EU freezes assets of Tunisia's ousted President Ben Ali

 

The European Union has frozen the assets of ousted Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and his wife.

The sanctions were approved by EU foreign ministers, after a request from Tunisia's new interim government.
Mr Ben Ali fled Tunisia earlier this month after a series of protests against poverty and corruption, ending his 23 years in power.
He and his family are accused of having enriched themselves over many years at the country's expense.
Tunisia generally enjoyed steady economic growth under Mr Ben Ali, but many - including the young men who launched the protests in December - remained poor.
The president's family and his associates are believed to have controlled a large portion of the country's economy.
A number of associates of the deposed president may face similar sanctions, EU officials said.
The EU is looking at resuming talks, begun with Tunisia while Mr Ben Ali was in power, on improving trade terms with the country.

President Obama Expresses concern on the Crisis in Egypt

The SDF wants Supreme Court to Declare ELECAM Unfit To Organise Transparent Elections

The opposition SDF party has urged the Supreme Court, sitting in for the Constitutional Council, to declare that Elections Cameroon, ELECAM, is unfit to organise free, fair and transparent elections in Cameroon.
The SDF request was made by the SDF lawyers to the Supreme Court on the January 13. The SDF claims that since ELECAM is relying on electoral registers established by the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation, MINATD, it has proven that it is not competent to organise free and fair elections. According to the SDF, ELECAM can only gain some credibility if it establishes its own electoral registers, instead of simply revising what MINATD left. It is well known that the MINATD electoral register is full of irregularities ranging from selective registration to multiple registration.
The SDF petition is hinged on section 41 of law No. 2006/011 of December 29, 2006, setting up and laying down the organisation and functioning of ELECAM. Section 42 reads: "Where Election is duly established as incompetent by the Constitutional Council, the President of the Republic shall, under article 5 of the constitution, take the requisite corrective measures." The SDF therefore claims that by failing to established its own voters' registers, ELECAM has demonstrated its limitations and cannot organise free and fair elections.
The petition, signed by the SDF Chairman, Ni John Fru Ndi, insists that the right of Cameroonians to have free and fair elections can be guaranteed if and only if ELECAM establishes its own electoral lists and ensures that voter registration is hitch-free. The opposition party takes great exception to the electoral registers drawn up by MINADT, saying t and non-selective. The whole exercise is mired in fraud. Such registers, the SDF maintains, still carry names of dead people.
In the motion, the SDF argues that ELECAM has the competence to establish new voters' registers as provided for by Section 22 of the law creating it. Citing that section of the law, SDF lawyers said: "the Director General of Elections at ELECAM is responsible for all election operations and referenda under the supervision and control of the Electoral Board."
Thus, the responsibilities of the Director General of Elections, Mohaman Sani Tanimou, include: the drawing up, managing, updating and keeping national voters' register as well as election documents. He also procures and distributes election materials and documents; draws up and publishes voters' cards. It is also the responsibility of the Director General of Elections to organise and supervise the training of electoral personnel as well as prepare the annual draft budget of Elections Cameroon and draft elections budgets and implement the budget of ELECAM.
The SDF wants ELECAM to establish new voter registers and voters' cards within the context of a biometric system of elections. The party equally proposes that political parties be involved at all levels of the electoral process. They are calling for the institution of a two-round presidential election and a stop to civil servants and administrative officials carrying out electoral campaigns.

Ben Ali: Tunisia Issues an International Arrest Warrant for the Self-Exiled Ex-President

Tunisia has issued an international arrest warrant for ousted President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and his family, the nation's justice minister has said.

Lazhar Karoui Chebbi said Tunisia had asked Interpol to detain Mr Ben Ali, who fled to Saudi Arabia earlier this month amid mass street protests.
Mr Chebbi said Mr Ben Ali should be tried for property theft and transferring foreign currency.
He was speaking as anti-government protests continued in the country.

