Islamists 'share French hostages'

Somalia's Islamists are accused of links to al-Qaeda

Two French security advisers seized in Somalia this week have been split up and are now being held by two different hard-line groups, reports say.

The pair were snatched by gunmen from a Mogadishu hotel on Tuesday and were being held by the Hizbul-Islam group.

But officials say the al-Shabab group wanted them and after a row, Hizbul-Islam handed one of the men over.

Al-Shabab has recently carried out several beheadings, amputations and stonings in the areas it controls.

They are allied with Hizbul-Islam against the UN-backed interim government and together control much of southern Somalia.

Both groups are said to have links to al-Qaeda and have been reinforced by foreign fighters.

The BBC's Somali Service editor Yusuf Garaad Omar says al-Shabab is known for being the more radical of the two groups.

He says the hostage held by al-Shabab fighters is likely to face greater problems because they care little for their public image and have carried out killings on camera.

Meeting al-Shabab Somali justice, Islamist-style

A group of gunmen dressed in military uniform seized the men on Tuesday morning and handed them over to Hizbul-Islam.

The move apparently sparked a row with al-Shabab, which managed to persuade the other group to hand over one of the hostages.

An unnamed al-Shabab militant told Reuters the two men had been shared "to avoid clashes between Islamists".

Somali Foreign Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Omar urged the rebel groups not to politicise the situation.

"So far, it remains a monetary issue, not a political one," he told AFP news agency.

Somali Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, meanwhile, warned Hizbul-Islam they would "bear responsibility for any harmful action taken against the hostages".

The French advisers were reportedly helping to train the forces of government, which has recently appealed for foreign help to tackle the Islamists.

The US last month confirmed that it has sent weapons to the government, which is also being protected by some 4,000 African Union troops in Mogadishu.

Somalia has not had a functioning national government since 1991.

Moderate Islamist Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed was sworn in as president in January after UN-brokered peace talks.

He promised to introduce Sharia law but the hardliners accuse him of being a western stooge.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Kremlin tribute to dead activist !

A small rally was held in Moscow in honour of the dead woman

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has paid tribute to human rights activist Natalia Estemirova, whose murder has caused international concern.

Speaking in Germany, as her funeral was being held in Chechnya, he promised a thorough investigation and pledged those responsible would be caught.

Ms Estemirova was abducted in the Chechen capital Grozny and shot dead.

Russia's leader said it was "obvious" to him that her murder was linked to her professional work.

She gave a very open and sometimes very tough evaluation of what's happening in the country Dmitry Medvedev Russian president Obituary: Natalia Estemirova Remembering Natalia

The UN has urged a transparent investigation into the killing on Wednesday, while the White House says it is "disturbed and saddened" by the crime.

Memorial, the Russian human rights group which employed Ms Estemirova, has accused Chechnya's Kremlin-backed President, Ramzan Kadyrov, or his close associates of responsibility for the murder.

Mr Kadyrov denied any involvement and promised to investigate the killing personally.

"It is obvious to me that this murder is linked to her professional work and this work is necessary for any normal state," Mr Medvedev said after talks outside Munich with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

"She did something very useful. She spoke the truth, she gave a very open and sometimes very tough evaluation of what's happening in the country.

"And that is the value of human rights campaigners, even if they make those in power feel uncomfortable."

Unlike his predecessor Vladmir Putin, President Medvedev has moved fast to publicly and explicitly condemn the murder of another prominent Russian human rights worker, the BBC's Rupert Wingfield Hayes reports from Moscow.

He is perhaps aware of the wave of international outrage generated by her killing, our correspondent says.

Ms Estemirova was abducted from her home in Chechnya and her bullet-riddled body was found dumped in a forest a few hours later.

For years she had documented appalling human rights abuses carried out by the Moscow-backed regime in Chechnya, our correspondent says.

About 100 mourners gathered outside Memorial's Grozny office on Thursday, some of them weeping.

Mr Kadyrov took power in Chechnya after his father was assassinated

The dead woman's daughter Lana, 15, said she was stunned by her mother's killing.

"I can't imagine [she] won't be around any more and that I won't be making a morning coffee for her any more," she was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency.

Taus Dzhankhotova, 50, said she had been unaware of the killing when she showed up at the office carrying a pizza and melon she wanted to give to Ms Estemirova in thanks for legal help she had provided.

"What for? What for?" she said, crying. "They kill only the good people here. If she was bad, they wouldn't have touched her."

Later, about 50 men and women walked in a slow procession along Prospekt Putin, a central Grozny street, to accompany the dead woman's body, which was being carried in a yellow minivan to a cemetery in western Chechnya.

While Mr Kadyrov denies he had anything to do with her killing, many of her colleagues in Russia's human rights community are unconvinced, our correspondent says.

Oleg Orlov, Memorial's chairman, blamed the Chechen president personally in a statement on the group's website.

Mr Kadyrov had, he said, "already threatened Natalia, insulted her, considered her a personal enemy".

The Chechen leader condemned Ms Estemirova's killers on Thursday saying they "must be punished as the cruellest of criminals".

BBC NEWS REPORT.

"SAYINGS"

"TO DO SOMETHING, HOWEVER SMALL,

TO MAKE OTHERS HAPPIER AND BETTER,

IS THE HIGHEST AMBITION,
THE MOST ELEVATING HOPE,

WHICH CAN INSPIRE A HUMAN BEING" !

__________

US smoker chokes on cost of habit !

Josh Muszynski: 'I thought someone had bought Europe'

A man in the United States popped out to his local petrol station to buy a pack of cigarettes - only to find his card charged $23,148,855,308,184,500.

That is $23 quadrillion (£14 quadrillion) - many times the US national debt.

"I thought somebody had bought Europe with my credit card," said Josh Muszynski, from New Hampshire.

He says his appeals to his bank first met with little understanding, though it eventually corrected the error.

It also waived the usual $15 overdraft fee.

"It was all back to normal," Mr Muszynski told his local television station, WMUR. "They reversed the negative balance fee, which was nice."

His nightmare began when he checked his online bank account a few hours after buying the cigarettes.

He thought he would be a couple of hundred dollars in the black. But his overdraft had pushed him into the red - by an amount equivalent to many times the entire US national debt.

"It is a lot of money in the negative," he said. "Something I could never, ever, afford to pay back.

The 17-digit amount on his online bill shocked Mr Muszynski

"My children could not afford it, grandchildren, nothing like that."

In panic, Mr Muszynski rushed back to the petrol station, but they were unable to help. He says he then spent two hours on the phone with the Bank of America.

Eventually, it assured him it would be fixed - and the next morning, it had been.

But no-one has yet explained to Mr Muszynski how such a astonishing error could have been made.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Mandela show continues amid row !

The gallery insists the works are genuine

A London art gallery has refused to end a sale of prints by ex-South African leader Nelson Mandela, despite a long-running legal dispute.

Lawyers for Mr Mandela say he did not sign the works on display. They are taking legal action against Mr Mandela's former lawyer.

But Belgravia Gallery owner Anna Hunter said the prints were signed.

She said the legal case had nothing to do with the gallery and the show, which opened on Sunday, would continue.

"The matter is one between Mr Mandela and his former lawyer and has nothing to do with the gallery," she told the BBC.

The gallery previously planned an exhibition of Mr Mandela's artwork in 2005, but because of the legal furore in South Africa they decided to take the artworks down.

The original artwork sold for millions of dollars in 2003

"Four years later it still hasn't been resolved," said Ms Hunter.

"We put them back up on Sunday. There has been an incredible response to them. We are honoured to have Mr Mandela's artworks here."

She insisted the prints were authorised, saying she was present when Mr Mandela, now 90, signed the works.

But Mr Mandela's lawyer Bally Chuene told the Associated Press the pictures were unauthorised reproductions and the gallery was being "opportunistic".

"Mandela did not sign the artworks, it is important for the public to know that are being deceived," he said.

The lawyer said he had written to the gallery last week asking for them to halt the sale - but Ms Hunter said she had received no letter.

Fifteen works are currently on display at the gallery, including lithograph prints and copies of his autobiography Long Walk To Freedom.

The original signed works were sold in 2003 and the proceeds reportedly went to charities associated with Mr Mandela.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Al-Jazeera closed in West Bank !

Al-Jazeera denies allegations of bias in its reporting from the region

The Palestinian Authority has closed down the West Bank offices of Arabic satellite news channel al-Jazeera.

The self-rule body said al-Jazeera promoted a negative view of its work and that the coverage is biased.

It comes a day after a guest on the station accused Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas of collaborating with Israel to have Yasser Arafat killed.

The channel - based in Doha - said it was "stunned" by the Palestinian Authority's decision.

But the BBC's Arab Affairs Analyst, Magdi Abdlehadi, says the controversy surrounding al-Jazeera's broadcast reveals more about the crisis within Mr Abbas's group than about the satellite channel's often rocky relationship with Arab states.

