Barack Obama begins his European tour

AFP - U.S. President Barack Obama arrived Monday morning in Ireland, the first stage of a European tour a week and land of his ancestors, has been a photographer for AFP on board the presidential plane Air Force One.

The President's plane, which is accompanied by his wife Michelle landed in Dublin about 9:30 (0830 GMT), slightly earlier than expected.

Mr.Obama, who planned to stay 24 hours in Ireland, will hold talks with President Mary McAleese and Prime Minister Enda Kenny, while Ireland is facing a serious economic crisis.

But the highlight of his visit to the island, under high security to be its displacement in the small village of Moneygall, which is from his great-great-great grandfather.

Cobbler's son, the grandfather of Obama, Falmouth Kearney, lived in this village located 130 km from Dublin up to 19 years in 1850 before emigrating to the United States, driven by famine like of thousands of his countrymen.

In this village, waiting for Obama as the prodigal son, still lives a distant cousin of the president, Henry Healy, an accountant for 26 years.

Obama is expected late in the day to speak outdoors on the steps of the Bank of Ireland, in the center of the capital which are expected tens of thousands of people.

On Tuesday, Obama is expected in London.

NIGERIA - PRESIDENTIAL: Victory Goodluck Jonathan backdrop of riots in the North

The outgoing leader Goodluck Jonathan, won the presidential election in Nigeria, shaken Monday by rioting in the predominantly Muslim north, where the dead were enrgistrées.

Result of the 36 states of the Nigerian federation, the federal capital Abuja over, give 22 million votes out against 12 million in the second, a former military junta leader, Muhammadu Buhari, according to full results released Monday by the Electoral Commission National.

Jonathan also won over 25 per cent of the votes in more than two-thirds of the 36 states, a necessary condition for being declared the winner in the first round.

But the victory of Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian South, led to riots in the Muslim north.

"Deaths have been reported," particularly in Kano and in the neighboring state of Kaduna, said a security official, Yushau Shuaib, unable to give a more accurate assessment.

In a country marked by deep divisions and regional community, the rioters burned the house of Vice President Namadi Sambo in Zaria, Kaduna State, and that of the emir of the city, according to one resident.They also released many detainees.

"The protesters burned the residence of the Vice-President, the palace of the emir, before attacking the jail," said Mahmud Aliyu by telephone.

The first violence erupted Sunday after the vote, provoked by accusations of fraud against the camp of Mr. Jonathan.

Monday, they were still burning in Kano, the second largest city, and had won Jos in the Centre, and other cities.

In Kano, mobs armed with clubs, knives and boards faced soldiers, a shopping center was burned and shops and schools were closed.A curfew twenty-four hours was imposed in the neighboring state of Kaduna.

The crowd supported Muhammadu Buhari, a Muslim North unsuccessful rival for the presidency of Jonathan, also attacked two suspected Christians.

In the city of Potiskum in Yobe State, north-east, witnesses reported that the crowd had tried to sacrifice a Christian passing a flaming tire around the neck but she was saved by residents.

"Young people set fires in the streets and burning the houses of supporters of the ruling party. Soldiers were called.The streets are deserted except for the demonstrators, "said one resident, Kabiru Usman.

Violence has also been reported in the cities of Kaduna, Zaria and Sokoto in the north, and Jos in the Centre, which marks the frontier between Christian and Muslim majorities and scene of frequent sectarian violence.

The main opposition party, Congress for Democratic Change which Mr.Buhari was the candidate has formally objected to the irregularities of the presidential result.

These accusations are contained in a complaint sent to the electoral commission said the party chairman, Tony Momoh.

Before the end of the count, the commission on Monday gave an advance Goodluck Jonathan as he is assured of winning. He came first in 22 of the 36 states of the federation with more than 21 million votes against 9,000,000 for Mr. Buhari, former head of a military junta in 1984-1985.

Although in general, observers judged the election on Saturday more honest than previous results in abnormally high for Mr.Jonathan, in its strongholds of South Christian, have cast doubt: the state of Akwa Ibom State gave him 95% of the vote and that of Bayelsa, his home state, 99.63%.

"Such figures above 95% seem invented and raise serious questions about the credibility of the election," said Jibrin Ibrahim of the NGO Centre for Democracy and Development.

These results confirmed a clear division between the pro-Muslim north and Christian south Buhari pro-Jonathan.

In the North, many hoped a victory by Mr.Buhari, 69, to revive a North economically marginalized by the oil rich south of the country's most populous country.

Goodluck Jonathan, 53, is a candidate of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) won the first round every presidential since the end of military rule in 1999.

COTE D'IVOIRE: The humanitarian emergency takes precedence over the political conflict

Food shortages, poor access to health care, electricity cuts, water, gas ... After four months of political degradation between Alassane Ouattara, President recognized by the international community, and Laurent Gbagbo, outgoing president, "the Ivorian humanitarian situation has become absolutely tragic to civilians," said Elisabeth Byrs on Tuesday, a spokesman for the Office Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs UN.

Caught between two fires, the population is paying the brunt of this conflict post-election. It now days that separate the end of reserves of food and medicines.In Abidjan, as in Western countries, the humanitarian emergency is gradually taking precedence over the political conflict.

