NATURE: The olinguito a new mammal out of the fog cloud forests

 

So far the olenguito did not officially exist. Certainly, this small family pet raccoons already lived for hundreds of years quietly in South America, but nobody knew it was an unlisted animal ,. A team of researchers from the Smithsonian Institution in Washington revealed, Thursday, August 15, this new species of carnivorous mammals.

"When you look at it, we just feel that it is a cross between a big cat and a teddy bear," said Kristopher Helgen, zoologist at the Smithsonian and specialist mammals . No new carnivorous mammal had been found in the western hemisphere since the Colombian weasel in 1978.

Importantly, the identification work conducted by the research team for a decade has put an end to a scientific error of nearly 100 years. The man was, in fact, already seen olinguitos before. "There has even been one that has wandered from zoo zoo in the United States," said Kristopher Helgen. But until now, they were confused with their cousins, the olingos. "Yet olinguitos are smaller, do not have the same coat and if you look well resemble very little to olingos" said Kristopher Helgen.

A carnivore that eats fruits

To make sure they were in the presence of a new species, scientists have made in the Andes. Specifically in the cloud forests of Ecuador and Colombia. This is where they found and studied olinguitos for several years. They then realized that this little carnivore … ate mostly fruits. It is certainly rare, but not impossible: the biological order Carnivora is a collection of animals (lions, cats, bears, etc..) That originally ate all the meat but some, such as Panda, changed diet.

The olinguitos are solitary about 75 cm long that live in trees "which they descend almost never" animals, says Kristopher Helgen. The research team also found that the new species was not endangered and there are currently a number thousands in South America. Watching them, they found it was not that kind of olinguitos, but there were actually four subspecies. "I do not think we discovered before long a new species that has many subspecies," says Kristopher Helgen.

Other new mammals remain to be discovered promises that zoologist, who is currently studying several possible new species. At the company's information, Google maps and other technologies, meeting with olinguitos proves, according to Kristopher Helgen that "the Age of Discovery new animals is far from over. "

GIBRALTAR – SPAIN: Fishing, new bone of contention between Gibraltar and Spain

 

Gibraltar, a British territory south of Spain, the major stumbling block in relations between London and Madrid, is again at the center of tensions. At the origin of the dispute, the decision of the British government to jettison 70 concrete blocks bristling with spikes designed to prevent the passage of trawlers and attract fish. Spanish fishermen have seen in the construction of this artificial barrier, which exists in various places on the Spanish coast, a sign of hostility from the "Rock" for them.

Before the British insult, the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs therefore sounded "the end of recess." A series of restrictive measures, which we are assured Spanish side are unrelated to the concreting of the British enclave ensued.

Spanish replica

Controls at customs border by which moved every day thousands of British, were first reinforced, creating waiting queues several hours. The technique, quite legally, is well known to residents of Gibraltar during a diplomatic crisis. On Monday, the head of the government of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo, has accused Spain of deliberately inflicting unnecessary for children queues, "the elderly and disabled persons, citizens of the European Union, in high temperatures "for revenge.

The zeal of the customs officers of the conflict is "a completely independent thing," insisted the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel García Margallo, in an interview granted e Sunday newspaper "ABC". The Minister of People's Party, also added to his defense that Spain had a duty to firmly control "smuggling, money laundering and smuggling." It is well known, quipped "El País" Gibraltar "a den of pirates, a nest of smugglers and a haven for fraudsters."  

Threats on the Rock

The Spanish authorities have also banned the passage of Concrete customs and now are threatening a fee of 50 euros for entry and exit of each vehicle, to reduce congestion at the border … caused by the Spanish police.

Madrid also launched the idea of ​​strengthening tax audits, review the grant of 60,000 telephone lines and regulate the thriving trade in paris online, or to limit the air traffic.

Of "reminiscences" of francisme

Measures "disproportionate" indignant London who said "seriously concerned" about these tensions. "We want an explanation from [the Spanish government] about reports that it could take further action against Gibraltar", announced Monday a spokesman for David Cameron.

The tone is up a notch with the local government of Gibraltar compared the Spanish threat to "clear reminiscences policies and tactics developed against Gibraltar by the fascist Franco regime in the 1950s and 1960s. "

The Spanish opposition sees, for its part, in this case a perfect opportunity found by the government to distract and stifle political and financial scandal, the Bárcenas case in which the Rajoy government mired for weeks.

