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

Iranian dissidents arrested at Tehran protest
Dozens of Iranian opposition supporters were arrested in Tehran after protesting in support of the recent uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia. Thousands of people marched to the city’s Azadi Square where they clashed with security forces. Officers fired tear gas to try and disperse the crowds. One person was killed and several were wounded, according to the official Fars news agency. Iranian state television only ran footage of a pro-government demonstration. It accused opponents of working for the West. Demonstrators from the two camps clashed later on Monday as tensions ran high. The march is the first time the Iranian opposition has taken to the streets since December 2009. Khamenei described the revolts in Egypt and Tunisia as an “Islamic awakening” but his regime has always cracked down on such dissent at home. British Foreign Secretary William Hague urged Iran to allow people the right to demonstrate. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hailed the “courage” and “aspirations” of the protesters. Here is a selection of amateur footage: In Tehran. People are chanting: “I will kill those who kill my brother”, they usually chant this when people are shot. Tear gas is shot. At the end, people are chanting “down with dictator”. More amateur footage

Pressure mounts on Gaddafi as unrest spirals
Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s 40-year grip on power is under increasing pressure as unrest in Libya reaches Tripoli. There are reports of bloodshed in the capital as anti-government protesters clash with security forces. The country’s justice minister has reportedly resigned in protest over the excessive use of force against demonstrators. He joins Gaddafi’s Arab League envoy and the country’s ambassador to India to quit as senior diplomats question the level of violence unleashed against the population. In a further blow to Gaddafi, a coalition of Libyan Muslim leaders have told all Muslims to rebel against the regime for its “bloody crimes against humanity.” It appears that army units, in the second city Benghazi, are defecting and the city is in control of the protesters, along with nine other towns in the east. Human rights organisations claim between 200 and 400 people have been killed since the unrest began.

Hindu Festival of Colours in Trinidad and Tobago
A man smeared with coloured powder celebrates Phagwa or Holi, the Hindu Festival of Colours, which marks the beginning of spring, in Trinidad and Tobago. REUTERS/Andrea De Silva

Leaders meet to decide Libya military action
France says military action against Libya could begin within hours of a special international summit in Paris today. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will join the British and French leaders, and others from Arab countries. To read : Libya: a timeline of international diplomacy The US says Libya has already violated the UN resolution imposing a no-fly zone and endorsing force to protect civilians. Numerous bases around the Mediterranean could be involved in air strikes. Attempting to head them off, Colonel Gaddafi’s government has declared a ceasefire and invited international observers. The French foreign minister, Alain Jupp?�, said: “We have to analyse the conditions of this ceasefire, it must be a ceasefire on the whole territory of Libya and not only on Benghazi, and we think that Libya must also comply with the whole resolution of the Security Council.” The UN resolution means attacks could be launched not only against Libya’s air bases and air force, but against ground forces and other military targets too if civilians continue being threatened. Those behind the moves at the UN are keen to get Arab nations involved. The French ambassador said the United Arab Emirates and Qatar had agreed to send planes and pilots. It is an international not a western operation, he added.

Happy Persian New Year
Up to 200 million people are celebrating the Persian New Year’s Day, or Norouz, which starts at midnight on the 21st of March. It is widely celebrated in Iran, Afghanistan and central Asian republics. Gatherings of friends and family are important, and also the food which is symbolic. For example the food known as the the Haft Sin, is made up of seven different elements starting with the letter “S”. Each one of them represents something. For example, apple represents the Goddess of Femininity.

Libyan air strikes prompt migrant exodus
The number of foreign workers trying to cross the Libyan-Tunisian border since coalition air strikes began has increased significantly, the UN says. The crisis in Libya had already prompted a mass exodus, but the latest migratory wave suggests many people feel they have no immediate future in the country. READ – Libya: a timeline of international diplomacy – International forces in operations in Libya UNHCR spokesman, Firas Kayal said: “Yesterday’s numbers were around 2,200 persons. The majority of them were persons from Sudan. And of course we have many other nationalities as well trying to cross into this side.” For the moment, it remains unclear how many people are still trying to escape the violence. Of the tens of thousands who have left Libya, many of those refugees have been repatriated. Others, however, still find themselves stuck in makeshift camps just inside Tunisia.

Kubrick traveling exhibit hits Paris
Stanley Kubrick fans will get to take an intimate look inside the legendary film director’s life and career at a traveling exhibition which has just hit Paris. It includes movie props, costumes and film clips, as well as recreated film sets from classics such as “2001: a Space Odyssey” and “The Shining”.

Across Australia with a wind powered car
The Wind-Explorer, a wind powered electric-car, crossed Australia from Perth to Sydney, more than 5,000km in three weeks. Every evening the lithium-ion batteries were charged by a wind turbine. REUTERS/Buckle Up Productions

Coalition forces launch attack on Libyan targets
British and American ships and submarines have fired more than 110 cruise missiles at over 20 targets in Libya, targetting air defence systems and fuel depots near Tripoli. British aircraft have also entered Libyan airspace in what has been baptised Operation Odyessy Dawn. Earlier in the day the French said one of their planes had knocked out four tanks near Benghazi. Thousands of Libyans have formed a “human shield” around Colonel Gaddafi’s compound in the capital to protect it from air attack. To read – Libya: a timeline of international diplomacy The French carried out wide ranging aerial reconnaissance missions across Libya all afternoon ahead of the evening bombardment. They also patrolled the skies above Benghazi in an attempt to halt operations by Gaddafi loyalists. The city was under heavy bombardment all day. Coalition navies, including Canadian vessels, are now in position to blockade Libya, enforcing a ban on arms sales to the Libyan government.