Resignations Hit Tunisia's Coalition as Thousands Protest

Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi insisted in a radio interview with the French Europe 1 broadcaster that ministers in the new government remaining from the former regime have "clean hands" and great competence. He suggested that experienced officials are needed in a caretaker government to guide the country before free elections are held.

In an attempt to mollify protesters and distance themselves from Mr. Ben Ali, the prime minister and interim President Fouad Mebazza resigned from the ruling RCD on Tuesday. State media reported the party also expelled Mr. Ben Ali, its founder.

Officials with the country's main labor union, the UGTT, said its three newly appointed ministers had withdrawn because the movement will not recognize the new government. Tunisia's health minister, who is from the opposition FDLT party, also resigned.

The United States welcomed reforms announced by the new government, including media freedoms and the liberation of all political prisoners, but said political change in the Arab state must broaden and deepen.

U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also urged "broad-based consultations" to establish an inclusive interim government.

On Monday, Mr. Ghannouchi announced a coalition Cabinet that includes the current ministers of defense, interior, foreign affairs and finance. He announced lower-level Cabinet positions for several opposition figures.

The announcement came after former president Ben Ali fled the country Friday after a month of protests and rioting sparked by widespread unemployment and high food prices. His departure ended more than two decades of authoritarian rule.

The capital remains occupied by tanks and heavily armed riot police, while many stores and businesses are closed. A ban on public assemblies is in place, as well as a strict nighttime curfew.

Tunisia's Interior Ministry said Monday that 78 people have died in the month-long violence. The government previously put the number of fatalities at 23. Unofficial estimates put the death toll at around 100.

Separately, supporters of formerly exiled opposition leader Moncek Marzouki greeted him Tuesday as he arrived in the country from Paris. The head of the Congress for the Republic party says he is considering running for president.

Prime Minister Ghannouchi said Tunisia will work toward transparent, fair elections under the supervision of international observers.  A presidential poll is to be held within 60 days. (From VOA)

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Hundreds Demonstrate in Tunisian Capital

Hundreds of anti-government protesters marched in the Tunisian capital calling for allies of the ousted president to leave the government.

The demonstrators walked down the streets of Tunis Wednesday chanting songs and calling for former RCD ruling party members to step down.

On Monday, Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi announced a coalition government that included the current ministers of defense, interior, foreign affairs and finance.  He announced lower-level cabinet positions for several opposition figures.   At least four opposition ministers have quit the unity government, aligning themselves with the anti-government protestesrs.

A spokesman for the interim prime minister says the ministers are deciding whether to hold  their first cabinet meeting on Wednesday or Thursday.

Former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled the country Friday after a month of protests and rioting sparked by widespread unemployment and high food prices.  His departure ended more than two decades of authoritarian rule.

Tunisia's interior ministry said Monday that 78 people have died in the month-long violence. The government previously put the number of fatalities at 23. Unofficial estimates put the death toll at around 100.

Separately Wednesday, the international credit Ratings agency Moody's Investors Service lowered Tunisia's rating from Baa2 to Baa3. The ratings agency said the downgrade was due to instability and current changes to the political regime.

The lower rating means it will cost Tunisia more to borrow money. (From VOA)

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Mediator Leaves Ivory Coast with No Breakthrough

The African Union mediator to Ivory Coast's political crisis has left the country with no apparent breakthrough in the electoral dispute, saying the standoff between rival

governments may not end peacefully.

Kenyan Prime Minister Ralia Odinga left Abidjan after what he says were extensive discussions with both incumbent President Laurent Gbabgo and the internationally-recognized winner of November's vote, former prime minister Alassane Ouattara.
Odinga says the breakthrough needed to resolve Ivory Coast's political crisis did not happen.
"One of the principle goals of my mission was to convince Mr. Gbagbo to accept that he needed to put his presidency on the agenda for discussions," said Odinga.  "In addition, it was imperative that a blockade at the Golf Hotel be lifted.  Mr. Gbagbo gave me an assurance that this blockade would be lifted yesterday at midday but he broke that promise for the second time in two weeks."
Troops loyal to Mr. Gbabgo are blocking access to the Golf Hotel, where Mr. Ouattara has been living since the United Nations certified electoral commission results that say he won the vote.
Mr. Gbagbo claims he was re-elected when his political allies on the constitutional counsel annulled enough Ouattara votes to put Mr. Gbagbo ahead.
The African Union, the United Nations, the European Union, and the United States recognize Ouattara's victory and say Gbagbo must leave.
The Economic Community of West African States says it is considering military action to remove Gbagbo.
Odinga says if the crisis is not resolved, there will be additional economic and financial sanctions and possibly the use of force.
"Time is running out for an amicably negotiated settlement," added Odinga.  "In addition, the window of opportunity for any amnesty will continue to close if Mr. Gbagbo's supporters continue to commit crimes against civilians and peacekeepers."
U.N. Secretary General Bank Ki-moon says U.N. staffers are being attacked by Gbagbo security forces and allied militia.
Mr. Odinga's African Union mission left Ivory Coast for further talks with heads of state in Ghana, Angola and Burkina Faso. (From VOA)

