Deadly earthquakes hit Iran

Deutsche Welle, 11 Aug 2012

Two powerful earthquakes have hit Iran just minutes apart, killing at least 80 people and injuring hundreds. Rescue efforts have been hampered with downed telecommunications.

Two strong earthquakes struck the northwest of Iran on Saturday killing at least 80 people and injuring 400 across dozens of villages, the head of the regional natural disasters center, Khalil Saie, told Iranian news agency ISNA.

Officials said panicked residents fled into the streets as the powerful 6.2-magnitude quake hit at 4.53 p.m. local time. An aftershock, measuring 6.3 on the scale was reported 11 minutes later according to measurements taken by the US Geological Survey.

The quake, which hit near the city of Tabriz, home to 1.5 million people, managed to escape relatively unscathed except for a few obvious cracks in buildings, said officials at Tehran University's Seismological Center.

The epicenter was 60 kilometers (40 miles) from Tabriz, close to the town of Ahar.

Six villages had been completely destroyed in the quake, local officials said, with scores of other severely damaged.

Regional Govenor Ahmad Alireza Beigi told state media "nearby villages were a source of concern," as the earthquake broke telephone communications, making the rescue effort problematic.

A lack of communication forced rescue personnel to use radio and to send helicopters to some of the isolated villages to assess the extent of the tremor.

Iran straddles several major fault lines and has suffered several quakes in recent times, the last struck the city of Bam in 2003 when more than 25,000 lost their lives.

jlw/ng (Reuters, AP, dpa)

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Africa bids farewell to Ghana's late leader

Deutsche Welle, 10 Aug 2012

Ghana's late president John Atta Mills is being laid to rest in a service attended by international dignitaries and African leaders. Mills died suddenly in July, reportedly with throat cancer.

Mills' death on July 24 came five months ahead of a planned bid for re-election. He came to power in 2008 and was credited with helping build Ghana's oil wealth in a transparent way.

His burial on Friday will end a three-day funeral in the capital Accra, but around the country, districts and groups have held their own services to bid farewell to the popular 68-year-old. 

John Dramani Mahama was named
as Ghana's new president

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is finishing an 11-day tour of Africa, was due to attend the main service. Liberia's Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Senagal's Macky Sall and Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe are also expected to attend the ceremony.

"He was like a brother to me. I will surely miss him," Gnassingbe said.

Tens of thousands of people were expected to gather in central Accra's Independence Square for the service, and around the city giant screens were installed at key points.

Thousands filed past Mills' open casket on Wednesday and Thursday, as his body lay in state at the government's State House.

Mills was widely known in the country of 25 million people as the so-called 'prince of peace' for his dedication to human rights.

He died suddenly after reportedly battling throat cancer, which he did not disclose to his supporters. Ghana's new president has been named as John Dramani Mahama, a former historian and journalist, who is expected to stand for election in the place of Mills.

jr/slk (dpa, AFP, Reuters)

African central banks included in RMB bond placement

Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2012-08-10

The China Development Bank Tower in Shanghai. (Photo/CFP)

The state-owned China Development Bank has arranged for 500 million yuan (US$78.7 million) of renminbi-denominated bonds issued in Hong Kong to be placed with central banks in Africa, representing another significant step in the internationalization of China's currency, reports the Beijing-based Economic Observer.

On July 26, the China Development Bank issued 2.5 billion yuan (US$392.8 million) of securities in Hong Kong — known as "dim sum bonds" — comprising 1.5 billion yuan (US$235.9 million) of three-year bonds and 1 billion yuan (US$157.3 million) of 20-year bonds.

One-third or 500 million yuan (US$78.6 million) of the three-year bonds will be placed with the central banks of African countries, said to include Nigeria and Tanzania. This marks the first time African central banks have participated in an offshore renminbi bond investment in primary markets.

The remainder of the bonds will be offered to investors in Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

"The internationalization of the renminbi is inevitable, and Africa is a fertile soil and important front for this process, with 36 billion yuan (US$5.7 billion) in trade done in the Chinese currency already during 2011, said Jeremy Stevens, a South African economist based in Beijing. Stevens predicts that by 2015, 20% of all foreign currency reserve assets held by African central banks will be renminbi assets.

