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FRANCE: The former minister Georges Tron gets a dismissal in a case of rape

 

Accused of rape and sexual assault in meeting and person in authority, Georges Tron finally got a non-place, a-t we learned Tuesday, December 10, judicial sources. The former UMP minister was challenged by two former municipal employees of its common Draveil in Essonne.

For now, the parties did not wish to respond, the order of 150 pages not yet in their possession.

Confirming a report in the newspaper "Libération", the judges have also found a place for non-Brigitte Gruel, Assistant to the culture of Georges Tron, also implicated in this case.

One of the two former municipal employees of the municipality of Draveil will appeal the dismissal enjoyed by the former secretary of state, said Tuesday his lawyer AFP. 

A year of investigation

The two judges in charge of this took almost seven months to make their decision based on the submissions of the prosecutor Evry, who had requested a non-place 15 May The end of the statement had been notified by the judges in October 2012, after more than a year of investigation.

After their indictment in 2011, Georges Tron, 54, and Brigitte Gruel, had been left under judicial control.

The case led Georges Tron to resign from his post as Secretary of State for Public Service in May 2011. In June 2012, he lost his seat, delighted by the Socialist Thierry Mandon.

With AFP

DIPLOMACY: An American prisoner of 85 years released from North Korea

 

Detained for over a month by the Pyongyang regime, Merrill Newman, an American citizen of 85 years, was expelled, Saturday, December 7, North Korea, reported the official news agency KCNA. Deportation done for humanitarian reasons, given "the recognition of the facts that he had made the apology he had presented his sincere repentance, his advanced age , and his health, "the agency said.

With heart problems, the man from California arrived in Beijing where he told Japanese journalists that he "felt good" and that he "wanted to go home him to find his wife. " 

Merrill Newman, former member of the U.S. Special Forces, was arrested because of "hostile acts", Oct. 26 aboard a flight from Pyongyang few minutes before takeoff, after entering North Korean territory "under the guise of a tourist", had indicated KCNA. Always according to the official news agency, Merrill Newman was accused of "defaming the socialist system [North Korea] so completely contrary to the purpose travel ".

North Korea also accused of being a criminal who took part in massacres of innocent civilians during the Korean War 1950-1953. During his detention, the prisoner had appeared on a videotape broadcast by the communist regime, in which he confessed his crimes and apologized.

"Positive decision"

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, welcomed this described as "positive" release from South Korea where he finished a tour Asia. "We are pleased that Mr. Merrill Newman was allowed to leave the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and rejoin his family," stated earlier door- Deputy State Department spokesman Marie Harf.

Washington, however, benefited from the release to recall the fate of another of its nationals on North Korean soil. "This positive decision of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea puts more light on the ongoing detention of Mr. Kenneth Bae, who has been imprisoned for over a year" , added the U.S. spokesman in a statement, referring to the case of an American of Korean descent, sentenced in May to 15 years of confinement for attempting to "overthrow" the system.

"We once again call upon the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to pardon Mr. Bae and grant special amnesty and immediate release as a humanitarian gesture, so he could also return to his own home, "said Ms. Harf, stating that" the government United States continue to work actively on this issue. "

With AFP and Reuters

FOOTBALL - FIFA: Draw World 2014: France placed with the African teams?

 

The France team football two options while the four hats eight teams needed to draw the World 2014, to be announced Tuesday, December 3 by the organization of the World Cup committee.

"We have two options: to France directly in the pot with the South Americans (unseeded) and Africans, or conduct a random drawing from nine European countries , ens unseeded ", told the General Secretary of FIFA Jerome Valcke in the newspaper L'Équipe Saturday.

The first option appears to be favored, since Fifa has always said it would be based on its ranking of nations on 17 October. At that time, France, 21st place, was the lowest ranked of Europeans, so any designated to be found in the hat South Americans non Head and Neck your serial (Chile and Ecuador) and Africa: Algeria, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria. And two ranks in the Fifa rankings released on November 28th, thanks to its qualification for the World Cup against Ukraine, will not change anything for France for this draw.

One of the worst possible draws: Brazil, Mexico, France, the Netherlands

If the first option is chosen by FIFA, France therefore escape the series heads Europeans (Spain, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland) and inherit a head South American series (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia or Uruguay). But the Blues would still face a European non-seeded (Netherlands, Italy, England, Portugal, Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Russia).