The al-Jazeera bureau chief in Ramallah, Walid al-Omary, said the station firmly rejected the accusations of bias.

"We regret this decision, which harms the freedom of expression and the press in this country," Mr Omary said.

In the Ramallah office, al-Jazeera employees were seen removing equipment before Palestinian security officials arrived to close it, Associated Press reported.

The BBC's Katya Adler, in Jerusalem, says relations between al-Jazeera and the Palestinian Authority - dominated by political party Fatah - soured some time ago.

In a statement announcing the decision, the information ministry said the station's coverage was "unbalanced".

"Despite our repeated calls to remain neutral when it covers the Palestinian issue and to be balanced when it comes to the internal Palestinian situation, the channel continues to incite against the PLO and the PA," the statement said.

It said it was taking the satellite channel to court and its operations would be suspended while this process was under way.

In a letter to the channel it said al-Jazeera had broadcast "false news" on Tuesday night.

The accusation appeared to relate to a programme in which Farouk Kaddoumi - one of Fatah's founding members - alleged that Mr Abbas had collaborated with Israel to kill Mr Arafat.

Mr Kaddoumi has released what he says were the minutes of a meeting between former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Mr Abbas as evidence.

Other Fatah officials have denounced the document as a forgery, saying Mr Kaddoumi's behaviour was an attempt to split Fatah, the oldest political organisation among the Palestinians which was, until the emergence of Hamas, the dominant force.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

RUSSIAN ACTIVIST 'FOUND MURDERED' !

A prominent Russian human rights activist, Natalia Estemirova, has been found dead in the North Caucasus.
She was bundled into a van and abducted as she left her home in Chechnya on Wednesday morning, a colleague said. Her body was found in Ingushetia.
The Russian President Dmitry Medvedev expressed "outrage" at the murder, and ordered a top-level investigation.
Ms Estemirova had been investigating human rights abuses in Chechnya for the independent Memorial group.
Memorial is one of Russia's best known rights groups, working to document Soviet-era abuses and those taking place more recently, especially in Chechnya.
Ms Estemirova, described as a single mother in her early 40s, had worked in the past with the activists Anna Politkovskaya, who was shot dead in 2006, and Stanislav Markelov, who was killed in January this year.
In 2007 she was awarded the inaugural Anna Politkovskaya Prize, and had also received awards from the Swedish and European parliaments, Memorial said.

In a statement the group said she "was forcefully taken from her house into a car and shouted that she was being kidnapped" at about 0830 local time (0430 GMT).
Her body was found in woodland near Nazran, the main city in neighbouring Ingushetia, about nine hours later. She had bullet wounds to the head and chest.
The New-York based human rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Ms Estemirova had been working on "extremely sensitive" cases of human rights abuses in Chechnya.
"There is no shred of doubt that she was targeted due to her professional activity," said Tanya Lokshina, HRW's Russian researcher in Moscow.
Ms Estemirova was engaged in very important and dangerous work, says the BBC's Rupert Wingfield-Hayes in Moscow, investigating hundreds of cases of alleged kidnapping, torture and extra-judicial killings by Russian government troops or militias in Chechnya.
Memorial says it believes that government security services of some nature must be involved in her killing.
Our correspondent says no evidence of that has emerged so far, but that it was the government sponsored militias that had most to fear from her work.
She is the most recent in a long line of human rights activists and lawyers to have been killed or attacked in Russia. The history of these sorts of cases over many years is that very rarely are their killers ever brought to justice, our correspondent says.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

World's oldest mum dies in Spain !

A Spanish woman who became the world's oldest new mother when she gave birth in 2006 to twin boys at the age of 66 has died, her family has said.

The brother of Maria del Carmen Bousada de Lara told the paper Diario de Cadiz she passed away on Saturday, aged 69.

It said she had been diagnosed with cancer shortly after giving birth.

In 2007, Ms Bousada de Lara said she had lied about her age to doctors at a fertility clinic in California to get IVF treatment, telling them she was 55.

Ms Bousada de Lara argued that there was no reason to believe she would not have as long a life as her mother, who died at the age of 101. She even joked that she might live to see her grandchildren.

She also insisted that if she died prematurely her sons Christian and Pau, who are now two years old, would never be alone.

"There are lots of young people in our family," she added.

When the twins were born in Barcelona on 29 December 2006, Ms Bousada de Lara was aged 66 years 358 days, 130 days older than Romanian Adriana Iliescu, who gave birth in 2005 to a baby girl.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Anti-piracy ad for Roses blogger !

Chinese Democracy was Guns N' Roses' first new album in 17 years

A US blogger who leaked part of Guns N' Roses' latest album has been ordered to appear in an anti-piracy commercial.

Kevin Cogill was also sentenced in a Los Angeles court to a year's probation and two months of home confinement.

Cogill admitted copyright infringement last year after posting nine songs from the Chinese Democracy album online.

His public service announcement for the Recording Industry Association of America is expected to air during the Grammy Awards next January.

Cogill had faced a maximum of one year in federal prison, a $100,000 (£61,000) fine and five years' probation.

He apologised for his actions in court on Tuesday, saying he had not meant any harm by posting the tracks on the Antiquiet website.

"I never intended to hurt the artist," Cogill told Judge Paul L Abrams.

"I intended to promote the artist because I'm a fan."

His lawyer argued against a prison term, saying Cogill had lost his job as a result of the case.

Chinese Democracy, Guns N' Roses' first new album in 17 years, was released last November, costing more than $13m (£7.9m) to record.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Tsunami alert after NZ earthquake !

A strong earthquake has shaken New Zealand, generating a small tsunami and briefly putting the country on alert.

The US said a 7.8-magnitude quake hit off the south-west tip of New Zealand, 161km (100 miles) west of Invercargill at a depth of 33km.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii detected a small tsunami and issued a warning for New Zealand.

It later cancelled the warning, but said there could have been some damage in areas near the epicentre.

There has been no word of damage from either the earthquake or any tsunami, although reports said the quake was felt across New Zealand's South Island.

"An earthquake of this size has the potential to generate a destructive tsunami that can strike coastlines in the region near the epicentre within minutes to hours," the warning centre said in a statement after the quake was detected.

The quake was detected at 2122 local time (0922 GMT), reports said.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) and Japanese seismologists classified the quake as a 7.8-magnitude event, but authorities in New Zealand suggested it could have been weaker.

"We've had big differences in the measurements of the quake," the country's national civil defence centre said in a statement, saying New Zealand's Institute of Geological and Nuclear Science measured it at magnitude 6.6.

A second earthquake, provisionally measured at magnitude 5.8 by the USGS, was detected shortly after the first event.

In Hawaii, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said ocean buoys had detected an increase wave size in the aftermath of the quake.

The centre said the sea level was amplified by 17cm (6.7in) after the earthquake, with waves passing every 10 minutes.

Even though we are maybe 400km from the epicentre this was easily the longest and biggest I have ever felt Simon Darby South Island resident History of deadly earthquakes How earthquakes happen Animated guide: Tsunamis

"Sea level readings confirm that a tsunami was generated," it said in a statement.

"This tsunami may have been destructive along coastlines of the region near the earthquake epicentre."

Alerts were issued for a string of New Zealand coastal towns and cities.

New Zealand's Herald newspaper reported that the quake was felt across the South Island.

People ran from restaurants in Queenstown as buildings shook, the newspaper said. Power and phone lines were severed in some places.

One South Island resident, Simon Darby, told the newspaper the quake lasted about two-and-a-half minutes.

"I lived in Tokyo for three years so I know what large quakes are like. Even though we are maybe 400km from the epicentre this was easily the longest and biggest I have ever felt," he said.

"It wasn't very violent, more of a rolling feel. But it had a power about it - I ran straight outside into the car park."

BBC NEWS REPORT

Egypt hosts 'non-aligned' chiefs !

Many heads of state are attending the NAM summit in Sharm el-Sheikh

Heads of state from more than 50 countries are attending meetings of the Non-Aligned Movement, in Egypt.

The gathering, in the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, is discussing responses to the global financial crisis and a variety of regional issues.

The Pakistani and Indian prime ministers are also expected to meet to discuss possible new peace talks.

Relations were badly strained by the militant attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai last year.

Pakistani and Indian officials have already met in advance of the planned talks on Thursday between the two prime ministers, Yousef Raza Galani and Manmohan Singh.

The attacks in Mumbai last November left more than 160 people dead, and were blamed by India on Pakistan-based fighters of the banned militant group, Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Pakistan has admitted the attacks were partly planned on its soil.

The Non-Aligned Movement was born during the Cold War in 1961, aiming to unite countries which officially expressed the wish not to be allied either with the US-led western bloc or the Soviet-dominated eastern bloc.

