Thursday, January 20, 2011
lePARISIEN.fr: Le gouvernement de transition donne des gages. Avant la tenue du premier conseil des ministres ce jeudi, une source officielle a annoncé que les ministres encore membres du parti de l'ex-président Ben Ali, le Rassemblement constitutionnel démocratique (RCD), avaient démissionné de cette formation. Lors de manifestations, mercredi, des milliers de personnes avaient réclamé la dissolution du RCD.
Mais ils ont également demandé le départ pur et simple du gouvernement des ministres issus de l'ancien régime. >>> Leparisien.fr | Jeudi 20 Janvier 2011
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Der Sturz von Tunesiens Diktator Ben Ali stürzt die französische Regierung in ein Dilemma. Jahrelang feierte Paris den Alleinherrscher als Freund, jetzt bereut Präsident Sarkozy die Lobeshymnen - und muss seinen Kurs in Nordafrika komplett überdenken.
Missverstanden fühlt sie sich, "falsch interpretiert" und - bitteschön - sie ist nachgerade "schockiert": Michèle Alliot-Marie, Frankreichs unlängst gekürte Außenministerin, gab vor dem Parlament jüngst die Rolle des unschuldigen Opfers. Der Anlass: Die Abgeordneten der Opposition hatten die Ressortchefin zu ihren Einlassungen zur den Entwicklungen in Tunesien befragt.
Denn noch am Dienstag vergangener Woche - inmitten der blutigen Revolte gegen die Herrschaft von Staatschef Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali - hatte Alliot-Marie vor der Pariser Volksvertretung "Frankreichs weltweit anerkanntes 'Know-how' unserer Sicherheitskräfte" zum Einsatz in Tunis angeboten - zur Stärkung der Regierung Ben Ali, mit der nun niemand mehr etwas zu tun haben möchte.
Die fragwürdige Offerte empörte nicht nur die politischen Gegner, auch Kabinettskollegen der umtriebigen Ministerin gingen auf Distanz. "Die ist völlig übergeschnappt", zitiert der Pariser "Canard Enchaîné" Ministerpräsident François Fillon. Und Präsident Nicolas Sarkozy grummelte angeblich: "Das sind Äußerungen, die Frankreichs Position geschwächt haben."
Doch das eigentliche Problem ist nicht das seltsame Angebot der Außenministerin. In Frage steht jetzt der außenpolitische Kurs Frankreichs in der gesamten Region Maghreb und Naher Osten, den bisher kaum jemand öffentlich in Frage gestellt hat. Während die USA schon früh Unterstützung für die Protestbewegung in Tunis signalisierten, beharrte Paris auf seiner Politik der Regimehilfe. >>> Von Stefan Simons, Paris | Donnerstag, 20. Januar 2011
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Tunisians have sent a message to the Arab world, warning leaders they are no longer immune to popular anger.
The Tunisian uprising, which succeeded in toppling Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the Tunisian president, has brought down the walls of fear, erected by repression and marginalisation, thus restoring the Arab peoples' faith in their ability to demand social justice and end tyranny.
It is a warning to all leaders, whether supported by international or regional powers, that they are no longer immune to popular outcries of fury.
It is true that Ben Ali's flight from the country is just the beginning of an arduous path towards freedom. It is equally true that the achievements of the Tunisian people could still be contained or confiscated by the country's ruling elite, which is desperately clinging to power.
But the Tunisian intifada has placed the Arab world at a crossroads. If it fully succeeds in bringing real change to Tunis it will push the door wide open to freedom in Arab word. If it suffers a setback we shall witness unprecedented repression by rulers struggling to maintain their absolute grip on power.
Either way, a system that combined a starkly unequal distribution of wealth with the denial of freedoms has collapsed. >>> Lamis Andoni | Sunday, January 16, 2011
THE TIMES – LEADING ARTICLE: Yearning to Breathe Free: The taste of freedom for Tunisians could whet the appetite of their neighbours >>> | Thursday, January 20, 2011 [£]
MIDDLE EAST ONLINE: In one word, the Tunisians are after establishing Islamic law and rules: Ahmadinejad.TEHRAN - Tunisians are on the path to establishing Islamic rule in their country after having toppled a Western-backed dictator, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday.
"It is very clear that the nation of Tunisia rose up against a Western-backed dictator using Islamic, humane, monotheistic and justice-seeking slogans," he told a cheering crowd in the central city of Yazd.
"In one word, the Tunisians are after establishing Islamic law and rules," the hardliner said in a speech broadcast live on state television.
Lawmakers from Iran's conservative parliament voiced their support on Tuesday for what they said is the "revolutionary movement" of the Tunisian people, the Fars news agency reported.