Wikileaks: France To Intervene In Cameroon And Gabon In Case Of Internal Unrest

                               Original Article by: Aloysius Agendia
In another secret diplomatic cable of US Embassy in Paris, France, dated September 9, 2008, and released on January 9, 2011, by Wikileaks, it has been revealed that France has the obligation to intervene militarily to defend the neo-colonial Government and secure its interests under the France-Afrique secret deals signed with Cameroon in 1960 and later modified in 1974 and that which was signed with the Gabonese Government in 1960.
The cable titled "France's Changing Policy in Africa part III", states, "Equally troublesome and outdated are certain "secret" portions of some of the Agreements. According to Marechaux, the Defense Agreements with Cameroon and Gabon, for example, contain "absurd" provisions obligating France, upon request, to provide internal security in case of domestic unrest in those countries."
Though the document further notes that President Nicholas Sarkhozy of France had promised to put an "end" to the funny neo-colonial France-Afrique exploitative agreement and bring up new ones based on equality and partnership, the truth remains that the Sarkhozy rhetoric is far from the reality on ground.
Proof of this is that as tension mounted in Gabon following the alleged rigging of elections to impose Ali Ben Bongo on Gabonese, the French secretly flew in 300 special paratroopers to quell down any opposition and protect French interest.  The BBC was the lone western media organ which wrote about this. The Wikileaks cable also reveals that, according to the France-Afrique documents, "some of the Agreements contain "secret" clauses giving France monopoly rights to exploit natural resources in the countries concerned." It also admits that some countries like Ivory Coast had increasingly become hostile over such colonial agreements.
This is certainly true reason and why the French have become very hostile toward any regime that fails to respect the agreements. Their hostility towards Ivory Coast and Rwanda are examples though not mentioned in secret diplomatic notes. Paradoxically, Ali Bongo is quoted though not in the cable, as saying the law suits filed against him and some president in Paris is because some French politicians do not want to admit that some African leaders want to totally break with the colonial past.
It should be noted that another cable published on December 31, 2010, revealed how the colonial administration in the Central African sub region CEMAC, in collaboration with the regional Bank BEAC and in connivance with their political master in France embezzled several billions of African tax payers' money to fund French politics and French politicians. Sarkhozy himself who pioneered the rhetoric against the neo-colonial France-Afrique agreements was a beneficiary of the stolen funds.
In 2004, French soldiers shot and killed over 100 unarmed Ivoirian civilians who were protesting against too much French meddling into their affairs and the French attempt to "kidnap" their president, Laurent Gbagbo. The French who initially denied the report, later admitted to killing "only 20" people. Since then, those who claim to speak for the international community have never uttered a word against France nor have those who order the killings been brought to justice.
The French equally blamed the Government of Ivory Coast for the mysterious bombing of French base in Bouake during which nine French soldiers were killed. It has never been established if the military of Ivory Coast was really the one behind the bombing. It is widely beliefed that it was a smokescreen by the French military to destroy the air force of Ivory Coast which was launching an assault against the French backed northern rebels in bid to reunite the country.
Given the increasing hostility of Africans against too much French interest and interference in the continent, reliable sources say France has opted for a diplomatic offensive and serious lobbying both in the African and in the western world to strangle regimes which are hostile to its influence. The same source equally says French intelligence help regimes favourable to interest by sharing strategies on how to bring down any internal opposition. The current situation in Ivory Coast is therefore a test of French influence on Africa.

Tunisia's interim government holds first meeting

Troops fired warning shots as protesters marched in central Tunis

Tunisia's new interim government is holding its first cabinet meeting, nearly a week after the fall of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.

The meeting had been postponed amid opposition calls not to give key posts to members of Mr Ben Ali's RCD party.
Earlier, the RCD dissolved its central committee after its members on the interim cabinet quit the party.
On Thursday, troops fired warning shots at crowds who had massed near RCD headquarters in the capital, Tunis.
Reports said some protesters had tried to scale a wall at the building.
Spreading protests
Judges also staged a demonstration in Tunis demanding the resignation of all judges who worked for the ousted president.
There were also reports of protests on Thursday in the towns of Gafsa and Kef - the first demonstrations outside Tunis since Mr Ben Ali and his family fled to Saudi Arabia last week.
He left with his family last Friday after mass protests over unemployment, poverty and corruption.

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

Together we can write a new page in the history of our country”

End Quote Fouad Mebazaa Tunisian interim leader

Despite his departure, protests have continued, with demonstrators and opposition leaders demanding that all members of the RCD party be excluded from any future administration.

Earlier, it was announced that more than 30 members of the former president's family had been arrested.
It was not clear which members of Mr Ben Ali's family had been held. However, state television showed what it said was gold and jewellery seized during raids on their properties.
The official statement said those being held were suspected of crimes against Tunisia.
Exclusion demands
Political wrangling had delayed the inaugural meeting of the interim cabinet. Hours before it was due to start, a minister who had belonged to the RCD announced he was pulling out of the government.
"I am stepping down for the higher interests of the country in this delicate situation to try to bring the country out of crisis and ensure a democratic transition," the official Tap news agency quoted Zouheir M'Dhaffar, minister of state in the prime minister's office, as saying.
Four opposition ministers quit the cabinet the day after it was formed, demanding the exclusion of RCD ministers.
Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi and interim President Fouad Mebazaa - former speaker of the lower house of parliament - have also quit the RCD to try to distance themselves from Mr Ben Ali.
Swiss officials estimate Tunisian government officials have put about $620m (£387m) into Swiss banks, the Associated Press news agency reports.
On Wednesday, Switzerland said it had frozen any assets of Mr Ben Ali and "his entourage" held in the country.
Schools closed
In a televised address on Wednesday, Mr Mebazaa promised to deliver a complete break from the past.

The interim government must arrange a date for future elections

He hailed "a revolution of dignity and liberty", saying that the government's top priority would be an amnesty for political prisoners. He also promised media freedom and an independent judiciary.
"Together we can write a new page in the history of our country," he said.
Although the situation across Tunisia remains tense, authorities have shortened the hours of curfew.
A state of emergency is still in place and the army is still deployed in the capital Tunis. Schools and universities remain closed.
The interim government has pledged free and fair elections within six months but has given no dates.
Under the Tunisian constitution, a new presidential election should be held within two months of Mr Ben Ali's departure.
The US has urged Tunisia to move to a true democracy, and promised assistance.
State department spokesman PJ Crowley tweeted: "The people of Tunisia have spoken. The interim government must create a genuine transition to democracy. The United States will help."

Tunisia: President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali forced out

Tunisia revolt and its Out come

Tunisia's President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali has stepped down after 23 years in power, amid widespread protests on the streets of the capital Tunis.

