The U.S. Senate vote to open debate on firearms

 

It is a small victory against Lobbie pro-gun. On Thursday, the U.S. Democrats have received the support of several Republican senators to win the vote for the opening of a historic debate on strengthening the legislation firearms. At a polling procedure with 60 votes out of 100 were required, 68 senators voted for the opening of discussions, 31 against

.

First win, therefore, both the Republican senators, fiercely opposed to any reform concerning firearms have increased this week procedural devices to prevent even holding a debate

.

Check psychiatric history buyers

The White House welcomed the vote, while stressing that it was only a "first step". Vote because it only gives the opportunity for senators to debate the issue. Now remains to convince them to vote on the bottom. More specifically, to vote in favor of one of the measures of the bill, led by Democrat Joe Manchin and Republican Pat Toomey, a history of verifying the , teeth judicial and psychiatric buyers of firearms in specialized fairs or online. For now, only stores are subject to mandatory control.

"We have an agreement […] to prevent criminals, the mentally ill and unbalanced to obtain weapons," said Joe Manchin. "If you visit frequently, you will be treated the same way as in a store, subject to audit," he added.

This measure, supported by nine out of ten Americans, however, denounced by lobbies such as the National Rifle Association (NRA), who see a risk of undermining the Second Amendment and the opportunity for the government to establish a national database of gun owners. The path to legislation could still be marked obstacles and fears Barack Obama to see most of his proposals rendered meaningless by a series of amendments.

"Their death must have meaning"

U.S. President relies on the trauma of the school massacre Sandy Hook, Newtown, in December 2012, the senators to convince of the merits of a stricter legislation on the control of firearms.

Thursday's election was also held under the gaze of several relatives of victims of the shooting. Earlier, during a press conference in an atmosphere heavy with emotion, they had testified before the cameras to call the Senate to take measures against arms violence.

"Their death deserves to have a meaning," he told Jillian Soto, the sister of a teacher killed in Newtown. "We are here to protect their heritage, to honor them and demand that something be done."

With despatches

EGYPT: Violence deadly sectarian near Cairo

 

Five people were killed and eight wounded another near Cairo in clashes between Muslims and Coptic Christians, officials said Saturday a source close to the security.

The clashes, which erupted late Friday in the town of Al Khoussous and continued Saturday morning claimed the lives of four Copts and a Muslim. Several shops belonging to Christians have been looted and burned a dispensary.

The official news agency Mena reported that the first clashes, reported a total of four deaths.

Residents said violence erupted when Coptic children drew graffiti on the wall of a Muslim religious institute.

A Reuters reporter found a badge resembling a swastika was drawn on the wall, people stating that they had been angered because they believed that c 'was a cross.

"I saw children after prayer and I caught telling them what they had drawn clear," he told Mahmoud al-Alfi, a Muslim villagers. 

According to his testimony, another man would have intervened and started beating the young, attracting a larger crowd.

The situation escalated when a man opened fire and shot "in the air", killing a child.

"All of a sudden, the area was full of weapons," Mahmoud al-Alfi finished.

Condolences to the presidency

President Mohamed Morsi, from the Muslim Brotherhood has sent his condolences to the families of the victims and promised to take action against sectarian violence.

"The Chair (…) Unequivocally rejects any action against the unity and cohesion of Egyptian society and oppose all attempts to instill religious division within the Egyptian people, Muslims and Christians, "reads the statement.

Mohamed Morsi is committed to protecting the rights of Copts in Egypt, who make up about 10% of the approximately 83 million inhabitants.

But tensions remain high between the two communities, the Copts felt marginalized by the Muslim majority at all levels of society, especially in the machinery of the state. 

Copts also complain to see their churches be the target of attacks by radical Islamists and say that it is much more difficult to obtain official permission to build a church a mosque e.

Saturday, calm prevailed in Khoussous, where security forces have increased their presence, according to a source close to the security. A dozen police vehicles organize patrol city, where 15 people were arrested by the police.

