San Francisco braced to greet Olympic torch

Thousands of protesters were expected to line the route of the latest leg of the Olympic torch's "Journey of Harmony" on Wednesday as officials in San Francisco braced themselves for a repetition of the tumultuous scenes in Paris and London. A broad coalition of protest groups has converged on the city.

Zim elections 'not an even playing field'

A war of words has erupted ahead of election day in Zimbabwe this Saturday, with the opposition saying the government has already rigged the vote. These elections were "never meant to be an even playing field", said Nkosana Moyo, coordinator of presidential hopeful Simba Makoni's campaign, in Johannesburg on Wednesday.

Poor, rural women bear brunt of Aids

Poor, rural women bear the brunt of South Africa's HIV pandemic as they face sexual abuse and discrimination, rights body Amnesty International said on Tuesday, urging government action. A new report said rural women were disproportionately affected by poverty and unemployment and continued to suffer subjugation at the hands of men.

Tibetan riots spread, lockdown in Lhasa

Rioting erupted in a province neighbouring Tibet on Sunday, two days after ugly street protests by Tibetans against Chinese rule in Lhasa that the contested region's government-in-exile said had killed 80 people. A police officer said that about 200 Tibetan protesters had hurled petrol bombs and burnt down a police station.

Aid groups say Gaza conditions worst since 1967

British humanitarian agencies on Thursday said the situation in the Gaza Strip was the worst in 40 years and urged the European Union to hold talks with Hamas. "The situation for 1,5-million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip is worse now than at any time since the beginning of the Israeli military occupation in 1967," the eight NGOs said in a joint report.

Sarkozy urged to press Chad on missing politicians

French President Nicolas Sarkozy travelled to Chad on Wednesday as rights groups urged France not to "cover up" for President Idriss Déby Itno, accused of having a hand in the disappearance of opposition members. The president will make a brief stopover in Ndjamena en route to South Africa.

Egypt delays Brotherhood verdict, arrests 17

An Egyptian military court has delayed by a month a verdict on 40 members of the opposition Muslim Brotherhood who face charges of belonging to a banned group, Brotherhood officials said on Tuesday. Brotherhood lawyer Abdel Moniem Abdel Maqsoud said the court set March 25 as the new date for a verdict for the men.

Nigerian prisons a 'national scandal'

Nigeria's prisons are a "national scandal", filled with thousands of inmates who have never been convicted of any crime while some prisoners wait decades to face trial, Amnesty International said on Tuesday. The human rights group said only about 35% of Nigerian inmates have been convicted in court.

Protests mount over Chad arrests

Residents of Chad's curfew-bound capital, Ndjamena, did their best on Friday to resume normal life amid the ruins of a rebel attack and mounting protests over arbitrary arrests and alleged summary executions. The Chadian army said the rebels who were driven back from Ndjamena had withdrawn to Mongo, 400km east of the city.

Russian court refuses to release sick oil boss

A Russian court refused bail on Wednesday to a jailed oil executive who is gravely ill with HIV/Aids, the latest ruling in a case that has put Russia in breach of an order from the European Court of Human Rights. Vasily Alexanian (36) has said he will die unless he is transferred from his Moscow prison to a specialist hospital.

Thousands flee Chad capital, fresh attack feared

Thousands of civilians fled Chad's capital Ndjamena on Monday after rebel forces pulled back from a two-day assault, but the rebels said they would attack again to try to topple President Idriss Déby Itno, whose government said it had beaten off more than 2 000 insurgents.

Kenya vows tougher action to stop killings

Kenya on Wednesday pledged tougher action to rein in post-election violence that threatens to spiral out of control, in the East African nation's darkest moment since independence in 1963. Protests over President Mwai Kibaki's disputed re-election in the December 27 vote have degenerated into cycles of killing between rival tribes.

Libya says 'no exceptions' in migrant expulsions

Libya will make no exceptions in its drive to expel illegal immigrants and any recruitment of foreign labour in future must be done through legal channels, an official said on Sunday. The oil-rich North African country said on Wednesday it had started deporting illegal immigrants, a community of up to two million, mostly men from poor African states.

Moroccan court upholds 'homosexuality' sentences

A Moroccan appeals court has upheld prison sentences for six men jailed for "homosexuality", lawyer Mohamed Sebbar said on Wednesday. The decision prompted Amnesty International to call for Morocco to decriminalise homosexuality -- which carries a maximum three-year sentence.

Shock rock: The Taser that plays MP3s

Deborah Kerr in The King and I recommended whistling a happy tune when afraid, but now Americans can sing along to their favourite tracks while shooting anyone who causes them consternation with a 50 000-volt electric charge.

Post-election death toll soars in Kenya

Police raids, arson and tribal attacks over the last 24 hours have claimed more than 100 lives in Kenya, police and officials said on Tuesday, bringing the toll for five days of post-election bloodshed to 299. "At least 30 have burned to death inside a church in the Kiamba area," a police commander said.

Kenya election death toll rises above 185

Brutal unrest across Kenya over President Mwai Kibaki's re-election left about 150 people dead on Monday -- some hacked to death -- taking the overall toll to at least 185 killed in four days. Police opened fire on some protesters and looters and many people were killed with machetes as ethnic tensions mounted.

UN calls for moratorium on death penalty

The United Nations General Assembly passed a non-binding resolution on Tuesday calling for a moratorium on the death penalty, overcoming protests from a bloc of states that said it undermined their sovereignty. The resolution, which calls for "a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty," was passed by a 104 to 54 vote, with 29 abstentions.

Iran hangs man for raping boys

Iran has hanged a man convicted of raping three boys when he was 13 despite retractions from his accusers and an order for a judicial review of his case. Makwan Mouloudzadeh (20) was put to death on Wednesday in a prison in the western province of Kermanshah.

Intimidation, dirty tricks help Putin to massive landslide

President Vladimir Putin appeared to be heading for a landslide victory in Russia's parliamentary elections on Sunday night amid widespread reports that millions of citizens were coerced into voting for his party, United Russia. Early results from the Central Election Commission indicated the party was leading with 63% of votes.

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