INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND: The maneuvers have begun for the succession of DSK

Reuters - Interned in the huge prison complex Rikers Island since Monday evening, Dominique Strauss-Kahn to add to a prison daily increasing pressure for his resignation as director of the IMF.

Then he will appear a second time on Friday before a criminal court in Manhattan to respond to alleged sexual assault, DSK is increasingly isolated and keeping him at the head of the International Monetary Fund is seen as an embarrassment .

The IMF has tried to contact its Director General to determine whether he intended to remain at this station during the course of the investigation or whether he planned to retire.

In a statement, the international institution has lamented the fact that such a relationship could not take place since the inquiry of DSK Saturday afternoon at JFK Airport in New York on a plane to Paris.

An IMF spokesman said that "it is obviously important that contact can be established within a reasonable time."

"I know there is a problem concerning his status in the IMF, but it is hoped that this will be put in brackets the time that we see clearer in this case," said Bill Taylor, one of the lawyers DSK.

Washington calls for an interim Director

Two sources at the IMF confirmed to Reuters that the board has tried Tuesday to join DSK considering whether or not to remain at his post.

One source said that IMF chief's resignation is the ideal solution, while the second source said that this sentiment was not shared by the 24 members of the board of directors.

The IMF chief is currently in custody at Rikers Island prison after rejecting his request for bail in a case of alleged sexual assault on a woman in a hotel room in New York.

According to the regulations of the prison administration of the city, inmates may receive three visits per week in addition to their lawyers.

The U.S. treasury secretary, Timothy Geithner, said it was important that the Fund can continue to operate normally at a time when he intervened in the rescue of several European Union countries.

"I can not comment on the case, but obviously he (DSK) is not in a position where it may lead the IMF," said Geithner.

"It is important that the Board of Directors of the IMF formally appoint someone to a transitional period and that person is acting as director," he added.

The White House is already thinking of replacing John Lipsky, number 2 of the Fund who is temporarily acting, and plans to push the candidacy of Councillor David Lipton to this post.

"Given the situation, the release on bail was refused, he should (resign) to avoid penalizing the institution," said Maria Fekter, Austrian Minister of Finance.

"It is important to ensure the stability of the institution, but we must also rely on the intelligence of Mr. Strauss-Kahn.And in this case it does not seem to have demonstrated, "said Elena Delgado, Spanish Minister of Economy.

Rivalry between emerging European and

If it is not yet officially opened, a succession of DSK to head the IMF is already the subject of rivalries, especially between emerging markets and European Union.

China, which last year became the third largest contributor to the Fund, called for "fairness, transparency and merit" in choosing the new head of the organization.

Brazil and South Africa echoed this position by stating that the choice of the next executive director must be on the basis of his qualifications and not his
nationality.

"We believe it is appropriate to have someone from a country emerging.We believe that India and Brazil are good options, but we also believe that Europe will try to maintain its leading position and we're going to press, "said an official of Brazil.

The three main tasks of the director who will eventually be named are: the debt crisis in Europe, the establishment of a political agreement on reducing debt in the U.S. and the risk of an inflationary bubble in emerging markets .

Waiting to be re-heard by American justice, Dominique Strauss-Kahn was under continuous surveillance designed to prevent any suicide attempt.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn has shown no signs to that effect and it is simply a precautionary measure, said a source within the prison service.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn will be monitored more frequently than other inmates, the source said, without elaborating.

Brussels unveils several proposals to reform the Schengen area

The European Commission will propose on Wednesday a greater flexibility to restore the checks within the Schengen area without borders, under pressure from Paris and Rome who are concerned about the arrival of thousands of Tunisian immigrants.

Temporary restoration of national borders is a "possibility among others" to be used in exceptional circumstances, "said Commission President José Manuel Barroso, in a letter sent late last week in France and the Italy.

But most said one European diplomat, is that of restoring border controls is clearly signified.

This review could "undermine the philosophy of the Schengen system, which relies on mutual trust between States, but warned Yves PASCOUAU, a European expert on migration issues, in a study released Tuesday by the European Policy Centre (European Policy Center) .

