Morsi wins Egypt's presidential election

The Muslim Brotherhood's Mohammed Morsi has officially won Egypt's presidential election and will be the country's next president, the electoral commission has announced. Morsi picked up 13.2 million votes out of just over 26 million, giving him about 51 per cent of the vote. His competitor, Ahmed Shafiq, the final prime minister under Hosni Mubarak, received 12.3 million. More than 800,000 ballots were invalidated. Farouq Sultan, the head of the election commission, delivered a long speech before announcing the results in which he defended the body's "independence and integrity" amidst what he called meddling by unnamed political factions. The final results Turnout: 26,420,763 (51 per cent) Invalidated votes: 843,252 Morsi: 13,230,131 votes (51.7 per cent of valid votes) Shafiq: 12,347,380 votes Read more on our live blog » The two candidates filed 456 complaints about the electoral process, Sultan said, most of them allegations of either forgery or Christian voters being blocked from polling stations in Upper Egypt. The vast majority of those complaints were dismissed. Tahrir Square erupted into celebration after Morsi's victory was announced. Tens of thousands of his supporters waved Egyptian flags and chanted "God is great" and "down with military rule." Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, Egypt's military ruler, congratulated Morsi on his victory, state television reported. Reactions also trickled in from around the region: The governments of Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and the Palestinian Authority congratulated the winner. Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said in a statement that he "respects the outcome" of the election, and "expects to continue cooperation with the Egyptian administration." There was no immediate reaction from Shafiq's campaign. Bishop Pachomius, the caretaker pope of Egypt's Coptic Church, issued a short statement congratulating Morsi. The Coptic community makes up about 10 per cent of Egypt's population, and some were worried by Morsi's candidacy, fearing that his government would restrict their personal freedoms. Gehad el-Haddad, Morsi's campaign spokesman, said in an interview shortly after the results were announced that Morsi would work to be a "president for all Egyptians." The president-elect is expected to take his oath of office later this month in front of the country's supreme court - though a spokesman said on Facebook that Morsi would take the oath in front of parliament, the "only elected institution" in the country. The Muslim Brotherhood said in a statement that Morsi had resigned his positions in both the Brotherhood and its Freedom and Justice Party, fulfilling a campaign pledge. Political uncertainty ahead Morsi's victory caps off more than a week of behind-the-scenes negotiations between the Brotherhood and the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF). He claimed victory just hours after last week's runoff election, based on unofficial numbers tallied by the Brotherhood, but the commission delayed its official announcement until Sunday. In the intervening days, Khairat al-Shater, the Brotherhood's political boss, met generals from SCAF at least once. Sources say they were negotiating exactly what powers the president will have. Morsi's spokesman, Gehad el-Haddad, reacts to the announcement on Al Jazeera Despite Morsi's victory, many of those questions about his power remain unanswered. "This is not the end of the game, it's a start of a huge responsibility," el-Haddad told Al Jazeera. "It comes with more challenges, turning from being the largest opposition group in Egypt to leading the country with its national front." Shortly before the polls closed last week, the generals issued a decree sharply limiting the powers of the new president. It permitted him to declare war, for example, only with the approval of the military council. SCAF will also keep control of legislative power, and the budget, until a new parliament is elected. Egyptians went to the polls in November to elect a legislature, which was dominated by the Freedom and Justice Party, but it was dissolved earlier this month after a high court ruling found parts of the electoral law unconstitutional. Saad el-Katatni, the speaker of the now-dissolved parliament, also met with officials from SCAF, and told them that the Brotherhood would not accept the court ruling or the election-night decree. But it's unclear whether the Brotherhood ultimately accepted those decisions in exchange for the presidency. Either way, the military council - which has promised to hand over power to a civilian government on June 30, in a "grand ceremony" - will remain a powerful force in Egyptian politics, despite the election of a civilian president.

