COTE D'IVOIRE: Ibrahim Coulibaly, head of the Commando invisible, killed by FRCI in Abobo

Forces Ivorian president Alassane Ouattara killed Wednesday night the former coup leader Ibrahim Coulibaly, known as "IB", head of the commando invisible "in the north of Abidjan, which was perceived as a threat even if the power had contributed to the fall of Laurent Gbagbo.

Several hundred members of the Republican Forces of Côte d'Ivoire (FRCI), equipped with pickup topped with heavy machine guns and rocket launchers, launched Wednesday morning a major attack against the stronghold of "IB" in the popular district of Abobo (north), noted AFP.

After this "security operation and peace", "IB + + is sought refuge in a yard (residential) near a factory in PK-18 (north of Abobo)," said the AFP Captain Leo Kouakou Alla, spokesman of the Ministry of Defence.

Hostage taking and summation

In this court, Ibrahim Coulibaly "took hostage an entire family. FRCI made warning shots twice and he responded with gunfire.The FRCI had no choice but to retaliate, and the response has been fatal, "added the spokesman.

The clash that took place around 20:00 (GMT) has made "two soldiers killed and several wounded," FRCI side, and "seven lives" in the opposing camp, where "IB" itself, he said.

The FRCI had progressed during the day in his fief without encountering any real resistance.

The "commando invisible" had contributed to the downfall of former President Laurent Gbagbo on April 11, destabilizing his regime by increasing control of the north of Abidjan at the beginning of the year.

The appeal of Alassane Ouattara

President Ouattara had Friday called the former coup of 1999 and 2002 to disarm his men, under penalty of being compelled by force.

"We asked for a week, ten days, the time to explain to the combatants that they must disarm unconditionally. We must convince them that they can lay down their arms without fear for their lives", told AFP at the beginning Felix the offensive ennobled, number two commando invisible. "

"IB" had asked to be received by the Head of State to make available. His entourage had accused Prime Minister Guillaume Soro to block this request.

Mr.Soro was historic adversary of Ibrahim Coulibaly in charge of the rebellion of 2002 failed coup against Gbagbo, whose forces he finally took the head and which now forms the bulk of FRCI.

Ibrahim Coulibaly, one of the most mysterious of the Ivorian scene for a decade, had claimed in recent days his part in the downfall of Mr. Gbagbo, while providing stand under the authority of Alassane Ouattara, which had been the bodyguard.

In an interview with French daily La Croix, published Thursday, Mr. Ouattara has estimated that nearly 3,000 death toll of post-election violence in Côte d'Ivoire, while the UN reported nearly 1,000 dead.

MOROCCO: Thousands of people march for democracy in several cities

AFP - Several thousand people demonstrated peacefully Sunday in the cities of Morocco, for the third time since the beginning of the year, demand more democracy and social justice, despite the recent release by King Mohammed VI of political prisoners and its promise of significant reforms.

Other events are planned for later in the day, from 16:00 (1700 GMT) in other cities like Rabat and Fez (center), the call of the Youth Movement of 20 February claiming political changes social and Morocco.

In some cities such as Casablanca, Tangier (north) and Marrakech (south), the demonstrations began at 11.00 GMT.

"We want more equality and less corruption," "No to the accumulation of wealth and power," "a king who reigns but does not govern," chanted the demonstrators in Casablanca.

Nearly 10,000 people gathered in the center of town and walked to the Place Mohammed V, according to an AFP journalist.Organizers estimate that "nearly 20,000" number of demonstrators.

"I'm here because I want a fairer Morocco, where the odds are the same for all youth, particularly as regards employment," he told AFP Mohammed, a 23 year old who a degree in economics.

The limitation of political power of the king, the fight against corruption and judicial independence are the main demands of protesters in Casablanca, for most young people of the Movement of 20 February, after the date of the first events in Morocco in the context of revolution and unrest in various Arab countries.Other demonstrations took place March 20.

In Marrakech, there were more than 500 protesters to demand political reforms, according to an AFP correspondent.

In Tangier, more than 2,000 demonstrators called including the departure of the mayor, Fouad El Omary, and criticized its management, according to a witness.

In a speech on March 9, Mohammed VI announced major policy changes designed especially to enhance judicial independence and separation of powers, and set up the next day a commission to reform the Constitution.

On 14 April, the king freed many political prisoners including Islamists and Saharawi, a measure introduced as a sign of appeasement by several observers.

Despite these overtures, the Movement of the February 20 mobilization was held this Sunday to "continue to pressure" and because he deemed "insufficient" the royal decisions.

The Committee for Constitutional Reform will complete its work on June 15 and submit its findings to the king on 16, had told AFP one of its members.

