PISTORIUS BEGINS OLYMPIC APPEAL !
Pistorius is the world record holder in three Paralympic events. Double amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius has begun his appeal against a ban from running at the Olympics Games.
In January, athletics' governing body the IAAF banned him from able-bodied events, claiming his prosthetic limbs give him an unfair advantage. The South African, 21, has taken his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland. The hearing is expected to last for two days with the result announced in the next few weeks.
The IAAF ruling was based on studies it commissioned by German professor Gert-Peter Brueggemann. He concluded that the prosthetic limbs gave Pistorius an unfair advantage because he uses 25% less energy than an able-bodied runner. Pistorius disagrees and has subsequently undergone tests in the US in an attempt to prove his case.
Ahead of the hearing he said: "This case is important not just to me, but to all disabled persons who just ask for the chance to compete fairly on the sporting field with able-bodied athletes. "It's been a really stressful few months but the legal team have all the data and we will put the best possible case forward."
If the IAAF decision is overturned, Pistorius would still need to qualify for the South African team to race at the Beijing Olympics. The athlete said his schedule would be seriously affected by the ruling because about 80% of his races are able-bodied events. Pistorius was born without fibulas - the long, thin outer bone between the knee and ankle - and was 11 months old when his legs were amputated below the knee.
He began running competitively four years ago to treat a rugby injury, and nine months later won the 200m at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens. Nicknamed the "Blade Runner," Pistorius has set world records in the 100m, 200m and 400m in Paralympic events. He finished second in the 400m at the South African national championships last year against able-bodied runners.
BBC SPORTS REPORT.
NAMIBIA FINDS TREASURE SHIP-WRECK !
A 500-year-old ship-wreck laden with treasure has been discovered off the coast of Namibia. The country's diamond company, Namdeb, says it found the wreck during operations on the sea bed. The company said the find included three bronze cannons, thousands of Spanish and Portuguese gold coins, and several tonnes of elephant tusks.
There were also human remains and navigational instruments. Excavations in the area were halted immediately. Archaeological experts have identified the cannons as coming from early 16 Century Spain. Reuters news agency says company sources are speculating that the ship may be linked to Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias, who went missing in 1500 after becoming the first European seafarer to round the Cape of Good Hope.
Company spokesman Hilifa Mbako said the Portuguese government had been alerted and they expected a team of experts to be dispatched to the site shortly for further investigations. "The shipwreck holds more questions than answers," he said.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
BID TO STOP RIVER NIGER DRYING UP
West African leaders are meeting to discuss an $8bn, 20-year plan to stop the River Niger drying up.
Water experts warn that the river is threatened by drought, silting up industrial waste and population growth.
The 4,200km-long Niger is Africa's third longest river, after the Nile and the Congo, while some 110 million people live in the river's basin. A Nigerian fisherman told the BBC that the river had become shallower, making it harder to catch fish.
"The flow of the river is not like before," said David Seitimibowei in the Niger Delta. "Now, most of the place is covered by sandbanks." Ashok Subramanian, a water expert from the World Bank, told the BBC that the river could dry up. "If there is no concerted action, there is that risk," he told the BBC's Network Africa programme. But he said that the countries which share the river were working together to save it, through the ABN. He said this institution provided a forum for them to decide how to share out the water and resolve any conflicts over its use.
The BBC's Idy Barou in the Niger capital, Niamey, says West Africa's leaders are expected to back the plan, which includes building dams, hydro-electric plants, transport and fishing. Just 19% of the required money has been raised so far, said Seyni Seydou from the Niger Basin Authority (ABN), reports the AFP news agency.
However, he said he hoped the rest of the money would be raised at a donor's conference to be held in two months' time.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
WATER VICTORY FOR S.A. TOWNSHIP !
Campaigners said the ruling was a victory for the poor. The South African High Court has ruled that it is illegal to forcibly install prepaid water metres. The decision comes after township residents took Johannesburg's water authority to court for forcing them to buy water.
Lawyers for the residents of Phiri in Soweto said the metres infringed their constitutional rights to water. The High Court also increased the free basic water supply from 25 litres per person per day to 50 litres.
"Twenty-five litres per person a day is insufficient for the residents of Phiri," Judge MP Toska said. "They are poor, uneducated, elderly, sick, ravaged by HIV/Aids and reliant on state pensions and grants".
The authority, Johannesburg Water, was also ordered to give the residents the option of ordinary metres. Prepaid metres automatically disconnect someone's water supply after the free amount has been consumed, unless the user tops them up with their own money. Prepaid water metres were introduced to Soweto in 2004 and the system was then installed in other townships across South Africa.
The BBC's Mpho Lakaje in Johannesburg says many residents uprooted their metres and took to the streets in protest. When it first came to power in 1994, the ANC pledged in its manifesto to provide running water to over one million families.
The court case was brought by the Coalition against Water Privatisation (CAWP). "We are happy with the just decision, which respected the constitution and water as a right and found in favour of the poor," said CAWP's Patrick Sindane.
The organisation threatened mass action if the authority refused to respect the court ruling.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
KENYA CASH SHORTFALL OVER CABINET !
