SYRIA: The system maintains the military pressure, two protesters killed in Homs

Two protesters were killed Friday by gunfire police in Homs in central Syria, while many soldiers and members of the security services were deployed in the homes of protest against the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

Despite the crackdown - which killed at least 700 deaths and thousands of arrests since the beginning of the protest movement in mid-March, according to human rights organizations of human rights - the opposition had appealed mobilization on the "The Syrian Revolution 2011".

In the afternoon, the Information Minister, Adnan Mahmoud, announced a "national dialogue would be initiated in the coming days" in the country.

Fouad Rajab, 40, was hit by a bullet in the head when the security services opened fire to disperse a manifestation of Homs, told AFP an activist of Human Rights, Nawar al-Omar.

A second protester was killed by gunfire in Homs, but the activist was not able to provide his identity.

According Louaï Hussein, a writer and opponent of President Assad had nevertheless instructed police not to open fire on demonstrators.

An adviser to the president, "Bouthaina Shaaban, told me during a telephone conversation that presidential orders had been given strict not to open fire on the demonstrators," said Mr.Hussein on his Facebook page.

Other events were attended by thousands of people Deraa (south), Qamishli, and Derbassyié Amouda (north-east), WQAS near Damascus and Hama 210 km north of the capital.

"Security forces fire into the air with automatic weapons to disperse to Deraa thousands of protesters," said one activist told AFP in this city south, where the protest movement was born in mid- March.

A Qamichli with a Kurdish majority, nearly 3,000 people demonstrated after prayers, according to another activist."With our soul and our blood we sacrifice ourselves for Deraa," chanted the demonstrators, according to a video posted on YouTube.

The protesters also wore a huge Syrian flag on which was written + + Azadi ("freedom" in Kurdish), depending on the video.

In addition, hundreds of people demonstrated in Jdaidet-Artouz, 11 km south of Damascus, "calling for the downfall of the regime," said another activist.

A thousand protesters also marched in WQAS, near the capital, where "significant reinforcements came," according to activists.

In the city of Hama, the police dispersed several demonstrations with batons, tear gas and water cannon.One of the demonstrations took place outside the headquarters of the town hall, where demonstrators tore the portrait of President Bashar al-Assad before being dispersed by Syrian forces, as an activist.

In all outbreaks of the dispute, "there is a large deployment of officers of the security forces," said one activist told AFP.

Asked in the morning, an activist from the coastal city of Banias (North West) stated that "more than 2,000 soldiers" were deployed in the square where people were demonstrating.

But the information minister said in the afternoon as the army began to withdraw from this coastal town, where she had entered Saturday.

According militants, arrests were also continuing across the country, Deir Ezzor (is) in Lattakia (northwest) and to Qamichli Deraa. Wednesday, 19 civilians had been killed by security forces in Dera and Homs, according to an NGO.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said he was "extremely concerned" by reports of NGOs have reported 700 to 850 deaths among the demonstrators and called on Damascus to stop trying to "silence opponents.

The British Foreign Ministry announced it had summoned the ambassador of Syria, threatening to "further sanctions".And Australia said it would tighten its financial sanctions against Damascus.

The head of European diplomacy, Catherine Ashton, had not ruled yesterday that the sanctions taken against 13 members of the scheme can be extended to President Assad.

The head of Russian diplomacy, Sergei Lavrov, however, warned against foreign intervention, calling on the Syrian opposition not to repeat the "Libyan scenario," according to Russian news agencies.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on his part that he was "too early" to say whether President Assad had to go.

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.

RENAULT RE: "Patrick Pelata was the only one to head to Carlos Ghosn"

It is no longer CEO of Renault. Patrick Pelata, emblematic of the French automotive group, presented Monday his resignation to the board's special company, which accepted it. The right arm of Carlos Ghosn is the most senior of the company to make false charges of espionage affair that rocked the automaker

This former home of the Renault was the current office of the company. So much so that some, like Peter Alanche, a former employee and author of "Renault, side yard" (ed.Workshop, 2007) believes that his departure is bad news for the group.

FRANCE 24: The resignation of Patrick Pelata the post of director general is it bad news for Renault?
Alanche Peter: Yes, Patrick Pelata had managed to make the connection between the base of the group and management. Near Carlos Ghosn - they were classmates at the Polytechnic, he is considered one of the principal architects of social dialogue at Renault. He was also responsible for all operational and has personally overseen the implementation of the strategy of the electric car of Renault.

