Lowest-cost mobile for vodafone

Mobile phone operator Vodafone has launched what it says is the "lowest-cost mobile phone on Earth".

The Vodafone 150, unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, will sell for "below $15" (£10) and is aimed at the developing world.

It will initially be launched in India, Turkey and eight African countries including Lesotho, Kenya and Ghana.

The UN predicts that mobile ownership will reach 5bn in 2010, with most growth in the developing world.

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) said that demand was being driven by people using their phones to access banking and mobile health services.

Clinton warns Iran

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says Iran is "becoming a military dictatorship".

She says Iran's elite army corps, the Revolutionary Guard, had gained so much power they had effectively supplanted the government.

She was speaking to students at a Qatar university during a tour of the region.

In response, Iran rejected criticism from the West about its human rights record at a meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Michael Jackson's doctor denies charges

Michael Jackson's former doctor has denied a charge of involuntary manslaughter over the singer's death.

Dr Conrad Murray was bailed for $75,000  after pleading not guilty to "unlawfully, and without malice, killing Michael Joseph Jackson".
His death was ruled as homicide, mainly caused by the anaesthetic Propofol.
 Jackson died at his home on 25 June last year at the age of 50.
A judge must decide whether to proceed to trial while a conviction could bring a jail term up to four years.

Iran enriches uranium

Iranian state media says Iran has started the process of enriching uranium to 20% in defiance of the West.

Al-Alam state television reported that the process was begun at the Natanz plant in the presence of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors.
The move came after Western powers stepped up pressure for international sanctions against Iran.

Iran currently enriches uranium to a level of 3.5% but requires 20% enriched uranium for its Tehran research reactor, which is meant to produce medical isotopes.

Experts say Africa malaria drugs are 'low-grade'

A study by US-based experts has suggested that Africans suffering from malaria may be getting sub-standard treatment.Researchers from the Pharmacopeia group found that between 26% and 44% of anti-malaria drugs in Uganda, Senegal and Madagascar were of poor quality.
The group, conducting the study for the World Health Organization, said low-grade drugs were being used in both public and private health practices.
Some 90% of malaria deaths in the world occur in Africa.

Sri Lanka opposition mulls move

Opposition politicians in Sri Lanka have begun talks to decide on their course of action following the arrest of the defeated presidential candidate.

General Sarath Fonseka was arrested at his office in the capital, Colombo on Tuesday evening.
The government said the general would be questioned and put on trial in a military court.
Gen Fonseka was defeated by incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa last month by six million votes to four million.
He rejected the results and vowed to challenge them in court.

France and Russia in deal

French defence officials say France has agreed to sell Russia an advanced warship and is considering a request from Moscow for three others.

Analysts say the deal, which would increase Russia's capacity to launch amphibious offensives, will alarm ex-Soviet states such as Georgia.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy had approved the sale of one Mistral, but Moscow naval officials had then asked for a further three ships, said Jacques de Lajugie of the French arms agency DGA.
It remains unclear when or where the 23,000-tonne Mistral class warship will be built.

Migrants rescued by Somalis

126 people have been rescued by Somali fishermen from the Gulf of Aden after they were forced into the sea by human traffickers at a gunpoint.

The migrants, mostly from Somalia and Ethiopia, said they had set off from northern Somalia a week ago.
They said their boat had developed engine trouble and drifted for days before the people smugglers forced them into the sea. Six people are missing.
The BBC's Peter Greste says the scale of this incident is rare.
But our correspondent says stories of human traffickers forcing migrants into the sea are not uncommon.
The coast guard from the semi-autonomous region of Somaliland spotted the first survivors floating in the water on Sunday.
They said the boat had originally set off from northern Somalia with 135 people on board, hoping for a better life in the Middle East or Europe.
Such migrant crossings normally head for Yemen.

Darfur rebel will not face ICC charges

The first Darfur war crimes suspect to face international judges has had the charges dropped against him .

Rebel leader Bahar Idriss Abu Garda,  had been accused of planning the killing of 12 African Union peacekeepers in 2007.
Last week, the International Criminal Court (ICC) said charges of genocide against Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir could be resubmitted.
But  (ICC) judges ruled that there was not enough evidence to support a trial. 
Mr Bashir is already wanted for war crimes.

Canadian commander charged with murders

Police says the commander of Canada's largest air force base has been charged with the murder of two women and the sexual assault of two others.

Col Russell Williams, 46, appeared in court a day after his arrest.
One woman was found dead in her house in November and the other was reported missing 11 days ago.


He was appointed commander of Base Trenton in Ontario - Canada's busiest air force hub - in July.
Det Insp Chris Nicholas, of Ontario Provincial Police, said Col Williams was arrested on Sunday.

He was held in custody and will appear again by video on 18 February. 