It now has 118 member states, with 15 observer states, representing two-thirds of the members of the United Nations and half of the world's population.

But correspondents say it has struggled to find a role since the collapse of the Soviet bloc two decades ago.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Kenya seizes coffin-stashed ivory !

Black rhino is found only in eastern and southern Africa

Kenyan authorities have seized 300kg (660 lbs) of illegal ivory hidden in coffins on a plane bound for Laos.

The haul included 16 elephant tusks and black rhinoceros horns. Officials said the blood on the ivory suggested the animals had been killed very recently.

The flight - which stopped in Nairobi - originated in Mozambique and was bound for Thailand and then Laos.

The haul of ivory may have had a value of about $1m (£614,000), Reuters reports.

Officials from Kenya's Wildlife Service said the ivory might have come from Tanzania or South Africa.

The black rhino is found only in eastern and southern Africa.

The international ivory trade has been banned since 1989. The sale of ivory is illegal if the ivory is not from pre-1989 stockpiles.

However, some countries have done little to enforce the ban.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

China demands Turkish retraction !

There is still a heavy military presence on the streets of Urumqi

China has demanded that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan retract his accusation that Beijing practised genocide against ethnic Uighurs.

Mr Erdogan made the claim after riots in the Uighur heartland of Xinjiang during which 184 people were killed.

Separately, more than 100 Chinese writers and intellectuals have signed a letter calling for the release of Ilham Tohti, an outspoken Uighur economist.

Xinjiang's capital, Urumqi, is under heavy police and military control.

China's rejection of Mr Erdogan's remarks came in an editorial headlined "Don't twist facts" in the English-language newspaper China Daily.

It said the fact that 137 of the 184 victims were Han Chinese "speaks volumes for the nature of the event".

The newspaper urged Mr Erdogan to "take back his remarks... which constitute interference in China's internal affairs", describing his genocide comments as "irresponsible and groundless."

Mr Erdogan made the controversial comments last Friday, telling NTV television: "The incidents in China are, simply put, a genocide. There's no point in interpreting this otherwise."

He had called on Chinese authorities to intervene to prevent more deaths.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi told his Turkish counterpart by telephone on Sunday that the Urumqi riots were a grave crime orchestrated by the "three evil forces", state news agency Xinhua said, referring to "extremism, separatism and terrorism".

Mr Tohti disappeared from his Beijing home last week and has apparently been detained.

"Professor Ilham Tohti is a Uighur intellectual who devoted himself to friendship between ethnic groups and eradicating conflicts between them. He should not be taken as a criminal," said the intellectuals' letter.

It was posted online on Monday, and demands information about his case.

"If they've started legal proceedings toward Ilham Tohti, [the authorities] must gain trust from the people through transparency, and especially gain trust from the Uighur people," the letter said.

It also said that Mr Tohti's website, Uighurbiz.cn, was an important site for dialogue between Han Chinese and Uighurs.

In a televised speech on 6 July, Xinjiang governor Nur Bekri accused the site of helping "to orchestrate the incitement and spread propaganda".

The letter also urged the Chinese government to reflect on whether its own mistakes caused the unrest in Xinjiang and the anti-government riots last year in and around Tibet.

The violence in Xinjiang began on 5 July, during a protest by Uighurs over a brawl in southern China in late June in which two people were killed.

BBBC NEWS REPORT.

Bride's bouquet brings down plane !

The traditional throwing of a bride's bouquet for luck ended in disaster at an Italian wedding when the flowers caused a plane to crash.

The bride and groom had hired a small plane to fly past and throw the bouquet to a line of women guests, Corriere della Sera reported.

However, the flowers were sucked into the plane's engine causing it to catch fire and explode.

The aircraft plunged into a hostel. One passenger on the plane was badly hurt.

But about 50 people who had been in the hostel escaped unscathed, as did the pilot.

The incident happened at Montioni park in Suvereto, near Livorno, where the wedding reception was being held, Corriere della Sera said.

A passenger on the aircraft, named as Isidoro Pensieri, 44, had the job of throwing the bouquet as pilot Luciano Nannelli flew past.

It is believed the bunch of flowers became entangled as it was thrown, and was sucked into one of the engines.

Ms Pensieri suffered multiple fractures and a head injury. She was taken to hospital in Grosseto by helicopter and then transferred to another in Pisa, Italian media reported.

Zimbabwe talks resume after fight !

Supporters of Robert Mugabe disrupted Monday's meeting

Zimbabwe has resumed talks aimed at framing a new constitution, a day after riot police broke up the conference amid scuffles between rival delegates.

Police were deployed inside the Harare venue to ensure there was no repeat of Monday's problems.

Supporters of President Robert Mugabe had heckled a speaker on Monday, provoking fights with supporters of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

Mr Mugabe and Mr Tsvangirai later condemned the violence.

Mr Mugabe told a joint news conference with the prime minister that the government would "not brook any further nonsense".

"These things we'll continue to rectify and improve as we move forward," he said.

"Rome was not built in one day."

Mr Tsvangirai said the disturbances did not benefit anyone.

"Whether as a political party or as a nation, we are only hurting our efforts," he said.

On Monday Mr Mugabe's supporters disrupted the opening speech by dancing and singing revolutionary songs, prompting an angry reaction from supporters of Mr Tsvangirai - his former rival.

Water bottles were thrown, delegates scuffled with each other and riot police were brought in to clear the venue.

Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF party wants the new constitution to be based on a draft drawn up last year, but critics say it gives the president too much power.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Oleg Deripaska 'may quit Britain'

By Tim Whewell BBC Newsnight reporter

Oleg Deripaska talks about the 'yachtgate' scandal

Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska has told the BBC he is considering breaking his connection with Britain.

"I'm not sure I will have any links with Britain in the future," he said in an exclusive interview with Newsnight.

The possible move follows the collapse of a Birmingham-based van firm Mr Deripaska once owned.

Last summer then EU trade commissioner Lord Mandelson and shadow chancellor George Osborne were involved in controversy after a party on his yacht.

Mr Deripaska was speaking as he took me on a personally-guided tour of his Russian industrial empire - the most extensive the publicity-shy tycoon has ever given a journalist.

One of Russia's richest men, Mr Deripaska still owns a house bought for an estimated £25m ($40m) on one of London's most exclusive squares.

I wasn't considering in those days whether they were British politicians. It was my summer holiday Oleg Deripaska on the "yachtgate" scandal

He said firmly that he still regards Lord Mandelson, now the business secretary, as his friend.

And he described their relationship as "good", asking: "Why should it have changed?"

But he also told me: "I don't understand your country.

"You have a lot of achievements, but at the moment you are in a kind of fire.

"You need to change so many things you inherited from the post-industrial economy - I just can't see any benefit in what the media are doing with your politicians right now."

'A good dinner'

He is particularly annoyed at the reporting of the party last summer including Lord Mandelson and the shadow chancellor, Mr Osborne, when his 72-metre yacht, the Queen K, was moored off Corfu.

Mr Deripaska said: "I wasn't considering in those days whether they were British politicians. It was my summer holiday."

The Queen K was the unlikely setting for a meeting that rocked politics

"We had a good dinner, there were many people and I'm surprised they picked on these poor guys and screwed them in the press," he added.

The scandal erupted because Mr Deripaska controls most of Russia's aluminium - and Lord Mandelson then oversaw EU metal tariffs.

I asked Mr Deripaska if he ever benefited from their relationship.

"Benefited from friendship?" he asked indignantly. "It's not my business. Whatever I did in my life, I did myself."

Lord Mandelson has already denied he did "any favours" for Mr Deripaska - and the EU commission has said a 2005 decision to remove punitive import tariffs on aluminium foil, that appeared to benefit Mr Deripaska's company Rusal, was taken without Lord Mandelson's personal intervention.

After the meeting in Corfu, George Osborne was accused by Mr Deripaska's friend - the banker Nathaniel Rothschild, who was at also at the party, of having used the occasion to solicit a donation to the Conservative Party - a claim he has strongly denied.

Disappointment with Britain

Speaking about the allegations for the first time, Mr Deripaska said: "I tried to stay away from Russian politicians - why should I move towards British politicians?

"I can't see that anyone from Britain would ask me - it's unbelievable."

George Osborne and Peter Mandelson were left at daggers drawn

He says he has not been in Britain for more than a year and does not currently hold a British visa.

His disappointment with the country is fuelled partly by the failure to save LDV, the British van-maker he owned, from bankruptcy.

As the recession bit, his car company, GAZ, stopped funding the loss-making LDV and backed a management buy-out bid.

But hopes that the government might support the project with a substantial cash injection came to nothing.

After "yachtgate", did Mr Mandelson keep the Russian tycoon's interests all the more firmly at arm's length?

It was Ian Pearson, the junior business minister, who spoke for the government on LDV, while his boss remained silent.