The allegations could cloud the new coalition government.Kenya needs to find another $300m to pay for the expanded coalition cabinet formed after a power-sharing deal. Finance Minister Amos Kimunya says he may be forced to shift funding from vital programmes like resettling the displaced to pay for new ministries.
President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga named a 42-member cabinet this month despite protests from civil society and tax payers. The two leaders agreed to share power after disputed presidential elections.
Some 1,500 people died and another 600,000 were displaced during violence after the poll. Kenyan politicians are among the world's best paid MPs - each taking home about $17,000 in salaries and allowances each month. The power-sharing agreement between President Kibaki's Party of National Unity (PNU) and Mr Odinga's ODM party required they share power on a 50-50 basis.
As a result, the two leaders were forced to create new portfolios and hive others from the existing ones. At least 40% of the 222 elected MPs are now ministers and deputy ministers.
Civil society groups complained that the cabinet - the largest in Kenyan history - will be a heavy burden to taxpayers already hit by high commodity prices. But Prime Minister Odinga defended the size, saying they had to ensure all regions in the country got fair representation in government as a first stage to heal the deeply divided nation.
Mr Kimunya told parliament that despite shifting funds from existing programmes to fund the $500m cost of the expanded government, he still has to find another $300m.
This is required to fund priority programmes, which include resettling displaced families. Estimates show that key ministries - among them Medical Services, Roads, Education and Finance - have had their budgets slashed to accommodate the increased government expenditure.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
U.N. SPLIT ON ZIMBABWE PARTY PLEA !
The UN Security Council is divided over Zimbabwe, following its first discussion of the post-election crisis.
Senior opposition figure Tendai Biti had travelled to New York to lobby the Security Council members to send aid and a special envoy to Zimbabwe. This was backed by the US and UK but opposed by countries including China and South Africa, the council's chair.
Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch has accused Zimbabwe's army of leading the crackdown on opposition supporters. More than a month after the 29 March elections, the presidential results have not been released.
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai says he defeated President Robert Mugabe. But independent observers and Mr Mugabe's allies say a run-off may be needed as no candidate gained more than 50% of the vote.
The MDC says its supporters are being attacked ahead of the run-off but the ruling party says the scale of the violence is being exaggerated, while blaming it on MDC activists. A BBC contributor in the southern town of Masvingo reports that the bodies of two opposition activists have been found after they were abducted.
In New York, UN Under-Secretary for Political Affairs Lynn Pascoe told the Security Council that Zimbabwe was in the midst of its worst humanitarian crisis since independence. He expressed concern about a very high level of political intimidation and violence, and the "use of food as a political weapon". But council members could not agree on whether to take any action. US deputy ambassador Alejandro Wolff said they could not agree on sending extra humanitarian assistance, as requested by the MDC, reports the AP news agency.
South Africa currently heads the Security Council and is also the lead negotiator between Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF and the MDC.
The MDC wants South African President Thabo Mbeki to be replaced in that role. "Mbeki has fully and squarely placed himself against the people of Zimbabwe," Mr Biti told the BBC's Network Africa programme. South Africa's UN Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo said: "The only thing that the members seemed to agree with is that [Southern African Development Community] SADC should work with the Zimbabweans, especially their independent Electoral Commission, to make sure the results are coming out."
In other developments:
• Foreign ministers in the European Union, which has a ban on the sale of arms to Zimbabwe, have called on other countries to impose a similar policy.
• A teachers' union reports that teachers are fleeing rural areas after being accused of helping the opposition when they worked as election officials.
• US President George Bush has accused Mr Mugabe of "failing" and now "intimidating" the people of Zimbabwe.
• Earlier, Zimbabwe's ambassador to the UN told the BBC that whoever won the presidential race would have to form a government of national unity.
• The final five results from a partial parliamentary recount are expected.
• State radio reports that the verification of presidential votes will start on Thursday and could take several days to complete.
• Some 180 opposition activists arrested last Friday were freed without charge.
Masvingo police chief Mhekia Tanyanyiwa has confirmed the deaths of the two MDC supporters, our contributor says.
Police sources say Zvidzai Mapurisa was abducted from his home on Saturday and beaten, before his body was found floating in a dam.
Morgan Tsvangirai says he won the election and Mugabe should step down
Cathrine Mukwenje was attacked by suspected ruling party militants, who gouged out one of her eyes. She later died from her injuries. Human Rights Watch said Zimbabwe's army was given weapons and transport to ruling party supporters and self-styled "war veterans" who are leading such assaults. "According to scores of victims and eyewitnesses interviewed by Human Rights Watch, Zanu-PF supporters and "war veterans" are drawing up lists of MDC activists who are then systematically targeted for abuse," the group said.
Kucaca Phulu, chairman of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (Zimrights), said such assaults were "a form of rigging". He said hundreds of people had been forced from their homes. The MDC says this has often been in rural areas which Zanu-PF lost in the parliamentary elections.
