The agency Fitch lowered the rating of Greece

AFP - The rating agency Fitch Ratings said Friday it lowered the rating to three notches from the long-term debt of Greece, Athens has denied a penalty as not taking into account its commitments to intensify recovery efforts economy.

This degradation, preceded in January by a notch down from the Greek notes, to "B +" cons "BB +" reflects "the extent of the challenge" facing the country to implement the tax reform agenda and Structural necessary to reduce its debt and deficit, Fitch said in a statement.

"Further austerity measures are needed to fulfill the objective of a deficit reaching 7.5% of GDP in 2011," partly because of lower tax revenues than expected, "she says.

The decision "does not take into account the additional commitments that the Greek government has already taken to achieve its budget target in 2011 and accelerate its privatization program," responded the Greek Ministry of Finance in a statement.

The ministry said that these new measures, including guidelines were unveiled in mid-April but that Greece had to strengthen and clarify under pressure from its creditors EU and IMF, should be announced shortly, usually in early next week.

The rating agency said its new note incorporates its expectations of new grant "substantial" from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund in the country.

This additional loan of 110 billion made in May 2011 is currently under discussion, given the likely inability to return the country to raise capital on schedule in 2012.

Fitch believes that such an extension would eliminate the prospect of a "soft restructuring or reshaping" of the Greek debt would amount to an agency by default.

The new Fitch degradation brought Greece into the speculative grade "countries that do little security for repayment," according to the classification established by the agency.

The rating of short-term debt was maintained at "B".The prospect of these two notes is "negative", which implies that the agency does not lower them further over the medium term.

The agency announced this degradation while long rates Greeks beat a new record on Friday, rising above 16.5%, after breaking the taboo until then prevailing in Europe about the prospect of a debt restructuring Hellenic .

If the option of a discount is excluded, the rescheduling is now posed, including the leader of the finance ministers of the eurozone, Jean-Claude Juncker, despite the firm opposition of the Bank European Central Bank (ECB).

Creditors of Greece, however, are unanimous in requiring it more austerity measures, as well as the acceleration and intensification of a privatization program meant to deflate the debt relating to the country 50 billion by 2015 .

Even before the sanction of the agency, the Greek Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou, had highlighted its determination to follow these injunctions: "it is time to go faster, everything must be done and everything must be done now, "he said in Parliament Friday.

Fitch Ratings was the latest rating agency to tilt in January of Greece in the category of debt issuers "rotten" ("junk bonds"), saying that despite "significant progress" in the country to reduce its deficit public, it still faces "significant effort" to regain the confidence of borrowers.

DSK CASE: The Socialist Party became more cautious on the matter DSK

"In this case, we know there are a victim, but we do not yet know if the victim is the complainant or the accused," said Tuesday the leader of the Socialist deputies, Jean-Marc Ayrault. "The both have the same respect. We do not want to feel that we are either in the dropping of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, is that we defend against the evidence," he said before the Socialist Group meeting in the National Assembly.

Also Tuesday, the first secretary of the Socialist Party (PS), Martine Aubry, said his side need to "wait for the facts" and "version of Dominique Strauss-Kahn."At a national office held at the Paris headquarters of the PS, she also asked to "respect the young woman" who accused him.

DSK promised to fire a nuclear

The prudence of these remarks contrasted with those of other socialists, such as Jean-Christophe Cambadelis, which evoked Monday innuendo conspiracy against Dominique Strauss-Kahn, indicted in New York for an alleged attempted rape of a maid, last Saturday.In a statement to the press, his lieutenant had launched from the steps of the Paris headquarters of the SP that the "nuclear fire" had actually been promised to the Director General of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which intended to get into the presidential campaign French.

Tuesday morning, they were still some to leap to defend whatever the polls placed in a better position to access the Elysee in 2012 and denouncing the images of their champion handcuffed. "This is killing media", denounced the former justice minister, the socialist Robert Badinter, on France Inter, who accuses U.S. authorities of having "wanted this exhibition."Socialist MP Jack Lang, for his part felt that it was "not unthinkable" that the judge who delivered on Monday remanded in custody had wanted "to pay for a French".

The PS side of the post-DSK

If Martine Aubry today called a "great restraint", because the scenarios of the post-Dominique Strauss-Kahn agitate the news.Already, since the indictment of DSK, the predecessor to Martine Aubry at the head of the PS, François Hollande, rose in the polls from outsider status to that of primary favorite socialist planned next fall.

According to RTL radio, declared candidate Segolene Royal was to meet Tuesday DSK to Paris to study the conditions of his joining - that belies the Royal entourage. Finally, Martine Aubry is pressed by his relatives to declare himself a candidate since the former secretary is bound by a "pact" with mutual withdrawal of Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

But the first secretary said that even if the lines move, the case does not change the DSK gives the PS."We're not changing anything to our schedule, characteristic of a party is to stay focused," she said Tuesday morning on France Info. As for his possible candidacy, she said that it is "not the time to talk."

Iran: Trial resumes for hikers in Tehran

The trial of two Americans detained in Iran in 2009 and accused of spying for Tehran would resume Wednesday, said Tuesday the U.S. State Department, which has demanded their release.

"Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer is almost two years in prison and it is time for them to find their families," said the spokesman of the State Department Mark Toner.

"We learned from our Swiss partner that Iranian authorities have confirmed the date of May 11 for the trial resumed," he said.

Switzerland looks after U.S. interests because the United States and Iran had diplomatic relations n'entretiennent.

