Municipal: Berlusconi's party losing ground in its stronghold of Milan

The Italian right is adverse to tie in Milan, the economic capital of the country and traditional stronghold of Silvio Berlusconi, left, who won the first round 48% of the vote in municipal elections, according to final results.

The candidate of the People of Freedom (PDL, right) Mr.Berlusconi, the outgoing mayor Letizia Moratti, with 41.6%, was accelerated by the candidate of the left, the lawyer Giuliano Pisapia, with 48%, contrary to the predictions of pollsters.

The left has won the first round Bologna and Turin, two cities traditionally "red".

In Turin (north), the leftist candidate Piero Fassino won with 56.66% of the vote against 27.3% for his rival on the right, and Bologna (center) Virginio Merola has obtained an absolute majority (50, 5%) against 30.3% in the right-wing candidate.

During the municipal elections, which represents the last big test for Silvio Berlusconi before the legislative elections of spring 2013, the turnout was 71.07% against 72.85% the previous local elections.

In contrast, in Naples, controlled by the far left and where voting takes place against a backdrop of yet another garbage crisis, the LDP candidate Gianni Lettieri was a tie in favor (40.5%), well ahead of his challenger Luigi De Magistris (26%), according to nearly complete results.

Nearly 13 million Italians were called to elect mayors on 8100 1310 Italian municipalities, but only 11 cities were affected more than 100,000 people, including Milan, Naples, Turin and Bologna.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Manchester United and Schalke corrects joined Barca in final

By aligning lone striker Raul, Ralf Rangnick had taken a gamble on his midfield to cut muscle transition ball between the lines of Manchester United. But, as one way, Schalke has hardly existed against the Red Devils, and was heavily tilted at Old Trafford (4-1).

Manchester, even with a team carried by a trio bis offensive Valencia-Berbatov Nani-unpublished, confirmed the undeniable superiority of his community. Never Alex Ferguson's men have appeared in real trouble and if they were not as dominating as the go into the game, they have proven to be equally effective.

Finally, after two meetings, the qualification of Alex Ferguson's men could not be more logical.On Wednesday, the Red Devils have mastered the early game, negating the few German offensive tendencies. Farfan only managed to break the lock but the Mancunian hit the Peruvian could not find the part (8e).

Manchester while control

After a pleasant half hour but no clear chances, it is ultimately the Mancunians who would initiate hostilities. Ball on a good recovery Nani, Valencia was alone with Neuer. The Ecuadorian, a crossfire at ground level, the German goalkeeper was crucified (26th, 1-0).

In the process, gave Manchester a little more breadth to its domination by doubling the bet.Gibson, well served by Valencia back, let fly a shot that dries Neuer could not divert enough (31e, 2-0).

Paradoxically, it is in the hole that players were Gelsenkirchen resources to respond. On a recovery of approximately Smalling, Uchida recovered the ball on the right. The Japanese, with much success, managed to pass the ball to Jurado which reduced the mark of a beautiful half-volley into the top corner of Van der Sar (35th, 2-1).

Behind, the match resumed its course on the same pace.Schalke was trying clumsily to the physical impact, while Manchester was content to manage the adverse timid attempts.

Schalke sank

After the break, the Germans finally managed to get some play on their own, but was once again Manchester, cons, who would get the most candid opportunities.

Shortly before the hour, Anderson, at the edge of the box, fired in a magnificent strike from the left towards the top corner of Neuer. The German goalkeeper was able in extremis to push the ball for a corner with a superb flight (56th).

Following the match would confirm the slow erosion of Schalke. The Red Devils, taking advantage of the many approximations of their opponents in the evening, would put even triple by Anderson.The Brazilian found the penalty spot by a center of Berbatov, is playing defense in two Neuer before crucifying once again powerless (72nd, 3-1).

In the process, the match would even turn the demonstration. Berbatov again pierced the German defense on the right side and found Anderson.The Brazilian, to six meters, concluded this new opportunity with a flat foot unstoppable (76th, 4-1).

And as to give a more pronounced bitterness at the loss, the men saw themselves Rangnick - logically - a goal disallowed Klass Jan Huntelaar in any end game (82nd).

The addition would have been even heavier if Neuer, in stoppage time, had not made a new high-class parade before Owen (90 +2).

Remains in a relaxed, the Devils players have proved they were the most credible challenger Barça, Real Madrid's winner Tuesday in the other semifinal. And the opponent they meet in the final of the Champions League on 28 May at Wembley, should offer a challenge of any magnitude.