But Zimbabwe's ambassador to the UN, Boniface Chidyausiku, dismissed as "totally false" the argument that the delay was to give Zanu-PF time to rig the outcome. He pointed out that similar claims were made when the electoral commission said it was recounting 23 parliamentary results. Eighteen of these results were announced at the weekend and were unchanged from those originally announced, meaning the opposition has a majority in parliament for the first time in Zimbabwe's history.
But following the reports of revenge attacks by opposition supporters, Mr Mugabe's spokesman George Charamba said the security services would use any force needed to "discourage acts that could lead to anarchy". Mr Biti and Mr Chidyausiku both said that a government of national unity should be formed to end the impasse.
But Zanu-PF spokesman Bright Matonga dismissed this suggestion.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
MEETING SOMALIA'S ISLAMIST INSURGENTS !
In recent weeks, Somali insurgents have stepped up attacks on the Ethiopian army and the Somali transitional government it is backing. Civilians say they are afraid to speak out against al-Shabab For BBC World Service's Assignment programme, Rob Walker went in search of the Islamist movement playing an increasingly deadly role in the conflict.
In the past few weeks insurgents have taken over a series of towns, killing government soldiers, stealing weapons, and then withdrawing. But it has become clear there are deep divisions within the insurgency over which direction it should take, with many of the recent attacks attributed to one group - a radical Islamist organisation called al-Shabab, meaning "The Youth."
Since the insurgency began, al-Shabab has rarely met Western journalists - but after protracted negotiations, one member agreed to meet me. He is the commander of a cell of al-Shabab fighters. I am not allowed to give his name, or say where it is. "There are al-Shabab fighters in all parts of the country," he says. "I don't want to talk of numbers. But when the Ethiopian troops first arrived we were already strong. "Now we have even more power because now we have the support of the people everywhere."
Like many insurgents, he headed to Mogadishu to fight the Ethiopians as soon as they entered the capital in December 2006, ousting the Union of Islamic Courts which had taken control of much of southern Somalia. "We attacked them that same night," he recalls. "With God's grace we defeated them in that first battle. At that time I was happy because I was hoping to become a martyr."
Al-Shabab began as the militia wing of the Union of Islamic Courts. He adds he has two aims - to become a martyr and to ensure that the country is governed by Sharia law. "As al-Shabab, we don't care about people who don't want Sharia law," he says. "Our goal is to have Sharia as the permanent law of our country, and to get the infidels out of our country, whether they are Ethiopians or Americans."
His message to those Somalis who do not pray five times a day is clear. "First of all, we will call them to return to Islam and pray - because what differentiates a Muslim and a non-Muslim is praying five times," he says. "If they refuse we will call them again and again to pray. If they entirely refuse, we will jail them and we will keep them without food until they return to praying."
He denies that al-Shabab has any links with al-Qaeda, although he says that "they are Muslims so they are our brothers". "Our common objective is to have Sharia law as the law of our country. Al-Qaeda wants that and we want that," he adds. But many Somalis do not share al-Shabab's vision for an Islamic state in Somalia.
The Islam practiced in Somalia has traditionally been moderate and tolerant. Local cinemas, for example, thrive, showing Bollywood films featuring scantily-clad women. There is no history of widespread support for radical religious movements, and this is why al-Shabab's ideology is at odds with that held by many Somalis. But al-Shabab does not tolerate dissent.
One 25-year-old woman, who did not want her name revealed, says that in late 2006 - when the Union of Islamic Courts were still in control of Mogadishu - al-Shabab ordered a cinema near her house to close. A young boy who was a relative staying with her family spoke out against the decision. As a result, al-Shabab soon came to look for him.
"There were many of them - they came to our house in two pick-up trucks," she recalled. "Then two of the men came and knocked on the door. I opened it - and they said, 'bring the boy out of the house.' "I said: 'The boy is not here'. They said: 'Bring him out.' I told them: 'He's not here.' Then they started kicking me, they kicked me to the ground. "Then they started shooting."
"They shot me three times in the legs - one into my right leg then two into my left. It was terrible, my mother was in the house and she shouted: 'Why are you shooting my girl?'. They started beating her. They threw my mother on the ground and they kicked her."
Her legs are still badly wounded; they have been infected for a year and a half. The cinema was closed, and those who had been using it had their heads shaved to mark them out.
Al-Shabab claim the Ethiopians are causing human rights abuses. And I have been speaking to people in Somalia and outside who have had relatives killed by al-Shabab. Some were killed because they were accused of collaborating with the transitional government, or Ethiopians, sometimes in the most minor ways - one man said his brother was killed for selling phone cards to Ethiopian troops.
None of the relatives I spoke to were prepared to do an interview, all saying they feared reprisals against them or their family. In 10 years of visiting Somalia, what is really striking is not just the growth in extremism in the country but the fear among ordinary Somalis to talk about it.
One of the most senior al-Shabab commanders is Muktar Ali Robow. He keeps his location within Somalia secret, and constantly changes his phone number for security reasons. When I tracked him down, he claimed that the "media is exaggerating" the killings of Somali civilians by al-Shabab. "All we do is we kill the Ethiopians, we don't kill civilians," he said.