Ship bound for Syria was carrying 3 old helicopters repaired in Russia

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has confirmed in an exclusive interview to RT that a Russian ship bound for Syria was carrying 3 Syrian helicopters that had been repaired in Russia. RT: The Western media this week has been frenzied about Russia sending warships and helicopters to Syria. How do you react to that? Sergey Lavrov: It was part of a campaign and not a very decent campaign, I would say. We are sending no battleships to Syria. We have been saying publicly that we have been implementing contracts under which we have to supply arms to Syria. Those armaments are entirely defensive and they mostly consist of air defense systems, which cannot be used against the population and can only be used to respond to outside aggression. The ship which is being discussed these days was indeed carrying air defense systems. It was carrying three helicopters which had been repaired in Russia under contracts signed in 2008. Those are Soviet helicopters. They have been in Syria from Soviet days. In 2008 there was a contract to repair them. They are still to be assembled after delivery. The entire process will take no less than three months. '[Helicopters] are still to be assembled after delivery. The entire process will take no less than three months,' – Lavrov. So to speak about something we have just sold to Syria and which is being used in action is not true at all. But this story has another twist with the British insurance company, which decided to withdraw insurance from this particular ship. This is a testimony that the insurance system of Great Britain is not reliable, because they were citing sanctions imposed on Syria unilaterally by the EU. This means that anyone – any country or any company – who is not violating any international rules, who is not violating any UN Security Council resolutions might be subject to extra-territorial application of somebody else’s unilateral sanctions. This is a very slippery slope. I do believe we have to discuss the issue of unilateral sanctions in a systematic manner: what they mean and what can be done to make those who faithfully implement international law, including UNSC resolutions, not be subject to application of somebody else’s rules. 'In principle dealing with any international issue you need to include partners with whom you have difficulties, not isolate them. Isolation never works,' – Lavrov. Bad examples are contagious. It was until recently the US which was resorting to unilateral sanctions to punish countries every now and then, including sanctions with extra-territorial application. Now unfortunately the EU is taking the cue, beginning to use sanctions in a unilateral manner more and more against Syria, but also against some other cases. This is a trend which is counter-productive. In principle dealing with any international issue you need to include partners with whom you have difficulties, not isolate them. Isolation never works. RT: We are hearing reports of a clemency for President Assad from the West if he steps down, some kind of immunity, how would Russia react to that? SL: I would just repeat what I said: it's for the Syrian people to decide who should rule them, how they should live. The main thing for the external players is to ensure that they all sit down at the negotiating table to discuss their future, where the minority and the majority will feel safe and included into the political system, otherwise the groups that now support president Assad, and there are quite a number who do so, would be in the opposition to the ruling majority and the war and violence would continue, but the positions of the participants would be shifted. This is something that might happen if people insist on one-sided approaches to the crisis and on imposing something on the Syrians. RT: Some would argue that this was the case in Libya, where a hundred people were killed just this week alone. Obviously this is not what people thought they were fighting for in the previous year’s uprising against Muammar Gaddafi. Is this the same fate that Syria has if there is some kind of an intervention? SL: It could not be the same, because there would be no resolution of the UN Security Council authorizing outside interference. 'There would be no resolution of the UN Security Council authorizing outside interference,'  – Lavrov. RT: In terms of the aftermath of any kind of intervention for the people? SL: I think intervention in Syria would be disastrous for the region. Syria is a multi-ethnic, multi-confessional country, whose different confessional groups have close relations to sister confessional groups in other countries. Lebanon has already been influenced by the Syrian developments. Inter-ethnic clashes and strife can take place very fast and can embrace the entire region. The Kurdish problem: the Kurds live in Syria, Turkey, in Iraq and other countries. The problem of Christians: Christians in Egypt have been subject to some violence. It is very dangerous. They have been living there for centuries. To topple this balance would be catastrophic. RT: British Prime Minister David Cameron says that in Los Cabos at the G20 meeting President Vladimir Putin shifted his view on the situation in Syria. Is that true? SL: It is not true. The meetings with UK PM David Cameron and US President Barack Obama did discuss Syria. Both our partners said President Bashar Al-Assad must go and external players must develop a transition plan for the Syrians to agree. We expressed our position that we cannot accept a policy which would aim at changing regimes from the outside. This has been our position all along. We also cannot prejudge for the Syrians what the outcome of the political dialogue would be. We strongly support a political dialogue and efforts to stop the violence. We suggest for this purpose that all external players should lean on the Syrian party on which they have influence and thus persuade them to withdraw from cities – both the government and opposition – to sit down and have a dialogue. But there should be no prejudging from outside what the substance and result of this dialogue might be. It’s for the Syrians to decide. I have seen the statement made by PM Cameron that President Putin shifted his position after meetings in Los Cabos. It is not true at all. President Putin was asked in Los Cabos himself at his press conference about his position on Syria. He expressed it exactly the way he did with David Cameron and Barack Obama.

