of Sharm el-Sheikh that closed with a vow to "move forward in the development of our societies in terms of human development, technology, economy and society."

"The developmental challenges are no less important than the political challenges facing the region," the leaders said in a final statement after their one-day summit.

It was the first gathering of Arab leaders since Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was forced to step down and fled his country on Friday after 23 years in power.

"The revolution that happened in Tunisia is not far from the subject of this summit," Mussa said, amid fears of a spillover.

"The Arab soul is broken by poverty, unemployment and general recession ... The political problems, the majority of which have not been fixed ... have driven the Arab citizen to a state of unprecedented anger and frustration." >>> AFP | Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Goldman-Sachs-Gewinn bricht um die Hälfte ein
Zentrale von Goldman Sachs in New York: Einbußen im Anleihegeschäft. Bild: Spiegel Online
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Der spektakuläre Facebook-Deal hat Goldman Sachs den Ruf des Trendsetters eingebracht. Doch jetzt sorgt die US-Investmentbank mit überraschend schlechten Zahlen für negative Schlagzeilen: Das Institut hat im vierten Quartal gut die Hälfte seines Gewinnes eingebüßt - die Aktie rutschte ab.

New York - Mit Spannung haben Börsianer auf die Zahlen von Goldman Sachs gewartet. Doch das Quartalsergebnis der mächtigen Investmentbank enttäuscht die Analysten. Einbußen im Anleihehandel haben der US-Großbank einen kräftigen Dämpfer versetzt. Das Institut büßte im vierten Quartal 2010 gut die Hälfte seines Gewinnes ein. Der Nettogewinn sei auf 2,23 Milliarden Dollar gefallen, teilte die Bank an diesem Mittwoch mit. Zum Vergleich: Im Vorjahresquartal waren es unterm Strich noch 4,79 Milliarden Dollar gewesen. >>> mmq/Reuters/dpa-AFX | Mittwoch, 19. Januar 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Goldman Sachs fourth-quarter profits slide: Goldman Sachs will pay its employees almost 10bn pounds in pay and bonuses even as annual profits at the bank fell. >>> Richard Blackden, New York | Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Merkel Rules Out Return to Deutsche Mark
Chancellor Angela Merkel says there's no going back to the beloved deutsche mark. Photo: Spiegel Online International
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: German Chancellor Angela Merkel has snuffed out speculation about reintroducing the deutsche mark in Germany as a response to the current euro crisis. In a magazine interview, she renewed her support for the common currency and rejected the idea of splitting the euro zone in two.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has categorically stated that Germany will not abandon the euro and reintroduce the deutsche mark. Her comments are intended to quell speculation that Germany's love of the common currency is flagging in the wake of expensive bailouts of troubled euro-zone members Greece and Ireland.

In an interview to be published in Germany's weekly Stern magazine on Thursday, Merkel also rejected the idea of splitting the euro zone into north and south zones, reaffirming Germany's commitment to an economically united Europe.

"There can be no return to the deutsche mark," she said, adding that Germany would "continue to do everything necessary to guarantee a stable euro." She told the magazine that, while she took citizens' concerns very seriously, she was convinced that "we in Germany can handle everything." >>> jap - with wires | Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Demonstration in Tunis
Proteste in Tunesien gehen weiter. Politische Situation noch immer unklar

Tunesien: Schon drei Minister zurückgetreten
Kurz nach Bekanntgabe der neuen Regierung in Tunesien sind drei Minister schon wieder zurückgetreten. Ein im Ausland lebender Oppositionsführer wurde unterdessen mit großem Jubel in Tunis begrüßt

Tunisia 'to Investigate Ben Ali Family's Assets'
BBC: Tunisian prosecutors have opened an investigation into foreign assets of toppled President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and his family, reports say.

It will examine possible illegal transactions and foreign bank accounts, the official TAP news agency reported.

The move came as Swiss officials ordered a freeze on any funds held there by Mr Ben Ali.

The UN said on Wednesday it had received reports of 100 deaths in the unrest, and said it would investigate.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said: "My office has received information concerning more than 100 deaths over the last five weeks, as a result of live fire, as well as protest suicides and the deadly prison riots at the weekend."