Paris, in conflict with Rome about the reception of migrants in Tunisia, estimates that the current "safeguard clauses" that allow states to reinstate the controls are too restrictive.

France wants such that they can do so not only in cases of "serious threat to public order or national security" - as is expected today - but also in cases of "failure" of a state in monitoring its borders.

A European diplomat cited the example of Greek-Turkish border, which is one of the main crossing points for illegal immigration in Europe.

It is "essential" that the border control at the borders of Europe should be "effective and credible," the text that the Commission should present Wednesday and which AFP has obtained a copy still subject to change.

Temporary restoration of national borders should be "an incitement to virtue to compel these countries to be more rigorous, more demanding," said one diplomat.

A capacity of Frontex?

European Commissioner for immigration Cecilia Malmström should also propose a strengthening of skills and capacity for action of Frontex, the agency responsible for overseeing the external borders of the EU.

Its proposals will then be on the agenda of a meeting of EU interior ministers on May 12 in Brussels before being finalized in June at a summit of Heads of State and Government of the EU.

"The goal is to go as fast as possible to strengthen the governance of the Schengen area," said one diplomat from a major European country.

However, if the proposals are in line with Brussels wanted by Paris and Rome, the debate on how best to implement them is unresolved.France calls for new legislation changing the Schengen code to give more weight to the amendments, while the Commission and some capitals look for a less cumbersome for simple "clarification" of existing rules, according to diplomats.

The German Foreign Minister, Guido Westerwelle has placed limits on changing the rules. "Freedom of movement in Europe is such a success that it should not be renegotiated," he said.

The Schengen Area comprises 25 Member States with three non-EU members (Norway, Switzerland and Iceland, Liechtenstein and soon).It allows more than 400 million citizens to move freely from Finland to Greece, from Portugal to the Polish border, without showing their passports.

The accession of Bulgaria and Romania, initially scheduled for March, is still pending.

UNITED STATES: The Federal Reserve has revolutionized the communication

Chairman of the Central Bank of the United States (Fed), Ben Bernanke, has dealt a further blow to the reputation of secrecy and opacity of the institution in deciding to hold regular press briefings.

Mr. Bernanke will hold press briefings four times a year to present the latest economic forecasts Monetary Policy Committee of the Fed and to provide additional circumstantial evidence on the Committee's decisions, "the Fed said in a statement.

The first briefing is scheduled for April 27, after the next monetary policy meeting of the Federal Reserve.Two more are planned for 2011: June 22 and November 2.

It is a revolution in communication and transparency for the Fed, which until 1994 did not communicate the decisions taken during meetings of its Monetary Policy Committee (FOMC).

It was then scrutinize the evolution of the interbank lending market on a daily basis, on which the Fed has daily, to get an idea of ​​what she had decided.

Since then, the FOMC announces its decision in a statement issued at the end of its meetings and whose every word is weighed and analyzed by experts.

The Fed said that "the launch of regular press briefings designed to further improve the clarity and timeliness of [his] communication."

The FOMC holds a regular meeting every six weeks, eight times a year.

At the Committee meeting in December, several members had insisted on "communication challenges" facing the Federal Reserve to make it understand as precisely as possible its intentions.

Quiet by nature, Mr. Bernanke seemed rather reluctant to exercise press conferences.

He had participated in early February at a Washington press conference - where the questions were filtered by a moderator - who had the air of a trial run.

Mr.Bernanke said last year that his institution had not yet taken the decision "difficult" to communicate more often, just like what the European Central Bank (ECB) and Bank of Japan, whose respective presidents, Jean -Claude Trichet and Masaaki Shirakawa, give regular press conference.

"We do not want to create inappropriately uncertainty or volatility in financial markets by saying things that could be misinterpreted," he had said the same.

At the head of the Fed since 2006, Mr.Bernanke has profoundly changed the habits in the central bank, rejecting the "cult" which was under his predecessor Alan Greenspan, and leading the Fed to communicate a lot about his action.

Where Mr. Greenspan had made a specialty of small cryptic sentences, Mr. Bernanke, a former economics professor, is trying to explain in the simplest possible action.