A spokesperson for the Beijing branch of South Africa's Standard Bank, which acted as sole bookrunner for the African placement, said the deal is a reflection of China Development Bank's performance and the confidence in the credit rating of African investors. African investors have been interested in the dim sum bond market for some time and have been keen to participate, she said.

Bing Fan, the managing director of Standard Bank China, says the deal "bolsters two-way capital flows between China and Africa, which is exciting for both sides as until recently capital has mostly been flowing from China to Africa."

"The bond sale also marks an important step in the renminbi's road to becoming a global reserve currency, which is key to the internationalization of the currency," Bing said.

Meanwhile, in another first, Hong Kong banks have been legally allowed to set up accounts offering renminbi services for non-Hong Kong residents since August 1 this year.

Zhao Xijun, a finance professor at Renmin University of China in Beijing, believes the move symbolizes yet another step in the internationalization of the renminbi. Hong Kong is a significant economy, and offering non-residents renminbi services will attract more businesses, investors and financial institutions to expand their renminbi operations in the territory, he said.

Hu Xiaolian, the vice governor of China's central bank, the People's Bank of China, says renminbi cross-border trade settlements have grown from only four cities and 300 enterprises to become open to the entire country in just three years. From January to May, the growth of renminbi denominated cross-border transactions is 70% faster than the previous corresponding period, Hu said.

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Sick African Leaders Tout Health Until the End

ABC News, by Krista Larson / Associated Press, Dakar, Senegal August 8, 2012 (AP)

The rumors started to swirl around Ghana in June: President John Atta Mills was ill, maybe too sick to seek re-election, and he was going abroad to seek medical treatment. Some radio stations went so far as to prematurely report his death.

Eager to deny the speculation, Atta Mills jogged at the airport upon his return in a display of his vigor. The following month, though, the 68-year-old was dead. Many lined up in the capital, Accra, where his body was laid in a casket draped in the national colors of red, yellow and green on Wednesday to pay their respects before his burial Friday.

In a part of the world where presidents traditionally have ruled for life, Atta Mills is only the latest West African leader to show that "routine checkup" can be the code word for much graver troubles.

Many longtime rulers in the region have feared coups or power grabs if they were perceived as vulnerable. Though even in a mature democracy like Ghana, those around Atta Mills still tried to protect his image of strength until the very end.

"I think it's a little bit about power — when you taste it and you really don't want to give it up whether you're sick or healthy," says Kwame Tufour, 36, who owns an energy company in Ghana. "I think it kind of got to his head."

Political calculation certainly plays a part in an election year, as there can be repercussions if a party's standard bearer is seen as weak, said J. Peter Pham, director of the Africa program at the Washington-based Atlantic Council.

While Ghana is an exception as a stable democracy, Pham said earlier strongmen in the region tended to concentrate power in their own hands until their deaths.

"You didn't vote for a party with a platform if you voted at all," he said. "Leadership was viewed and functioned as the figure that you followed."

Speculation on leaders' health isn't unique to West Africa — 88-year-old Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe insists he's "fit as a fiddle" despite reports he's battling prostate cancer. Few regions, though, can cite as many examples.

Only hours before the death of Gabon President Omar Bongo — at one time the world's longest-serving president — his prime minister described him as "alive and well."

And Nigeria's late President Umaru Yar'Adua grew so weak while in office he once had to be carried off a runway by a soldier during a state visit to Togo, according to a book by his former spokesman. The military officer assigned to Yar'Adua apparently draped traditional robes over his arm to conceal what was happening.

State-run television was told to only film one side of his face when the other side was swollen, according to the book by Olusegun Adeniyi.

The National Assembly ultimately voted extra-constitutionally to empower then-Vice President Goodluck Jonathan to serve as acting president for Nigeria.

The health and undisclosed illness of late Guinean strongman Lansana Conte also was a topic of national debate for years before his 2008 death. Rumors of his death surfaced periodically, including in 2003 when he was forced to go on TV to deny them.

