TERRORISM: Obama closing "a historic week" at Fort Campbell

AFP - Barack Obama closed on Friday "a historic week" for the United States with the decoration of the U.S. commando members who, by shooting down Osama bin Laden five days ago in Pakistan, "decapitated" al Qaeda.

Barack Obama and his Vice President Joe Biden visited earlier this afternoon on the military base of Fort Campbell (Kentucky, western central) to meet the assault force that led the operation against bin Laden .

The President has awarded them a "Presidential Citation, the highest award that can be given to a unit in recognition of their service and their extraordinary success," said an official on condition of anonymity.

"This week was historic for our nation," began a little later Barack Obama in a speech to soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division gathered at the base.

Mr.Obama said that eliminating bin Laden, the U.S. had "decapitated" al Qaeda and they would come to the end of the Islamist organization.

"We have beheaded Al-Qaeda and we will eventually overcome it," he promised the applause of the military.

"It was a chance for me to say on behalf of all Americans and all peoples throughout the world, good job. Good job!" He said. The men who led the raid against bin Laden are "professionals of the shadow of America ...they have trained for years, they are battle-hardened, they are prepared relentlessly for that mission. "

"When I ordered (to intervene, ie), they were ready. And these days, the whole world could see how much they were."

"Of those Americans who deserves credit for one of the largest military and intelligence operations in the history of our nation," he added.

No details were given on the exact composition of the squad but the president has met with members of the unit of helicopter pilots who participated in the raid and other special forces.

Vice President Biden simply stated the fact that members of the Navy Seals, Special Forces U.S. Navy, were involved.

But the White House refused to confirm his participation in the assault.

"Team 6" Navy SEALs (Team 6), presented by the media as the spearhead of the raid conducted against the residence of bin Laden in Pakistan, is the aristocracy of the SEALs - an acronym for Sea, Air, Land (sea, air, earth) also meaning seal - and its missions are considered so sensitive that their existence was never confirmed.

Osama Bin Laden was killed in the night from Sunday to Monday by a U.S. special forces operation against the residence where he was hiding in Abbottabad, a garrison city near Islamabad, Pakistan, ending a 10-year hunt .

Moreover, the Washington Post reports that the CIA since his "hideout" installed to monitor the residence of bin Laden, had observed that anyone leaving the residence should move away by car while riding for at least 90 minutes before use his cell phone to escape a possible electronic surveillance.

The U.S. plays were first picked up a phone call sent the emissary of bin Laden, who lived in the residence.The envoy said at the time the caller on the phone: "I'm back with people with whom I was before," reports the Washington Post.

Through this call, U.S. intelligence was able to identify the telephone number of the effluent. Then use "amount of human and technical resources," the CIA has finally located the residence of Abbottabad, where lived the outfall, and Bin Laden.

TERRORISM: The U.S. squad had prepared to kill Osama bin Laden

REUTERS - The U.S. special forces involved in the attack against the residence where Osama bin Laden was hiding were prepared to kill the leader of Al Qaeda, officials said Monday U.S. national security.

"It was an operation to kill. If he released the white flag to surrender, he was captured alive," said one official.But during the preparation of
the operation, the working hypothesis was that bin Laden and fought, what actually happened.

The Islamist leader has "participated" in exchange of gunfire between U.S. commandos and the occupants of the fortified residence in which he entrenched himself in Abbottabad, north of Islamabad, the official said.

Other officials said the clash lasted 40 minutes and that the al Qaeda leader had been shot in the head and chest and did not return fire.

Three other men and a woman were killed in the assault of American forces that have no loss in their ranks. A wife of Bin Laden, believed to be dead at first, is in fact injured.The woman killed in the raid was not used as human shields, an official said, correcting earlier statements.

Navy Seals

A senior U.S. administration has confirmed that the soldiers involved in the transaction knew that bin Laden would prefer to die rather than be captured alive.

"The U.S. troops do not seek to kill if there is a way to get a surrender in accordance with military rules of engagement.That said, I think the idea was widely shared that it would end with a death, "the official said.

The operation involved 15 members of special forces, mostly U.S. Navy Seals (elite unit of the Navy), who were based in Afghanistan, said an official familiar with the details of the attack.

Specialists in forensic medicine have also participated in the raid to recover evidence to prove the identity of bin Laden and hunt down information which other leaders of Al Qaeda or to foil the conspiracies being prepared.

According to the National Journal, U.S. authorities had used the information collected on the complex of Abbottabad to build a replica and conduct training sessions in early April.

In the hours that followed the death of Osama bin Laden by President Barack Obama, the commandos have surrounded the remains of Bin Laden at sea

This measure was taken so that the body of the leader of Al Qaeda does not become the object of a cult and it does not appear as a martyr for future activists.

