Small blood clots when menstruating?

G20 reach compromise on economic indicators
G20 finance ministers have struck a compromise deal on indicators that can be used to deal with global economic imbalances. The French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde, who chaired the talks in Paris, said debt, deficit, savings and investment, and trade and current accounts will be used as indicators: “For those of you that follow these things closely, as you can imagine the inclusion of exchange rates and monetary policy were the subject of prolonged debate.” China opposed attempts to use real effective exchange rates and currency reserves to measure imbalances and they were not mentioned in their own right. The G20 now moves on to plot the next stage of economic policy strategies in order to prevent a repeat of the 2008 global financial crisis.

British MPs back Libya mission
British forces may have already engaged in military action over Libya, but back in Westminster a relieved government now has the full backing of parliament. A debate which lasted six hours saw MPs vote overwhelmingly to support UK forces’ involvement in enforcing the no-fly zone. But it was not an easy ride for Prime Minister David Cameron who had to respond to several uncomfortable questions. “Many people would ask the question I am sure today about regime change and Gaddafi and the rest, I have been clear: I think Libya needs to get rid of Gaddafi. But in the end, we are responsible for trying to enforce the Security Council resolution. The Libyans must choose their own future,” said the prime minister. READ – Libya: a timeline of international diplomacy But if Cameron has his political mandate there is less support from a sceptical British public. Only one in three people agrees with the action while two thirds are either against or don’t know. Britain’s government has been at pains to stress the legality of the intervention in order to distance itself from the Iraq campaign which divided the country.

Smoke forces evacuation from Fukushima plant
A number of workers at Japan’s stricken Fukushima nuclear plant have been evacuated after smoke started rising from reactor number 3 – one of the most badly damaged at the site. Earlier reports on Monday morning said engineers had successfully hooked up all the reactors to the main power grid, although TEPCO, the plant’s operator, said that checks were still being made to the plant’s cooling system before powering them up. The latest developments will be of grave concern, despite Japan’s Prime Minister Naoto Kan saying the situation at the Fukushima complex was improving. Read our news file Workers have been desperately spraying the Japanese plant’s fuel rods with water in an attempt to avert a major meltdown and radiation leak.

New York takes to the catwalk
All this week the fashion glitteratti are showing us what we should be wearing this autumn as New York Fashion Week kicks off. From punk, through classical to theatrical, the extravagant designs show little sign of the recession still affecting most of the world, although some designers have introduced more affordable ranges. Anyone who is anyone in fashion will be at New York’s Lincoln Center until February 17th.

German minister gives up doctorate
German defence minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenburg is under pressure to quit amid allegations he plagiarised parts of his PhD thesis. In an attempt to defuse the controversy the politican has given up his doctorate. Despite the backing of his CSU party his position is far from secure as crucial state elections loom.

Bus and coach passenger rights
More than 70 million Europeans travel by coach each year. What legal guarantees of service, similar to those of plane, train and boat passengers, are they about to be offered?

Ireland prepares for seismic political shift
Ireland is voting today in a general election some have billed as the most important in the republic’s history. Economic woes have dominated the campaign, notably the massive multi-billion euro bailout agreed with the EU and IMF. The opposition Fine Gael has promised to re-negotiate the terms of the rescue deal if elected. It looks certain to take power, with voters ready to dump the ruling Fianna Fail party. “No one has any money, you know, you work and work and work, and at the end of the day it’s getting taken back to pay what the politicians and banks have spent,” one woman said. Such sentiments appear widespread, with many voters accusing the government of mishandling the banking crisis which brought the once lauded ‘Celtic Tiger’ to its knees. The big question is whether Fine Gael will win an outright majority or need a coalition partner, most likely to be the Labour party.

Japan’s quake-hit nuclear plant remains a risk
The situation at Japan’s quake-damaged nuclear plant remains very serious, the head of the UN atomic agency said on Monday. But Yukiya Amano said he had “no doubt the crisis would be effectively overcome.” Enginners have reconnected power cables to all six reactors at the Fukushima plant to reactivate their cooling systems. While there appears to have been no rise in radiation levels, fears for the health of local people remain. There are worries that food products and water supplies have been affected. The earthquake and tsunami are now known to have killed at least 8,450 people, with some 13,000 still missing.

Kite solution on horizon for windpower
Conventional wind turbines can be dangerous for birds, are ugly, noisy, and do not take advantage of the really strong constant winds found at higher altitudes. Now scientists in California are harnessing one of the oldest known technologies, kites, to tap all those missing kilowatts, and in the process may make wind-generated electricity genuinely viable. Hi-tech gets out its ball of string to go fly a kite.

Ivory Coast may cause region-wide crisis
As the world’s attention is focused elsewhere, the power struggle in Ivory Coast has escalated and now threatens a region-wide humanitarian crisis. Laurent Gbagbo remains the de facto leader of Ivory Coast despite finishing second in the November 28 presidential elections. He contests that result and has called on the country’s youth to join him in taking up arms. Thousands of supporters answered his call. His rival, Alassane Ouattara, is recognised by the international community as the rightful winner of the election and legitimate president of Ivory Coast. He is backed by rebel forces, whom he has adopted as his army. According to the United Nations, at least 435 people have been killed and as many as 450,000 have fled their homes since the political crisis began. Human rights groups claim atrocities have been committed by both sides. Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, whose country is hosting some 90,000 Ivorian refugees, said that Ivory Coast is already “at war” and that the tensions will further destabilise a region that has struggled with bloody conflict for many years. “It’s a serious threat to the stability of Liberia, and I might say to the stability of all neighbouring countries,” says, adding that “the crisis in Ivory Coast slipped off the radar,” given the focus on recent events in Japan, Libya and the wider Arab world. Ouattara last week recognised the 2002-2003 rebels as his military and renamed them the Ivory Coast Republican Forces (FRCI). The FRCI has captured a fourth town in the west this week, Reuters reported. But major clashes have also been reported in the capital Abidjan. The rebels have controlled the north of the country since the end of the civil war, although that conflict appears to have restarted. There are real fears that an Ivory Coast at war will destabilise the whole West Africa region. The International Monetary Fund has warned of “serious risks” for the region. Ivory Coast is the world??�s no.1 cocoa grower. The crisis means exports have stopped, mainly as a result of European Union sanctions. The fate of almost 200,000 tonnes of mid-crop beans that is still on tress remains unknown. As economic conditions become bleaker, the ground becomes ever more ripe for conflict. By Ali SheikholeslamiLondon Correspondentali.sheikholeslami@euronews.net