Shock waves from the ouster of presidents in Tunisia and Egypt continued to roll across North Africa and the Middle East on Monday, with peoples long subject to autocratic rule demanding to be heard. Despite many states cautiously welcoming the overthrow of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and Hosni Mubarak, their own populations have been seized by the momentum and are demanding greater freedoms and reform. Following is a breakdown of events, both current and planned, in the Arabic-speaking world and in Iran. ALGERIA: Opposition leaders planned a second protest march in the capital despite a long-standing ban on demonstrations, and France called on Algiers to allow anti-government protests to take place freely and without violence. BAHRAIN: Bahraini police used tear gas to disperse dozens of protesters in the eastern village of Nuwaidrat, as security forces deployed in the tiny Gulf kingdom following Facebook calls for a February 14 "revolt." EGYPT: The new military regime called on workers to end a wave of strikes and civil disobedience that has threatened to paralyse the country in the wake of the fall of Hosni Mubarak's government. IRAN: Thousands of defiant Iranian opposition supporters in Tehran staged what they said was a rally supporting Arab revolts as riot police fired tear gas and paint balls to disperse them, witnesses and opposition websites said. IRAQ: Baghdad will on March 29 host its first annual Arab summit since the US-led of invasion of 2003, in the wake of popular uprisings that transformed the political landscape of the volatile but long autocratic region. JORDAN: Justice Minister Hussein Mujalli joins a sit-in held by trade unions and describes a Jordanian soldier serving a life sentence for killing Israeli schoolgirls in 1997 as a "hero," demanding his release. LIBYA: Facebook groups numbering several hundred members have called for demonstrations to mark a "day of rage" in Libya on February 17 modelled on similar protests in other Arab countries. MOROCCO: Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi was to meet the opposition to discuss parliamentary polls, with the impact of the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia weighing heavily on the talks. PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES: Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas reappointed Salam Fayyad as premier and tasked him with forming a new government after his cabinet resigned. SYRIA: Woman blogger Tal al-Mallouhi, 19, gets five years in prison after being found guilty by a security court of "divulging information to a foreign country." Her blog focuses on the Palestinians, not Syrian politics. TUNISIA: The country marked a month since the overthrow of president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. YEMEN: Pro-democracy protesters clashed violently with police and supporters of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, with clashes also reported in Taez south of the capital, where thousands of people joined anti-Saleh demonstrations.
II. ATHENSNEWS - Turkey reveals Cyprus agenda
An Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus become yet another piece in a possible domino of popular uprisings that started in Tunisia and spread to Egypt? The mass protest of 10,000 Turkish-Cypriot trade unionists in occupied Nicosia was not just about the new economic austerity imposed by Ankara, which has supported the occupied territories economically for decades. It was a sweeping condemnation of Turkey’s policies of occupation and expanding settlements that have decimated the Turkish-Cypriot community - most have fled the island - and supported the settlers from mainland Turkey. Slogans condemning Turkey have until now been unheard of in the north. Banners proclaiming “Ankara, hands off” and “This motherland is ours - we will run it” sent shockwaves through the Turkish capital. The presence of Republic of Cyprus flags at the protest was the ultimate affront to Ankara, which, despite its EU application, steadfastly refuses to recognise the government of EU member-state Cyprus. The flags were a ringing message from native Turkish-Cypriots that they seek a settlement within a unified state, a state that is poised to become very rich from its energy resources... Since Turkey invaded Cyprus in 1974, Ankara has explained its occupation of the nearly 40 percent of the island as necessary to protect the Turkish-Cypriot minority from the Greek-Cypriot majority. It is still the pretextual basis of bizonality - a sort of ethnic apartheid - that was a major concession in 1977 by then president Makarios and is still a basis of UN-sponsored settlement talks... Turkey’s geopolitical interest in the island multiplied exponentially with the recent discovery of huge natural gas deposits belonging to the Republic of Cyprus. “Who do you think you are? We have martyrs, heroes and strategic interests [in Cyprus],” Erdogan said in response to the January 28 protest, clearly signalling that Ankara’s interests supersede those of the Turkish-Cypriots. He went as far as to declare that Turkish-Cypriots “don’t have the right” to protest against Turkey. Less than five months before parliamentary elections, the Turkish opposition sought to capitalise politically on what it saw as a major prime ministerial gaffe. Ankara’s attempt to depict the protests as a sinister plot by Cyprus President Dimitris Christofias’ Progressive Party of Working People (Akel) is another sign of panic. Ankara’s order to Turkish-Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu that protesters who insult Turkey be prosecuted will only fan the flames. Erdogan, who seems to blame Eroglu for the mess, underlined his displeasure by holding talks on February 7 in Ankara with former Turkish-Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat. Picking up the gauntlet thrown down by Erdogan, the protesting trade unionists in a letter to the Turkish prime minister stressed the paradox that Erdogan stood up for the right of Egyptians to protest but recognised no such right for Turkish-Cypriots. The reference to Egypt was an ominous warning that the Turkish-Cypriots are prepared to take it to the limit. Athens University geopolitics professor Ioannis Mazis told the Athens News that Erdogan’s statements are the official confirmation of his neo-Ottoman foreign minister’s agenda. “In his book Strategic Depth, [Foreigh Minister Ahmet] Davutoglu said that even if there were only a single Turkish-Cypriot remaining, we must keep the Cyprus issue alive,” he noted. But that view came far before neo-Ottomanism, as prime minister Ismet Inonu said as much half a century ago. “Erdogan wants to send a message to [Turkish-Cypriot leader] Eroglu: It is impossible to undermine Turkey’s strategic interest in Cyprus,” he said.
