DIPLOMACY: Syria: G8 wants a peace conference "as soon as possible"
In their final statement on Tuesday, June 18 at the end of the top of Lough Erne, Northern Ireland, the Heads of State and Government of the G8 countries have, not surprisingly, not found agree on how to implement Syria plunged into civil war for more than two years. However, they unanimously called for the holding of peace talks "as soon as possible." G8 members and hope that the "Geneva 2" conference will provide solutions to the country out of the violence.
"We strongly support the decision to organize as soon as possible the Geneva conference on Syria," it is written in the statement.
Following this summit dominated by differences between Russia and the other seven G8 on the Syrian issue, the leaders also wanted an agreement can be found on a government transition, "formed by mutual consent." But then again, disagreements have dominated the debate. British Prime Minister David Cameron, host of the summit, said it was "unthinkable" that Bashar al-Assad to remain in place. Russia for its part considers that the question of the fate of the Syrian president must be decided by the Syrians themselves.
G8 leaders also called on the Syrian authorities and the opposition to agree to dismantle all affiliated with Al-Qaeda organization. They are "very concerned" about the "growing threat of terrorism and extremism in Syria," deploring as "nature increasingly inter-conflict" in this country. Finally, they promise to provide humanitarian assistance to 1.5 billion dollars (1.1 billion euros) for the Syrian population.
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IRANIAN PRESIDENTIAL: High turnout in Iran to elect the successor of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Follow the president in Iran in Farsi language on the site Observers here.
Some 50 million voters to the polls on Friday, June 14, of which 1.6 million will vote for the first time to choose a successor to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the head the Islamic Republic of Iran, after two terms of four years. The crowd is such that the Interior Ministry has extended four hours the polls closed. According to the head of voting for Tehran province, Safar Ali Baratlou, participation should be at least 70% in this region. "Until now, participation is more important than it was four years ago," he said, quoted by Fars news agency. Various local officials also reported in the media a participation of at least 70% to 18 pm local time in other provinces.
Voters apparently he followed the call of the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who has asked the Iranians to participate massively in the presidential election "for the country's future" ,. "Let the people involved because it is the future of the country," he said after putting his ballot shortly after the polls opened. "I advise everyone to vote and do so in the early hours of the morning," said the Iranian leader.
The United States played down the scope of the election, saying that voters had the six remaining candidates, all chosen by the Guardian Council of the Constitution "limited choice", an instance controlled by the ultra-conservatives. "Go to hell if you do not agree to the election, the Iranian people are not expected to know what you agree or what we do not agree," said Ayatollah Khamenei.
Security measures
Among the five conservative candidates account the election, all expressed their allegiance to guide
Supreme "of the Islamic Revolution, Ali Khamenei. Three of them have chances to win or enter the second round.
Of the three favorites only Jalili, current chief negotiator on the nuclear issue and the most prominent candidate, wants Tehran maintains an uncompromising attitude despite the proliferation of sanctions intended by the Westerners. They believe that the Iranian government is trying to develop nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies.
The other two serious contenders, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, mayor of Tehran, and Ali Akbar Velayati, a former foreign minister, has promised to continue their nuclear program while criticizing Jalili for its intransigence in negotiating. This dispersion in the conservative camp could promote the ambitions of religious Hassan Rohani, only moderate running.
The result of the election, whatever it is, is unlikely to change the foreign policy of Iran or its relations with the West and its Gulf neighbors.
Security measures have been strengthened after a relatively quiet campaign, no comparison with that of 2009, when the reformers had glimpsed the hope of victory and a change in Iran.
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VIDEO GAMES: A chronic E3, announced a flurry of video games
Microsoft, Sony or Electronic Arts and Ubisoft all want the attention of the gaming world this year at E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) in Los Angeles.
The challenge for them to demonstrate that they are on page expectations of players with their new consoles (Xbox One, PS4) and their latest games cries.
On Monday, the biggest names in sectors multiply ads able to prove their gaming offer is richer than that of their competitors. Who will emerge victorious from this rat race of funds pixel madness? FRANCE 24 went to the heart of the battle in Los Angeles.
Microsoft declares his love to the players. Gamers talk to gamers. "We heard you," repeated all Microsoft executives who succeeded on stage at the conference in honor of the Xbox One Monday, June 10 to , during E3 in Los Angeles.
They were addressed to Mme Michu or casual gamers. The U.S. show Microsoft wanted an exercise to reassure the "hardcore gamers" (the gamers). They had found the official announcement in late May, the Xbox One a little short for their liking. I must say that Microsoft was so stressed entertainment capabilities for the whole family (movies, music, internet) that many have wondered whether to call the One Xbox console gaming.
In Los Angeles, Microsoft unveiled a pleiade games with high value added testosterone. From Metal Gear Solid 5, a pinch of Forza Motorsport, a generous helping of Battlefield 4: something for all primary instincts of the player seeking thrills in front of it. The risk? Between the console for all the vaunted late May and mid forward on Monday and wants to attract players, it is ultimately really know who to address the Xbox One.