"The parliament of the great Iranian nation strongly supports the revolutionary movement of the brave Tunisian people ... and wishes success to them," a statement signed by 228 members of the 290-strong parliament said.
"The freedom-seeking scream of the people of Tunisia ended the tyranny and atrocity and put a smile on the face of the oppressed people of Tunisia," said the statement. >>> Middle East Online | Thursday, January 20, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A British woman who became unwittingly embroiled in a love triangle with a New Zealand banker has been held in a police cell in Dubai for over a month after the affair ended in early morning violence.
Danielle Spencer, 25, had been on a date with Toby Carroll, a real estate analyst for HSBC bank in the Gulf emirate and had returned with him to his flat.
The next morning Mr Carroll's Brazilian former girlfriend, who has been named only as Priscilla, arrived at the flat and found them in bed together, according to police.
Mr Carroll had only broken up with her the day before. >>> Richard Spencer, Dubai | Thursday, January 20, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Tunisian officials announced an investigation into the vast fortune of former president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and his relatives on Wednesday as Switzerland announced it had frozen the assets of the exiled dictator.Members of 'The Family' exerted total dominance of the Tunisian economy, owning banks, commercial enterprises, factories, tourist resorts and vast land holdings.
By conservative estimates Mr Ben Ali's immediate family had a £5 billion fortune, while brothers and sisters of his hated wife Leila Trabelsis accumulated even greater wealth.
The official TAP news agency said a judge had accepted a petition by prosecutors to investigate bank accounts, real estate and other assets.
The hasty departure of 30 or more Ben Ali and Trabelsis family members has brought the Tunisian economy to its knees – 43 banks, 66 shops and 11 industrial plants have been destroyed since Mr Ben Ali fled.
Demonstrators mobbing central Tunis have demanded swift action to seize Ben Ali assets inside the country and cash stashed abroad. Few believe the interim government led by Mr Ben Ali's former acolytes has the stomach for the task. >>> Damien McElroy, Tunis | Wednesday, January 19, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: It was jazz on stage and a mix of Hollywood A-listers, big business types and prominent Chinese-Americans in the audience on Wednesday night as Michelle and Barack Obama threw a "quintessentially American" state dinner for Chinese President Hu Jintao.What was for dinner at the hottest event in town? Meat and potatoes, washed down with apple pie and ice cream for dessert, of course.
Singer Barbra Streisand, her husband-actor James Brolin and action film star Jackie Chan were supplying some of the celebrity star power for the A-list guest list.
Big business turned out in force, too, including Microsoft's Steven Ballmer and JP Morgan Chase's Jamie Dimon, among others. Other big names: fashion's Vera Wang, Vogue's Anna Wintour, artist Maya Lin, Olympic figure skater Michelle Kwan, and Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer to add some gravitas. Bill Clinton made the cut, too. >>> | Thursday, January 20, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama welcomes Hu Jintao with human rights rebuke: Barack Obama issued a challenge to the Chinese president over the country's human rights record as he made his welcoming address at the White House. >>> Toby Harnden, in Washington | Wednesday, January 19, 2011
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: China's Hu admits rights failings: At meetings with US counterpart, Chinese leader says "a lot still needs to be done" on human rights in his country. >>> Source: Al Jazeera and agencies | Wednesday, January 19, 2011
THE GUARDIAN: China's inferiority in 'hard power' has turned to Beijing's advantage, and signs of its growing 'soft power' abound
The last time Hu Jintao arrived in Washington, back in 2006, he was given a White House working lunch, and by all accounts never forgave George W Bush for the perceived insult.
In contrast, it is highly unlikely China's leader could find fault with the welcome laid out by the Obama administration: a private White House dinner tonight to be followed later in the week by a full state banquet, a 21-gun salute and all the pomp and circumstance of a review of the troops.
The message is absolutely clear – these are the world's two leading powers meeting together as equals. It is that sense of equal status that distinguishes this Washington summit from earlier such encounters. >>> Julian Borger, Ewen MacAskill and Phillip Inman | Tuesday, January 18, 2011
WELT ONLINE: Tunesien lässt politische Häftlinge frei, darunter auch Terroristen. Derweil läuft die Suche nach dem Vermögen von Ex-Machthaber Ben Ali.
