SYRIA: Dozens of protesters killed during the "Friday of Wrath

At least 62 civilians were killed Friday in Syria during demonstrations against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, mostly Deraa in the south, said the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights. In a first assessment, the organization spoke of 48 dead.

The Observatory has reported 35 deaths in the province of Deraa (south), 15 in the Homs (center) and one in Latakia (northwest). Later, it was reported that Syrian security forces had opened fire on the crowd Rastan (center), killing 13 protesters and wounding 45.

A Deraa, home of the dispute, at least thirty-five people were killed and dozens others injured by shots fired by security forces at the entrance to the city, told AFP the militants Human Rights.Tens of thousands of people defied the ban on demonstrations by marching in several cities demanding the regime fell.A week ago, Friday, April 22, repression killed more than 80 dead.

Meanwhile, a military spokesman quoted by the official SANA news agency said that four Syrian soldiers were killed at dawn and kidnapped two others in Deraa in an attack by "armed terrorist group".

The demonstrators in the streets of Deraa, Damascus, Homs and Banias

Six weeks after the start of an unprecedented protest movement against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, "the Syrian youth revolution" had called on Facebook to "Friday of Wrath" in solidarity with Deraa, cradle of the revolt , besieged by the army since Monday.

Responding to this call, 2.000 demonstrators gathered in Midane, a district of Damascus, said militants told AFP.And several thousand people gathered in WQAS, near the capital.

In the industrial city of Homs (center), thousands of people shouted "Down with the regime," according to videos filmed by militants and released for the first time in real time on the internet.

At Banias, nearly 10,000 people demonstrated, chanting "Freedom, solidarity with Deraa," according to activists of human rights.

At Deir Ez-Zor, 460 km northeast of Damascus, a thousand of protesters emerged from mosques and Al-Farouk Al-Othman were dispersed "with sticks and electric cables" by security forces, has told AFP Nawaf al-Bashir, a militant human rights.

And Ar Raqqa, 540 km northeast of the capital, 300 to 400 people shouted "God Almighty, let the siege be lifted to Deraa," said Abdallah al-Khalil, a member of an association of defense of human rights.

In the predominantly Kurdish region of northern Syria, 15,000 people marched without incident in Qamishli and three surrounding communities, according to Kurdish officials for Human Rights.

Unauthorized demonstrations despite the end of emergency rule

The authorities, however, reiterated the ban on protests: "In current circumstances, the Interior Ministry calls on citizens to refrain from conducting demonstrations or sit-in under any slogan, without official permission" according to a statement carried by the official Sana agency.

"Existing laws will be enforced to ensure safety of citizens and the stability of the country", added the ministry.

On 19 April, Mr.Assad issued a decree requiring event organizers to obtain prior official authorization in this country ruled with an iron hand by a single party, the Baath, since 1963.

Four soldiers killed by "terrorists" or protecting the demonstrators?

The army said that four Syrian soldiers were killed and two others abducted at dawn Friday in an attack against a military post in Dera (south) by an "armed terrorist group".

Earlier in the day, an activist in Deraa, Abazid Abdallah, told AFP that four soldiers were "killed while defending the people."

"We are peaceful people, at no time have we borne arms against the army or cons or security services," said Abazid.

On Monday, the army had launched an unprecedented offensive to quell the revolt Deraa where, according to a report of the Observatory of Human Rights, 50 people were killed.

Since the beginning of the protest, more than 500 people were killed across the country, as the "Committee of the martyrs of 15 March", close to opponents.But the military spokesman denied that figure, saying 148 people had been killed - 78 soldiers and policemen and 70 civilians.

The Commission on Human Rights of the United Nations held in Geneva on Friday a special session on Syria at the request of the United States who wish to adopt a resolution condemning the crackdown.

The Muslim Brotherhood, the main opposition group in the country, accused the regime of committing "genocide" and called on people not to succumb to the "tyrants" in reference to Mr. Assad.

SPECULATION: Banks fingered in rising food prices

The food market would be better off without the investment banks? Undoubtedly, "replied the British NGO World Development Movement (WDM) - the equivalent of Transparency International for all economic development issues - which on Tuesday released a new study of the impact of speculation on rising food prices whose level reached today than in 2008, during the riots. "Banks have depleted plunged into famine and millions of people in developing countries," says FRANCE 24's and Murray Worthy, head of WDM strategies.

Since the financial crisis, banks have certainly become easy targets, but figures provided by the NGOs are talking.British bank Barclays, for example, collected 383 million euros in 2010 by simply betting on rising food prices. "It's an estimate that we made from public figures from Barclays Capital [the investment bank Barclays, Ed] and data market," said Murray Worthy. Barclays declined to respond to these assertions.

