Tunisia Accuses Salafis of Violent Disturbances
Salafi demonstrators brandishing swords and other sharp objects were suppressed by Tunisian police during a demonstration in a suburb of this capital, in clashes that caused the death of a person, authorities reported on Wednesday.
Three members of security forces were wounded in the clashes that started when police agents arrested a person suspected of attacking the head of the gendarmerie in the metropolitan suburb of Manouba, said official spokesman Jared Tarouche, who stated that the suspect was fatally shot.
The Salafis are orthodox Muslims and in Tunisia, they are accused of attacking nighttime businesses that sell alcoholic beverages and allow dancing.
Tunisian authorities have devoted special attention to the Salafis’ activities since the attacks in September and October against US diplomatic offices in this capital.
Opposition parties are accusing President Mohamed Moncief Marzouki of being excessively tolerant with the members of radical Islamic organizations, which have gained strength after the overthrow of ex-president Zine el Abidine Ben Ali in late 2011.
Since Tunisia’s independence from France in 1956 and during the Ben Ali regime, Tunisian law prohibited the existence of political parties and organizations based on denominational principles.
China Tests Fifth-Generation Jet Fighter
China successfully completed a test flight on Wednesday of its new fifth-generation J-31 jet fighter, according to the Huanqiu Shibao newspaper.
The flight represents a crucial step for the Chinese military, which has become only the third in the world – after the United States and Russia – to have developed a stealthy fifth-generation fighter aircraft.
The J-31 is a mid-sized combat jet with two Russian-made engines in its prototype development phase. Production models will have Chinese WS-13 engines, the newspaper said.
The Chinese are also developing the J-20 fighter jet, first tested in January 2011, which also features stealth technology.
The trials take place during a time of increased tension between China and its neighbors, particularly with Japan over the disputed Diaoyu Islands (Senkaku Islands) in the East China Sea.
Obama Likely to Win another Presidential Term
With the US presidential election just five days away, a survey from the American polling company Gallup shows that President Barack Obama is likely to win his second presidential term.
“A majority of Americans continue to believe that Democratic President Barack Obama will win re-election Tuesday over Republican challenger Mitt Romney, by 54% to 34%,” the survey said adding that eleven percent of the polled had no opinion on the issue.
The poll was conducted on October 27 and 28 before devastating hurricane Sandy swept the eastern part of the United States earlier in the week leaving at least 50 killed and causing damages worth some $20 billion.
Obama canceled his campaign events scheduled for Monday and Tuesday focusing instead on relief measures before the hurricane, whose path ran though several tightly contested election swing states, including North Carolina, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. According to political experts, the move is likely to win additional votes for Obama on November 6 elections.
The Gallup tracking survey on October 27-28 was based on telephone interviews with a random sample of 1,063 adults aged 18 and older in all 50 American states.
Via PL