The fighting has led to an exodus from Mogadishu of civilians. "We are killing the enemy of Allah, and until we get them out of the country we will continue doing so... those people who are telling you their people have been killed they are wrong. "They are working for the Ethiopians, we never kill ordinary people."
He added that he believes people are not talking publically, not because they are afraid, but because they support al-Shabab. "You can see that, because when the Ethiopian-backed forces of the government go somewhere, the people flee - that's because those troops rob and kill," he said. "But wherever we go, people say "Allah Akbar." They are happy to see us."
The reality is that civilians are now trapped - between the forces of Ethiopia and the transitional government on one side and insurgents on the other.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
MUNGIKI SECT LEADER IS SHOT DEAD !
At least 14 people died in the clashes two weeks ago The chairman of the Kenya National Youth Alliance - the political wing of the outlawed Mungiki sect - has been shot dead in his car. It comes less than a fortnight after the wife of the sect's jailed leader was found beheaded, sparking riots in Nairobi and surrounding areas.
It is understood that Charles Ndungu was shot in his car as he headed to the lakeside resort town of Naivasha.
Human rights activists say he had reported he was being followed. The Kenya National Youth Alliance brought parts of Nairobi to a standstill less than a fortnight ago. At least 14 people died as they engaging in running battles with the police, who they had blamed for the recent murder of their jailed leader's wife - charges the police denied.
It was only after Kenya's new Prime Minister Raila Odinga agreed to meet the group and address their concerns, that threats of further disruption were withdrawn.
The Mungiki, mainly drawn from President Mwai Kibaki's Kikuyu ethnic group, run transport rackets in the capital and are likened to Kenya's version of the mafia.
Last year, more than 100 suspected sect members were killed in a police crackdown after a series of grisly beheadings blamed on the sect.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
OPPOSITION REUNITED IN ZIMBABWE!
Zimbabwe's rival opposition factions say they have reunited, declaring they have a majority in parliament. The announcement was jointly made by Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara, whose faction split in 2005.
The final results of parliamentary and presidential polls have still not been published - more than four weeks after the elections. Mr Tsvangirai says he beat President Robert Mugabe outright in the polls.
But independent monitors and Mr Mugabe's allies say that neither candidate passed the threshold of more than 50% of the vote required to be declared the president.
Representatives of the presidential candidates are set to meet the electoral commission to review the results of the disputed presidential election - officials say these will be released when the rival candidates agree on them.
At a joint news conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, Mr Tsvangirai and Mr Mutambara announced that they were now working together. This meant that President Mugabe's Zanu-PF party was now in the minority, they said.
"Mugabe should concede that he cannot be president without controlling the parliament," Mr Tsvangirai said. "The old man must go and have an honourable exit." The opposition announcement is a significant move, the BBC's Peter Greste in Johannesburg says.
Over the weekend, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission released the results of recounts in 18 seats, which confirmed that Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF party has lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since independence in 1980.
A judge has ruled that the MDC activists should be charged, or freed.
ZEC spokesman Utoile Silaigwana told Reuters news agency that the final five parliamentary results had been collated and would be published on Tuesday. The original results showed that the combined opposition had 109 seats, against 97 for Zanu-PF. In the presidential race, the Mutambara faction supported former Finance Minister Simba Makoni, who is estimated to have won about 8% of the vote.
Correspondents say that the MDC's reunification would make it harder for Mr Mugabe to win any run-off, although Mr Tsvangirai says he would not take part. He says the delay is intended to give Mr Mugabe's supporters time to intimidate opposition supporters in rural areas.
This is strongly denied by Zanu-PF officials, who accuse the opposition of exaggerating the scale of the violence.
The MDC had predicted that the recount of 23 parliamentary results would be fixed in order to let Zanu-PF retain its majority.
Zanu-PF spokesman Bright Matonga said the results showed that Zimbabwe's electoral system was "transparent".
The MDC says 15 of its supporters have been killed since the elections. More than 200 of its activists were arrested during a police raid on its Harare headquarters last Friday. A judge has ordered that they should either be charged or set free, following an MDC petition. The police said they were looking for suspects involved in attacks on ruling party supporters but the MDC said those arrested had fled their homes after being victims of attacks.
MOCAMBIQUE POLICE 'KILL AT WILL' !
The report accuses police of opening fire on protesters.Police in Mozambique have been accused of killing and torturing people with near total impunity. The human rights group Amnesty International has published a report saying the Mozambique police appear to think they have a licence to kill.
The group says officials have responded to rising crime rates with often lethal force, but that they almost never face criminal proceedings.
Police in the southern African nation refused to comment on the report.
Amnesty's report was published just a day after Mozambique's League for Human Rights said the country's human rights situation had deteriorated in 2008. "Police in Mozambique seem to think they have a licence to kill and the weak police accountability system allows for this," said Michelle Kagari, deputy director of Amnesty's Africa Programme, in the report, entitled "Licence to Kill".
"In almost all cases of human rights violations by police - including unlawful killings - no investigation into the case and no disciplinary action against those responsible has been undertaken, nor has any police officer been prosecuted."
