Calendario chino para sever el sexo del bebe

French FM defends Tunisia links once again
French Foreign Minister Michele Alliot-Marie has again been forced to defend her links to the regime of ousted Tunisian president Zine Al-Abdine Ben Ali. Alliot-Marie holidayed in Tunisia in December during anti-government protests. She flew there on a private jet belonging to Aziz Miled, a Ben Ali associate. Her office admitted she spoke with Ben Ali during her stay, contradicting her earlier account that her visit was a purely personal affair. Le Canard Enchaine newspaper also reported on Wednesday that her parents bought a stake in a property company from Aziz Miled. Alliot-Marie has refused to resign and has attacked the French media for dragging her parents into the matter. Copyright © 2011 euronews

Bahraini army fires again on demonstrators
Anti-government demonstrations in Bahrain?�ended in panic on Friday. An unarmed crowd marched towards the capital, Manama’s Pearl square, and was met with gunfire from the mostly foreign mercenary security forces for the second day running.?�More than?�60 people are reported to have been injured in the clashes. Many have?�gunshot wounds to the head and upper body.?�The fusillade came just hours after the country’s crown prince appealed for calm and dialogue. President Barack Obama then phoned?�King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa condemning the violence and urging restraint.?�A?�young woman spoke to euronews from?�a?�hospital where the wounded are being treated, first in Arabic, then English.?�“We are in Salmaniyah hospital. We’re away from the place where the clashes are happening. But we can hear the clashes, the explosions. A witness just came from there and said the ground was red. The ground is red, painted with blood,” she said.?�About 1000 angry?�protesters gathered outside the hospital, spilling into the corridors.?�The fresh violence came?�on the same day that?�funerals were held for the four people killed when?�police broke up a protest camp?�on Thursday.?�More than 230 others were wounded in the raid, which the country’s leading Shi’ite cleric is calling a “massacre”. Copyright © 2011 euronews

International aid response vital for Libyan refugees
On the border between Libya and Tunisia, thousands of refugees are desperate to escape the violence in Libya and the situation has reached crisis point. So far the Tunisian authorities have been trying to provide food and medical care but they’ve been quickly overwhelmed and the UN now wants a mass evacuation. Read our news file Josette Sheeran, Executive Director of the World Food Programme has been working in the area. “We’ve had more than 70,000 people move through here and there are many thousands at the border and so we see the situation isn’t going to alleviate immediately and so now we have to look at how we can help shore up the work that is being done here by these local heros. These people are heros, what they have done is extraordinary- they are great humanitarians,” she said. The European Commission has been quick to send staff. Over three million euros have been earmarked to help in the humanitarian effort. Heinke Veit of the EU’s ECHO humanitarian programme said: “We’ve seen enormous generosity on the part of Tunisians and also from the authorities, but local capacity is limited. It is time for international help. Some of the money that was made available is being used to expand the camps with new tents for people to sleep, feed, and drink, and to ensure they receive the medical care they need.” Immediate aid relief is of course the priority but what many refugees really want is to go home. Copyright © 2011 euronews

Ex French army chief: “the Libyans must find a solution”
NATO members have been holding talks about taking command of the no-fly zone over Libya. Washington, London and Paris agreed on Tuesday that the alliance should play a key operational role, although a deal still has to be reached, largely due to Turkish reservations. To evaluate the situation, euronews interviewed Admiral Jacques Lanxade, former chief of defence of the French armed forces, and former ambassador to Tunisia. Pierre Ass?�mat, euronews: Paris talks of a technical role for NATO. Why has (agreement) taken so much time? Admiral Jacques Lanxade: I believe that the French position, but equally that of several other countries, was that NATO has an image in the Arab world which is an aggressive image – one of western nations against developing countries – which is a great exaggeration. So the idea was that this coalition was needed: that is a coalition of the international community comprising not only western forces but also Arab countries. So NATO didn’t seem to France to be very appropriate. Pierre Ass?�mat, euronews: Admiral, it’s very easy to start a war, it’s harder to end one. And it seems hard to imagine the Libyan regime collapsing from within. In your view what strategy is the international coalition going to pursue? Admiral Jacques Lanxade: My personal feeling is that we have two scenarios before us. The first being that Gaddafi, pushed by his entourage perhaps, leaves power – and today we hear about negotiations which are already underway for the “guide to the Libyan revolution” – as he calls himself – to go. I am not sure that things will happen like that. The other scenario unfortunately is that of the status quo, which means a partition of the country. Between on one side Cyrenaica under the control of the opposition – and Tripolitania under the control of the Gaddafi clan. I fear that the second scenario is the more probable. Pierre Ass?�mat, euronews: Now that the exclusion zone is in place, should (the coalition) launch a ground offensive? Admiral Jacques Lanxade: There should certainly not be a ground offensive, besides the United Nations resolution did not authorise one and I think that it would be extremely dangerous to do it. I think that it’s now up to the Libyans to find a solution, in other words for the opposition to see whether it’s in a position to shove events along and make sure that Gaddafi leaves, because there’ll be no definitive solution with Gaddafi in power. Pierre Ass?�mat, euronews: Can we envisage an indirect attack by the international community against Colonel Gaddafi, since a direct one is not allowed under the United Nations mandate? Admiral Jacques Lanxade: I don’t believe that Gaddafi can be hit, he is extremely careful, he has underground bunkers. It’s possible to get rid of certain things around him, and make his situation more difficult, but physically I think that barring an accident, it’s very difficult to hit him. Copyright © 2011 euronews

