New rebel recruits vow to overthrow Gaddafi
As funerals were held in the city of Benghazi for those killed in recent violence, word began to spread about pro-Gaddafi forces attacking the port town of Brega, some 200 kilometres away.
Amid the grief and the emotion of buring their dead, the anti-Gaddafi insurgents made preparations for a possible attack.
However, later in the day news came through that the pro-Gaddafi forces had been repelled. Leaders made the announcement to those gathered in a main square.
euronews reporter Mohamed Elhamy in Benghazi said: “Morale is high after the news that Brega is back in the hands of the rebels.” He says the insurgents’ military council believes it “can stop any kind of attack against the eastern region.”
“They can’t come into our region,” one man told euronews. “We have men who are going to defy this dictator, no matter what, no matter what.”
“Are you ready?” we asked another man. “Of course,” he said. “Of course we are ready.”
People are lining up to join the insurgents. Former senior military personnel in Gaddafi’s army are helping with the recruitment.
One man joining the rebels said: “We are here to be trained by army officers to free Tripoli and its suburbs.”
Gwyneth Paltrow in ‘Country Strong’
In “Country Strong” Gwyneth Paltrow is a country singer fresh out of rehab who is trying to pull her life, her career and her marriage back together.
To play the role she had to learn guitar and immerse herself in the world of country music.
Malta at centre of operations in Libyan crisis
Over the last seven days at least 8,000 foreigners with more than 50 different nationalities between them have been evacuated from Libya and brought to the island of Malta.
Whether it be by air or by sea, the country has welcomed them as part of a full scale international operation.
The Maltese government has set up a command centre to manage the crisis.
Malta’s Foreign Minister Tonio Borg said: “The more difficult areas are the oil fields in the desert, and I say this because there is not just one but there are a lot of installations if you look at a map. So those are more difficult to evacuate and we not have evacuated everyone.”
Two more catamarans with more than 500 passengers on board are due to arrive later today.
Malta’s Prime Minister Laurence Gonzi said a quick conclusion to the operation would be essential.
“We are foreseeing a scenario where it will be absolutely vital for us to provide basic essential needs for the Libyan people in Libya.”
The UK has not waited for Gaddafi to go.
Once more its military planes flew into Libya without permission and picked up civilians from the desert oil fields.
EU in knots over Libya
The European Union’s foreign ministers have been grasping for a common strategy over Libya. They are grappling with a threat by its leader, Muammar Gaddafi, to end efforts to hold back illegal immigration to Europe from north African shores, if Europe supports the opposition surge in Libya.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague told journalists:
“You asked me earlier about whether Colonel Gaddafi is in Venezuela. I have no information that says he is, but I have seen some information that suggests he is on his way there.”
Venezuela has denied this.
With the Europeans struggling to form a united front, foreign policy high representative Catherine Ashton left the ministers’ meeting in Brussels to fly to Egypt.
Ashton said: “We are extremely concerned by the events which are unfolding in Libya. We condemn the on-going repression against demonstrators, and deplore the violence and the death of civilians.”
Ashton is scheduled to meet Egyptian officials, opposition leaders, youth groups and women’s groups. British Prime Minister David Cameron, at the start of a Middle East tour, got to Cairo before her, the first leader to visit Egypt since Hosni Mubarak was forced out as president.
Berlusconi in new bid to reform Italian justice system
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Friday put forward plans to reform his country’s justice system just days after being charged with having sex with an underage prostitute.?�Proposals if approved by the cabinet would re-instate parliamentary immunity for the 74-year-old,?�along with all other members of parliament.?�?�Earlier this week, a court ruled Berlusconi should stand trial from April?�6 on charges of having sex with a 17 year-old prostitute known as Ruby.?�Both deny any sexual relationship.?�Sex with a prostitute is not illegal in Italy but those found guilty of having sex with one under the age of 18?�can be?�punished with a jail term.?�Amid calls from the opposition for him to quit, Berlusconi’s?�colourful private life has also come under fire from the Catholic Church.?�But the billionaire premier put on a brave face at the Vatican on Friday.?�He met some of those bishops who have attacked his behaviour in an event marking?�the 82nd anniversary of a treaty that governs relations between the Holy See and Italy.
UK military release pictures of daring rescue
The British military have released pictures of a second daring mission to rescue oil workers from the remote Libyan desert.
Read our news file
In an operation led by elite SAS special forces teams three C-130 Hercules aircraft flew at low level to pick up a total of 150 civilians trapped by Libya revolution. A similar rescue had been carried out the day before.
The aircraft had no permission, and one sustained minor damage from small arms fire.
A further 200 evacuees from several countries also arrived in Malta after being picked up by the British Royal Navy frigate HMS Cumberland on its latest trip to Benghazi.
The passage to Malta took 18 hours.
One British evacuee praised the people of Benghazi saying: “We made our own way to Benghazi and the people we met there were just fabulous. We couldn’t get on the boat that night so they took us in, four of us and they gave us dinner and a room for the night, did some ringing around for us, took us to the port, you couldn’t have wished more.”