Amnesty's report highlights individual cases including that of Afonso Penicela, who was allegedly grabbed from his home by police, beaten up, shot in the back of the neck and set on fire. He survived long enough to tell his family what had happened to him, before dying in hospital from his injuries. No police officer has been arrested over Mr Penicela's death.
In February, police opened fire on a group of people protesting in the capital Maputo about increased transport fares, Amnesty's report says. Three people were killed and around 30 injured in the incident.
Amnesty has recommended urgent changes to police codes to bring them into line with international standards.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
ARRESTS OVER KENYA PRISON STRIKE !
The prison warders say they are the lowest paid security officers.
Several top Kenyan prison officers have been arrested over a strike in which warders threatened to free prisoners. The striking junior officers had said they would start releasing prisoners on Monday, including the leader of the outlawed Mungiki sect Maina Njenga.
The government calls the strike a mutiny but has promised to address the warders' complaints. They are demanding an extra risk allowance of $80 a month, recently given to other security officers. The warders, some of whom are paid $100 a month, also want a one-off payment of $160 for helping to quell the post-election violence.
Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka, who is also home affairs minister, visited a prison on Sunday to try to calm the situation. "I would like to appeal to warders to continue with the usual duties with the full confidence that their minister, who is concerned with their affairs, has heard and responded to your pleas and the process of resolving your grievances has started," he said.
One prison officer told the BBC it was unfair that they had not been given the extra money, unlike other security services. "The Kenyan police have been awarded the risk allowance of five-thousand [shillings, $80]. And now we're being put aside. And we're uniformed staff. Where do we fall?"
BBC NEWS REPORT.
U.N. TROOPS 'ARMED DR CONGO REBELS' !
The FNI militia is accused of carrying out massacres of villagers in DR Congo.
The UN has covered up claims that its troops in Democratic Republic of Congo gave arms to militias and smuggled gold and ivory, the BBC has learned. The allegations, based on confidential UN sources, involve Pakistani and Indian troops working as peacekeepers. The UN investigated some of the claims in 2007, but said it could not substantiate claims of arms dealing.
UN insiders told the BBC's Panorama they had been prevented from pursuing their inquiries for political reasons. The UN peacekeeping operation in DR Congo is the largest in the world, with 17,000 troops, spread across the country.
The BBC's Martin Plaut says they have managed to bring a measure of stability since they were first established by the UN in February 2000. They have also helped disarm the warring factions, run democratic elections and assisted with reconstruction.
But an 18-month BBC investigation for Panorama has found evidence that:
- Pakistani peacekeepers in the eastern town of Mongbwalu were involved in the illegal trade in gold with the FNI militia, providing them with weapons to guard the perimeter of the mines.
- Indian peacekeepers operating around the town of Goma had direct dealings with the militia responsible for the Rwandan genocide, now living in eastern DR Congo.
- The Indians traded gold, bought drugs from the militias and flew a UN helicopter into the Virunga National Park, where they exchanged ammunition for ivory.
The UN looked into the allegations concerning the Pakistani troops in 2007.
It concluded that one officer had been responsible for dealing in gold - allowing traders to use UN aircraft to fly into the town, putting them up at the UN base and taking them around the town. But the UN decided that "in the absence of corroborative evidence" its investigators "could not substantiate the allegation" that Pakistani peacekeepers supplied weapons or ammunition to the militia.
The head of the UN peacekeeping operation in New York Jean-Marie Guehenno declared last year: "The investigation has found no evidence of gun smuggling. "But it has identified an individual who seemed to have facilitated gold smuggling. We have shared the report with the concerned troop contributing country and I am confident they will take the required action. And this issue is closed."
But returning to eastern DR Congo, the BBC spoke to several residents of the mining town of Mongbwalu, who said they had seen the FNI re-armed. One former militant told our correspondent he had witnessed seven boxes of ammunition being brought from the UN camp to the re-supply the FNI during a critical fire-fight.
Two FNI leaders known as "Kung-fu" and "Dragon", who have been jailed in the capital, Kinshasa, have stated publicly that they received help from the UN. The BBC managed to get into the maximum security jail and both confirmed this.
Kung Fu, whose real name is General Mateso Ninga, said: "Yes, it's true, they did give us arms. They said it was for the security of the country. So they said to us that we would help them take care of the zone."
Pakistani peacekeepers have helped train the army in DR Congo.
The FNI has been described by Human Rights Watch as "some of the most murderous individuals that operate in eastern Congo". The ethnic Lendu militia was involved in the bitter clashes with their Hema rivals in the Ituri district.
UN insiders - close to the investigation - told the BBC they had been prevented from pursuing their inquiries for political reasons. The BBC's Martin Plaut says that in short, the Pakistanis, who are the largest troop contributors to the UN in the world, were too valuable to alienate. These are not the only allegations to have been brought against peacekeepers in DR Congo.
In December 2006, former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said Moroccan troops had been involved in widespread sexual abuse. "There have been crimes such as rape, paedophilia and human trafficking," he said, shortly before leaving office.