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Obama, Hu Urged to Hold Substantive Human Rights Talks

Veteran Chinese dissident Bao Tong’s phone was cut off last October, shortly after the Nobel Peace Prize committee named jailed Chinese writer Liu Xiaobo its 2010 laureate. Bao’s phone service was only recently restored.

Bao is the highest ranking person to have been jailed for supporting protesting students in Beijing in 1989.

He, along with other activists are hoping Presidents Barack Obama and Hu Jintao will hold substantive talks about Beijing's human rights record during Mr. Hu's state visit to Washington, which began on Tuesday. The Chinese leader is scheduled to hold extensive talks with Mr. Obama, meetings with congressional leaders and take a trip to Chicago.

Bao says human rights is too important of an issue for the two leaders not to talk about. The discussions should not just be superficial, Bao adds, but should be in depth and have results.

Another activist, Ding Zilin, is one of the main organizers of a group called "Tiananmen Mothers," made up of people whose family members were killed when Chinese troops crushed the demonstrations in 1989. Her son was killed.

She says she thinks Sino-American differences in human rights have been overshadowed by economic disputes and security issues. Therefore, she says she would like to see how Mr. Obama and Mr. Hu discuss human rights. Ding says she does not want their talks to be like before, when, in her opinion, talk about human rights was just a show.

She is especially angered by the Chinese government’s response to Liu Xiaobo’s Nobel Prize. The reaction included putting Liu’s wife, Liu Xia, under house arrest, and cutting off her communication with the outside world, even though she has committed no crime.

Ding is one of scores of activists in China who were put under house arrest after Liu won the prize. Like Bao Tong, her phone was only recently restored.

Authorities also harassed Chinese lawyers who were active in defending civil society cases.

Martin Flaherty is a law professor at Fordham University. He works with the Committee to Support Chinese Lawyers, made up of lawyers from outside China who seek to promote the independence of Chinese lawyers.

"You know the larger story, as I am sure you know, is that in the last two years or so, maybe two and a half years, there has been what appears to be a concerted crackdown on the small number of civil rights and human rights lawyers in China," Flahery said. "You know, we've had some fairly high profile ones."

One example of this crackdown is Gao Zhisheng, a human rights lawyer who disappeared into police detention in 2009. He briefly resurfaced last April, but then disappeared again.

Gao was jailed on subversion charges in 2006, but his sentence was suspended and he was released early. He has been described as a galvanizing force for China’s rights movement, and has argued cases to defend property rights, as well as political and religious dissenters.

Gao’s wife Geng He, who fled to the United States, has appealed to President Obama to raise her husband’s case with President Hu.

Critics of China’s human rights record on Capitol Hill urged President Obama to call on the Chinese government to also release Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo.

China denies abusing human rights and says Liu Xiaobo is a convicted criminal. China also points to its economic growth, which has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of extreme poverty, as proof of its concern for human rights.

Although China still makes clear it does not tolerate much dissent, Chinese citizens in the past 30 years have gotten increased freedom to travel domestically and aboard, while people also have access to a greater range of publications and television programming than they did a few decades ago. (From VOA)

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China Dominates ASEAN Talks, Links to Singapore With High-Speed Rail

In China's ever-growing regional and global dominance, the country has announced that construction will begin this year on a portion of the much anticipated high-speed rail line reaching all the way to Singapore, by way of Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Laos. The move will bolster trade between the superpower and Asia's smaller players, as well as fortify the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region--of which Nanning is the capital--as China's main center of Asian trade. And the main center of trade in all of Asia, for that matter.

"The construction of the railway between Nanning and Pingxiang, a city near China's border with Vietnam, will start in the second half of this year," reports China Daily. The cost will be about $3 billion.

The Nanning-Singapore Economic Corridor will link Phnom Penh in Cambodia, Hanoi in Vietnam, Bangkok in Thailand, Vientiane in Laos, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and Singapore--cities that will thus become trading centers for the region and will most likely see additional economic development boosts due to the rail link. It's easy to imagine local enterprises popping up to cater to travelers and tradesmen.

Portions of the corridor are already in place in one form or another--in some cases highways are complete and in others domestic rail lines have been linked between countries. But this week's announcement that construction will begin on one of the final links--Nanning to Pingxiang--signifies the importance China places on making Nanning its Southeast Asian trading hub.

