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UK criteria for Libya no-fly zone ‘satisfied’
The British Foreign Secretary has explained his decision to push the no-fly resolution against Libya at the UN Security Council. William Hague spoke after the resolution authorizing “all necessary measures“??� codename for military action. He said the three criteria that Britain was seeking to see satisfied had been done so. He said to be able to take action a “demonstrable need” should be present, which Gaddafi??�s regime has provided in the recent days. He also said a “legal basis” was required that now the UN resolution provides. Mr. Hague said the third aspect was a “broad support from within the region itself and that is evident in the statement of the Arab League and in the readiness to participate in a no fly zone, for instance, by members of the Arab League.” The resolution passed after 10 of the 15 Security Council members voted in favour. There were no votes against but China and Russia were among five abstentions. The vote in New York was attended by Tripoli??�s ambassador to the UN, Mohamed Shalgham, who last month publicly denounced the Libyan leader. The UK as well as France took the lead in drafting the resolution and were co-sponsors. Mr. Hague said: “We have said all along that Gaddafi must go; that the Libyan people must be able to have a more representative Government and determine their own future. And it is necessary to take these measures to avoid greater bloodshed, to try to stop what is happening in terms of the attacks on civilians and on the people of Libya.” By Ali SheikholeslamiLondon Correspondentali.sheikholeslami@euronews.net Do you agree with the UN resolution authorising military action in Libya? A Javascript enabled browser that accepts cookies is required in order to participate in the poll. yes (52%)  no (45%)  i don't know (3%)  // pollTS[0]) { pollTS = cookie; cValid = true; }; }; warning.parentNode.removeChild(warning); if(cookie && cValid) { for(var i = 1; i < pollTS.length; i++) { votes += parseInt(pollTS[i], 10) || 0; }; var total = 0; for(var i = 1; i < pollTS.length; i++) { per = pollTS[i] > 0 ? Math.round(pollTS[i] / (votes / 100)) : 0; if(total + per > 100) { per = 100 - total; total = 100; } else { total += per; }; output[output.length] = '' + questions[i - 1] + ' (' + per + '%) '; }; pollHTML += "" + output.join("") + ""; }; if(!cookie) { pollHTML = ' yes no i don’t know'; }; if(pollHTML) { content.innerHTML = pollHTML; }; })();// ]]> Copyright © 2011 euronews

Frankfurt gunman inspired by ‘radical Islam’
German police say a suspected gunman who shot dead two US airmen at Frankfurt Airport operated alone and was probably inspired by radical Islamist beliefs. Arid Uka, a 21-year-old postal worker of Kosovan origin, has allegedly confessed. Posts on his Facebook account are said to praise jihadists and denounce non-Muslims as infidels. Neighbours from his Frankfurt suburb said they were shocked. One woman said that he was often lone and did not have any friends on the estate. “Although there are some bad people here for the police to deal, he was not that type and was very withdrawn,” she said. Investigators believe the suspect was not part of a wider terror network and was radicalised on the Internet. Copyright © 2011 euronews

Shi’ite opposition leader returns to Bahrain
A hardline Shi’ite dissident has returned home to Bahrain from exile to join the burgeoning opposition to the island kingdom’s Sunni royal family. London-based Hassan Mushaimaa is the leader of the Haq movement. He was tried in his absence over an alleged coup plot but received a pardon as part of the ruling family’s concessions. “The talk about change and reforms should not be just patchy,” he said on his arrival at Manama. “We have to have real change or the people have to carry on (protesting). The demands are up to the people on the ground who died there and faced everything.” Pearl Square remains the focus of opposition protests. But today thousands marched on the former prime minister’s residence to call for the removal of a man who has been in his post for 40 years. This week, the government freed more than 300 people detained since a crackdown on Shi’ite unrest in August. The cabinet has also been reshuffled in another sop to the opposiition. But neither move appears likely to end widespread protests. Copyright © 2011 euronews