It was the Cumberland’s second foray into the Libyan port since the revolution began.
There were 27 nationalities on board this latest mercy mission. 50 evacuees were UK citizens.
Seeing is believing: DIY glasses bring sight to thousands
These people in Malawi are queuing up to try on glasses that they can adjust themselves to suit their own eyesight. This means there is no need to see an optician.
New Zealand quake toll rises as hopes fade for survivors
In New Zealand a fresh attempt is being made to find survivors from Tuesday’s deadly earthquake in Christchurch.
A team from Britain is joining others from Australia, Japan, the United States and Taiwan in search and rescue efforts. But cold weather is dimming hopes of finding any more people alive.
Much of the country’s second largest city resembles a war zone. It is now known that 113 people died but that figure is expected to rise with more than 200 others still missing.
A return to normality is too far off to envisage for many but some have been trying to resume their lives. Earthquake survivor Emma Howard escaped unharmed from a collapsed building after being trapped for six hours and was able to wed her fianc?� Chris Greenslade as planned.
Berlusconi back on trial over alleged tax fraud
Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi went back on trial in Milan on Monday for alleged tax fraud.
The case is one of four the 74-year-old premier is facing.
It was suspended last April after Italian deputies passed a law granting immunity to the premier and his cabinet.
But that legislation has since been partially struck down, allowing the trial to reopen.
Berlusconi was not in court but his lawyer Niccolo Ghedini said he would attend ???when his presence is needed.???
He added it would be ???realistic to say that he would be at the next hearing on April 11.”
Berlusconi and several executives from his Mediaset firm are accused of making false tax declarations on behalf of the company to create slush funds worth several million euros.
Two cases related to the alleged fraud begin again in March and he also faces another trial on charges of paying for sex with an underage prostitute and abuse of power.
The billionaire media mogul denies all the allegations against him, denouncing his legal woes as a plot orchestrated by his left-wing opponents.
Exodus to leave Libya
On Libya’s western border with Tunisia, thousands passed the checkpoints in a matter of hours, weighed down with as many of their belongings as they could carry.
One witness said Libyan police deliberately picked on Tunisians and Egyptians after successful revolutions there set a precedent for the anti-Gaddafi uprising.
One Tunisian man who made it onto home soil said: “The situation is bad. People died. They killed them. They took their money.”
It is estimated up to 80,000 ex-pat Tunisians live and work in Libya.
Authorities and aid organisations have set up special reception facilities to treat the wounded at the border.
There are many other nationalities taking flight too, among them many Libyans.
On the border with Egypt, which has 1.5 million citizens in Libya, Egyptian refugees told of the bloodshed and horror they had left behind.
One said: “The hospitals are saturated with the wounded and the dead. There’s a lack of medicine, and makeshift hospitals have been set up in the streets.”
Another man returning home said: “I saw mercenaries firing on people using large calibre machine-guns, like those fitted in fighter jets. They targeted the people.”
Another witness said the use of mercenaries had made it more dangerous for everyone. “The Libyan population stood together with us,” he said “but they took vengeance on all Africans armed or not, because Africans in military uniforms had been seen by the people killing Libyans.”
There is a tangible fear among those fleeing that they may died if they stay in Libya.
The scramble to get out is becoming an exodus.
King’s Speech steals the show
The film The King’s Speech has won seven prizes at the BAFTA awards ceremony in London. Colin Firth, who plays the stammering King George VI in the film, took the award for Best?�Actor. The movie also took the prizes for Best Film, Best Supporting Actress (Helena Bonham Carter), and Best Supporting Actor ( Geoffrey Rush).?�This year’s BAFTA award for Best Actress went to Natalie Portman for her role in Black Swan, while Best Director went to David Fincher for the film about Facebook, The Social Network.
New rebel recruits vow to overthrow Gaddafi
As funerals were held in the city of Benghazi for those killed in recent violence, word began to spread about pro-Gaddafi forces attacking the port town of Brega, some 200 kilometres away.
Amid the grief and the emotion of buring their dead, the anti-Gaddafi insurgents made preparations for a possible attack.
However, later in the day news came through that the pro-Gaddafi forces had been repelled. Leaders made the announcement to those gathered in a main square.
euronews reporter Mohamed Elhamy in Benghazi said: “Morale is high after the news that Brega is back in the hands of the rebels.” He says the insurgents’ military council believes it “can stop any kind of attack against the eastern region.”
“They can’t come into our region,” one man told euronews. “We have men who are going to defy this dictator, no matter what, no matter what.”
“Are you ready?” we asked another man. “Of course,” he said. “Of course we are ready.”
People are lining up to join the insurgents. Former senior military personnel in Gaddafi’s army are helping with the recruitment.
One man joining the rebels said: “We are here to be trained by army officers to free Tripoli and its suburbs.”
Anti-government protests continue in Yemen
In Yemen, funerals are taking place for two more people shot dead during anti-government protests.
The latest victims were killed in clashes with security forces in the southern city of Aden.
A total of 21 people have now been killed and dozens more injured since the daily protests began just over a week ago.