One of the worst possible draw would be: Brazil, Mexico, France, Netherlands. A "more affordable" hen might be: Colombia, Australia, France, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

If the second option, the draw was retained and if France remained in the hat unseeded Europeans, then it falls on a European head series and escape to South American seeds. One of the worst possible draw would be: Germany, Mexico, Ivory Coast, France. One of the best would be: Switzerland, Australia, Ecuador, France. ________________________________________

Here is a projection of possible hats:

Pot 1 (seeded): Brazil, Spain, Argentina, Colombia, Belgium, Switzerland, and Uruguay.

Hat 2: United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras, Japan, Iran, South Korea, Australia.

Pot 3: France and European non-seeded randomly, Chile, Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Algeria, Nigeria, Cameroon.

Pot 4: Netherlands, Italy, England, Portugal, Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Russia (or in the case of France draw allowing him to remain in the pot).

Two countries in the same zone of qualification may be in the same group, except the Europeans (maximum two per group).

With AFP

Ukraine: Muscular police action against pro-European protesters

 

In the night from Friday to Saturday, Ukrainian riot police dispersed hundreds of pro-European protesters who were still present around the Independence Square in Kiev, after a day of mobilization. Intervention with batons against the demonstrators who have camped on the site after the event Friday night against the decision of President Viktor Yanukovych not to sign the association agreement and free e exchange that was negotiating for months with the European Union (EU).

Dozens of people were injured and dozens arrested, media reports said. "The demonstration was dispersed wild way, there are dozens injured and dozens arrested," wrote the deputy Andrei Shevchenko on Twitter.

The police first fired stun grenades while towards the crowd and violently intervened to oust the occupants, pursuing some protesters in the streets nearby. Saturday 5:00 to local, part of the square was cordoned off by riot police. Friday night, a few incidents took place between pro-European protesters and police. At least four people were beaten by police, including a cameraman and a Reuters photographer. The latter, hit in the head, had blood on his face.

The European Dream "stolen"

10,000 demonstrators pro-Europeans gathered Friday on the Independence Square in accusing President Yanukovych of having "destroyed their dream of a" rapprochement with the European Union. Nine years earlier, in 2004, the same Independence Square had experienced great manifestations of the "orange revolution" against electoral fraud.

In a sea of ​​blue and yellow flags, the colors of both Ukraine and the EU, the protesters chanted "Ukraine is Europe." "Today, they stole our dream, the dream to finally live in a normal country," had told the crowd the opponent Vitali Klitschko, who wants to attend the presidential election of 2015. "Do not have signed the Association Agreement (with the EU) is the betrayal," said he added.

The top of Vilnius, Lithuania, dedicated to reconciliation between the EU and six former Soviet republics ended Friday without what was to be his greatest achievement, signed by Kiev to an association agreement with the EU. President Yanukovych has resolutely blocked attempts last-minute compromise to restart negotiations that Kiev has frozen there for a week. As the crowd sang the national anthem, cries totaled two hundred yards away, from a cons-demonstration - paradox - the place of Europe by three or four thousand supporters of the Head of State. These opponents of association with the EU, came to many Russian-speaking east of the country, listened to popular songs and several speakers welcomed the decision of the President of Ukraine. Despite the proximity of the two gatherings, no incident was reported between rival groups of demonstrators.

With Reuters and AFP

SYRIA: Geneva 2: "The negotiations will be a decrease in fighting"

 

Given for dead long before he had seen the day, the Geneva conference-2 could well take place eventually. The summit supposed to find a solution to the conflict in Syria for more than two and a half years, should indeed take place on January 22, announced Monday, November 25th Secretary General of the UN Ban Ki-moon. Even as the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and other fighters have rejected the initiative, including the opposition Syrian National Coalition (CNS), yet little excited about the persepective of the summit , welcomed Tuesday its realization, it was "very positive", the announcement of a date.

Initiated by Russia and the United States, this peace conference, whose idea has already generated numerous quarrels, aims to bring the re regime and the opposition at the same negotiating table and to implement advanced Geneva-1 which was held in June 2012 provisions. The final release of the first installment provided including the formation of a transitional government while ignoring the possible role of Bashar al-Assad, bone of contention between the two camps. Since the departure of Assad has indeed become the precondition posed by the opposition, participation in Geneva II. And that the Syrian regime does not want to hear about it.

