No united front on no-fly zone over Libya
Britain and France claim they would be prepared to support a no-fly zone over Libya, if forces loyal to
Muammar Gaddafi continue to attack fellow Libyans.
British Foreign Minister William Hague said both countries were working together to present a “bold and ambitious” plan to a European Union meeting on Libya next week.
French Foreign Minister Alain Jupp?� said Paris supported a NATO planned no-fly zone.
His British counterpart William Hague claimed a number of options are under discussion: “We also agreed that the international community, including the United States and our other partners, should continue to plan different contingencies including a no-fly zone to ensure that we can respond swiftly and resolutely to events in Libya.”
The experience of previous no-fly zones over Bosnia, Kosovo and Iraq have led to a reluctance on the part of some to commit, particularly China and Russia.
US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said that before a no-fly zone is set up, US forces would have to launch pre-emptive strikes against Libyan air defences.
Yet, the idea is not off the menu. The Arab League and African Union back a no-fly zone and the UN would consider the option if it were called for by the interim National Council formed by rebels in Libya.
But many in the Arab world would mean see it as yet more Western interference in a sovereign Arab and Muslim state.
Rebel-held Misrata readies for fresh onslaught
There are conflicting reports regarding the situation in Misrata, the last big rebel stronghold in western Libya.
Residents in the city, some 200 kilometres from Tripoli, say they are preparing for a new attack after the government said its forces would retake the city within hours.
Loyalist forces launched an attack on Wednesday on Misrata, but rebels said they fought back and seized some tanks from the pro-Gaddafi units
A doctor at a local hospital said at least 18 people have been killed with more than 40 others wounded.
Japanese nuclear disaster: lessons to be learned
The scientific community is trying to learn the lessons from Fukushima.
The disaster in Japan has highlighted areas where nuclear plants might be vulnerable, especially those that have been in operation for a while.
Experts want to learn how to protect future generations from disasters like this one, that put entire populations in danger.
Euronews spoke to Luis Echavarri, Director-General of the Nuclear Energy Agency of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Beatriz Beiras, euronews:“Mr Echavarri, the IAEA has confirmed that the cores of reactors 1, 2 and 3 of the Fukushima nuclear plant run a risk of meltdown. What does that mean exactly?”
Luis Echavarri: “That means that the temperatures reached made the rods melt and could also make the fuel melt. That means that the fuel is becoming impaired and that it is producing more fission products and as full cooling could not take place, this process has progressed.”
euronews:“But does that have an impact on radiation?”
Luis Echavarri:“Yes, because the higher the temperature is and the more the fuel deteriorates, the more fission products are produced. And as a result, the radioactivity given off is greater. So the continuation of this process must be avoided. That is why cooling is needed.”
euronews:“Can it cause an explosion?”
Luis Echavarri:“No, no, not at all. That absolutely can’t happen. You must take into account that, for example, unlike the Chernobyl accident, here the safety mechanisms were activated quickly because of the earthquake. So the only heat is the remaining heat and in this situation an explosion caused by an uncontrolled reaction cannot happen.”
euronews:“If water does not succeed in cooling the reactors, do you think that Tepco has other means of stopping this time bomb?”
Luis Echavarri:“I think that water and other products like, for example, boric acid, are important in reducing the possible damage to the fuel. But it is difficult to find a solution apart from using water. The latest news we have had is that they are in the process of bringing in electricity from outside the plant and if that is confirmed, it would lead to the use of a lot more cooling systems in the plant and that could help enormously in getting the site back to normal. But, fundamentally, two elements are necessary: electricity and water.”
euronews:“Should we be worried, for example, about the arrival of a radioactive cloud in other Asian countries or even in America or Europe? “
Luis Echavarri:“No. I think the distances involved mean that radioactivity is going to be present, because the radioactivity will be felt across the planet, especially in the northern hemisphere – but at very low levels. The radiation is diluting, and the further it spreads, the more it dilutes. What is important are the areas closest to the plant. And gradually the radioactivity is decreasing. So I think that outside Japan, there is no need to worry, even if it will be experienced elsewhere because tiny quantities of radioactivity are easy to detect.”
euronews:“You are a nuclear engineer. Briefly, as a technician, what are the lessons to be learned from this accident?”
Luis Echavarri:“Briefly, it is difficult. I would say that, first of all, we have to analyse whether all nuclear plants are adequately prepared from a conceptual point of view to deal with bigger earthquakes or tsunamis than we had imagined and which are possible in certain places.