FOOTBALL: Olympique Lyonnais made his European return against Zurich

 

Olympique Lyonnais, forced to spend the summer with the preliminary rounds of the Champions League, is the first French club to launch its season on Tuesday night against Grasshopper Zurich.

For its 17th European participation on the OL opens the new formula imposed on third Ligue 1: it must go through a qualifying round, then by dams before entering – the best – in wider Europe.

The seven-time champion France is doubly dangerous in the UEFA rankings of France, now the sixth European nation behind Portugal as calculated by the governing body of continental football career. 

Paris Saint-Germain, the defending champion, and Olympique de Marseille, the dolphin, are in turn provided these challenging games that require them to draw on the resources at the heart of e ty.

Before the first day of Ligue 1, scheduled for August 10 against Nice, Lyon has already played two games and, if successful, the club will be two more in the During the month of August.

The OL has no interest in making these appointments lightly, especially as the resources generated by the qualification would provide a breath fresh air to the club. But, according to coach Remi Garde, this motivation is not enough.

"If the money had run faster it's not," he said Monday at a press conference. "I think this is the desire to excel, is the desire to succeed together and qualify for the Champions League."

"We are ready"

Opposite Zurich does not figure scarecrow. The Swiss are 195th in the UEFA rankings of clubs, their last appearance at this level was in 2003 after the 27th and last national title to date, and their last appearance in phase hens date the 1996-1997 season.

But Zurich has the advantage of having already started his championship for three weeks. And so far, the club won its first season, with two wins for a draw.

Last season, the Grasshopper finished Dolphin FC Basel with the second best defense in the country and the fourth best offense in a league with ten teams.

For its part, Lyon has the psychological benefit of good 2-2 friendly made last week against Real Madrid.

"I think we're ready as I said after the game against Real Madrid," according to Remi Garde. "On the one hand because it had worked well so far and on the other hand, this game has allowed us to raise our game pace"

Shared by defender Mouhamadou Dabo opinion: "It has brought us confidence," he said at the same press conference.

"It was a good start to the match with the availability and movement. We will continue to work well in practice. Real Madrid was a friendly match, but tomorrow it will be something else. "

For this opening match, Remi Garde has available its entire group, with the exception of midfielder Rachid Ghezzal back injury.

The striker Bafetimbi Gomis, pending transfer and spread of the group since the beginning of Lyon preparation is not part of the workforce called Remi Garde.

REUTERS

SENEGAL: Obama pays tribute to Nelson Mandela, a "hero to the world"

 

The head of the U.S. state, Barack Obama, Wednesday, June 26 began its first tour in Dakar in sub-Saharan Africa since his re-election to the presidency. Accompanied by his wife Michelle and their two daughters, Malia and Sasha, he was welcomed by his Senegalese counterpart, Macky Sall and his wife Marème.

Barack Obama has made such a family to Goree Island, off Dakar, landmark memory of the slave trade and its infamous " , house slaves "which preceded two other U.S. presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

A joint press conference with the President of Senegal was an opportunity for the U.S. president to pay tribute to former South African President African Nelson Mandela, a "hero to the world" when he is fighting for its survival. Mandela was hospitalized for three weeks in Pretoria, "is one of my heroes. I think he is a hero to the world, and the day he left this earth, his legacy will live on through the ages ", told Barack Obama .

Support for African gay

Asked by American journalists, President Obama also hailed as "a victory for American democracy" the decision of the Supreme Court's decision in favor of marriage before gay in the United States. He took the opportunity to provide support to homosexuals persecuted in the overwhelming majority of African countries except South Africa, where gay marriage is allowed Africa. "My opinion is that, regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation against the law, everyone should have the same rights," he said.

But, at her side, Senegalese President Macky Sall replied that although "very tolerant", his country was "not yet ready to decriminalize homosexuality." He recently excluded the adoption of a law allowing homosexuality in Senegal, required by organizations defending human rights.

Apart from this difference, MM. Obama and Sall said they share the same values ​​about "democracy" and "good governance".

South Africa

On Friday, the U.S. President has to go to Johannesburg for a weekend of talks and a joint press conference with President Jacob Zuma in Pretoria. A program that depend on the health of Nelson Mandela, former South African President hero of the anti-apartheid that soon 95 years was hospitalized for nearly three weeks Pretoria.

With news

FRANCE: The hidden face of Chinese weddings Tours

 

For over four years, from 2007 to 2011, more than 200 Chinese couples marched in the city of Tours. They came especially from China to symbolically celebrate what they call their "romantic honeymoon". "All Chinese people like the French marriage," showed at the time a bride.