In a televised address, Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi said he would be taking over.
A state of emergency was declared earlier, as rumbling nationwide protests over economic woes snowballed into anti-government demonstrations.
Unconfirmed reports say Mr Ben Ali has left the country.
Earlier, police fired tear gas as thousands of protesters gathered outside the interior ministry.

---

The protesters have put their bodies on the line, and many people have been killed. Tonight, they ignored the curfew to celebrate on the streets.
At the end of a dramatic day, President Ben Ali fled, no longer able to hold back the growing tide of public discontent and anger with his regime.
Now, the protesters will want to see the fruits of their demonstrations.
They won't settle for meagre reform, they won't settle for the same elite remaining in power. They're very happy that the president has gone, but they don't like the regime that surrounded him, and they'll want his cronies out as well.

Doctors say that 13 people were killed in overnight clashes in Tunis, and there are unconfirmed reports that five people have been killed in protests on Friday outside the capital.

Troops have surrounded the country's main international airport, Tunis Carthage, and the country's air space has been closed.
Mr Ghannouchi, 69, a former finance minister who has been prime minister since 1999, will serve as interim president.
In an address on state television, he promised to "respect the law and to carry out the political, economic and social reforms that have been announced".
The BBC's Arab affairs analyst Magdi Abdelhadi says Mr Ben Ali's demise will go down in history as the day that an Arab population rose and brought down a head of state they regarded as a dictator.
He says it may rattle the entire post-colonial order in North Africa and the wider Arab world.
Earlier, Mr Ben Ali - who had said in a TV address on Thursday night that he would relinquish power in 2014 - said he was dismissing the government and dissolving parliament, and that new elections would be held within six months.

Fall from power

• 17 Dec: A graduate sets himself on fire in Sidi Bouzid over lack of jobs, sparking protests
• 24 Dec: Protester shot dead in central Tunisia
• 28 Dec: Protests spread to Tunis
• 8-10 Jan: Dozens of deaths reported in crackdown on protests
• 12 Jan: Interior ministry sacked
• 13 Jan: President Ben Ali promises to step down in 2014
• 14 Jan: President dissolves government and parliament, then steps down

The state of emergency decree bans more than three people from gathering together in the open, and imposes a night-time curfew. Security forces have been authorised to open fire on people not obeying their orders.

Human rights groups say dozens of people have died in recent weeks as unrest has swept the country and security forces have cracked down on the protests.
The protests started after an unemployed graduate set himself on fire when police tried to prevent him from selling vegetables without a permit. He died a few weeks later.
UK tour operator Thomas Cook is pulling out all 1,800 of its customers currently on holiday in Tunisia.
Thomas Cook and another holiday company, Thomson First Choice, are cancelling departures to Tunisia scheduled for Sunday 16 January. However, Thomson are not bringing home visitors already in Tunisia early.
Tourism is key to Tunisia's economy and an important source of jobs.
The UK, the US and France are among the countries advising against non-essential travel to Tunisia.
"The situation is unpredictable and there is the potential for violence to flare up, raising the risk of getting caught up in demonstrations," the UK Foreign Office said in its latest travel advisory.
In his speech on Thursday night, Mr Ben Ali, who had governed Tunisia since 1987, announced he would stand down in 2014.

Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi: 'I assume responsibilities of the president'

He said there was "no presidency for life" in Tunisia. But he said he did not intend to amend the constitution to remove the upper age limit for presidential candidates, which would have allowed him to stand for a further term in 2014.
The president, who earlier this week had blamed the unrest on "terrorists", also said he felt "massive regret" over the deaths of civilians in the protests.
On Thursday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned Arab leaders they would face growing unrest unless they enacted real economic and political reform.
Mrs Clinton was speaking in Doha at the end of a four-nation visit to the Gulf.
Mr Ben Ali, 74, was only Tunisia's second president since independence from France in 1956. He was last re-elected in 2009 with 89.62% of the vote

Nigeria's PDP to decide between Jonathan and Abubakar

Goodluck Jonathan is the first president from Nigeria's oil-producing Delta region

Nigeria - Troubled Giant

Nigeria's governing party is to choose its candidate for presidential elections due to be held in April.

The strongest challenge to President Goodluck Jonathan is expected to come from ex-vice-president Atiku Abubakar.
The PDP candidate has won every poll since the end of military rule in 1999, so its candidate will be favourite.
But some analysts say the PDP could split over the vote with southerners backing Mr Jonathan and Mr Abubakar supported by those from the north.
The PDP has a tradition of alternating power between north and south after two terms of office but this was interrupted when Mr Jonathan, a southerner, succeeded Umaru Yar'Adua when he died last year.
There is tight security in the capital, Abuja, where the voting is taking place, following recent bomb attacks.

PDP Candidates

Goodluck Jonathan, 53

• Christian from Bayelsa state in oil-rich Niger Delta
• Took over as president after death of Umaru Yar'Adua last year
• Former zoologist

Atiku Abubakar, 64

• Muslim from Adamawa state in north
• Vice-president 1999-2007
• 2007, left PDP and ran for president for Action Congress
• Wealthy businessman

Sarah Jibril, 64

• Christian from central Kwara state
• Veteran politician who has run unsuccessfully for the presidency four times
• Former teacher

Some 5,000 PDP delegates have gathered in the city's Eagle Square where the vote is to take place.