Concerning the presence of the strong man of Damascus conference, Laurent Fabius has wanted clear. "Geneva-2 will take place, but I remember that the purpose of the Geneva-2, it is not to have a conversation-shops on Syria, it is a mutual consent between representatives of the regime - without Bashar - and the moderate opposition (to) come to a transitional government with full powers ", told the head of French diplomacy Tuesday, November 26th on France Culture.

"Having a transitional government in Damascus is almost impossible," said for his part Fabrice Balanche Syria specialist and director of the Group for Research and Study of the Mediterranean and the Middle East (GREMMO). According to the researcher, it is true, Americans and Europeans say in their official statements that the purpose of Geneva is to form a transitional government, "they all know that Assad will not leave power. " More than that, he believes that this issue has been partially resolved. "Geneva-2 has somehow been held in early September when the U.S. and Russia negotiated the destruction of chemical weapons in exchange for maintaining Assad," said- he says. Frédéric Pichon, specialist historian of Syria, joined on this point and also observed in the emission Decoding broadcast on RFI Monday, "the agreement of September amounted to Recognize the legitimacy of the regime by integrating it into an international negotiation. "

The hope is it appropriate?

However, although many remain unknown - who represent the rebels? The government delegation does have the power to make critical decisions? Iran, which supports Damascus, and Saudi Arabia, which supports the opposition, will they be in the game? - There are many who approach the conference with hope. Topping the list, Ban Ki-moon. However, aware of the obstacles and substantive disagreements between the various parties, the Secretary General of the UN considers it "unforgivable not to take this opportunity to end the suffering and destruction that the conflict has caused. " "We will go to Geneva with hope. The Geneva conference is the way to achieve a peaceful transition that meets the legitimate aspirations of all the Syrian people for freedom and dignity and ensure the safety and protection of all communities in Syria, "he repeated again Tuesday, a spokesman for the UN in a statement.

Fabrice Balanche wants too optimistic. For him, there is indeed a "hope that the Geneva-2 makes it possible to initiate a process of cessation of hostilities." "It's going to negotiate on both sides is a decrease in the intensity of the fighting," he says. He explained that Americans and Westerners will try to put pressure on Turkey and Saudi Arabia including stifles their financial support to the rebels, and Russian and Iranians will in turn try to convince the re , diet to reduce the intensity of its repressive strikes.

According to the researcher, the decrease in violence by both sides would solve several critical issues: Stop the bloodshed in the first place, but also help to deliver aid to NGOs civilians in need. The issue of refugees and displaced Syrians is also important for the international community because it is regional. "If the security situation stabilizes, Syrian refugees are more likely to return to Syria, which is not the case today," he says, noting the weight they represent for Lebanon and Jordan in particular, is a threat to the stability of the region.

The participation of Iran in question

The announcement of this date repeatedly postponed, otherwise arises after the conclusion, also in Geneva, an agreement between Iran and the West about its nuclear program Té Héran. Fabrice Balanche, "the deal between the U.S. and Iran will necessarily have an impact on the Syrian issue." And remember that part of the key to the conflict lies in Tehran.

Well before the agreement Sunday, November 24, the presence of Iranians in Geneva-2 was raised. Desired by some, disputed by others, it still remains as yet uncertain: from Geneva where he was to meet with U.S. and Russian diplomats, the UN envoy and Arab League Lakhdar Brahimi said Monday, Nov. 25 that the list of participants was still in negotiations.

According to diplomatic sources cited by Reuters, the U.S. and European governments agree that Iran can participate in Geneva-2 if it accepts the contents of the release of 30 June 2012, including the formation of a transitional government. For its part, Iran was quick to leave his reserve and reported Tuesday by the voice of his chief diplomat Javad Zarif, that it was priests t to join the peace conference if he was invited. "Tehran will be delighted to be part of the negotiations because he thirsts to return to the international stage," noted Frédéric Pichon on RFI. Ally of the Syrian regime, which Iran has not hesitated to send the Revolutionary Guards supporting the Syrian regime on the ground, in fact influence indisputable on the Syrian issue and therefore a role to play in peace.