Panorama: Mission Impossible is on BBC One, 2030 BST on Monday 28 April 2008
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Cathy Buckle's Letter from Zimbabwe !
Hold on. Do not be afraid. Change is coming. !
Saturday 27th April 2008
Dear Family and Friends,
I am sitting in the shade of a big old Msasa tree writing this letter by hand because yet again the electricity is off. It is a magnificent day so typical of early winter in Zimbabwe: a wide blue sky, comforting warm sun and a refreshing gentle breeze. It's hard to concentrate on telling this tragic story of events here when so many jewels are on display just a few feet away: a blue headed lizard nodding on a lichen covered branch; lines of red soil left by white ants climbing ever higher into the tree; bright orange crane flowers and an exquisite red firefinch collecting feathers and fluff for his nest. Its a deceptive paradise where violence rages just out of sight and final election results have still not been released four weeks after people voted. Its a paradise which can only momentarily take our minds off the nightmare that has become Zimbabwe.
What a disgraceful insult these 2008 elections have become to the people of Zimbabwe who have suffered so much, lost so much and yet have remained peaceful and turned the other cheek despite the most extreme provocation and deprivation. As we stand now without a parliament, with no sworn in MP's and still not knowing who the newly elected President of Zimbabwe is, we find ourselves stuck in a frightening and barbaric No Man's Land.
Every day the reports of horror continue to emerge. Youngsters in uniform going door to door in villages at night; men with guns; beatings, house burnings and torture. People having burning, molten plastic dripped onto their backs and doctors treating patients who have been whipped with bicycle chains. The MDC reports that 10 of their supporters have been murdered, 3000 displaced from their homes and 500 hospitalized since the elections. Listed amongst the people murdered is a five year old boy, Brighton Mbwera from Manyika Village. This little boy, too young to read or write and a complete innocent in this month of hell, burnt to death in a house set on fire during the rampage of political vengeance that is tearing our country apart.
As each day has passed since the elections, Zimbabwe has drawn quieter and quieter - silenced by fear. No one knows who to trust, who they can talk to or who might be listening. One man described how he and his family eat a small plate of sadza at dusk and then go indoors and sit in silence in the dark just listening to the noises in the village. The slightest change, an unfamiliar sound, the alarming of a night bird, an unknown voice and the family immediately get outside and hide in the bush. People are living in constant fear of burnings and beatings and are ready, always, to take flight at a moments notice. This week even our own church leaders warned of genocide being a real possibility if these events are not stopped immediately.
While the voices of Zimbabweans have been silenced, the calls from outside continue to rise and for this we are deeply grateful. Ordinary men and women in South Africa, civic society leaders, churches, political leaders - a great roar of disapproval over events in Zimbabwe is reaching a crescendo. Most touching in the last few days was the voice of the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, speaking on BBC radio. Asked if he had a message for the ordinary people of Zimbabwe, Archbishop Sentamu said: "Hold on. Do Not be afraid. Change is coming."
Until next week, thanks for reading,
love cathy.
ARCHBISHOP LEADS ZIMBABWE PROTEST!
Dr John Sentamu has been a consistent critic of Mr Mugabe. The Archbishop of York is leading a day of fasting and prayer in support of the people of Zimbabwe. Dr John Sentamu, one of the highest members of the Anglican church, is calling on people to join him in the action in York Minster.
There has been a month of deadlock in Zimbabwe following disputed elections. In December Dr Sentamu cut up his clerical collar on television and said he would not replace it until President Robert Mugabe was out of office. Dr Sentamu said: "I want as many people as possible to join me at the Minster to pray for the situation in Zimbabwe and light a candle as a public demonstration of support for the people there. "As a Christian community we must all stand together with our brothers and sisters living under the tyranny of Mugabe and pray that they will find deliverance."
On Thursday he released a joint statement with the Archbishop of Canterbury calling for international action to prevent "horrific" violence in Zimbabwe. In the African country, the party of Mr Mugabe has failed to regain its parliamentary majority after a partial recount of votes from polls last month.
The opposition MDC says it also won presidential polls, although those results remain unreleased. The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) said the presidential results could be announced after the completion of the recounts, expected by Monday.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
MUGABE PARLIAMENT LOSS CONFIRMED!
Mr Tsvangirai says he won the presidential poll.
The party of Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has failed to regain its parliamentary majority after a partial recount of votes from polls last month.
Zimbabwe's Electoral Commission said results were unchanged in 18 of 23 seats where recounts had taken place.
Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF needed to win nine seats to regain its majority, lost for the first time since 1980.
The opposition MDC says it also won presidential polls, although those results remain unreleased.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) said the presidential results could be announced after the completion of the recounts, expected by Monday.
But ZEC Chairman George Chiweshe said a "verification and collation" process would take place with agents of the presidential candidates before the long-awaited results were released.
MDC spokesman Nqobizitha Mlilo told the BBC the recount results "only serve to confirm what we've always said in the past, that... we won this election hands down".
Deputy Information Minister Bright Matonga told AFP news agency that the recount results showed the electoral system was "transparent".
Opposition activists had feared the recount would be used to rig the results.
