PAKISTAN: Exchanges of fire between the Pakistani army and NATO forces

Two soldiers were wounded Tuesday in north-western Pakistan in the crossfire with NATO helicopters from Afghanistan, according to the Pakistani army has "strongly protested" against what it calls a "violation "of its airspace.

In Kabul, a Western officer acted under cover of anonymity, as helicopters, operating in Afghanistan had returned fire after being fired at from Pakistan.

Islamabad denounced the military frequently raids by international forces in the border tribal areas, the stronghold of Pakistani Taliban chief sanctuary in the world of Al Qaeda and Afghan Taliban rear base.

The incident occurred at dawn in the frontier tribal district of North Waziristan.

"Two helicopters violated Pakistani airspace (...) and our troops at a military post opened fire on them.In a firefight, two of our soldiers were injured, "says the Pakistani army in a statement.

"The Pakistani army has strongly protested" to the NATO force in Afghanistan (ISAF), concludes the text.

Earlier, without mention of Pakistani firing, military officials had assured him, on condition of anonymity, that "two helicopters had violated NATO airspace and bombed a military post, injuring two soldiers in the area Wacha Bibi ".

In Kabul, the NATO international force (Isaf) "has heard of a possible incident" at this point of the border. "We are investigating," he told AFP Lt. Col. John L.Dorrian, the public relations department of the force, composed by American soldiers for over two-thirds.

For his part, a Western military official in Kabul confirmed that both NATO aircraft that were operating on the Afghan side had responded to fire from Pakistan.

"Two helicopters were flying in the coverage area of ​​a forward base" international forces "that was taken under fire by fire from the Pakistani side," he told AFP on condition of anonymity.

"One of the devices has also suffered under fire from across the border, but did not return fire immediately.He did when he was again under fire, "the source said.

This latest incident comes as relations between the U.S. and Pakistan, its key ally in its "war against terrorism, have deteriorated after a squad of U.S. Special Forces helicopter from Afghanistan, had eliminated Osama bin Laden in a villa in Abbottabad, a city garrison two hours drive north of Islamabad.

North Waziristan is the stronghold of Pakistani Taliban allied with al-Qaeda and the main rear base for Taliban's Haqqani network, the bete noire of American troops and the Afghan government.

The Pakistani military often accuse NATO of violating his space, or bombardment from Afghanistan, especially when its troops pursuing Taliban who attacked them. It has happened in the past that these shots, intentionally or not, reach positions of the Pakistani army.

Historic collapse of the Bloc Quebecois in the federal election

"We were expecting a good score, New Democratic Party (NDP), but certainly not as much. Voters separatists and separatist dropped the Bloc Quebecois. This is history. This is the first time in 100 years that it breaks down this way, "surprised Denis Saint-Martin, a political scientist and lecturer at the University of Montreal.For him, "is a vote against the system, a rejection of the elites and not the sign of a turning socialist." According to Francois Bergeron, associate publisher and editor of the French-language weekly "L'Express de Toronto," the analysis applies to the rest of Canada, predominantly in English: "This is a protest vote against the federal policy in general. "

The NDP, the party left most represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament, took over three-quarters of the seats reserved in the Belle Province in the Federal Parliament. He finds himself with 60 of the 75 seats. "This wave NDP is a bit surreal.People have been elected without being known - and sometimes even without having visited the constituency they covet - in the face of elected Bloc well known, "Francois Bergeron surprised.

"A party that has no roots in Quebec"

According to commentators, the personality of its leader, Jack Layton, has much to do. He is a child of the province, he grew up in Quebec.He is suffering from cancer and some analysts believe it could play its positive image.

But Denis Saint-Martin doubt that the party is able to meet the aspirations of French-speaking province of identity: "It's a party that has no roots in Quebec on the historic plan. I think that the hopes of Quebeckers are likely to be disappointed. " He explains that "the political weight of the training was in Quebec while the bodies of the party are not in the province." The bastion of NDP, which is also the constituency of Jack Layton, Toronto happens to be.

