"Tunisia names new coalition government" December 23, 2011
TUNIS, Tunisia - A moderate Islamist party will run most of Tunisia’s government ministries in a new coalition Cabinet presented yesterday, the first since the country’s first elections after its uprising.
Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali of the long-banned Islamist party Ennahda said the 41-member government will focus on boosting the economy - with unemployment at 18 percent - and fighting corruption.
Joblessness and corruption helped drive popular anger during protests a year ago that forced out hard-line president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, ending half a century of dictatorship. That uprising led to revolts around the Arab world.
Jebali’s announcement of the new government came after weeks of negotiations with the parties who won seats on a new constituent assembly in October elections. The government faces a confidence vote this morning in the assembly.
The government includes three women and a human rights minister, in an apparent effort by the Islamist prime minister to soothe fears that his party will roll back freedoms.
The Islamist party has control of most ministries, except for defense. Defense Minister Abdelkrim Zbidi is the only member of the former interim government to continue in his post.
Why do I feel the same old crew is still running the show?
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"Tunisians celebrate their freedom" January 15, 2012|By Bouazza Ben Bouazza
TUNIS - Masses of Tunisians marched in peaceful triumph yesterday to mark the one-year anniversary of the revolution that ended the dictatorship of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and sparked uprisings around the Arab world.
Tunisia greeted the anniversary with prudent optimism, amid worries about high unemployment that cast a shadow over their pride at transforming the country.
Now a human rights activist is president, and a moderate Islamist jailed for years by the old regime is prime minister at the head of a diverse coalition, after the freest elections in Tunisia’s history.
Tunisia’s uprising began on Dec. 17, 2010, when a desperate fruit vendor set himself on fire, unleashing pent-up anger and frustration among his compatriots, who staged protests that spread nationwide.
Within a month, longtime president Ben Ali was forced out of power, and he fled to Saudi Arabia.
Boisterous marches yesterday reflected the country’s new atmosphere. Islamists shouted “Allahu Akbar’’ (“God is Great’’). Alongside them were leftists and nationalists celebrating freedom and mourning the more than 200 people killed in the monthlong uprising.
Leading Arab dignitaries joined Tunisia’s leaders for anniversary ceremonies. They included Algeria’s president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika - who faced down protests in his own country last year; the head of Libya’s interim government, Mustafa Abdel-Jalil, who helped lead opposition to Moammar Gadhafi; and the emir of Qatar.
“The democratic process that has begun is now irreversible, after the dark period’’ of the past, president and former exiled activist Moncef Marzouki said.
Abdel-Jalil called the Tunisian revolution “a determining factor for the success of the uprising’’ in Libya.
To mark the anniversary, the new leadership pardoned 9,000 convicts and converted the sentences of more than 100 prisoners from the death penalty to life in prison, the state news agency TAP reported.
As the country that started the Arab Spring, Tunisia appears to be the farthest along in its transformation. But political analysts warn that further gains will not be easy or painless.
Heykel Mahfoudh, a law professor and adviser to the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces, said that Tunisia is entering its second post-Ben Ali year “in a paradoxically necessary phase of turbulence.’’
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I wish them the best of luck.
Let's add some Turkey and Thai to our Tuesday:
"Turkey’s former military chief accused of plotting revolt" January 07, 2012|By Christopher Torchia
ISTANBUL - A former Turkish military chief suspected of leading an Internet campaign to stir revolt was jailed yesterday in a sweeping investigation of alleged conspiracies to topple a civilian government that has stripped the armed forces of political clout.
Don't you wish you had that kind of government, American?
General Ilker Basbug, 68, was the most senior officer to face trial in the antiterror probes that began years ago, netting hundreds of suspects, many of them retired and active-duty military officers. The government casts the inquiries as a triumph for the rule of law and democracy, but suspicions of score-settling, long imprisonments without verdicts, and other lapses have tainted the legal process.
The investigations serve as a pivotal test for Turkey’s ability to put its own house in order even as it seeks a higher profile in a turbulent region where the Turkish brand of electoral politics and Islam-inspired government is viewed by some as worthy of emulation.