The square was hit by twin car bombings last October, as Nigeria celebrated 50 years of independence.
Veteran politician Sarah Jibril is also seeking the PDP ticket but the BBC's Tomi Oladipo says she has sought the party's nomination in past elections with no success and is not expected to pose a threat this time either.
Last year, a group of Nigeria's powerful governors said they would back President Jonathan's candidacy but only if he stood for one term before standing down in favour of a northerner.
He is the first president from Nigeria's southern, oil-producing Delta region.
But several northern powerbrokers have backed the campaign of Mr Abubakar.
Nigeria's recent elections have been tarnished by fraud and violence.
Mr Jonathan has promised to introduce electoral reforms, but correspondents say it will be difficult to implement radical changes before April.
The main opposition candidates are former anti-corruption campaigner Nuhu Ribadu and Gen Muhammadu Buhari.

Tunisia protests: 'Live firing' heard in capital Tunis

 

Troops have been guarding shops and government buildings in several areas of the capital

Troops have fired live bullets and tear gas in the centre of the Tunisian capital Tunis, reports say.

Hundreds of protesters are on the streets and a large area in the centre of the city has been closed off by police and the military.
It comes after violent scenes in the capital overnight despite a night-time curfew being put in place.
At least 23 people have died since nationwide protests over poverty and corruption began last month.
The BBC's Adam Mynott in Tunis says the trouble has reached the central streets of the capital, close to shops, banks and the French embassy.
Police have put up road blocks as trouble reached the central streets but there are reports of looting in shops.
It was not immediately clear whether anyone had been hurt.
There is palpable tension and fear on the streets of the capital, with soldiers and armed police on patrol, our correspondent adds.

---

There is a concern that the approach of Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali is making little headway. He seems to be alternately offering concessions to the demonstrators - such as the resignation of the interior minister - but then clamping down ever more strongly.
With the demonstrations now reaching the capital, Tunis, the danger is that it is the president himself - and the political regime over which he presides - that will now increasingly be the target of the demonstrators.
It is still too early to judge the political coherence of this opposition movement, which has many of the aspects of similar protests elsewhere; the stress on youth and mobilisation through the internet and rap music.
But this overlays much more profound concerns about the political system and the economy - problems that are common to so many other Arab states. It is no wonder, then, that the region is holding its collective breath as the Tunisian drama unfolds.

President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali has called the unrest a "terrorist act".

Last night, a protester was reportedly shot dead in a western suburb of Tunis, and three others were killed when police opened fire in a southern area.
However, the International Federation for Human Rights said eight had died.
Violence in Tunis broke out on Wednesday afternoon, as protesters threw stones and police responded with volleys of tear gas. It was the first time in weeks of unrest that the violence had reached the capital.
Overnight, youths fought battles with security forces and set fire to buildings in Tunis, in defiance of a dusk-till-dawn curfew announced on Wednesday.
More clashes were reported from at least half a dozen towns across the country, including Sfax, Douz, Sidi Bouzid and Thala.
Reuters reported up to 10,000 people were on the streets in Sidi Bouzid.
"It is not just about unemployment any more. It's about freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, all the freedoms," one protester said.
An opposition politician and union leader said at least four protesters had been killed, but the International Federation for Human Rights said it had received confirmation of eight deaths and 50 wounded in greater Tunis alone.

The president has ordered the release of most of those arrested during the protests

This increased the death toll since mid-December to 66, the group said, almost three times the government's official figure of 23.
Switzerland's foreign ministry has confirmed that a woman who had dual Swiss-Tunisian nationality was killed in the north of Tunisia.
Swiss Radio said she was hit in the throat by a stray bullet while watching a protest late on Wednesday in the town of Dar Chaabane.
A foreign ministry statement said the Tunisian ambassador had been summoned, and called on the Tunisian government to "respect dialogue, fundamental liberties and human rights", including freedom of assembly.
French diplomats have also reportedly informed the family of a French-Tunisian academic, Hatem Bettahar, that he was one of two protesters killed by the police on Wednesday in the central town of Douz.

“Start Quote

Tunisia needs global reform as well as the formation of a national unity government more than ever”

End Quote Maya Jribi Progressive Democratic Party (PDP)

Mr Bettahar, a computer science lecturer in France, had been visiting his mother. A Tunisian teacher has said he has posted on the internet a video showing Mr Bettahar lying in a pool of blood after being shot.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said the deaths were "a result of some excessive measures used, such as snipers [and] the indiscriminate killing of peaceful protesters".
"It is imperative that the government launch a transparent, credible and independent investigation into the violence and killings," she said.
Our correspondent says President Ben Ali has tried to respond to the unrest by sacking the interior minister, ordering the release of most of those arrested during the protests, and promising to look into the allegations of corruption.
But many in Tunis view these assurances as empty words, he adds.
"Tunisia needs global reform as well as the formation of a national unity government more than ever," said the secretary-general of the opposition Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), Maya Jribi.
Unions have also called for a strike in Tunis on Friday as another means to put pressure on the government. Union officials told the BBC that a strike had been observed in the central Kasserine region on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, al-Jazeera TV is reporting that the president has sacked two of his top advisers, Abdelaziz Ben Dhia and Abdelouahab Abdallah. And the AFP news agency quoted opposition officials as saying the Army chief of staff, Gen Rachid Ammar, had been replaced for refusing to order soldiers to put down the protesters.

