Tunisia

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  • Tony Barber argues that a decontamination of Italian politics must come before economic salvation, and the two issues should never be separated.
  • Clown-turned-politician Francisco Everardo Oliveira Silva was elected into the Brazilian congress with a record number of votes in 2010. However, the joy of his campaign has given away to a weariness of the politician’s life: “You pass whole days here doing nothing, just waiting to vote on something while people argue and argue.”
  • “Enemy-initiated attacks” in Afghanistan have stayed constant from 2011 to 2012. The reported 7 per cent drop was actually the result of a clerical error.
  • Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a barrel full of pork that no longer exists. The Washington Post reports on the tiny local airports in the US that attract plenty of federal spending, but very few planes.
  • Tunisians and Egyptians have to fight for their right to do the Harlem Shake.

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By Ruona Agbroko

Here are some of the articles that have grabbed our attention from today’s FT and elsewhere: Read more

Roula Khalaf

Muammer Gaddafi’s end was destined to be bloody. A few months ago, when the rebels were struggling and their western backers were losing patience, he could have saved his skin and that of his children and fled into exile, with the consent of his Libyan opponents and their western backers.

Even the indictment by the International Criminal Court seemed, at least for a while, open for some compromise. Read more

Roula Khalaf

People follow the trial of Hosni Mubarak

People follow the trial of Hosni Mubarak in Cairo. Getty Images.

Who needs Ramadan soap operas when you can watch live, second by second, an Arab ruler on trial?

Until the moment Hosni Mubarak was wheeled into the iron cage this morning on a hospital bed , there were widespread doubts that he would appear in court to face charges of killing protestors during the 18 day revolution that ended his 30-year rule. Some said the trial of the deposed autocrat would be postponed, others speculated Mubarak would prefer to die than be dragged to court. Read more