Tunisia's Interior Minister Ahmed Friaa said on Monday that 78 people had been killed in the unrest. >>> | Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Tunisia to Become Part of Libya United with One Currency After Sharia Vote

Tunis Tunisia to Install Sharia Law & Sharia Government

Al-Qaeda Supports the Events in Tunisia and Algeria
ENNAHAR ONLINE ENGLISH: Al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has called on demonstrators to extend their movements in Tunisia and Algeria to overthrow the governments in place and institute Sharia law, reported Thursday the U.S. service monitoring Islamist websites SITE.

In a 13-minute video, the leader of AQIM, Abu Musab Abdul Wadud, suggests to Tunisian dissidents, who have been demonstrating for a month: "send us your son so that they receive military training", SITE reported.

"We offer our support and our comfort and our help in your distress and your uprising," said Islamist leader.

Abu Musab Abdul Wadud called Tunisians to rise throughout the country against "the corrupt, criminal and tyrannical" in place in Tunis and establish Islamic law, (Sharia).

"But we will sooner or later retaliate against your torturers and their masters," he threatened. >>> ennahar | Friday, January 14, 2011

After Tunisia, a Rise of Revolt in Algeria?

Looking for Ben Ali's Daughter... In Their Canadian Residence

Ministers Quit Tunisia Unity Govt as Protests Continue

Tunisia Needs Real Freedom
THE GUARDIAN: Instead of the leftovers of a repressive regime, Tunisians deserve a genuinely democratic unity government

manage to catch us by surprise. In Tunisia last week, the brutal 23-year rule of Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali ended in one fell swoop, surprising even the protesters who had braved bullets, tear gas and water cannons and yet had hardly dared to hope that their dreams of freedom would be so swiftly answered.

As news of Ben Ali's departure reached the streets, the young protesters who had driven this movement for change looked around them and glimpsed another Tunisia, one free from the only president they had ever known.

This cataclysmic shift is nothing short of a second independence for the country, long under the boot of the hegemonic Constitutional Democratic Rally party (RCD).

But, only a few days after those dizzying heights, it seems that while the dictator has fallen, the dictatorship remains. Tunisians felt a dreaded sense of déjà vu as they switched on their televisions to be greeted by the same familiar faces, engaged in a sickening game of musical chairs. Mohamed Ghannouchi, their not-so-new prime minister, was Ben Ali's right-hand man. He was, in the words of a US official, "indispensable" to Ben Ali and, ever the loyalist, he recently revealed that he is still in touch with the deposed dictator.

Indeed, continuity appears to be the dish of the day for the RCD. While throwing some measly crumbs to the official opposition parties – which had been handpicked by Ben Ali – it has shamelessly clung on to every significant ministry, including the interior ministry, which is responsible for organising elections. Continue reading and comment >>> Intissar Kherigi | Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Flag of Saudi Arabia. Image: Google Images
Ousted Tunisian President 'Living in Remote Saudi Area Known for Al-Qaeda Links'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Zine al-Abedine Ben Ali, the ex-president of Tunisia, has been sent to live in a conservative southern province of Saudi Arabia known for its links to al-Qaeda, according to reports.

Mr Ben Ali flew to the Red Sea city of Jeddah on Friday night after being refused permission to land in France, Tunisia's former colonial master.

He stayed briefly there and is even rumoured to have paid a brief pilgrimage to nearby Mecca. But according to local reports, he has now been found somewhere to stay 300 miles to the south in Abha, the capital of Asir province, which neighbours Yemen.

Although Saudi al-Qaeda members come from all over the country, a high proportion come from relatively conservative, economically underdeveloped provinces such as Asir, including several of the 9/11 attackers. In a recording, Osama bin Laden later said of them: "Asir's tribes formed the lion's share."

Said al-Shehri, deputy commander of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, is from Khamis Mushayt, not far from Abha.

That Mr Ben Ali, who banned Islamist parties and was well known for high-living, has been granted asylum by puritanical Saudi Arabia is already subject of a number of jokes in the Arab world. >>> Richard Spencer, Middle East Correspondent | Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Tensions High in Tunisia Protests Over Unity Government
BBC: Tunisian security forces forces have fired tear gas to try to disperse protesters in Tunis who are demonstrating against the old regime holding ranks within the newly formed unity government.