Perhaps, I suggested to Mr Deripaska, one reason LDV was not rescued was that politicians now feel they have to be over-careful in dealing with him.

"In this sense, it would be so wrong for the country," he answered.

"You have a good company, good people and complex manufacturing.

"There are only a few left in Britain — engineering companies that can support production — and based on a wrong press, someone could push them out of business. Why?"

When pressed on whether the government should have bailed LDV out, he said simply: "It's their decision - I can't judge."

For now, Mr Deripaska has wider problems than Britain.

According to Forbes magazine, his fortune has shrunk over the last year from £28bn to just £3.5bn.

Mr Deripaska disputes those figures, saying he was never as rich as has been claimed.

The billioniare says he was raised in a village "at the minimum level of life"

He said: "Whoever counted, it was based on assets only, in the most positive scenario."

He says he doesn't know how much money he has, but he admits he took risks as his company, Basic Element, has diversified into more and more sectors including metals, cars, construction, aviation, financial services, and energy.

It has depended partly on huge foreign bank loans which he is now attempting to restructure.

"If you want to grow at 2-3% a year it's not a problem," he said. "But if you want to grow 15-20% a year it's a risk, it's a ride on a wild horse."

He says he likes horses - and then laughs. He is disarmingly charming - at 41, boyish not only in his looks, but also in energy and enthusiasms.

As we toured the assembly line at the GAZ plant at Nizhny Novgorod - the most automated, he says, in the country - he told me he is convinced his new Russian car, the Volga Syber, will be a best-seller when the economy picks up.

Later, as we took a helicopter trip over the Sayan Mountains of southern Siberia, near his aluminium smelter, he talked of expanding into other metals - and even of building nuclear power stations.

And where does his determination come from?

Vladimir Putin owns a 1956 Volga - will Mr Deripaska's model be as loved?

He doesn't like talking about his childhood, a time without luxuries, his father dead and his mother often absent.

But eventually he said: "I was raised in a small village.

"I know what the minimum level of life is - and anything extra looks like paradise."

He laughed. "That's why I prefer not to count problems, but just think about what may be in the future."

Newsnight featuring the interview with Oleg Deripaska is at 2230 BST on Tuesday 14 July 2009 on BBC Two.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

"SAYINGS"

"YOU HAVE ALL THE REASON IN THE WORLD

TO ACHIEVE YOUR GRANDEST DREAMS" !

________

Goldman Sachs sees bumper profit !

Goldman Sachs shares have gained about 75% this year

US bank Goldman Sachs has unveiled net earnings of $3.44bn (£2.1bn) for the April to June period - well above what analysts had forecast.

It comes after the bank startled Wall Street by reporting it made $1.8bn in the first three months of the year, despite the economic crisis.

The firm has recently paid back $10bn in federal aid intended to help it steer through the global turmoil.

It is expected to pay about $18bn in pay and bonuses to its 28,000 staff.

Six months ago, Goldman saw its first quarterly loss since going public in 1999, after being battered by the economic crisis.

Its share price, while still well off its high, has gained about 75% in 2009.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

France unrest before Bastille Day !

Protesters are pushed back by police in Montreuil

French youths set 317 cars on fire and wounded 13 police officers overnight during a series of riots on the eve of the Bastille Day holiday, police say.

Paris police said 240 people had been arrested, almost double the number held after unrest on the same day last year.

The injured officers are suffering from hearing difficulties caused by home-made explosives blowing up beside them.

Last week, the death of a young man in police custody caused three nights of riots in the southern town of Firminy.

Police said Mohamed Benmouna, a 21-year-old of Algerian origin, had died after trying to hang himself in a cell earlier in the week.

But his family refused to accept the explanation and subsequently filed a complaint to ask for a full investigation. On Friday, prosecutors ordered a second autopsy to "remove all doubt" in the case.

In 2005, rioting erupted across France after two teenagers died in a Paris suburb. Residents said they had been trying to flee from police.

Riots have become a regular occurrence at the start of Bastille Day, which commemorates the storming of the Bastille prison in Paris in 1789, the event regarded as the start of the French Revolution.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

ZIMBABWE LEADERS APPEAL FOR CALM !

Zimbabwe's president and prime minister have condemned disturbances at a meeting to discuss a new constitution, and issued a call for unity.
President Robert Mugabe told a news conference that the government would "not brook any further nonsense".
The comments came after the meeting was abandoned when fights broke out between his supporters and those of his former rival Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.
Mr Mugabe's supporters disrupted the opening speech by dancing and singing.
At a joint press conference with Mr Tsvangirai, Mr Mugabe said it was necessary to complete the update of the charter.
"These things we'll continue to rectify and improve as we move forward," he said.
"Rome was not built in one day."
Mr Tsvangirai said the disturbances did not benefit anyone.
"Whether as a political party or as a nation, we are only hurting our efforts," he said.
On Monday, water bottles were thrown and scuffles broke out between politicians from both parties in Zimbabwe's power-sharing government.
Some delegates walked out in protest and riot police were brought in to clear the venue.
Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF party wants the new constitution to be based on a draft drawn up last year, but critics say it gives the president too much power.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Pakistani displaced begin return!

The BBC's David Loyn says nobody quite believes the Taliban has been eliminated from the Swat valley

The Pakistani government has started to return home some of the two million people displaced by the conflict in the Swat valley.

The first convoy of buses carrying people from temporary camps began its journey on Monday.

The army reopened roads into the troubled district after an offensive to drive out Taliban militants there.

Some of the displaced have already returned. Correspondents say they are likely to rely on aid for many months.

The government has said its priority is to return those living in temporary camps.

See a map of the region

Some 200 families housed in camps in the Nowshera district are set to return in this first phase. On Tuesday, 800 families are due to be sent back to Swat, officials say.

SWAT OFFENSIVE Launched in April after militants took area 100km from Islamabad Army says some 1,700 militants killed; but none of their leaders One of biggest human migrations of recent times, with 2m displaced Fears abound in Swat's main town

Some witnesses in the area told the BBC that people were keen to return home because of the extreme heat they had to endure in the temporary camps.

But other residents have expressed concerns about their return.

"I'm going back home voluntarily and nobody forced me to leave," 50-year-old Shireenzada told the AFP news agency.

"But I'm really uncertain and don't know if peace has actually returned to my area."

The UN has stressed that the return of those displaced must be voluntary.

Once people have been moved from the camps, the army will begin returning people who have been living in schools and other places since they fled the fighting.

The first batch of returnees are from the Landakai-Barikot sector of the main road leading into the city of Mingora. This was one of the districts worst affected by fighting between the military and the Taliban.

The first families have begun their journey home

Reports from that district say that there has been no fighting for nearly three weeks despite frequent curfews and house searches by the army.

The return is being overseen by the substantial military presence established in the Swat, Malakand and Buner regions after Taliban militants were dislodged.

The information minister for Pakistan's North West Frontier Province told the BBC's Urdu service that the displaced could carry their tents with them in case they returned home to find their homes damaged.

"The police and army contingents have been deployed on all important points along the way to provide security to convoys," Mian Iftikhar Hussain said.

General Nadeem Ahmad, who is coordinating the operation, said every family leaving the camps would receive cash support from the government.

He told the BBC that the operation to return the displaced was deemed feasible only once certain conditions had been fulfilled. These were that the area had been cleared of militants, explosive devices and that the region's administrative and commercial infrastructure was in place.

"The best thing is that the military is going to stay there till such a time the provincial government feels comfortable with the security environment, " he said.

Gen Ahmad had a similar role following the 2005 earthquake in Kashmir.

Unlike these shops, most buildings have survived largely unscathed

A computerised identity card system is being used again to help registered users access state aid.

However, much of the infrastructure in the Swat region was severely damaged in the months of fighting.

Power and water supplies have been shattered and the reconstruction is expected to take many months.

A resident of the town of Sultanwas, in Buner province, told the Associated Press that if the government failed to provide for people's needs, "no-one will stand against militant extremism in the future".

"In this war we lost and gave everything, saw our village destroyed," said Muhamed Shereen.

"So now the people of Sultanwas look to the government and the whole country and world to come forward and help us."

The BBC's Syed Shoaib Hasan, who recently visited Swat's main town, Mingora, said the town was largely intact, with markets and residential areas still standing.

But the security situation remains uncertain and supplies are critically low, he says.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Europe gas pipeline deal agreed!

The Nabucco line has no guaranteed supply of gas

Four European Union countries and Turkey have signed an agreement to construct the long-planned 3,300km Nabucco natural gas pipeline.

Once completed, the line will bring up to 31 billion cubic metres of gas a year from the Caspian and the Middle East across Turkey and into Europe.

It will give an important alternative energy supply to Russia, which already meets 30% of Europe's gas needs.

But much still remains to be agreed on, not least where the gas will come from.

