UNITED STATES: A violent tornado killed at least 24 victims in Missouri

AFP - At least 24 people were killed Sunday in a tornado that struck the small town of Joplin, in the State of Missouri (center), local media reported, less than a month after other hurricanes had caused enormous damage in the southeastern United States.

President Barack Obama has sent a message of "deep condolences" to relatives of victims.He assured that the federal government stood ready to help the Americans.

According to the newspaper Springfield News-Leader, Ryan Nicholls, head of the Office of Crisis Management of the Springfield-Greene County (east of Joplin), confirmed that 24 people had been killed.

Joplin, located a few kilometers from the states of Kansas and Oklahoma, was hit hard by the tornado, the paper said.

In early May, tornadoes, the deadliest in nearly a century, had hit the southeast United States, which killed 354.

"Department stores Home Depot and Walmart Joplin were razed. Gas stations, buildings.Wherever I turn my eyes, everything has been severely damaged or completely destroyed, "said John Miller, a freelance photographer working for the News-Leader.

"I saw fire and medical crews remove a small girl in a car at Home Depot," said Miller, adding that "part of the building of the department store fell on the vehicle."

The governor of Missouri Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency and requested the intervention of the National Guard.

"These tornadoes have caused extensive damage across Missouri, and constitute a certain risk to its inhabitants and their houses," Nixon said Sunday evening in a statement.

"We have made every effort to assist families in Missouri, find missing persons, and provide emergency medical assistance," said Nixon.

He also said that tornadoes were not completed.

"I urge Missouri residents to closely monitor the latest weather reports and follow the instructions and warnings of emergency services so that these deadly tornadoes continued their advance in the state of Missouri," he told Jay Nixon .

Jerry Williams, a senior at the University of Missouri said, for his part, he lived experience "horrible.""It's as if someone had dropped a bomb," he told the News-Leader.

Saturday, a deadly tornado struck the town of Reading in eastern Kansas, killing one man and damaging about 80% of its homes.

A tornado also caused the death of one person Sunday in Minneapolis, Minnesota, authorities said. At least 18 people were injured.

BURKINA FASO: President Blaise Compaore took over the Ministry of Defence

The Burkinabe President Blaise Compaore, whose country has been faced with mutinies of soldiers, has assigned the Ministry of Defence in the new government, whose composition was announced Thursday night, according to decrees read on state television RTB.

"The president of the (Burkina Faso) Faso, supreme commander of armed, took office as Minister of Defense and Veterans Affairs," reads one of the decrees.

This position is particularly sensitive in the present context, the regime of President Compaore, a soldier who seized power in a coup in 1987, facing more than a month to the mutinies of soldiers who received up his own personal guard.

These riots occurred in parallel with other protest movements of most of society in Burkina Faso which began in late February.

Fifteen new ministers enter this government comprises 29 ministers (against 38 previously), all members of the ruling party or the presidential movement.This is the team most ressérée history of Burkina Faso.

Djibril Bassolé, former joint mediator of the UN and African Union (AU) for Darfur (Sudan), was appointed foreign minister.

Economy and finance back to Lucien Marie-Noel Bembamba, brother-in-chief of the State, Territorial Administration, Decentralization and Security, Jerome Bougouma, another close to Blaise Compaore.

The new team includes three women appointed to the Ministries of National Education, Social Action and Promotion of Women.

This government was formed by the new Prime Minister Luc Adolphe Tiao, a journalist by training and former ambassador to Burkina Paris, appointed Monday to replace Tertius Zongo, who was fired after a mutiny within the leader's own presidential guard of State, April 14.

Mr.Compaore had also replaced the main army officials, including Chief of Staff.

The new team of faithful head of state, while many observers had expected an opening to members of civil society and opposition, will have to try to stem a wave of protest unprecedented in history of the country.

Since late February, all segments of the population, youth, students, judges, soldiers, traders, expressed with varying degrees of violence across the country against Compaore's regime and the high cost of living while most of the 16 million Burkinabe live with about 1.5 euro per day.

Balance: At least six deaths, injuries, looting, damage to property.

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.

EGYPT: The system can hardly contain an outbreak of violence Tahrir Square

Egyptians armed with knives attacked Wednesday hundreds of pro-democracy demonstrators gathered in Tahrir Square in Cairo, reported state television.

"Hundreds of men armed with knives entered (...) on Tahrir Square," said the presenter, while the images were of stone-throwing demonstrators and hundreds driven from this place that was the epicenter the dispute having ousted President Mubarak in February.

The clashes took place while the new government met the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which ruled the country since the departure of Mr.Mubarak, in order to propose a law criminalizing incitement to hatred, which could make them liable to the death penalty, said the TV station.