The trail of a "mail"

The crucial information that helped track down bin Laden was provided during interrogations of activists detained by U.S. troops after the attacks of Sept. 11.

Some activists, many of which are held in military prison at Guantanamo, have informed U.S. intelligence on the existence of an "e" close to the Islamist leader.

Initially, U.S. officials did not know the names and activities of this messenger. His identity was discovered four years ago. Two years ago, another reliable information was obtained about the fact that this letter and his brother operated near Islamabad.

In August 2010, the United States end up unable to locate a residence in Abbottabad in which live two brothers, their families and a third larger family.

The residence is at the end of an unpaved road, not far from a military academy in Pakistan.Some residents are retired Pakistani officers.

Using photographs provided by the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA) from spy satellites and aircraft as well as plays the NSA, the CIA has concluded that the residence was equipped with safety means unusual. It also appeared that its occupants were taking precautions also unusual.

In early 2011, the CIA became convinced that a target "important" was in the residence of Abbottabad and the probability was high whether bin Laden. The CIA, however, has never had the "absolute certainty" that the leader of Al Qaeda was actually in residence, said an official.

TECHNOLOGY: Samsung cons-attack and in turn drags Apple to court for plagiarism

Reuters - Samsung Electronics has filed several complaints against Apple accusing it of plagiarism in the design of the iPhone and iPad, making shot after shot for a similar procedure against him by the firm at the apple.

The California group was asked last week the opening of proceedings against its South Korean rival, whom he accuses of having "slavishly" copy successful models in its range of phones and tablets Galaxy.

In a statement, Samsung said Friday that the iPhone and iPad violating 10 patents owned by itself and requires its U.S. rival put an end to plagiarism and he compensates.

"Samsung strongly responds to the legal proceedings launched against us to protect our intellectual property and ensure the continuation of our innovation and our growth in the area of ​​mobile communication," can you read.

This escalation could jeopardize relations between the two companies, providing Samsung Group Cupertino, fleas and other LCDs.

Last year, Apple was the second South Korean client behind Japan's Sony with about 6,200 billion won of sales (3.9 billion euros), and looks set to become its first customer this year.

Ten complaints were filed before the justices South Korean, Japanese and German concerns a system for reducing energy consumption during data transmission or 3G technology to reduce errors during the transmission.

JAPAN: Discovery of a crack in the No. 2 reactor in Fukushima

Technicians working tirelessly to rugged central Fukushima discovered Saturday that the highly radioactive water flowed into the ocean from a well cracked, announced the company operating the site.

"Today around 9:30 (0030 GMT), workers have discovered that water from a radioactivity of 1.000 mSv per hour had accumulated in a well" near the sea, an official said Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO).

"They realized that the well was a crack of 20 cm and radioactive water escaped into the sea," he added.

TEPCO intends to plug the crack and perform analysis of the level of radioactivity in seawater, by taking samples near the plant and three locations located 15 kilometers from the site, said spokesperson.

TEPCO announced Thursday that measured in seawater collected at 300 meters south of the central rate of radioiodine 4,385 times the legal limit.

The Japanese authorities make every effort to avert the risk of nuclear catastrophe in Fukushima (northeastern Japan), while continuing radioactive releases that are sustainable and pollution fears of widespread environmental.

To keep the oil at a temperature below the melting point, thousands of tons of water were dumped on the reactors. Consequence of this "wash", huge quantities of contaminated water seeped into the crawl underground and runoff into the Pacific Ocean nearby.

This accumulation of highly radioactive water in the site is very problematic in terms of storage and treatment and severely hindering operations to boost the cooling circuits of the plant.

The situation in Fukushima "remains very serious," said Friday the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

BAHRAIN: The security forces violently dislodge protesters from the center of Manama

REUTERS - Opponents Bahraini reached Sunday to block access to the Financial Harbour business district of Manama, despite police intervention
of the order who used tear gas and water cannons.

The fighting has been unprecedented violence since February 17, when seven people were killed by the army.

Young protesters set up barricades across the avenue leading to the business district, having overwhelmed riot police who were trying to contain near the Place de la Perle, the epicenter of the dispute.

"The Interior Ministry is currently conducting operations to re-open the avenue of King Faisal and advised the demonstrators to return to the Place de la Perle for their own
security ", officials say in a statement.

Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. Fifth Fleet, is restless since last month by an unprecedented protest movement since the 1990s, inspired by the popular uprisings of Tunisia and Egypt.

The Youth Movement of 14-Feb, whose militants are encamped on the Place de la Perle, announced Saturday his intention to form a human chain to block access to the Financial Harbour.