Berlusconi to face trial on sex charges
Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has been summoned to stand trial, accused of paying an underage prostitute for sex and abuse of power. Three female judges in Milan will hear the case, due to begin on April 6. For several weeks Berlusconi’s centre-right government has been shaken by the allegations, which he denies. Examining judge Cristina Di Censo followed the advice of prosecutors, who accuse the prime minister of paying for sex with a 17-year-old Moroccan dancer. As in previous cases, Berlusconi’s supporters in parliament are standing by him. “The signs of persecution are more and more evident. The accelerator is pressed to the maximum against Berlusconi for an obviously political use of justice,” said Fabrizio Cicchitto, parliamentary speaker for the prime minister’s People of Freedom party. Opposition figures were less sympathetic: “Berlusconi considers himself as persecuted and innocent, so let him go and defend himself in the courts and save his country from the spectacle of a prime minister on trial for child prostitution and abuse of power,” said Dario Franceschini of the centre-left PD party. The young woman at the centre of the case, known as Ruby, has been causing more of a stir after appearing in a television commercial. Now 18, she denies claims that Berlusconi paid her for sex. The prime minister still has other cases pending. But these charges over his personal behaviour – which prompted large protest rallies from women at the weekend – are among the most serious he has faced. It is still not certain that a trial will take place, but Italy’s 74-year-old leader is looking increasingly beleaguered. Copyright © 2011 euronews

Obama attacks Iran over protest crackdown
US President Barack Obama on Tuesday condemned Iran’s crackdown on opposition protesters, urging Tehran to allow peaceful demonstrations. Obama told reporters in Washington that he supported the protesters’ push for democratic reforms and “their yearning for greater freedoms.” “(The Iranian) people should be able to express their opinions and their grievances and seek a more responsive government,” he said. “My hope and expectation is that we are going to continue to see the people of Iran have the courage to be able to express their yearning for greater freedoms and a more representative government.” But Obama, who has led international efforts to impose sanctions on Tehran because of its nuclear program, insisted the United States “cannot ultimately dictate what happens inside of Iran.” Copyright © 2011 euronews