"Religious riots that erupted Khoussous serious and unacceptable," said Saad al-Katatni, the party's leader from the Muslim Brotherhood on his Facebook page. "They are the result of people who want to put Egypt on fire and cause seizures."

Reuters

CENTRAL: Bangui has a new government formed by rebels and opponents

 

Djotodia Michel, who took office on March 24 after the Central blitzkrieg rebels Seleka, announced Sunday the composition of the new interim government in which he assumes five ministries, including defense.

According to an official statement, the new team to prepare for elections within three years will be led by outgoing Prime Minister, Nicolas Tiangaye.

Saturday, the new strong man of Bangui had excluded any act of reprisal against his opponents and urged his compatriots who fled abroad to return home.

"I appeal to patriotic and fraternal our compatriots who chose exile, to return", said the former diplomat trained in the Soviet Union. 

"There will be no witch hunt because we need to promote tolerance, dialogue and forgiveness," he shouted to a crowd of thousands of enthusiastic supporters gathered near the palace Presidential.

He also requested assistance from the international community, including France, the former colonial power which has a small military contingent RCA responsible for the protection of the French community.

The coup d'état against President François Bozizé was condemned by the international community. The African Union has suspended its ranks Central and sanctions taken against their new leaders, including Michel Djotodia.

REUTERS

VATICAN: Pope Meeting between François unique and Benedict XVI in an atmosphere of "family"

 

Ten days after his election, Pope François met Saturday at Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome, Benedict XVI's predecessor, became "Pope emetic rite "in the wake of the waiver to the papal throne in late February.

The pontiff Argentina, aged 76, arrived shortly before 11:30 (10:30 GMT) by helicopter to the papal summer residence, near the lake of Albano, where he was greeted at the descent of the aircraft by Benedict XVI.  

The two men in white were hugged and then went to pray together in the chapel of the papal palace of the seventeenth century, before a private meeting of three quarters of an hour followed by lunch in pre presence of the two secretaries.

The atmosphere was "family," said the Vatican spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi.

When the pope and his predecessor went to the chapel to pray, Benedict XVI presented to Pope Francis kneelers at the altar, the place of honor reserved e to the pontiff, but he declined the offer, said Father Lombardi.

"We are brothers, we pray together," said Francis, faithful to its image of simplicity and humility. 

During their private meeting, the two men have probably talked about the challenges facing the Catholic Church, especially in the wake of the scandal "VatiLeaks" and whose acuity has led Benoy , t XVI, 85, to resign, saying that the state of his forces was no longer compatible with the exercise of its functions.

The last day of his pontificate, February 28, Benedict XVI is committed to evidence of "unconditional submission" to his successor.

He lived in Castel Gandolfo until April, the time to complete the repairs to the Mater Ecclesiae convent, located in the enclave Vatican, where he settled with books and orange. 

The waiver of a previous pontiff, a rare thing, was in December 1294, when Celestine V had decided to abandon the head of the Catholic Church, their silver medal win five months , s he took office, to find his life as a hermit. He died a year and a half later.

But nothing indicates that Celestin had then met his successor, Boniface VIII, which made this meeting in Castel Gandolfo a "first" in the history of the Church.

In 1415, Gregory XII had also resigned under pressure from the Council of Pisa, in order to end the Great Schism, but forced forced departure was more akin to a evidence that a voluntary surrender.

Reuters

CYPRUS: London airlifting one million euros for its staff in Cyprus

 

This is the story of the British aircraft that was worth a million. "An aircraft of the Royal Air Force took off for Cyprus this afternoon (…) in the context of exceptional measures to provide emergency loans to military personnel and their families" , said Tuesday, March 19, a spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

This decision was taken by surprise fear Cypriot banks running out of money. Nicosia, on the edge of bankruptcy, forceps negotiates the terms of its financial bailout with the European Union (EU) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Cyprus does not digest the tax on bank deposits required in the famous rescue plan. Pending a final agreement and prevent stampedes at the counters, island banks are closed and will not reopen until Thursday, March 21.

The UK Department also contacted members of his staff to ask if they wanted their salary for the month of March and the following months will be paid into bank accounts in the UK, rather on bank accounts in Cyprus.