Die Übergangsregierung in Tunesien hat nach eigenen Angaben alle politischen Häftlinge freigelassen. Ministerpräsident Mohammed Ghannouchi habe ihm versichert, dass alle politischen Gefangenen aus der Haft entlassen worden seien, sagte Minister Mustapha Ben Jafar, der am Dienstag aus dem neuen Kabinett zurückgetreten war. Er hatte sich mit Ghannouchi getroffen, um über eine mögliche Rückkehr in die Regierung zu beraten. Unter den Freigelassenen befanden sich laut Ben Jafar wegen Terrorismus verurteilte Islamisten. Wie viele politische Häftlinge insgesamt aus der Haft entlassen wurden, war unklar. >>> Autor: Hadeel Al-Shalchi | Donnerstag, 20. Januar 2011
LE MONDE: Selon des informations de l'agence Reuters, trente-trois personnes de la famille de l'ex-président tunisien Ben Ali auraient été arrêtées mercredi 19 janvier. Elles sont soupçonnées de "crimes contre la Tunisie", a annoncé la télévision tunisienne, qui diffuse des images de bijoux et d'or saisis lors des interpellations. "Des enquêtes vont être menées pour qu'elles soient traduites en justice", dit un communiqué lu à l'antenne, émanant d'une "source officielle". >>> LEMONDE.FR avec AFP et Reuters | Mercredi 19 Janvier 2011
YNET NEWS: Op-ed: Eitan Haber says we are quickly approaching the establishment of Palestinian state
In recent weeks, the Israeli and global media have been publishing a series of boring, repetitive stories: Ecuador has recognized the Palestinians state. Argentina has recognized the Palestinian state. And Brazil as well. And Bolivia too. And, ouch, also Uruguay. What’s going on here? It’s the same boring story every time, with only the country’s name changing. >>> Eitan Haber | Thursday, January 20, 2011
ARAB NEWS: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal has spelt out the Kingdom's terms for giving asylum to the ousted Tunisian leader. He has also said in a wide-ranging interview with Saudi TV that the Kingdom has abandoned its efforts to mediate in Lebanon's political crisis.
SHARM EL-SHEIKH: Saudi Arabia announced Wednesday that it would not allow deposed Tunisian President Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali to engage in any political activity from the Kingdom. "This act (of sheltering) should not lead to any kind of activity in Tunisia from the Kingdom ... There are conditions, and no act in this regard will be allowed,” Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal said in an interview with Saudi Television.
Prince Saud reiterated Saudi Arabia’s total support for the Tunisian people. "We support the Tunisian people in reaching their goals," the minister said, expressing his hope that peace and stability would prevail in Tunisia and its people would achieve greater progress, prosperity and freedom. “The Tunisian foreign minister has explained the situation in his country. We all stand by the Tunisian people to achieve their demands,” he said.
Prince Saud said Saudi Arabia agreed to receive Ben Ali in line with an old tradition. “This is not the first time that the Kingdom helps someone seeking protection ... I do not believe that this affects the Tunisian people and their resolve, or it represents an interference in internal affairs," the foreign minister said. Several other leaders who found refuge in Saudi Arabia in the past were allowed in under the same conditions. >>> Arab News | Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
THE GUARDIAN: Preacher sparked outrage last year when he announced plans to burn copies of the Qur'an to mark 9/11 anniversary
The controversial US pastor Terry Jones has been barred from the United Kingdom, the Home Office said tonight.
The preacher sparked outrage when he announced plans by his Florida-based church to burn copies of the Qur'an to mark the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on America.
A Home Office spokesman said: "The government opposes extremism in all its forms which is why we have excluded Pastor Terry Jones from the UK."
The spokesman added: "Numerous comments made by Pastor Jones are evidence of his unacceptable behaviour.
"Coming to the UK is a privilege, not a right, and we are not willing to allow entry to those whose presence is not conducive to the public good. >>> Press Association | Wednesday, January 19, 2011
So now we have no freedom of speech in the UK. This is the price we have to pay for allowing Islam to take root in our once glorious country. One would have thought that the Conservatives who are largely in power would have seen to it that Britons retain their hard-won freedoms. Alas, the Conservatives today are a shadow of their former selves. I await the downfall of Britain as we came to know and love it. It is just a matter of time, for britons without balls will NEVER be able to keep Britain British. – © Mark
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Prejudice against Muslims has become widespread and socially acceptable in Britain, the Conservative chairman will claim.
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
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Somali man charged with attempted murder says he just wanted 'to scare' cartoonist who caricatured Prophet Muhammad.
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
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
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
THE GUARDIAN: Judge gives Rudolf Elmer suspended fine for breaching banking secrecy in giving client information to whistleblowing website
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
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Head of Arab League warns regional leaders that recent political upheaval is linked to deteriorating economic situation.
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 >>>
THE TIMES: Tunisian media seize opportunity for life without censorship >>> James Bone,Tunis | Wednesday, January 19, 2011 [£]
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
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
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
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 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
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
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
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
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
THE GUARDIAN: Instead of the leftovers of a repressive regime, Tunisians deserve a genuinely democratic unity governmentmanage 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
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
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 [£]
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