Lined preschool paper template

Refugees welcomed at Tunisian frontier.
It is estimated that some 30 000 foreigners have left Libya since the uprising started. Many of them have crossed over the frontier into Tunisia carrying what few belongings they could manage. Residents from the town of Ben Gerdan have been organising food and shelter for the new arrivals. The towns committee estimates that it has fed over 12000 people in the past two days. “All the residents of Ben Gerdan without exception have become active in bringing water, food and medicine to the storage facility”, said Omar Abdelkabeer. “They are also storing things in their houses and using all means available to them. We call on the United Nations and UNICEF and all the big organisations to help because this is a humanitarian crisis”. Some families waved a Tunisian flag when they arrived and had nothing but praise for the welcome and assistance they received. Copyright © 2011 euronews

European markets at close: 28.02.11
A roundup of the days markets data from euronews.net, brought to you as video on demand. Copyright © 2011 euronews

HSBC profit disappoints
HSBC is the latest UK based bank to disappoint investors with lower than expected earning for last year, even though pretax profit more than doubled from 2009 to the equivalent of 13.7 billion euros. HSBC, which is Europe’s biggest bank in terms of market value, also cut its profitability targets due to the cost of tougher banking regulations. Its share price fell to their lowest level in nearly a month. HSBC’s decision to cut back its profitability expectations followed a similar move by rivals Barclays and Credit Suisse as regulatory requirements require banks to hold more money in reserves. New chief executive Stuart Gulliver said he did not think that HSBC would need a rights issue to raise new capital. However, its finance director Iain Mackay said the bank’s new, scaled back return on equity target reflected the tougher capital requirements for banks, as well as global economic uncertainty, as highlighted by recent political tensions in the Middle East and north Africa. Copyright © 2011 euronews

New Zealand police: ‘it remains a rescue operation’
The official death toll from the earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand has risen to 98. There are fears in New Zealand that many more bodies will be dragged lifeless from the rubble in the coming days. Yesterday there had been applause as a survivor was brought out. But hopes are beginning to fade of finding others alive, more than two days after the 6.3 magnitude quake. Japanese specialists have joined other foreign teams and plenty of volunteers on the ground, to search for about 200 people still missing. Meanwhile, across the city the race is on to restore water and power supplies. “Yesterday we had about 65 percent of the customers back on. Tonight, we’re aiming to have 75 percent of the customers back on,” said local power executive Roger Sutton. “Compared to the September 4th event (last year’s earthquake), it’s a much, much larger event for us. We’ve a lot more damage.” The army’s presence – to keep order and keep people away from unstable areas – may be reassuring. It is also a reminder of the gravity of the situation. The authorities say they are still involved in a rescue operation, but a fire chief said they had no signs of life. For others, life is anything but normal as they struggle to cope with collapsed and unsafe buildings, broken roads and flooded sewers. Copyright © 2011 euronews

Portuguese beats get youths on the streets
In Portugal, music is once again inspiring the country’s youth to take to the streets. A satirical group called The Fighting Man has won the Portuguese vote for the Eurovision Song Contest, with the song Fighting Is A Joy. Copyright © 2011 euronews

Angry protester in front of Libyan consulate in Paris
A man protests at the Libyan consulate in Paris after ripping the Libyan flag from the front wall of the building. By Rapha?�l Beaugrand Copyright © 2011 euronews

Portugal’s government on the verge of collapse
Today could be Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates’s last day in power as his minority government faces a crucial parliamentary vote. The main conservative opposition, the Social Democrats have refused to back him and his latest round of austerity measures. They are needed to halve the public deficit in order to avoid a European Union bail-out. But failure to get the bill passed would mean the collapse of the government and trigger snap elections. Public opposition to a long round of cuts has grown in the country; last Saturday thousands marched through the capital complaining of record high unemployment among the young and the impoverishment of Portugal’s pensioners. But failure to agree a new budget plan could mean the country follows Greece and Ireland in going cap-in-hand to Brussels for a financial rescue. Copyright © 2011 euronews

Confusion over Renault spy case
Renault is still not admitting that it might have been tricked into firing three senior managers over alleged industrial espionage. The company’s lawyers said they are still looking into the existence of foreign bank accounts said to have been held by the three even though the police in Switzerland and Liechtenstein reportedly have said no such accounts exist. The managers denied any wrongdoing and are suing Renault. Renault sacked the three men and lodged a legal complaint in January over suspicions of industrial espionage targeting its high-profile electric vehicle programme, amid fears that information had been passed to a foreign power. The possible existence of foreign bank accounts was a key part of the case against the three. Jean Reinhart, the French carmaker’s lawyer, said in a radio interview that French intelligence services were still investigating in Switzerland and Liechtenstein to find out whether the accounts existed or not. “Nothing has come back to us for the moment, which means that this morning we are unable to say whether we have been manipulated or not,” he said. Renault’s Chief Operating Officer Patrick Pelata met with French Prime Minister Francois Fillon this week to discuss the case. There were diplomatic repercussions after a government source said investigators initially looked at a possible link with China. Renault and the government then both quickly played down the China talk. The scandal also strained relations between the carmaker and the government as Renault is 15 percent state-owned. It was criticised for not informing authorities of its suspicions in a timely manner and for carrying out its own investigation before telling them. Copyright © 2011 euronews

Euro zone growth pick-up fails to materialise
The euro zone economy ended last year with just stable growth. Gross domestic product in the 16 countries using the euro at the time grew0.3 percent from October to December, the same as in the third quarter, and GDP increased two percent year-on-year. Growth did not accelerate – as had been expected – because expansion in the three largest nations fell short of forecasts and Greece and Portugal’s economies contracted. The expected pick-up in growth did not occur as businesses ran down stocks in France, snow and cold hit construction in Germany and the Greek economy shrank sharply. However German data and a small rise in February’s ZEW sentiment indicator suggested the country’s economic recovery remained on track and was likely to broaden out, though a government economic advisor said this year’s growth rate might well be lower than expected. In France, the economy grew just 0.3 percent, half the forecast increase and the same level as in July-September, despite a rush to buy cars before a French scrappage subsidy scheme ended last year. Italian growth was also lower than expected, at just 0.1 percent. Data on Monday showed Portugal’s economy shrank 0.3 percent in the last quarter of 2010, reversing a third-quarter expansion. Greece’s recession deepened, with contraction of 1.4 percent from the third quarter against expectations of a 1.2 percent decline. The country’s central bank said the economy would shrink for a third straight year in 2011 with gross domestic product dropping at least three percent. Spain grew by 0.2 percent in the fourth quarter after stagnating in the previous three months. Copyright © 2011 euronews

Ireland awaits result of historic poll
Ireland is bracing itself for one of its biggest political shake-ups since independence after polls in the country’s general election closed. Ruling Fianna Fail looks almost certain to be reduced to a rump amid voter anger over the economy. The centre-right opposition Fine Gael, led by Enda Kenny, appears set to be the big winners, although whether the party can achieve an outright majority still remains too close to call. Kenny has promised to renegotiate the terms of a massive multi-billion euro bailout from the EU and IMF. But, Sinn Fein’s Gerry Adams, who is contesting in the Irish Republic for the first time, has called for a referendum on the rescue deal. Voter turnout yesterday was estimated at around 70 percent and the first results are expected to filter through later today. Reckless property lending by Irish banks and the subsequent crisis following the global credit crunch has seen Ireland go from economic pin-up to eurozone struggler. So much so, many people are returning to farming. While most other sectors of Ireland’s economy are seeing job cuts, agriculture is reported to be booming. Copyright © 2011 euronews