Stephen Harper, the Conservative Prime Minister in power since 2006, is the winner of the poll.Now have a comfortable majority that had escaped the previous two elections, "he is free to do what he wants," Francois Bergeron analysis. "One of the first things he will do is raise the budget recently rejected by the previous majority."

The Bloc Quebecois, loser of the election

The Bloc Quebecois, it retains only 4 of the 47 seats it had in the outgoing parliament - in place since 2008. Given the low number of elected, he will lose official party status in the House of Commons and find private funding to training in the majority.In addition, Stephen Harper announced Monday he would end the public subsidies for political parties (independent of election results), which should further reduce its resources.

Still, for Denis Saint-Martin, "those who think that these results are indicative of the end of the independence movement, they are wrong. It is a sleeping giant. The dream of an independent Quebec is more than ever there . Some voters saw the NDP as the last chance, but if the NDP fails to convince, it will be very supportive of separatists. "

EUROPA LEAGUE: Falcao flows Villareal, Benfica takes over Braga

AFP - FC Porto, with a quadrupling of Falcao, took a huge advantage for the qualification for the final of the Europa League after the semi-finals go on Thursday, beating Villarreal 5-1, while Benfica has become smaller cons Braga (2-1).

After being led in scoring by Villarreal, the "Dragons" have turned the tide with their two Colombian Guarin and especially Falcao, author of a quadrupled.

Villarreal, currently fourth in the Championship of Spain, had opened the scoring just before the break thanks to a goal from Cani (0-1, 45).

Falcao equalized from the penalty spot, a few minutes later (1-1, 49). Guarin then resumed his own head strikes repelled by the pole to take the lead (2-1, 61).Porto, Portugal sacred recent champion, then took off with three new goals Falcao, the best scorer of the tournament (15 goals with this fourfold), putting himself in good position before moving to Villarreal for the second leg .

Benfica dominated the challenger Braga

In the other semifinal, the giant Benfica overcame the challenger Braga neophyte at this level, taking a slight edge before moving on May 5 in "The Quarry", the nickname of the stadium in Braga.

The "Eagles scored two goals in nine minutes to have a catchy Braga. Defenseman Jardel, recalling the memory of his illustrious namesake Brazilian prolific scorer in the Championship of Portugal from 1996 to 2003, tackles the ball successfully repelled by the pole (1-0, 50).

Three minutes later, Braga equalized in the head by Vandinho (1-1, 53), before the Paraguayan Cardozo gives the advantage to the people of Lisbon from a masterful free kick into the top corner (2-1, 59).

The final of the Europa League will take place May 18 in Dublin.

FRANCE - cantonal elections: A candidate FN suspended for a photo showing him to the Nazi hello

AFP - The National Front responded immediately by suspending the party Friday one of its candidates for the cantonal, hours after publishing on the website of the Nouvel Observateur the picture of the man doing the hello before a Nazi swastika flag.

The party intends to show that it sends a "signal" is "no place" in the party frontist for those that revolve around an ideology which Nazi "was an abomination," as the repeated Marine Le Pen on several occasions, at the time of the congress which has brought it to the presidency of the FN.

"Everyone must know that the National Front in it admit such behavior unacceptable carrying a repugnant ideology," said a statement Friday Marine Le Pen, in announcing an investigation "on the reality of this photograph ".

"It is a montage," the person reacts

The NouvelObs.com Friday published a photograph, undated, Alexander Gabriac, FN candidate in the canton of Grenoble-6, making the left hand hello to a Nazi swastika flag.

Several other photos were subsequently posted on the Web, where we see again the man making the same gesture.

Gabriac Alexander, 20, is regional adviser FN Rhone-Alpes and Central Committee member of the FN on the list Gollnisch, Challenger Marine Le Pen in the last party congress FN.