III. BLOOMBERG - Turkey Ship Ban Costs Cyprus $188 Million a Year
Turkey’s ban on Cypriot-flagged or - related vessels using its ports is costing the island’s economy about 138.5 million euros ($188 million) a year, according to Erato Kozakou-Markoulli, Cyprus’s communications minister. The Turkish embargo costs the equivalent of 1.3 percent of Cyprus’s gross domestic product and affects 2,800 vessels, she said at a conference in Nicosia today, according to a transcript of her speech posted on the government press office website. These ships are either flagged in Cyprus or are from elsewhere in the European Union and are managed by companies based in Cyprus, Europe’s largest ship-management center, Kozakou-Markoulli said. Cyprus, an EU member since 2004, has been divided for almost 37 years between its Greek- and Turkish-speaking communities. Turkey occupied [invaded] the northern third of the island in 1974. Since then Cyprus has been represented by the Greek Cypriot government. The EU has demanded that Turkey open its ports to Cyprus to be considered for membership of the bloc.
The latest arrests in Romania, FYRMacedonia, Montenegro and Croatia, as well as resignation in Albanian government, confirm that Balkan countries are still very much steeped in corruption and organized crime, even those that have entered the EU. “In most Balkan countries – due to the omnipresent nepotism and low level of judiciary system independence – a judge ought to be brave to dare and convict some very important person. And for someone to get convicted, they need to be crazy or to have lost their political protectors’ support”, says professor Petrus van Duyne, expert on corruption teaching at the Dutch University of Tilburg, Reuters reports. In many countries in the region, many cases of corruption were subject of investigation, but that is still picking on the surface, the analysts estimate. The number of convicted persons is inadmissibly small, especially in regards to “the big fish”, although the corruption has – and no one can argue with that – spread its tentacles through many structures of society, all the way to the top. As by a rule, until now targets of judicial system were simple clerks that issued illegal permit for a house construction, professors that sold exams, customs officers that allow import of goods without a fine. Latest findings seem to indicate a new climate in tackling this problem, which rooted deeply after the falling apart of communist system and wars in former Yugoslavia. ROMANIA – In Romania in past few days there were mass arrests of customs and police officers on border crossings toward Serbia and Ukraine. Nearly one hundred persons ended up behind the bars due to involvement in cigarettes’ trafficking. Prime Minister Emil Boc replaced his chief of national customs service, on account of suspicion of taking the bribe. In November European Commission report Romania and Bulgaria were warned they still have not done enough in combat against the corruption. Due to that, these two countries will most likely not be accepted into the Schengen zone, even though they are EU members since 2007. ALBANIA - In Tirana, Prime Minister Deputy Ilir Meta has recently resigned, due to a video which shows him trying to arrange a job for a provision of EUR 700,000. That caused massive demonstrations of the opposition demanding resignation of the government. Prime Minister Sali Berisa refuses those allegations and at the protest on January 21 security forces in Tirana killed four protesters, while more persons were injured. MONTENEGRO – After the Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic’s resignation, which was previously interrogated in Italy regarding the alleged cigarette smuggling, nine persons ended up in custody in Budva, among which the brother of former prime minister deputy Svetozar Marovic. The opposition hopes that is just a beginning. Meanwhile, Djukanovic announced he would prosecute the Italian prosecutor. CROATIA – Former Prime Minister Ivo Sanader is in detention in Austria, after being accused of abusing his position while he was head of the government, thus obtaining huge wealth. FYRMACEDONIA – In Skopje, a controversial businessman Velija Ramkovski, owner of TV station A1 as well as several newspapers, was arrested recently. Along with 13 associates, ha was accused of avoiding paying the taxes and of ‘laundering’ suspiciously obtained money. Corruption is deeply rooted in other Balkan countries too. According to the last ‘Transparency International’ report, Bosnia-Herzegovina has the worst placement regarding the degree of corruption – 91st position in the world, Albania holds 87th position, Serbia shares 78th position with several other states, Montenegro and Romania share 69th position, Croatia and Macedonia are in 62nd and Bulgaria is right behind them. After this infavourable experience with Balkan countries, that issue is about to become more strict in the European Union. Decisive – and not like until now merely declarative – combat against corruption will be a precondition for obtaining the EU candidate status.
V. VOICEOFRUSSIA - EP Member: Kosovo a mafia state
Euro-Parliament member and head of the United Nations counternarcotics agency Pinot Ariacchi describes Kosovo as a mafia state built around transnational organized crime and the import of Afghan-produced heroin. Speaking in Moscow Monday, he criticized the international officials in Kosovo and the nations that extended recognition to it for turning a blind eye to the problem.