CIA secretly operates on Syrian border, supplies arms to rebels

American secret service operatives are distributing illegal assault rifles, anti-tank rocket launchers and other ammunition to Syrian opposition, the New York Times reports. But due to some rebels’ links to Al Qaeda, the CIA’s task is precarious. The paper reports that for weeks now, officers based in southeast Turkey have supervised the flow of illegal arms to numerous opposition factions ready to fight the regime of President Bashar Assad. The only problem is some of the rebel groups have links with terrorist organizations such as Al Qaeda, so the CIA mission must be careful not to arm proven terrorists by mistake. Arms and ammunition are being brought into Syria mainly over the Turkish border with the help of Syria’s Muslim Brotherhood network and other groups, the report says. Expenses are being shared by Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The NYT source, an unnamed Arab intelligence official, revealed that American officers are also collecting information on Syrian opposition groups and recruiting informants among their ranks. The source said the Obama administration is considering sharing its intelligence data, such as satellite images and detailed information on the location and maneuvers of Syrian troops. According to the source, CIA operatives might be helping the rebels with organizing a rudimentary intelligence organization. The CIA agents have reportedly not set foot on Syrian soil, however. While, it seems, supplying Syrian opposition with arms, the US would like to see Syria’s allies, Russia in the first place, stop supplying weapons to the regime of President Bashar Assad. Washington has expressed concern with Russia performing maintenance of Syrian Mi-25 assault helicopters. Moscow has consistently denied supplying to Damascus any types of assault weapons that can be used against armed rebels. Russia’s Foreign Ministry says the country has only supplied Syria with defensive capabilities such as anti-air missile systems. Russia is not violating any international sanctions against Syria, and Moscow has declared it will not cease military cooperation with Damascus. Prior to the report about CIA officers operating on the Turkish-Syrian border, the Obama administration’s declared policy on the conflict in Syria centered on diplomacy and humanitarian aid. The State Department has reportedly allocated $15 million in medical supplies and communication equipment for armed opposition groups in Syria. In the meantime it seems the Pentagon is considering various options for interference in the Syrian conflict, including establishing no-fly zones over the country, as was done in Libya a year ago. American and Israeli generals are also concerned with securing alleged stockpiles of Syrian chemical weapons, the very existence of which has never been proven.