Opposition arrests
The BBC's Peter Biles in Johannesburg says the protracted recount of votes has given Zanu-PF a lot of extra time in which to decide how to deal with what the opposition says is a defeat for Robert Mugabe.
The MDC has alleged a government campaign of intimidation
The MDC says its leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, won the presidential election outright, while independent monitors say he fell just short of the 50% threshold to avoid a run-off.
Zanu-PF also says there is likely to be a run-off, as no candidate gained more than 50% of the vote.
The government has been accused of inciting an increasing campaign of violence against opposition supporters.
Lawyers have told the BBC they have been denied access to 185 MDC supporters still in custody after police said they arrested 215 people in a raid on the opposition party's Harare office on Friday.
Police said those detained were suspected of involvement in political violence.
But the MDC said they had been taking refuge from attacks by ruling party activists in other parts of the country, and told the Associated Press news agency they included pregnant women and men with broken bones.
'Worsening violence'
Earlier, US Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi Frazer said the level of government intimidation in Zimbabwe was now so high that a fair run-off would not be possible.
She said the only solution was an inclusive government, led by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change.
Zimbabwe Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa called her comments "patently false, inflammatory, irresponsible and uncalled-for".
UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he was concerned about "worsening violence" in the country and pledged to step up diplomatic efforts at the UN Security Council in the coming days.
Four elections - presidential, House of Assembly, Senate and local councils - were held on 29 March.
In the House of Assembly, Zanu-PF won 97 seats, compared with 99 for the MDC plus another 10 for a smaller MDC faction.
It is the first time Mr Mugabe has lost control of the lower house of parliament in his 28-year rule since independence in 1980.
In the Senate, Zanu-PF and the combined opposition have 30 seats each.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
UGANDA JOURNALISTS HELD IN RAID !
Three Ugandan journalists have been arrested during raids on the offices of the Independent magazine.
A lawyer for the men says they are accused of being in possession of seditious material and of publishing inflammatory articles. One of the three is the magazine's well-known editor, Andrew Mwenda.
President Yoweri Museveni's two-decade rule has been criticised for authoritarianism and some suppression of independent media.
The magazine's lawyer, Robert Kasango, said the journalists were held at gunpoint by unidentified security agents then formally arrested and questioned about two recent articles.
One was about the career of a former army chief jailed for corruption, the other on allegations of atrocities by the Ugandan army against the rebel Lord's Resistance Army in the 20-year conflict in the north of the country. Mr Mwenda has been at odds with the authorities before.
In 2005, he was charged with sedition and promoting sectarianism after discussing the death of south Sudanese leader John Garang during his radio talk show. He is still on bail for those charges.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
OIL FIRMS IN NIGERIA CUT OUTPUT !
Although demand is high, oil output in Nigeria is falling Industrial action and attacks from militants have forced the two biggest oil companies in Nigeria to cut their production. Exxon Mobil and Royal Dutch Shell are both reducing output, which is helping to keep oil prices near record highs.
Militant groups in the Niger Delta have blown up a section of a Shell pipeline, in the fourth such attack in the last seven days.
And workers at an Exxon Mobil plant began a strike over pay and conditions. The company said production was affected, but would not say by how much. But as Nigeria is the world's eighth largest oil exporter, it is certain to worry the volatile global oil markets.
The BBC's correspondent in Lagos, Alex Last, says that strikes in the country rarely last very long, but that attacks on the pipelines which criss-cross the forests and creaks of the delta are almost impossible to stop.
A faction loyal to the imprisoned militant leader, Henry Okah, has said it is responsible for the latest attacks. The group is keen to gain attention, as Mr Okah is being tried in secret for treason and gun-running. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta promised further violence. "Our candid advice to the oil majors is that they should not waste their time repairing any lines, as we will continue to sabotage them", the militants said in a statement.
Demand is high for Nigeria's oil, which is easily refined. But production is now running about 25% short of the official capacity of 2.5 million barrels a day.
Exxon Mobil said it was operating at "partial production" following the industrial action, while Shell said it may not be able to meet its target of shipping 169,000 barrels a day from the country over the next few weeks, after the militants' attacks.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
ZIMBABWE OPPOSITION RETAINS GAINS!
Mr Tsvangirai says he won presidential and parliamentary polls.
Zimbabwe's electoral commission has released seven more results from a partial recount of last month's parliamentary elections.
None of the original results were overturned, making it difficult for the ruling Zanu-PF party to overturn an opposition majority in the lower house.
Ten remain to be declared - all in opposition-held seats - and Zanu-PF now needs to win nine to regain control.
Results have still not been released from the parallel presidential poll.
The failure to do so, four weeks on from the vote, is causing mounting concern internationally.
US Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi Frazer said the level of government intimidation in Zimbabwe was now so high that a fair run-off would not be possible.
She said the only solution was a inclusive government, led by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change.
The state-run Zimbabwe Herald newspaper said Zanu-PF had retained two seats and the opposition MDC four seats, while a breakaway MDC group held the seventh.
Another six have already been declared, but in 10 the recount is still unfinished a week after it was announced.
