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.

COTE D'IVOIRE: Alassane Ouattara returns institution heads close to Gbagbo

AFP - The head of the Ivorian Alassane Ouattara ended Friday at the office of Presidents of Economic and Social Council and the Supreme Court, the Grand Chancellor of the order and two members of the Constitutional Court, relatives or supporters of former President Laurent Gbagbo.

Mr Ouattara has terminated the functions of Laurent Dona Fologo to head the Council écononomique and social character of the third state in the order of protocol, according to a presidential statement issued Friday evening.

In March, in full post-election crisis arose from the disputed presidential November 2010, Mr.Fologo had stated: "We do not negotiate the outcome of an election, there is nothing to negotiate (...) What kind of compromise can be found after an election between someone who was elected (Ed. M . Gbagbo) and the other (Ed. Ouattara) who was not elected? ".

He was replaced by Marcel Zadi Kessy, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Compagnie Ivorian Electricity (ICE)-Water Distribution Company of Côte d'Ivoire (Sodeci).

The Head of State also dismissed the chairman of the Supreme Court, Tia Kone, and Grand Chancellor of the National Order of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, General Issouf Kone.

Shortly after the April 11 arrest of Laurent Gbagbo, MM.Tia Kone and had all allegiance to Mr Ouattara. The first was replaced by the magistrate off hierarchy Mamadou Kone, and the second by Henriette Diabate Dagri-history professor.

Finally, two members of the Constitutional Council, Mr. Jacques Andre and Felix Daligou Monoko Tano Kouadio, who listed relatives of Laurent Gbagbo, sanctioned by the European Union, were also dismissed.

President Ouattara, who was sworn in on May 6 and May 21 will be invested in Yamoussoukro, also signed the order creating the Commission dialogue, truth and reconciliation, to be headed by former Prime Minister Charles Konan Banny.

Libya: The Libyan regime changes tactics in Misrata

Soldiers loyal to Muammar Gaddafi captured by insurgents in Misrata said Saturday that the army had received orders to withdraw from this port city in western Libya, besieged for nearly two months by government forces.

A rebel spokesman said the soldiers before fleeing, trapped corpses and buildings.

"We were told yesterday to withdraw," one soldier told Reuters, Khaled Dorman, transported with eleven others injured at the hospital in Misrata, 200 km east of Tripoli.

Another soldier, asked whether the government had lost control of Misrata, replied in the affirmative.

Contacted Misrata, Gemal Salem, spokesman of the insurgents, said by telephone that the forces of Muammar Gaddafi had left the city but stayed outside and be in position to bombard.

"Misrata is free, the Rebels have won.Some forces soldiers were killed Qaddafi and others are fleeing, "he said.

He added that the goal of insurgents Misrata was now come to the aid of other outbreaks of rebellion in Tripoli.

First attack drone "Predator"

The Libyan government admitted on Friday evening that the siege had been broken during the capture of the port by insurgents and that the airstrikes had contributed.

"The strategy of the Libyan army is to conduct surgery, but with air strikes, it does not work," said Vice-Foreign Minister Khalid Kaim.

"The situation will be alleviated in Misrata, tribes around Misrata and the rest of the inhabitants of Misrata take care of it, and the Libyan army," he told reporters in Tripoli.

Another spokesman for the rebels to Misrata, Abdelsalam, said that Gaddafi supporting tribes were a minority in the region.

"There are two small towns near Gaddafi Misrata. They represent less than one percent of the population in and around Misrata," he said.

"They know that when the Gaddafi regime fall, they fall with him," he added, saying that fear the government pays for them mercenaries posing as members of tribes.

Salem said that the rebels now raking Misrata and clear the streets.Before leaving, he said, forces Gaddafi trapped corpses, homes and cars.

"A man opened his refrigerator on his way home this morning after the departure of forces Gaddafi, and it exploded in his face. Same with the corpses. When the rebels are trying to raise a body, he explodes.Three people were killed because of this, and we deplore 15 wounded.

The Pentagon also announced that the U.S. had Libya on Saturday launched their first attack drone "Predator".

Conducted last month by the West under a UN mandate, the conventional air raids have not helped insurgents to take sufficient advantage and Admiral Mike Mullen, Chief of Staff Inter-American weapons, said Friday that the conflict threatens to enter a deadlock.

Strikes by HQ Gaddafi

On the night of Friday to Saturday, NATO conducted air strikes near Bab al Azizia, fortified headquarters of Gaddafi in Tripoli.

Moussa Ibrahim, spokesman for the government, said three people had been killed by a "powerful explosion" in a parking lot.

