Lunchtime News Wrap
Tue, 17 Jun 2008 12:32MANN
The trial of British mercenary Simon Mann is underway in Equatorial Guinea. He is facing charges of plotting to topple the government. Mann was arrested in Zimbabwe in 2004 with 70 other mercenaries and if convicted, he could face the death penalty. Equatorial Guinean President Teodoro Obiang Nguema's government believes Mann was used by those who financed the operation.
Authorities say the British national testified that Mark Thatcher, the son of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, knew all about the scheme. The country is seeking an international warrant of arrest for Thacther. Earlier Thatcher was fined ZAR3 million for investing in an aircraft that was going to be use in a coup. In November 2004, the country convicted 11 foreigners and two local men on charges of plotting. Nick Du Toit, a South African national was sentenced of 34 years in jail.
ZIMBABWE
Lawyers for detained Zimbabwean opposition official Tendai Biti have asked a court to release him, that's after police reportedly failed to bring him to court to face a treason charge. Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai is also no stranger to arrests and beatings from the government. But President Robert Mugabe has blamed the MDC for disturbances in the country, this ahead of next week's run-off elections.
Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change party says 66 people have been killed in the election violence by ruling ZANU-PF supporters. The party has also called on President Robert Mugabe to be arrested, saying he is guilty of treason. Mugabe is battling to keep his 28-year hold on power in a country suffering economic collapse. Branding Zimbabwe's government a "criminal regime", British Prime Minister Gordon Brown joined U.S. President George W. Bush in urging Mugabe to allow international monitors to ensure a free and fair election.
CHAD
Chad President Idriss Deby has accused European Union military force EUFOR, of ignoring rebel attacks against his soldiers. Deby's sharp criticism follows a statement from the rebels saying they seized the eastern town of Biltine. EUFOR has a United Nations mandate to protect nearly half a million refugees in Chad.
The town is the third to be attacked in three days. Deby has long accused eastern neighbour Sudan of backing his rebel foes. Sudan denies this, but has accused Chad of supporting Sudanese rebels who attacked Khartoum last month. In a broadcast to the nation, the Chadian leader said his government had requested protection from the international community and had been happy to receive the EU military contingent when it deployed earlier this year.
FOOD SUMMIT
Soaring food prices tops the agenda at a summit of African agricultural ministers and experts in Kenya. Representatives from over 50 member states of the African Union are attending the five-day conference organised by the United Nations' Food and Agricultural Organisation. Also on the agenda is a push to improve irrigation practices as governments and experts try to ensure that farmers on the continent are less reliant on increasingly erratic rainfall. The conference is held every two years.
But this time it’s expected to follow up on resolutions made at last week's global summit in Rome. It discussed the impact of poor harvests and high fuel costs. Delegates say Africa could raise food production by up to 400 percent in two seasons, if there is more investment and a change in farming practices. But the delegates say Africa needs to take action to get itself out of a situation, which has left the continent with little choices, such as depending on charity.
MALI
Mali has introduced new methods to improve its milk production, in an effort to turn around the country's dairy industry. Cow's milk has long been recognised as an important source of calcium and protein, both essential components in a healthy diet. But in Mali, cow's milk is actually difficult to find.
The country has about seven million beef cattle with cows producing an average of only one litre of milk daily. That compares with up to 100 litres of milk a day, per cow, in the developed world. Mali imports some 44 million U.S. dollars worth of milk every year.
JAPAN - G8
Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda says the Group of Eight summit next month, is not the appropriate forum for agreeing on mid-term goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Fukuda's remark comes amid fresh signs that Washington's stance is hampering efforts to make climate change a centerpiece at the summit in Hokkaido, northern Japan. Fukuda has called on oil producing nations to boost oil production to calm prices.
The G8 leaders are expected to formalise a goal agreed last year that global greenhouse gas emissions should be cut 50 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. Fukuda echoed the need for emerging economies to get on board in a framework to follow the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012. Big emerging economies such as China and India want rich nations to take bold steps first.
