Belfast Telegraph (Northern Ireland)
A show of solidarity in Northern Ireland to keep the past at bay

The Belfast Telegraph gives in-depth coverage of the reaction to Saturday night’s shooting of two British soliders in the town of Massereene. The killings were claimed by the Republican splinter group, the Real IRA, and have been widely condemned across the UK and Ireland. On Sunday morning, an impromptu religious service took place on front of the army base where the incident occurred. Sunday services were cut short and hundreds gathered from both the Catholic and Protestant communities. “Against icy winds, they bowed their heads and prayed for those killed and injured,” the paper says.

Speaking for everyone, Father Tony Devlin told the crowd, “In our churches, there were many people crying because of the experiences they remembered from the past. They do not want it to come back again.”

Irish Times (Ireland)
No return to the North’s dark days

The murder of those two soldiers, the paper says, is as much of a danger to the quality of life on the island of Ireland as the threatened collapse of the global economy.

Regional government in Northern Ireland did not function for five months because of ongoing bickering between Sinn Fein Republicans and DUP Unionists. Many observers have said it: this gives oxygen to extremists. Especially in a global downturn, with rising unemployment, there is an increasingly fertile recruiting ground for terrorists. In a warning to politicians, the paper notes: “The cost of political failure has been revealed this weekend…We do not want to return there.”
 

Libération (France)
Le casse tête Florence Cassez
The Florence Cassez dilemma

Florence Cassez – a French citizen - was arrested in late 2005 when police raided a house on the outskirts of Mexico City. It seems her then boyfriend was involved in gang kidnappings and an 8-year-old girl was one of those being held at the house where the arrest took place. Her involvement in those kidnappings is contested.

The Cassez case is getting a lot of media attention during Nicolas Sarkozy’s state visit to Mexico. Libération tells us that under the Strasbourg Convention, Cassez could be extradited to France to serve her prison sentence here.

However France is walking on eggshells, the paper warns. Mexico is a country traumatizsd by gang kidnappings and is proud of its justice system. Any perceived compromise on that would not be appreciated by Mexicans.

La Jornado (Mexico)

Editorial

La Jornado does not mince its words over this issue. For the Mexican daily, the pressure that the Elysee Palace is placing on Mexico over the Cassez case smacks of ‘colonialism and interventionism’.

The paper says that it would be inadmissible for Mexico’s President Calderon to cede on these extradition demands. At a time when Mexican criminality is such a serious problem; la Jornada says putting international politics ahead of the laws of the country would be a worsening of a bad situation for Calderon.

 

L’Equipe (France)

WhichLyon side against Barcelona?
"Quel Lyon contre le Barça ?"

French football is getting very excited because Lyon are in the final 16 of the Champion’s League. Clearly, France is not used to such success… The sports newspaper L’Equipe wonders whether Lyon’s strongest team will be ready for Wedensday’s encounter with Barcelona.

Lloris and Benzema – two key players – are possibly going to be back on form for the match. It’s not so sure however for Jean Alain Boumsong with just a 50% chance of being fit. As for François Clerc, his chances are slimmer again at only 30%, according to the paper.

 

Le Figaro (France)
International Women’s Day in Kabul

The paper has a photo of Afghan women, fully covered in a burka but wearing blue scarves, gathered to celebrate International Women’s Day. It's hardly what you could call expressing their feminity but, then again, they are constrained by the burka. The blue scarf is a symbol of their calling for more justice for women. A remarkable photo by Le Figaro.