The timing of the announcement comes at a time when China and Japan are in increasing competition over dominance in the region, particularly over Vietnam. And as the Chinese city of Pingxiang is just at the border, one has to wonder why the sudden focus on that portion of what will be one of the largest inter-country high-speed rail links in Asia.

That said, the ASEAN Summit just wrapped on Monday and it was clear that China intends to maintain its dominance in the region--even though it's not officially part of ASEAN, a 10-member group of only Southeast Asian countries.

Whether the corridor is meant for trade or easy access to neighboring countries for other purposes, the rail link is set to alter the region significantly, giving rise to targeted innovations and enterprises throughout Southeast Asia.

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Sunderland make Jay enquiry

Sunderland have made an enquiry for Cardiff striker Jay Bothroyd, frontnews.com understands.

Black Cats boss Steve Bruce is exploring his options as he looks to bring in a replacement for Darren Bent.

Bothroyd is believed to be among Bruce's targets with the Bluebirds fighting to keep hold of the England international.

Cardiff have offered a new deal to the 28-year-old, who is out of contract at the end of the season, but he has yet to agree terms.

Bluebirds boss Dave Jones is adamant he does not want to lose Bothroyd, but he could have his resolve tested before the transfer window slams shut at the end of the month.

Newcastle are also keen on Bothroyd and are thought to have made an enquiry for the former Arsenal youngster.

However, Sunderland could be in pole position for Bothroyd if they firm up their interest in the player as they have substantial funds to spend following the sale of Bent to Aston Villa.

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No Major Damage Reported After Powerful Pakistan Quake

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake shook southwestern Pakistan early Wednesday, jolting residents of cities as far away as the country's largest city of Karachi and the Indian capital, New Delhi.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake was centered 55 kilometers west of the town of Dalbandin in Baluchistan province, which is the country's most sparsely populated area.

Local officials said the earthquake damaged some homes in Dalbandin, but there were no reports of any injuries or casualties. 

The Pentagon said U.S. troops in southwestern Afghanistan felt the tremor, but there were no injuries or impact on U.S. military operations in Afghanistan or Pakistan. 

U.S. officials also said Pakistan has not asked for assistance with quake relief.

Earthquakes are common in the region. A magnitude 7.6 quake on October 8, 2005 killed more than 70,000 people in northwestern Pakistan and Pakistani-administered Kashmir, and left more than 3 million people homeless. (From VOA)

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Three arrested after Cambodia acid attack: police

Three people have been arrested for an attack in which two women were splashed with acid, in the country's first such incident of the year, police said Wednesday.

One of the victims, a 27-year-old garment worker, remains in hospital with serious burns to her face, eyes and body, said Kong Sam Orn, a deputy police chief of Phnom Penh's Meanchey district.

The other woman, the driver of the motorcycle on which the two were riding at the time of the attack, suffered leg and arm injuries.

Police said Tuesday's attack was carried out by two brothers and came just one day after the older sibling's wife had a work-related argument with the 27-year-old victim.

"The attack stemmed from the dispute," Kong Sam Orn said, adding that police believed the wife, who was also arrested, had masterminded the crime.

Acid attacks are a common form of revenge in Cambodia where corrosive liquid is easily and cheaply available and attackers are rarely brought to justice.

In an effort to curb the violence, the Cambodian government has drafted legislation that would regulate sales of acid and impose harsher sentences on perpetrators.

Under the new law, expected to be approved later this year, attackers could face 20 years to life in prison.

While there are no official statistics, the Cambodian Acid Survivors Charity (CASC) recorded 19 attacks in 2010, which injured more than 30 people.

"Just a handful of those cases resulted in arrests," said CASC programme manager Chhun Sophea.

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SWP interest confirmed

Fulham and Newcastle have both made approaches for Shaun Wright-Phillips, frontnews.com can confirm.

Wright-Phillips is looking for first-team football having sunk down the pecking order under Roberto Mancini, who admitted at the weekend he could be allowed to leave Eastlands.

Speaking exclusively to frontnews.com the player's agent Wayne Lindsay has now confirmed that both Fulham and Newcastle want to sign the England international.

"My understanding is that Fulham have made an enquiry for Shaun, as have Newcastle," Lindsay told frontnews.com.

"There are two other clubs also showing an interest, one loan and one permanent.

"There is also interest from a French club, but these are all options Shaun will have to consider.

"We don't have a time frame in mind with this, but obviously it needs to be done before the end of the window."

Blackburn and West Ham had an interest in landing Wright-Phillips on loan, but their respective signings of Roque Santa Cruz and Wayne Bridge mean they cannot sign a second player from City.

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