Syrian fighter pilot defects to Jordan

Syrian fighter plane has landed at a military air base in the north of Jordan and the pilot has been granted political asylum, officials say. Jordan's information minister said the MiG-21 pilot, an air force colonel, was being debriefed. Syria has condemned the pilot as a traitor, and has asked the Jordanian government for the return of its plane. Meanwhile violence continues to prevent Red Cross teams from moving civilians out of the old city of Homs. 'Humanitarian grounds' The Russian-made MiG-21 landed at the King Hussein Air Base in Mafraq, close to the Syrian border, officials said. It is believed to be the first such defection by a Syrian pilot with his plane. The Syrian state news agency Sana named the pilot as Col Hassan Mirei al-Hamadeh, and said his plane was near the southern border when contact was lost at around 10:34 (07:34 GMT). State TV said the plane had gone missing during a training mission. A Jordanian official told Associated Press that the pilot's request for political asylum had been given on "humanitarian grounds" as the colonel would be tortured or killed if he returned home. A spokesman for the rebel Free Syrian Army, Ahmad Kassem, said the group had encouraged the pilot to defect, AP reported. A Jordanian security source said the pilot had flown from al-Dumair military airport, north-east of Damascus. The BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut says Col Hamadeh may well have flown over the Deraa area close to the southern border where some of the bloodiest fighting of the day has been reported. According to activists, as many as 18 people died when the town of Inkhel was hit by shells and a series of raids by government forces. Heavy shelling In Homs, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said that it had the green light from government forces as well as assurances from opposition groups that there would be a two-hour pause in fighting in the worst affected areas of the city to allow aid and medical supplies to be brought in and trapped civilians to be taken out. Continue reading the main story “ Start Quote Reports that they were carrying helicopters can be used against peaceful demonstrators is quite a distortion aimed at whipping up passions and putting Russia in a bad light".” Sergei Lavrov Russian Foreign Minister But spokeswoman Carla Haddad Mardini told the BBC that the team had had to turn back "due to shooting and the security situation". "The team is now in Homs city and will attempt today to return to the area. They have re-established contact with both sides," she said. Waleed Faris, a resident of one area the ICRC was trying to enter, said shelling had been heaviest at dawn on Thursday but there were signs it was subsiding. "Early this morning there was heavy shelling. Now I can hear one or two mortars fall every half an hour. It is quiet today compared to the past few days," he told Reuters news agency. Russian helicopters In a separate development, the Russian government has confirmed for the first time that a cargo ship that was stopped off the north coast of Scotland and sent back to Russia was carrying three refurbished attack helicopters destined for Syria. The MV Alaed had its insurance withdrawn because The Standard Club in London, which supplied its cover, said the ship had "broken internal rules". UN observers have expressed fears recently about the use of such helicopters in attacks by government forces. Last week, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton accused Russia of escalating the conflict by supplying Syria with attack helicopters, although US officials later acknowledged the helicopters had been refurbished. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that reports that the ship was carrying helicopters that could be "used against peaceful demonstrators is quite a distortion aimed at whipping up passions and putting Russia in a bad light". He told Ekho Moskvy radio: "We are not breaching anything and we will perform our contractual obligations, which are not outside the restrictions imposed by the UN Security Council." He said the helicopters had been repaired by Russia under a 2008 contract.

Syrian troops have tortured children and used them as human shields on tanks to prevent attacks by opposition forces

