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Warnings of more violence in western Libya
Armed rebels have set up checkpoints to control access to Nalut in western Libya. They overran the town on Monday and want to stop it falling back into the hands of forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi. The Libyan leader has reportedly deployed his army to the area in an attempt to reassert control of the region. Read our news file A few kilometres east in Adjabiya, several military weapons stores were attacked from the air. People in the town think the aim was to prevent Gaddafi’s enemies from using the weapons against him. Libya’s wave of revolt has spread from the east. Gaddafi is dug in in Tripoli, the capital. Both sides have become entrenched and experts say the direction the uprising takes next could depend on who can hold out the longest. There have been numerous defections to the rebel cause, and harsh international sanctions have been imposed. Some experts say Gaddafi’s hold on power has never been so weak but the Libyan leader appeared unconcerned in an interview yesterday. Gaddafi’s remarks that the Libyan people still loved him prompted the US to label him “delusional.” For many in the international community, the question now is, how long can Gaddafi last? Copyright © 2011 euronews

Scandal-hit French foreign minister forced out
France’s embattled foreign minister has, as expected, been forced out of the job over a series of damaging gaffes concerning Tunisia’s revolution. While not mentioning Michele Aliot-Marie by name, President Nicolas Sarkozy announced a mini-reshuffle on national television. He said ex-Prime Minister Alain Juppe would be given the Foreign Office portfolio. Having previously held that job, too, Juppe was hailed as a “man of experience” by Sarkozy who said his success has been unanimously recognised. Currently Defence Minister, Juppe had been sidelined for years over his role in a party financing scandal. Alleged family links to a property deal with an associate of Tunisia’s ousted President Ben Ali as well as holiday trips on the businessman’s private plane with her parents and partner sealed Michele Alliot-Marie’s fate. Copyright © 2011 euronews

AXA writedown hits BNP profits
Fourth-quarter net profit at BNP Paribas came in below expectations at 1.55 billion euros, a 13.6 percent increase on the same period a year earlier. France’s biggest listed bank blames a 534 million euro charge on the value of its stake in the insurance firm AXA. It said the surprise one-off charge was due to “highly volatile” post-crisis stock markets valuations of AXA. BNP owns 5.2 percent of AXA’s shares. Following in the footsteps of smaller rival Societe Generale — which met fourth-quarter forecasts on Wednesday — BNP raised its dividend to 2.1 euros per share, from 1.5 euros in 2009. It also boosted its cost-savings target for Belgian acquisition Fortis to 1.2 billion euros, from 900 million. Copyright © 2011 euronews

As young as you feel on high-wire
In India, a 91-year-old dare-devil has proved that age is no obstacle, by crossing a 300 metre deep ravine on a high-wire in the western state of Maharashtra. Narajan Krishna Mahajan said he believes that if your attitude is strong, your body will also be strong. He said he did it to boost the morale of young people, and that he does not consider himself old. Copyright © 2011 euronews

Moussavi ‘prevented from joining protests’
Ardeshir Amirarjomand, senior advisor to Iranian opposition leader Mirhossein Mousavi, spoke to euronews this afternoon in a phone interview from Sweden about today’s events in Iran. “Two hours ago Mr Moussavi, Mr Karroubi and Mrs Rahnavard were going to take part in the demonstrations but the security forces stopped them. They seized Mr Moussavi’s car keys from his bodyguards. Mr Moussavi has not been able to leave his house and they have parked a big car in front of his front door so no-one can pass.” Ardeshir Amirarjomand was asked if the support for the peoples of Egypt and Tunisia had been a pretext of the opposition to call for this demonstration. “There has been no pretext, we have called for a demonstration in support for the freedom-seeking movements in the region, and if the Iranian government thinks that the Iranian people’s situation is the same as the situation of the Tunisian and Egyptian peoples, then that is another matter,” he said. “We had applied for official permission to hold demonstrations based on a genuine intention to support the peoples in the region and we are also calling for democracy and freedom for the Iranian people.” Copyright © 2011 euronews

HSBC profit disappoints
HSBC is the latest UK based bank to disappoint investors with lower than expected earning for last year, even though pretax profit more than doubled from 2009 to the equivalent of 13.7 billion euros. HSBC, which is Europe’s biggest bank in terms of market value, also cut its profitability targets due to the cost of tougher banking regulations. Its share price fell to their lowest level in nearly a month. HSBC’s decision to cut back its profitability expectations followed a similar move by rivals Barclays and Credit Suisse as regulatory requirements require banks to hold more money in reserves. New chief executive Stuart Gulliver said he did not think that HSBC would need a rights issue to raise new capital. However, its finance director Iain Mackay said the bank’s new, scaled back return on equity target reflected the tougher capital requirements for banks, as well as global economic uncertainty, as highlighted by recent political tensions in the Middle East and north Africa. Copyright © 2011 euronews