Perhaps most notable about Basbug’s arrest was the muted public response in a country where civilian leaders were once beholden to the generals, and any hint of conflict stirred fears of a coup.
The power balance shifted in the past decade as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan undermined the premise that the military brass were the untouchable guardians of secularism, as enshrined in the constitution.
The Turkish military is a part of the national fabric, cloaked in the lore of sacrifice and a conduit for millions of young men who join as conscripts.
Wow, does that ever have a familiar ring to it.
It assists ably in Afghanistan and other NATO missions, but its private network of construction and other businesses, and a slowness to move toward an all-volunteer force, suggests the institution will be uncomfortable with reforms for some time.
The military suffered a blow to its reputation last week when 35 civilians were mistakenly killed in an airstrike meant to target Kurdish rebels, though outrage among Kurds was directed as much at civilian leaders as the generals.
Related: Turkey Turns on Its Kurds
Turkish jets bomb suspected Kurdish rebel targets in Iraq
Also see: France Turns on Turkey
Turkey Turns On Israel
Turkey Turns on Syria
Yes, Turkey seems to be walking a tightrope. It throws in with the Jew World Order globalists when it serves their interests, and tell them to take a hike when it does not.
Basbug was arrested and placed in a prison near Istanbul after seven hours of questioning by prosecutors investigating allegations that the military funded dozens of websites aimed at discrediting Erdogan’s government in 2009. Basbug, who retired in August 2010, led the military at the time.
Some suspects already charged in the case, including senior generals and admirals, have proclaimed their innocence and said they acted in a chain of command.
Basbug’s lawyer, Ilkay Sezer, said his client has denied accusations during questioning. NTV television said the former general told court officials the charges were “tragicomical.’’
“If I am being accused of bringing down the government with a couple of press statements and one or two Internet stories; this is very bitter,’’ the Hurriyet newspaper quoted Basbug as saying, citing court papers.
“If I had such bad intentions, as the commander of a 700,000-strong force, there would have been other ways of doing it,’’ he said.
Like what?
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Related: Turkey's Trial of the Century
Also see: Spy stuff: Did Mossad try to topple a NATO ally?
One of the other ways.
"US has missile radar site in Turkey; First confirmation that defense shield is up and running" by Dusan Stojanovic | Associated Press, February 27, 2012
PODGORICA, Montenegro - US forces are operating a new radar defense site in Turkey that could help defend Europe from a potential Iranian ballistic missile attack, the Army’s commander in Europe said yesterday....
It is the first time a senior US commander has confirmed reports that the NATO defense shield radar - which has caused tensions between Turkey and its Muslim neighbor Iran - has been operational in the past few weeks. The radar is a key element in a planned ballistic missile defense system....
Washington’s deal with Turkey last year to station the sophisticated radar on its territory was hailed by US officials as the most significant military cooperation agreement between the US and Turkey, NATO’s biggest Muslim member, since 2003, when Turkey angered US officials by refusing to allow an armored division to cross Turkish territory to join the invasion of Iraq.
Besides the radar in Turkey, the defense shield also will contain interceptor missiles stationed in Romania and Poland, four ballistic missile defense-capable ships in Rota, Spain, and an operations headquarters in Germany....
Russia has threatened retaliatory moves if Washington goes ahead with plans regarding the elements of the missile defense system in Eastern Europe. The Russian prime minister, Vladimir Putin, has repeatedly dismissed the US assertion that the prospective missile shield is intended to counter the Iranian missile threat, saying that its real goal is to erode Russia’s nuclear deterrent....
In a separate development yesterday, Israeli defense officials confirmed $1.6 billion in deals to sell drones as well as antiaircraft and missile defense systems to Azerbaijan, bringing sophisticated Israeli technology to the doorstep of Iran, its archenemy.
Of course, when Russia does the same for Iran and Syria it's a problem.
The sales by state-run Israel Aerospace Industries reflect Israel’s efforts to form diplomatic alliances in a region that seems to be growing increasingly hostile to the Jewish state.
