Italian government partners stand by Berlusconi
Is the party over for Silvio Berlusconi? Several commentators in today’s newspapers believe early elections are inevitable after the Italian prime minister’s indictment for alleged sex offences and abuse of power. One wrote that Berlusconi was “worn down and gasping for breath”. But most expect him to fight on as he has done in the past. The Northern League, partners in the centre-right government, have their own reasons for not wanting the government to be toppled. “The judicial fury against the prime minister is evident to all. But if some judges think that this will also weaken the government’s business, they’re completely wrong,” said the League’s leader in the Senate, Federico Bricolo. The trial in Milan is due to begin in April. The judges who will hear the case are all women. Prosecutors say there is ample evidence that Berlusconi paid a Moroccan dancer for sex when she was under 18, and intervened with police to get her freed from custody. He denies the allegations. 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. One opinion poll this week suggests that almost 50 percemt of Italians believe the accusations are true. As satirists have a field day, a well-known Italian band has adapted Shakira’s song “Waka Waka”, changing the title to “Bunga Bunga”… Berlusconi’s own term for his infamous parties.

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Libya: Benghazi braces for all-out Gaddafi assault
The battle for Benghazi looks to have already begun, from the skies. Colonel Gaddafi has now warned of an imminent all-out ground assault on the rebel stronghold. Insurgents insist they will stand firm and will not be deterred by threats made by the Libyan leader. He has warned his forces will show no mercy to fighters who resist them but says those who lay down their arms will be pardoned. Pro-Gaddafi forces have retaken a string of rebel-held towns in recent days. Fighting has left parts of Libya’s third city of Misrata in ruins. A government spokesman said the Colonel’s forces expect to be in full control of the city during the course of Friday. There were reports on Friday morning that bombardments left at least four people dead and more than 70 wounded.

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New Zealand quake toll rises as hopes fade for survivors
In New Zealand a fresh attempt is being made to find survivors from Tuesday’s deadly earthquake in Christchurch. A team from Britain is joining others from Australia, Japan, the United States and Taiwan in search and rescue efforts. But cold weather is dimming hopes of finding any more people alive. Much of the country’s second largest city resembles a war zone. It is now known that 113 people died but that figure is expected to rise with more than 200 others still missing. A return to normality is too far off to envisage for many but some have been trying to resume their lives. Earthquake survivor Emma Howard escaped unharmed from a collapsed building after being trapped for six hours and was able to wed her fianc?� Chris Greenslade as planned.

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Nations scramble to get nationals out of chaotic Libya
Hundreds of foreign nationals are camped out at a frantic Tripoli Airport as governments from around the world scramble boats and planes to get their people out of Libya, as the chaos in country deepens. Russia, France, Greece and the United Kingdom along with many other nations are laying on transport to repatriate nationals. Turkey, with 25,000 citizens in Libya is mounting the biggest evacuation in its history with more than 2,000 already back home. The shooting dead of a Turkish worker at a building site close to Tripoli has increased the urgency of the operation as fear begins to grip those stranded in the country. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said his country will do all it can to help other nationals escape Libya: “There are several demands from different friendly countries for us to help their citizens. For us this is a humanitarian issue and we will do everything possible to consider these demands positively and help those who need such an evacuation.” A French military aircraft arrived in Tripoli much to the relief of those lucky enough to get a seat: “Phew, given the state of the airport, everything cancelled, the chances of getting a scheduled flight were pretty slim, yeah it’s a huge relief.” As the situation continues to deteriorate and Libyan officials break ranks with the regime more and more aircraft are finding it difficult to get a landing or take-off slot.