Protesters want the RCD (Constitutional Democratic Rally) disbanded, and say no members should retain power.

The BBC's Lyse Doucet reports from the streets of Tunis. Watch BBC video >>> | Wednesday, January 19, 2011

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Is Tunisia the first domino to fall? : The events that triggered the overthrow of President Ben Ali are unique, but there are good reasons for alarm among rulers across the Arab world >>> Claire Spencer | Sunday, January 16, 2011

THE TIMES: Islamist leader plans return to Tunisia as interim government is unveiled >>> James Bone, Tunis | Moonday, January 17, 2011 [£]

THE TIMES: Tunisia revolt sets alight a tinderbox as suicidal protests sweep the Arab world >>> James Hider, Middle East Correspondent | Tuesday, January 18, 2011 [£]

Tunisians Bask in Newfound Freedom
Tunisians in the capital have set up makeshift barricades across the city to protect against plunderers. “Long live Tunisia!” one of these women shouted. “We are defending our neighborhood and our freedom." Photograph: Spiegel Online International
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: With the dictatorship gone, Tunisians can finally say what they think. Many are optimistic that, after decades of living under an autocratic cleptocracy, the future is bright. But the new government in Tunis has gotten off to a rocky start.

"All of this is owed to the grace of God," reads the epigram over the front gate of the Villa Adel Trabelsis in Tunis. The gate's doors are gone, having been ripped off by plunderers. Other furnishings -- including beds, curtains, light switches, bathroom tiles and banisters -- are likewise missing. They took it all. What they couldn't carry away was set on fire.

Last week, this was the home of the brother-in-law of Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia's toppled dictator. The second floor of the house now looks like a soot-covered cave. A wall-mounted cupboard is now nothing more than a pile of embers. One enraged Tunisian used a piece of the charcoal as an impromptu writing instrument, crossing out the word "God" on the portal and replacing it with "the people" in soot lettering: "All of this is owed to the grace of the people."

Driving along the coastal street running through Tunis' upscale al-Masra suburb is a feast for the eyes. White villas are surrounded by lush gardens. Doors and window grills are painted in Mediterranean blue. This week, for a change, al-Masra is not swarming with foreign tourists; they were evacuated because of the revolt launched against Ben Ali's regime in recent weeks. Those who can be seen rummaging around and within the fire-gutted villas are all Tunisians. They have come to see with their own eyes what a kleptocracy looks like.

Until just a few days ago, Tunisians could only speak in whispers about the untold riches acquired by the large extended Trabelsi family of Ben Ali's second wife. Now many want to take a look at the greed that ultimately cost Ben Ali his 23-year rule. Still, they show a preference for wit over hatred when inspecting the ruins. One man, upon seeing a package of Xanax anti-depressants, quips: "The Trabelsis really should have taken these along to Saudi Arabia. They could really use them now." >>> Ulrike Putz in Tunis | Tuesday, January 18, 2011

La vie de palace de Ben Ali à Djeddah
La «guest house» royale dans laquelle Ben Ali séjourne est situé dans les beaux quartiers de Djeddah. Photo : Le Figaro

LE FIGARO: Le président tunisien déchu a été accueilli dans la plus grande discrétion dans cette ville côtière d'Arabie saoudite, qui a déjà reçu plusieurs dirigeants en exil. Une étape avant un probable départ pour la Libye.

On le croyait en France, à Malte ou encore à Dubaï. Mais c'est à Djeddah, en Arabie saoudite, que Zine El Abidine Ben Ali a posé ses valises, dans la nuit de vendredi à samedi dernier, à l'issue d'une errance aérienne de plusieurs heures. Le Falcon du président tunisien déchu s'est posé aux alentours de 1h, heure française - 3h dans la péninsule arabique - à l'aéroport de cette ville de plus de trois millions d'habitants située sur les côtes de la mer Rouge, à l'ouest du pays. L'ex-dirigeant tunisien, accompagné de six membres de sa famille, aurait passé sa première nuit dans le palais du prince Sultan. Avant de prendre ses quartiers dans un ancien palais royal qui sert désormais de résidence officielle pour les invités du royaume.