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said deal was an "historic moment".

The five countries - Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Austria - have been working on the Nabucco project with the European Commission for seven years now.

See Nabucco's planned route

But Monday's decision to sign the deal has still come as a surprise, said the BBC's David O'Byrne in Ankara.

He said that Turkey and the European Commission were still at loggerheads over how much gas Turkey would be able to take from the pipeline.

Our correspondent also said that it remained uncertain which countries would supply gas to the Nabucco scheme.

Following the signing, Mr Erdogan said that the legal framework for the construction of the pipeline would now be agreed within six months.

"The more steps we take [on realising the project], the more the interest of supplier countries will grow," he said.

Azerbaijan will be the main source of Nabucco's gas when the pipeline is opened, due by 2014.

However, two weeks ago, the country agreed to sell some of its gas to Russia, a move many understood as a warning to the Nabucco partners to sort out their differences or look elsewhere.

Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Egypt are all considered potential suppliers to Nabucco in the longer term.

Meanwhile, Russia is planning two of its own new gas pipelines to Europe, the Nord Stream, which will run direct from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea, and the South Stream, which will run from southern Russia under the Black Sea to Bulgaria.

Return to top
BBC NEWS REPORT.

'Two shot dead' by Chinese police

Two Muslim Uighurs have been shot dead by police in Urumqi, capital of China's Xinjiang province, state media said.

The violence comes after Chinese officials said calm had been restored to the city after at least 180 people were killed in rioting last week.

A reporter with Hong Kong's RTHK radio said two police officers were shot and three Uighurs killed in the city.

Other reports said police had fired at a group of Uighur men armed with knives and poles who had attacked the police.

Thousands of extra security personnel have been patrolling the city of about 2.3 million people since the violence erupted.

Ethnic Han Chinese make up the majority of Urumqi's population, but Uighurs form a significant minority and have long-standing complaints of discrimination.

Rioting began on 5 July during a protest by Uighurs over a brawl in southern China in late June in which two Uighurs were killed.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

'Woolf's lighthouse' up for sale !

The sale of the beach and lighthouse will raise money for a theatre

One of Cornwall's best loved beaches is set to go under the hammer later.

Upton Towans beach in Gwithian and the lighthouse on nearby Godrevy Island are widely thought to have inspired the Virginia Woolf novel To the Lighthouse.

As a child, the author spent many holidays in a St Ives guest house from which she could see the lighthouse.

Auctioneers expect bids for the beach and the lighthouse to start at about £50,000, with money raised going to Truro's Hall for Cornwall theatre.

Although Virginia Woolf's 1927 novel is set in the Hebrides, the author used her recollections from childhood as inspiration for her most famous novel.

And even though it is a century since those formative years, the view of the sea from Upton Towans beach is probably much the same now as it was then.

The lighthouse too still stands proudly not far from the headland.

But of course, other aspects have changed dramatically.

In Virginia's day the huge car park, built to accommodate the vehicles of tens of thousands of tourists who visit each year, would not have been there.

Neither would the shop and cafe - and certainly not the surfers encased in dark rubber bobbing up and down in the waves.

The wide expanse of smooth yellow sand also make Upton Towans popular with families and coloured windbreakers often hide small groups, huddling from the wind.

Behind the beach are the cliffs and sand dunes with long grass which nod and sway on blustery days, which are plentiful.

Dennis Arbon used to own the 76 acres of sand and dune now up for sale. He bought it for the people of Cornwall to protect it from development.

"Everyone who comes here is inspired by the vision of this wonderful beach," he says.

"The sea conditions are superb - the light is amazing. The whole atmosphere is magical."

Referring to the lighthouse, he says: "It's quite a landmark - many people come just to look at that.

"They take lots of photographs from all angles because it's just such a perfect location."

A few years ago Mr Arbon gifted the stretch of land to the Hall for Cornwall theatre.

The idea was that the land could be sold when the theatre needed more funding and it appears that time has now come.

Mr Arbon originally bought the beach to protect it from development

Auctioneers have already taken bids for the beach over the phone and there have been inquiries from as far afield as America and Russia.

But there are conditions attached to the sale. Any potential buyer has to continue to allow public access and cannot develop the land.

So who is likely to want to buy it?

Mr Arbon hopes that it will be someone who loves Cornwall as much as he does. He is expecting bidders at the auction by Colliers CRE in London to offer something in the region of £70,000.

Hall for Cornwall director Tim Brinkman says he is grateful for the funding the sale will provide - and he believes there is something fitting about this auction.

"It's wonderful that something which inspired literature is going to help provide funds to feed plays and theatrical productions of the future," he says.

"I'd like to think she [Virginia Woolf] would give this her blessing. Her creativity inspired here in Cornwall is helping to feed further creativity and work for writers in Cornwall.

"I think she'd approve of that. I think she'd think this was the right thing to do."

BBC NEWS REPORT.

10 THINGS

10 things we didn't know last week !

Snippets from the week's news, sliced, diced and processed for your convenience.

1. Heavy metal in Morocco is regarded as devil-worship.
More details

2. Monkeys notice bad grammar.
More details

3. Trousers used to be called unmentionables.
More details

4. Neil Armstrong took Dvorak's New World Symphony and theremin music to the moon.
More details

5. The best place to put a wind turbine is in Orkney Islands.
More details

6. Dinosaurs were couch potatoes.
More details (Daily Telegraph)

7. Ice fallen from the sky is due to leaking plane ventilation systems.
More details

8. Clothes could take photos.
More details

9. Ringo Starr's mum wanted him to work in a bank.
More details

10. Sir Jimmy Savile once saved the day by directing traffic.
More details

BBC NEWS MAGAZINE

CATHY BUCKLE'S WEEKLY LETTER FROM ZIMBABWE

TITLE DEEDS ARE SACRED!

Dear Family and Friends,

As a youngster growing up I was always taught to save and, if possible, to invest in land or property which would hold or increase in value throughout my life. Title Deeds were sacred, I was told. They were the indisputable, unquestionable, legal documents which would always prove ownership.

So much has happened in Zimbabwe this last decade that for everyone except Zanu PF it has been the most horrific nightmare.

For most of us the real hell began when the people of Zimbabwe rejected a draft constitution in a referendum in February 2000. At that time I was a farmer living on a piece of land bought legally a decade before. The Title Deeds proving legal ownership of that property were in my possession. A fortnight later those Title Deeds were as good as useless,worthless pieces of paper when property rights in Zimbabwe were ignored and men in dirty overalls took over.

Despite losing the referendum and without holding another national vote, a Zanu PF parliament went ahead and changed the constitution anyway. In May 2000 the 16th Amendment to our country's constitutionstated that Britain had an obligation to pay for agricultural land compulsorily acquired for resettlement.

The MDC were one of many local and international voices who condemned the amendment. The MDC spokesman at the time was a constitutional lawyer and has been quoted in many references as saying: "We have no legal authority to compel the British government to do anything."

This week, nine years later, Mr Mugabe spoke at a conference to attract investment to the country. He said that Zimbabwe upholds the sanctity of property rights. For a moment I held my breath, thinking that maybe my Title Deeds were finally going to regain their rightful legal status. I was wrong as Mr Mugabe continued by saying that farms taken from Zimbabweans who had white skins would not be paid for by Zimbabwe and that Britain should be lobbied to pay compensation. Mr Mugabe went on to say: " We pay compensation for improvements. That is our obligation and we have honoured it."

Sadly that statement is not true and I am one of thousands of Zimbabwean farmers who has not received any compensation at all for the house, buildings or any of the fixed assets and improvements on a farm legally purchased in 1990 and then seized by a mob in 2000.

Shock turned to disappointment as MDC leader and the country's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai took to the podium of the investment conference. "The President is correct,' he said. "The constitution is clear. We pay compensation for improvements. If funds are available we will pay.' With sadness we realised that our Prime Minister supports an amendment made by a single political party to a constitution which belongs to all the people of the country.

There can be little hope of investment when property rights and TitleDeeds are clearly not respected in Zimbabwe - unless your skin colour and political persuasion are the same as those of the person holding power.

Until next week, thanks for reading, love cathy

Big Ben rings in 150th birthday!

It took 30 hours to winch Big Ben into the tower's belfry

A giant birthday message is to be projected on to Parliament's clock tower to mark 150 years since the first ringing of Big Ben.

The Great Bell struck its first hour on 11 July 1859 and a year of celebrations is taking place for the anniversary.

The message reading "Happy Birthday Big Ben, 150 years, 1859 - 2009," will be beamed on to the tower after sunset.

Other activities celebrating Big Ben have been organised by the Guy Fox History Project charity.

Over the next 12 months children and volunteers will explore the clock tower and research its history.