The country's military rulers are trying to restore order on several fronts in the aftermath of deadly clashes between Muslims and Coptic Christians in the poor neighborhood of Moqattam, in eastern Cairo, which have ten dead and 110 wounded, according Department of Health.

Egypt is undergoing a period of high insecurity after the police had disappeared from the streets as the protest movement against the regime was in full swing.

Wednesday, the Muslim Brotherhood, the largest opposition movement in Egypt, accused of holding up the former Egyptian president Mubarak of inciting violence, a view widely shared by the population.

BELGIUM: Belgium beats the world record for the longest political crisis

AFP - With a wink or instead on a serious tone, the Belgian press has widely celebrated Thursday, with large front pages, the world record for the longest matched by political crisis the country increasingly torn between between Flemings and French.

The country has indeed spent Thursday mark 249 days without being able to form a real government since the parliamentary elections of 13 June 2010. Is the time it took to Iraqis, holders of record so far, to reach last year to a power-sharing agreement between Kurds, Sunnis and Shiites.

"Finally the world champions!" Headline of the daily reference in Flanders, De Standaard, which he resolutely chose the party of humor.Its front page is covered by a photo showing Belgian soccer fans cheering after a victory.

For once, everyday Dutch and French are attuned to their front pages.

"Record broken!" Say in chorus the French newspapers Le Soir and L'Echo. He adds that "it is not finished" and published a tally of 249 days reminiscent of a prison cell wall, with series of sticks marked with chalk on black background.

"Fortunately, we have our cheekbones to laugh. Yellow.But amidst this endless political gridlock, you'd better choose the derision that depression, "said one of the chroniclers of the Evening.

More serious, the newspaper La Capitale refers to the "world record that shames us", while De Morgen title "the sorrow of Belgium", in reference to the novel "The Sorrow of Belgium" Flemish disappeared from the famous novelist Hugo Claus .

For La Libre Belgique, "the situation can not continue forever because the markets, we know, not only the current void and want a real government prepares structural reforms."

Flemish and French fail to agree on a common vision for the future.The first, spurred by their main party, independence training, require very extensive regional autonomy. The second fear a loss for their community and eventually splitting the country.

UNITED KINGDOM: Assange's lawyers challenged the legality of the extradition request

AFP - Lawyers for Julian Assange Monday challenged the legality of the extradition proceedings initiated by Sweden against him for sexual violence and fears "a miscarriage of justice" during the 5th and most important founder of Wikileaks's appearance before the British justice.

Defenders of the Australian 39 years were immediately occupied the land, by posting the outset of the hearing all their arguments, an exceptional gesture intended to "fundamentally calling into question the validity of the mandate European arrest.

Assange has always fiercely denied accusations of sexual abuse made against him by two young Swedes.And his supporters believe he is the victim of a conspiracy related to the disclosure by Wikileaks thousands of official documents that have embarrassed many governments.

On the eve of his trial, a police report was leaked on the internet: one of his accusers told in detail how he imposed an unprotected sex while sleeping.

During the first day devoted to the defense arguments before the hearing on Tuesday from witnesses, lawyers Assange opened a first edge by challenging the charge of rape, the definition is much broader in Sweden.

"What is considered rape in Sweden is not in other countries," argues Mr. Robertson also noted that a rape trial in Sweden "would be held in camera" as usual in this countries, which would constitute "a flagrant denial of justice."

The founder of Wikileaks lawyers also argue that the warrant is not admissible to the extent that the Australian was not charged. And that the prosecutor in charge of the case had no authority to issue it.

Another argument: the "real risk" that once extradited to Sweden, founder of Wikileaks is sent to the United States and, they say, interned at Guantanamo Bay, or even sentenced to death.In violation of the European Convention on Human Rights.

United States, where Assange fugure made for some politicians to public enemy number one organized by leaks from his site, Justice opened an investigation against him, but she has not charged and did not ask her extradition.

The hearing, which is attended by a hundred journalists allowed to cover the proceedings via twitter, should last 48 hours.In such cases, the judge's decision is usually taken under advisement.

If the green light to extradition, Australia has many opportunities for appeal and the procedure could take several months to the end.

While the defense fought tooth and nail in court, several personalities, including British Jemima Khan, fashion muse and ambassador for Unicef, had planned to attend a demonstration outside support to the founder of Wikileaks.

Julian Assange, who now lives under house arrest in the English countryside, arrived 45 minutes before the start of the hearing at Belmarsh court, in the east of the city, flanked by his lawyers.

Wearing a gray hooded duffle coat, very talkative in the Australian media since his arrest on December 7 in London, was this time remained silent, merely a hello from the hand towards the international press came to number to cover this new episode of a legal saga that promises to be long.