Humanitarians blocked by the fighting

Unfortunately, many NGOs on the ground, as Action against Hunger (ACF), are unable to work due to insecurity. Its members have to stay cooped up, "are helpless", laments Francois Danel, director of ACF posted at Man in the West. "It is extremely dangerous to go out for the moment and it is beyond question that our teams risk their lives," he says."It's outrageous they can not fulfill its humanitarian role because the two camps have not adopted a clear stand to protect civilians."

Even admission of impotence - medical this time - from Doctors Without Borders (MSF). For six days, teams of NGOs, posted in Abobo, a district north of Abidjan, are unable to get potential patients - no ambulance can circulate. "The injured are out of reach," said Lawrence Sury, Deputy Head of Emergency Operations at MSF, who reported to France24.com what his team unreachable since Monday."The Abidjan phoning our teams to come and look for injured patients, but it's impossible," he says. "The team still treats 30 to 40 casualties per day, but these are mainly people in the vicinity or brought in carts by residents."

For civilians, holed up at home and frightened by continued firing, the situation became unbearable. Jean-Paul, a resident of the neighborhood of Abobo, tells the hell of everyday life. "We survive," he says. "All the shops are closed, there are more markets, I can not buy food.I did not reserve a few days and I have nothing to eat. "For security reasons, he separated from his wife and daughter, have fled to Ghana. As for him, he decided to stay in Abidjan to "protect his house against looters."

West hit by mass exodus

Like John Paul, "many Ivorians fleeing the fighting and send their families in Liberia and Ghana," said Francois Danel. The latter is also concerned about the movements (mass) population that also affect Western countries - especially Duékoué strategic city and gateway to the main area of ​​cocoa production. Today the town is deserted by its inhabitants.Some 20,000 of them took refuge in the precincts of the Catholic Mission after the massacre of 800 people on 29 March. An exodus "among many others," blows the Director of ACF. "Between Man and Duékoué, whole villages were emptied of their population," he laments. Since the conflict began, more than a million civilians have been displaced by fighting between forces loyal to both candidates in the presidential election of November 2010, reports the UN agency for refugees (UNHCR).

"These outflows are always synonymous with extreme insecurity," worries the director of ACF.Because if they do not leave the country, these people - consisting mainly of women and children - crowded into refugee camps where the seats are missing. Some were accommodated in shelters. "At Duekoue, living conditions are extremely difficult and by far the most disturbing, access to water is increasingly problematic and food becomes scarce," said Francois Danel after spending a few days.

Moreover, MSF is concerned about the number of newly arriving wounded to medical facilities in the region. "Between March 28 and April 3, 146 wounded arrived at Bangolo and Duékoué 285" lists Lawrence Sury.And continuing: "New wounded continue to arrive, despite the end of the offensive zone. This indicates that the violence continues. If this is indeed the case, the humanitarian disaster will quickly turn into disaster."

IRELAND: A Catholic police officer killed by a bomb in Northern Ireland

AFP - A Catholic police officer was killed Saturday by a bomb apparently placed under his car in Omagh, Northern Ireland, told AFP a local politician.

"One policeman was killed outside his home by an explosive device placed apparently it under his car," said the official told AFP on condition of anonymity said the victim, confession Catholic, had finished his police training only three weeks ago.

The information was confirmed by a local MP, Jeffrey Donaldson, interviewed by British broadcaster Sky News.

"A bomb was placed under the car of a young Catholic police officer, who recently joined the police in Northern Ireland," said the elected.

"The bomb exploded and unfortunately it seems that the young policeman was killed," he added.

COTE D'IVOIRE: Fighting with heavy weapons resume in the Abobo neighborhood in Abidjan

AFP - The heavy gunfire resumed Saturday in the Abobo neighborhood in Abidjan that families fled after a week of clashes between forces loyal to incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo and the armed insurgents who have left Cote d'Ivoire on the verge of explosion.

According to these witnesses, the shooting resumed in early afternoon outside the sector "PK-18" in the heart of the fighting that has turned into a battlefield this northern district supports Alassane Ouattara, recognized head of state by the international community after the disputed November 28 presidential election.

Residents said the firing had almost ceased since Friday but "Baghdad", is now known as Abobo, retained traces of those days of fire and blood.

"This morning I saw bodies, apparently civilians, which no one recovered," he told AFP driver, but did not say when they were killed.

An assessment of the fighting was still impossible to establish, but several witnesses reported clashes very deadly.

"The work goes on" in Abobo, told reporters the General Philippe Mangou, Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces and Security (FDS) loyal to Gbagbo.

Meanwhile, the exodus continued."The area is empty," said a resident after a night under curfew, a measure introduced for the weekend by the Gbagbo regime in the southern half of the country under its control.

"The mini-buses could enter and are attacked" by mothers and their children, told this young woman, herself part of the family join in the Yopougon (west).

Called by the local press "commando invisible" group, including armed with rocket launchers, which attacked the SDS since January in Abobo before intensify activity in recent days, continues to generate queries.