This taste of the British bank for speculation in these markets has no equal in Europe. Only U.S. banks Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley are the strongest.Thus, according WDM, Goldman Sachs dominates this small world of speculators with a billion dollars (684 million) collected per year in these markets.

After the subprime

Speculation on food are certainly since the early 20th century, but has reached dangerous levels at the dawn of the 2008 food crisis. In 2003, she was indeed the order of $ 3 billion per year ... against 55 billion in 2008, said Olivier De Schutter, the UN special rapporteur for the right to food. "2011 should be another record year," warns Murray Worthy.The amount of speculative trading on commodity markets (food, energy, metals) is expected to reach $ 400 billion this year, against 300 billion in 2008, the UN says.

The appetite of investment banks for food grew after the collapse of the subprime bubble. "They have sought a new home which was not yet regulated in which to invest too quickly," Murray decrypts Worthy.They were then reminded that the U.S. had deregulated the marketing of foodstuffs in the early 2000s.

Bubble

Barclays Capital, Goldman Sachs and others have then imported and developed financial products that made the heyday of the U.S. housing market ... before driving to his loss. "These banks have transformed the property market is often vital for people in financial market," laments Murray Worthy. Barclays Capital has even created the equivalent of CDOs ("Collateralized Debt Obligation") for raw materials, these highly sophisticated financial products which have played an important role in the subprime crisis.They allowed players who have no connection with the purchase and sale of maize, wheat and other grains - such as pension funds - to invest their money in these markets, denounces World Development Movement.

The NGO acknowledges that speculation is only one element among many of soaring food prices. The OECD estimates that the weather conditions, the development of biofuels and the current instability of the Arab countries have a greater impact. But for WDM, speculation escape increasingly out of control. "The bubble is now grow very quickly," warns Murray Worthy.The NGO estimated that it would limit the amounts that banks can invest in the markets for food products and better frame the nature of transactions. Recommendations already made by the European Commission in 2008 ...

YEMEN: The ruling party accepts the plan to end the crisis in the Gulf monarchies

AFP - The ruling party in Yemen has accepted the plan to end the crisis presented by the Gulf monarchies to provide a starting within weeks of President Ali Abdallah Saleh, to whom the United States immediately asked to begin "immediately" political transition.

"The General People's Congress (GPC, in power) and its allies have accepted the initiative of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in its entirety," he told AFP Sultan al-Barakani, Deputy General Secretary of the GPC and Head of the parliamentary bloc of the party.

To overcome the crisis, the GCC has proposed forming a national unity government, then a transfer of powers by the Head of State in Vice-President and stop the demonstrations.

The President should then submit his resignation within 30 days, and a presidential election would take place 60 days later.

On Friday, Mr. Saleh, whose term runs until 2013, had said he welcomed the plan but reiterated that it would sell the power in an orderly and constitutional.

The United States, which have been implicated along with European countries in the negotiations for a settlement of the crisis, have pressed Mr.Saleh, their ally in the fight against terrorism, to begin "immediately" the political transition.

"President Saleh has publicly expressed its willingness to engage in peaceful political transition," assured Mark Toner, a spokesman for the U.S. State Department, adding that "the timing and form of this transition must be determined so concerted and start immediately. "

"All parties need to really participate, including young people, in a transparent process that addresses the legitimate concerns of the Yemeni people, their political and economic aspirations and their calls to bring to justice those who quickly suppress the demonstrations by the violence," Mark Toner yet assured.

The parliamentary opposition, the Common Front, agreed on Saturday plan to end the crisis in the Gulf Arab countries, apart from one point to provide for the formation of a unity government with the participation of Mr. Saleh .

"The initiative is positive and we accept it, except the formation of a unity government because we refuse to serve under the authority of Ali Abdullah Saleh and take oath before him", told AFP spokesman of the opposition, Mohammad Qahtani, before the announcement of the plan is accepted by the CPG.

He had urged Saleh to agree to cede power in a "30 days" as required in terms of the GCC monarchies, saying the opposition was ready to form a national unity cabinet with Vice- which Mr. PresidentSaleh has transferred its powers.

So far, the opposition demanded the immediate departure of Mr. Saleh, like committees of protesters surround the protesters. The latter, however, clearly reject the plan of the Gulf monarchies.

Strongly contested in the streets since January, Mr. Saleh faces a broad popular protest movement that organizes demonstrations almost daily to demand his immediate departure. The repression of this movement has done more than 130 deaths.

Saturday, calling for a general strike was well attended especially in the south.