The week before he died, the editor of a local paper was arrested after publishing a picture of the frail leader struggling to stand up. A spokesman for the president went on TV to assure the nation that Conte was not ill.

The newspaper was ordered to print a photograph of Conte, showing him in good health.

In Ghana, opposition newspapers in the weeks before Atta Mills' death had started questioning whether the president was healthy enough to seek a second term in December.

The late Ghanaian leader was apparently in a coma for at least a day — possibly two — before he died, said a government official in neighboring Ivory Coast who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

The official said the Ghanaians did such a good job hiding it that even the intelligence services of Ghana's closest allies were not aware of his state of health.

Eugene Oppong, 40, a driving instructor, said Ghanaians had started to notice recently that Atta Mills had grown lean, spoke with a raspy voice, and frequently took sips of water while giving speeches.

Still, Oppong said Atta Mills was right to stay in office until his death, and he called speculation about the president's health before his death disrespectful.

"So far as you still have your power and you're alive, you don't need to give your power to someone else," he said.

Associated Press writers Rukmini Callimachi in Dakar, Senegal and Laura Burke in Accra, Ghana contributed to this report.

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"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems  (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it),  Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse),  Illuminati (Based in Greece, Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to built Africa to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text Version)

Ethiopian prime minister Meles Zenawi not seen for seven weeks

Addis Ababa mute on whereabouts of PM – latest African leader believed to be unwell but subject of information blackout

guardian.co.uk, Afua Hirsch, Wednesday 8 August 2012

Meles Zenawi, pictured in September last year, is believed to have received
medical treatment somewhere in Europe. Photograph: Khaled Elfiqi/EPA

He hasn't been seen in public since the G8 summit in Mexico, and since then Ethiopia's prime minister, Meles Zenawi, has even missed the African Union summit held in his own capital city, Addis Ababa.

Zenawi, 57, usually a conspicuous figure at meetings of African and international heads of state, has now been missing for more than seven weeks, amid growing incredulity.

Government sources in the secretive African nation say that Meles – who was seen looking frail before his disappearance – is resting but well, but more than one eyebrow has been raised at the reasons for his absence. "The Prime Minister is on vacation recovering from illness," an Ethiopian government source told the Guardian. "There has been a lot of ill-meant speculation about his health."

But there have been numerous reports that Meles traveled to Europe for medical treatment, prompting debate about its success as his recovery period continues unabated. Some media reports have claimed Meles visited the Saint-Luc hospital in Belgium, while the Egyptian state information service reported that Meles underwent surgery in Germany, prompting a cable of good wishes from President Mohamed Morsi.

The Ethiopian press – regarded as one of the least free in Africa – has also reported that Meles is recovering from medical treatment. Experts say there is widespread confusion as to the fate of the prime minister, even within the secretive ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF).

"It is a mystery what has happened to Meles and not even his own ministers know his fate," an exiled Ethiopian source said. "Media in Ethiopia have been getting it wrong and have now dropped the story altogether." Some analysts have claimed that Meles will not return to power at all, after a senior member of the TPLF, Sibhat Nega, stated that the party was working on a power succession and that the regime could continue in the event of "individuals" dying or leaving the government.

The death of president John Atta Mills in Ghana last month led to a rare broadcast on Ethiopian state TV on how to mourn the death of a leader, which has also fuelled speculation that Meles's health may be further deteriorating. It is not the first time that an African government has failed to confirm the illness or death of a leader in office, prompting periods of mysterious absence.

A century ago Emperor Menelik II, the founder of modern imperial Ethiopia, was buried in 1913 without any public announcement after he had been incapacitated by a stroke for several years, leaving the administration of the country in the hands of a specially appointed council.

More recently, the late Nigerian president Umaru Yar'Adua was neither seen nor heard from for almost six months – apart from one phone interview with the BBC – between travelling to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment, and his eventual death in May 2010.

Earlier this year news of president Bingu wa Mutharika of Malawi's death was leaked to the press, but not confirmed by the government for 24 hours, prompting fears of a power struggle and nearly triggering a constitutional crisis before he was eventually succeeded by the current president, Joyce Banda.