Shane Bauer, Josh and Sarah Fattal Shourd were arrested July 31, 2009 near the border with Iraq. They say they were hiking in the mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan and they have crossed the border inadvertently.

Sarah Shourd was released in September against a deposit of $ 500,000. On Monday, the lawyer for the three Americans said that Tehran would likely Shourd did not resume his trial.

Under Iran's Islamic law, espionage can be punishable by death.

UGANDA: The outgoing President Yoweri Museveni about to be reelected

President Yoweri Museveni arrived Saturday at the head of the first official results of presidential and parliamentary elections in Uganda where the opposition accusing the government of having rigged.

Early Saturday afternoon, the outgoing head of state was credited with a very comfortable lead over his seven opponents, according to partial results of the election commission on a quarter of some 14 million subscribers.

Mr.Museveni got 2,432,864 votes or 71.38% of the votes cast, against 781,353 votes (22.92%) for Kizza Besigye, his main rival.

Both candidates eclipsed the other contenders, who share the crumbs (about 6%).

The election commission released as and when the results of the presidential election, since the counting center installed in a conference room at the National Stadium Namboole.

In the room, the brown uniforms of policemen on duty, assault rifles slung, white polo competed with agents of the electoral commission.

Meanwhile, in a secret location in Kampala, youth activists from the Coalition of Mr.Besigye also were busy compiling the votes under the leadership of party cadres, the candidate Besigye who still intends to announce its own results by the end of the day.

Fear of arrest, party activists slept in the building in recent days to avoid attracting attention.

Kizza Besigye, a former personal physician to Museveni during the years of rebellion (1981-1986) and a candidate for the third consecutive election, accused even before the election his former mentor and the party in power have swelled with voter lists ghosts or minors.

Mr.Museveni, 66 years including 25 as head of state of Uganda, has predicted a landslide victory Friday at "84%".

Building on the return of peace in the whole country - with the departure of the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in northern countries - on a robust economic growth and the expected oil wealth with the Operating from 2012 major oil reserves, Mr.Museveni and his camp envisage anything other than victory in the first round.

His main rival has continued to denounce the regime's corruption and lack of economic opportunities for youth, explaining his view the "discouragement" of the population and make possible a popular uprising in Egypt.

At odds with the regime since 1999, Besigye, 54, has renounced publicly challenge the results in court, that judge beholden to power and has called on Ugandans to take to the streets to denounce the fraud, without however, launch a word of precise order so far.

The situation could be radicalized if Mr.Besigye put his plan into action, the announcement of results other than the election commission or organizing a demonstration without police permission to arrest the exhibitor.

As of Wednesday, Museveni threatened bluntly arrest and trial would challenge anyone in the street to the official results.

The electoral commission must announce the final results by Sunday 1400 GMT.

Without giving an estimate, its chairman Badru Kiggundu said to AFP that the participation rate "has increased since 2006" (69%), information that contrasts with the lack of enthusiasm shown by voters in many polling Voting in the capital and the provinces.

Meanwhile, Kampala was the second consecutive day patrolled by numerous military and crisscrossed by police in riot gear.

EGYPT: The army wants a revised constitution within 10 days

AFP - The military, in power in Egypt since the fall of President Hosni Mubarak announced Tuesday that it gave ten days at a commission of jurists that it has appointed to revise the Constitution.

"The commission must finish work later than ten days," the military said in a statement.

The committee members, lawyers, met for the first time on Tuesday before the head of the Supreme Council of the armed forces.

The commission is to amend sections 76, 77, 88, 93 and 189 and to cancel Article 179, said the supreme council of the armed forces in a statement read by a presenter on state television.

The Committee may decide to amend other items if it deems it necessary "to ensure democratic and transparent presidential and legislative elections" continued army.

Section 76 deals with very restrictive conditions of candidacy for the presidential election, section 77 places no limit on the number of presidential terms and 88 sets the mode of election monitoring.

Section 93 limits the possibilities of appeal after the parliamentary elections and Article 179 allows the president to order that civilians accused of terrorism are brought before a military tribunal.

Article 189 stipulates that only the last President of the Republic and President of Parliament may propose constitutional amendments.

Former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide prepared to return home

Former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide said on Wednesday ready to return home, three days after Jean-Claude Duvalier, aka "Baby Doc", has ended his exile, returning to Port-au-Prince to everyone's surprise.

Aristide, a former priest in exile in South Africa since 2004, has long claimed that he was ousted under pressure from the United States and France.

"Since my arrival forced on the African continent there are six and a half years, the Haitian people have stopped asking my return to Haiti," Aristide wrote in a statement sent to AFP.

"In my case, I'm ready.Again, I'm ready to go today, tomorrow, anytime, "he says.

This statement comes as the spokesman Jean-Claude Duvalier, Henri-Robert Sterlin said that the former dictator hoped to regain power.

Haiti is mired in a political crisis arising from the disputed first round of presidential elections on 28 November.

Aristide was the first Haitian president to be elected democratically.He was ousted in a revolt.

The purpose of his return, he assures, "is clear: to help serve my brothers and sisters in Haiti as a private citizen in the field of education."

"This return is also required for medical reasons: I have been strongly advised not to spend the next winter (Southern, ed), South Africa, for in six years I was operated eye six times," said yet Jean-Bertrand Aristide, 57.

On Tuesday, a lawyer based in the U.S. in contact with him indicated that the former president had asked to renew his Haitian passport, but that request was refused by the Haitian authorities.

"Aristide has the right to return to Haiti, but was forbidden," said Brian Concannon.