The announcement of regular press briefings of the President of the Fed takes place while the U.S. central bank will soon have to clarify how it intends to fly the "crisis", that is to say how she intends to use to return smoothly to the hundreds of billions of dollars it has pumped into the U.S. economy to enable it through the crisis.

LIBYA: In Doha, the "contact group" trying to prevent the stagnation of the conflict Libyan

The foreign ministers of the "contact group" on Libya will meet in Qatar on Wednesday when the stalemate of the situation causes a tension among the allies.

On the eve of this meeting, France and Great Britain, who were at the forefront of military intervention in the sky Libyan Tuesday urged NATO to step up its raids to destroy heavy weapons forces of Muammar Gaddafi.

In Luxembourg, where he attended a meeting of European ministers, Alain Juppe, the French foreign minister said Tuesday that NATO, which took over the United States, Great Britain and France March 31, did not play its role adequately.

"NATO has absolutely wanted to conduct this operation on the military.Well now, there is now (...) It is not acceptable Misrata can continue to be under fire from the bombing of Qaddafi's troops, "he said.

His British counterpart, William Hague, also requested that the Alliance is intensifying its efforts."We must maintain and strengthen our efforts within NATO," said the Foreign Secretary.

For more than three weeks after the first air strikes against the regular forces Libyan regime of Muammar Gaddafi is still in place and the insurgents, whose representatives will travel to Qatar, do not seem able to overthrow him by force.

With the failure of mediation attempts by the African Union, the prospects for a compromise were parallel remote.

"A new Somalia?"

Established at the London conference, March 29, the "contact group" on Libya to fly the political aspect of the Allied intervention.

Representatives of the National Transitional Council (CNT), established by the rebels in their stronghold of Benghazi (East), will be heard by the Ministers in Doha.

They should also hold talks with Musa Kusa, a former Libyan foreign minister who defected and fled to London last month, said the British government.Koussa was concerned that his country from becoming "another Somalia".

The Doha meeting comes as the stalemate threat and that the humanitarian crisis is accentuated in Misrata, the last major town held by rebels in western Libya and besieged for weeks the troops of Muammar Gaddafi.

At least 250 people died in six weeks in this city located 220 km east of Tripoli.

"When one pulls gun on Misrata is that there are many guns that must be identified and neutralized (...) It should be on it more efficient," stressed Alain Juppe.

NATO, which has intensified its air attacks during the weekend around Misrata and Ajdabiah, destroying several tanks forces Gaddafi rejects criticism of the French and British.

In a statement, she said it "vigorously conducts its military operations in Libya under the mandate given to it" and that "the pace of operations is determined by the need to protect the civilian population."

Late Tuesday night, the Alliance announced that its air force had destroyed five tanks in the area of ​​Misrata."Our aviation continues to strike targets around Misrata regime," the Canadian General Charles Bouchard, Commander of NATO.

The rebels have announced they have demanded weapons to countries that have recognized their Transitional National Council as the sole representative of the country, namely France, Qatar and Italy.

"We presented a list of military equipment and technology we need," said Abdel Hafiz Ghoga, official spokesman of the CNT in Benghazi.

MIDDLE EAST: Islamic Jihad claims two new rockets at Israel

Al-Quds Brigades, armed wing of the radical Islamic Jihad, claimed responsibility on Wednesday morning the firing of two rockets at Israel, in a statement released in Gaza.

Al-Quds Brigades have attributed the authorship of two rocket attacks against the town of Beersheba in the Negev (southern Israel) and that of Ashdod, near the border with the Gaza Strip.

"This is an initial response to the Zionist crimes committed against our people in Gaza," the statement said.

These new rockets are part of an escalation of violence since Saturday between armed Palestinian groups in Gaza and Israel.

Eight Palestinians, four civilians including two minors, and four Islamic Jihad fighters were killed by Israeli fire in Gaza on Tuesday, the deadliest day in the Palestinian territory controlled by Hamas for more than two years.

On the night of Wednesday, two Islamic Jihad militants were wounded, one seriously, during an Israeli air strike in the Zeitoun neighborhood in Gaza City.

Liveblogging: France launches military action in Libya

What you should remember:

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said that French fighter planes had penetrated into Libyan airspace to prevent the forces of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi to attack the city of Benghazi, a stronghold of the opposition.