Derrière un haut mur d'enceinte et sept portails, gardés en permanence par des soldats, Ben Ali et sa famille profitent du palais de marbre blanc, entouré de palmiers et de verdure. Ils disposent du personnel et des gardes du corps mis à disposition par le royaume. En échange de ces largesses, le président déchu, considéré comme un réfugié politique de luxe, mais pas comme un chef d'Etat en visite, doit rester discret. «L'Arabie saoudite ne l'autorisera pas à faire des déclarations politiques ou à s'adonner à une quelconque activité politique, ni à mener des contacts avec la Tunisie», a prévenu sur al-Arabiya Jamal Khashoqgi, un analyste proche des autorités saoudiennes. >>> Par Jim Jarrassé | Mardi 18 Janvier 2011

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Tunisians Suffer from Continued Violence

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A Middle Class Revolution
Photograph: Foreign Policy
FOREIGN POLICY: In my numerous trips to Tunisia for Human Rights Watch since the mid-1990s, I grew weary of Tunisian dissidents telling me that at any moment the people would rise up in revolt against their autocratic president, Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali.

Keep dreaming, I thought.

This country was not ripe for revolution. Anyone who traveled throughout the region could see that Tunisians enjoy a relatively high standard of living and quality of life. The country's per capita income is almost double that of Morocco and Egypt. It's higher than Algeria's, even though Algeria has oil and its smaller neighbor to the east has almost none. Tunisia scores high in poverty reduction, literacy, education, population control, and women's status. It built a middle-class society by hard work rather than by pumping oil from the ground; Tunisians export clothing, olive oil, and produce, and welcome hundreds of thousands of European tourists each year.

Although Ben Ali's Tunisia was a police state, his tacit bargain with the people -- "shut up and consume" -- seemed to hold, making the country appear to be a tranquil haven between strife-torn Algeria and Muammar al-Qaddafi's Libya. However, a tragic protest by a street vendor caused long-simmering -- though not immediately visible -- grievances to spill over and unmask Tunisia's reputation for stability as illusory.

For the rare activist who rejected Ben Ali's bargain during his reign, this was not authoritarianism-lite: The president jailed thousands of political prisoners during his 23-year rule, the vast majority alleged Islamists serving multiyear sentences even though they were not accused of planning or perpetrating acts of violence. There was also the occasional leftist, journalist, or human rights activist or lawyer jailed for defamation or disseminating "false information," or on trumped-up criminal charges. Plainclothes police routinely tortured suspects under interrogation and broke up even the most anemic street protest, roughing up critics and openly tailing foreign journalists and human rights workers. Read on and comment >>> Eric Goldstein | Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Lion's Den: Tunisia's Uncertain Impact
THE JERUSALEM POST: With cruel, dull, greedy leaders overthrown, one must look ahead with trepidation to the Islamist implications of this upheaval.

The sudden yet unexplained exit of Tunisia’s strongman, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, 74, after 23 years in power has potential implications for the Middle East and for Muslims worldwide. As an Egyptian commentator noted: “Every Arab leader is watching Tunisia in fear. Every Arab citizen is watching Tunisia in hope and solidarity.”

I watch with both emotions.

During the first era of independence, until about 1970, governments in Arabicspeaking countries were frequently overthrown as troops under the control of discontented colonels streamed into the capitals, seized the presidential quarters and the radio station, then announced a new regime. Syrians endured three such coups d’état in 1949 alone.

Over time, regimes learned to protect themselves via overlapping intelligence services, reliance on family and tribal members, repression and other mechanisms. Four decades of sclerotic, sterile stability followed. With only rare exceptions (Iraq in 2003, Gaza in 2007) did regimes get ousted; even more rarely (Sudan in 1985) did civilian dissent play a significant role.

ENTER FIRST Al-Jazeera, which focuses Arab-wide attention on topics of its choosing, and then the Internet. Beyond its inexpensive, detailed and timely information, the Internet also provides unprecedented secrets (e.g., the recent WikiLeaks dump of US diplomatic cables), even as it connects the like-minded (via Facebook and Twitter). These new forces converged in Tunisia in December to create an intifada that quickly ousted an entrenched tyrant. >>> Daniel Pipes | Tuesday, January 18, 2011

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