After 150 years, Big Ben still holds a special place in the hearts of Londoners and the world Mike McCann Keeper of the Great Clock

The clock tower at the Palace of Westminster was completed in 1859 and quickly became the most recognisable part of architect Charles Barry's building, which replaced the old Parliament after it burned down in 1834.

But the bell itself has at times had a troubled history.

The first bell cracked under testing two years before the tower was built and its replacement only lasted two months before it also cracked.

For the following four years Big Ben remained silent until repairs and modifications were made.

Since then, it has been damaged by such diverse elements as the weather, workmen and birds, but remains one of the most famous symbols of the UK.

Mike McCann, Keeper of the Great Clock, said: "After 150 years, Big Ben still holds a special place in the hearts of Londoners and the world as a magnificent example of engineering and building genius."

Inside the clock tower of Big Ben

BBC NEWS REPORT.

"SAYINGS"

"YOUR GREATEST RESOURCE IS

YOUR TIME" !

_____

BA evacuates fume-filled US jet!

Passengers used slides to leave the aircraft

Hundreds of people have been evacuated from a British Airways plane in the US after the cabin filled with fumes.

The BA Boeing 747 was due to depart for London Heathrow from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Arizona state.

More than 300 passengers and crew used emergency slides to leave the aircraft. No serious injuries were reported.

BA said there had been reports of smoke as the plane was pulling away from the departure gate. Engineers are trying to find out what happened.

The incident occurred at about 2000 local time on Friday (0300 GMT), Shelly Jamison of the Phoenix Fire Department told the Associated Press.

She said fire crews found smoke in the cabin and hold, but no fire.

One passenger described a scene of panic inside the plane.

"People were coughing and choking and those with children were very worried and so they brought them to the front where they could breathe," Corinne Casazza was quoted as saying by the Press Association.

"We asked if we could open the doors but were told we couldn't because we were still moving.

"There was a lot of pushing and shoving - everyone just wanted to get off the plane," said Ms Casazza, who is from Sedona, Arizona.

"Then I heard someone yell 'fire' and the doors were opened."

BA said all 298 passengers on board flight BA288 had been safely evacuated. The plane was also carrying 18 crew.

"The plane was being pushed back from the stand when there were reports of smoke," a BA spokesman said.

"A decision was taken to evacuate the aircraft following the usual procedures."

About 15 people received minor scrapes and bruises, and one person was taken to hospital with shoulder pain.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

ZIMBABWE - LETTER FROM THE DIASPORA !

10th July 2009

Dear Friends,

President Barack Obama is about to pay a visit to Africa but it is not his first visit to the continent. In his memoir 'Dreams From My Father' Obama describes his first trip to his Kenyan father's homeland and his reactions to that momentous visit. It was momentous for so many reasons, not only because he was at last connecting with his African roots but because, as the son of a black African father and a white American mother, Barack Obama was searching for his own identity. Obama's father had left his American family to complete his Ph.D studies in Kenya when Barack was a very small boy and the child had grown up never really knowing where he fitted in life. It's an experience shared by thousands of other people who grow up without a father but in his case it was further complicated by his bi-racial status and the state of American race relations at the time. Barack Obama's father had died before his son finally visited Kenya. Father and son had met only once when Dr Obama had briefly visited him in the US and that brief visit had created more questions than it answered for the young Barack Obama. Upon his arrival at Nairobi Airport, Obama is astonished to find that his name is known. The African BA air steward asks him, "You wouldn't be related to Dr Obama by any chance?" and he answers, "Well, yes - he was my father." In the book, Obama comments, "For the first time in my life, I felt the comfort, the firmness of identity that a name might provide… no one here in Kenya would ask how to spell my name, or mangle it with an unfamiliar tongue…My name belonged and so I belonged, drawn into a web of relationships, alliances and grudges that I did not yet understand."

And this is the remarkable man who is now president of the United States. He is remarkable not just because of his experiences but because of the way he has internalised those experiences and learned from them. When he says as he did on Thursday just before his trip to Ghana at the weekend, "I'd say I'm probably as knowledgeable about African history as anybody who's occupied my office." it is hard not to be convinced by his honesty and undoubted understanding of Africa. "I can give you chapter and verse," he says, "on why the colonial maps that were drawn helped to spur on conflict and the terms of trade that were uneven emerging out of colonialism." And with direct relevance to Africa today he goes on, "I believe that Africans are responsible for Africa. I think that part of what's hampered advancement in Africa is that for many years we've made excuses about corruption or poor governance, that this was somehow the consequence of neo-colonialism, or the West has been oppressive or racist…And yet the fact is we're in 2009. The West and the US has not been responsible for what's happened to Zimbabwe's economy over the past 15-20 years. It hasn't been responsible for some of the disastrous policies that we've seen elsewhere in Africa. And I think it's very important for African leadership to take responsibility and be held accountable.

"It will be interesting to see how, or if, Robert Mugabe reacts to President Obama's words. Will he dismiss Obama as 'an idiotic little man' as he did Johnny Carson, the Under Secretary of State for African Affairs in Obama's government? Mugabe and Carson apparently met on the sidelines of the recent AU Conference in Libya. The meeting was not a happy one and afterwards Mugabe told the Herald that he was very angry with Carson who had apparently told him that he should stick to his side of the bargain according to the GPA. "Who is he?" Mugabe is alleged to have asked, adding "It is a shame, a great shame and he an African American." Now, here's another African American, this time the President of the most powerful country in the world, telling Africa and its 'Big Men' that it's time to stop blaming the colonial past for Africa's problems. Is it likely, in the light of what we know about the man, that Mugabe will heed President Obama's advice? The signs are not good. Observers have noted that Mugabe's rhetoric has of late become increasingly paranoid and racist. White farmers are representative of former colonisers and have supported the British against him, he maintains and, to quote Mugabe, "Colonisers can never be friends so we turn our backs on them and face the east." But it is not only whites he takes issue with, in a direct snub to the outspoken Ambassador, Mugabe failed to agree to an official farewell visit from the black American Ambassador, James McGee, thereby breaking with basic diplomatic courtesy. Irene Khan, the head of Amnesty International was also treated with his usual abusive language, "I don't know where this little woman came from - always shouting." Mugabe ranted, but then Khan had just issued an extremely unfavourable - and honest - report on Zimbabwe's human rights record.

It is incomprehensible that the MDC partners in this Inclusive Government can continue to maintain, as Morgan Tsvangirai does, that this same Mugabe is 'part of the solution' to the country's problems. I for one cannot see any way in which the racism and vitriolic hatred which Mugabe espouses towards anyone who disagrees with him can have any part in Zimbabwe's future. President Obama is right to remind African leaders - and that includes Prime Minister Tsvangirai - that they are accountable for their own misgovernance. For Kenya, for Zimbabwe and for so many other former colonised African countries where Big Men continue to rule after patently rigged elections, it is not yet uhuru.

Yours in the (continuing) struggle, PH

Pair jailed for web race crimes!

The men's bid for asylum was thrown out by a judge

Two men have been jailed after becoming the first in the UK to be convicted of inciting racial hatred online.

Simon Sheppard, 51, of Selby in North Yorkshire, received four years and 10 months, and Stephen Whittle, 42, of Preston, two years and four months.

The men printed leaflets and controlled websites featuring racist material.

They fled to the US after being convicted of race-hate offences at a trial at Leeds Crown Court last year, but failed in an asylum bid.

Sheppard, of Brook Street, Selby, was found guilty of 11 offences and Whittle, of Avenham Lane, Preston, was found guilty of five offences at a trial in July last year.

The neo-Nazi asylum seekers

Sheppard was convicted of a further five charges in January 2009.

However, before the jury in the first trial could return verdicts, both men fled to Los Angeles International airport and attempted to claim political asylum.

Their bid was thrown out by a US immigration judge.

The men were charged with publishing and distributing racially inflammatory material, and possessing racially inflammatory material with a view to distribution.

Leeds Crown Court was told Whittle wrote offensive articles that were then published on the internet by Sheppard.

The published material included images of murdered Jews alongside cartoons and articles ridiculing ethnic groups.

Judge Rodney Grant told the men their material was "abusive and insulting" and had the potential to cause "grave social harm".

He added: "Such offences as these have, by their very nature, the potential to cause grave social harm, particularly in a society such as ours which has, for a number of years now, been multi-racial.

"These are serious offences. I can say without any hesitation that I have rarely seen, or had to read or consider, material which is so abusive and insulting... towards racial groups within our own society."

The investigation into Sheppard began when a complaint about a leaflet, called "Tales of the Holohoax", was reported to police in 2004 after it was pushed through the door of a synagogue in Blackpool.

It was traced back to a post office box in Hull registered to Sheppard.

Humberside Police later found a website featuring racially inflammatory material.

The force's Adil Khan, head of diversity and community cohesion, said: "This case is groundbreaking.

"It involved Humberside Police along with our colleagues from other forces.

