Read a little. Learn a lot. • Tightly-written news, views and stuff • Follow us on Twitter • Be a Facebook Fan • Tumble us!

23 Jan 2011 10:33

tags

World: Tunisia violence: Two differing death toll estimates

  • 100+ the United Nations estimate of the death toll in Tunisia in the wake of the extended protests
  • 78 the estimate from the country’s interior minister, Ahmed Friaa … so which estimate is right? source
  • » Currently under house arrest (reportedly): Two of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali’s strongest confidantes, Abdelaziz Ben Dhia and Abdallah Kallel, are in custody of the new government. Meanwhile, a third adviser, Abdelwaheb Abdallah, is on the run. The info comes from the country’s state-run Agence Tunis Afrique Presse, which didn’t reveal a source. Oh yeah, in case you’re wondering, those police officers from yesterday want to make it clear they weren’t responsible for the death toll above.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Jan 2011 11:04

tags

World: Tunisian police officers: Screw it, we want to protest, too!

Police officers are standing in solidarity with other protesters today. Why? According to al-Jazeera, “They no longer want to be persecuted” for helping defend the government. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Jan 2011 10:52

tags

World: Some more quick numbers from Tunisia’s volatile situation

  • eight ministers loyal to Ben Ali are out, and a powerful central committee that included them has disbanded
  • 33 members of Ben Ali’s family, have been charged with “crimes against Tunisia” for their gaudy lives
  • 1,800 political prisoners have been released from jail, and those with short sentences should be released, too source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Jan 2011 15:08

tags

World: Early struggles for Tunisia’s new government

  • two days since Tunisia’s coalition government took charge following a climactic revolution
  • four coalition ministers who have already quit over lack of personnel change from the old regime
  • one political party threatening to pull out unless there’s a purge of the old regime’s members source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Jan 2011 16:04

tags

World: Qaddafi knows what caused the Tunisian collapse

  • question What caused the upheaval of the Tunisian government under President Ben Ali?
  • answer Wikileaks, aided by “lying ambassadors,” according to Libya’s Muammar el-Qaddafi. source
  • Corruption? Unemployment? A restricted press? Not according to Colonel Qaddafi. The Libyan leader, who has held power for over forty years, weighed in on Tunisia’s collapse, blaming “WikiLeaks which publishes information written by lying ambassadors in order to create chaos.” As The New York Times’ Robert Mackey observes, this may be a reiteration of a conspiratorial belief birthed from Iran’s leadership; that Wikileaks is acting as a propaganda arm of the United States, strategically leaking false cables to American benefit. But seriously, Julian Assange as a government shill? You’ve got a long road to hoe, Muammar.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Jan 2011 11:10

tags

World: Tunisians finally getting full grasp of Ben Ali’s opulence

  • It makes me sad because [Ben Ali and his family] stole all the money to build this house from the people of Tunisia. He lives in luxury and the people do not have money for food.
  • Tunisian citizen Priska Nufar • Expressing anger while looking through the former Tunisian president’s luxurious home recently. The level of wealth and riches that Zine al-Abedine Ben Ali are only becoming fully clear as the country goes completely into turmoil, with images of these riches getting shown on TV and in other mediums. Some of his family’s properties have been destroyed and looted in the wake of the unrest, while many wait for the next step Tunisia takes as a country. Hopefully their next leader will be willing to share. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Jan 2011 17:32

tags

World: Update: Three things you should know about Tunisia’s unrest

  • one Protesters are wary of trusting the police; the situation remains volatile. Two major gun battles took place on Sunday, one of them near the presidential palace.
  • two Tunisia’s prime minister is promising a new government on Monday, and at least one ousted party plans to return to the country after the unrest dies down.
  • three High-profile members of former president Ben Ali’s staff have been arrested, and some of his family members have been attacked and killed by angry citizens. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

15 Jan 2011 22:02

tags

World: New Tunisia leader’s first act: Opening up the Interwebs

As a follow-up to our last Tunisia post, it’s good to note that new leader Fouad Mebazaa has unblocked the Interwebs in the country. Good news for everyone who likes freedom. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Jan 2011 21:06

tags

World: Tunisians: Ousted leader Ben Ali just as bad as “Big Brother”

  • I saw the RCD and the government and saw that it’s exactly like this book, with the big pictures of Ben Ali everywhere and people listening in to phone calls and informing on each other. Joining them is like selling your soul to the devil.
  • Former Tunisian citizen Ahmad Chebil • Explaining his experience with Zine el Abidine Ben Ali’s government, which wanted him to become a “citizen watcher” – essentially, someone who would spy on others and inform the government. But he never went for it – wanna know why? Well, he read a french translation of “1984” and could see the evil behind the basic idea. Also worth noting: This Ars Technica article explaining how the country ratcheted up its Internet censorship efforts in recent weeks – and how the Internet fought back. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Jan 2011 13:32

tags

World: A quick recap of Tunisia’s presidential situation at the moment

  • one Tunisian president in the 23 years before yesterday’s freefall
  • three Tunisian presidents in just 24 hours; sounds fairly stable to us source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
<< newer 
top tags
older >>