Topless in Tunisia

This story slipped under my radar a few years ago.  Anyway she's back in the spotlight . Good luck staying alive Amina Sboui .

She had anticipated the abuse, the misogyny, even the death threats. What she hadn't considered was something that now looked inevitable: her mother was going to find out.

return of topless rebel

12/2/15

Rough morning in Tunisia.  link
An explosion has hit a bus carrying members of Tunisia’s presidential guard through the centre of the country’s capital, killing at least 12 people.

12/13/15

Estimates that possibly 6 000 Tunisians have travelled to fight in Iraq, Syria and Libya, with many opting to join a number of extremist militant groups.
Tunisia reopened it's libyan border yesterday
Carthage (Tunisia) was once a major rival to Greece & Rome in thier days of world power.

12/28/15

Could Tunisia use a modern day Hannibal to fight the Jihad? He ended his "career"  as a military adviser in Bitynia  located in what is now Turkey.

1/14/16

Arab spring has backfired in Tunisia. from the NYT

 Tunisians make up one of the largest groups of foreign fighters for the Islamic State in Syria and Libya, and the security forces have increased raids and arrests in their efforts to thwart further attacks.

2/3/16

I missed this one . Merkel must be feeling the heat. Germany wants to limit migration from North Africa by declaring Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia 'safe countries',

2/14/16

Hannibal, was a Phoenician, a group whose lands correspond to present-day Lebanon and coastal parts of Israel and Syria. I wonder how he would deal with the war in and around Syria.

5/11/16

""Widow of Tunisia terrorism attack sues travel agent " Did this widow not have any access to mass media and know the Tunisia was/is treacherous? link

7/12/16

FUSION- Is NATO  spreading deeper into North Africa. It's establishing an intelligence ‘Fusion Centre’ in Tunisia, which will provide support to Tunisian Special Operations Forces.

8/24/16

To offset a possible 10% downturn in  2016 domestic new car sales.

Hyundai Motor’s Russian plant will start exporting Russian-assembled cars to Georgia and Tunisia

9/27/16

#Tunisia is the top source country for foreign fighters for #ISIS, with as many as 7000 having traveled to join the terrorist group’s purported “caliphate” in #Syria and #Iraq.

11/1/16

Libya has cranked up oil production in hopes of  stopping its economic collapse , while the USA is using #Tunisia as a drone base to support the government of Libya.

11/21/16

Need I say more: In southern Libya a pet monkey pulled off a girl's headscarf and reportedly bit and scratched her which stirred men from the #AwladSuleiman tribe to retaliate by killing three Gaddadfa people - as well as the monkey.

4/2/17

#Tunisia is taking a strange path to re-energizing its tourist business. Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi said that Iran is the sole hope for the struggle against #Israel.

4/17/17

DJ #daxj gets a year in jail in #tunisia for a prayer remix. Charges were public indecency and offending public morality . This is how the local governor viewed it: “We will not allow attacks against religious feelings and the sacred,” .  
Protecting feeelings is  #bizarre

5/13/17

Around 2,000 Tunisians protested on Saturday in Tunis,  the capital,  against a bill that would allow officials being prosecuted for alleged corruption to be amnestied in exchange for reimbursing embezzled funds. They've been in a transitional justice mode since 2011
1) Get the money back first
2) Tunisia needs the money

6/14/17

Paging #hillary clinton ! I'm kidding ! #northafrica on the verge of a huge mess. #Algeria and #France have urged Libya's rival armed factions to seek a political solution  to help stem the spread of militant groups and the potential spillover across its neighbors' borders.

6/26/17

#Clinton tradition crumbles: In 1995, Pres Clinton hosted an #Iftar dinner, which has continued until now. There's a lot of buzz about whether #thomasjefferson hosted an Iftar dinner in 1805 for an envoy from #Tunis or changed the time to later in the day.

7/26/17

Well, this could be interesting: According to Italian PM #PaoloGentiloni Libya's Tripoli-based government has asked #Italy to provide naval support in fighting human trafficking in Libyan territorial waters.

10/4/17

#borisjohnson  on #Sirte , Libya : “The reality there is that the clearing of corpses of Daesh fighters has been made much more difficult by IEDs and booby traps."

10/18/17

 #Tunisian smugglers are avoiding increased navy patrols off #Lampedusa and prefer to arrive on the larger island of #Sicily where it is easier pass unnoticed. Penalties are light for smugglers and migrants  in #Tunisia .