There are also unconfirmed reports that the president's son-in-law, the billionaire businessman and MP Mohamed Sakher El Materi, has fled the country and taken refuge in the Canadian city of Montreal, where he owns a mansion. Protesters have directed much of their anger at the great wealth and lavish lifestyle of the president's extended family.
Anti-government demonstrations have been rare in Tunisia, where there are tight controls aimed at preventing dissent.
Mr Ben Ali is only Tunisia's second president since the country gained independence from France in 1956. He came to power in 1987 and was last re-elected to a five-year term in 2009 with 89.62% of the vote.

African dictator Bokassa's chateau sold at auction

 

The chateau 40km west of central Paris is said to need serious refurbishment

A French chateau that once belonged to African dictator Jean-Bedel Bokassa has sold for 915,000 euros (£760,000).

The dilapidated 'Chateau d'Hardricourt' was bought by an anonymous bidder at an auction in Versailles.
Bokassa spent several years living in the mansion in the western Paris suburb of Hardricourt after he was overthrown as leader of the Central African Republic (CAR) in 1979.
It has since fallen into disrepair and needs major refurbishment.
"Electricity, water, heating - all need to be overhauled," Pascal Koerfer, lawyer for the administrator of the Bokassa estate, told Associated Press.
The property overlooking the Seine comes with 10,000 square metres (108,000 sq ft) of surrounding parkland, a house for a caretaker and a double garage.
But Mr Koerfer estimated it would take up to 3m euros (£2.5m) to restore it to a "liveable" condition.
More than 80 potential buyers are reported to have viewed the property before the sale.
'Lamentable' state One curious visitor, described only as Marcel, told Europe 1 radio network that the chateau was in a "lamentable" state: "The manor is not heated, there are broken windows and ceilings falling in."
The chateau was occupied by one of Bokassa's wives and two of his children up until a few years ago. One of the daughters, Marie-France, is quoted as saying they did not have the money to maintain the property.
One of Bokassa's sons, Georges, who was at the auction, had urged French President Nicolas Sarkozy to intervene to prevent what he called the plundering of his family's heritage.

 

Bokassa with some of his children at the chateau in 1984

The self-proclaimed Emperor of Central Africa had an estimated 50 children.
It will be Mr Koerfer's task to divide the profits from the sale between all those claiming to be Bokassa's heirs.
Bokassa took power in the Central African Republic in a coup d'etat on 1 January 1966 and over the years he built a reputation for ruthlessness and cruelty - he was even accused of cannibalism.
He was overthrown in a French-backed coup in 1979, after his guards killed scores of schoolchildren during a period of unrest in the capital, Bangui.
After seven years in exile in Ivory Coast and France, he returned to his home country and was put on trial and convicted of murder.
He served five years in prison, but was released in 1993 and lived in the Central African Republic until his death in 1996.
Bokassa was formally rehabilitated last month, with the current CAR President Francois Bozize describing him as "a son of the nation recognised by all as a great builder".

50 Cent signs Gamu?

 

50 Cent has reportedly signed ‘X Factor' reject Gamu Nhengu to his new record label.

Her deal is said to be with the newly launched G-Note Records, under the name Miss Gamuchirai.

"Miss Gamuchirai has been singed to 50 Cent's new record label, G-Note," said a source.

"G-Note will focus on 50's favourite acts that don't fit neatly into G-Unit's hip-hop categorisation and will favour pop and R&B artists."

It's also thought that Fiddy had to wrangle with her ‘X Factor' contract before getting her signature.

"It is believed that many labels have been interested in signing Gamu but G-Note offered the best deal and are best connected to make her dreams reality," they added.

Gamu was sensationally passed over by Cheryl Cole at the Judge's Houses stage of 'The X Factor' in favour of Cher Lloyd and Katie Waissel.

It later emerged that Gamu faced deportation back to her native Zimbabwe after her family's visa reportedly expired. [MTV]

ALSO IN TODAY'S PRESS

Country music duo The Bellamy Brothers have launched an attack on Britney Spears, claiming she ripped off their track 'If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me'. "Howard and I have no personal beef with Britney," said David Bellamy. "She's a talented gal. But professionally, well, in all honesty, we feel completely ripped off. Where's the originality?" Britney's song is even called 'Hold It Against Me'. [TMZ]

Brian May has confirmed that the Freddie Mercury biopic starring Sacha Baron Cohen is 'fully under way'. "Sacha Baron Cohen is chomping at the bit to get into the role, in a way which certainly would delight Freddie!" he said. [Queen Online]

Simon Cowell is reportedly plotting a 'rat pack-style' band project. "Simon loves Sammy Davis Jr and Frank Sinatra," said a source. "Michael Buble sells millions of records and Simon thinks it's time to cash in on that market." [The Sun]

The reunion of Take That is to be the subject of an academic debate at the University of Salford. The two-day event called 'Making Things Whole Again: The Take That Reunion' will take place in June. [The Sun]

Lily Allen may have secretly got married. The singer posted a picture supposedly of her latest manicure while on holiday in New York on her blog, revealing two rings on her wedding finger. [The Sun]

Check back tomorrow for the latest in pop gossip.

Nigerian city of Jos becomes ghost town after clashes

More forces have been deployed to the city after the weekend clashes

Nigeria's central city of Jos is a ghost town after weekend clashes between rival groups left at least 18 people dead.