"We are determined to do everything possible to minimize the impact of the banking crisis in Cyprus on our citizens," added the spokesman.

Approximately 3,000 British troops are based in Cyprus, former colony and strategic point in the Mediterranean.

FRANCE: French alleged jihadist arrested in Mali, another deported to France

 

They are now number two. French jihadist was recently captured in northern Mali, while another man with dual nationality, arrested in November in the center of the country was expelled on 5 March to France and placed in custody on Thursday.

The arrest is the latest result of taking a "half-dozen" jihadists after fierce fighting that pitted these days the French forces and Chadian Islamists in the massif of Adra Ifoghas in northern Mali, officials said Thursday night a source close to the case, confirming a report given by the French daily Liberation. 

The other jihadist alleged Franco-Malian nationality, was arrested on November 3 at Sévaré in the center of the country, the authorities in Bamako. Aziz Ibrahim Ouattara, 25, is suspected of trying to join jihadist groups operating in the region. At the time of his arrest, he traveled with the identification of a certain Dramé Khalifa. This has also been placed in custody Tuesday in the premises of the Central Directorate of Internal Intelligence (DCRI) in Levallois (Hauts-de-Seine), according to the ME I source.

The French Minister of Defence, who makes a surprise visit Thursday from Mali, confirmed Tuesday the expulsion of the latter to France. "We made a French prisoner who will be extradited to France in times to come," said Defence Minister on Europe 1. "This shows that there was the creation of a kind of chain terrorist war that could accommodate some young people in search of a destiny radical as some have to go before Afghanistan or Syria, "said Jean-Yves Le Drian.

Already indicted in 2010

The man was already known to the French police. In November 2010, he was indicted under suspicion of planned attack against the rector of the Paris Mosque, Boubakeur. During this investigation, nine people have been indicted.

The case of Aziz Ibrahim Ouattara was particularly interested investigators, because of stays abroad, particularly in Yemen and Pakistan, where apprentice terrorist sought to rally combat zones. Arrested in Egypt in the fall of 2010, he was sent to France and then remanded in custody before being released in July 2012 and placed under controlled and the judiciary.

Forbidden to leave the country, however, man is able to obtain a false identity and join the Mali through Portugal.

With despatches

BANKS: Suspected tax fraud: French raid on the headquarters of UBS

AFP

The French headquarters of Swiss bank UBS in Paris was raided Wednesday in the investigation for "laundering tax fraud", the bank was suspected , have introduced a double accounting and facilitated the opening of undeclared accounts in Switzerland.

A dozen investigators from the national judicial customs (SNDJ) entered Wednesday morning in the premises of the bank with the judge Daïeff Guillaume Paris, in charge of the investigation, AFP a source close to the matter.

Two people were indicted in this case, a former leader of the UBS office in Lille and a framework UBS employee in Strasbourg. Several searches have been conducted in the premises of the bank in Strasbourg, Lyon and Bordeaux since late June.

A spokesman for the bank in Paris confirmed Wednesday that the "judge has actually visited the headquarters of UBS in Paris France as part of its investigation."

"We are cooperating fully with the authorities. The search is part of searches in other subsidiaries of UBS in France since April 2012, "said his side a spokesman for UBS in Switzerland AFP.

"As a group, we have an internal regulation which requires that the laws of the country are met. If employees have violated these laws, then they will be punished, "he added.

The first Swiss bank is suspected of having set up a dual accounting, designed to hide certain capital movements between France and Switzerland, and have enabled its Swiss business to solicit clients on French territory, in violation of the law. Denunciations of former employees

These facts have been particularly criticized by former employees. 

An anonymous note sent to the Prudential Supervisory Authority (ACP), seen by AFP, outlines the existence of "books of milk" between 2002 and 2007, a system designed to register new accounts undeclared Swiss made by salespeople.

She described the alleged role of responsible business in Switzerland and France and executives of UBS in France this double counting.

This system allowed not to leave a trace in the official tools while allowing the bank to calculate business operations for their year-end bonuses, according to this note. 