12/6/17

#SaifGaddafi ,one time heir apparent of the Libyan regime,  is free after six years as the prisoner of a militia in the town of Zintan and is gathering a military force to regain power.

2/4/18

#freaksnow:  snowing on the palm trees in #Morocco--hasn’t happened in at least 50 years

4/20/18

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, is off of death row in Libya and a free man. He's still wanted by the ICC.
Last month  the result of sand and dust stirred up and carried into the atmosphere from storms in North Africa tinted snow orange in central Europe .

6/7/18

The Tunisian ministry is offended by the Italian IM #Salvini 's comments that Tunisia is exporting convicts to Italy,  and said they showed a "lack of understanding" for the cooperation agreements between the two countries to prevent illegal immigration. Here's what cooperation =  2,889 Tunisian migrants  have reached Italy this year which represent a higher figure than for any other country.

6/14/18

German officials arrested a #Tunisian Islamic extremist, identified only as Sief Allah H for possession of Ricin in his Cologne apartment.  Meanwhile #Merkel wants more migrants in #Germany.

7/14/18

#SouadAbderrahim, was elected first female mayor  of #Tunis - now the work begins.

7/30/18

Horse soldiers from #Numidia, modern western Tunisia and eastern Algeria, played major roles  with and against #hannibal in the #PunicWars 

11/25/18

Chadian President #IdrissDeby will meet  #Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Sunday, the first visit to Israel by a leader of the central African nation which severed bilateral ties in 1972 due to pressure from #gaddafi , the late LIbyan leader.  Israel has been supplying weaponry to #chad.

12/21/18

Two women, 24-year-old #LouisaVesterager Jespersen from Denmark and 28-year-old #MarenUeland from Norway were found by fellow tourists this week with their throats slashed in the #AtlasMountains, near North Africa's highest peak.  Moroccan Bureau for Judicial Investigations said that the evidence so far indicated a terrorist motive,  and Norway police feel footage circulating on social media showing a woman in underpants screaming as a man decapitates her was likely authentic.

2/12/19

French and Chadian airstrikes have allowed the Chadian army to take some 250 invading #UFR rebels, based in Libya, into custody. #IdrissDeby , the Chad President, also get support from Israel in his battle against Muslim terrorists. It's noteworthy that France, the one time colonial ruler of Chad, is still in the picture.

3/24/19

 #Morocco has been under pressure from international lenders to cut the wage bill for government employees, and newly-contracted teachers who receive similar salaries but less benefits than regular staff, were greeted with water cannons during their protest yesterday in Rabat , Morocco.. Tiered paid systems are tricky but the "new" teachers signed  the contracts.

july 6, 2019

 After three suicide bombings in a week, Tunisian PM #Chahed is banning the Niqab, a face cover, in government buildings.

july 23, 2019

 Moroccan lawmakers voted to bolster French in education system to help end a disconnect with French-dominated higher education.  Classes are taught in Arabic up to high school.

sept 17, 2019

Interesting presidential campaign in #tunisia :  #KaisSaid , a 61-year-old law professor and expert on constitutional affairs, has avoided attaching his bid to a political party, going door-to-door instead to drum up support for his platform.

oct 17,2019

 #Saied , the newly elected  President of Tunisia and so-called candidate of change, plans to travel to neighboring Libya and Algeria and to champion the Palestinian cause. He opposes equal inheritance rights for daughters and sons, arguing that the issue is decided by the Quran.

March 19, 2020

 Tunisian police used tear gas to disperse dozens of youths at a traditional ram fight, a popular pastime in North Africa involving rams butting horns , because it broke coronavirus rules against crowds.

april 20, 2020 

44 of 58  #BokoHaram militants in Chad  died in detention from apparent poisoning. Forty bodies were buried and the other four are being evaluated by pathologists. Was it collective suicide or ___? The other 14 prisoners are recovering.

May 23, 2020

 In April Boeing Co sold  Morocco missiles to be be used on F-16 fighter planes to improve its capabilities in defense of critical sea lanes, and yesterday MBDA France sold  them missile defense systems. Some serious moves toward military supremacy in North Africa.

May 31, 2020

 USA may deploy a Security Force Assistance Brigade ,a small training unit, in Tunisia due to growing concerns over Russian activity in Libya.