Journalist Andrew Agbese told the BBC banks, schools and markets were closed as residents feared more violence.
More buildings were set alight in one area of the city on Monday and extra security forces have been deployed.
Jos lies in Nigeria's volatile Middle Belt - between the mainly Muslim north and largely Christian south.
It has been blighted by violence between rival ethnic groups over the past decade, with deadly riots in 2001, 2008 and last year.
Wedding bus attack
"The whole town is deserted - the usually busy terminus area, where there is high commercial activities, is at a standstill; there is nobody there and all the shops are locked," Mr Agbese, from Nigeria's Daily Trust newspaper, told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme.

• Deadly riots in 2001, 2008 and 2010
• City divided into Christian and Muslim areas
• Hausa-speaking Muslims living in Jos for decades still classified as settlers
• Settlers find it difficult to stand for election
• Communities divided along political party lines

"The university, which is supposed to have started its academic activities today, did not open because students were afraid to go to school."
He said the violence began after news that a bus carrying Muslim wedding guests was attacked when it got lost returning to the city on Friday evening.
Muslim youths began demonstrating when they heard that seven people had died in that attack.
Police say 11 people died on Saturday in disturbances, which they also blamed on election primaries ahead of April's general elections.
Seven politicians from the Congress for Progressive Change were charged in court on Monday with incitement.
Four other people have been arrested after clashes on Sunday in the Bukuru suburb, where seven corpses were displayed outside a mosque on Monday morning, Mr Agbese said.
More unrest broke out on Monday in the Angoljos suburb - where both Christians and Muslims live - when an unidentified group was seen roaming the area causing panic.
"At 9am smoke was coming from that area, when I went there at 2.30pm things had calmed down. Tension and suspicion on both sides ignited the clash; many houses went up in flames," Mr Agbese said.
"Police and soldiers are now there, keeping guard, with their vehicles parked on major junctions."
Late last year, Nigerian faith leaders accused politicians of fuelling a recent upsurge in sectarian violence in Jos.
Some 80 people died when bombs exploded in several areas of Jos on Christmas Eve, and youths clashed two days later.
The people around Jos are divided along religious, ethnic and political lines, with Hausa- and Fulani-speaking Muslims generally supporting the opposition and ethnic Berom Christians favouring the ruling People's Democratic Party.

South Africa thieves hit traffic lights for Sim cards

Traffic lights have become attractive targets for thieves in Johannesburg

Some 400 high-tech South African traffic lights are out of action after thieves in Johannesburg stole the mobile phone Sim cards they contain.

The thieves ran up bills amounting to thousands of dollars by using the stolen cards to make calls.
Johannesburg Road Agency (JRA) said it is investigating the possibility of an "inside job" after only the Sim card-fitted traffic lights were targeted.
The cards were fitted to notify JRA when the traffic lights were faulty.
JRA believes a syndicate "with links on the inside" is behind the thefts.
"We have 2,000 major intersections in Johannesburg and only 600 of those were fitted with the cards," the agency's spokesperson Thulani Makhubela told the BBC.
"No-one apart from JRA and our supplier knows which intersections have that system."
He described the thefts as "systematic and co-ordinated".
"The vandalism began with a few lights in November and we repaired them. Over December the thieves struck again, this time hitting hundreds more, including the ones we had repaired," he said.
"These people know what they are doing."
Chatty thieves
Repairing the faulty traffic lights will cost JRA about 9m rand ($1.3m; £870,000).
JRA has said it has blocked all the stolen Sim cards so that they cannot be used to make further calls - but this was not before the thieves had run up huge bills.
"One card had a bill of 30,000 rand ($4,500; £2,900) and we are talking about no less than 150 Sim card bills. Whichever way we look at it we are talking about a lot of money," said Mr Makhubela.
Several cases of theft and vandalism have apparently been opened across Johannesburg.
Johannesburg's roads have been fairly quiet over December but with hundreds of holiday-makers expected to return over the weekend, the damaged lights pose a hazard in the city's major roads says the BBC's Pumza Fihlani in Johannesburg.

New Year wishes at Unity Palace

05/01/2011 The Head of State His Excellency Paul BIYA received New Year wishes from members of the Diplomatic Corps and National constituted bodies, including for the first time the Chairman of the SDF John FRU NDI, at a colourful ceremony at Unity Palace on Wednesday 5 January 2011

The dual ceremonies started at 11 a.m. when His Excellency Michel MANDOUNGOU, Dean of the Diplomatic Corps and Gabonese Ambassador to Cameroon took the floor to declare New Year wishes to the President of the Republic on behalf of the Ambassadors, High Commissioners and Heads of International Organisations accredited to Yaoundé.

The Dean was happy with the efforts that the Government of Cameroon is putting in to improve on the living conditions of its citizens. Such efforts include the infrastructure, mining and energy projects being undertaken at the moment, and the innovative measure that was taken this year to raise funds from nationals using treasury bonds in order to finance such development projects. He also cited the recent creation of the University of Bamenda, a move which has tremendously increased the access of Cameroonian youths to higher education and greater learning opportunities.

In his response, President Paul BIYA once more appealed to the international community for greater solidarity in the development efforts of the poorer countries so as to help them attain the objectives of the Millennium Development Goals. The President recognized that Cameroon has the potential to generate a lot of hydro-electricity, which will enable us avoid the more expensive and environmentally unfriendly use of fossil fuels for the generation of electricity.