FRANCE: Prison sought against Jean-Marie Le Pen for the sign "No to Islam '

A sentence of imprisonment was necessary Tuesday before the correctional court of Nanterre against Jean-Marie Le Pen for having, by campaign posters, incited hatred against the Muslim population and people of Algerian origin.

The prosecutor, Yvon Tallec, has left it to the fourteenth chamber, captured on direct quotation by the Movement against Racism and for Friendship between Peoples (MRAP), determine the quantum of sentence and the amount a fine.

The poster in question was a fully veiled woman beside a map of France covered the Algerian flag on which rose the minarets shaped missiles, with the title "No to Islam".

In the last regional elections in February 2010, the movement "Youth" National Front had released the posters in the Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur and on its website and then across France.

At the time, the case had sparked protests from Algeria.

In early December, the Paris court had exonerated Jean-Marie Le Pen, prosecuted for the same actions by the League against Racism and Antisemitism and SOS Racisme, without addressing the merits of the case, dismissing the two associations pure questions of form.

At the hearing in Nanterre, MRAP's lawyer, Khaled Lasbeur, produced a video of a speech on 7 March 2010 in which Jean-Marie Le Pen "claims authorship of the poster, thereby constituting the offense of incitement to hatred, "the prosecutor.

For his part, counsel for the National Front of Jean-Marie Le Pen, Mr. Wallerand de Saint Just, said that the poster in question said: "No to Islam" and not Islam.

On the speech of Jean-Marie Le Pen, his lawyer conceded that his client justified the poster, but it does not prove that it "was the author, editor of internet sites who posted the sign, printer or Gluer these posters. "

"This is a baseless accusation that Mr. Le Pen.A politician has the right to say that Islamism is a danger for France! "Said Mr. Wallerand St. Just.

The decision was taken under advisement on April 5.

MIDDLE EAST: The two Iranian warships entered the Suez Canal

AFP - Two Iranian warships entered the Suez Canal on Tuesday at dawn to spend in the Mediterranean, a first since 1979, described as "provocation" by Israel, officials said official sources.

"The two ships (Iranian war) have crossed the canal (Suez) to Tuesday at 5:45 local time (3:35 GMT)" to enter the Mediterranean, told AFP a source of the Canal Authority.

In general, a ship needs 12 to 14 hours to cross the channel.

An official with the Supreme Council of the Egyptian army said Monday night at the private TV Dream, that permission had been given under the Constantinople Convention of 1888 and built which allows the passage of warships through the Suez Canal .

Egypt has allowed both ships to transit the Suez Canal after sending conflicting signals, saying at first did not receive a request for passage and then suggesting that the buildings were indeed blocked.

According to the official news agency Fars, the buildings in question are the Kharg, a supply ship and support of 33,000 tons, and Alvand, a patrol frigate, both of British construction.

The Kharg has a crew of 250 people and can accommodate up to three helicopters.The Alvand is armed with torpedoes and antiship missiles.

Israel, which considers Iran a major threat to its security, denounced on Wednesday a "provocation" by the voice of its Minister of Foreign Affairs, the hawk right nationalist Avigdor Lieberman.

According to Iranian diplomatic sources, the two buildings should visit "routine" of a few days in Syria.

TUNISIA: Hospitalized in Jeddah, the former deposed President Ben Ali would be "in a coma"

AFP - Former Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, 74, who fled his country on 14 January under pressure from the street after 23 years of unchallenged power, is "comatose" for two days in a Jeddah hospital following a stroke, said Thursday AFP close to his family.

"He went into a coma two days ago. He is in hospital in Jeddah," said this source contacted by telephone by the AFP in a Gulf country. "He had a stroke (cerebrovascular accident), it is in a serious condition," she added.

"If he dies, a dictator is gone and I say good riddance. You turn the page, we have other things to do in this country," Adel responded, teacher of 50 years."If her death is confirmed, however, that I say this without divine punishment fell immediately," said a student of 25 years, Amin, interviewed in downtown Tunis. "I object to his burial in our country," he added.

Asked about the hospitalization of Ben Ali, spokesman for the Tunisian government, Taieb Baccouch, has not been able to confirm.He said that "his health will be discussed on Friday by the Cabinet."

The ousted president, who suffers from prostate cancer, and his family fled to Saudi Arabia on January 14 after nearly a month of unprecedented popular protest quelled in blood with dozens of deaths.

The Tunisian newspaper The Daily had published an article Thursday titled "Ben Ali suffered a stroke," citing the blog of a French journalist Nicolas Beau, expert from Tunisia, where he stated that Ben Ali is in serious condition and that for safety reasons, it "would be treated under the identity of a Saudi Emir.