Bahrain opposition considers talks but sets demands
Thousands of demonstrators including some 1500 striking teachers have rallied in the centre of Manama’s Pearl Square, the symbolic focal point of Bahrain’s anti-government protests. The opposition are also preparing for what they hope will be a large demonstration tomorrow. Meanwhile they have been considering an offer of talks from the Crown Prince. Many protesters want certain fundamental demands met first. Mostly Shias, they are calling for the Sunni royal dynasty to be replaced by a constitutional monarchy. Some are calling for King Hamad who has ruled for 12 years to step down. Seven people are known to have been killed in clashes between protesters and security forces over the past week. Force was used to clear Pearl square last week but protesters flocked back at the weekend after security forces withdrew. Mobile clinics have been set up in tents to treat demonstrators who have been injured – and be ready for any more violence. “They fired at our camp, they shot at our camp and they attacked it and took all our equipment, the police and the army,” said medical volunteer Dr Hassan Abu Mahdi. “So we started again… we’ll make this tent again and again.” “I am a volunteer, doing volunteer work, I like to help people and in our situation in Bahrain now we have to be together,” said a nurse, Shafiqa Hassan. The Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix has been cancelled because of the civil unrest in the country. The race would have kicked off the new season in March. Amid concern over the effect on the economy, the credit ratings agency Standard and Poor’s has downgraded Bahrain’s rating from A to A-. Copyright © 2011 euronews

Bribes probe sears EU Parliament
Three European Parliament members are under investigation on corruption allegations. The Sunday Times says journalists posing as lobbyists offered 60 MEPs bribes to propose law amendments. The British paper said Austrian Ernst Strasser, of the European People’s Party, Slovenian Zoran Thaler and Romanian Adrian Severin — both in the parliament’s Socialists & Democrats group, took the bait, all three of them former government ministers. The first two have quit their MEP seats. The third has not. Former Romanian deputy prime minister Adrian Severin in Bucharest denied the allegations. So did the others, saying they had stepped down to give probes into the matter free rein. Severin said: “I have informed my colleagues about the whole situation and about my hope that an inquiry in the European Parliament will be started as soon as possible, so that everything will be clarified.” An alliance of transparency campaigners has urged a thorough overhaul of ethics rules for MEPs. Olivier Hoedeman, with ALTER-EU, said: “I am afraid it is not an isolated case. The fact that these three MEPs were so eagerly accepting the deal that was made I think is a very bad sign. It shows that there are MEPs who are corruptible, and I will be surprised that this is only those three.” Institutional reform group ALTER-EU said: “This scandal could be the tip of the iceberg.” Critics say many MEPs hold second jobs that lead to conflicts of interest and that current ethics rules are inadequate. Copyright © 2011 euronews

Benghazi rebel leaders hail no-fly zone
The United Nations may have answered the prayers of the people of Benghazi, finally authorising a no-fly zone to protect them, after long deliberations. But worshippers in the rebel stronghold are looking to a higher power for strength, faced with an ever-present threat from Colonel Gaddafi’s forces. To read : Libya: a timeline of international diplomacy Leaders of the uprising in the city stress the importance of imposing a no-fly zone. The insurgency itself has a limited air capability but it is not in a position to carry out significant airstrikes of its own, explained rebel military high commander Khalifa Heftar. “Airstrikes are not part of our strategy,” he said. “The important thing is to stop Gaddafi’s planes from striking the rebels.” In the space of a few hours, Benghazi’s plight has changed considerably, with international support now official. But its future remains uncertain. Copyright © 2011 euronews

Third day of protests in Syria
In Syria a third day of protests has been marred by violence. The police have opened fire on demonstrators using tear gas and live rounds. Reports say that one person is dead and around 100 others have been injured. Protesters want an end to 48 years of emergency law. In Deraa, the government has attempted to ease tensions by offering to release 15 schoolchildren who were arrested for scrawling opposition graffiti on a wall. This is a rare instance of the Syrian authorities bowing to pressure from the street. The country has been ruled by the Baath Party headed up by president Basher al-Assad since a coup in 1963. All opposition parties are banned. In Deraa on Friday, the authorities opened fire on unarmed protesters, killing four people. At the funerals of two protesters yesterday, opposition activists met with officials and handed them a list of demands, including the release of political prisoners, and the dismantling of the secret police. Copyright © 2011 euronews