At the end of the speeches, the members of the Diplomatic Corps took turns to shakes hands with the Head of State. President Paul BIYA also shared a glass of drinks with his guests and chatted for a while with some of them before bringing an end to the ceremony.

The national constituted bodies also took turns to greet President Paul BIYA in the second ceremony of the day. The Speaker of the National Assembly Honourable CAVAYE YEGUIE DJIBRIL, led the members of the Bureau of the National Assembly, while the Prime Minister Philemon YANG was at the Head of the members of Government, and the Supreme Court followed led by Alexis DIPANDA MOUELLE.

The major innovation in the traditional ceremony this year was the presence, for the first time, of the Chairman of the Social Democratic Front, John FRU NDI, following his first personal contact with President Paul BIYA in Bamenda during the celebration of the Fiftieth Anniversary of Cameroon’s Armed Forces.

The personnel of the Secretariat General was led by Laurent ESSO, Minister of State, Secretary General of the Presidency of the Republic, while the Director of the Civil Cabinet of the Presidency of the Republic Martin BELINGA EBOUTOU led the staff of the President’s Cabinet.

The formal ceremony was followed by refreshments and the inter-personal exchanges as the Head of State mixed with the crowd for a while. Everyone went home happy that they had the opportunity to say Happy New Year to the President of the Republic.

Ivory Coast: Ouattara wants commandos to snatch Gbagbo

Ecowas has already started drawing up plans for a regional intervention force

The UN-recognised president-elect of Ivory Coast has called for a West African special forces operation to remove incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo.

Alassane Ouattara's administration says the time for discussion with Mr Gbagbo, who is refusing to step down following November's election, is over.
The West African regional body Ecowas has threatened to force Mr Gbagbo out, but is trying mediation efforts first.
Mr Gbagbo still has the public backing of the army and control of state media.
The election was intended to reunify the country which has been divided since a 2002 conflict.
Mr Ouattara remains behind a blockade at a hotel in the main city Abidjan, protected by UN peacekeepers and New Forces former rebels who control the north of the country.
'Key buildings' Ecowas has already started drawing up plans for a regional intervention force.

Alassane Ouattara: "The day Laurent Gbagbo leaves everyone will be happy"

But the BBC's John James in Abidjan says it is not clear how ready the countries in the region are to contribute troops to an intervention that could potentially face a regular army numbering 18,000 men.
However, Mr Ouattara, who has many supporters in northern Ivory Coast, said it was just a question of removing Mr Gbagbo from power and taking control of key buildings like the presidential palace.
"Legitimate force doesn't mean a force against Ivorians," Mr Ouattara told reporters on Thursday, AFP news agency reports.
"It's a force to remove Laurent Gbagbo and that's been done elsewhere, in Africa and in Latin America, there are non-violent special operations which allow simply to take the unwanted person and take him elsewhere."
However, Ecowas does not have the sophisticated equipment and personnel needed for a special forces operation, our reporter says.
The former colonial power France, which has 900 soldiers on the ground, says it will not intervene.
There are an estimated 10,000 UN troops in Ivory Coast - and the mission has sent a request to the UN Security Council for an extra 1-2,000.
'Wild West' Meanwhile the UN peacekeeping chief in Ivory Coast, Alan Le Roy, has warned that recent ethnic clashes could be "the start of conflict in the west".

At least 14 people have died in fighting in the last three days around the town of Duekoue between groups that support opposing sides in the crisis over the disputed election.

Although the unrest is not directly related to the power-struggle, Duekoue - some 500km (300 miles) west of Abidjan - is close to the north-south ceasefire line that splits the country.
The region is known as the Wild West and has long been one of the most unstable regions of Ivory Coast and saw clashes at the height of the civil war, our reporter says.
The inter-ethnic violence shows how instability could spread if the stand-off continues and the state starts to lose control of the situation, he says.
The tension in the west has already pushed members of both communities to flee into neighbouring Liberia - some 22,000 people have crossed the border so far, the UN says.
On Thursday, the Liberian government announced plans to build a refugee camp 50km from the border.
Mr Ouattara was initially proclaimed the winner by the country's election commission - a verdict backed by the UN, which helped organise the poll.
But the country's Constitutional Council, headed by an ally of Mr Gbagbo, later ruled that he had won, citing voting irregularities in the north.

WIKILEAKS: The West Wary Of Sino-Cameroon Relations

In a recent WikiLeaks cable of the US Embassy in Cameroon, released on December 08, 2010, the former US Ambassador Cameroon Janet Elisabeth Garvey expresses worries over increasing Chinese influence in Cameroon and the difficulties the "west" can face with increased Chinese presence in the country.