Reuters journalists have reported that the place was surrounded by walls and watchtowers occupied by soldiers. NATO strikes have left two large holes. The bombs have crossed the floor and a layer of reinforced concrete, reaching what appears to be an underground shelter.

Smoke was still one of the craters, with boxes of ammunition nearby.Ibrahim Moussa said that the place was no longer used and that the ammunition boxes were empty.

In addition, the agency Jana reported that the Libyan Prime Minister Al Baghdadi Al Mahmoudi, had Saturday with his Greek counterpart George Papandreou a telephone interview during which he reaffirmed Libya's commitment to UN resolutions.

He added that Libya was committed to the peace initiative of the African Union.

"The colonial aggression of the crusaders" - apparently referring to military operations against NATO forces Gaddafi - violate these resolutions, "said Mahmoud quoted by Jana.

"There was talk during the exchange of the role of Greece to stop these excesses," the agency said.

The outgoing coalition won the legislative

REUTERS - The center-right coalition to power in Estonia, Country came in January in the euro area after a harsh recession, has largely won parliamentary elections Sunday.

After counting 97% of votes, the Reform Party of Prime Minister Andrus Ansip wins 33 seats out of 101 in the new parliament and its partner, the Union Pro Patria and Res Republica, gets 23, ensuring the coalition an absolute majority, with five more seats in the outgoing assembly.

Analysts expect that the small Baltic country of 1.3 million people stick to the austerity policy that allowed him in January to become the 17th member state of the euro-zone government debt the lowest in the EU.

The Centre Party, main opposition, has been affected by allegations that he solicited funds in Russia, great neighbor that Estonians generally viewed with suspicion. The party officials have denied those rumors.

The Social Democrats, meanwhile, had joined the government after the 2007 elections but the alliance was broken.

The government Ansip was a minority for some time, but defections on smaller parties had come to give it 51 seats in parliament.

Estonia has been facing one of the worst recessions in the EU, with its economy shrank by 14% in 2009.Only its Baltic neighbors, the
Latvia and Lithuania, have experienced worse in the EU.

The country has implemented austerity measures to redress public finances and adopt the euro.

Estonia remains one of the poorest countries of the Union, which she joined in 2004 as well as NATO. But its fiscal situation is sound. The European Commission predicts its total budget deficit of the public sector of 1.6% of GDP for 2011, which corresponds to the average of the euro area.

The state debt, projected at 9.5% of GDP this year will be by far the lowest in the euro zone where the average is in the field to 86.5% of GDP. The Government is committed to achieving a balanced budget by 2014.

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.

ALGERIA: The Algerians will march to "change the system"

Follow the day's events in Algeria and Egypt on liveblogging from FRANCE 24.

AFP - Major security forces were deployed in Algeria in anticipation of events "to change the system" Saturday at 11:00 am (1000 GMT), the call of the National Coordination for Democracy and Change (CNDC) and could be encouraged by the departure of President Hosni Mubarak.

Several marches and rallies are planned across the country, but in Algiers, police, came in number-between 25,000 and 30,000 according to the press, were visible as early as Friday.

Police roadblocks set up at entrances to the capital since suicide bombings in April and December 2007, claimed by Al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), were also strengthened.

A demonstration organized apparently it at the last minute to salute the fall of President Hosni Mubarak, before the head of the Rally for Culture and Democracy (RCD opposition) Friday in Algiers was stopped by a cordon of police activists who pushed in and made a dozen arrests.

The march of Algiers has not been authorized under a ban in force since 2001. The demonstrators nevertheless go to the Place de la Concorde (better known under its former name Place May 1st) at 11:00 to get to Martyrs' Square at the foot of the Casbah and the entrance of Bab el Oued , traditional theater of revolt.

In Oran, 430 km from Algiers, Wilaya denied permission to demonstrate. But the NCCD maintains its watchword, and calls for a gathering place November 1st in front of City Hall Thursday she was distributing leaflets still in this great city in western Algeria.

Other cities also intend to answer the call which, on the east coast, Boumerdes, Bejaia, then south-east of Algiers, Tizi Ouzou, the main town of Kabylie, and west, Tipaza, among others.

Finally, in the main town in eastern Algeria, Annaba, leaflets calling on citizens to participate in the march were intercepted by police in recent days. A police source described them as "demoralizing" and a threat to the safety of goods and people.

The CNDC was created on January 21 by opposition parties, civil society and autonomous unions in the wake of riots earlier this year that have killed 5 people and injured over 800.