SOUTHEAST ASIA: New fighting on the border between Thailand and Cambodia

AFP - fighting with heavy weapons broke out Saturday between Thai and Cambodian troops at the disputed border between the two countries in the aftermath of clashes that left six people dead, officials said the two sides.

"The new fighting started around 6:00 (23HOO GMT Friday) with gunfire and mortar shells" in the same place Friday around a disputed group of temples, said a spokesman for the Thai army in the region, Colonel Prawit Hookaew.

"We are negotiating to stop the fighting," he added.

Phnom Penh has confirmed new incidents.

"The fighting started at 6:15," said the spokesman of the Ministry of Defence Chhum Socheat, adding that the artillery was used.

No new casualties have yet been reported.

Friday, soldiers from the two neighbors had clashed for more than six hours, killing three of them in each camp and forcing thousands of villagers to be evacuated on the Thai side.

Phnom Penh and Bangkok had rejected another the responsibility for opening fire.

These were the first serious incident since early February when the fighting for four consecutive days had killed at least ten people, including seven Cambodian side.The United Nations had called for a cease-fire permanent.

These incidents took place a hundred miles farther east, near the Khmer temple of Preah Vihear.

These ruins of the eleventh century, whose classification by UNESCO in 2008 had rekindled tensions within the sovereignty of Cambodia by a ruling of the International Court of Justice in 1962.

But the Thais its main access control, and both countries claim an area of ​​4.6 km2 below the building that has not been delineated.

The border between the two countries has never been fully demarcated, in particular because of the presence of many mines left behind by decades of civil war in Cambodia.

JAPAN: The shutdown of the plant in Fukushima last between six and nine months

The operator of the nuclear accident in Fukushima (north-eastern Japan) said Sunday it would take about three months to begin to reduce the radioactivity and between six and nine months to cool the reactors.

"We estimate it will take approximately three months to ensure that the radiation level begins to drop," said Tsunehisa Katsumata, president of the board of directors of the company Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO).

"Having completed this first step, it will take three to six months before we can reduce radiation leaks at a very low level," he said at a news conference.

The company says this second stage will aim to achieve "cold shutdown" reactor (cold shutdown), thus allowing the intervention of technicians.

Located 250 km from Tokyo, Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (No. 1) was severely damaged by the magnitude 9 earthquake and the giant tsunami that devastated the north-eastern Japan on March 11.

TEPCO and the Japanese authorities have been trying to prevent this incident from escalating nuclear and cause massive radiation leaks.

Mr. Katsumata said the company hoped to "cool the reactors and storage pools of spent fuel so complete and stable."

The cessation of cooling circuits and backup generators is at the origin of the series of incidents that occurred on the site. The staff had to inject huge amounts of water to control the temperature of the fuel.

TEPCO said it would "give priority to prevent hydrogen explosion in Units 1, 2 and 3."The workers will inject nitrogen into the reactor to maintain the lower the ratio between hydrogen and oxygen," the company said in a statement.

A few days after the disaster of March 11, explosions occurred at Units 1 and 3, caused by an accumulation of hydrogen in the building housing the facility.

TEPCO will also strive for not releasing highly radioactive water.

"On the reactor 2, we begin to clean up highly radioactive water in June," said Mr.Katsumata.

The injection and dumping bulk water since March 11 has resulted in highly radioactive water leak in the engine rooms and in trenches adjacent to the facilities, some of which sank in the sea

LIBYA: Resigned, the Libyan foreign minister flees UK

AFP - Faithful servant of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan foreign minister, Musa Kusa, who announced his resignation Wednesday at his arrival in London, was in recent years in all negotiations and turnovers that had allowed the return of Libya in the comity of nations frequentable.

Chief of Intelligence from 1994 to 2009, Musa Kusa, 59, was a strong man of the revolutionary committee, the backbone of the Libyan regime, and the prisoners of Muammar Gaddafi.

He has been responsible for large files including Libya in Africa and regards its relations with the West.

It was thus a key negotiator in the business of the Bulgarian nurses that led to their release in July 2007 and in 2003 the dismantling of Libya's nuclear program that opened the way for lifting the trade embargo imposed by the United States against Libya in 1986.

He is best known for his role in compensating the families of victims of the Lockerbie bombing (1988, 270 dead) and the UTA DC-10 (1989, 170 dead), removing the remaining obstacles to the normalization of relations Tripoli with the West.