The tendency to shroud the sickness and deaths of leaders has been repeatedly criticised for destabilising often fragile democracies and triggering secretive succession crises. There have been a flurry of searches and social media interactions on the fate of Meles by Ethiopians – including a popular #WhereIsMeles hashtag on twitter, but his absence from government is of concern to donors, who pump almost $4bn (£2.6bn) of aid into Ethiopia every year.

It is thought that deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, is temporarily in charge, alongside other members of the ruling party. But one diplomatic source in Addis Ababa said that no western government was sure as to the whereabouts or fate of the Ethiopian leader.

Meles, who came to power in 1991 following a 30-year war that toppled the Soviet-backed regime of former president Mengistu Haile Mariam, has long been popular with donors for his record of delivering growth to Ethiopia, whose economy has been growing at an estimated 9% per year for almost a decade.

Ethiopia receives hundreds of millions of dollars in aid and support from the US, which welcomes its peacekeeping and military intervention in neighbouring conflicts in Somalia and Sudan. But Meles is viewed by many as a dictator who has stifled democracy and used draconian methods to silence dissent. The Committee to Protect Journalists, which regularly condemns the trial and imprisonment of journalists in Ethiopia, says that one newspaper – the weekly Feteh – was ordered by the government to block dissemination of 30,000 copies reporting on the prime minister's whereabouts.

"The ban on Feteh's latest issue illustrates the depth of repression in Ethiopia today and authorities' determination to suppress independent coverage of the prime minister," said Tom Rhodes of the CPJ. "Every citizen has a right to be informed about the wellbeing of their leader and the conduct of their government."

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African Olympics pavilion closes with debts outstanding

BBC News, 9 August 2012

Africa Village has showcased cultural, artistic and sporting displays
from across the continent 

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The hospitality centre for African nations competing in the Olympics has had to close because of unpaid debts, a spokesman has confirmed.

Africa Village, set up in Kensington Gardens, west London, owes suppliers hundreds of thousands of pounds, Laurent Bagnis said.

He said an exact figure was not yet known.

A meeting is to be held to establish whether the venue can open later for its Tunisia Day.

It is the first time at an Olympic Games that the 53 African national Olympic Committees have come together to host one, specially dedicated house.

Located opposite the Royal Albert Hall, it has an exhibition area and restaurant open to the public and a reception area for Games officials, athletes and sponsors.

Since it opened on 28 July it has received 80,000 visitors, said communications director Mr Bagnis.

He said it had closed on Wednesday, adding a meeting was going to be held to "solve the situation".

Asked if reports that £395,000 is owed are correct, he said: "We have a lot of figures. I don't know which is right at the moment."

Tunisia Day was supposed to feature a line-up of live music.

Standing ovation for hijab-wearing Saudi woman athlete as she finishes Olympic 800m heat almost a whole lap behind fellow competitors

• American-based Sarah Attar is the first Saudi track athlete to compete in the Olympics
• Runs 800m heat in time of 2:44.95, nearly 45 seconds behind the winner
• Saudi Olympic Committee only allowed women to take part in June

Daily Mail, by Adam Shergod, 8 August 2012

 

They say in the Olympics it's not the winning that counts, but the taking part.

And that was certainly the case this morning as Sarah Attar, the first female track athlete to compete for Saudi Arabia in the Olympics, was cheered every step of the way in her 800m heat.

In the end, she completed the two laps of the track nearly 45 seconds behind the winner, but her participation alone represented an historic moment.

Saudi Arabia's Sarah Attar (centre) waves to the crowd in the Olympic
Stadium as she lines up in heat six of the women's 800m this morning

Attar completed the two laps of the 800m in a time of two minutes
44.95 seconds, nearly 45 seconds behind the leader

Dressed in a long-sleeved green training top, long jogging bottoms and a white hijab, she certainly stood out on the start line in sweltering heat in the Olympic Stadium.

And it was quickly obvious that Attar wasn't going to be able to keep pace with the rest of the field as she fell a long way behind.

But whatever the sport, Olympic crowds love a plucky trier and Attar was given a standing ovation as she crossed the finish line, almost a full lap behind the others.