Frattini denies Italian support for Libyan rebels
As the L?�byan crisis intensifies Europe is watching developments nervously. There are concerns over energy supplies and an influx of refugees from the conflict zone. Italy, the former colonial power in Libya, has a complex relationship with the country. The Italian foreign affairs minister, Franco Frattini, spoke to euronews about his concerns over the unfolding conflict. euronews: “Minister Frattini, Gaddafi says he will resist to the death, while over 1,000 Libyans are reported to have been killed by his mercenaries. Prime Minister Berlusconi has assumed an attitude of non-interference towards Gaddafi, but the Libyan dictator says that Italy has interfered by providing weapons to the demonstrators.” Frattini: “That is not true, we have not given weapons to the demonstrators or the rebels. We did not give weapons to anyone in Libya. It is also not true that Italy has not taken a position against Libya. We have take the same position as the EU and the rest of the international community, which is strong condemnation of the bloodshed and a demand for the immediate cessation of violence.” euronews: “Do you thing Gaddafi is trying to hold on to power by using the rhetoric of the past to get his people angry, calling for revenge for Italian colonialism, or even worse using blackmail, threatening a devastating invasion of migration to Italy and Europe? Frattini: “We reject any legacy of a colonial past that has hurt the Libyan people, but to once again accuse Italy and the United States of interfering in Libya’s affairs is false, not true. We will continue to work with the international community to ensure that the violence ceases immediately.” euronews: “No one wants to lose the profitable business Italian firms get from Libya, but at this point would be it not be better to tear up the friendship pact between Italy and Gaddafi?” Frattini: “The signature of this friendship is an agreement that has resulted in a treaty, overwhelmingly approved by the Italian parliament and concerns the Italian national interest. We will see what happens in the future. I hope we can finally start a national dialogue and that the demands of the Libyan people are heard, that the violence will stop. This is what the international community calls for and Italy is working on it.” euronews: “How is it possible that nobody anticipated this great revolution that, from Tunisia to Egypt to Libya and most likely also tomorrow to Algeria and Morocco, has inflamed the whole Mediterranean?” Frattini: “Until two months ago the Western world had settled for partnerships of convenience, stability and economic interests. Perhaps we underestimated the partnerships of coexistence, those based on common social visions. No-one could have predicted the rapidity of events. Events were so fast that no government could make provisions, not even the Italian one. Above all it was absolutely not expected by the analysts who have written rivers of ink about the Arab world. And this was just between the end of December and early January. They did not understand anything!” euronews: “Now what will happen over the next five years?” Frattini: “I do not know what to say, but it’s our duty to help this transition process without dictating policy to any of these countries. Only those unfamiliar with the Arab world could be so irresponsible as to believe that they would passively follow the directives coming from Rome or Brussels or Washington. They never follow that sort of lead! All the Mediterranean leaders, whom I know very well, recognise one Italian virtue: that of teaching others, by listening and then helping. This is the right way!” euronews: “It is now certain that there will quickly be an exodus of biblical proportions from North Africa. Northern League leader Umberto Bossi says that Italy must tell France and Germany to take the refugees: it’s clearly a provocation but if Italy and Lampedusa island are the frontline, where is the EU?” Frattini: “Unfortunately, there were vague and inconsistent answers from Brussels. We strongly urge Europe to intervene quickly because the matter is not Italian or Sicilian, but it concerns the entire European Union. If there are 200,000 or 300,000 desperate people who head north, Italy alone could never take them. All EU countries should take on this issue. Otherwise it is simple: the crisis could undermine the principle of solidarity which is one of the pillars upon which Europe was founded in 1957. It would be a pickaxe blow into a fundamental requirement of Europe. We Italians are working to avoid this, and ensure there is a global European response to this emergency.” euronews: “You have been vice president of the European Commission. Do you think that Brussels’ attitude towards Italy is the result of a strong reluctance by the European Commission to deal with a government whose prime minister will be on trial next April?” Frattini: “The European Union doesn’t usually take this sort of thing into consideration. These are the considerations of Italian domestic politics. We think and believe that the Italian government has every right, is legitimate, and has a parliamentary majority that allows us to move forward.” euronews: “Honestly, haven’t you been embarrassed to read for months, on the front pages of the world’s newspapers, transcripts of Berlusconi’s sexual shenanigans?” Frattini: “I have told many of my fellow ministers who read that this is probably the result of massive leaks, which in other countries are punished harshly. In Italy the invasion of privacy is permitted, tolerated and substantially encouraged. In most Western countries all this is punished. And that’s what I explained to my European colleagues.” Copyright © 2011 euronews

World leaders pile more pressure on Gaddafi
The international community is accelerating efforts to help oust Colonel Gaddafi. Calls for tougher measures against his regime were made at a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. Read our news file Hillary Clinton accused the Libyan leader of using “mercenaries and thugs” to suppress the uprising. She warned the world would not stand for repressive violence. “It is time for Gaddafi to go. Now. Without further violence or delay,” she said. “The international community is speaking with one voice and our message is unmistakable. These violations of universal rights are unacceptable and will not be tolerated.” The West continues to study military options, notably a no-fly zone over Libya, but for this, UN approval is crucial. The International Criminal Court says attacks against civilians in Libya could amount to crimes against humanity. And military commanders could be held accountable for the actions of their troops. ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said: “I would like to put on notice everyone in Libya – anyone who decides to attack civilians could be investigated and prosecuted and the commanders have peculiar responsibilities because the commanders are in charge of the army and they know whatever the troops do, they could be responsible.” The court in the Hague hopes to complete a preliminary examination of the violence in Libya within days. Copyright © 2011 euronews

Victory march set to fill Cairo
Today one million Egyptians are expected to gather in Cairo for what has been billed as a “Victory march” to celebrate the overthrow of President Mubarak. They plan to flood the centre of the capital wearing white, while Mubarak supporters say they will march in black to “apologise” for his ousting and honour his achievements. Pressure remains on the interim military government, however, from the leaders of the protests who want political prisoners freed, emergency rule lifted, and fair elections soon. The Americans promised on Thursday an immediate 150 million dollars to help pay for the transition period, and the military also made a move to satisfy some of the people’s demands, ordering the arrest of the former Interior Minister Habib el-Adli and two other ex-ministers, plus a prominent businessman. All are suspected of wasting public funds. Copyright © 2011 euronews

Kurdish protesters clash with police in Turkey
There have been clashes between Kurdish protesters and police in Turkey during demonstrations marking the 12th anniversary of the capture of Kurdish separatist leader Abdullah Ocalan. Protesters threw missiles during clashes in 12 towns and cities. Police used tear gas and water cannons to break up the crowds, angry about Kurdistan Workers’ Party leader Ocalan’s ongoing imprisonment. At least 30 people were arrested. Copyright © 2011 euronews