"It's a montage. We do not recognize me in this picture where my eyes are hidden," he told AFP the youngest regional adviser of France. He added that he intended to file a complaint against the website of the Nouvel Observateur.

Aurélien Viers, editor of nouvelobs.com, denied it a mount."We have verified that it is him, we have a whole series of photos we took the most iconic," he told AFP.

"He will have to prove to us that this photo is a montage," replied the FN

The secretary general of the FN Steeve Briois, told AFP that the candidate was "suspended from the FN and, already, is not the FN in the second round of cantonal.

"It will be excluded," continued Mr. Briois, indicating that there was "a good chance that this photo is real." "This man is close to the French Oeuvre (Nationalist Movement, Ed)," he added."He will have to prove to us that this photo is a montage," he said.

"We want to send two signs," he said, "First, the Front National, there is no place for people who have this ideology, and then a message to all those tempted to come to the National Front to make entryism, and I think the French Work, "he said.

Mr. Briois has also said: "This photo is from the Department of the Interior, 48 hours before the second round of cantonal, to try to destabilize the FN. The department "made a serious mistake because the FN is taking its responsibilities. People like that, they turns. They have no place in the Front. It will be a good way to clean house within the FN," he saidBriois.

The interior ministry has told AFP that he "absolutely contradicted these allegations."

Reacting to the publication of this photograph, SOS Racism said in a statement that the candidate of the FN "shown (is) is the true face of the party of Marine Le Pen, a party viscerally plagued by racism and antisemitism (...) nostalgic of Nazism and its evils. "

NIGER: Issoufou historical opponent declared the winner of the presidential

AFP - The historical opponent Mahamadou Issoufou won with nearly 58% of the vote in presidential elections in Niger, said Monday the election commission.

Mr.Saturday Issoufou received some 1.8 million votes, or 57.95%, ahead of former Prime Minister Seini Oumarou with 1.3 million votes (42.05%), announced Gousmane Abdourahamane, Commission President Independent National Electoral (INEC), at a ceremony in Niamey.

The turnout reached 48.17%, below the 51.56% of the first round of 31 January.

The second tower, whose effectiveness has been praised by international observers, was intended to restore civilian rule after a year's military junta after the coup of February 2010 against Tandja.

The new president is scheduled April 6.

TUNISIA: A Polish priest murdered by extremists near Tunis

Insecurity in Tunisia and the risk of pushing fundamentalist were illustrated Friday with the murder of a Polish priest found murdered "by extremists" near Tunis, officials said, and the attack of street prostitutes by Islamists who wanted to set fire to the center of the capital.

This is the first murder of both a religious and a foreigner since the fall of the regime of Ben Ali on January 14.

The priest, aged 34, was found dead "murdered" on Friday in a private school in the region Manouba, told AFP a source close to the Tunisian Ministry of the Interior.

It is "a fascist terrorist group with extremist orientations who is behind this crime, given the way he was murdered," the ministry said in a statement without specifying whether this was the Islamists.

Marek Rybinski was found murdered in the garage of a private religious school where he was responsible for accounting.He was assaulted before being murdered, the ministry said cited by the official news agency TAP.

An outbreak of fever had arisen in the Islamic afternoon in Tunis: dozens of them have attempted to set fire to a street where prostitutes work.

"The Islamists have tried to enter the street Abdallaah Guechi to burn," he told AFP Tunisian policeman under cover of anonymity. A major brothels in Tunis is located in the street near the Medina.

"Residents have prevented them from returning to this street until the arrival of agents of security forces who blocked the entrance prohibiting passage.They then managed to disperse the demonstrators, "said the policeman.

This area was flown for several hours by several army helicopters.

"Some groups have tried to enter the street but the police already knew that protesters were coming.They blocked the exits and now the street is guarded by the police and the army, "said one trader.

The Islamists had earlier expressed in the inner city, shouting "No to places of prostitution in a Muslim country."