The statement by the French head of state concluded an international summit on the situation in Libya, which gathered in Paris this Saturday the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, British Prime Minister David Cameron and many Arab and European politicians.
A military plane was shot Saturday morning while flying over the city of Benghazi.The aircraft belongs to the opponents of Muammar Gaddafi.
According to the insurgents in Benghazi, forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi bombed roads leading into town. The regime denies the accusations and says its planes remained on the ground, according to the cease-fire it announced Friday.

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GERMANY: The thesis of an Islamist attack raised after the shooting Frankfurt

German federal prosecutors suspected that the shooting Thursday in which two U.S. soldiers were killed the day before in Frankfurt Airport (West) was an attack "motivated Islamist."

If the motive is confirmed, this is the first time since September 11, 2001 killed an Islamist attack in Germany - which were partially prepared the 2001 attacks in the United States and which have failed for several projects terrorists.

"Given the circumstances, we may suspect that this attack is an act motivated Islamist," said federal prosecutors in Karlsruhe (West), responsible for terrorism cases, which took up the investigation.

On Wednesday, a source close Kosovar identified as investigators Arid Uka, 21 years old and lives in Frankfurt, drew on military U.S. Air Force who came from England and had to travel by bus to Ramstein base, 140 miles away. Two soldiers died and two others were seriously injured. One remained in critical condition Thursday.

According to Boris Rhein, interior minister of the regional state of Hesse, where Frankfurt is located, the suspected killer would be a "radical Islamist" who acted alone and apparently unrelated to a "network" terrorist. He worked at the postal facility of the airport and allegedly confessed, saidRhein.

The new Federal Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich found it unnecessary to address the security measures in Germany.

A special committee comprising the police U.S. investigators was established to elucidate the motivations of young Kosovar stopped just after the fact.

According to information from the public channel ARD, his weapon was "apparently stopped.The man shouted "Allah Akhbar" (Allah is the greatest ") before opening fire and was arrested in possession of many ammunition, reported several media.

It was not known by the German authorities as a dangerous Islamist, security sources said, but after ARD was close to a radical Moroccan preacher arrested a few days ago during a "crackdown".

The young Kosovar to be presented Thursday to a judge of the Federal Court to adjudicate on his detention.

Kosovo Albanian origin in Mitrovica (north), he had no criminal record in his country, a senior police official in Kosovo.

He lived in Germany with some of her family and investigators are looking in particular on his Facebook page where he made no secret of his convictions radical media reported.

Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday U.S. President Barack Obama "outraged by this attack," no effort be spared in this folder. And the chief diplomat Westerwelle pledged Thursday to his counterpart Hillary Clinton "a rapid and complete clarification of this attack."

Ramstein hosts a major U.S. base, which serves as a platform for logistics and other operations in Afghanistan.The U.S. Army has several other bases in the region.

An Islamist group disbanded in the fall of 2007 before he proceeds to act, "Sauerland cell" Ramstein was in sight. Its members were convicted in March 2010 for having dreamed of "a new Sept. 11.

Germany had previously eluded other Islamist attacks. In July 2006 particular, bombs placed by Islamists in suitcases on two regional trains did not explode. In 2003, attacks against Jewish interests had been foiled.

LIBYA: In Benghazi, the police dispersed a rally against the government

AFP - The Libyan police forcibly dispersed the night from Tuesday to Wednesday a sit-in against the power in Benghazi (east), and hundreds of supporters of the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi soon after marched in several cities, it was learned from sources.

Family members of prisoners killed in 1996 in a shootout in the prison of Abu Slim in Tripoli, gathered outside a police station in Benghazi to demand the release of their coordinator, the lawyer Fethi Tarbel, the newspaper reported Online Al-Manara.

Ms. Tarbell, whose reasons for arrest are unknown, was released under pressure from families, according to the newspaper's website Qurina near Seif Al-Islam, son of Colonel Gaddafi.

But the crowd did not move out and others joined the protest, prompting the police to disperse them by force, according to the website Libya al-Youm.

