Tune into the Tunisian Turmoil

Not everyday you come home and find an entire government has been overthrown. Well that's the case today.

Tonight the President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali (pictured below) has stepped down after 23 years in charge.

The Tunisian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi has stepped in temporary charge.

The country has declared a state of emergency. The state of emergency decree bans more than three people from gathering together in the open, and imposes a night-time curfew. Security forces have been authorised to open fire on people not obeying their orders.
So don't expect a good time if you are planning to holiday in Tunisia.

Thomas Cook has pulled all of it's customer out of the country and other tour operators are not taking anyone else.

There has been a month of street demonstrations following accusations other corruptoin, and unhappiness over rising prices and high levels of unemployment. It was all started off with the most outlandish indivual protest I've ever heard about when Graduate Mohammed Bouazizi set himself on fire in protest at lack of job opportunities in December.

Well we all know about the shocking job prospects for young people in this country with 25% of under 25's out of work.
However I've never got myself into a mental state whereby I think it's a fantastic and highly productive idea to set my self alight outside a job centre in Leeds becuase they can only offer me a part-time role in catering.

Bouazizi - Suffereed horrific burns but he finally died after a visit from the President himself
The protests then snowballed into large-scale demonstrations about Democracy and restoring power to the people. This is a President who's military run government got 82% of the vote in 2009. That's a feat of crashing popularity only seen in this country by Nick Clegg.

Things turned sour when Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali refused to give in to the protesters and gave the order for the Police to use live ammunition. Dozens of people subsequently died.
However the Army who underpinned his power informed Ben Ali that they would no longer support him and according to reports he's flown to Malta.

I think the main question I have to ask is why Malta?

It's another example of political unrest in North Africa, which is the home of Libya's resident mentalist Al-Gaddafi. In the Arabic political world, it was a mirror image of the Iranian protests which was violently put down over a year ago.

It's been described as the first 21st Century Islamic Revolution but with the country in turmoil tonight no-one knows what the future holds.

Whilst watching BBC 24: The newsreader (clearly slightly overexcited by the breaking news) spoke with the local correspondent and asked the reporter in Tunis: "He's been in power for over 20 years, the whole of the country infrastructure would have been touched by his tentacles, how are they going to cope with his resignation"

Tentacles - what?

Real or Satire: Who's better Chris Morris or Jeremy Paxman?

Simple question: Who's better at being Jeremy Paxman?

I'm lazy so I'll let the videos do the talking?

Some of the best of Paxman parallel with Morris' and Iannucci's finest work. The likeness is uncanny.

"Did you threaten to overrule him? "

"It's April! - What do you expect?"

"Peter! You've lost the news!"

"I hate Sebastian Coe!"

"That's right Chris, I don't like it, but I'll have to go along with it"


If you want to enjoy the most influential and innovative comedies of the 90's go out and buy 'The Day Today' - Tomorrow!

The January Transfer Window 2011

The start of a new year brings around several inevitabilities:

• People's guilt about how much they've spent over Christmas,
• January sales for the people who didn't buy enough at Christmas,
• Tireless talk about the need to loose weight, and of course....
• Harry Redknapps favourite Christmas Present- the January transfer window.

It's a time of over-inflated prices, football agent's fax machines breaking down and frantic SkySports News reports on which Premier League Club's training ground Pascal Chimbonda's car is parked in.

Pascal Chimbonda - On the Move?

Get used to hearing - "We have reports Benjani is on his way to..." and "we hear a move is on the cards for Marcus Bent". I wouldn't be too surprised to hear that David Craig has spotted Eidur Gudjonsson at a KFC in Blackburn.

'Gazing through the Window' - What Do I expect to happen:

There are several certainties that will transpire:

• Man City's movements will cumulate in at least 78% of this window.
• West Ham will buy at least one average player.
• Nothing will happen in the North-East.
• Harry Redknapp's monthly phone bill go be over £1000
  
• Brian Swanson will convince himself he's the most important man in Britain at least once during transfer deadline day.

- Brian Swanson - 'Deadline day-dick'






The best ways to follow the latest comings and goings are:

Skysports Transfer Centre - Murdoch's boys are all over the window like a rash.
BBC Football - Great coverage from the BBC.
The Transfer League - Detailing the most rumoured players (Today it's Robbie Keane).

Revealed: Egyptian President is animated waxwork model!

Not only was the bombing of a church in Alexandria a deeply worrying event increasing the religious tension in Egypt, but it's also exposed the disturbing the truth behind Egyptian Hosni Mubarak.

Revealed exclusively by this blog Mubarak is actually a waxwork model that has been animated by his political party.

The evidence is startling in this video from BBC News:

Preseident Mubarak has ruled Egypt for the last 29 years under emergency law.

There was speculation last year that he was suffering from health problems and would have to retire early from his long stint as President and briefly disappeared from public view.
However he remained in power and it looks certain that this was due to this drastic action taken by his supporters.

Some politicians have been described as puppets being controlled by other forces, however the Egyptians have taken this quite literally.

Mubarak motionless as he meets Barrack Obama.