New Zealand police: ‘it remains a rescue operation’
The official death toll from the earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand has risen to 98. There are fears in New Zealand that many more bodies will be dragged lifeless from the rubble in the coming days. Yesterday there had been applause as a survivor was brought out. But hopes are beginning to fade of finding others alive, more than two days after the 6.3 magnitude quake. Japanese specialists have joined other foreign teams and plenty of volunteers on the ground, to search for about 200 people still missing. Meanwhile, across the city the race is on to restore water and power supplies. “Yesterday we had about 65 percent of the customers back on. Tonight, we’re aiming to have 75 percent of the customers back on,” said local power executive Roger Sutton. “Compared to the September 4th event (last year’s earthquake), it’s a much, much larger event for us. We’ve a lot more damage.” The army’s presence – to keep order and keep people away from unstable areas – may be reassuring. It is also a reminder of the gravity of the situation. The authorities say they are still involved in a rescue operation, but a fire chief said they had no signs of life. For others, life is anything but normal as they struggle to cope with collapsed and unsafe buildings, broken roads and flooded sewers. Copyright © 2011 euronews

Boulet: France’s favourite comic book blogger
French cartoonist Boulet is known in comic book circles as one of?�the leading comic strip bloggers in the Francophone world.?�He started his blog in French back in 2004 and its success prompted him to publish an English language version almost a year and a half ago.?�Euronews caught up with Boulet (real name Gilles Roussel) at his exhibition/workshop in Lyon, France. For five days he welcomed comic book afficionados and sketched the memories of some of them whose names?�were chosen out of a hat. The resulting cartoons will be on show in the city’s Le Bocal until April 17.?�He found time between scribbling to talk about his work.?�Euronews: Your latest book, ‘Notes 5: Quelques minutes avant la fin du monde’ (‘Minutes before the end of the world’) is your blog material in book form. Why the change in format??�Boulet: ?�“The transfer to paper is a necessity. The blog made my name but it’s the albums from the blog that make me a living. Personally, I see a huge advantage in the transition: it allows new audiences to come to comic books. I have plenty of readers who?�have gone?�into comic book shops for the first time since ‘Notes’ came out.?�Euronews: Why do you think that has been the case? Boulet at work Boulet:?�“It’s not really the same kind of reader. I believe that comics, no matter what you might say, remain something of a ‘luxury’ item. To be interested enough to go into a book store and flick through comics isn’t really that mainstream. But on the internet,?�the viral side of things comes into play. On the blog, I think I’ve got a lot of computer technicians who are just bored at work or students skipping lessons. If one of them likes a?�sketch, he sends it to a friend, who in turn sends it to 12 friends, who send it on to 24 others. And you end up reaching a?�huge amount of people. And?�those readers aren’t?�necessarily?�book lovers.”?�?�Euronews: You’ve taken part in the site Les autres gens which offers comic strips for a subscription cost. Does this formula work or are hard copies still the only way for a cartoonist to make a living??�Boulet:?�“That’s the whole debate about digital comic strips. I liked the concept put forward by Thomas Cad??ne, the founder of ‘Les Autres Gens’. He wanted to try another format that would allow this type of comic strip to become viable. But a lot of readers find it scandalous to be asked to pay for comics online, even at just three euros a month. Psychologically it’s a big obstacle to get over. New platforms like tablets are getting a lot of attention in the industry. As it’s natural to buy applications for these platforms, maybe it would seem more normal to pay a subscription to read comics online.”?�Euronews: You launched your blog in 2004. Since then the internet has taken on a much more social dimension. Have these changes transformed your way of working??�Boulet:?�“Yes, of course! My blog has evolved from the start. In 2004, blogs were half way between a forum and a social network with a kind of ‘tell my life story’ aspect. Small communities of people, writers, graphic designers, photographers started to emerge through the blogs. Some friends of mine who were comic strip writers started blogging and I just followed. There was a very intimate side to it. Out of the 500 readers I had at the time, I think I had probably met about 150 of them in real life. But then as the numbers started to rise, I began to write more fiction.”?�Euronews: For a few months now you’ve been using Twitter and facebook. Do these social networks enrich your relationship with your readers??�Boulet:?�“It means I get lots of photos of kittens, yes! In fact Twitter feeds my curiosity. I use it to follow the news, to follow other professional cartoonists, doctors, lawyers. I don’t think Twitter changes much for me in terms of my readers. As for facebook, to begin with I used it as a sort of online diary. But I got bored with that and so I started to use it to post old work that had never been published. I also share photos taken by my readers who show my albums being taken all around France and the rest of the world. The relationship with the reader is much more playful. For me anyway.”?�?�Euronews: Your two exhibitions at Le Bocal are interactive.?�Is that a blogger’s touch or a performer’s touch??�Boulet drew the memories of some of the visitors to the exhibition Boulet:?�“It’s a bit of both. Compared to the job of comic strip creator, I like the direct interaction with readers that the blog allows. It’s so much?�less suffocating than sitting alone working at home and not knowing whether what you’re doing is worth anything or how people are going to like?�it. “For comic strip exhibitions the author and the exhibition?�organiser choose some sketches, hang them on the wall and then wait and see if they’re going?�to be sold. Personally that doesn’t really interest me. For the requests, I only have three minutes for each reader, just the time to draw something before they let the next person have their turn. It’s very frustrating for me and for them. They sometimes say they would rather have more time to talk even if it meant not having a sketch. “So for the two exhibitions I wanted to relive the blog experience and make it possible to meet people. After the 2008 exhibition (at Le Bocal) we gave to each person the cartoon that?�they had inspired. This year we won’t give people the drawings and neither will we sell them, but the visitors here are still taking part because I am drawing their own personal memories. The people who are drawn?�out of the hat actively guide me through the sketch because I ask?�for details as I’m drawing. In the end, these sketches belong to everybody and not only to me.“?� Copyright © 2011 euronews