FOOTBALL: The Elephants for peace in Cote d'Ivoire

He has done everything that the Ivorian presidential election last November takes place in a climate of serenity, creating a media campaign around the Elephant and the democratic process, but these are the weapons that will ultimately have the last word. Regis Lemon, president of the association Foot'Attitude, did not let down either.Laurent Gbagbo to stop, Regis Lemon gave football to the heart of its action for the process of reconciliation between the supporters of former president and his successor, Alassane Ouattara, is set in the best possible conditions.

"For now, players do not have much voice in the media because the situation is still very unstable here and we want to avoid the danger that their words will be misinterpreted. But they are very involved," says Regis Lemon who lived through the dark hours of the battle of Abidjan since his residence in the district of Cocody in Abidjan.

"All the players are aware of the role they can play peacemaker in the process of reconciliation that is in place.The next action Foot'Attitude be held in early June for the return match against the Beninese, "promises Regis Lemon who hopes that his message, this time it will of course.

These photos were taken during the match Ivory Coast-Benin accounting for the qualifications of the CAN-2012. This meeting should be played March 27 in Abidjan, but it was finally relocated to Accra in Ghana. Foot'Attitude hopes this experience will be renewed in the second leg on June 3 at Porto Novo.

FOOTBALL: Real Madrid narrowly missed a sixth consecutive defeat in the "clásico"

Real Madrid, reduced to 10 and led the scoring for Barca, has managed to avoid a sixth successive defeat in the "clasicos" Saturday (1-1) but still eight points behind La Liga, six days of end.

Morally, Real, crushed at Camp Nou (5-0), has avoided the depression, preventing its biggest rival to win a third consecutive time in the Santiago-Bernabeu stadium.

Messi Barca will do as well as the Real of Di Stefano in the 60s, with six "clasicos" consecutive victory in La Liga.

But he remains undefeated this season against Real and comes under the best conditions before the three other "clasicos" program: Wednesday in the final of the Copa del Rey, April 27 and May 3 in the semi-finals (round-trip League) champions.

Barca's record against Real since the arrival of coach Josep Guardiola in 2008 is impressive: six games, five wins, one draw, 17 goals scored, three conceded.

Jose Mourinho, who had tamed Barça de Guardiola last season with Inter Milan, has three more opportunities to defeat the team "Blaugrana" with Real.

The stars of each team, Cristiano Ronaldo at Real and Barca in Messi, defeated their Indian sign on Saturday night.

Ronaldo, who had never scored against Barcelona, ​​equalized on a penalty kick in the 82nd.As for Messi, who had never scored against a team of Mourinho, he opened the scoring, also from the penalty spot (53 ').

Messi remains top scorer in La Liga, with 30 goals, against 29 for Ronaldo.

Adriano saves on his line

Dampened by the heavy defeat at the Nou Camp to go phase, the toughest of his career, Mourinho opted for a highly defensive, with Pepe, center-aligned as a false front hinge midfielder Albiol-Carvalho.

A tactical move to master the elusive Messi. And it worked, until the turn of the game: the penalty and exclusion of Raul Albiol (51). But Pepe's tenure came at the expense of midfielder Mesut Özil.And for many years, Real has been unable to produce the game

In the first half, the show was not announced dazzling the rendezvous: a lot of mistakes, nervousness, balloons lost. And very few opportunities.

Messi has still been two: the 19th with a lob small intercepted by Iker Casillas and the 44th with a breakthrough followed by a shot from the left. But again, Casillas played a full role in pushing both hands.

And Cristiano Ronaldo has created the most dangerous time: after an initial header from a corner of Ramos, he forcefully took over the head. We were very close to the 1-0 but Adriano saved on his line (45th).

The match was completely packed second half.After two penalties, Real had several opportunities, including a match by Khedira (90th). Barca was the same in stoppage time, by Villa.

Prior to the summit of the Spanish League, Valencia had consolidated his third place by winning consistently at the last, Almeria (3-0).

Valencia, who finished digesting its elimination by eighth-finals of the Champions League (for Schalke 04), finished the season strong and will receive the Real Madrid the next day.

LIBYA: The "contact group" will provide funds for the rebels Libyan

AFP - An international conference on Libya in Qatar announced Wednesday the creation of a fund to help Libyan rebellion and reiterated the need for a departure of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi to resolve the crisis.

The first meeting of the Contact Group on Libya, in Doha, stressed the need to provide the rebels who hold the Eastern countries the means to defend himself, while refusing to explicitly include in the aid of military equipment.

The meeting, under the joint chairmanship of Great Britain and Qatar, was attended by twenty countries and organizations for nearly four weeks after March 19 of a multinational force under UN mandate to protect civilians.