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Tunisia stretched by refugee flow from Libya
Tunisia’s capacity to absorb refugees fleeing the fighting in Libya is being tested to the limit. Tens of thousands of foreign workers and their families are pouring over the border. Euronews correspondent Jamal Ezzedini is at a camp in Ras Jdir. “Thousands of Egyptians and other foreigners are flooding across the border at Ras Jdier, between Libya and Tunisia,” he reports. “About 40,000 have crossed fleeing what they say is hell in Libya. We’ve seen big efforts have been made by the local Tunisian authorities to help and give aid to Egyptians and other foreigners by giving them food, drinks, blankets, and clothes. At the moment there are dozens of Tunisian cars evacuating the Egyptians to Ben Gardane and Jerba. They will be staying in youth hostels and at sportsgrounds until they can go back to their own countries.”

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Egypt opposition leader escapes assassination attempt
One of Egypt’s leading opposition figures appears to have had a lucky escape after surviving a suspected assassination attempt. Speaking to euronews Ayman Nour said a police officer tried to stab him. ‘‘It happened in Luxor. We were heading by car to the main police headquarters in the city. Suddenly, three security service personnel came out, one of them came towards me very quickly with a knife and tried to stab me with it. The people who were in the street stopped them and a minute later a military car arrived to break up the scuffle between those who were protecting me from the attackers. I think they were members of what we call the fifth column, pro-Mubarak supporters, who were active from the 28th January. The ones who were responsible for attacking protesters, looting, and theft, etc. This is not just me who thinks this. This attack is strange. What happened is strange, significant, unjustified and cannot be understood.’‘

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Army disperses protesters in Oman
Soldiers have dispersed a small group of demonstrators who had gathered for the fourth day of protests in the port city of Sohar in Oman. Read our news file One person was wounded after shots were fired into the air. The crowd dispersed only to regroup at a roundabout near the port. They had also gathered on Monday and blocked the entrance to the port, which exports 160,000 barrels of refined oil products every day. It is a rare outbreak of discontent in the normally sleepy country, and follows the pattern of anti-government protests across the Arab world in recent weeks. Yesterday, the Sultan of Oman promised a raft of measures aimed at tackling unemployment and inequality.

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Protests broken up in Iran
With the foreign media banned, the internet restricted, and the mobile phone network shut down, the Iranian authorities are doing their best to suppress any news about the latest anti-government protests. Pictures that did get through via the internet appear to show thousands marching peacefully in Tehran and four other cities, Isfahan, Shiraz, Tabriz and Kermanshah, when they were tear-gassed and baton-charged. Dozens have reportedly been arrested. Defying a ban, the crowds began marching in silence, to express their solidarity with the people of Tunisia and Egypt and, by association, identify with their plight. News agency reports say things got uglier as the security forces moved in, some using Tasers and paintball guns. Several dustbins were set on fire, and the chanting began. “Death to the dictator” could be heard in several places, a reference to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. While the security forces had initially shown restraint, the situation degraded further as the day wore on, and squadrons of motorcycle-mounted Islamic militia could be seen riding around looking for demonstrators. Here is a selection of amateur footage:

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Jaguar Land Rover looks East
Jaguar and Land Rover are reportedly in talks with top Chinese four wheel drive vehicle maker Great Wall Motor Company about a possible China tie-up. Jaguar and Land Rover, which were bought by India’s Tata Motors from Ford, are among the few top-line global brands that do not have manufacturing arrangements in China – now the world’s top car market. Industry analysts say such a tie-up would help solidify Jaguar and Land Rover’s longer term growth. “The two companies are exploring opportunities for a cooperative effort. Senior executives of Jaguar and Land Rover came over and visited our plant earlier this month,” a Great Wall executive told Reuters.

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Victory march in Cairo to mark Mubarak fall
Egyptians gathered for Friday prayers and a victory march through Cairo’s Tahrir Square to mark the fall of Hosni Mubarak one week earlier. At euronews we believe in the intelligence of our viewers and we think that the mission of a news channel is to deliver facts without any opinion or bias, so that the viewers can make their own opinion on world events. We also think that sometimes images need no explanation or commentary, which is why we created No Comment and now No Comment TV: to show the world from a different angle??�

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