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Libyan military defections mount
There is mounting evidence that a growing number of Libyan military personnel are defecting and joining the opposition against Colonel Gaddafi.
At the nation’s biggest navy base in opposition- controlled Benghazi, officers have declared a ‘free Libya.’
In the western city of Zawiya, amateur film shows soldiers being carried by protesters.
“One Libya, one people” they chanted.
Opposition sources say the military units defecting to them are well-armed, well-disciplined and well- organised.
It remains unclear how much of the military is still under Gaddafi’s control, and how many soldiers have joined the demonstrators.
Yemen mourns for slaughtered protesters
Thousands of mourners have turned out in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa for the funerals of anti-government protesters shot dead on Friday.
Snipers loyal to President Ali Abdullah Saleh sprayed a university sit-in with gunfire, killing as as many as 50 demonstrators.
The protesters want him to resign after 32 years in power.
The killings prompted Saleh to declare a state of emergency and soldiers have been given orders to shoot demonstrators.
Yet the opposition remain defiant.
Former government minister Haoumd al-Hattar told the crowd that “threats, intimidation and repression would only reinforce their persistence.”
An estimated 300 people were injured in Friday’s violence.
A group of Muslim clerics have called on Yemeni security forces to disobey Saleh’s orders to shoot demonstrators, blaming him for the slaughter.
Trauma fears for Japan’s young disaster victims
What they have been through is unimaginable.
Japan’s disasters have robbed many children of everything – their homes, family and friends. And while young survivors’ immediate needs are a priority, the fear is they could face long-term psychological trauma.
!http://www.euronews.net/media/buttons/japan-btn2-en.jpg!”:/tag/japan-disaster/ “Yes, many children as they grow up are going to live with the consequence of the shock of this devastation,” said Hironobu Shibuya, Chief Executive Officer at Save the Children, Japan.
Tests for radioactive contamination may well prove clear but the simple fact they lived near the stricken nuclear plant could be held against them.
“People from Fukushima, especially kids, may face discrimination, just because they are from the region,” said Dr Keiko Yamada at a clinic in the city of Yonezawa.
Around 100,000 children have been displaced by the earthquake and tsunami, according to the Save the Children charity. It says stability and protection are needed to safeguard their physical and emotional well-being.
In Yonezawa, a four-year-old evacuee from Fukushima explained what she experienced:
“The glass in my house was shattered and my friend’s house was damaged and my grandmother’s house, too,” she said.
From problems sleeping to aggression or withdrawal, the symptoms of trauma are varied. As time passes and the world’s attention shifts from Japan, the hope is that its children won’t be forgotten.
No-fly zone ‘necessary to avoid more bloodshed’
The European Union has welcomed the UN resolution, and says it is ready to put it into practice.
But diplomats say there are no plans for the EU itself to take part in any bombing, or operations to impose a no-fly zone.
Among individual countries, Britain might do so, although it is not saying when action might take place. It has poured cold water on suggestions that planes could strike “within hours”.
“It is necessary to take these measures to avoid greater bloodshed, to try to stop what is happening in terms of civilians on the people of Libya,” said the UK’s Foreign Secretary, William Hague.
Italy has said it is ready to make its military bases available to enforce a no-fly zone. But the EU is not united.
Germany’s opposition to military intervention has brought warnings of isolation – and some unwelcome praise from Colonel Gaddafi.
By abstaining, Berlin has broken ranks with London and Paris.
The German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle has said the country did so because it saw “considerable dangers and risks” in military action.
Libya clashes continue despite no-fly zone
Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s forces have clashed with rebels despite a UN-backed no-fly zone aimed at stopping the violence.
Gaddafi loyalists have repelled rebel advances in the oil-producing town of Ajdabiyah, just south of the insurgents’ stronghold of Benghazi.
Anti aircraft fire has continued to ring out in Tripoli, while residents of Yafran said at least nine people had been killed in clashes between the two sides.
His forces have also struck the rebel-held enclave of Misrata, east of the capital, where four children were killed on Tuesday.
A rebel spokesman told AFP that Gaddafi’s men opened fire with tanks and set up sniper positions to gun down people in the streets.
Security analysts say the rebels are disorganised and unable to match the Libyan leader’s military might, explaining why they have struggled to makes further advances, including the taking of Tripoli.
Italian government partners stand by Berlusconi
Is the party over for Silvio Berlusconi? Several commentators in today’s newspapers believe early elections are inevitable after the Italian prime minister’s indictment for alleged sex offences and abuse of power.
One wrote that Berlusconi was “worn down and gasping for breath”. But most expect him to fight on as he has done in the past.