The final statement, the Contact Group has decided "the establishment of a temporary financial mechanism" to provide the Transitional National Council, the political arm of the rebellion, "ways to manage aid and meet the needs urgent "areas controlled by rebels.

The Group also stressed "the need for (Colonel) Gaddafi to relinquish power" to encourage settlement of the crisis, the statement said.

The Gaddafi regime "must relinquish power," withdraw its forces from the cities and "put an immediate end to violence against civilians," said today's statement.

The text stresses the need to provide "material support" to people under rebel control. "The Libyan people need medicine and other means to resist," Sheikh Hamad assured, not to indicate clearly if weapons fell into this category.

The Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini told the press that Rome, which will host the second meeting of the Contact Group, considered as non-offensive military equipment could be delivered to the rebellion.

European ministers showed differences on this issue.The Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vanackere, who represented his country and the Netherlands in Doha, countered that "the resolutions of the UN plan to protect civilians, but not the arm."

The head of French diplomacy Alain Juppe has excluded its share to help the Libyan rebels to arm themselves.It is planned to "help them obtain financing, to strengthen, but there was no question of arms supplies," he said.

In opening the meeting, UN chief Ban Ki-moon urged the international community to remain united, to prevent a humanitarian tragedy in that country in North Africa than six million people, nearly 3.6 million could need aid.

The military standoff between the rebels holding the Benghazi region (east) and forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi in Tripoli that entrenched in (West) created within NATO, which leads NATO operations, the spectrum of a stalemate.

Two major partners of the coalition, France and Great Britain have called for stronger action by NATO, which took command on March 31.

CNT, who attended the meeting in Doha, has claimed an increase in NATO strikes.

"We want more air strikes against tanks and missile launch sites" from the army loyal to Colonel Qaddafi, told AFP in charge of External Relations of the National Transition Council, Ali al-Issawi.

A meeting of the Alliance is scheduled for Thursday in Berlin to discuss operations in Libya, which must involve the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton defended the role of the transatlantic organization.

The United States who had taken command of the coalition as a first step, before announcing the withdrawal of their ground attack aircraft, revealed Wednesday that U.S. fighter jets bombed air defense always Jamahiriya.

On the ground, the rebel forces have retaken the town of Ajdabiya (east) to 160 km south of Benghazi, a stronghold of the insurgents-knot strategic road theater deadly fighting in recent days, but the units pro-Qadhafi maintained there their pressure by sporadic gunfire.

Two big explosions were heard Wednesday in Tripoli, whose origin was not immediately known, were seen AFP journalists.

Earlier, the official Libyan Jana stated that NATO forces have conducted raids on Wednesday and Al-Aziziyah Misrata (west) and at Sirte, the hometown of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, 600 km east of Tripoli.

The new Libyan Foreign Minister Abdelati Laabidi, named after the recent defection of his predecessor, came to his side to Cyprus where he will meet Thursday his Cypriot counterpart Marcos Kyprianou.

NIGERIA: Several attacks marred the legislative

The legislative elections of Nigeria already postponed twice and opened Saturday in an explosion at a polling station in Maiduguri in the north-east of the country has made several wounded.

On Friday, a bomb had already exploded in a polling station near Abuja in the center of the country leaving 11 dead and 38 wounded. The balance of the explosion of Maiduguri has not yet been clarified.

This vote marks the start of a marathon election, which must continue with the presidential April 16.Polling stations have opened in some areas as scheduled at 08:00 local time (0700 GMT) but others could not start on time, found the AFP journalists.

A poll postponed twice

These elections take place in almost all districts of the country, had been postponed last Saturday April 4 and April 9, due to the absence of electoral materials and personnel in a large number of polling stations.

"I think today will be different.(Electoral Commission) is ready, "said Fatai Awofolaju, an official election in Lagos.

In Lagos, the economic capital, Abuja, the administrative capital and Kano (North), the second city of the country, polls opened at 8:00 or shortly thereafter.In Bayelsa State which is from the President Goodluck Jonathan, they opened with 90 minutes delay.

This election that is expected to test the ability of the country's most populous country with 160 million people to hold free elections.

Attacks and armed robbery threaten legislative

The explosion of a bomb Suleija Friday, some 45 km from Abuja (center) in a polling place elections and preparing where 11 people were killed and 38 injured, has not been claimed. The vote in this constituency has been postponed.Chairman Jonathan presidential candidate, denounced a "heinous terrorist bombing" and ordered increased security at the premises of the Electoral Commission throughout the country.