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Her time of two minutes 44.95 seconds was a long way behind that recorded by the winner, Kenya's Janeth Jepkosgei Busienei, who ran two minutes 01.04 seconds.

It doesn't matter though, because Attar is making history as one half of the first ever women's team to represent Saudi Arabia.

Speaking after the race, she said: 'It is such an honour to be representing Saudi Arabia. Hopefully this can make such a huge difference.

'It was such a unique opportunity [to represent Saudi Arabia], they invited me and welcomed me and to make that first step for women is just the most amazing feeling ever.'

Attar is the first female Saudi track athlete to participate in the Olympics
 after the nation's Olympic Committee overturned a ban on women. She was
given a standing ovation as she crossed the finish line

Her teammate, the judoka Wojdan Shaherkani, wrote her name into Olympic history on Friday when she was defeated by Puerto Rican Melissa Mojica in a first round bout.

The fight only lasted a minute but Shaherkani will forever have the distinction of being the first Saudi female Olympian.

The pair were forced to walk behind the male Saudi athletes in the Opening Ceremony parade of nations, a symbol of an ultra-conservative country in which women are actively discouraged from participating in sport.

The judoka Wojdan Shaherkani (left), getting to grips with Puerto Rican
Melissa Mojica in a first round bout, is the other woman in the Saudi squad

Both were given rapturous receptions by the British crowds as they took part in their events and their presence in London represents a giant stride forward for gender equality in their country.

Attar, 19, was born and raised in California and trains at Pepperdine University in Malibu, where she is studying art.

She has dual nationality because of her Saudi father Amer and chose to represent the Middle Eastern country.

The Saudi Olympic Committee overturned a ban on women athletes in June despite strong opposition from many quarters of society.

But officials demanded that all female competitors would be dressed 'to preserve their dignity' - hence the modest, long-sleeved garments and hijab covering the hair.

It was reported before the Games that Pepperdine University had been asked to remove photographs from an online biography of Attar because they showed her in a tank top and shorts with no hijab.

In Saudi Arabia, most women cover their heads and faces in public and wear a black cloak called an abaya.

She is one of a number of Middle Eastern track athletes who have competed in hijabs at the London Games, including Noor Hussain Al-Malki of Qatar and Shinoona Salah al-Habsi of Oman.

Noor Hussain Al-Malki (L) of Qatar pulled up injured during her 100m heat
and Oman's Shinoona Salah Al-Habsi (R) crosses the line in her 100m hea
on Friday

There were similar scenes in the Olympic Stadium when the Somalian 400m runner Zamzam Mohamed Farah finished nearly half a minute after the winner in her heat on Friday.

Wearing a blue hijab and 'modest' clothing, Farah was applauded by the crowd as she crossed the line.

Training facilities in Somalia are virtually non-existent, with those that do operate often pock-marked with bullet-holes.

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NAM Condemn Israel's Blockade of Conference in Ramallah

Jakarta Globe, August 06, 2012

Foreign ministers from the 13 countries on NAM’s Palestine Committee
 were to sign the so-called “Ramallah Declaration” supporting a Palestinian
 bid to upgrade its UN status from observer to non-member state. Ministers
blocked from entering Ramallah have criticized Israel for violating international
law. (AFP Photo).

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Indonesia and 12 members of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)’s special committee for the support of Palestine’s freedom have condemned Israel for not giving access to the participants of an extraordinary summit in Ramallah, Palestine, on Sunday.

The summit was supposedly held on Sunday (August 5), but delegates were not allowed to enter Ramallah to attend it, according to a press release from the Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry here on Sunday.

“Israel’s argument that some participating countries have no diplomatic ties so that it did not allow the participant to enter Ramallah is weak because it is known that the conference is going to be held in Palestine, not in Israel,” said the statement. 

The extraordinary summit supposedly taking place on Sunday (August 5) was expected to discuss the Palestinian people’s solidarity and to directly check the latest condition in Palestine after years of being occupied by Israel.

Foreign ministers from the 13 countries on NAM’s Palestine Committee were to sign the so-called “Ramallah Declaration” supporting a Palestinian bid to upgrade its UN status from observer to non-member state.