After two decades, embodied the dark side of the Gaddafi regime, symbolized this Tripolitan recent years the opening.

Born into a poor family, scholarship and holds a Masters of the American University of Michigan (1978), he began his career in special services such as security official Libyan embassy in Northern Europe.

In 1980, Koussa was appointed ambassador to Libya in London before being expelled in the same year by the British after stating his determination to liquidate the "enemies of the revolution" on British soil.

In 1984, he joined the Mathaba, a Foundation to coordinate the liberation movements worldwide, especially in Africa and Latin America.

Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1992 to 1994, he was later appointed head of intelligence, a position he held until 2009, before being responsible for Foreign Affairs, replacing Abdulrahman Shalgham, Libyan ambassador to the UN, who had also defected a few weeks ago.

EGYPT: The mobilization anti-Mubarak shows no signs of slowing

The protest against President Hosni Mubarak has stepped up Tuesday with a parade of hundreds of thousands of people in Cairo and the provinces, the most important events since the beginning of the movement on January 25.

In Cairo, Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the revolt, was crowded.Mobilization showed no sign of abating despite the chilly nights, fatigue and spartan living conditions on the roundabout has become a village of tents removed.

The crowd was a triumphant reception at cybermilitant and part of Google Wael Ghonim, released Monday after 12 days "blindfolded" in the hands of the much feared state security services.

"I like to call it the revolution Facebook but after seeing people here, I would say that the revolution of the Egyptian people.It's great, "said the younger man, surrounded by thousands of demonstrators.

Become a symbol of protest, Wael Ghonim confirmed in an interview on Dream 2 TV station that he was the administrator of the Facebook page "We are all Khaled Said", named after a young man beaten to death by police, a move that played a key role in launching the movement.

"I'm not a hero, you are the hero is you who have stayed here on the spot," he told the demonstrators.

"The people want to topple the regime" could be read on banners."We are the people we are the power," some chanted.

According to an AFP photographer Tahrir Square, the number of demonstrators exceeded that of previous rallies. According to witnesses in Alexandria, he was the same in the big city of northern Egypt.

"None of our requests has been heard," said Mohammad Nizar, 36, Tahrir Square. "They have announced a wage increase. They try to fool ourselves. It is a pot of wine policy to reduce people to silence."

In an attempt at appeasement, M.Mubarak, 82 years and almost 30 years as head of state, announced the creation of a commission to amend the Constitution, under the "national dialogue" began Sunday between the government and opposition, including for the first time, the Muslim Brotherhood, bete noire of the regime so far.

On Monday, the Head of State promised a 15% increase in salaries of civil servants and pensions from 1 April.

He also called for the formation of a commission of inquiry into the violence of February 2, Tahrir Square, where deadly clashes have pitted pro-and anti-Mubarak.

The opposition denies particular articles of the Constitution related to very restrictive conditions of candidacy for the presidency and the presidency.

In all cases, policy-including the announcement on 1 February the President he would not seek a sixth term in September and have not calmed the anger of the protesters still demand the immediate departure of Mr Mubarak .

Scenarios of his departure are considered by the foreign press.The site of the German weekly Der Spiegel wrote that he could come and perform "a medical extension in Germany.

The German Government has assured that there was "no formal application or informal request" to that effect.

Tuesday, the U.S. has deemed "crucial" that Egypt is moving towards a democratic transition "in good order," while France has called for "the emergence of democratic forces" for a transition that must take place "without violence and as quickly as possible. "

In Cairo, new shops and restaurants have reopened and many Cairenes resumed the way to work.The curfew remains in force in the capital, Alexandria and Suez (is) 20:00 (1800 GMT) to 6:00 am (0400 GMT).

Since February 3, events occur most frequently in the tranquility.

Clashes between police and demonstrators during the first days of protest, and between activists for and against Hosni Mubarak's February 2, killed nearly 300 people dead, according to UN and Human Rights Watch, and thousands injured.

The crisis could be costly to the economy's most populous country in the Middle East - at least $ 310 million per day according to Credit Agricole - the instability that has scared off tourists and could cool the ardor lasting foreign investors.

On Tuesday, the Egyptian central bank has injected "large dollar amounts" in the market to curb speculation that has put pressure on the Egyptian pound.

The Cairo Stock Exchange, closed since Jan. 30, should reopen on 13 February.