Gunmen also attacked Friday in Shani, Borno state in north-east, a police station where election officials were responsible for the supervision of election materials, killing four people.

The previous elections in Nigeria were marred by fraud and violence.Since November, the NGO Human Rights Watch has already recorded 85 deaths in pre-election violence.

The borders were closed, traffic restrictions were imposed on vehicles and soldiers patrolled the strategic points.

The impact of the attacks was difficult to measure. "What bomb?" We have no problem here, "commented Bode Oshowole Saturday, a printer 61, in a polling station in Lagos.

"They're trying to scare us but it does not," responded the head of another office."Nigeria can not be turned into another Afghanistan or Iraq," said Nnamdi Ekweogu.

In a little over 10% of precincts where the ballots could not be printed in time, the legislation will be held April 26, the date of elections of governors and assemblies of the 36 states of the federation.The postponement affects 15 out of 109 senatorial districts and 48 constituencies which elect the 360 ​​members in the House of Representatives.

"Several countries in Africa have been able to hold successful elections, and if we fail, we can not claim a leadership role or to discipline anyone for failure," he said Thursday Jonathan to a delegation of the National Democratic Institute (NDI), based in Washington, which supports democratic institutions and practices worldwide. The NGOs in Nigeria has sent more than 50 observers from more than 23 countries, working with 1700 Nigerian observers.

OIL: Germany pinned to its economic ties with Iran

India can no longer buy Iranian oil via Germany. Berlin decided Tuesday to put an end to a troubled business relationship that provoked the ire of Israel and the United States.

Until now, the Bundesbank and the Europäisch-Iranische Handelsbank (EIHB), based in Hamburg, served as intermediaries between New Delhi and Tehran, was revealed late last week the economic daily Handelsblatt. India, which purchases $ 9 billion per year of petroleum to Iran, contributed money to the German central bank, which instructed EIHB then buy the black gold to Iran.India thus avoiding offending his American ally, with the complicity of Berlin.

Washington was quick to react to these revelations. Earlier this week, the U.S. government complained about the transaction with the German government. Target of his displeasure: EIHB, a company owned 52% by an Iranian national bank. The hotel has since 2010 on the U.S. blacklist of companies suspected of helping Iran to circumvent international sanctions.Israel has applied the prohibition to the Germans.

Berlin was in a PREM time dithered, saying EIHB acted legally in Germany and was subject to strict control of financial authorities. Finally, the government caved in and ordered Tuesday to its central bank to close the valve.

It seems, moreover, that this business has three bands are the result of bargaining between the German government and Iran. Germany has in fact given the green light for this operation in early February, just days after the release of two German journalists detained in Iran.

"The quality rather than quantity"

The case could hardly have come at a worse time for Angela Merkel.She had already been criticized for its reluctance to participate in military operations against Libya. But this deal also calls into the importance of economic relations between Germany and Iran.

Germany is the leading European trade partner of Iran and second in the world behind the United Arab Emirates. Its exports reached $ 3.8 billion in 2010, an increase of almost 5% compared to 2009.Between January and October of 2010, imports from Iran rose by 28%.

"But more than the quantity of exports is the quality of products delivered that matters," said FRANCE 24 Alfaraj Sami, president of the Center for Strategic Studies in Kuwait, specialized in the Gulf region. Most German companies involved in Iran are specialized in high technology products.

The German giant Siemens had thus contributed to the computer system of Iranian nuclear facilities. The group announced in 2009 that he was withdrawing from Iran. In total, 200 German companies were active in Iran in July 2009, according to a list compiled by the Board of Trade between Germany and Iran.Business relationships can be very bad as the German political scientist Matthias Küntzel which analyzed last year. He wondered what kind of service a company like Babcock Borsig Service GmbH, which specializes "in nuclear technology," may well provide Tehran.

In 2008, the spokesman of the National Iranian Petrochimicals company had welcomed the ease that he had "to find from other countries than the U.S. products which [he] needed." He cited four names of companies, three are German.

SYRIA: Al-Assad supported the former Minister of Agriculture to form a government

AFP - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, was charged Sunday Agriculure outgoing Minister Adel Safar, to form a new government, announced the official SANA news agency while the regime is facing a wave of protest.

"President Bashar al-Assad issued a decree instructing Adel Safar to form the government," Sana reported.

Ba'ath Party member and 58 years old, Mr.Safar has studied agriculture at Damascus University before earning a doctorate in France.

From 1997 to 2000, he served as Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture in Damascus before becoming Minister of Agriculture in 2003.

The outgoing government of Mohammad Naji Otri, in office since 2003 did not survive the challenge in the country and resigned March 29, two weeks after the first demonstrations against the regime.