The demonstrators chanted slogans against the regime: "Benghazi wake up is the day you were waiting for" the blood of martyrs is not shed in vain, "or" the people want to bring down corruption, "according these media.

Soon after, hundreds of demonstrators marched pro-regime in Benghazi, the second largest city, 1,000 km east of Tripoli, but also in Sirte (east), Sebha (south) and Tripoli, according to images state television.

Since 4:00 local time (0200 GMT), the channel al-Jamahiriya broadcast live images of protesters marching on foot and in cars, waving flags and pictures of Colonel Qaddafi and chanting slogans in praise of the Guide of the Libyan revolution and cons channel Al-Jazeera accused by the regime to incite rebellion in Arab individuals.

The string "al-Jazeera despicable, we do not want anything other than our leader," chanted the demonstrators particular.

These events occur on the eve of the "day of anger" Libyan scheduled for Thursday, according to appeals on Facebook.

Under the slogan "Revolt of February 17, 2011: to make a day of anger in Libya," a Facebook group, which calls for an uprising against the regime of Muammar Gaddafi, has risen from 4,400 members Monday at 9600 Wednesday morning.

According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), at least 1,200 prisoners were killed by police during a shootout in the prison of Abu Salim in 1996, under circumstances that remain unclear.

In recent years their families, much of which originated in Benghazi, continues to claim that light and justice are made on the massacre.

RBS Six Nations: Victory reassuring XV de France face Scotland

AFP - XV de France has started its title defense in the RBS Six Nations rugby victory (34-21) against Scotland on Saturday at the Stade de France during the first day.

France, who scored four tries against three conceded, was a first point for the reconquest of his audience, two months after the correction (16-59) received against Australia at St. Denis during the tours in November.

The second stage of the tournament will be held next Sunday in Ireland, victorious (13-11) Saturday in Italy. Meanwhile, France is ranked first ahead of England and Ireland with a better points difference.

The French took the score came through a try for winger Maxime Medard transformed by Morgan Parra on a ball recovery.Fly-half Francois Trinh-Duc, a drop, giving ten points ahead of his team before the test of Scottish captain Alastair Kellock, converted by Dan Parks.

France took over the seven-point lead before the interval by pushing the Scots to concede a penalty try after five mixed difficult to board their online test. Transformed Parra (17-7).

The Scots saw their chances diminish in the 55th minute with the third try scored by French Imanol Harinordoquy, cleverly used by Trinh-Duc.Yachvili transformed (24-7, 55th).

Courageous, XV of the Thistle reduced the scoring in the 60th minute with the test line 3 Kelly Brown, converted by Parks, but the French regained 17 points ahead with a try between the posts for Damien Traille converted by Yachvili, before the third Test Scottish Sean Lamont.

Yachvili concluded the discussion by writing an ultimate penalty.

FRANCE: Michele Alliot-Marie criticized for its friendly relationship with someone close to Ben Ali

AFP - The head of French diplomacy, Michele Alliot-Marie, was used in 2010 in Tunisia in a private jet Tunisian businessman, presented by the weekly Le Canard Enchaine as a member "of the clan Ben Ali" what was denied on Tuesday the cabinet of the Minister.

The newspaper reveals that the minister used between Christmas and New Year's Day this aircraft to connect to the city of Tunis Tabarka, with her husband Patrick Ollier, Minister for Relations with Parliament, and members of their families.

Tunisian revolt began some two weeks ago, after self-immolation of a young Tunisian, December 17 in Sidi Bouzid, in the center of the country.

Michèle Alliot-Marie was sharply criticized in France since 11 January for having underestimated the Revolution of jasmine and have proposed to the National Assembly security cooperation regime in the Ben Ali.

The private plane and the destination hotel Michèle Alliot-Marie owned Aziz Miled, longtime friend of the Minister and presented by Le Canard Enchaine as close Belhassen Trabelsi, brother of former President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali.

"It is true that Michele Alliot-Marie, after taking a commercial flight from Paris to Tunis, then took a private plane to Tabarka," he told AFP his cabinet."It was at the invitation of Aziz Miled, a friend for several years, which is the owner of an airline called Nouvelair. Miled Aziz was on the plane and took them with her parents and her husband" sources said the same source.