“We also have to make an in-depth analysis of the consequences of the tsunami; why it damaged so many emergency installations, if they could have been salvaged in another way, if there are extra safety systems to avoid this sort of situation. And we also have to look again at the containment units, emergency cooling systems, hydrogen explosions, fires, radiological protection, intervening in contaminated zones. They are all lessons that we are going to have to learn to apply to all the nuclear plants in the world – a process which has already begun. All regulatory bodies have already begun an analytical process to apply the lessons to their own plants.”
Netanyahu welcomes Egypt treaty pledge
Benjamin Netanyahu has welcomed a pledge by Egypt’s military council to honour its peace treaty with Israel.
Defence Minister Ehud Barak spoke to the Commander-in-chief of the Egyptian Armed Forces Mohammed Hussein Tantawi on the telephone yesterday.
At the first meeting of the Israeli cabinet since Friday’s tumultuous events in Egypt, Netanyahu confirmed Tantawi pledged to respect all Egypt’s international treaties.
But some are predicting a more testy and uncomfortable relationship in the years ahead as Egypt undergoes a political transition.
Israel also has a new head of its armed forces.
Major-General Benny Gantz takes over at a turbulent time in the region.
As well as Egypt, he has Lebanon, Gaza and Iran to contend with.
GM back in annual profit
General Motors has reported its first full-year profit since 2004 of 4.7 billion dollars (3.4 billion euros).
The top US carmaker’s fourth-quarter earnings were slightly above expectations at the equivalent of 370 million euros.
GM said fourth-quarter net income was fuelled by strong sales in China and the US as the global car market started to recover.
GM’s European operations posted a loss of $568 million (412 million euros) for the fourth quarter and a loss of $1.7 billion (1.23 billion euros) for the year. The automaker has said it hopes the European division – Opel and Vauxhall – will break even this year.
Violence continues in Syria
Foreign reporters may be banned from entering Syria but people are continuing to upload video onto social websites.
The latest footage obtained by news agencies claimed to show a demonstration in a suburb of the capital Damascus.
The rally was described as a march of students, doctors and writers but plain clothed police and other uniformed agents moved in and arrested the protesters.
Some were forced into a waiting minivan where detainees were beaten.
Each new video that emerges adds to a picture of violent suppression of protesters who appear to be unarmed and non-aggressive.
That is certainly what the EU thinks. On Tuesday a series of sanctions aimed at forcing an end to the violence were announced. The measures include a travel ban and asset freeze on 13 top officials, although President Bashar al-Assad is not yet on the list.
Air-strikes offer Libya’s rebels reprieve
Only a few days ago Libyan rebels were on the verge of being crushed by forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi. However, the heavy bombardment by the Western led coalition appears to have swung the momentum in Libya’s civil war.
The main road out of the eastern city of Benghazi is now littered with the regime’s vehicles scorched by attacks from the air.
READ – Libya: a timeline of international diplomacy – International forces in operations in Libya
That’s allowed the opposition to push towards Ajdabiya, though for the time being the town remains under Gaddafi’s control.
Rebel units also appear severely disorganised, underscoring US warnings that a long stalemate could emerge.
In addition, the forces loyal to the Libyan leader appear determined to fight on, with reports of offensives on Tuesday morning on the western cities of Misrata and Zintan.
UN imposes ‘biting sanctions’ on Libya’s leadership
The UN Security Council has unanimously voted to impose sanctions on Libya’s regime following its bloody suppression of the uprising in the North African state.
Measures include, an arms embargo, asset freeze and possible legal action against Libya’s leaders.
The UK’s Permanent Representative to the UN Mark Lyall Grant said: ‘‘Today’s resolution demands an immediate end to violence and repression, full respect for human rights and international law and accountability for those responsible for the violence. It gives practical effect to those demands through travel bans, asset freezes and arms embargo and immediate referral to the international criminal court.’‘
Libya’s deputy UN ambassador
Ibrahim Dabbashi, one of the first Libyan diplomats to denounce the regime, insisted the move would help those fighting to end Gaddafi’s rule.
‘‘The regime in Tripoli has no longer any credibility. It goes without saying that this resolution represents moral support for our people who are resisting. It will help put an end to this fascist regime which is still in power in Tripoli.’‘
The US ambassador to the UN described the sanctions imposed on Gaddafi and his immediate entourage as ‘biting’. Talks on forming a transitional government in Libya were also reportedly underway.
Ben Ali’s corruption culture
Many Tunisians would like to see the former occupants of the presidential palace return to stand trial on corruption charges. The Ben Ali family robbed Tunisia of billions of euros through illegal transactions.
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