Ubisoft in all directions. What is there in common between at a music learning game, another featuring a hacker and another that can defend his castle while attacking its neighbors? They are all signed Ubisoft. The French publisher does not seem to know where to turn as he runs things at once.
His lecture presentation at E3 this relfètait want to eat all racks. Ubisoft poured into the quirky humor to evoke "The mighty quest for epic loot" (The quest for epic loot) or a game based on the cartoon South Park & eacutà ©. Without transition, the publisher adopted a serious and somber tone to speak of a global pandemic that serves as a backdrop to the action game "The Division" and fell into the Orwellian register pre © Feeling " , Watch Dogs ", the game in which the main character can control an entire city with its donations hacker.
Defenders of the publisher find this variety denotes creativity of Ubisoft, while these critics think that the French scatters too . Frank Gibeau, head of labels publisher Electronic Arts competitor, is not he claimed the British television channel BBC that the cost of developing new games consoles forces to focus on a few tracks to be effective and efficient at the same time?
EUROZONE: The IMF admits mistakes in Greece
Not sure what mea culpa change much the situation of millions of unemployed Greeks. But at least, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), he acknowledged, Thursday, June 6, errors in the implementation and development of the bailout of Greece decided in 2010. "There was (…) notable failures. Market confidence was not restored (…) and the economy was facing a much stronger than expected recession " , said the International Monetary Fund in a report assessing the results of the aid plan of 110 billion euros granted in Athens in May 2010 in exchange for an e map , drastic savings.
At the time, members of the troika (IMF, European Central Bank and European Union) had bet on a return to growth in 2012 and im rapid improvement on the employment front. Facts have proved him wrong: the country is now sinking into recession for the sixth consecutive year with an unemployment rate of 27%, despite a second plan massive international aid in spring 2012.
In its report, the IMF is going to challenge the action of the troika and its effectiveness. "There was no clear division of labor" within the troika leading the report said, adding that Europeans lacked experience and "expertise" on programs related assistance to very strict conditions.
Restructuring in 2010
Deciphering relationships within the troika, the IMF focuses on a crucial point of the Greek bailout: massive restructuring of private debt in the spring of 2012. The Fund believes today that this operation, the largest in history, should have been conducted since 2010, but this solution was then not "politically feasible" , due to the opposition of the Europeans. "The debt restructuring was contemplated by the parties to the negotiation (the Greek program, note) but was excluded by the leaders of the euro area", who feared such a measure is not approved by national parliaments, the report said.
This decision was fraught with consequences, according to the Fund. It has allowed many private creditors (banks, investment funds) to "escape" the country without any loss and "shift the burden" to the states and So taxpayers who had to bail out Greece again in 2012. "We should have had a reduction in debt earlier in Greece," acknowledged Wednesday Poul Thomsen, head of the IMF mission in Greece.
The first bailout was actually a "standby" position, says the report. He has given time to build his eurozone firewall, the European Stability Mechanism, in order to protect other "vulnerable" countries and limit the impact on the global economy.
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TURKEY: Social Networks, "greatest threat to society," according to Erdogan
Arab revolutions to Occupy Wall Street, the role of social media in the organization and dissemination of mobilizations never denied: difficult today to imagine a citizen movement without Twitter or Facebook. The events that take place in Turkey since May 31, add to this list that keeps getting longer and sometimes tremble governments.
Sunday, June 2, during a television interview, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said bluntly: "The threat today is called Twitter. This is where the biggest spread lies. Social networks are the greatest threat to society. " This position might appear paradoxical given that the Turkish Prime Minister has a Facebook page "likee" by more than 2 million people and its Twitter account is followed by more than 2.7 million people. But if it is followed, we also note that absolutely following anyone on the microblogging site where the web culture is that we are talking about but you are listening following others. He spoke – his team tweets in its place – but never as a response to other users.
Use the Turks are social networks himself is quite different from that of their Prime Minister. Turkey, which has 75 million inhabitants, is a country very connected. More than half the population has access to Internet, according to a report by the Pew Research Center published in December 2012, 35% of Turks are using social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or Instagram. According to a study published on Saturday by two doctoral students from New York University (NYU), the use of Twitter by the Turks since the protests began has been "phenomenal." To follow the events, several keywords were used on the network of microblogging: direngeziparki #, # # and occupygezi geziparki.
Tweets Turks
On the night of Friday, May 31 to Saturday, June 1, then the first place that had violent clashes in the center of Istanbul, thousands of tweets were sent every minute, even the most advanced hours es of the night. These statistics could be even higher if the 3G mobile networks were not very quickly saturated in the center of Istanbul, around Taksim Square.
According to two research students from NYU, the use of Twitter by the Turks during these days is "unique" compared to other protest movements. In the night from Friday to Saturday, from the first overflow, 90% of geolocated tweets about events in Turkey were sent from Turkish territory – which approximately 88% in Turkish – and 50% of these tweets were sent from Istanbul itself. By comparison, at the height of the Egyptian revolution, only 30% of tweets sent came from users actually present on Egyptian territory, according to a study published in 2012 by two researchers from the University of Colorado.