July 15, 2020

#EmnaCharqui was found guilty in a Tunis court of "inciting hatred between religions" because she shared a message on Facebook, which  written in the style of Koranic verse,  that urged people to follow hygiene rules

Stashing uniforms

I hear the Jim Morrison line "we want the world and we want it now" as I watch the Nigerian-jihad punks slash and cut a British soldier in a London suburb, and edit a Morrissey title to "box-cutters of the world unite."

Eurpean countries are considering asking soldiers to not wear their uniforms off -duty. When does backing up stop? Did giving your lunch money to to the school bully stop his stomping?

Assimilation does not have to be a complete submission. It's an adjustment that does not require immigrants to forget and/or forsake their customs and ways.

 Leave the hate at the door.

And all roads don't lead to Mecca.

9/24/13

Home grown terrorists from Minnesota, etc think the road to Mecca  involves shooting folks in a mall in Kenya. Clueless as to how sweet liberty is.

10/19/13

Meanwhile......Prez BO has brought Abu Anas al Libi -- an alleged al Qaeda operative whom U.S. Army Delta Force soldiers captured in Libya this month -- to New York, a U.S. attorney's office said Monday.  Interrogation over & NYC has to deal with the terror implications.  Holder & BO  pursue their naive  feelgood dreams..

12/11/13

Is Muslim migration into Europe, a slow creep Crusades

1/23/14

Marseille, France- 40% Muslim population and one of the most dangerous cities in Europe. -do the math.

3/24/14

Does the missing Malaysian airliner fit into the terrorist equation? Pilots in uniform.

4/6/14

Dearborn Muslims offended by secular easter egg hunt. GMAFB

5/13/14

Hey Hillary , now you think Boko Haram is dangerous.  Maybe there two many terrorists groups on the State List at the time?

8/27/14

Whatever uniform Al Sharpton wears, it ain't about improving life in the USA.

9/27/14

I guess Muslims  can't be called terrorists inside the USA. Ft  Hood, Oklahoma beheading, etc. Serious reality check needed.

10/14/14

Galligan, the Ft Hood shooter  Hasan's lawyer: 

“I don’t know where they come up with the term workplace violence […] Workplace violence is not the crime with which he was charged,” Galligan said, explaining that Hasan was charged with mass murder.

1/9/15

The world is focused on the Jihad killer in Paris- don't forget Boko Haram.  Tolerance is not in jihad  lexicon.

Boko Haram threatens Cameroon with violence 'unless it embraces Islam'

2/15/15

On the shootings in Denmark: Go back to my opening comments, the Jim Morrison lyric,  and apply it to the these free-speech hating  Islamic terrorists.

2/22/15

BO ADM won't says Islamic extremists but  the DHS will mis-label domestic anarchist terrorists as right wing terrorists.
Meanwhile, Ali-Shabbab threatens malls in the Uk,USA, and Canada .
Ali Shabaab,  Somalia-based militants, have heavily recruited in Minneapolis,  a city is home to the largest Somali population in the United States.

3/9/15

Boko Haram pledged allegiance to ISIS  then Hundreds of troops from Chad and Niger launched a ground and aerial offensive against Boko Haram in northeastern Nigeria on Sunday, according to residents and military sources from Niger

4/3/15

"Read the Koran or die now"- 147 dead at the hands of Al-Shabab in Kenya and our White House won't call them Islamic terrorists. Deaf, dumb, & blind.

6/18/15

Chad isn't hanging .. around waiting to deal with Boko Haram. link

Chad bombs Boko Haram bases in Nigeria

3/24/16

Brussels: So Muslims are segregated and disenfranchised?  Do they want to integrate?

8/13/16

After reading an excellent column on the Boko Haram in the WSJ, I'm still poring over this comment from a 13-year-old female rape victim. “We want the government to kill them all, including the children, so we don’t have a resurgence of this,” she said, referring to the Boko Haram fighters.

10/4/16

#RahamaSadau's appearance in a music video "hugging and cuddling" Nigerian pop star #Classiq offended  some people. She's been banned from #kannywood films
If there are moderate Muslims out there, get more vocal.

10/26/16

Alleging Racism has surpassed  using patriotism as the last resort for the scoundrel. Another leader playing with crayons. I 'm not a big fan of the ICC but not for the reason stated by Gambian Information Minister #SheriffBojang :

"an International Caucasian Court for the persecution and humiliation of people of colour, especially Africans"

11/15/16

A body of Muslim clerics in #Mauritania has called for the death sentence to be carried out against Mkhaitir, a blogger convicted of apostasy, the abandonment or renunciation of a religious or political belief, in 2014. 