The judicial practices of the Swiss bank in France was opened in April for "banking or financial by unauthorized persons and tax evasion and laundering of funds obtained through an illegal solicitation, committed by an organized gang. "

Initially, a preliminary investigation was opened by the Paris prosecutor's office in March 2011 after transmission by the ACP in charge of banking supervision, a note on the practices commercial bank.

Meanwhile, another judicial inquiry opened in Paris in April for "obstructing the functioning of the committee on health, safety and working conditions (HSC)" and "harass Lement moral "at UBS, told AFP judicial source. Several officers had denounced the conditions of their departure from UBS.

In 2009, an agreement was reached with the United States to UBS reveals the names of 4,450 American clients whom he had offered to conceal funds to the IRS. The first Swiss bank had also paid a sum of $ 780 million, including a fine and back taxes.

(AFP)

EUROZONE: Eurozone suspended announcements of the ECB

 

Financial Markets and European politicians hold their breath. This Thursday, Sept. 6, the European Central Bank (ECB) should reveal the decisions it will take to help countries in the euro zone hit by the crisis and save the monetary union. The political and economic actors expect particularly whether the ECB will buy the sovereign debt of countries in the euro area.

"The ECB is willing to do whatever it takes to preserve the euro. And believe me, it will be enough, "said in July, in a speech scrutinized, the president of the institution, Mario Draghi, suggesting a se , series of strong measures.

This strength from a highly respected financial community had the immediate effect of calming the markets, at the same time borrowing rates in Spain and the & rsquo , Italy reached critical levels. The month of August, according to the predictions of many economic analysts, promised catastrophic market, finally took place without too much addicted.

Reassure the banks

Today, the Frankfurt institution should revise downward its growth forecasts for the euro area, there are many who wonder if the decisions of the ECB will be as strong as this that & rsquo , hope the markets. Among the measures foreshadowed: the acquisition of a number of debts incurred by the states in trouble, like what was done in May 2010 for Greece. The goal is to give banks assurance that their loans will be repaid and thus encourage them to lower borrowing rates they impose on states (more risky the loan is, the more expensive).

A quick fix? Not quite. Some countries, especially Germany, are strongly opposed to any buyback program sovereign bonds. She fears one hand, some countries in difficulty loosen fiscal and economic forces – although the ECB requires increased consolidation of public finances, in consideration for the redemption of debt – and, Moreover, this commitment causes of inflation across the euro area. The topic is so sensitive in Germany believe that the German newspaper "Bild", he almost caused the resignation of Jens Weidmann, the president of the very orthodox Bundesbank, the German central bank . Chancellor Angela Merkel was dissuaded, but tension remains high.

"Irrational Fears"

The outcry of Germany has also pushed Mario Draghi to leap to defend its policy through the press, which is unusual for him. Monetary policy "sometimes requires extraordinary measures," including "when markets are fragmented and influenced by irrational fears," he said in an article published August 29 in the German weekly "Die Zelt".

For now, markets and policy makers are forced to wait anxiously statements of the ECB. If they are below expectations, the most fragile countries in the euro zone could pay a high price. Italy and Spain, which has requested assistance from 100 billion euros to recapitalize its banks, are particularly vulnerable.

"Those who expect explicit details will be disappointed," said already Marco Valli, chief economist at UniCredit euro zone. The ECB may indeed not reveal the outline of a plan to buy back debt. She could wait before going into details, the German Constitutional Court to make its decisions on six complaints from members opposed to the ratification of the mechanism European stability (MES), two new European instruments to fight against the crisis. Its findings should be made public on September 12.

FOOTBALL: Ligue 1: Lyon turns head, Montpellier finally wins

 

AFP – Lyon, with goals in Vercoutre, temporarily took the lead of the Championship of France by ending the unbeaten Valenciennes (3-2), while Montpellier was given a little air with his first win at Sochaux (3-1), Saturday, for the account of the fourth day.

OL, with 10 points, going so temporarily to Marseille (9 points), which may go up to his throne on success Sunday against Rennes.