The cable dated February 18, 2010, and titled "China's growing presence in Cameroon" also discloses that the ruling Chinese People Communist Party has strengthened its relation with the ruling Cameroon People Democratic Movement, CPDM, after the former gave some computer equipment to the latter.
The cables details the Sino-Cameroon business relations and reveals that while  Chinese exports to Cameroon in the first three quarters of 2009 totalled an overwhelming US916  million dollars, it  imports from Cameroon were just a meagre US5.9 million dollars.
However, the US diplomat goes ahead to list the areas of cooperation especially in the domain of infrastructure like the construction of hydro power supplies, roads, hospitals, sporting centre  and also loan concessions which China has offered Cameroon.
She equally goes ahead to disclose that the Chinese Government do provide military training and equipment to the Cameroon Government. The US,  the West in particular, is certainly worried about the Chinese growing influence in Cameroon that is why she asserts that "we and other major donors see no real opportunities for cooperation." The Ambassador also adds, "Other donor embassies also see little room for cooperation with the Chinese. The recently departed EU Chief of Mission privately discouraged engaging the Chinese as they were not "like-minded", the document reveals.
Perhaps it is in this direction that she notes in the cable that "In August, 2009 the Government [Cameroon] awarded Chinese firm Sino Hydro Corporation Ltd. a $302 million contract on a Build Own Operate basis to construct the Memve"ele hydroelectric dam in South Region." To add to the suspicion the document adds: "The project had previously been under negotiation with British firm Globelecq".
Cameroonians Express Worries
Despite the seemingly high Chinese investment in Cameroon, the Ambassador reiterates that Cameroonians were becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the growing Chinese presence and with the stiff competition Cameroonian petty business traders are facing with the Chinese. She cites the areas of fishing in Limbe and Kribi where the Chinese have not only dominated the indigenes but have again been fishing illegally.
It was against that background that a government military patrol seized an illegal Chinese fishing trawler in the seas in Kribi. The cable also discloses that President Paul Biya has expressed his dissatisfaction with growing Chinese global presence during an audience with the Chinese Ambassador.
However, the same cable reveals that, in 2002 the Biya and the Chinese governments signed the "most favoured nation" trade agreements. Such agreements certainly privileges China over certain investors and it can be argued that it even privileges Chinese over Cameroonians in certain areas. According to the US cable, "China sees Cameroon as a linchpin in the Central African region, with a port and economy of regional importance."
The cable, which the Ambassador describes as "sensitive", was the Embassy's response "to refuel request for information in advance of a U.S.-China sub-regional dialogue in March (2010)." Is there any element of truth with conspiracies that there is the need to overthrow either  through western democracy or  by force, any  African governments which seem to have been moving away from total dependence on western nations? That may be the subject of another Wikileaks revelation in the years to come.

Sudan leader Bashir arrives in Juba before referendum

President Omar al-Bashir may address a rally in Juba, but this has not yet been confirmed

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has arrived in Southern Sudan's capital, Juba, five days before a referendum is held on whether it will secede.

Mr Bashir is to hold talks with the semi-autonomous south's leader, Salva Kiir. The two were on opposing sides during the two-decades-long civil war.
The referendum was part of the 2005 peace deal that ended the conflict.
Officials say almost 4 million people have registered to vote on Sunday, more than 95% of them in Southern Sudan.
Others have signed up in northern Sudan and eight countries abroad.
Split 'almost certain'
Mr Bashir, who donned traditional southern robes when he descended from the plane, was greeted on his arrival by Mr Kiir, senior southern politicians and a guard of honour.
The BBC's James Copnall in Khartoum says Mr Bashir and Mr Kiir will have much to discuss during their meeting in Juba.
The referendum is seen by many as a possible source of tensions between north and south Sudan.
The north hates the idea of the oil-rich south splitting away, and both sides have yet to reach an agreement on a number of post-referendum issues, including on citizenship and resources, such as oil, our correspondent says.
Mr Bashir may even address a rally, though as late as Monday night his aides were not sure if this would happen, he adds.

Normally, the president would be expected to use an opportunity like this to urge southerners to vote for unity in the referendum.
But, our correspondent says, senior northern officials have started to say publicly what many have believed for years - the south is almost certain to split away.
So this is almost certainly the Sudanese head of state's last trip to Juba before the region decides to secede, he adds.
Southern Sudan has been marginalised by a succession of governments in Khartoum, from colonial times onwards. The north and south are also divided by culture, religion, ethnicity and a history of conflict, correspondents say.
US 'optimistic'

“Start Quote

Our people are ready to walk for six hours, eight hours, in order to reach their polling centres”

End Quote Chan Reec Madut Southern Sudan Referendum Commission

On Monday, a spokesman for the Southern Sudan Referendum Commission (SSRC), Chan Reec Madut, said it was "100% prepared".

Some training still needed to be carried out and there were still problems with access to polling stations in remote areas, he said. But he insisted that those would not affect the vote.
"Our people are ready to walk for six hours, eight hours, in order to reach their polling centres," he said.
Mr Madut added that the commission was also struggling to secure promised funding from Khartoum, but that he was confident the government would "still deliver on its pledges".
There had been concerns that Sudan's poor infrastructure and political instability might delay the referendum, risking an outbreak of violence.
For the vote to be considered valid, 60% of voters must take part.
A spokesman for the US state department, PJ Crowley, said it was optimistic about Sunday's referendum, and that both sides appeared to agree that it should be an open and credible process.
"Certainly [we] and the observers in Sudan have viewed the registration process as very credible and we believe that the right signals are being sent both in the north and south in terms of the upcoming referendum and respecting the result," he said.
But Mr Crowley noted that both sides remained split on key issues, including border demarcation, the disputed Abyei region, and the sharing of oil revenues.
"The environment, we think, is constructive leading into this weekend. But we understand there are still many unresolved issues," he added.
Both US special envoy Scott Gration and Princeton Lyman, a diplomat who has helped negotiations between north and south, will be in Sudan.