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.

GAME VIDEO: Hold-up data over a giant 77 million users of Playstation Network

Sony is currently facing one of the most serious cases of computer security in recent years. One (or several) computer hacker had access to personal data of nearly 77 million subscribers to online gaming (Playstation Network) and online music (Qriocity) of the Japanese giant.

"A person could get your name, date of birth, address, email, password and ID," said Sony in a message posted on his blog Tuesday evening. The manufacturer of the Playstation game console adds that it is possible that the bank details of customers (billing addresses, credit card number) have also been compromised.A problem of such magnitude that Sony advises all users of its services to notify their bank and closely monitor the progress of their account.

The announcement was greeted by freshly fans of video games on Playstation. They were already, for a week without access to online services of their favorite console without knowing, until today, what was happening online. Sony has the vee the veil on this interruption in confirming that a computer intrusion had taken place between 17 and 19 April. This attack had pushed so close to all these services online.Having initially said that everything should return to normal within one or two days, the group now speaks more Japanese than a week at least to be able to resolve the problem.

A security server after drying?

"This information comes with six days of delay, Sony has absolutely no respect for these customers," protested a user on the blog of the Japanese manufacturer. Others threaten the electronics giant with legal action if their bank accounts would be emptied by hackers or the origin of the attack. United States, the case has even been taken up by politicians.The Democratic senator from Connecticut, Richard Blumenthal, has sent to Sony executives a letter deploring the lack of open communication in this story. The Japanese group has, moreover, the FBI warned [the U.S. domestic intelligence service] days ago, according to The New York Times dated Wednesday.

The question is how such a misadventure Digital was possible. Sony does not fit, for now, not in the details of this computer attack. Silence does not prevent Internet users multiply hypotheses. The track most credible, as the U.S. expert Brian Krebs security, appears related to recent change of server centralization of information ax players in the Playstation network.Sony has actually done in late March, an update to the Playstation Network to open all users access to a new server hitherto reserved for a small minority of developers. However, the security of the server left it seems to be desired. Many Internet users were thus found that the server change made it possible to enter credit card numbers cans and perform as if nothing had happened, shop online. Is that on this occasion that hackers were able to easily recover data from all users of the PlayStation Network?

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: At the Tokyo Stock Exchange, the Nikkei continues to fall

AFP - The Tokyo Stock Exchange Tuesday lived one of the worst days in its history, the Nikkei collapsing of 10.55% in a stampede of investors against a backdrop of worsening nuclear crisis in Japan.

At the close, the Nikkei 225 index of blue chips plunged by 1015.34 points to 8605.15 points, suffering, in percentage, the third largest drop since its inception more than a half century.

The broader Topix index of all securities in the first table, which covers businesses in a broader number of sectors, its share fell to 9.47%, losing 80.23 points to 766.73 points.

The activity reached a record high of 5.78 billion shares traded on the primary market, representing an activity nearly tripled compared to normal.

The Nikkei had dropped 6.18% Monday, three days after an earthquake and tsunami that devastated the north-eastern Japan, destroying or damaging infrastructure and production facilities.

On Tuesday, the index began the day sharply down and displayed in sharp decline of 6.45% in mid-session.

But it is a real wave of panic that rose on the market to resume 0330 GMT, after the government had admitted that the level of radioactivity measured at the Fukushima nuclear power was dangerous to health.

None has appeared spared.

Among the electronics giants, Panasonic collapsed 11.27% to 866 yen and Sony of 8.86% to 2,324 yen.

Automaker Toyota declined 7.40% to 3,065 yen, its rival Nissan fell 3.32% less than candid to 698 yen, as Honda was down 3.90% to 2,974 yen.

Construction firms, which had surged Monday with the prospects of major work needed to rebuild the devastated north-east by an earthquake and tsunami, fell heavily in their turn, like real estate.

LIBYA - EXCLUSIVE: Muammar Gaddafi: "The people will deal with terrorists and traitors"

The Libyan leader did not budge. While regular forces Libyan Sunday launched a violent offensive against the cities taken by the insurgents, Muammar Gaddafi repeated in an exclusive interview with FRANCE 24 broadcast Monday that the "crisis" through which his country is the result of "a conspiracy "orchestrated by the network of Al Qaeda. Affirming that Libya played a "vital role in regional and even global peace," he posed as a partner in the fight against international terrorism.

Muammar Gaddafi also condemned the interference of the international community, including France, which on Sunday welcomed the establishment of the Libyan national, established by the insurgency. "Really, it makes you laugh, this interference in the affairs of a country.It is as if we interfered in the affairs of Corsica or Sardinia ... "

"Al Qaeda has a plan," he accuses. I think that the terrorists of Al Qaeda have tried to take advantage of the situation in Tunisia, Egypt, but they were down in Libya. They are dormant cells who woke up and took up arms to kill members of the army, police. "

"We are partners in the fight against terrorism, says Muammar Gaddafi. There were armed Islamic extremists in Algeria, as there was in Iraq or Pakistan ... We are the same thing, we have armed factions who are fighting us.There was a resolution of the Security Council UN [against the Libyan regime, which includes an asset freeze of Libyan officials, ed], but ignored Al-Qaeda! "

"It makes you laugh the interference!"