The police say they were looking for those behind political violence
The BBC's Peter Biles, in Johannesburg, says there is still no word on the presidential election, although it is possible results will be released when the parliamentary recount ends.
The MDC says its leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, won the election outright, while independent monitors say he fell just short of the 50% threshold to avoid a run-off.
Zanu-PF also says there is likely to be a run-off, as no candidate gained more than 50% of the vote.
The results come a day after the MDC's main Harare office and the headquarters of an independent monitoring network were raided by police.
Computers and documents were seized, and more than 100 opposition activists taking refuge from the authorities at the MDC offices were arrested.
The MDC says its activists have been attacked around the country - with at least 10 killed - since the elections.
But the police and Zanu-PF say that no-one has died in political violence.
MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai has fled Zimbabwe, fearing for his safety and is touring African countries, trying to persuade them to press President Robert Mugabe to step down.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
KENYA'S PARTIES 'BRIBED VOTERTS' !
The allegations could cloud the new coalition government.Kenya's political parties spent millions of dollars bribing voters in last year's elections, a survey says. The Coalition for Accountable Party Finance says out of $90m raised by the parties, 40% was used as bribes. The report also says public corporations contributed to President Mwai Kibaki’s campaign via his party.
Some 1,500 people died and 600,000 others were displaced during violence following the disputed poll, before the rivals agreed to share power. The allegations relate to both of Kenya's main parties - the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and Mr Kibaki's Party of National Unity (PNU). ODM leader Raila Odinga last week became Kenya's prime minister.
The disputed elections were the most competitive in Kenyan history. The lobby group now wants legislation to compel politicians to reveal their sources of income and expenditure during election campaigns.
Charles Otieno, who heads the Coalition for Accountable Party Finance, says new laws are needed urgently. "Most of the money politicians use is from tax-payers and without such laws they will continue to spend massive amounts from the public coffers with impunity," Mr Otieno said.
The report alleged that the state-owned electricity company charged customers around $8m too much and then donated the surplus to a political party. But the Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) denies the allegations. "These accusations are completely untrue and the organisation should come up with evidence to prove their claims," KPLC’s chief executive Don Priestman said.
But Mr Otieno insists several government departments created inflated invoices and used the money for campaigning. The report says the parties also raised funds from Kenyans in the diaspora and Kenyan companies based overseas.
The lobby group says candidates should declare their wealth before they contest an election, to prevent such abuses of power.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
MADONNA LAUNCHES MALAWI AIDS FILM !
By Tom Brook - BBC News, New York.
Madonna's film concentrates on Malawi's plight. Madonna's documentary highlighting the plight of Malawi's estimated one million Aids orphans has been given its world premiere in New York. The film, which the singer produced and narrated, tells the story of several children, many of them born to mothers who have died of Aids, most of whom lead desperate lives.
On the red carpet at the Tribeca Film Festival, Madonna told reporters how I Am Because We Are contains a message of obligation. "We are responsible for each other and that if we can help in any way, shape or form, we should," she said.
The documentary includes some excruciating scenes showing the agonising grief of a mother who has just lost her child to Aids. There is also a harrowing moment when a young boy - a victim of genital mutilation - is being treated by medical staff.
But director Nathan Rissman said the idea was not just to shock audiences. "We decided, if we were going to wake people up, we were going to try to point them in the direction of how we can solve these problems. "There are so many solutions out there and I think that the more that we discuss this, the more that we have a dialogue about what to do, the better," he said. "So I think and I hope and pray that I found the balance of myself in the film as well as the stories of the children," she said.
The film is being launched just as Madonna waits for her adoption of a young Malawi boy to be finally approved by a court in the country. The documentary shows the pop icon in a very positive light, but Madonna says she was ambivalent about appearing on camera. "In the beginning I wasn't in the movie at all, but then I realised because I was narrating that it was important that I let people know that it was my personal journey and my experience.
The film's director has been referred to as "Madonna's gardener" or "Madonna's nanny's husband", while Rissman acknowledges that he is very much part of Madonna's inner circle. "Both my wife and myself have worked for Madonna and her family for the past four years, and my wife has a relationship with the family that pre-dates mine, but I wouldn't necessarily say that's how I got the gig," he says.
One aspect of Rissman's talents that impressed Madonna was the home movies he shot of her children, which may have played a role in him landing the job as her documentary director. "I think I proved myself to Madonna and her family as a trustworthy colleague, co-worker, somebody that would share Madonna's creative vision, and I think that she just believed in me, and she saw something that she realised that we can get something done together."
He may be a first-timer, but there is an intensity to the way Rissman has made this film, with much of it shot in cinema-verite style. His camera does more than just convey the tragedy of the Aids orphans, but also shows optimism in the midst of the crisis.
In addition to extensive filming with the orphaned children in Malawi, the documentary includes interviews with Archbishop Desmond Tutu and former President Bill Clinton. It also propagates the view that Malawians cannot just rely on outsiders for help - they have to take some responsibility for their own problems. For many of the participants in the documentary, Madonna's efforts are being seen as a laudable attempt to bring attention to a humanitarian crisis that much of the world ignores.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