The Palestine Committee comprises ministers from Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Cuba, Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Senegal, Colombia and India.

“The Israeli action violates the international law. We deeply deplore the fact that the extraordinary summit in Ramallah is cancelled due to its blockade. Israel’s latest action strengthens NAM’s intention to help the Palestinian people obtain their freedom,” the statement said.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr condemned Israel’s “blatant action,” saying: “It is a flagrant violation of the principles of international law and of Israel’s obligations as the occupying power.”

“This Israeli action highlights once again to NAM and to the whole international community the plight of the Palestinian people in their struggle to achieve full independence,” Amr said in Amman.

The delegates also asked NAM’s Coordination Bureau in New York to take the Israeli action seriously. 

Antara, AFP

Paris villa of Equitorial Guinea leader's son Obiang seized

BBC News, 3 August 2012 

The six-storey mansion is located in one of the most prestigious
neighbourhoods in Paris

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French authorities have seized the Paris mansion of the son of Equatorial Guinea's leader as part of a money-laundering probe, officials confirm.

Teodorin Nguema Obiang Mangue is currently being sought on corruption charges.

His Paris villa is thought to be worth between 100m (£79m: $124m) and 150m euros, the AFP news agency reports.

Mr Obiang, the 43-year-old son of President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mbasogo, denies any wrongdoing.

Authorities seized the six-storey property on July 19, a court official told the BBC.

The luxury mansion is located on Avenue Foch in one the most prestigious neighbourhoods of the French capital.

A week earlier, Judge Roger Le Loire had issued an international search warrant after Mr Obiang refused to be interviewed by magistrates on charges of corruption.

The allegations were brought forward by anti-corruption group Transparency International. The organisation suspects Mr Obiang, as well his father and several other African leaders, of using state assets to acquire property in France.

'Judicial immunity' 

Teodorin Obiang is known for his
lavish lifestyle 

Mr Obiang's lawyer, Emmanuel Marsigny, told the AFP news agency in mid-July that he had not been informed that any mandate for his client's arrest had been issued.

He added that any such warrant would be a "non-event" due to Mr Obiang's status.

"Mr Obiang has judicial immunity as he is the vice-president of Equatorial Guinea and therefore could not attend the summons," Mr Marsigny said.

Correspondents say Mr Obiang, who serves as agriculture minister, is known for his lavish lifestyle.

He recently hit the headlines when he honoured his promise to pay his national football team $1m (£641,000) for winning the opening game of the Africa Cup of Nations which Equatorial Guinea co-hosted earlier this year.

In October 2011, the US government said it would seek to recover assets worth more $70m from Mr Obiang. A month earlier, French police seized some fifteen luxury cars belonging to Mr Obiang, including a Maserati, Aston Martin and Rolls Royce.

Equatorial Guinea is one of Africa's largest oil exporters, but most of its 720,000-strong population lives in poverty.

President Obiang seized power from his uncle in 1979 and was re-elected last year with 95% of the vote.

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Clinton hails gay rights activists in wary Uganda

Reuters, by Andrew Quinn, Kampala, Aug 3, 2012

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (L) meets with Ugandan President 

Yoweri Museveni at the State House in Kampala August 3, 2012.

 (Credit: Reuters/Jacquelyn Martin/Pool)

(Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday praised activists who opposed a tough draft law in Uganda targeting gays and lesbians, calling them an inspiration for others struggling to secure equal rights around the world.

Clinton presented a coalition of Ugandan rights groups with the State Department's 2011 Human Rights Defender Award, a signal to African and Islamic nations that Washington will not backtrack in its fight against the legal and political persecution of homosexuals.

"It is critical for all Ugandans - the government and citizens alike - to speak out against discrimination, harassment, and intimidation of anyone. That's true no matter where they come from, what they believe, or whom they love," Clinton said.

Clinton said she raised the issue in talks on Friday with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, whose government has been accused of allowing political and religious leaders to drum up anti-gay feeling in the deeply conservative East African nation.