12/30/16

Zambia's President Edgar #Lungu has called in the air force to help contain an invasion of army worms, which eat most vegetation in their way, in maize fields. 

1/17/17

A Kenyan MP #MishiMboko, the women's representative for the coastal city of Mombasa,   has asked women to withhold sex from their husbands until they register as voters for the 8 August elections. How will we know if this is effective?

1/23/17

More than $11m (£8.8m) is missing from #Gambia 's state coffers following the departure of long-time leader #YahyaJammeh who had refused to accept election results. And no one stopped luxury cars and other items from being loaded on to a Chadian cargo plane as Mr Jammeh left the country.

4/21/17

#Cameroon 's English-speaking regions have Internet again after a three months cut off following protests.The government didn't appreciate phone users spreading what they labeled false information

5/1/17

#Mali is a former French colony so why are 4000 French soldier deployed there?

5/17/17

This is more important than the #trump, #comey, #russia, #ISIS. Nigeria commences #Ebola screening , thermal scanners, at its airports.

6/19/17

Up to half the food aid meant for people who have fled #Nigeria 's Islamist insurgency hasn't been delivered, and it's being described as a "diversion of relief materials."  How's that for a euphemism for theft? Here are some of the culprits
In May two Nigerian officials were jailed for selling food aid.

7/3/17

Is #Sudan progressing or are we being duped?  President Omar Hassan al-Bashir decreed on Sunday,
that Sudan will extend a unilateral ceasefire with rebels until the end of October, two weeks before the United States may end a 20-year-old trade embargo against Sudan.

7/8/17

#kenya is going through a rough election season and this will get  conspiracy talk into high gear.  #JosephNkaissery, Kenya’s 67 year-old interior minister and a retired general,  died of natural causes a few hours after being admitted to a Nairobi hospital for a check up.

10/5/17

Three US soldiers have been killed and two others wounded in an ambush in #Niger near the border with #Mali. How did our  "train, advise and assist" role  become patrolling? It appears we're in deep in #africa.

10/21/17

The World Health Organization (WHO) has appointed President Robert #Mugabe of Zimbabwe as a "goodwill ambassador". Giving a sad LOL  cuz this was a BBC report  not an Onion piece.

10/23/17

#who  rescinds #mugabe appointment. Bet those donations dried up quickly.

11/15/17

#Mnangagwa's dismissal last week left Mr Mugabe's wife Grace as the Zimbawe's president's apparent successor. #Mugabe 's move backfired as the miltiary has placed him under house arrest.

12/7/17

Nigeria's anti-Boko Haram general #AttahiruIbrahim sacked- because the Boko Haram bomb attacks have not stopped in the northeast.

1/19/18

Two American and two Canadian citizens have been kidnapped in the northern state of Kaduna, #Nigeria,. Their police escorts were killed in a shootout with the kidnappers. Will #trump and #trudeau work together on this one. 

3/24/18

Denied  entrance to a hospital because of a crocodile.Yep, a crocodile 6 miles from water, was blocking the entrance to St Patrick's hospital in #zimbawe  before wildlife authorities shot it.  Heavy rains in the area.

4/18/18

Is this coming to your country next? #Tanzania 's new law #TCRA requires bloggers, as well as Tanzanians operating online radio and television streaming services, to apply for a license and pay an annual fee of over $900 (€750) before they can publish any material online. President #Magufuli can revoke a permit if a site publishes content that "causes annoyance" or "leads to public disorder." 

5/7/18

Worth a chuckle : Four men accused of stealing a car  and being chased by police in  #CapeTown South Africa inadvertently drove it straight to prison.

6/23/18

Things are shaking good and bad in #ethiopia .  A deadly bomb blew up at a rally for Ethiopia  PM #AbiyAhmed , the product of a mixed Christian/Muslim, family, who has been loosening up restrictions  on web sites and TV stations. Ahmed was not injured.

7/6/18

Stop enjoying your self cuz we're going to tax you!   #Museveni , the President of Uganda, called social media a "luxury by those who are enjoying themselves or those who are malicious...all the moral reasons are in favour of that tax".