Four Nigerians jailed

The Accra Fast Track High Court yesterday sentenced four Nigerians to a total of 360 years for robbery.

The heavily armed Emmanuel Emeka, 38; Samuel Tanko, 28; Promise Emeka, 27; and Efanye Osuchukwu, 33,on February 25, 2006 forcibly entered the residence of an Accra-based legal practitioner, inflicted deep machete wounds on her and her brother and robbed them of valuable items.

The convicts, who had terrorized more than 50 households at West Legon, Haatso, Kwabenya and Agbogba; all suburbs of Accra in Ghana, were picked up by the police force from their hideout. 

Citing authorities to buttress the courts’ decision, the trial judge, Justice Charles Quist, held that the prosecution had proved guilt of the four convicts beyond reasonable doubt.

He added that  robbery was a menace to society and for that reason the court would impose harsh sentences on the convicts to serve as a deterrent.

The court held that the three prosecution wit¬nesses had been consistent in their evidence and there had been abundant proof that the four committed the offence at the residence of the com-plainant on February 25, 2006.

It said the convicts woefully failed in their bid to defend themselves and rather ended up admit-ting the offence during cross-examination from the prosecution.

The four had, during cross-examination from a State Attorney, Mr Paul Assibi Abariga, stated that they usually buried the weapons they used for their robberies on a farm at Kwabenya and later picked them up anytime they had an operation to embark upon.

The Black Stars of Ghana return home

The Black Stars of Ghana returned home to a tumultuous welcome Monday evening from Angola where they won silver at the 27th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations.
According to Food and Agric Minister, Kwesi Awhoi, who led a delegation of government officials to welcome the team back said the team is to meet President John Evans Mills over lunch at the Castle, Osu, today, tuesday.;.

Among the players who arrived in the country was Skipper Richard  Kingson, who on behalf of his colleagues, expressed gratitude to the government and people for the enormous show of support for the team.

Adding that though they desired to win the cup for Ghana, God designed otherwise, promising also that come June when the World Cup kicks off in South Africa, the Black Stars will give of their best and make the nation proud.


The  President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Mr Kwesi Nyantekyi, was grateful to the government for paying the team’s bonuses promptly, saying it provided the timely catalyst to push the team on.

He also believes the Black Stars have a bright future given the ages of the players and what they did, describing the tournament as one of the opportunities to prepare adequately for the World Cup. He added that most of the young players who were offered a chance to play in the tournament justified their inclusion into the Black Stars and they will be the team to watch at the World Cup.

China warns Obama

China has warned the US president that it will harm ties between the two countries if he meets the Dalai Lama.

Chinese Communist Party official Zhu Weiqun said there would be "corresponding action" if the meeting went ahead.
White House has indicated that Barack Obama intends to meet the head of Tibetans in exile.
Mr Zhu's comments follow talks between China and the Dalai Lama's representatives in China.
The talks yielded little progress, with both sides reiterating positions that were "sharply divided".

Malaysian opposition leader to face charges

The Malaysian opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim, has appeared in court to face charges of sodomy for the second time in a decade.
Mr Anwar denounced the proceedings as the "machinations of a dirty, corrupt few" as he entered the courtroom in the capital, Kuala Lumpur.
He could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
Mr Anwar served six years after an earlier sodomy conviction, but led the opposition to election gains in 2008.
The gains represented a major challenge to Prime Minister Najib Razak, whose coalition has held power for more than 50 years.

Cardinal appeals to Ghanaians abroad

Cardinal Peter Appiah Turkson, Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Coast, has appealed to educated Ghanaians living abroad to come home to contribute their quota toward socio-economic development of the country.
Cardinal Appiah Turkson, who is also the President of the Pontification Council for Justice and Peace Vatican in Rome, said highly skilled young professionals are heading toward developed countries, where quite a number were already working; creating what is popularly called the "brain drain." He was speaking on Monday at a ceremony organized by Taylor and Taylor Company Limited (TTCL) to commission an ultra modern building for the company in Accra.
TTCL is a private Ghanaian company which manufactures, refurbishes and supplies medical equipments to clients throughout the country. Cardinal Appiah Turkson observed that poor working conditions and the lack of opportunities for career advancement were factors that pushed many qualified Ghanaians to seek greener pastures abroad but he maintained that the Ghanaian could succeed with determination and proper planning in his own land.
He lauded the management of TTCL for their innovative ideas and business initiatives and encouraged other Ghanaians to imitate their example.
Cardinal Appiah Turkson alluded to the initiatives of exemplary educated and skilled Ghanaians in the country who had returned after pursuing higher education abroad and appealed to others to return home to pay back what was invested in them.
The new ultra-modern building is equipped with a conference room, storage facility, clinical laboratory, restaurant and bars and a lecture hall to train technicians and field engineers.