If the Libyan League for Human Rights puts the figure of 6,000 deaths since the violence began in mid-February, Muammar Gaddafi admits that there were "hundreds" dead "on both sides, the side of Army and police and the rebels. "

However, it underlines the fact that the world has a picture "distorted" the situation there. "To my friends and the world, I say it is a distorted picture that was given to peaceful demonstrations.Several chains have manipulated the truth. Do not grow the business as if there was a big problem. (...) Now we open the doors to foreign journalists and we invite the world to open their eyes. "

And explain its view of the situation: "The bearers of weapons in Benghazi have no clear demands. In Benghazi is the revolution of 1 September [in reference to 1 September 1969, when Muammar Qaddafi overthrew King Idris I and proclaimed the Libyan Republic, ed]. We must get rid of people who are armed traitors. The people will look after them.In some areas, machine guns have been distributed and the population was able to block these terrorists. "

On his relations with the United States and the European Union, Gaddafi obvious astonishment. "It's strange, our relations were good. Perhaps there a security issue in the Mediterranean, to block emigration ... We also Libya major oil companies Spanish or French, and Suddenly these countries have forgotten the interests that are theirs. "

GREECE: The 24-hour general strike marred by incidents in Athens

Clashes erupted Wednesday in central Athens between dozens of youths and riot police, splitting in two a procession of demonstrators protesting against the austerity as part of a general strike for 24 hours, was a journalist the AFP.

The security forces, deployed by cable to the Ministry of Finance, at the bottom of the central square of Syntagma fired tear gas to repel irritants and young people, who were of various projectiles.

The police then deployed to push beyond the square mass of protesters split into two incidents and many were coughing and choking.But échaufourrées continued down from the parliament with the firing of Molotov cocktails by young troublemakers.

Police said the various processions union in Athens and Piraeus have collected some 20,000 people, and more than 60,000 according to union estimates, a significant mobilization. In Salonika, the police amounted to some 16,000 demonstrators.

Some 5,000 policemen were deployed in central Athens against the possibility of such excesses, almost automatically give in recent years at events and in particular that had marred the last union demonstration accompanying a general strike on December 14.

The Minister of Citizen Protection, Christos Papoutsis on Tuesday called for calm and "responsibility" to safeguard the country's image in front of the "international community".

The demonstrations were organized by the two major power plants in the country, the GSEE and ADEDY private to the public, and by the communist trade union front Pame, as part of a day of action against the treatment of 24H austerity prescribed in the country by the Union duropéenne and the International Monetary Fund in exchange for his financial rescue.

TUNISIA - FRANCE: Business Tunisian parents Alliot-Marie revive the controversy

AFP - The parents of Michele Alliot-Marie bought Dec. 30, in full journey controversial foreign minister in Tunisia, shares owned by businessman Aziz Miled in a company, said Tuesday the weekly Duck chains.

Michèle Alliot-Marie defended her parents and immediately spoke out against the "excesses" of new attacks against it.

"Their privacy is theirs.The acquisitions they make for themselves than they are for, and nobody else, "she said in a statement.

Bernard and his wife Mary, aged 94 and 92 years were already minority partners (with about 13% of capital) in the real estate company (SCI) which Ikram owned Tunisian Aziz Miled their friend and his son Karim, as the satirical newspaper.

Also according to the weekly, Miled sold them, December 30, Sentido Beach Hotel in Tabarka, all their shares of the SCI.The Minister was also present in the hotel, the newspaper said.

"Everyone would be honored to avoid falling into the excesses which do not grow those that are appropriate," responded the chief diplomat, saying "could not conceive that we can address the family policy and in this case to my parents. "

"I assumed the attacks, even unfair, even unfounded, even personal (...). When you have finished moving my life, including private, fine-tooth comb is that of my parents that investigation, "she said.

According to the newspaper, which is the source of previous revelations about the theft of the minister and his family aboard the private plane of M.Miled late December, the exact amount of the transaction spouse Mary is not known.

In a statement sent to AFP, Bernard Marie explained himself on this transaction. "Mr. Miled is one of my friends. The transactions we conduct with my wife and I do not watch it and do we," he said, customs clearance and his daughter.

"On the occasion of Christmas, I proposed to my girl that we went to Tunisia rather than Dordogne as we had originally planned. We stayed from Dec. 25 to Jan. 2 at the hotel Tabarka (north-western Tunisia, ed), and I paid the hotel bill myself as flights Paris-Tunis-Paris had been settled by my daughter, "said MrMary.

"I am committed since the summer with Mr. Miled in a transaction that involves the purchase of a SCI, which owns an option to purchase an apartment under construction. This stay in Tabarka (north West of Tunisia) for Christmas gave me the opportunity to certify the signatures of my wife and myself on the surrender of shares, "said Mary.

Michèle Alliot-Marie has faced calls for his resignation for having proposed a security cooperation with Tunisia and have used twice during his Christmas vacation in Tunisia, the plane of Aziz Miled, while the revolution Jasmine began.

This was presented as a close brother of the deposed president.But it is not on the list of Tunisian officials of the former regime whose assets freeze was requested by the European Union.

The minister had claimed the bonds of friendship between her parents and herself to Mr. Miled, who came to visit them in France. She had defended him, saying that Mr. Miled had been victim of the system financially Ben Ali.

President Nicolas Sarkozy had defended his minister, while acknowledging that "this was not the best idea to go in Tunisia" at this time.

Many Socialist leaders have criticized the minister, the MP Pierre Moscovici asking again Tuesday the resignation of Michele Alliot-Marie.

Iran: An Iranian-Dutch executed by hanging

A woman with dual Dutch and Iranian nationality, was arrested after participating in antigovernment demonstrations in 2009, was hanged in Iran for drug trafficking, reported Saturday's semi-official Mehr news agency.

"A trafficker named Zahra Bahrami, daughter of Ali, was hanged today for concealment and sale of narcotics," Mehr wrote, citing the court.

According to the daughter of this woman of 45 years, cited by the advocacy organization Human Rights International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, the drug trafficking charges were fabricated after arrest Zahra Bahrami for his participation in demonstrations in December 2009.

Mehr reported that she was convicted of importing cocaine from the Netherlands in Iran and that 450 grams of the drug were found on her.

Iran does not recognize dual nationality.