"Inciting racial hatred is a crime and one which seems to occur too regularly. This kind of material will not be tolerated as this lengthy investigation shows."

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Jackson foul play 'not ruled out' !

Merchandise for Jackson's O2 residency has now gone on sale

The head of Los Angeles police has refused to rule out murder in the investigation into the death of singer Michael Jackson, two weeks ago.

Police Chief William Bratton told US news broadcaster CNN that police were awaiting toxicology results.

"Are we dealing with a homicide or are we dealing with accidental overdose... I don't have that information."

Meanwhile, Jackson's father, Joe, 79, speaking about the death on ABC News, said: "I do believe it was foul play."

Mr Jackson - who is due to attend a memorial service in the family's hometown of Gary, Indiana, later - has previously said he had "a lot of concerns" over events surrounding his son's death, and that the family "suspected foul play somewhere".

The Los Angeles coroner has said that an autopsy the day after the singer's death revealed no evidence of foul play and that toxicology test results could take weeks to come back.

A spokesman for the coroner's office said Jackson had taken "some prescription medication", without specifying which.

Mr Bratton, meanwhile, told CNN that detectives were investigating the singer's history of using prescription drugs and had spoken to a number of doctors who had treated him over the years.

At the time of the death, with search warrants, we were able to seize a number of items from the residence where the death occurred and those will assist in the investigation Police Chief William Bratton

"We are still awaiting corroboration from the coroner's office as to cause of death," he said.

"That is going to be very dependent on the toxicology reports that are due to come back.

"And based on those, we will have an idea of what it is we are dealing [with]."

OTHER STORIES AND RUMOURS Raid netted heavy drugs TMZ Glove hid skin problem CNN Paris Jackson to record song One India Doctor admits donating sperm Daily Telegraph Health records subpoenaed LA Times The BBC is not esponsible for the content of external internet sites

"So as we are standing here speaking, I can tell you I don't have that information," he told reporters.

Mr Bratton said his department was being helped by other agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, on "a comprehensive set of inquiries".

"At the time of the death, with search warrants, we were able to seize a number of items from the residence where the death occurred and those will assist in the investigation," he added.

Meanwhile, guests including Jackson's father and the Reverend Al Sharpton - who spoke at the Staples Center memorial in Los Angeles on Tuesday - are expected at the service in Gary on Friday evening.

The service will be held at the Steel Yard baseball park, a few miles from the singer's childhood home.

The Jacksons moved from Gary, Indiana, in 1969

Mayor Rudy Clay said the event would be a celebration of the contribution of the Jackson family to the music industry.

The entire family moved from the town to California after The Jackson Five signed with Motown records in 1969.

The group, featuring Michael and his brothers, was formed by father Joe five years earlier.

"Michael Jackson put Gary, Indiana, on the global map and made Gary citizens proud," Mr Clay said, in a statement.

Jackson had been rehearsing for comeback shows at London's O2 arena - due to begin on Monday - before his sudden death on 25 June, at the age of 50.

Shaheen Jafargholi, who sang at Tuesday's memorial, appeared in Thriller Live

Promoters AEG have announced that official merchandise for the tour - including T-shirts, mugs, belt buckles and socks - is now available to pre-order.

Meanwhile, the makers of West End tribute show Thriller Live are taking the show on a year-long world tour.

The musical, which began as a touring show in 2006, has been appearing at London's Lyric Theatre since January.

A new production of the show will be staged in Munich, Germany, on 21 July, before travelling across Europe and on to the US.

"Since the tragic news from Los Angeles broke, we have been amazed by the reaction of the fans around the globe, and inquiries for Thriller Live to appear worldwide have been overwhelming," producer Paul Walden said.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

'Rude' French are worst tourists!

The French are seen by hoteliers as the world's worst tourists

French tourists are the worst in the world, coming across as penny-pinching, rude and terrible at languages, according to a new survey.

The study by travel company Expedia asked 4,500 hotels worldwide to rank tourists on their behaviour.

Japanese tourists - seen as clean and tidy, polite, quiet and uncomplaining - came top for the third year running.

French travellers made amends on elegance - classed third - as well as for their discretion and cleanliness.

But the French were the least ready to try a new language, unlike US tourists who were most likely to swallow their pride and order a pizza, baguette or a paella in the local lingo.

WORLD'S BEST TOURISTS Japan Britain Canada Germany Switzerland Holland Australia Sweden USA Denmark Source:Expedia.co.uk

US tourists also got top marks for generosity, as the biggest spenders and tippers.

But they fell short on other counts as the least tidy, the loudest, the worst complainers and the worst dressed.

Britons came second for their overall behaviour, politeness, quietness and even elegance - second for dress sense only to the Italians.

But in Europe, the British were seen by the hoteliers as the worst behaved.

Jonathan Cudworth, the head of product marketing at Expedia.co.uk, said: "Being voted the worst tourists in the world by our closest neighbours highlights the fact that the 'Brits Abroad' moniker is a label we still haven't managed to shrug off.

The Japanese came top for their politeness and cleanliness

"While we are in second place in the global best-tourist rankings, we clearly have a job to do to convince our European counterparts and those at home that we can be better behaved on holiday."

The model Japanese were followed by Canadians as the least likely to whinge when a trip goes wrong.

France's rivals for the world's "worst tourist" tag, Spaniards and Greeks, came near the bottom of the pack in almost every category.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Royal household turns to Twitter!

Rory Cellan-Jones BBC Technology correspondent

The first tweets have already been sent through @BritishMonarchy

Buckingham Palace has revealed that the Royal Family has now joined the Twitter micro-blogging revolution.

The Twitter account @BritishMonarchy has just gone live, following several weeks of testing.

A spokeswoman said it had signed up to harness the popularity of Twitter to spread news about the Royal Family.

It will provide details of royal engagements as well as link to information about what members of the family are doing.

But the spokeswoman said neither the Queen nor other members of the Royal Family would be tweeting personally.

"The intention," she explained, "is that it is a news service rather than a personal voice."

But she said both the Queen and the Prince of Wales had been informed about the Twitter acccount.

Oversight of the @BritishMonarchy account will be split between Buckingham Palace and Clarence House.

The first "tweets" have already been sent and include links to a YouTube video of Prince William talking about the charity Skill Force, and pictures of the Queen receiving the new poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy.

In February 2009, an overhaul of the Royal.gov.uk website was completed that put more video and background material on the website. The Queen also has her own YouTube channel, launched in 2007, hosting video of key events such as the Christmas message.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

China quake destroys 10,000 homes

South-western China is prone to earthquakes

An earthquake in south-western China has destroyed 10,000 homes, killed one person and injured more than 300 people, state media have reported.

The US Geological Survey said the 5.7 magnitude quake struck a remote, mountainous area of Yunnan province.

The quake on Thursday damaged about 30,000 homes and was followed by eight aftershocks, Xinhua news agency said.

The agency said authorities had sent thousands of tents, quilts and other aid materials to the site of the quake.

The epicentre was in Yao'an County, 100km (60 miles) north-east of the town of Dali.

Thirty people in Yao'an were seriously injured and were being treated in hospital there, Xinhua said.

Hundreds of police have also been deployed to provide assistance, the agency said.

Yunnan is next to Sichuan province, where a devastating earthquake in May last year flattened several towns and cities, killing more than 80,000 people.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Some Urumqi mosques defy shutdown !

Chinese soldiers guard mosques in Urumqi

Some mosques in the western Chinese city of Urumqi have opened their doors to worshippers, in spite of an earlier order for them to stay closed.

At least two mosques opened after crowds gathered outside. It was not immediately clear if the authorities had sanctioned the move.

Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang region, remains tense after days of ethnic violence that left 156 people dead.

Thousands of people are reportedly trying to leave the city.

The main bus station has seen 10,000 people go through its doors in recent days - double its normal traffic - an official there said.

Both Han Chinese and Muslim Uighurs are said to be fleeing the city, which still has a heavy security presence following the violence that began on Sunday.

Officials posted notices outside Urumqi's mosques, instructing people to stay at home to worship on Friday, the holiest day of the week in Islam.

I'm glad they are letting us in today. There would have been a lot of unhappiness if they hadn't Ahmedadji Muslim Uighur worshipper In pictures: Closed mosques

One official told the Associated Press the decision was made "for the sake of public safety".

But hundreds of Uighurs defied the order and gathered outside at least two mosques in the city.

The BBC's Quentin Sommerville, outside one of the mosques, was told by one worshipper that they had insisted they be allowed in - and the gates were opened without any resistance or violence.

"We decided to open the mosque because so many people had gathered. We did not want an incident," a policeman outside the White Mosque in a Uighur neighbourhood told the Associated Press.

"I'm glad they are letting us in today," one worshipper, Ahmedadji, was quoted by the Reuters news agency as saying.