Syrian troops have tortured children and used them as human shields on tanks to prevent attacks by opposition forces, a UN report says. The UN's Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict said children were being tortured in detention and slaughtered in massacres. The report said rebel forces were also using children on the front line. Separately the US has accused Syria of planning another massacre, while the UN chief condemned the rising violence. 'Torture marks' The UN special representative, Radhika Coomaraswamy, told the BBC her team had returned from Syria with "horrific" reports. She said she had never seen a similar situation where children were not spared - and even targeted - in a conflict. "Many former soldiers spoke about shooting into civilian areas, seeing children, young children being killed and maimed," she said. "We also had testimonies and saw children who had been tortured, and who carried the torture marks with them. We also heard of children being used - this was recounted to us by some children - of being put on tanks and being used as human shields so that the tanks would not be fired upon." However, she also criticised the opposition Free Syrian Army for endangering children. "For the first time we heard of children being recruited by the Free Syrian Army mainly in medical and service orientated jobs but still on the front line," she said. Ms Coomaraswamy said the suffering inflicted on children in Syria was unusual even for combat situations. "We are really quite shocked. Killing and maiming of children in cross-fire is something we come across in many conflicts but this torture of children in detention, children as young as 10, is something quite extraordinary, which we don't really see in other places." The UN is pushing for the evacuation of people trapped by shelling in Homs She said that in recent massacres children under the age of 10 had been summarily killed. The UN's annual report on children and armed conflict cited one attack on the village of Ayn l'Arouz in Idlib province on 9 March. It quoted a witness saying how several young children were forcibly taken from their homes and "used by soldiers and militia members as human shields, placing them in front of the windows of buses carrying military personnel into the raid on the village". Other children described being beaten, blindfolded, subjected to stress positions, whipped with heavy electrical cables, scarred by cigarette burns and in one case subjected to electrical shock during interrogations, the report said. 'Accountable' A team of UN military observers is currently inside Syria as part of a six-point peace plan brokered by UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan. Despite all international diplomatic efforts, bloodshed is continuing on a daily basis. Activists said more than 100 people were killed on Monday across the country, with the heaviest casualties in northern Idlib province. Activists say the regime of President Bashar al-Assad is deliberately targeting civilian populations, while the government blames the violence on "armed gangs". US state department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said there were fears the Syrian government "may be organising another massacre", in the town of Haffa in Latakia province, where UN military observers have been denied access. "We are calling this out now in the hope that we can stop what could be a potential massacre," she said, adding: "People will be held accountable." Earlier this month, activists said Syrian government forces killed 108 people in the region of Houla, in Homs province, and 78 people in the village of Qubair, in Hama province. The BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut says Syrian state television has been playing recordings of what it says is an intercepted phone conversation between militants, with one of them ordering the rebels to carry out a massacre of civilians at Haffa, film it, and blame the government. He says the UN observers are eager to get to the area to prevent any massacre happening, but the government forces are apparently blocking them. Rebel fighters in the town are besieged by the government troops, who have been using artillery, tanks and attack helicopters. There are increasing fears among UN observers about the use of attack helicopters. In a statement, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed "deep concern at the dangerous intensification of armed violence across Syria over the past several days". He said: "The Syrian government's intensive military operations, including the shelling of Homs and reportedly other population centres, as well as firing from helicopters on Talbiseh and Rastan, are resulting in heavy civilian casualties and human rights violations." Our correspondent says the situation in Homs is of particular concern, with many families trapped by shelling. The UN wants to evacuate people from the battle zone but he says that, so far, this has proven impossible. There are also reports that the army has shelled a night-time protest in the eastern city of Deir al-Zour, with activists saying 11 people have been killed. Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary William Hague, who is visiting Pakistan, said foreign military intervention was not being considered for Syria and that all efforts were being made for a peaceful transition. "I think we should not think about it in terms of another Libya," he said.

More than 140 people, more than half of them from South Sudan were arrested by Israel's immigration police in a series of sweeping raids.

 (Reuters)

Foreigners illegally residing in Israel have said they have been “treated like animals” by Israeli authorities, as a campaign to arrest and deport the immigrants came into action on Monday.

More than 140 people, more than half of them from South Sudan were arrested by Israel's immigration police in a series of sweeping raids on Sunday and Monday aimed at rounding up and deporting illegal immigrants, officials said Tuesday, according to Israeli news reports. 

But while officials said that they had “signed voluntary departure forms,” the news site reported, the immigrants said they had been forced to leave.

“They fired all the people, so they decided to leave,” Michael Bazia, 45, a Sudanese community leader in Arad, told Ynet. “They treat us like animals so we have no choice but to go back.

“They are going from house to house and rounding up people. They tell us: ‘Get your things and go,’” Bazia said, adding that “the (people) are willing to go home, but not in this manner. We are tired of this. We’ve only had independence for 10 months. You can’t build a state in 10 months,” referring to South Sudan, the world’s newest nation. 

“They said they would give us a week to prepare, but the week hasn’t ended yet and they already started with the arrests,” Bazia added.

The arrests on Monday follow orderly protests on Sunday by about 500 Sudanese men against their expulsion. 

“We are refugees, not criminals,” the Sudanese chanted, in a retort to allegations that Africans prey on Israeli citizens, following high-profile rape allegations.

“We’re being called a cancer and an AIDS virus on the Israeli people, by politicians in the Knesset,” protest organizer Jacob Berri said, accusing the government right-wingers of racist incitement and inflammatory language. 

