AfriKa Awake

Nigerian President Yar'Adua Dies

2010-05-05T23:21:00.000-07:00

President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua became the first civilian leader in Nigeria to take over from another after winning controversial polls in 2007.
The former chemistry teacher was also the first Nigerian leader for 40 years to be university educated. But his academic background appears to have done little to help him on the political stage and mid-way through his first term in office, he was saddled with the nickname "Baba-go-slow".
A reclusive Muslim ex-governor from the northern state of Katsina, he promised a long list of reforms at his inauguration - tackling corruption, reforming the inadequate power sector and the flawed electoral system.

The only point on the to-do list on which he made some progress was tackling the unrest in the oil-rich Niger Delta. He met militant leaders and convinced them and thousands of their fighters to give up their weapons during a three-month amnesty in 2009, giving hope of peace at last for the poverty-stricken region. 'In the hands of God'Yet the issue that occupied more column inches than anything else during his time in office was his health. The 58-year-old had suffered from a chronic kidney condition for at least 10 years. In the past three years he was twice flown to Germany for emergency treatment and visited hospitals in Saudi Arabia. In November 2009 he went to a clinic in Jeddah for three months, leaving a power vacuum and intense speculation about the state of his health.

His spokesman said he had pericarditis, an inflammation of the lining around the heart. In his absence, Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan became acting leader in February 2010. Later that month, Mr Yar'Adua was thought to have returned home from Saudi Arabia to Abuja, although there was still no word on his medical condition.

In previous interviews, the president refused to say what he suffered from and repeatedly said that his life was "in the hands of God". Although he did not prove himself a political mover and shaker, he boasted a political pedigree that dates back to the 1960s when his father was appointed as a minister in the post-independence administration. His late elder brother - an army general - served as deputy leader when Olusegun Obasanjo was Nigeria's military ruler during the 1970s.

The pair were later imprisoned together after they were accused of plotting a coup against late military strongman Gen Sani Abacha.Self-confessed Marxist

Mr Yar'Adua's emergence as the ruling People's Democratic Party's (PDP) candidate in the presidential election in April 2007 rested almost exclusively on the support of Mr Obasanjo - then the elected civilian president.

Nigerian presidency sources at the time said Mr Obasanjo used a mixture of inducements and threats of investigation by the anti-graft agency to persuade 10 influential state governors to withdraw from the race and back Mr Yar'Adua. Analysts said that by backing Mr Yar'Adua to succeed him, Mr Obasanjo had hoped to continue pulling the strings after leaving office.

But it did not turn out this way and Mr Yar'Adua proved to be his own man.Within months of taking over, he reversed some dubious privatisations of state companies approved by Mr Obasanjo when president - and he also got rid of some key Obasanjo allies in the PDP. As an undergraduate student in Nigeria's Ahmadu Bello University, Mr Yar'Adua was a self-confessed Marxist and criticised his elder brother's "capitalist" leanings.

During his seven years as Katsina State governor, critics said contracts had gone to companies with links to his family's vast businesses. Yet he was one of only a few Nigerian politicians to publicly declare their assets - twice before being sworn in as governor and then again when he became president.

He was a father of nine children - five daughters and two sons with his first wife Turai, the first lady, whom he married in 1975 - and two sons with Hajiya Hauwa, whom he married in the 1990s. He divorced Ms Hauwa in 1997 before first running for governor. As a governor he was known to have ignored the advice of aides and bodyguards and walked alone to tobacco kiosks to buy a single cigarette. Described by his critics as taciturn and not known for his tolerance of opposition, Mr Yar'Adua was sometimes underestimated.As one commentator put it at the time of his election "because he's quiet, people mistake him for a weakling. But he's someone who knows his own mind".

Gabon oil workers strike over foreign workers

2010-04-15T09:52:00.001-07:00

Some say oil made Gabon's former President Omar Bongo a very rich man

Gabon's main oil workers' union has begun a strike which is seen as a big test for new President Ali Ben Bongo.

The strike has brought public transport in the capital Libreville to a standstill and could lead to significant cuts in oil production.

The unions are unhappy at labour regulations and want restrictions on the use of foreign workers.

Gabon is one of Africa's main oil producers but is trying to diversify away from oil as revenues from it fall.

There have been reports of shortages at petrol stations and people stockpiling fuel.

"The strike will be tough and could be long," said Onep union Secretary General Guy Roger Aurat Reteno, reports the AFP news agency.

"The consequences will be hard and disagreeable, but we are pushed into situations that are deplorable for everybody."

An Onep spokesperson told AFP the strike would effect all sectors using fuel, including the national energy and water company, but not hospitals and the security services.

Onep's main grievance is that too many oil jobs are going to Africans from other countries and Westerners.

The government had offered to establish temporary restrictions on foreigners working in the oil industry if talks were resumed, but Onep rejected the offer.