The mayor of Tours Jean Germain, had personally the idea of ​​this operation to develop the economic activities of traders in the town and castles. "The Chinese, they sell us a lot. But we have to sell tourism. And the Loire and the city of Tours, this is very difficult to be relocated, "he explained in 2007.

From marriage to divorce

But the wedding of your dreams quickly turned to divorce. Lise Han, former special assistant to the mayor of Tours, is now suspected of fraud. This young Taiwanese woman was in charge of the entire organization of marriages find couples, to come and settle every detail of the ceremony. The contracts were then transferred to a small business, which it had formerly management, but that it had officially severed all ties to avoid conflict of interest.

Yet in 2011, the newspaper "The Chained Duck" revealed that in reality Lise Han was still a shareholder in this company. She even placed successively her husband and her ex-husband at the head of the structure. For three years, this woman and attributed juicy public contracts with bills sometimes amounting to more than EUR 50 000, were used to fund gala dinners and trips China for city officials.

Time in prison

The former project manager of the Town Hall is now under investigation for fraud, as well as her husband and ex-husband. In recent days, she even sleeps in prison for not paying his bail.

But through his lawyer, Lisa Han pleads good faith and blames the mayor. "I wish the justice go a little faster. Because it's 14 months of preliminary investigation. It is six months of information with judges. And Mayor Jean Germain has never been confronted with my client while it's been six months since I ask, "said Christophe Moysan me.

For his part, the mayor remains silent. He does not give interviews, preferring to reserve his speech to justice. He himself filed a complaint for fraud after the discovery of unjustified double bills. Despite this unflattering interlude, he hopes soon to celebrate the Chinese new marriages.

Focus Christophe DANSETTE Claire DEBUYSER China France City Wedding Tourism

Alexei Navalny, icon anti-Putin again before the Russian courts

 

The opposition leader Vladimir Putin, Alexei Navalny, was back in court Wednesday for "embezzlement" in Kirov, 900 km from Moscow, a "case made e from scratch "as he and many opponents in Russia.

The trial, the first hearing last week was adjourned, resumed Wednesday morning.

The opponent, in jeans and shirt, did not make a statement on his arrival in the room, in which were his wife and especially the leader of the opposition Solidarnost movement Ilya Yashin.

Less relaxed than during the first hearing, he listened, concentrated, and took notes.

Mr. Navalny, liable in this case a maximum penalty of 10 years in the camps, is accused of masterminding the 2009 hijacking of 400,000 euros at the expense of logging Kirovles.

His trial opened on April 17, was postponed for a week after a 45-minute hearing. The judge partially granted the request of the defense wanted another month to review the case.

More than a hundred journalists, but also supporters of anti-corruption lawyer and blogger were then come to Kirov for the occasion.

Wednesday, the crowd was less. The city hall has authorized two rallies near the courthouse, one against and one in favor of the opponent, who denounced the holding of the trial.

"This case has been fabricated on the orders of Putin," said Mr. Navalny who said "have no doubt" that the Russian President "gave instructions" to convict him.

Effective speaker at anti-Putin demonstrations, destroyer of corruption through sensational revelations published on the Internet, Mr. Navalny, 36, became one of the leaders of the protest born 2011 to denounce fraud in parliamentary elections won by the party of Mr. Putin, United Russia.

The prospect of a conviction does nothing to diminish his offensive: he said that the Russian regime would collapse in "no more than two years," announced its ambition to become president and promised to be in prison Putin and his friends.

In the meantime, Mr. Navalny will face justice in many cases, his legal troubles not stopping, far away in the Kirovles case.

After the brief first hearing of Kirov, he learned a new investigation for fraud was brought against him and his brother Oleg.

Both are accused of causing a loss of approximately 95,000 euros to a company in which they have charged "at inflated prices" for their services through freight.

Again, the maximum penalty is 10 years of camp.

"All these cases are sewn with white thread", immediately commented Mr. Navalny.

The opponent is also accused of embezzling 2.5 million euros belonging to a liberal political party. He was also charged with fraud and money laundering in another case involving his brother again.

In February, he was accused of usurping his legal status by providing false information.

The authorities are trying to "intimidate" Mr. Navalny to silence "and to" create a climate of fear to silence "opponents, said political analyst Dmitry Oreshkin.

In fact, the opposition was able to mobilize hundreds of thousands of protesters in 2012 seems stalled, subject to unprecedented pressure in recent months.