Many Sudanese, including hundreds who escaped from conflict and humanitarian disaster in Darfur, have been in Israel for several years, living in legal limbo without formal refugee status, but peacefully, they say.

Berri said the South Sudanese “know when they are not wanted and will leave.” But their refugee status must first be assured by the United Nations, and third-country resettlement programs established.

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned last week of Africans “flooding” and “swamping” Israel, threatening “the character of the country.” He also said that emergency measures to reverse the influx will include “detention facilities with thousands of units.”

An official at the Population and Immigration Authority claimed that “whoever wants to leave voluntarily can receive a grant and some time to sort their affairs in Israel; this is much more respectful; each person should decide according to their own considerations,” the news website reported.

Israel Interior Minister Eli Yishai has said that the campaign “is not aimed against infiltrators, but instead is meant to preserve Israel’s character as a Zionist-Jewish country.”

“What we witnessed today was just the beginning of the battle for the future of Israel. I’m certain that the court will also sanction the deportation of infiltrators from Eritrea and Sudan, who pose the main threat,” Yishai told Ynet.

Meanwhile, the Immigration Authority said the operation to arrest the 1,500 South Sudanese migrants will continue in the coming weeks. According to Israeli media reports, the goal is to repatriate all the estimated 60,000 African migrants, including some 35,000 Eritreans.

But Israel cannot deport all Eritreans due to international obligations, which include Eritrea being recognized by the United Nations and the international community as a country ruled by a tyrannical regime that systematically violates human rights.

The situation in Israel, a country which was built essentially by immigrants and refugees, has led many commentators to believe that deportation is a bad solution which could damage the international image of the country.

Critics have said the rounding up of members from different racial groups and holding them in camps for deportation may invite allusions to the Nazi Holocaust and betrays Jewish values, however unfair such comparisons may be.

Bank of England meets amid talk of £50bn stimulus

Bank of England policymakers meet today to decide whether to change interest rates or to pump in more money into the ailing economy, with leading economist saying they may opt to inject a further £50bn of stimulus.

Europe is on the verge of financial chaos.

Global capital markets, now the most powerful force on earth, are rapidly losing confidence in the financial coherence of the 17-nation euro zone. A market implosion there, like that triggered by Lehman Brothers collapse in 2008, may not be far off. Not only would that dismantle the euro zone, but it could also usher in another global economic slump: in effect, a second leg of the Great Recession, analogous to that of 1937. This risk is evident in the structure of global interest rates. At one level, U.S. Treasury bonds are now carrying the lowest yields in history, as gigantic sums of money seek a safe haven from this crisis. At another level, the weaker euro-zone countries, such as Spain and Italy, are paying stratospheric rates because investors are increasingly questioning their solvency. And there’s Greece, whose even higher rates signify its bankrupt condition. In addition, larger businesses and wealthy individuals are moving all of their cash and securities out of banks in these weakening countries. This undermines their financial systems. 423 Comments Weigh InCorrections? Personal Post The reason markets are battering the euro zone is that its hesitant leaders have not developed the tools for countering such pressures. The U.S. response to the 2008 credit market collapse is instructive. The Federal Reserve and Treasury took a series of huge and swift steps to avert a systemic meltdown. The Fed provided an astonishing $13 trillion of support for the credit system, including special facilities for money market funds, consumer finance, commercial paper and other sectors. Treasury implemented the $700 billion Troubled Assets Relief Program, which infused equity into countless banks to stabilize them. The euro-zone leaders have discussed implementing comparable rescue capabilities. But, as yet, they have not fully designed or structured them. Why they haven’t done this is mystifying. They’d better go on with it right now. Europe has entered this danger zone because monetary union — covering 17 very different nations with a single currency — works only if fiscal union, banking union and economic policy union accompany it. Otherwise, differences among the member-states in competitiveness, budget deficits, national debt and banking soundness can cause severe financial imbalances. This was widely discussed when the monetary treaty was forged in 1992, but such further integration has not occurred. How can Europe pull back from this brink? It needs to immediately install a series of emergency financial tools to prevent an implosion; and put forward a detailed, public plan to achieve full integration within six to 12 months. The required crisis tools are three: ●First, a larger and instantly available sovereign rescue fund that could temporarily finance Spain, Italy or others if those nations lose access to financing markets. Right now, the proposed European Stability Mechanism is too small and not ready for deployment. ●Second, a central mechanism to insure all deposits in euro-zone banks. National governments should provide such insurance to their own depositors first. But backup insurance is necessary to prevent a disastrous bank run, which is a serious risk today. ●Third, a unit like TARP, capable of injecting equity into shaky banks and forcing them to recapitalize. These are the equivalent of bridge financing to buy time for reform. Permanent stability will come only from full union across the board. And markets will support the simple currency structure only if they see a true plan for promptly achieving this. The 17 member-states must jointly put one forward. Both the rescue tools and the full integration plan require Germany, Europe’s strongest country, to put its balance sheet squarely behind the euro zone. That is an unpopular idea in Germany today, which is why Chancellor Angela Merkel has been dragging her feet. But Germany will suffer a severe economic blow if this single-currency experiment fails. A restored German mark would soar in value, like the Swiss franc, and damage German exports and employment. The time for Germany and all euro-zone members to get the emergency measures in place and commit to full integration is now. Global capital markets may not give them another month. The world needs these leaders to step up.