ALGERIA: Rome confirmed the abduction of an Italian tourist in the south

The Italian Foreign Ministry confirmed Friday in a statement, the kidnapping of an Italian tourist in southern Algeria and the Algerian authorities sought "not to take initiatives" that endanger its security.

"He was asked relevant Algerian counterparts do not take action (...) which can endanger the safety of the Italian citizen," said the Farnesina.

The ministry, "as in all cases of kidnapping of Italian citizens, will keep the reserve required on this matter so as not to interfere with research activities," he specified.

According to the ministry, citing the Algerian police, "February 2 at 18.30 south of the town of Djanet, 90 km from the border with Niger, an Italian tourist was allegedly abducted while she was with three Algerian making an excursion organized by a travel agency. "

"The kidnappers have released the suspected leaders and would away with an Italian citizen," he said.

According to the Algerian APS agency, the kidnappers have allowed their hostages to warn using their cell phone (Thuraya), head of the travel agent who arranged his trip to Djanet.This immediately raised the alarm.

In late September, after the kidnapping of seven hostages in northern Niger, Algeria, Mauritania, Niger and Mali had agreed to create a common information center in Algiers in the wake of the establishment a committee of staff common operational in Tamanrasset (southern Algeria).

But no information has ever been published on the activities of the military group Sahel.

"Baby Doc" under four complaints for crimes against humanity

Haitian journalist Michele Montas and three other activists Haitian human rights complaint filed on Wednesday, with the Haitian justice for crimes against humanity against Jean-Claude Duvalier, aka "Baby Doc", the ex- Haitian dictator who made a surprise return to Port-au-Prince last Sunday.

"I considered his comeback as a slap, Michele Montas told France24.com, reached by telephone in the Haitian capital.Many Haitians have been affected by the regime of Jean-Claude Duvalier ... He thought he could return to Haiti and get away with it! "

Michele Montas was a journalist at Radio Haiti-Inter in the first ten years of the dictatorship of Jean-Claude Duvalier (1971-1986). She and her husband - Jean Dominique, a prominent Haitian journalist murdered in 2000 - had to flee the country in November 1980 when they adopted a tone very critical of the government.They could not return until 1986, after the departure of Duvalier's son.

Asked about the "crime against humanity" which is the subject complaint, Ms. Montas said that "in the late 1980s, there were widespread raids activists in human rights and journalists. people were tortured, they took everything that moved. And Radio Haiti was destroyed. " Jean-Claude Duvalier became famous for the many atrocities that were committed under his regime, thousands of opponents are arbitrarily detained and tortured.Some were even murdered.

Tuesday night, "Baby Doc" has already been indicted by a Haitian court for criminal conspiracy, embezzlement and corruption in public administration.

Claude Rosiers, 11 years in prison Duvalier

Asked about the complaint by the special correspondent for FRANCE 24 in Port-au-Prince, Alexandra Fox, a lawyer Jean-Claude Duvalier has denounced "a fanciful action.Earlier, another adviser to the former dictator had explained that it would remain "forever" in Haiti, where he wanted to "play politics".

Furthermore Michele Montas, three other prominent Haitians have filed complaints against "Baby Doc" for crimes against humanity: the president of the National Commission for Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (NCDDR), Alix Fils-Aime, the former political prisoner Claude roses, and feminist activist Nicole Magloire.

Under the title "The Triangle of Death" (2003), Claude Rosiers has published an account of his ten years in the jails of Francois and Jean-Claude Duvalier, between 1966 and 1977, when he was a Party activist People's National Liberation (PPLN), a Marxist party.

The four complaints will be heard by Judge John Carver, who is shortly to convene the complainants and especially examine the documentary evidence of the charges against Jean-Claude Duvalier.

"Widespread and systematic violations of fundamental rights"

Since the return of the former dictator in Haiti, many voices were raised to demand his arrest, including Amnesty International, the National Network of Human rights (RNDDH-Haiti), or the rights of the Ecumenical Centre Rights (ECHR) of Haiti.

Yesterday, Haitian France24 Observers demanded that "he be tried for his crimes."

In a statement released Wednesday morning, Amnesty International calls on what is brought to justice "a leader whose security services [were] engaged in widespread and systematic violations of fundamental rights" and the Haitian authorities to "investigate Jean-Claude Duvalier and other persons who may have been responsible for such crimes, some of which amount to crimes against humanity. "

France24.com joined Wednesday by Amnesty International says the International Criminal Court (ICC) can not be seized of the case Duvalier, the facts alleged against him being prior to its creation in 1998.