FRANCE: A premium "required" for employees of large companies

AFP - After several days of debate within the government, Nicolas Sarkozy on Tuesday decided to impose on companies with more than 50 employees each year for the payment of a premium "binding" to their employees if they increase their dividends.

After a final arbitration meeting at the Elysee Palace with Prime Minister François Fillon and several members of his government, the head of state has ruled for a binding mechanism, as he had hinted Tuesday during a trip in the Ardennes.

"In all companies with more than 50 employees subject to the law on participation, if dividends are higher than the year before, there will be obliged to pay a premium negotiated with social partners," said a government source after the meeting.

The government hopes that the scheme is applied "this year". François Fillon also announced in the evening a bill to that effect would be submitted to Parliament "before summer".

This bonus will be subject to an amount of at least 1,000 euros at the same rate of social insurance premiums for participation that is to say 8%, sued the government source.This amount could possibly be revised upwards in arbitrations to come.

Firms with fewer than 50 employees will in turn "encouraged" to pay a premium equal to their employees. This premium will be exempt from taxes, said the source. "There will be no obligation for these companies," we insisted.

Studied by Labor Minister Xavier Bertrand, Economy Christine Lagarde and Budget Baroin, this "bonus", its amount and terms feed a confused debate over several days, both between the State and the social partners that 'within the government.

April 13 Evoking an amount "of at least 1,000 euros," Mr.Baroin had attracted a replica of the patron saint of dry MEDEF Laurence Parisot, who had denounced as "incomprehensible". Ms. Lagarde was then ruled to impose a fee for the premium.

Despite the hostility of employers and unions that it reserves prefer higher wages, Nicolas Sarkozy Tuesday reaffirmed its commitment to implement this scheme, which aims to improve the purchasing power of the French.

"The sharing of value, I would like because it's a matter of justice," he said."When there is recovery, I say it is normal for employees and workers who have sought work during the crisis benefit from the recovery, it is a principle I will not give in," had he insisted, noting the failure of the negotiations he had requested in 2009 the social partners on this topic.

In a financial crisis, the head of state asked them to discuss the "value sharing", defending himself the idea of ​​a rule of "three tier" where corporate profits would be divided into three parts equal shareholders, employees and investment.

"In two years, negotiations have not moved an inch", "he lamented Tuesday," so the government will take responsibility. "

One year before the presidential election and while the economic recovery starts to take shape, Nicolas Sarkozy is trying to revive its 2007 election promise to be the "president of purchasing power".

Even if it does not affect the 5.2 million civil servants, whose salaries have been frozen for the second consecutive year, this "bonus" is likely to affect at least 8 million people employed in businesses with more than 50 employees .

Raul Castro ready to limit the length of the main political mandates to ten years

Cuban President Raul Castro, made the unprecedented proposal to Cuba limit to ten years the term of office for leaders on Saturday before the Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) which has over 300 adopt economic measures to save Cuba of bankruptcy.

"We came to the conclusion that it was advisable to limit to a maximum of two consecutive five-year term limits political rights," the president said before the 1,000 delegates of the congress of the CPC, the first since 1997.

This measure, he said, aims to "ensure a systematic rejuvenation of the entire chain of responsibility" within the government.

"While we have always tried to promote young people to key positions of responsibility, life has shown that these selections were not always the most appropriate," said Raul, who was for nearly half a century the minister of defense of his brother Fidel, 84.

Raul Castro, who turns 80 on June 3, made the proposal, unprecedented in Cuba since the establishment of the Castro regime in 1959 - during an analysis of the political leadership of the island.

Placing the Congress under the banner of "correcting the mistakes in the past five decades of socialist construction," Raul Castro called for "leave aside the formalism, dogmatism and stagnation."

He also advocated a strong degreasing of the "nomenklatura" of the party, which must by Tuesday renewed its senior management.

First secretary of the CPC since its founding in 1965, Fidel Castro, who ceded power to his brother Raul in the summer of 2006, announced in March that he wanted to abandon the last official functions held within the regime that it was founded in 1959.

In a speech two hours and twenty minutes, Raul Castro has also outlined the economic reforms that must be defined and adopted by Congress.

More than 300 economic measures will be submitted to Congress.

The original document, published in November, included 291 measures.After three months of discussions by 8.9 million Cubans over 163,000 meetings, the new document offers a range of 311 steps that need to "update" the socialist model, "said Raul Castro.

Job cuts in the public sector, opening the economy to private initiative, the autonomy of state enterprises, reform of the agri-food and openness to foreign capital are the main areas reforms proposed in the 6th Congress of the CCP.

The measure has attracted the greatest public attention during the public meetings for discussion, "said Raul Castro is the future of the" libreta "The ration book from 1963 that allows any Cuban to enjoy a basket of commodities at subsidized prices.