Touafik Ben Brik, the Tunisian dissident journalist who has experienced the jails of the regime of Ben Ali for his critical articles, told AFP he felt "almost in mourning:" I could not forget it is still in us, it's part of our past and it will live long in us. "

One of the most famous Tunisian opposition, the Communist Hama Hammami, said that "it is the fate of all dictators in the world."

Tunisian lawyer for Yadh Ben Achour, president of the national commission of political, hospitalization Ben Ali proves that "there is justice on earth."

Ben Ali has ruled the country by building his regime on a balance between iron fist based on a policy now disgraced and prosperity, which eventually failed, causing his fall.

Father of six children, three from his first marriage, it appeared the last time often accompanied by his wife Leila Trabelsi.According to observers, he seemed fragile and under the influence of her husband's family accused of grip on the economy.

The revolt against the government began in Sidi Bouzid (West Central) after the suicide in mid-December Bouazizi Mohammed, an unemployed youth of 26 years unable to perform as a peddler by police and became the symbol of the frustration of young people in this country where unemployment is nearly 30% of young people.

The riots had gradually taken a political turn, had spread throughout the country and had won the capital affecting the bourgeois elites.The army played a vital role by refusing to fire on demonstrators at the height of the controversy.

Since his departure, the assets of the deposed president were frozen in several countries, many family members were arrested and international arrest warrant was issued against him and his wife.

Since then, a transitional government led by former Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi and comprising members of the former opposition, promised to devote pluralism and democracy. The first free elections - presidential and legislative-are planned in 6 months.An amnesty law is foreseen and the legalization of former opposition parties banned.

The new authorities, who continue to face social instability and a strong political protest, fear a "conspiracy" of the former regime loyalists.

Appeal to Florence last chance Break Thursday

Cassez, sentenced to 60 years in prison in Mexico for kidnapping and maintains his innocence, should be attached to his fate on Thursday, with the review by three judges of the cassation appeal, after five years and two months already spent in locks.

The French had been arrested Dec. 8, 2005 on a road from Cuernavaca (center) in Mexico with his former partner, Israel Vallarta, suspected by police of leading a criminal group, "Los Zodiaco", which would have been its credit a dozen kidnappings.

The next morning at dawn, police had arranged before the Mexican television cameras, a scene of arrest and Break Vallarta on a ranch where three hostages were held.The assembly was falsely presented as a live arrest.

Now aged 36 years, Florence Break has always protested his innocence and said she was unaware of the activities of Vallarta, which is still awaiting trial.

She was sentenced to 96 years in prison in the first instance in April 2008 for four kidnappings, involvement in a criminal conspiracy and weapons possession.This sentence was reduced on appeal to 60 years in prison in March 2009.

For advocates of the young woman, the cassation appeal (amparo) filed in August 2010 suggests that all the charges "built on sand" on "falsified evidence."

At the beginning of the case, the opinion was unanimous Mexican Cassez been hostile to media and the verdict was no appeal against the "evil French".

But since the conviction on appeal, the activities of lawyers and press-depth investigations have cast doubt in circles wider and wider in Mexico.

In November, the French received two notable supporters: that the Catholic Church of Mexico and a former federal Attorney-General, the equivalent of the Minister of Justice.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, convinced of the innocence of Florence Break, was personally involved in defending the young woman with whom he has since maintained regular telephone contacts for almost three years.

The announcement of the conviction on appeal from the French, just days before the visit of French president in Mexico in March 2009 and, three months after the formal refusal of Mexican President Felipe Calderon to consider a transfer to France, had emerged as a snub to France.

Associations of Mexican kidnap victims are most opposed to any leniency towards the French.Wednesday night again, four of them have urged the judiciary and the Mexican government to "not yield to pressure the French government" in the case of Florence Break, on behalf of the fight against impunity.

The Embassy of France in Mexico responded in a statement condemning the "direct pressure on the judicial power" exercised by these organizations on the eve of a trial in cassation.

"Many Mexican institutions and individuals have rallied to denounce what they consider serious irregularities and violations of safeguards that have characterized this case since the initial assembly, which in itself casts doubt on the whole the judicial process, "said the embassy.

FOOTBALL: The Egyptian Football Federation postponed games at the weekend

The Egyptian Football Federation (EFA) announced it would suspend the championship games of the weekend because of anti-government protests taking place across the country for several days.

On the website of the federation, to which access is denied since this morning, no official reason has been mentioned. The statement said only that the games provided on Friday and Saturday were postponed to a later date.

In Tunisia, where the regime of Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali was overthrown, the national championship has been suspended since January 9. The friendly match, to be held on February 9 between Algeria and Tunisia, in Tunis, however, was maintained.No decision has yet been taken on the friendly, laid the same day in Cairo between Egypt and the United States.