Gyan in Africa's best eleven

Asamoah Gyan, the leading scorer of Ghana Black Stars, is among the best eleven players selected by the Technical Committee of the Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) at the end of the 27th Edition of the Africa Cup of Nations in Angola.

Gyan, who scored three goals for Ghana in the competition and won the Orange Player of the Match Award after the final game against the Pharoahs of Egypt, is among the list of strikers selected by a committee made up of Hussein Abdel Moneim -Technical Director of CAF; Ben Kouffie and Anthony Baffoe from Ghana, Chief Onigbinde of Nigerian; Noser Fathy of Egypt and Maalouch Belhassan from Tunisia.

Gyan, who had a successful tourney, is the only Ghanaian in the Team dominated by Egyptians.

Ban Ki-moon has begun a fresh round of talks

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has begun a fresh round of talks aimed at reuniting Cyprus, saying "a solution is possible and within reach".

He was speaking before talks with Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat. He is also due to meet Greek Cypriot President Demetris Christofias.

The two leaders have been locked in peace talks for the past 16 months.

Mr Ban said reaching a deal required "courage, flexibility and vision as well as a spirit of compromise".

Ghana dissatisfied with dictatorial leadership.

The Ghanaian African Peer Review Panel of Eminent Persons (APRM) Delegation currently attending the APRM Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Saturday expressed its dissatisfaction with the dictatorial leadership of Professor Adebayo Adedeji, Chairperson of the body.

They cited the cancellation of discussions on the re-constitution of the APRM Panel; restructuring of the APRM Secretariat and status of country financial contributions as some of the issues, which created dissatisfaction among members at the summit.

These came to light, when the leadership of the delegation, led by Professor S.K. Adjepong, Chairman of the Governing Council of APRM briefed Vice President John Dramani Mahama, who is also in Addis Ababa to attend the 14th Ordinary Session of the African Union Heads of State and Government Summit.

Professor Adjepong explained that the meeting was going on smoothly until Professor Adedeji half-way announced the withdrawal of the named issues from the agenda.

He said the sudden withdrawal of those issues, which formed the core business of the discussions, did not only create a lot of room for suspicion, but could also create chaotic and negative repercussions for the Mechanism.

The Chairman of the Ghana Governing Council of APR said Ghana had played a meaningful role in the implementation of APRM on the Continent and would do everything possible in its jurisdiction to save it from undergoing negative challenges.

"There is the need to evaluate and review the APRM structures, processes and Mechanisms in order to uphold the principles and ideals enshrined in the founding documents as well as to ensure the integrity and credibility of APRM".

In his response, Vice President Mahama urged the leadership of APRM to stick to its ideals of good governance; transparency and openness and to serve as a rallying point for the development of the African Continent. He said Ghana had the moral authority to sustain the vibrancy of APRM and commended the Delegation for coming out with a memorandum to point out some of the issues they perceived dictatorial.

Meanwhile, Professor Adedeji in his report among other issues said the work of APRM was progressing smoothly as countries such as Mali; Mozambique and Lesotho were recently reviewed increasing the number to 12. He said the introduction of APRM had inculcated good governance and promoted democratic participation on the African continent and called on member countries to continue to support its activities. 31 Jan. 10

Royal Dutch shut three oil flow stations

Royal Dutch Shell has shut three oil flow stations in Nigeria's Niger Delta region after a pipeline was sabotaged.

The spokeswoman for the company said Saturday's leak on the Trans Ramos oil pipeline was confirmed "to have been caused by sabotage". The leak was later stopped.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.

It came shortly after Nigeria's militant group Mend said it was ending the truce it declared last October.

Mend (Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta) said it was not "directly responsible" for the attack, reports the Reuters news agency.

But an e-mailed statement said: "It was certainly a response to our order to resume hostilities by one of the various freelance groups we endorse."

Nigeria is one of the world's major oil producers but output has been cut by years of unrest in the Niger Delta - the source of its oil.

Somali Islamist rebel group are aligned with al-Qaeda's global militant campaign.

Somali Islamist rebel group al-Shabab has confirmed for the first time that its fighters are aligned with al-Qaeda's global militant campaign.

The group said in a statement that the "jihad of Horn of Africa must be combined with the international jihad led by the al-Qaeda network".

Meanwhile, several people have died in fighting in Mogadishu after government troops shelled militant positions.

Islamist insurgents control much of southern and central Somalia.

The government, which is backed by the UN and African Union, holds sway only in a small part of Mogadishu.

Despite repeated accusations by the US that al-Shabab is linked to al-Qaeda, the group denied the connection in a recent interview with the BBC.

The BBC Somali service's Mohamed Mohamed says it is the first time the group has officially confirmed its fight is linked to al-Qaeda.