The Northern League, partners in the centre-right government, have their own reasons for not wanting the government to be toppled.
“The judicial fury against the prime minister is evident to all. But if some judges think that this will also weaken the government’s business, they’re completely wrong,” said the League’s leader in the Senate, Federico Bricolo.
The trial in Milan is due to begin in April. The judges who will hear the case are all women.
Prosecutors say there is ample evidence that Berlusconi paid a Moroccan dancer for sex when she was under 18, and intervened with police to get her freed from custody. He denies the allegations.
He still has his backers: “I judge him as a politician who’s made a big contribution, and will continue to do so for the good of Italy”, said one man in Rome.
“They only talk about this … enough is enough. They’re not talking about politics anymore. They’re talking just about him…that’s all,” complained another.
One opinion poll this week suggests that almost 50 percemt of Italians believe the accusations are true.
As satirists have a field day, a well-known Italian band has adapted Shakira’s song “Waka Waka”, changing the title to “Bunga Bunga”… Berlusconi’s own term for his infamous parties.
Allies tighten hold over Libyan airspace
Western powers appear to have tightened their grip on Libyan airspace following a third night of air strikes.
The on-going bombardment comes as more forces arrive to take part in operation Odyssey Dawn. The US, France and UK remain the principle participants among the allies, with Canada, Italy and Spain also contributing.
Read: who is providing what to the operation
Norway is also taking part in the operation, with Denmark, Belgium, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar sending military hardware, notably fighter jets.
The contribution from the two Middle Eastern states is seen as vital with concern growing in the region over the heavy nature of the bombardment.
READ: Libya: a timeline of international diplomacy
The head of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, who supported the UN-mandated intervention, criticised its severity saying the air attacks had killed many civilians. Russia’s defence minister has also condemned civilian deaths but his US counterpart has said the coalition is going to great lengths to avoid killing non-combatants. Robert Gates said most Libyan targets are air defences that are not situated near populated areas.
NATO deny Gaddafi assassination attempt
The Libyan government has accused NATO of deliberately targeting Colonel Muammar Gaddafi after the alliance launched a number of night strikes in the capital Tripoli.
NATO war planes conducted several bombing runs on government buildings.
Libyan officials escorted journalists to the offices of the country’s High Commission for Children, which suffered extensive damage.
A hospital was also partially hit after a nearby telecommunications tower was felled by a missile.
NATO has denied any moves to kill Gaddafi. Brigadier General Claudio Gabellini gave the media details of the night’s mission: “NATO is not targeting individuals. No individual is a target for NATO. We only look after command and control centres. The target is to stop Mr Gaddafi ordering his troops to slaughter civilians and block humanitarian aid from coming into the country.So we are not interested in individuals, in Mr Gaddafi’s life.”
The raids came as Western powers planned their next move as the conflict to oust the Libyan leader appears to have reached stalemate.
iPad 2 unveiled by Apple’s Steve Jobs
He’s a Silicon Valley legend. The high-tech glitterati gave Apple boss Steve Jobs a standing ovation as he unveiled the new iPad 2.
Jobs is being treated for pancreatic cancer and although he looked thin he appeared energetic.
The super-fast roll out of the new iPad is a sign of the fierce competition in the tablet market.
“We’ve been working on this product for a while,” said Jobs, “and I just didn’t want to miss today. So, thank you for having me.”
Initial reviews of the new iPad were positive. But this launch was just as much about Jobs.
Despite the slick products the market still sees him as the company’s main asset.
iPad 2 has the trademark apple slickness, simplicity belying the innovation behind the device. Investors will be hoping both the iPad, and Jobs, will be around for a long time to come.
Mexico’s Calderon enters diplomatic spat with France
Mexico’s President Felipe Calderon has told France to respect his country’s legal system.
Earlier this month, Mexican judges upheld the conviction of Florence Cassez, a French woman sentenced to 60 years in jail for kidnapping.
Despite pressure from Paris, Calderon expressed confidence in the ruling.
‘‘We’re talking about a kidnapper, a woman who was part of a very dangerous criminal gang that was devoted to kidnapping Mexicans, that mutilated their fingers, that threatened their relatives. Besides, the victims themselves recognise the woman. They recognise her; they recognise her voice,’‘ Calderon declared.
Arrested in 2005, Cassez, now 36 years-old, was convicted for her part in three kidnappings.
Despite Mexico insisting her guilt has been proven, the French government says the case has serious flaws. President Sarkozy has demanded Cassez be allowed to serve her sentence in France and warned the decision to keep her jailed in Mexico could weigh on bilateral relations.
On Monday, the Mexican government suspended its participation in France’s year-long festival celebrating Mexican culture because of the diplomatic row.