The former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky was jailed estimated in an article published Wednesday by the newspaper Vedomosti that the purpose of the trial was Navalny "frighten and demoralize opponents and politically active voters, and to present the peaceful protest and struggle for power (…) as something marginal and extremist. "

AFP

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

TELECOMMUNICATIONS: Facebook called home on Smartphone

 

Mark Zuckerberg is about to end more than three years of rumors, expectations and extrapolations about a possible Facebook phone. The young CEO of the king of social networks must disclose, Thursday, April 4 to 19 hours (French time), the "new home on Android [operating system for mobile Google, Ed ] "from his website with over one billion fans.

It probably should not be a 100% pure smartphone Facebook. Since the first articles in 2010 on the U.S. site TechCrunch very informed about this, officials of the social network and always very officially denied work on the construction of a TV , mobile phone home. The announcement Thursday would indeed still following TechCrunch, a launching pad to a telephone Taiwanese manufacturer HTC – HTC called First – with an entirely new interface , to the glory of LY social network.

Facebook would have worked in recent months, even years, to transform Android smartphones with best friends addicted to updating their status. For this new interface, after unveiled the HTC, could also be installed on Samsung smartphones and other devices of the Galaxy Android (60% of market share of smartphone sales in the world), explains AndroidPolice, a blog specializing in the mobile world.

And advertising in all this?

The interface replaces the traditional presentation of applications on an Android smartphone and would add functions to quickly access various services of Facebook (Facebook like camera, instant messaging, social networking or yet the application to make phone calls to his son on Facebook contacts Skype model). 

For the social network, the success of the offensive in the mobile world is crucial. Since 2012, Mark Zuckerberg encourages all its employees to "think mobile first," recalls Bits, the technology blog of the American newspaper "The New York Times." More than 600 million users spend priority by their smartphone to access Facebook, recognize site managers.

Problem: Facebook saw almost as through advertising and "mobile users" are much less likely to consult on a mobile phone than from a traditional computer. Redecorating smartphones in the colors of the social network, Mark Zuckerberg & co increase the chances that users see advertising.

Remains whether the world really need a smartphone that would ostensibly before Facebook. This innovation may, in fact, resemble "the solution to a problem that does not exist," says the "New York Times" s January Dawson, an analyst specializing U.S. and in telecommunications. For this expert, "Facebook fans" are already widely used by different applications published on the social network for smartphones miss nothing of what their many virtual friends.

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.

SPACE: Curiosity on approach of Mars

 

After eight months of travel in space and 570 million kilometers – or 1,500 times the distance from Earth to the Moon – The robot Curiosity should land on Mars on Monday at 7:31 (5:31 GMT) in the Gale Crater, near Mount Sharp (5000 m). Launched November 26, 2011, from Cape Canaveral, Florida, the spacecraft exploration of NASA is the largest (900 kg) and the most advanced ever sent into space. Powered by a nuclear generator, it is supposed to work for two years (one Martian year) during which he will attempt to discover whether the Martian environment could be conducive to de ; development of life, even in microbial form that.

The mission of the robot is perilous. Between its entry into the Martian atmosphere and landing on the surface of the planet, seven minutes will pass. "Seven minutes of terror", according to NASA, because "if something does not work, it's game over!" Says one engineer in a video released by the agency U.S. space. Main challenge: slow the craft, very heavy, while the atmosphere of Mars opposes hundred times less resistance than that of Earth. After dropping the heat shield, supersonic parachute diameter of 21 meters will be deployed on time and to increase the speed of the module from 21 243 to 2.74 km / h.

Mild weather

Scientists will have to wait 14 minutes – the time that the signal travels the distance between Mars and Earth – to see if everything went well. But it could also take several days for bad positioning of the robot or three sensors (two American, one European) in orbit around the Red Planet.

"Every day that passes is more scary," admits Doug McCuistion, director of the Mars Exploration Program at NASA, noting that 40% of past attempts to send robots to Mars have been crowned are successful. The United States is the only country that has explored the Red Planet, and five of their probes have already reached the Martian soil.

For now, the weather looks pretty good near the crater Gale. "Mars is friendly to us, we will have good conditions for Sunday," said Saturday, one of the scientists in charge of the project, Ashwin Vasavada. A dust storm spotted a few days ago has dissipated, giving way to a "cloud […] Benin enough," he said.

Visit this page on Monday morning from 6:45 Paris time, to watch the landing live Curiosity: