Putin declared president-elect

Vladimir Putin secured some 63.7 per cent of vote in Russia's presidential election. The head of Central Election Commission declared him the next president of the country.

The commission has counted more than 99 per cent of the ballots. “As you can see, the election finished in one round,” Vladimir Churov said, as he announced Putin’s landslide victory.

Gennady Zyuganov scored 17.19 percent of the votes. In third place was political newcomer Mikhail Prokhorov, who won 7.87 percent. Vladimir Zhirinovsky and Sergey Mironov won 6.23 and 3.85 per cent of the vote respectively.

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Exit polls showed results similar to the CEC’s intermediate data. According to a Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) survey, about 58.3 per cent of Russians cast their votes for Vladimir Putin, while Gennady Zyuganov got the support of 17.7 per cent of the country's voters.Mikhail Prokhorov, Vladimir Zhirinovsky and Sergey Mironov won 9.2, 8.5 and 4.8 per cent of the votes respectively. Around 1.5 per cent of the respondents said they had trashed their ballots.

Vladimir Putin and outgoing president Dmitry Medvedev came out to address thousands of people gathered at Manezhnaya Square. Putin thanked his supporters, telling them, “we have won in an open and fair struggle.”

Russian election authorities continue counting the last 0.5 per cent unaccounted ballots under observer supervision. 

According to the preliminary data from Russia’s Central Election Commission, over 63.3 per cent of registered voters went to the polling stations Sunday. The figure is lower than during the previous presidential election, in 2008, but higher than during the parliamentary election in 2011.

Observers reported a number of violations during the vote across the country. Results at one polling station in Dagestan, in the North Caucasus, will be annulled due to a video recorded by one of the webcams. It showed several people casting multiple ballots. Vladimir Putin's campaign headquarters says it will demand the cancelation of results at every polling station where such serious violations are revealed.

Russians have demonstrated an unprecedented level of political engagement leading up to the vote. Hundreds of thousands of independent vote observers were spread nationwide, and every ballot box was under the watchful eye oflive webcams.

The overall organization of the election process and the monitoring system has received positive feedback from the majority of Russian and international independent observers.

Such measures follow allegations of widespread vote violation in a December parliamentary vote leading to a number of mass protests across the country. The authorities tried to satisfy people’s call for fair elections and made the vote as transparent as possible.

Voting opened at 12 pm Moscow time in the country’s most eastern areas, including Chukotka, Magadan, and Kamchatka, and ended at 9 pm in the western Kaliningrad region.

Source: Russia Today

ELECTION RESULTS

Source: Russia Today

ELECTION RESULTS

Vladimir Zhirinovsky

6.2%

Gennady Zyuganov

17.2%

Sergey Mironov

3.9%

Mikhail Prokhorov

7.9%

Vladimir Putin

63.7%

Catholic Cardinal criticizes the British government's intention to allow gay marriage

Criticize the largest Catholic clergy in Britain, the British government's intention to allow gay marriage.He said Cardinal Keith O'Brien, head of the Catholic Church in Scotland, said that allowing gay marriage "strange and un-corrupt to internationally accepted human rights."O'Brien said that the redefinition of marriage, which is supported by British Prime Minister David Cameron, "Britain will be attached to shame before the world."O'Brien added that it is wrong to deprive a child to have a father and mother.O'Brien said in an article published by The Sunday Telegraph that "gay marriage will eliminate completely the concept of the law's main presence of a mother and father for each child and create a society that deliberately depriving the child of a mother (to Allah)."And O'Brien is the latest among a group of clerics who condemned what they called "mad" the government for its support of gay marriage.O'Brien accused the minister of trying to "re-definition of truth" and "undermine the conventional meaning in each place of marriage."In January, said John Santamo Archbishop of the Anglican Church in York that the British government does not have the moral authority to change what it means to marry.The minister said the Scottish Michael Moore that the consultations conducted by the Government on gay marriage are not intended to force religious groups to agree on gay marriage.Moore said the BBC "does not seek to change the religious marriage and do not want to force religious groups to accept it."Moore added, "What we are saying is that if two people love each other and wanted the link to life, it must be able to civil marriage regardless of sexual orientation."Said Harriet Harman is deputy leader of the Labour Party and former Minister for Equality, she believes that it is right to allow gay marriage.
Source: BBC Arabic

The death of creator of film "Star Wars"

Macquarie designed a number of key figures in the film series "Star Wars".Macquarie designer Ralph died, who created characters the movie "Star Wars" for 82 years.Macquarie has created artwork for the characters Darth Vader and Huebaka and personal robot R 2 D 2 also appeared in the movie "Star Wars".Macquarie has also worked in the movie "IT" directed by Steven Spielberg in the movie "Cocoon" also directed by Spielberg, and Macquarie won the Oscar for.He began his work as a painter of the Macquarie fee factory technology in Boeing Aircraft as a designer of posters and films.Macquarie has also worked as a designer for the animated series based on the Apollo program carried out by the National Aeronautics and Space skyrocket (NASA).In 1975, hired by the filmmaker George Lucas to design some characters and scenes in the TV epic "Star Wars".Lucas said in a statement following the death of Macquarie, "which inspired his paintings incomparable crew trilogy of Star Wars."Lucas added, "When Saving me not words to express my thoughts, I refer to say graphics Macquarie and performed personal that way."Macquarie also designed the alien vehicles in the movie "Meet the close of the Third Kind" and "ET" Spielberg who brought them out.Macquarie and received the 1985 Academy Award for visual effects in the movie "Cocoon," directed by Spielberg and set for a home for the elderly visiting extraterrestrials.
Source: BBC Arabic

President of Belarus: "to be a dictator is better than to be gay"

Criticized President Alexander Lukashenko Belarus EU politicians who have threatened to impose further sanctions him and said, "to be a dictator is better than to be gay" in payback for what appears on German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, who he described as "the last dictator in Europe."
Westerwelle and is the first openly gay minister in Germany.
He called on EU leaders at a summit held in Brussels on Friday to take new measures to put pressure on Lukashenko, who has been president since 1994 because of accusations of alleged human rights.
The news agency Beta reported Lukashenko said that Belarus will show a strong reaction to any sanctions.
The agency quoted him as saying, "This is absolutely hysterical.
"As you can see In the foreground there are two types of politicians .. kind of live in Warsaw and another in Berlin.
"And anyone who screaming from dictatorship there .. when I hear it say .. to be a dictator is better than to be gay."
EU leaders said that any new sanctions would have to target officials in Belarus for human rights violations and repression of civil society as well as those who support Lukashenko government or benefiting from them.
Poland and played a direct neighbor of Belarus a prominent role in the formulation of EU policy towards Minsk and are often criticized from Belarus because of doing so.


Source: Reuters

British journalists accused of spying in Libya

Said a militia leader detained British reporters late last month in Libya, he suspected that the two journalists who worked for the television channel Press TV Iranian spies.
Faraj said Swehli Swehli brigade commander had been found among the belongings of journalists and official documents of the Libyan and equipment used by the Israeli army and a video for them and are shooting.
Swehli said at a news conference in Tripoli that he believed they were spies.
He said it was too early to determine the country that was spying for him, but this will make sure of during the investigation with them.
He said that after the completion of the investigation will be transferred to the State authorities to continue the legal process against them.
He was arrested two, Nicholas Davies, Gareth Johnson Montgomery in Misurata on 22 February and are now being held at the base of the brigade Swehli in the center of Tripoli.
The commander, who was speaking at a news conference where he sat next to his subordinates wearing camouflage uniforms and sneakers that passports Monday was not their entry visa to Libya.
And showed a gray plastic bag containing the uniform field bears the words "Made in Israel," he was found with reporters. He said that this Swehli uniforms used by the Israeli army.
He was held Monday and Libyan documents include the names of members of the militia in Tripoli were killed in a clash with a rival group late last year, and lists of African mercenaries from sub-Saharan countries were fighting alongside the forces of the ousted leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Swehli and display at the press conference video footage he had taken from the British can be seen Monday and are experimenting with the shooting of a gun.
Showed what appeared to be footage of journalists and other are dancing to the music of Western pop music was coming from the sound system in a car late at night in the field of Algeria in Tripoli.
Swehli said that the two men were treated well and that British consular officials and representatives from Human Rights Watch visited them in custody.
He said he did not beat the prisoners and he was ready to appear before the court if they had evidence against him.
When asked the spokeswoman for the British Foreign Office to comment on espionage charges said, "We have learned that two Britons were arrested in Libya. We offer consular assistance."
Source: Reuters

Showing Picasso's "the girl child and dove" for sale

Panel decided to present the "girl child and the dove" Picasso up for sale after thatcontinued to display in the museums of Britain since the seventies.
I commend the decision to sell the painting fears that Britain leave the painting.
It is estimated that one eighth painting owned by the family Ibrkonowaa in Wales by about $ 79 million.
And displayed "the girl child and dove" painted by Picasso he was nine years old,currently in the exhibition of his works in the Tate Britain Museum in London.
And confirmed the Christie's auction house panel display for sale.
He also announced the intention of the British Arts Council sell the painting.
Picasso painting and drawing depicting a child holding dove and stands near thecolored ball in Paris in 1901.
Is not expected to be able to any of the museums or exhibitions of British painting buyexpensive price.

Source: BBC Arabic

Defect in the wiring caused the deaths of 146 explosions in Congo Brazzaville

Government officials said in the Republic of Congo Brazzaville that an imbalance in the electrical connections led to Sllsh Anfgrat that killed 146 people and wounded hundreds in a series of explosions rocked the capital early on Sunday morning.He was the master of ceremonies in the presidency Pangana Beto said, "according to medical sources, the death toll to two hundred and wounded many."The French news agency AFP quoted a European diplomat as saying "You can count at least 150 people in military hospitals and nearly 1,500 wounded in the cases of degrees of danger."The source added, "There is also a large number of wounded reached 1,500 wounded admitted to civilian hospitals" in the capital.The government officials and witnesses have said that the explosions occurred after the outbreak of fire in parts of the military camp in the neighborhood of Blind Mbela overlooking the river.Explosions at the infected population of the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo severe panic, but state television in Kinshasa and broadcast a statement calling on citizens to remain calm.The Lambert Mende, spokesman for the Kinshasa government had said earlier that he had spoken with officials in the government of Brazzaville told him that the explosion at an ammunition dump near the Hilton Hotel.The news agency Reuters witness in Kinshasa as saying: "There were three explosions, including explosion uprooted glass window of my house has just followed a series of small explosions."The Republic of the Congo have suffered from civil wars and coups, military rule for many years since its independence from French colonialism.And enjoyed a quiet country since the beginning of the nineties in spite of the military coup by President Denis Sassou Nguesso in 1997.

Source: BBC Arabic

Rising death toll in the offensive south of Yemen to 85

Medical sources said on Monday that 85 soldiers were killed in two suicide bombingsand clashes were followed with fighters linked to al-Qaeda in southern Yemen on Sunday.

The militants detonated two vehicles loaded with explosives at two military sites outside the city of Zanzibar, South Yemen in the early Sunday morning, sparking violent clashesbetween Islamist fighters and troops.

The medics said on Sunday that the death toll among the troops 35. The military source said that some soldiers were missing as well.

And attacks by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula claimed responsibility is the latestsince President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi took office last month.

The violence underlines the challenges they faced while trying to restore stability to Yemen after protests against his predecessor, Ali Abdullah Saleh, which lasted years.

Source: Reuters