VI. REUTERS - U.S. to stop funding NATO missile defense program
The United States on Monday said it would stop funding a multibillion-dollar U.S.-European missile defense program known as MEADS after fiscal year 2013, calling it unaffordable in the current budget climate. "Our partners may go forward with some MEADS, but it is not our plan to do so," the Pentagon's comptroller Robert Hale told a budget briefing. He was referring to Italy and Germany... The Pentagon said it remained concerned about the overall track record of the program and might ordinarily have canceled it. But Hale noted that continuing development of the program until 2013 would avoid costly termination fees and benefit the partner nations on the program. A Pentagon fact sheet said the program had experienced a number of technical and management challenges since its start in the mid-1990s. It said that although the program had shown marked improvement in recent years, it had been unable to meet schedule and cost targets. It said a recent restructuring proposal would have extended the design and development phase by some 30 months, requiring at least $974 million in additional U.S. investment from fiscal year 2012 through 2017, and possibly as much as $1.6 billion. Washington said it had decided to continue the program's development up to a cost ceiling of $4 billion to ensure development of a meaningful capability for Germany and Italy, and possible future option for the United States. The department said it had already spent $1.5 billion on the program to date, and was already committed to funding an additional $804 million. Continuing the program would cost nearly $1 billion, or more, but the Army could not use MEADS to replace its Patriot missiles given delays in the MEADS program... The first MEADS battle manager and launcher had moved to a test range in Italy for system tests, Lockheed spokeswoman Cheryl Amerine said in a statement. She said MEADS could defend up to 8 times the area of current systems with fewer system elements at a cost lower than upgrading existing systems.
VII. CATHOLICREVIEW - New appreciation urged for classical music’s contributions to church
Classical music is underappreciated for its spiritual contribution to the church, the metropolitan of the Russian Orthodox Church said in a Feb. 9 address at The Catholic University of America. “I am well aware of the insignificant number of young people who listen to classical music, whereas almost everyone listens to popular music,” said Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev. “This I consider to be a real tragedy.” However, he said he believes secular music “is possible within Christianity, including that which exceeds the limits of classical music which I love so much.” “Christianity is inclusive; it does not set strict canonical limits to art,” he said, adding that “Christianity can even inspire a secular artist” to convey sacred messages in “the language of modern musical culture.” Metropolitan Hilarion, who is the archbishop of Volokolamsk and a permanent member of the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Moscow, delivered a multimedia presentation on “The Intersection of Music and Faith” to students, faculty and guests in the university’s Caldwell Hall Auditorium. Trained in violin, piano and composition, the metropolitan served in the Soviet military before entering the monastery in 1987. He has a master’s in theology from the Moscow Theological Academy and a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Oxford in Great Britain. He has the author of more than 300 published monographs and other written works and has composed numerous musical works. His composition “St. Matthew Passion,” a grand oratorio for soloists, choir and orchestra written in 2006, has received standing ovations at performances in Moscow, Rome and Melbourne, Australia. Its English-language U.S. premiere was Feb. 7 in New York City. His 2007 “Christmas Oratorio” has been performed in Washington, Boston and New York to critical acclaim. In his presentation, Metropolitan Hilarion emphasized that genuine art serves God either directly or indirectly and even if it is not intended for worship, it can be dedicated to God. “The works of Beethoven and Brahms may not directly praise God, yet they are capable of elevating the human person morally and educating him spiritually,” he said. He praised Bach for music that he said contains a universal element that is all-embracing. He added that the composer was able to combine “unsurpassed compositional skill” with rare diversity, true beauty and profound spirituality. “Even Bach’s secular music is permeated by a sense of love for God, of standing in God’s presence, of awe before him,” he said. He commented that Bach, a Lutheran, was “truly ‘catholic,’“ the original Greek term meaning “universal” or “all-embracing,” for he saw the church as “a universal organism.” Bach’s music “belongs to the world as a whole and to each citizen separately,” he said. The metropolitan used his own spiritual journey as an example of how faith and music can intersect. He was always a talented musician but one time he intentionally abandoned music because he felt caught between ministry to music and ministry to the church. He chose to renounce the world, including his love for music, to follow his calling to serve the church. “I neither played musical instruments, nor even listened to recorded music,” he said. Slowly, Metropolitan Hilarion changed his outlook, but it took listening to a performance of one of his own compositions at a festival of Orthodox music he was invited to attend. It helped him realize there was a piece of himself that was missing, he said. “Listening to my own music, something stirred inside me, and I began to compose again almost at once,” he said. His presentation was a part of a series of events celebrating the theme of Catholic University President John Garvey’s inaugural year: “Intellect and Virtue: The Idea of a Catholic University.” To listen and view videos from orchestra performances of Metropolitan Hilarion's "St. Matthew Passion", please click here. Additional information and photos can be found on St. Vladimir's seminary website by clicking here.