Eventually, the "libreta" should disappear, the president has confirmed.

"The disappearance of the libreta is not an end in itself but must be one of the measures that will be essential to adopt as part of an improvement in labor productivity," said Raul Castro emphasizing the parallel need for a general rise in wages.

Concerning redundancies in the state sector -95% of the Cuban economy, Raul Castro stressed that "nobody would be abandoned to its fate" and a "system of social attention will be implemented to guarantee a minimum support to those who really need it. "

LIBYA: targeted air strikes of NATO on the Libyan capital

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has offered an outlet Thursday in the streets of Tripoli, which coincided with the recent raids by the coalition in the city, said on Libyan television.

Dark glasses and hat, chest thrown by the sunroof of a jeep moving slowly, hailed Colonel Qaddafi passers by raising his fists, according to images broadcast by television.

Several vehicles carrying bodyguards escorting the car driving Colonel Gaddafi.

At one point, his car slowed down and dozens of people have approached them to cheer the leader of the Libyan revolution.A man sitting in the front seat pulled out his head from the window, chanting "God, Libya, Muammar and nothing else."

Libyan television said the release of Gaddafi had been made "in raids colonialist aggressors crusaders."

According to AFP journalists, aircraft flew Thursday Tripoli, where heavy explosions were heard, followed by firing anti-aircraft defense.

Planes flying over the capital since Thursday morning.Around 1300 GMT, the AFP journalists have heard at least a fighter plane flying low before hearing a loud explosion from the hotel hosting the journalists in Tripoli, not far from the residence of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

The firing of antiaircraft artillery followed the detonation.

Less than an hour later, at least two explosions were heard far and DCA joined back in action, while fighter jets continued to fly over Tripoli.

A column of smoke was seen by journalists in the district of Ain Zara, in the southeast of the capital.

Libyan television, quoting a military source said that "military and civilian sites in Tripoli, Aziziyeh Kikla and (had) been targeted recently by the raids of the colonialist aggressors crusaders."

Questioned by AFP, NATO said that 1300 GMT there was no device sent by the Alliance over the city.

NATO officials said that the alliance planes flying over the Libyan capital "all the time" but that no bomb had been dropped there.

"Aviation NATO struck a anti-aircraft battery (...) 40 km south of Tripoli this afternoon," he told AFP spokeswoman Oana Lungescu NATO.

"We are very careful about how we aim our (target) to minimize any risk to civilians. So this is another example of misinformation (from the Libyan authorities) as we had more this week. "

Diplomatic wrangling, one year after air tragedy of Smolensk

On April 10, 2010, a Tupolev carrying President Lech Kaczynski and other senior Polish officials, crashed while attempting to land in heavy fog at Smolensk, killing its 96 occupants.

A plate that contained only inclusion in Polish, recalled that the late Polish President went to Smolensk for the 70th anniversary of the massacre of Katyn, near Smolensk in 1940.22,000 Polish officers were shot there by the Soviet secret police.

But on the eve of the anniversary of the plane crash, a new plaque was placed by the Russian authorities on the memorial that do not refer to the tragedy of Katyn, causing anger among Poles.

A Polish spokesman raised the possibility that President Bronislaw Komorowski, who must travel to Smolensk Monday does not file a wreath at the new plaque.

Sunday in Warsaw, several hundred nationalists demonstrated outside the Russian embassy.

The Russian governor of Smolensk Sunday justified the absence of any reference to Katyn massacre on the new plaque at the site of the plane crash in which he had died a year ago the former Polish president and 95 other responsible.

"This is the place where we mourn the dead from the plane that crashed, not when we mourn the tragedy Polish" Katyn, told the press the governor of Smolensk (western Russia), Sergei Antoufiev.

Religious ceremonies and street rallies began on Sunday morning to commemorate the Polish air disaster in which Polish President Lech Kaczynski and 95 other people died a year ago at Smolensk in Russia.

Divided on the causes of this accident and the ongoing investigations in Russia and Poland, the Poles can follow two separate programs of celebrations: the official program and one that was prepared by the conservative opposition of Jaroslaw Kaczynski, twin brother the late president.

At 6:41 GMT (exact time of the crash a year ago), the head of state Bronislaw Komorowski and Prime Minister Donald Tusk laid a wreath before a plaque commemorating the victims of the accident at the military church in Warsaw.

Meanwhile, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who decided to boycott official ceremonies, laid a wreath at the presidential palace, amid a crowd of enthusiastic supporters.

Mr.Kaczynski sharply criticized the government for letting Russia lead the investigation and not to have rejected the findings.

Supporters of his party Law and Justice announced on Sunday at least four events to commemorate the victims of the disaster, 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. local outside the presidential palace in Warsaw, including a torchlight march at around 18:00 GMT.