7/10/18

#Ethiopia and #Eritrea leaders formally restored relations Monday, ending 20 years of enmity. Ethiopian PM #AbiyAhmed, and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki,signed agreements to open embassies in their respective capitals, restore flight services, and use port facilities in Eritrea

8/20/18

When Medical staff is targeted  by both the military and armed separatists in #Cameroon 's English-speaking regions, it's time to home.

10/12/18

A growing trend of saying no to mainland #china and its "new colonialism": #SierraLeone is shuttering a $400 million China-financed construction project. #Malaysia cancelled $22 billion worth of China-financed projects in August, 2018.

10/18/18

The fight against breast ironing in #Cameroon continues. Young girls in Cameroon have their breasts bound or beaten with stones. #africa

11/28/18

#JohnMagufuli needs to read the fine print when he states #Tanzania prefers 'condition-free' Chinese aid. Apparently his comment is driven by the EU's  review of its aid packages to Tanzania over the lack of gay rights, etc.

12/04/18

Is black not beautiful? 

Some African women believe that lighter skin enhances their beauty so skin bleaching products are selling well, but Rwanda’s president #kagame set about to confiscate them, and the online response has been ugly

12/12/18

 Proof-of-life test of the #Mozambique civil service between 2015 and 2017 has detected around 30,000 ghost employees costing $250 million according to Public Service Minister #CarmelitaNamashulua 

12/27/18

  Nigeria's military called for the banning of human rights group #AmnestyInternational. The army accused Amnesty of using its operations to demoralize the soldiers fighting Boko Haram, the resurgent jihadists. And it also accused AI of spying but didn't offer proof.

1/17/19

#Ali-Shabaab , terrorists based in Somalia, attacked a hotel in #Nairobi in the heartland of Kenya. Most of their attacks had been along the border.

3/22/19

 #Kenya , located 90 miles from the equator, has a hockey team trying to qualify for the next winter Olympics. And I thought it was wild that the NHL has teams in Florida and Arizona.

 4/20/19

Liberian President #GeorgeWeah was forced to work from home on Thursday after his office was invaded by two black snakes  slithering from a hole in the reception area of the building. A little lighter news for the day.

5/15/19

 This is usually the path to a longer term dictatorship or military junta rule. #Sudan 's military leaders have announced an agreement with the opposition alliance for a three-year transition period to a civilian administration.

08/14/19

  Good luck Nigeria with Operation Safe Corridor: After their release from  rehabilitation centers, ex- #bokoharam insurgents are issued certificates confirming their 'psychosocial normalcy'.

9/15/19

Just a bit uncomfortable at the funeral:   #Mugabe 's family was in attendance right alongside the president and military who had pressured #Mugabe out of office.

9/16/19

Hundreds of doctors have marched through the Zimbabwean capital, Harare, to condemn the alleged abduction of their union leader, Peter Magombeyi, who had organised a series of strikes over poor pay and working conditions in recent weeks.

9/21/19

 Action Against Hunger has been shut down in Nigeria because the military accused it of aiding and abetting terrorists in the country's war-torn northeast region. What's curious is that AAH  won't address the accusations while complaining it just wants to do its work.

11/4/19

African pirates kidnapped nine sailors from Norwegian ship #Bonita which was anchored of the coast of Benin. I'm curious as to why the remaining crew was able to dock at port with its cargo.
The Gulf of Guinea, which extends from Gabon to Liberia, is a notorious haven for pirates.

Jan 22, 2020

Trump may add Nigeria, Tanzania, Sudan and Eritrea to a travel ban list to the USA.

March 3, 2020

  Great Britain is  stepping up its military support in West Africa, particularly in Senegal and Sahel, to combat the world's fastest growing Islamist-led insurgency. France and the UN have been active there for awhile.

May 16

 Rwanda genocide suspect Felicien Kabuga, who was living under a false identity in a flat in Asnieres-Sur-Seine, near Paris, was arrested today after a 25 -year pursuit.Was he that slick or did he bribe well

June 2, 2020

Coronavirus: South Africans cheer as alcohol goes back on sale, and BTW, the government has  lost a fortune in tax revenue.

July 13, 2020

Sudan opens  up a bit and allows alcohol for non-Muslims but it must be consumed in private, and decriminalizes apostasy, the abandonment or renunciation of a religious or political belief. I don't know if the citizens have their religion on their ID cards.