Honestly, this is not meant to be anti-Semitic in any way, but I think it is because it is the way they treat people.
Its most pressing concern is Iran’s nuclear program.
And somehow that turns into the world's most pressing concern.
In Jerusalem, Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said Iran’s nuclear program will take center stage in his upcoming talks with US and Canadian leaders. Netanyahu is to meet with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Ottawa on Friday and with President Obama in Washington on Monday.
Speaking to the Israeli Cabinet on Sunday, Netanyahu said a UN nuclear agency report last week buttressed Israel’s warnings that Iran is trying to produce a nuclear bomb. The agency said Iran has rapidly increased production of higher-grade enriched uranium over the last few months.
Oh, did I mention I was sick and tired of the soooo played Israeli war propaganda? Did I mention that?
Iran denies Western assertions that it is seeking to develop atomic weapons and says its disputed nuclear program is designed to produce energy and medical isotopes....
Which is the truth, but....
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"Turkey’s Parliament enacts laws to protect women, children from abuse" March 09, 2012|By Associated Press
ANKARA, Turkey - Parliament marked International Women’s Day on Thursday by approving a package of laws aimed at better protecting women and children from abuse.
Turkey, as it vies for European Union membership, is struggling to discard long-held cultural practices that denigrate women in a largely patriarchal society.
The predominantly Muslim country also is fighting to curb “honor killings’’ of women deemed to have tarnished the reputation of their relatives, sometimes by having a premarital affair or a child out of wedlock.
That's wrong wherever you find it, but I have a solution. Let's bomb the crap out of them and kill all their menfolk. That'll liberate 'em!
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan began the day by addressing a women’s rights conference in the southeastern city of Mardin....
Four Ukrainian women’s rights activists staged a topless demonstration in Istanbul to protest domestic violence against women in Turkey.
The members of Ukraine’s Femen group chanted slogans and displayed banners during their one-minute protest, with one reading: “Stop acid attacks!’’
Related: Noted Pakistani acid victim commits suicide
I say stop the white phosphorous, too!
Using makeup, they also portrayed themselves women who had been beaten or suffered acid burns at the hands of husbands or in-laws.
Look, I think we should love all the ladies no matter what their religion or country of origin.
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"Disputed Turkish school bill passes" Associated Press, March 31, 2012
ANKARA, Turkey - Turkish lawmakers on Friday approved a hotly contested school reform bill that detractors say will increase the influence of Islamic schools and that has reignited tensions between the Islamic-leaning government and opponents who fear the country’s secular ideals are in danger.
Turkey is a Muslim-majority nation that also has a strong secular tradition. The school reform bill comes at a time when Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Islamic-rooted government is shifting power away from the secular establishment, including the military, that once dominated the country. The bill prompted such passions that scuffles broke out among lawmakers debating it.
I can only say sometimes I wish there would be such passion here in AmeriKa; however, it would only be over the programs and policies that Americans want. Those votes are always close. It's the votes in favor of Israel that are unanimous.
The bill needs to be approved by President Abdullah Gul, an ally of the government, before it comes into effect.
It reverses a move that was imposed by the military back in 1997 that closed religious middle schools, allowing only high school students to attend such institutions. The schools had long been viewed by the military as breeding grounds for Islamist groups.
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"Car bombings kill 14, injure 340" April 01, 2012
HAT YAI - Suspected Islamist insurgents staged the most deadly coordinated attacks in years in Thailand’s south, killing 14 people and injuring 340 with car bombs that targeted Saturday shoppers and a high-rise hotel frequented by foreign tourists. More than 5,000 people have been killed in three southern provinces since an insurgency flared in January 2004."
Related: Thailand Learns Its Lesson
Amazing how the "Islamists" attack after Israel is asked to "help," huh?
"Dozens of animals seized from private zoo" Associated Press, March 09, 2012
BANGKOK - More than 200 animals, including kangaroos, flamingos, red pandas, and white lions, were seized from a private zoo Thursday in a wildlife bust.
Most of the animals were nonnative species intended to be sold domestically or smuggled elsewhere. Thailand is a hub of the international black market for protected animals....
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