COTE D'IVOIRE: African Union lifts its sanctions

AFP - The African Union has lifted sanctions on Thursday against the Ivory Coast decided on December 9 following the presidential election, announced in a statement.

The Council for Peace and Security of the African organization, meeting in Addis Ababa, decided "to terminate the suspension of the participation of Côte d'Ivoire to the activities of the AU," the statement said.

December 9, Côte d'Ivoire had been suspended the activities of the AU as the dispute around the election of Alassane Ouattara - contested by incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo - would not have been resolved and Mr. Ouattara, recognized by the international community would not be able to assume his duties.

Mr.Gbagbo was arrested April 11 in Abidjan following an offensive military forces supporting Alassane Ouattara.

The AU has welcomed calls for reconciliation launched since then by the elected president and urged him to quickly appoint a government of unity and reconciliation.

Liveblogging: The Japanese authorities make every effort to avoid a nuclear accident

AFP - Fears of a major nuclear accident are alive after an explosion Saturday in a nuclear power station 250 km from Tokyo, following the strong earthquake and tsunami that have made the day more than 1,800 dead or missing in Japan.

The accident has been assessed at Level 4 on the scale (which goes up to 7) nuclear and radiological events (INES), announced the Japan Nuclear and Industrial Safety.

The government ordered the evacuation of residents within a radius of 20 km around the NPP.

The toll of the earthquake and tsunami could rise.Saturday night the authorities were without news of some 10,000 of the 17,000 inhabitants of the port city of Minamisanriku in north-east, according to the television channel NHK.

UNITED KINGDOM: The request for extradition of Julian Assange investigated by British justice

AFP - Julian Assange appear Monday and Tuesday before a British court that will consider its request for extradition to Sweden, while the documents confidential police throwing a harsh light on the rape charges for the founder of Wikileaks have been published.

The Australian, 39, on probation since December 16, gained international notoriety with the release since late November on its website Wikileaks, hundreds of secret diplomatic telegrams that have angered several countries, led by the United States .

He has always denied the charges of rape and sexual assault against him, saying they were part of a smear campaign to discredit her work and make it stop.

When he appears Monday, several celebrities, including Jemima Khan, Columbia, fashion muse and ambassador for UNICEF (United Nations Fund for Children), London to attend a rally in support of the founder of Wikileaks.

The judge's decision, which must rule on the extradition of Mr. Assange, will be important, but probably not decisive, the Australian having many opportunities to appeal. The judicial process could ultimately take several months.

The Swedish authorities want to question Mr. Assange under investigation for alleged sexual assault and rape, opened after a complaint by two women.

Confidential police reports on the survey just published on the internet.If they do not bring new elements to the lawyers for Mr. Assange, who had already in hand, they cast a harsh light on the facts alleged against him.

According to one of these documents, one of the women who filed a complaint against Australian tells in great detail, initiated a sexual relationship, she says, by Mr. Assange while she slept and that he would have refused to wear a condom.

Covered by an international arrest warrant issued by the Swedish court, Mr.Assange was arrested in Britain on Dec. 7, before being placed on parole nine days later.

He has lived under house arrest in a friend's posh property, located 200 km north-east London, is subject to a curfew, is an electronic bracelet and must register every day with the police.

These conditions have been relaxed for Sunday and Monday to allow him to reside in London for hearings.

Lawyers for Mr.Assange oppose his extradition to Sweden, arguing in particular that there is a risk that their client is then sent to the United States, where they believe he could be sentenced to death.

The U.S. federal court has opened an investigation against the founder of Wikileaks, which, in addition to U.S. diplomatic telegrams, published last year reports of the U.S. military on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. She did not however formally charged, and therefore did not request his extradition.

In early February, Mr. Assange asked the Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard to repatriate. "Julia Gillard should take active steps to protect ourselves and my repatriation (Wikileaks).She should contact the U.S. Embassy to tell them to stop, "said Mr Assange, who said he was eager to return home.