In the midst of white and red national flags, a wooden cross was erected birch outside the presidential palace with, at its foot, a model of the presidential train Tupolev crashed, broke in two.

Other crosses, large and small, and the candles have been introduced to that place that initially after the accident, had been the symbol of the unity of Poles in mourning, before becoming one of the divisions .

Protesters waved banners calling on the authorities to shed full light on this accident.The thesis of a conspiracy and an attack was mentioned on the leaflets in the crowd that the Polish prosecutors have definitely ruled recently.

The Polish authorities have scheduled a ceremony before a memorial to victims of the accident at Powazki cemetery in Warsaw, followed by a solemn Mass at the cathedral and a large concert at the National Theatre.

A series of ceremonies and celebrations are planned Sunday across Poland.

The Polish and Russian presidents, Bronislaw Komorowski and Dmitri Medvedev will meet Monday at Smolensk, the scene of the accident.

The Tupolev 154, carrying 10 April 2010 President Lech Kaczynski and other senior Polish officials, crashed while attempting to land in heavy fog at Smolensk, killing its 96 occupants.

The Polish delegation went to the ceremonies of the 70th anniversary of the massacre of about 22,000 Polish officers prisoners of the Red Army, including at Katyn near Smolensk.

UNUSUAL: On a shovel, a private Georgian Armenia Internet

No need to be a genius hacker or a dictator desperate to deprive a country of the Internet. A retired Georgia cut inadvertently Web access to a part of Armenia, said on Wednesday, the Georgian Ministry of Interior.

March 28, the Georgian age 75 plunged for nearly ten hours in the neighboring state in the dark digital quasi-complete, so it sought to sell the copper near Tbilisi, the Georgian capital. His shovel then accidentally cut a fiber optic cable. And not just any as it was he who provided 90% of the Internet in Armenia.Some 3.2 million Armenians were Internet users and found no connection.

"Hacker shovel"

Its unfortunate sod has also affected the Internet for parts of Georgia and Azerbaijan. A few hours after the incident, the local media now call the "hacker shovel" was always in search of the precious metal.

The good lady was arrested for sabotage. Which could earn him a sentence of three years in prison."Given his advanced age, we released the time of the investigation," he said Wednesday at a press representative of the Ministry of Interior.

This incident was unusual in any case exposed the infrastructure problems that regularly affect the network in Georgia. These cables, which belong to the Georgian telecommunications company, has long had to be strengthened. Alas, the company had to abandon work because of the many rains and landslides that hit the region frequently.

JAPAN: A "tweet" and a book to help the victims of the earthquake and tsunami

It all started with a tweet on March 18. And ended with a book under cryptic. "2:46 - Quakebook" ("2:46" as the time of the earthquake that struck Japan on March 11) is both a collection of stories written in English and an original initiative to help Victims of the earthquake and tsunami.

"I would like to gather experiences from the earthquake in a book, publish it in a week and give the money collected to the Red Cross," he wrote, March 18, on his Twitter feed "ourmaninabiko", behind which lies a British blogger living in Japan.Only constraint imposed on the contributors: the narrative must not exceed 350 words, "about a page of a book," says the proponent.

Good intentions are not long in coming. An official Twitter account is created, soon assisted by a blog and a Facebook page. The official count of the microblogging service relays information and Yoko Ono, wife of the late John Lennon, has done the same on his homepage."In the end, more than 200 people, I do not know for the most part, have participated in the project," tells France24.com "ourmaninabiko" which refuses to reveal his identity because he believes that the book is the result of collective work.

Although aware of the power of social media when it comes to "move information", British blogger can not help but be amazed by the result. "I have received something like 200 stories and the book contains 85," he says. The publication of "2:46 - Quakebook" was sealed in 48 hours, last weekend. Not without pain. "I had no experience in publishing.Between the management of the copy, the work of volunteer translators and layout, the work was difficult, "said he.

Amazon contacted

The evidence collected from many Japanese that foreigners living there. "Ourmaninabiko" even received a contribution from William Gibson, American writer of science fiction and the father of cyberpunk, and Jake Adelstein, a journalist-American writer known for his work on the Japanese Mafia.

Most contributors, famous or not, tell what was their reaction when the first quake, others prefer to discuss their annoyance vis-à-vis the government's action or tell the resignation of their parents.The book also contains illustrations.

He is wanting to "2:46 - Quakebook" a publisher. "We could publish directly to our blog, but I think the project deserves to be disseminated more widely," says "ourmaninabiko. He claims to have already received offers to translate the book into German, Spanish and Japanese. The book was submitted to the American giant of the sale of cultural goods online, Amazon, so it can be sold between 10 and 20 dollars "ebook". "Ourmaninabiko" and his team are still awaiting a response.