A Facebook crime every 40 minutes

A crime linked to Facebook  is reported to police every  40 minutes. Last year, officers logged 12,300 alleged offences involving the vastly popular social networking site. Facebook was referenced in investigations of murder, rape, child sex offences, assault, kidnap, death threats, witness intimidation and fraud.

Prince Philip in hospital

The Duke of Edinburgh has been taken to hospital with a bladder infection and will miss the rest of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations. Buckingham Palace said Prince Philip, 90, had been taken to the King Edward VII Hospital in London from Windsor Castle as a "precautionary measure". The Queen is still expected to join 12,000 others at the Jubilee concert which is under way at the palace. The prince will remain in hospital under observation for a few days. The prince had appeared to be in good health when he accompanied the Queen on Sunday on the royal barge the Spirit of Chartwell, which formed part of the rain-drenched Jubilee river pageant. He and the Queen stood for most of the 80-minute journey, as they were accompanied by 1,000 boats travelling seven miles down the river to Tower Bridge.

Luka Rocco Magnotta, the 'Canadian Psycho,' arrested in Berlin

Luka Rocco Magnotta was arrested in Berlin Monday after a four-day international manhunt that spanned three countries. The 29-year-old Canadian wanted over a horrific Montreal ice pick murder and decapitation of a Chinese student that he allegedly filmed and posted to the Internet, was arrested in or near an Internet cafe, Berlin police said. Montreal police confirmed they are aware of the reports that Magnotta was arrested, but said they are still in the process of contacting their Berlin counterparts. The arrest comes after French authorities said they were investigating a tip that Magnotta travelled from Paris to Berlin via bus on the weekend. “Somebody recognized him and (then) all the police recognized him,” Berlin police spokesperson Stefan Redlich told CP24 Monday. Handout (Click to enlarge) Magnotta's alleged victim is Lin Jun, a 33-year-old Concordia University student from Wuhan, Hubei, China. He was last seen on May 24, police said, and reported missing on May 29. Redlich said police were called in by a civilian who spotted Magnotta and he was arrested after police asked for his identification at about 2:00 p.m. local time in Berlin. Reuters is reporting it was an employee of the cafe, Kadir Anlayisli, that recognized Magnotta. The cafe is on Karl Marx Strasse, a busy shopping street filled with Turkish and Lebanese shops and cafes in the Neukoelln district of Berlin. German television quoted the owner of the cafe saying Magnotta was surfing the Internet for about an hour before his arrest. Redlich said Magnotta has been taken into custody without incident and will go in front of a judge Tuesday. Canadian officials are expected to start the extradition process for Magnotta in the near future.