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| Syria Uprising |
 IN
an interview with The Wall Street Journal in January, Syria´s
president, Bashar al Assad, said that his main objective was
to address his people´s "closed-mindedness".
He made it clear that this alone impeded reform, and it might
be another generation before Syria is ready for real change.
Dictators (including Assad´s father, Hafez) have long
presented themselves as suppressors of extremism in the region
generally, and Syria in particular. They said democracy would
usher in fundamentalists inherently opposed to modernity, civil
dialogue, international community legitimacy and civilised human
political and economic relations. Perhaps because of this fear... |
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| THE POWER OF MOCKERY |
| THE juiciest story behind the Middle East
uprisings doesn´t concern Colonel Moamer Qadhafi´s
"voluptuous" Ukrainian nurse or CIA bags of cash.
Rather, it´s the tale of how a nonviolent revolutionary
strategy crafted by Serbian students and an octogenarian American
scholar came to challenge dictators in Egypt, Tunisia, Bahrain
and many other countries. This "uprising in a bottle"
blueprint was developed by the Serbian youth movement, Otpor,
to overthrow Slobodan Milosevic in 2000. One of Otpor´s
insights was that the most effective weapon against dictators
isn´t bombs or fiery speeches. It´s mockery. Otpor
activists once put Milosevic´s picture on a barrel that
they rolled down the street, inviting people to hit it with
a bat. Otpor´s strategy mirrors... |
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Gilani orders revamp of oil, gas firms, many MDs to go
AGENCIES
ISLAMABAD PRIME Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani on Sunday directed Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources to totally revamp oil and gas sector in a manner that helps in developing proper coordination among all the relevant institutions.
The objective of this exercise, he mentioned, is to expand the production and ensure better distribution of oil and gas among the consumers including industries.
Gilani was talking to Dr Asim Hussain, the newly appointed Advisor to the prime minister on Petroleum and Natural Resources, who called on him in Islamabad at prime minister house.
The prime minister directed that in the long run hydro carbon vision for the next 20 years be developed which should include exploration and proper utilisation of all the natural resources including Thar Coal.
He further directed the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources to also prepare a short term two year vision to develop the existing facilities in the field of oil and gas to help resolve the problems of common man.
After a detailed meeting it was decided that all the Managing Directors of various oil and gas companies under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources will be immediately removed.
New Board of Directors of all the companies and institutions under the Ministry will be reconstituted.
The Minister and the Secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources will not be included in the BODs.
No new gas connection will be issued in any part of the country for the next six months under any circumstances.
The Sui Northern and the Sui Southern Gas companies will jointly form LPG Distribution Company for the country.
All officials in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources as well as all the organisations and companies under the Ministry, who have attained 60 years of age or are on contract, will retire with immediate effect.
All court cases will be vigorously pursued to remove the impediments besides collection of pending dues as well as to resolve issues of exploration and distribution of oil and gas.
The prime minister asked Dr Asim Hussain to take stern measures to ensure that circular debt does not accumulate any further, rather it should be substantially reduced.
He also asked him to rationalise the prices of petroleum products in the near future.
It may be mentioned that Dr.
Asim Hussain will resume his charge of office on Monday as Advisor to the prime minister.
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