"But Aziz Miled is not a clan member Ben Ali," said the minister's office. "He was caught by a family member Trabelsi 20% of its shares in the airline and the presidency of this society," we sure of the source. Family Trabelsi is the wife of the former president.

"Mr.Miled is even less a friend of Ben Ali as the new Tunisian authorities, after the latter's departure and his family, he gave back all its shares so that the chair of Nouvelair, "argued the firm the minister. "In any case, it was a clan for Ben Ali", it was stressed from the same source.

However Aziz Miled is part of the list of which Switzerland has frozen the assets on January 19 after the fall of Ben Ali. He is featured on this list, published by the Swiss government as a partner Belhassen Trabelsi.

Sunday, in an interview with Paris, Michèle Alliot-Marie had admitted being on vacation in 2010 in Tunisia. "Like millions of French, I'm going to Tunisia.That's all, "she had said.

She added he had not thought about resigning after his controversial remarks on police assistance that France could make to Tunisia, saying had "learned to have thick leather" faced with controversy.

Last week, Segolene Royal, Socialist former candidate for president in 2007, was deemed "hateful" about the minister before the deputies and found that having "very personal ties with Tunisia" made "blind".

The Chained Duck also states that it sought in vain to who had paid the hotel bill of Tabarka stayed where the minister and his family."It was settled by Ms. Alliot-Marie and her family," assured the minister's entourage without elaborating.

BELGIUM: "We want a government!" 30,000 demonstrators chanted in Brussels

AFP - More than 30,000 Belgians took part Sunday in Brussels in a march of "shame" to expose the unprecedented political crisis lasting record that threatens the unity of the country, due to differences between Flemish and Francophone, and ask formation of a government.

This is the first time since the Belgian parliamentary elections of 13 June 2010, ordinary citizens are expressing their exasperation with massively to the current impasse.

They were responding to a call via the Internet popularized five young Flanders and Brussels, three students and two employees, claiming no political affiliation even if one of them is the son of Minister of Justice, a Flemish Christian Democrat .Their motto: a march of "shame" for the kingdom.

"A beard for Belgium"

"What we want? We want a government," chanted the protesters, often young, the 224th day of the crisis which saw the country deprived of effective government, a record in Europe.

Many demonstrators wore also on Sunday a placard with the slogan "Divide? Not in our name!" Slogan of a meeting of artists and intellectuals held in Brussels on Friday evening, which caused a stir.

The participants, mixed Flemish and Francophone, have denounced the line defended by the Nationalist party emerged as the winner of legislative independence, the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), which contributes to the current political stalemate.

The tone of humor, speaking Geluck Philippe, the famous designer of the "Cat", is called a "revolution of mussels and fries," the Belgian national dish, along the lines of "jasmine revolution" Tunisian .

Other successful slogan, "A beard for Belgium" could be read on stickers flown Sunday some 34,000 demonstrators (by police), following a call from the Belgian actor Benoît Poelvoorde no longer to shave until the denouement of the crisis.

A text divides the Flemish majority

"We want a solution.Not this trench warfare between political parties, "said one protester Flemish, Christopher, 27, researcher in sociology from the University of Antwerp (Flanders, north).

For him, Sunday's protest reflects "the beginning of a rift between Flemings," since the right Flemish - N-VA and the Christian Democrats VCT - dismissed on January 6 a draft agreement prepared by a socialist Flemish with a mission of conciliation.

This text was instead supported by the Flemish and Francophone left participant for more than seven months in the endless negotiations in September

Single incident of the gathering on Sunday, five Flemish extremists were detained by police when they tried to destroy tracts for demonstrators.

One of the organizers of the march, Vandereecken Simon, a graphic designer for 23 years, welcomed a success "has exceeded our expectations."

"Our politicians will have to react after such a mobilization. Otherwise, we'll see what steps to take," he told AFP.

Belgium has been administered since 2010 by a firm responsible for caretaker absence of agreement on a new reform of its institutions.

The Francophone Wallonia and Brussels want to limit the autonomy demanded by the Flemish reinforced (60% of the estimated 11 million Belgians), particularly in tax matters, lest it be the beginning of the end for the country.