"We demanded the closure of this street, we are in a Muslim country and we must apply what Islam requires," said one of them, Hamza, 21.

Last week, the Tunisian Jewish community had expressed its concern to the government after anti-Semitic incidents at the Great Synagogue of Tunis.

"Here we are vigilant," he repeated Friday the president of the community Roger Bismuth."It is the work of Salafists, the most extreme Islamists trained by the Wahhabis, but there is no soil in Tunisia for the development of Salafism," he added.

Aware of the prevailing security vacuum after the fall of the regime, the government decided last week to recall reservists retired for five years who joined the army on Wednesday.

The government is confronted daily with the instability of many armed robberies, demonstrations of Tunisians desperately calling on welfare and illegal immigration of thousands of Tunisians parties seek employment in Europe.

In an attempt to ease social tensions and meet the demands of a population exasperated by unemployment (14%, double that for young people), the government announced Friday a series of welfare measures aimed at emergency most disadvantaged (financial allocations, tenure of construction workers, allocation of free health care cards).

He also called on social partners to begin negotiations in the private and public key demand of the powerful trade union UGTT, according to his spokesman Baccouch Taieb.

Finally, the government passed a general amnesty for political prisoners. A decree-law shall be announced in "coming days".

FRANCE: Nearly 10 million French people are inadequately housed

Reuters - "A France owners, yes, but who can afford it?" This is essentially the message of the Fondation Abbé Pierre, who denounced in his annual report the character "unequal" in the current housing policy.

In a crisis marked by a rise in insecurity and the doubling of house prices in ten years, encourage the French to buy a roof can be
be risky, says the organization.

"The policy of 'any assumption' is highly questionable as subject to speculative market mechanisms, inadequate budgets of low income and very compatible with the reality of home ownership," it said in the 16th annual report Foundation Abbé Pierre.

Example given of a "budgetary and financial policy which prolongs inequality": the new loan (PTZ +) proposed non-means tested, which the government hopes it will help increase the homeownership rate in France of 58 % to 70%, the average European.

"Allowing 20% of the richest French access to the loan will cost 480 million euros to the state," lamented Patrick Doutreligne to reporters, Chief Executive of the Foundation. "This is a dogmatic choice that affects our taxes."

Are also highlighted issues of indebtedness, of social divisions and the environment, at a time when soaring prices led many new owners to stay away from downtown.

The Foundation also denounced the measures promoting evictions contained in the Act for guidance and planning for the performance of homeland security,
called "Loppsi II, which threatens the poorest, may be forced to live in tents, caves or squats.

Expulsion

"This law applies to all those who seek a solution to be able to put a roof over your head, it's crazy.It will not solve the housing crisis hits evictions, "complains Robert Christopher, Executive Assistant of the Foundation.

For the heirs of Father Pierre, housing, engulfing an average of more than a quarter of revenues of each French, should be priority candidates for the presidential election of 2012, which will submit a charter prepared for occasion.
"We want the candidates and political parties take to the fair housing needs of the French position," said Patrick Doutreligne.

"Missing 900,000 homes in France, it lacks accommodation places and meet these challenges we feel we leave to the market," he said."It is an intervention
strong public which is oriented mainly to the smaller and middle categories, which is not the case today. "

The urgency is even greater than the number of French at the threshold of poverty is increasing at the same time as inequalities: 10% of the richest households have 46% of assets, while 50% smaller 7% share.

The 2011 report on inadequate housing in France is black "to symbolize the weakness in which many families are victims of a failure or a political inertia of 30 years," wrote Chairman of the Fondation Abbé Pierre, Raymond Etienne.

In terms of proposals, the organization proposes to build 500.000 new dwellings per year to eliminate the backlog, the creation of a land law and a law
programming over five years, tax reform and more equal measures to encourage social mix.

Commission deems it appropriate to require municipalities with more than 3,500 inhabitants to build 25% of social housing, against 20% today.