"You are a model for others and an inspiration for the world," Clinton said to representatives of the group, formed in 2009 to combat draft legislation which proposed the death penalty for anyone convicted of "aggravated homosexuality".

The bill, which spurred a global outcry, stalled in parliament but has been reintroduced in a watered down form by a member of Museveni's party.

The new version dropped the death sentence, but would still outlaw the "promotion" of gay rights and punish anyone who "funds, sponsors or abets homosexuality".

Clinton's strong expression of support for Uganda's beleaguered gay community came as she continued a seven-nation trip across Africa.

She began Friday with a visit to South Sudan, Africa's newest nation, where she urged the new government in Juba to make a deal with their old rulers in Khartoum to resolve a dispute over oil revenues which has driven both countries to economic crisis. [ID:nL6E8J39K3].

On Saturday, she will continue on to Kenya, before heading south to Malawi and South Africa.

COULD DRONES HUNT KONY?

In Uganda, Clinton visited a military base where Ugandan and U.S. soldiers showed her the U.S.-made "drone" aircraft now patrolling the skies over Somalia, where an African Union force is seeking to crush al Shabaab Islamist insurgents.

Uganda, a strong U.S. security partner, has contributed the bulk of the Somalia force and Clinton said she foresaw a day when drones might help the United States and Uganda with another of their joint military efforts - the hunt for renegade Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony.

"Now we have to figure out how to look through thick vegetation to find Joseph Kony," Clinton said, after inspecting a drone, a small unmanned aircraft no more than a yard long and mounted with cameras.

The United States last year dispatched about 100 military advisers to help Uganda and other central African nations track down Kony, whose Lord's Resistance Army has been charged with repeated atrocities against civilians.

But Kony is at large in a vast and often heavily-forested part of Africa, making finding him difficult.

U.S. officials stressed that Clinton's visit to Uganda was aimed at thanking it for its strong security assistance in Somalia and elsewhere.

But the visit highlighted lingering tensions between Washington and Museveni, accused by critics of increasingly authoritarian policies and of bending the constitution to prolong his rule.

Before her meeting with the Ugandan leader, Clinton indicated that she would gently press him to think about a day when he might leave the political stage.

"It is important for leaders to make judgments about how they can best support the institutionalization of democracy," Clinton told reporters. "It's not about strong men, it's about strong institutions."

(Writing by Andrew Quinn and James Macharia; Editing by Andrew Osborn)

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L'Oreal heiress Bettencourt sells Seychelles island

BBC News, 1 August 2012

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Mrs Bettencourt's financial affairs
 have rarely been out of the media
glare in recent years

L'Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt has sold a Seychelles island at the centre of a tax evasion case, says the government of the island chain.

Mrs Bettencourt sold D'Arros island for $60m (£39m), having bought it in 1998 for $18m, said Seychelles Habitat Minister Christian Lionnet.

He said she had also agreed to settle $8m in unpaid taxes from its purchase.

The island purchase came to light in 2010 when Mrs Bettencourt was being investigated by French tax authorities.

The 89-year-old heiress is now back in the spotlight amid allegations that she made illicit donations to the election campaign of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Mr Sarkozy's house was raided a month ago as part of the police investigation.

'Tax haven'

Mr Lionnet said Mrs Bettencourt had now sold D'Arros and surrounding islands to a firm affiliated to the Swiss-based Save Our Seas Foundation - a marine conservation group.

In a statement on its website, Save Our Seas said it had agreed to manage the islands, which are turtle breeding grounds, on behalf of the Seychelles government.

It said it would "undertake all what is necessary to protect this unique piece of land in the world and to preserve the environmental legacy of this exceptional group of islands in the Seychelles".

Mrs Bettencourt's ownership of D'Arros was revealed in 2010, when media reports claimed she had not declared the purchase to French authorities and was using the island as a tax haven.

She has since admitted evading tax on money held in foreign bank accounts.

With the sale of the islands, Mrs Bettencourt has agreed to pay the Seychelles government $8m in taxes outstanding from her purchase of the island, Mr Linnet said.

He said she would pay a further $10.5m in stamp duty and other taxes on the current sale.

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