His resignation also marks the withdrawal of a leading critic of the social tradition of the group.Patrick Pelata has worked 30 years for Renault. He went through all services prior to accessing the highest offices. Do not forget that he is the author of a thesis on the social dimension of any industrial strategy and has been a time fellow traveler of the French Communist Party.

F24: How was he regarded by employees of Renault?
Alanche stone: He was clearly regarded as one of the leaders most open to dialogue.The company is not just for him at an industrial strategy. Instead, Patrick Pelata has always highlighted the social dimension in the company, which was for years the specificity of Renault.

Most importantly, everyone agrees that Patrick Pelata was the only dare stand up to Carlos Ghosn. He was never afraid to contradict the boss and discuss his choices. However, we should not kid ourselves, the two men had the same strategic vision for the group.

F24: Under these conditions, why the board did accept the resignation of Patrick Pelata?
Pierre Alanche: Carlos Ghosn did not want to part with his No. 2. He had already once refused his resignation in early March.He is convinced that Patrick Pelata committed no errors. So here it is not a power struggle. But public opinion and the state wanted to cut off heads, and only Patrick Pelata has sufficient stature to play the sacrificial victims. The other option was to sacrifice Carlos Ghosn as CEO but is the glue of the entire Renault-Nissan, it was impossible to drop it.

Patrick Pelata still remains within the group, which is still a strong signal. Now it is still necessary to know what role he will be awarded?

SYRIA: Authorities in the blood repress a demonstration in Deraa

Thirteen demonstrators were killed and dozens wounded Friday by gunfire from security forces in Dera (100 km south of Damascus), where several thousand people demonstrated after prayers, according to revised figures provided to AFP by activist for human rights.

A previous report from the same source reported the deaths of seven people in this city, the epicenter of protest against the regime.

"Members of the security services in civilian clothes opened fire to disperse the protesters after the prayer," said the activist reached by telephone.

According to him, thirteen identified protesters were killed and dozens wounded by fire from security forces.

The demonstrators then set fire to a seat of the ruling party, the Baath in the city.

The official media have referred two deaths, a member of the security services and an ambulance, and dozens of wounded civilians, police and security services hit by gunfire attributed to "armed men opened fire on the crowd ".

Syria was the scene since mid-March of a protest movement unprecedented regime of Bashar al-Assad.

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).

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.

HAITI: Former President Aristide is no longer persona non grata in Port-au-Prince

The Haitian government has a diplomatic passport issued Monday for former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, giving him the opportunity to enter the country of which he was ousted by an armed insurrection in 2004, told AFP an official Haiti.

"The passport was issued Monday. All the formalities have been completed," the official said under condition of anonymity.

The passport must be presented to a lawyer for Mr. Aristide, Ira Kurzban. The latter, based in Miami, was unable to confirm this information.

"If they issued a passport, they have not told me," said the lawyer told AFP.Asked about the chances of a quick return of the former president in Port-au-Prince, Mr. Kurzban said: "I think it comes close, but we're not there yet."

The lawyer, who was recently in Port-au-Prince, plans to return to the Haitian capital in the coming days, but he would not say when.

The Haitian government announced last week that he was willing to surrender a passport to the former president if he so requested.

In a statement released mid-January, Mr.Aristide installed in South Africa, explained wanting to return home for medical reasons and also "to help serve my brothers and sisters in Haiti as a private citizen in the field of education."

If his return is confirmed, Mr. Aristide still popular among the poor, would be the second former president to return to Haiti after Jean-Claude Duvalier.The former dictator "Baby Doc" has returned to Port-au-Prince on January 16 after 25 years of exile in France, while the country was facing a crisis consecutive election in the first round of the disputed presidential election on November 28.

The outgoing president, Rene Preval, had originally due to hand this Monday, Feb. 7, but its mandate is extended, pending the second round of presidential elections, scheduled March 20. The consultation will oppose Mirlande Manigat, an intellectual age 70, the singer Michel Martelly, 49.

The Electoral Council has reversed last week's first round results, excluding the race of the candidate Mr.Preval, Jude Celestin.

Jean-Bertrand Aristide, 57, a former opponent of the Duvalier dictatorship (1957-86) and priest advocate of "liberation theology", was first elected to lead the country in 1990 before being expelled the country eight months later by a military coup.

Revenue at the head of state in October 1994 through a military intervention by the United States, he completed his term in 1996, leaving power to his heir, the current President Rene Preval.

The former slum priest, relieved of his vows by the Vatican for a dispensation to marry, was reelected in November 2000.But he was forced into exile in February 2004 under the threat of armed insurrection coupled with international pressure, including U.S. and France, who accuse it of incompetence.