European markets at close: 02.03.11
A roundup of the days markets data from euronews.net, brought to you as video on demand. Copyright © 2011 euronews

Adele’s new album
Adele’s latest album 21 has already hit number 1 in several European countries; now it is out in the US.?�Despite the north Londoner’s runaway success, the album’s theme was born out of failure: the break-up with her boyfriend. Copyright © 2011 euronews

Defiant Berlusconi vows to see out term
Is the party over for Silvio Berlusconi? Several of today’s Italian newspapers believe early elections are inevitable after the prime minister was indicted for trial over alleged sex offences and abuse of power. Prosecutors say they have ample evidence he paid for sex with an underage prostitute and intervened with police to try to free her from custody. Berlusconi insists it is business as usual. He claims his coalition partners remain on board in government and has vowed to see out his term until 2013. “I can only say one thing: I’m not worried at all. Okay? That’s all,” he smiled as he spoke at a news conference. The Moroccan dancer known as Ruby, at the centre of the case, has denied having sex with Berlusconi but admits receiving several thousand euros after going to a party at his villa. The prime minister, who denies any wrongdoing, believes the charges are politically motivated. He still has his backers: “I judge him as a politician who’s made a big contribution, and will continue to do so for the good of Italy,” said one man in Rome. “They only talk about this … enough is enough. They’re not talking about politics anymore. They’re talking just about him…that’s all,” complained another. Satirists are having a field day. An Italian band has rewritten Shakira’s song Waka Waka, calling it “Bunga Bunga”… Berlusconi’s own term for his infamous parties. Copyright © 2011 euronews

Algeria’s Bouteflika faces fine balancing act
Algeria’s president is offering concessions to his country’s population amid increasing protest. Abdelaziz Bouteflika is promising to lift a state of emergency that has been in force for the past 19 years, but people also want economic help. “The situation in Algeria, on a social level, is a bit difficult,” said one student. “The unemployment rate has risen. There are several factors.” Even one of the founders of the Algerian state has called on Bouteflika to respond to calls for political and economic reform. “It’s too hard,” one elderly woman said. “We can’t take it any more. Life is too expensive for workers or small pensioners like us. I think the young people who take to the streets are right.” Algeria is set for further demonstrations today. Protesters are promising to take to the streets every Saturday until their demands are met. Copyright © 2011 euronews

Libyans abroad add their voices to protests back home
Across Europe Libyans have been voicing their opposition to the rule of Muammar Gaddafi. In Stockholm the Libyan embassy raised the flag of the monarchy,last seen in 1969 before the Gaddafi led coup. In central Vienna around 200 Libyan nationals lent their support to the protesters back home: “Gaddafi will not stop us anymore it is over,” said one man on the Stephansplatz. Similar protests have been held in Berlin with Libyans furious by the loss of life: “I have 13 brothers, they are all fighting there. On Saturday my father was killed in Benghazi. Killed by murderers, Africans, brought in by Gaddafi, they killed my father.” Chants of “Gaddafi is a terrorist, Gaddafi is a criminal,” echoed around the Swiss city of Lausanne. For those Libyans abroad there is a very real fear for the future of their loved ones and their country. Copyright © 2011 euronews