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Former Mubarak PM, Muslim Brotherhood candidate to face off in second round

Ahmed Shafiq, who served as premier under ousted leader Hosni Mubarak, will face off against the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohammed Mursi in Egypt's June 16-17 presidential run-off, the official MENA news agency reports.

Latest update: 15/01/2010

- Australia - environment - Japan - New Zealand - whales - whaling

The Whale Dispute

A collision between an anti-whaling speed boat and a security ship that's protecting a Japanese whaling fleet has added fresh fuel to a long-running debate. It's brought the spotlight onto the practices of both the whalers as well as some of their worst critics, a group called 'Sea Shepherd'. It's also unleashed a diplomatic row between Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

FOCUS

23/05/2012 - CANADA

Students in Quebec march against tuition fee hike

Student protests in the Canadian province of Quebec are now into their fourth month. Hundreds were arrested at marches to mark 100 days since the protests began. Students are demonstrating against an 80% rise in tuition fees in Quebec, the Canadian province that has until now enjoyed the country's lowest rates for higher education.

23/05/2012 - EGYPT

Egyptians head to the polls

Egyptians go to the polls in the country's first truly contested presidential election on Wednesday. With an array of candidates to choose from, voters will decide who's the best man to lead them through the last phase of the country's troubled democratic transition that began with Egypt's revolution in January last year. Cairo correspondents Kathryn Stapley and Sonia Dridi talked to some of the activists whose protests in Tahrir Square changed the course of Egypt's history.

22/05/2012 - EGYPT

A troubling time for Egypt's Coptic Christians

Egyptians go to the polls tomorrow to vote for a new president for the first time since Hosni Mubarak was ousted during the revolution last year. Two of the front-runners in the presidential race with a realistic chance of winning are devout Islamists, which is troubling for Egypt's Coptic Christians. They are Egypt's largest religious minority and many of them don't think any of the candidates are capable of protecting them from the religious violence that has been steadily increasing.

22/05/2012 - WEST BANK

'The Battle of the Empty Stomachs'

Palestinians nicknamed it "the battle of the empty stomachs". For weeks, 1,600 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails refused food and drink in what became the longest ever mass hunger strike. Israel finally capitulated and a deal was reached, allowing those in isolation back onto the general wards, and visas for those family members wishing to visit from Gaza. In exchange, prisoners agreed not to carry out "security activities" such as recruiting for terrorist missions.

21/05/2012 - SERBIA

Serbia's new president - nationalist or not?

Serbia has elected a new president - and it's not the one that most people were expecting. Tomislav Nikolic has unseated Boris Tadic, the man in power since 2004. Observers are worried about the new head of state, who used to be part of the ultra-nationalist Radical Party. He once said he would prefer to be allied with Russia than join the EU, but he has since toned down the rhetoric, saying he will take Serbia to Europe after all.

Comments (10)

anti whaling

by Anonyme - 21/02/2010 - 10:29

Its obvious to see, that the protesters were deliberity sailing across the bows of the wailer, a larger vessel, which couldnot have diverted its course as quickly as the lighter more manourverable protesters vessel.
so waht ever was to happen, the protesters would be able to claim satisfaction.
As with most people, i disklike the killing of whales, as welll totally dislike to actions of the protesters.
If nations tried to sort out their differences in a similer fashion, the world would a disaster!!

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Whaling

by Anonyme - 19/01/2010 - 05:21

Japan needs to do the honorable thing and stop the whaling. Its commercial exploitation under the guise of science and everyone knows it. Australia needs to protect its waters.

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Whaling

by Anonyme - 16/01/2010 - 18:44

There seems to be little difference between the activities of the Sea "Shepards" and the Somali pirates. If indeed the Japanese are violating Austalian or New Zealand laws, seems that those two countries should take up the issue country-to-country rather than condone the antics [and reality tv revenue opportunities] of this rag-tag group of activists

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Clear cut facts (truth)

by Anonyme - 15/01/2010 - 10:04

-Special permits for scientific research (including catches of whales) are not bound by any conversation measures (moratorium, sanctuaries, etc.) taken by the IWC (see article 8 of Iternational Convention for the Regulation of Whaling).
-Every whales caught under such special permits must be processed as much as possible and dealt according to the directives of the country which issued the permit (sales of whale meat are okay).
-The money from the sales of the research by-products (whale meat, etc.) is used to fund the research together with aids provided by the Japanese government. Japanese research programmes don't make any profits and are thus not commercial.
-The waters off the Antarctic continent where Japan's research takes place do not belong to any country. The Antarctic Treaty is freezing any territorial claim on the Antarctic continent. These waters are thus not Australia's and the Federal court injunction is thus void in these waters.
-Japan, Norway and Iceland are making many efforts to improve the killing methods. The polarization of the IWC is however preventing constructive discussions on this matter. There are discussions ongoing at the NAMMCO.
-Antarctic minke whales are not endangered and never have been. The IWC estimated their populations at 761.000 in 1990. Even though this number is being reevaluated, it is generally agreed that there are hundreds of thousands of these animals in the Southern Ocean.
-The global ban on commercial whaling was adopted by the IWC in 1982 under concerns that there might be uncertainties concerning data on whales populations back then. Japan is trying to address these concerns with its research programmes.
-The IWC has developed and adopted in the early 1990's a quota setting system called Revised Management Procedure, which scientists consider a very conservative resource management system.

Japan is rightfully catching whales for scientific purposes. Sea Shepherd has had its observer at the IWC status revoked in 1986 and is not mandated to act against Japan's legal activities in the Southern ocean.

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IDIOCRACY

by Anonyme - 15/01/2010 - 03:42

THIS IS ABSOLUTE MADNESS!! JAPAN'S GOVERNMENT IS MAKING TOO MANY EXCUSES... THEY'RE SIMPLY TOO OVERPOPULATED... RAISE SOME FREAKING CHICKENS!!

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Useless

by Anonyme - 14/01/2010 - 18:54

Useless single sided propaganda!!!

Where is the Japanese side of the story??

Completely unacceptable for a channel like France 24, don’t forget that you have France (and everything it represents) in your name

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enola gay

by Anonyme - 14/01/2010 - 00:14

The clear cut facts:

- Japanese whalers are defying a global moratorium on whaling
- They are commericially whaling under the guise of science
- They are in the Australian Antarctic Territory without permission
- They are illegally taking whales from a declared whale sanctuary
- They are in the Antarctic zone operating illegally because they are carrying weapons and are refuelling & dumping waste into the ocean
- They are in contempt of an Australian Federal court injunction on whaling in the Whale sanctuary
- The killing methods are slow, brutal and highly cruel
- They are taking threatended and endangered whales. Minke numbers are an estimate - no one really knows how many of them there are.
- And now the Japanese are arming their ships with military grade weapons, using security escorts and deliberately ramming ships.

Therefore, Japan is in the wrong on so many levels. But yet they continue to pour money into a dying industry to save face and "not be told what to do by the west".