For SDS, it is composed of elements infiltrated the "rebellion" of the Forces Nouvelles (FN) holding the north since the failed coup of 2002 and joined forces with Alassane Ouattara in the beginning of the crisis resulting from November ballot.

But the camp is Ouattara denies any involvement, saying it is people who took up arms or SDS defectors.

In the political capital Yamoussoukro theater for the first time fighting with heavy weapons on the night of Thursday to Friday, calm had returned Saturday.

The city "timidly resumed its activities, many shops are closed and there is little busy the market," he told the morning a local journalist.

In the "Great West" unstable region near Liberia, the situation was uncertain following the decision by the FN from two localities on the borders of the southern zone.FDS assured Saturday having driven the enemy.

The past week has given an almost surreal to mediation efforts led by the African Union to resolve the crisis, which has already killed at least 315 deaths according to UN and driven tens of thousands of Ivorians to flee the country.

Four Heads of State - Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz (Mauritania), Jacob Zuma (South Africa), Idriss Deby (Chad) and Jakaya Kikwete (Tanzania) - Ivorian rivals met earlier this week in Abidjan.

Charged initially to develop solutions "binding" on the parties by the end of February, they will consult again on March 4 in Nouakchott. "We're not out of the woods", agreed by the Mauritanian president.

UNITED KINGDOM: The trial of Julian Assange ends this Friday

AFP - Julian Assange arrived Friday mid-morning at Belmarsh court in east London, who must complete the review of the request for extradition to Sweden by the founder of Wikileaks in a case of alleged rape, has a journalist from AFP.

The Australian of 39 years was accompanied by three of his lawyers.

The court must hear from 10.30am (local time and GMT) the conclusions of the defense and prosecution in this case.

The court in Belmarsh, which began to address this matter on Monday, the hearing was originally scheduled to close Tuesday, but the intervention of the witnesses called by the defense was longer than expected.

Justice will rule on the admissibility of extradition made by Sweden.The use is, however, that in such cases, the decision is taken under advisement.

Mr. Assange is claimed by the Swedish court in a case of alleged rapes and sexual assaults on two women during a stay in Sweden in August. He has always denied the charges against him.

His lawyers argue in particular that the fact that the Swedish court wants to question does not justify his extradition. They also argue that the warrant of arrest for their client was disproportionate, and that the charges against Mr.Assange are not crimes under British law.

Arrested in early December in London, founder of Wikileaks has lived for two months on parole in England.

His supporters say the charges against him were intended to discredit the work of its website Wikileaks, which was published last year many secret U.S. documents that have embarrassed Washington. Following the dissemination of American diplomatic telegrams, Wikileaks had been victim of several cyber-attacks last December.

KAZAKHSTAN: President Nazarbayev to call an early presidential election on April 3

AFP - The president of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, has set Friday to advance a presidential election on April 3, after excluding a few days to extend his term by plebiscite, while promising to stay in power.

"In accordance with paragraph 3-1 of Article 41 of the Constitution of Kazakhstan, an early presidential election is scheduled for April 3, 2011," is it stated in the decree signed by Mr. Nazarbayev.

Kazakh President has been elected for seven years in December 2005, winning the election with over 91% of the vote. Subsequently, a constitutional reform has reduced the presidential term to five years while lifting the ban on Mr.Nazarbayev to run again.

The head of the Kazakh state, 70, said Monday the organization of early elections at an unspecified date, rejecting the holding of a referendum to extend his term until 2020 as desired by the Parliament.

Kazakh President, in office for over twenty years and the Soviet period, however, had promised in a speech to the nation late January that he would remain in power as his health permitted.

On Wednesday, the Parliament, where all seats are controlled by the Nur Otan party, headed by the Head of State, adopted a constitutional reform allowing the president to convene a Presidential Early in this former Soviet republic in Central Asia abounding of hydrocrabures.

This revision of the Basic Law following the rejection by Nazarbayev signed an initiative by five million citizens, validated by Parliament for a referendum abolishing the 2012 presidential and 2017 to maintain the head of State in power until 2020.

Power Kazakhstan said this week that the president would be overwhelming victory at the polls early.

"I'm sure Nursultan Nazarbayev won 95.9% of the votes of the electors of Kazakhstan," said a presidential advisor Ermoukhamet Ertysbaïev, in an interview with pro-government newspaper Liter."Like last time, there will be lots of applications from dwarf (policies) that have absolutely no chance," he said.

No election in Kazakhstan has been recognized as free by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) since independence in 1991.

Mr. Nazarbayev and his counterpart in Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov, is the last two leaders of former Soviet republics to have been leading their countries of Soviet times.

In 2010, Kazakh President has been given the title of Elbassy (Leader of the Nation of Kazakhstan), a status it confers lifetime, the power to decide major policy directions of the country and a lifelong immunity .

The decision of Mr.Nazarbayev did not extend his term by referendum came after sharp criticism from Western allies, the United States and the European Union.

The West generally avoids criticizing Kazakhstan, to maintain good relations with this strategic oil power flanked by Russia and China.

According to NGO human rights, opposition and independent media are repressed, while the country is de facto headed by a single party since the 2007 legislative elections, in which Nur Otan won all the seats.