Censorship?
The proliferation of social platforms complicates any attempts to control the governments. Moreover, the widespread use of social networks in these events can be explained by the desire of Turkish citizens to overcome the absence of traditional media. In Turkey, many voices have been raised in recent days to protest government censorship and self-censorship of journalists.
Monday, at the time of writing, several hundred people had made an appointment – via social networks – outside the headquarters of the TV channel NTV vision to denounce its collusion with power. Hundreds of others were outside the headquarters of the pro-government newspaper "Sabah". If the mainstream media does not broadcast live events, activists have taken the lead. For several days, a continuous video stream from the center of Istanbul is available on the Internet. It is for all these reasons that Erdogan treats enemies social networks themselves up as alternative sources of information. Internet makes it well: the Anonymous, an international hackers so, have already given their support to the protest movement in a video posted Sunday on YouTube. It has already been viewed over 500,000 times.
Tunisia: Tunis: three FEMEN who showed topless will be judged on 5 June
The three FEMEN activists who had demonstrated topless Wednesday before the courthouse in Tunis on June 5, will be judged for "insulting public decency" and "indecent behavior" – offenses punishable by prison – said Friday that one of their lawyers. The three young women – two French and one German – were arrested by police when they were threatened by an angry mob, tells David Thomson, corresponding FRANCE 24 in Tunis. The hearing of their trial will take place in public in the district court of Tunis, said Mr. Souheib Bahri. Consulate of France told AFP the same information.
Heavier penalties
The three FEMEN comparaîtont the same day Tyler Amina, a young Tunisian 18 who also advocates within this movement. Sentenced Thursday to 300 dinars (about 150 euros) fine for possession of tear gas by the court of Kairouan, the Tunisian justice system has, in fact, decided to initiate new proceedings against him. She now accused of indecent and desecration of the cemetery to have tagged the word "FEMEN" on the wall of Kairouan in the margin of a Salafi rally on May 19 last. Offenses punishable by six months to two years in prison … which could reach six to twelve years if the judge considers Amina acted gang and holds the qualification of "conspiracy."
"It would be a shame to drop today"
The case of Amina and three European FEMEN raised much controversy in Tunisia. They receive very little support among the laity modernists, says David Thomson. Only Amina's father, who said he was "proud of his daughter," and a handful of feminists and Tunisia have expressed their support to the girl at his trial on Thursday . Contacted by AFP, the activist and journalist Henda Hendoud particular felt that "there [was] no exception to human rights, [and] Amina [ed , was] an activist, a woman who tries to defend himself, [so it would] be a shame to drop today. "
But most Tunisians are, themselves, indifferent to the fate of activists for the cause of women. "Even traditional feminists are dissociated from the movement they consider against-productive, says David Thomson. The FEMEN are accused of being neo-colonialists and disconnected from the Arab-Muslim. 'Culture
SYRIA: Lifting the European embargo on weapons to Syrian rebels
European foreign ministers, meeting Monday in Brussels, decided to lift the embargo on arms to the Syrian rebels and maintaining all other sanctions voted since the summer of 2011.
"The EU has decided to end the embargo on arms to the Syrian opposition and maintain other sanctions against the Syrian regime" made two years ago, said Minister British Foreign Secretary William Hague, in the middle of night, after a marathon meeting.
However, nothing should change in the next two months, none of the 27 countries
members who do not intend to send weapons for fear of endangering the initiative of Russian-American peace.
"This is a theoretical lifting of the embargo. Specifically, there will be no decision until at least next August 1 ", for its part, said a senior French official who requested anonymity.
No weapon and should be delivered by August 1, the date by which the ministers planned to "reconsider" their position. This period should allow them to make an initial assessment of the international conference "Geneva 2" in June at the initiative of the United States and Russia.
The peace conference "Geneva 2" heart of Americanos-Russian discussions
"We discussed how to proceed (…) that this conference takes place. it is not an easy task, this is really not an easy task, "said Monday the head of the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, following a meeting in Paris with his American counterpart John Kerry.
Set a date for the peace conference the sixth meeting between the two men since the inauguration of John Kerry in February aimed but also to determine the list of participants on the side , Syria.
Yet if Damascus gave its "agreement in principle" to participate in "Geneva 2," the Syrian opposition meeting in Istanbul since Thursday, appears deeply divided and
has not yet ruled on his presence.
The peace conference could also be "expanded to include all the key players" in the region. Moscow wants long as Iran, support the regime in Damascus, participates in negotiations, what Westerners refuse.
In June 2012, the first Geneva conference brought together the foreign ministers of the five permanent members of the Security Council of the UN (United States, China, Russia, France and Great Britain), representatives of Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Turkey, and United Nations officials and the European Union.
On the ground, the battle is still raging between rebels and Syrian forces of Bashar al-Assad, particularly around the strategic city of Qousseir in the center of the country.
Insurgents defend tooth and nail this city and its surroundings, strategic area for both rebels and the regime as it is on the main road to Lebanon and on the road between Damascus coast , rear base of the regime.
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