After the setback in Valenciennes Gerland, Marseille is now the only team not to have conceded a goal this season in Ligue 1.

A Gerland, it was a special game. Lloris, who signed for Tottenham, came to do a lap of honor and farewell before the game. And his successor, Vercoutre, lived a very emotional evening. The former understudy, playing only his 63rd match of L1 in 32 years, committed an error of judgment on the first goal northerner, but had nothing to reproach himself on the second, showing even strong late in the game.

"It was a bit complicated these days, told Vercoutre, star of the day. I have not slept too well. I did not know, personally, what sauce I would be eaten. "

The first two goals were scored by Lyon Bastos and Gomis, two players who have had to leave the summer transfer window, according to the wishes of President Jean-Michel Aulas, in full austerity. The third goal of the OL, superb, was the work of Grenier, promising young Lyon, who also could go through an exchange of players with Nice. But coach Remi Garde was opposed and had to say Saturday that he had done.

Giuly first goal

Not to mention that aborted departures to Lyon, note the very good match Malbranque, a ghost, who despite his 32 years, has made a full match, in real boss.

The other event of the evening was the first victory of the season champion title in France, Montpellier, who occupied a position unworthy of his rank before that day: 18th with one small point. Montpellier is now 12th.

The inspiration called Belhanda, which led to a penalty and is responsible for sending the goals in Sochaux, rust machine. And Herrera, rookie offensive instructed to forget Giroud scored his second goal in L1. Cabella finished the work late in the game, after a score reduction Privat (3-1).

"We missed our start to the season, we still lacked something, we need to power up," said the micro BeInSport the side Montpellier Bedimo.

The situation is catastrophic for Sochaux, red lantern without any point. Martin's departure to Lille was not digested.

The beautiful story of Saturday's third place Lorient, who won 3-0 against Nancy, with, notably, the first goal of the season Giuly.  

Saint-Etienne, who had sprayed Brest (4-0) last weekend, went for a walk in Bastia (3-0) with a gem of a goal to toe Aubameyang, who smuggler was also decisive.

In other matches, Ajaccio beat Evian (2-0) defeated Brest Troyes on the wire (2-1) while Toulouse and Reims are neutralized (1-1).

Sunday is the game that everyone expects, Lille-Paris SG. With this question: PSG will he finally win this season after three draws, two non-profit?

Carlo Ancelotti can count on Ibrahimovic but not Thiago Silva, still injured.

SOUTH AFRICA: sum Lonmin employees strikers to resume work on Monday

 

The mining company Lonmin summoned Sunday Marikana strikers back to work Monday morning, under penalty of "possible layoffs," three days after the shooting that killed 34 people on this site extraction of platinum from northern South Africa.

"The final ultimatum was postponed to Monday 20 following the events of Thursday," said Gillian Findlay, Lonmin spokesperson in an email to AFP, "final ultimatum gives employees a last chance to return to work or face a possible firing."

"The employees could be fired if they did not comply with the ultimatum," insists spokesman. 

Interviewed in the morning by AFP, striking miners said they would refuse to return to work out of respect for their 34 comrades killed by the police and if management re , was laying not their wage demands.

"Expect us to return to work, this is an insult. Many of our friends and colleagues are dead and we expect that return to work, ever, "said a worker, Zachariah Mbewu, ensuring that none of his friends would not be present at his post Monday .

"There are people in prison and the hospital. Tomorrow, we return to the mountain but does not descend into the mine unless the owners give us what we demanded, "he added.

The hill was held Thursday repression remained deserted Sunday.

The police were discreet about housing miners going about their daily lives but the anger remained high.

"We expect that management expressed. Tomorrow we will not work if they do not listen to our demands for wage increases, "said Fezile Magxaba a foreman Marikana.

"People are dead. We are angry. If they resumed work, it would be like if they had died for nothing, "he said while her laundry at a communal tap.

The police response was 34 dead and 78 wounded by the police also arrested 259 people. An investigation must determine the exact circumstances of the outbreak of the shooting. Police said they acted in self-defense against miners armed with knives who loaded.