Unrest has been especially intense in the once-independent south, where many people resent rule from the north.
President Ali Abdullah Saleh has assigned a committee to open a dialogue with opposition leaders. For now their main demand is a complete change of government.
But President Saleh still has overwhelming support in parliament. On the streets of the capital Sanaa, loyalists say he is holding the country together and they are determined to do everything to prevent him being driven from power.
Police pounce on protests in Algiers
Police in Algeria have moved swiftly to break up anti-government protests in the capital Algiers.
A coalition of human rights groups, trade unionists and opposition parties are calling for weekly marches through the capital.
Authorities have refused permission for the protests to go ahead, citing public order concerns. As many as 30,000 police have been deployed around the city in a highly visible show of force.
Algerian demonstrators have been inspired by similar anti-government protests in neighbouring Tunisia and Egypt. Those on the streets are fed up with high unemployment and soaring costs and want an end to the regime of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. The government has offered concessions including the promise to lift the country’s 19-year state of emergency at the end of the month.
Assange criticises ‘rubber-stamp’ extradition
A British court has agreed to extradite Julian Assange to Sweden where the Wikileaks founder is accused of sex offences.
The judge rejected arguments that the Australian wouldn’t get a fair trial after the Swedish prime minister called him ‘public enemy number one’.
Afterwards, Assange again claimed the case against him was politically motivated, and criticised what he called a ‘rubber-stamp’ EU extradition procedure. He asked:
“Why is it that I am kept under electronic house arrest when I have not even been charged in any country? This case is not just about me, it is not just about the pressure the United States brings to bear on the United Kingdom and on Sweden and on the media, it offers a hope for reform of the EU arrest warrant system.”
His supporters fear he may end up being extradited from Sweden to the US and could even face the death penalty over Wikileaks’ disclosures.
But the judge said he believed Assange was wanted in Sweden purely on sex charges.
Assange, who denies the allegations, has 40 days to appeal.
Is Britain right to extradite Julian Assange to Sweden?
A Javascript enabled browser that accepts cookies is required in order to participate in the poll.
yes (15%) no (79%) i don't know (6%) // pollTS[0]) { pollTS = cookie; cValid = true; }; }; warning.parentNode.removeChild(warning); if(cookie && cValid) { for(var i = 1; i < pollTS.length; i++) { votes += parseInt(pollTS[i], 10) || 0; }; var total = 0; for(var i = 1; i < pollTS.length; i++) { per = pollTS[i] > 0 ? Math.round(pollTS[i] / (votes / 100)) : 0; if(total + per > 100) { per = 100 - total; total = 100; } else { total += per; }; output[output.length] = '' + questions[i - 1] + ' (' + per + '%) '; }; pollHTML += "" + output.join("") + ""; }; if(!cookie) { pollHTML = ' yes no i don’t know'; }; if(pollHTML) { content.innerHTML = pollHTML; }; })();// ]]>
Anti-government protesters killed in Yemen
Deaths have been reported in skirmishes in Yemen as demonstrators marched for the eighth straight day on Friday demanding an end to President Ali Abullah Saleh’s 32-year rule.
An estimated 10,000 gathered in the capital of Sanaa calling on the head of state to step down.
There were clashes between protesters and Saleh supporters, leaving at least four demonstrators wounded.
The unrest is spreading across the country. Two people were killed and 27 were injured when a hand grenade was thrown at demonstrators in Taez.
In Aden, three people were killed by gunfire with dozens more wounded after three protesters were shot dead in the southern Yemeni city on Thursday.
Earlier this month, President Saleh promised he would stand down at the end of his current seven-year term in 2013.
Thousands celebrate in Pearl Square
With the army and now police gone from Pearl Square, hundreds of people have been rushing back in to celebrate.
The authorities had been determined to prevent the roundabout from becoming a base like Cairo’s Tahrir Square.
But one eyewitness told euronews that she, her friends and family were prepared to give up their lives to force change.
“Everyone was ready to die, me and my sisters left our house today, and we were ready to give our souls. When we left Suleimanyia there was some people telling us to not go, but we arrived at the square,” said the woman who wished to remain anonymous.
“What I heard from the people here, and what I see is clear. They don’t want any negotiation, they don’t want the Khalifa family, everyone wants to see them answer for their crimes and those who’ve committed murder. When we arrived at the square, we saw a lot of blood on the ground, it was unbelievable,” she added.
Chinese police clampdown on anti-government protests
Despite their efforts to block information spreading about the Arab uprisings, anti-government protests have erupted in several cities. But an emphatic show of force by police in Shanghai quickly ended the protest.
It was a similar story in downtown Beijing where lines of police checked passers-by and warned away demonstrators.
A rash of detentions and censorship of online discussions have shown that the Communist Party is concerned about any challenge to its rule.
Residents in Hong Kong, however, enjoy a little more freedom. Some inspired by the so-called Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia took to the streets. Police soon ended the demonstration.
A call for protests a week ago brought out few people. But dozens of dissidents and human rights activists have reportedly been detained or warned to avoid any action which risks social stability.