"There would have been a lot of unhappiness if they hadn't".

Meanwhile, the city's main bus station is reported to be heaving with people trying to escape the unrest.

Extra bus services have been laid on and touts are charging up to five times the normal face price for tickets, the AFP reports.

XINJIANG: ETHNIC UNREST Main ethnic division: 45% Uighur, 40% Han Chinese 26 June: Mass factory brawl after dispute between Han Chinese and Uighurs in Guangdong, southern China, leaves two Uighurs dead 5 July: Uighur protest in Urumqi over the dispute turns violent, leaving 156 dead - most of them thought to be Han - and more than 1,000 hurt 7 July: Uighur women protest at arrests of menfolk. Han Chinese make armed counter-march 8 July: President Hu Jintao returns from G8 summit to tackle crisis New media openness Q&A: China and the Uighurs Taboo of ethnic tensions Profile: Rebiya Kadeer

"It is just too risky to stay here. We are scared of the violence," a 23-year-old construction worker from central China said.

Many are university students, who have been told to leave the city earlier than they might have planned.

The violence began on Sunday when Uighurs rallied to protest against a deadly brawl between Uighurs and Han several weeks ago in a toy factory in southern Guangdong province.

Officials say 156 people - mostly Han - died in Sunday's violence.

Ethnic Han vigilante groups have been threatening to take revenge, leaving many Uighurs afraid to leave their homes.

The atmosphere remains tense, with troops in place across the city and armed police surrounding Uighur neighbourhoods, says our correspondent.

More than 1,400 people are thought to have been detained.

On Thursday, China said it had "a great deal of evidence" that some of those involved in the violence had "training from foreign terrorist groups including al-Qaeda".

Foreign ministry official Qin Gang did not say what the evidence was, but said the groups were "inextricably linked with three vicious forces from abroad".

Beijing has also accused US-based Uighur leader-in-exile Rebiya Kadeer of organising the disorder. She has denied the allegations.

Tensions have been growing in Xinjiang for many years, as Han migrants have poured into the region, where the Uighur minority is concentrated.

Many Uighurs feel economic growth has bypassed them and complain of discrimination and diminished opportunities.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

T time for music fans at festival !

The Killers are headlining, along with Kings of Leon and Blur

More than 120 bands and singers are set to entertain the crowds at Scotland's biggest music festival, T in the Park.

Kings of Leon, the Killers and Blur are headlining the three-day event at Balado, Kinross-shire.

Other acts taking to the stages include Lady Gaga, the Pet Shop Boys, Lily Allen, Katy Perry and Paolo Nutini.

About 85,000 people are expected to attend each day of the festival, which has attracted fans from as far afield as Argentina, Russia and Korea.

Director Geoff Ellis said he hoped people would be pleased with the line-up, which stretches across 12 stages.

He said: "I think it's one of the strongest we've ever had. We try to keep it as diverse as possible and I think we've got in Kings of Leon and Killers two of the biggest international bands around.

"Blur are really on fire, they're back with a vengeance and playing really well.

"It's a really well balanced bill. Bands like the Pet Shop Boys, who've never played T in the Park before and probably the T in the Park audience are not the core kind of Pet Shop Boys fans, but they've so many hits that people will recognise and I know that they're planning a fantastic kind of visual show."

He said he appreciated the fact that so many young people who did not have much money had paid to attend the festival.

"T in the Park is one thing they don't want to give up on," Mr Ellis said.

"To them it's not a luxury item, it's a necessity."

About 65,000 people will camp at the festival, which turns the site into Scotland's fifth biggest town.

Additional security, including a night vision camera will be in place this year following a stabbing at the 2008 event.

Police have urged festival-goers to stick with their friends, be aware of pickpockets and to look after their mobile phones.

They also warned that those found with drugs would be arrested.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Iran learns from past to crush dissent!

Mass protests in the days following the election have been stopped or disrupted

By Jon Leyne BBC Tehran correspondent

As opposition demonstrators came out in force after Iran's disputed presidential election, one exhilarated protester declared that his country was waking up.

Two nights ago someone told me that Tehran was now in a coma.

The mood swing could not be more dramatic, as the security and intelligence forces move to regain control.

Normally gregarious Iranians are afraid to speak in public places for fear that their words might be misinterpreted and relayed back to the authorities.

In the immediate aftermath of the disputed election result, the Iranian government appeared wrong-footed, astonished by the strength of protests.

An uncompromising speech by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei on 19 June - a week after the election - signalled that any doubts were over.

What has happened since then has been described as a crackdown.

But it is clear that the leaders of the Islamic Republic have taken their own lessons from the way they took power in 1979.

Clerics are paying attention to the street anger, similar to that in 1979

The unrest that led to the fall of the Shah spiralled out of control.

Any time a demonstrator was shot there were more protests at the funeral and at the "arbayeen", the 40-day anniversary of the death.

Indecision on the part of the Shah only made his position weaker.

This time the Iranian security forces are trying to use the military principle of "minimum force".

They have been largely, though not entirely, avoiding the use of live fire.

Instead the police and the government's Basij militia have tried to spread fear, with mass arrests, repeated warnings in the media against unauthorised demonstrations, plenty of violence against demonstrators, but mostly not lethal force.

When protesters are killed, the families are prevented from holding public mourning ceremonies.

It has also become increasingly clear that the Revolutionary Guards are crucial in the crackdown.

In a weekend news conference the head of the guards, Gen Mohammad Ali Jafari, came out publicly for the first time and announced that the guards had been given the task of controlling the internal security situation.

"This event pushed us into a new phase of the revolution," he said ominously. "We have to understand all its dimensions."

In other words - the Revolutionary Guards are in control.

That is the culmination of a trend that began as long ago as 1989, when Ayatollah Khamenei succeeded Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic.

Lacking the religious credentials, or the charisma, of his predecessor, Mr Khamenei built up a power base in the Revolutionary Guards.

Since Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was first elected four years ago, commentators have seen an acceleration of that trend, with the guards now assigned multi-billion dollar contracts to help secure their loyalty.

Demonstrators have been on the receiving end of violence

As much as two years ago, some western diplomats were talking about a slow and silent military coup taking place. The power of the clergy has been steadily diminished.

So it should be no surprise that many senior ayatollahs and many members of parliament - the majlis - are deeply uneasy about what is going on.

For the moment, opposition and government have reached deadlock.

Public resentment means that even now, sporadic protests are continuing and there is a sense of burning anger amongst many Iranians about the election and what happened afterwards.

Even now, enough protesters gathering together on the streets could potentially overwhelm the security forces, or at least make them increase the use of force in ways that could be counter-productive to the regime.

But there is no clear strategy on how to achieve that.

At the same time the government faces the possibility of further challenges to its legitimacy, from the clerics and from the parliament.

Consolidating power is going to be difficult.

For the foreseeable future this is going to be a government that relies on force or the threat of force. The Islamic Republic will look much more like a traditional military dictatorship.

Ideally for them a new foreign threat might emerge. Already the government has tried to portray the protests as instigated by the West.

But President Barack Obama makes an elusive enemy.

On Thursday US forces even released five Iranian diplomats held in Iraq, removing a long-running sore between the two countries.

It is still possible that Mr Ahmadinejad's government will restore order and appear to rule as before.

There is no doubt he has a hard core of several million intensely loyal supporters, including members of the Revolutionary Guards and the Basij militia.

But the Islamic Republic has been badly damaged, already change has begun, and it is hard to see how it will end.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Russia 'shot down its own planes'!

Russian jets carried out airstrikes against targets in northern Georgia

A report in a Russian military journal claims that half the planes Russia lost in its war with Georgia last year were shot down by friendly fire.

The article, in the Moscow Defence Brief magazine, also claims that Russia lost a total of six military aircraft, two more than it is admitting to.

The report is highly critical of Russian forces during the brief war.

But a senior Russian military official said the information contained in the report was incorrect.

Interfax news agency quoted deputy chief of the General Staff Anatoly Nogovitsyn as saying Russia had already provided full information about losses during the conflict with Georgia and there was nothing to add to this.

"Regarding insinuations that Russian air force planes were shot down by our own air defences, these also bear no relation to the truth," he added.

Russian air force officials have always claimed that four planes were lost during the five-day war last August.

The report was written by the respected Moscow-based Centre for Analysis of Strategy and Technology (Cast).

Cast gives detailed information about each of the losses, including times, locations and the names of the pilots.

It is also highly critical of the Russian military.

It says there was a total absence of co-operation between the Russian army and the Russian air force, which led them to conduct completely separate campaigns.

Russian forces easily overwhelmed Georgian troops during the brief war.

But the BBC's Rupert Wingfield-Hayes says losses sustained by the Russian side in just five days have led analysts here to question how Russian troops would fare against a bigger, better-equipped and better-trained enemy.

BBC NEWS REPORT.