Gabon's previous President Omar Bongo amassed a vast fortune during his 41 years in office and was accused of embezzling oil revenues.

His son succeeded him in September 2009 after polls which opponents say were fixed.

The election was followed by violent street protests by opposition activists.

Is Ethiopia becoming global investors’ hub?

2010-04-15T09:41:00.001-07:00

Investors from 30 different countries obtain licenses in just 30 day. These are some of the latest investment data obtained from the Ethiopian Investment Agency, which reveals that the number of foreign investors coming to Ethiopia is increasing.

In just one month, September 2007, a total of 173 investment projects were registered, with more than half of these being foreign ventures from 30 countries. Chinese investors lead by investing in 18 projects out of the 90 registered.

They are followed by 17 Americans and 10 Britons, most of whom are of Ethiopian descent, according to the record found from the Agency. The remaining projects are joint ventures between foreigners and Ethiopians.

The origins of the remainder of investors registered in September are: India, Canada, Germany, Australia, France, Netherlands, Italy, Sweden, Belgium, New Zealand, South Africa, Barbados, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Lebanon, Palestine, Pakistan, Indonesia, Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, Sudan, Trinidad, Kenya and Djibouti.

In addition to the 173 companies registered by foreigners, almost half of the 52 share companies licensed in the same period have at least one or two foreign shareholders along with Ethiopian partners.

Real-estate, manufacturing, Hotel and construction sectors are among the major areas that attract most of the investors.

Many observers attribute the provision of incentives to investors by the government as one of the reasons behind the huge interest from abroad to invest in Ethiopia. On the other hand, some also opine that foreign investors are interested in Ethiopia because of the cheap labor and less fierce competition in larger markets which also include neighboring countries.

The incentives for investors include one hundred per cent exemption from the payment of import customs duties and other taxes levied on imports of all investment capital goods such as plant machinery, equipment and construction materials.

In addition, Ethiopian products and services destined for export are exempted from the payment of any export tax and other taxes levied on exports.

Duty Draw-Back Scheme, Voucher Scheme and Bonded Manufacturing Warehouse Scheme are also among the incentives for exporters.

Besides, any income derived from an approved new manufacturing and agro-industry investment or investment made in agriculture shall be exempted from the payment of income tax for the periods depicted in the following table, depending upon the area of investment, the volume of export, and the location in which the investment is undertaken.

According to Council of Ministers Regulation No.84/2003 issued on the basis of the Investment Proclamation No. 280/2002, the following Profit tax holidays are provided for investors.

Malawi, UNDP sign $4.2m climate change deal

2010-04-15T09:37:00.001-07:00

Malawi and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has signed a formulation phase project document for managing climate change in the country to be implemented to a tune of $4.2 million.

The project will be co-financed by Norway, Spain and the Department for International Development (DFID).

The formulation phase project is aimed at enhancing coordination between government and its developing partners in developing a national framework for responding to challenges climate change poses to Malawi’s economic development and food security.

Speaking during a signing ceremony in Lilongwe, Malawi’s Minister of Development Planning and Cooperation Abbie Shawa said government is aware of developmental challenges that climate change poses to Malawi, hence the project.

He cited persistent droughts, flooding and erratic rain patterns as most effects of climate change which are phenomenal and widespread in the country.

“This project aims at developing a national framework for managing climate change in this country. The government appreciated that sustainable natural resources and environment management provides an important foundation for supporting economic growth and development hence the inclusion of climate change as one of the key priority areas of the development agenda,” said Shawa

UNDP resident representative to Malawi Richard Dictus said the formulation phase of the project will put in place an appropriate framework for Malawi to deal with the future climate change risks.

“The national economic development need to be climate change proofed for Malawi to continue to grow and prosper. There is need to climate change proof land utilization, hybrid seed that is drought resistant and upscale to levels that can be managed,” he said

He said after the Copenhagen Summit in November last year, there have been considerable amounts of funding promised and Malawi would benefit if a robust framework is in place.

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Ghana: 'Rainbow' appears in the sky

2010-04-15T09:36:00.000-07:00

Ghanaians were held spellbound when the halo phenomenon emerged in the skies late Wednesday morning. Hundreds of people stepped out of their offices to take pictures of the celestial wonders. Onlookers believed it was signs of the last days. "Jesus is coming today," fascinated Victoria Mintah told AfricaNews.
However, meteorologists said the phenomenon known as halo phenomenon is natural around the world.

It is already a subject of interest on social networks. Ghanaian Facebookers are asking reasons behind it in the midst of their excitement.

“God is wonderful have u seen de sky people. Round rainbow surroundin de sun. Beautiful,” @ Lorraine Ama N. Atopley

“Solar halo is wats happenin in de sky,” she asked.

“Really i doubt if its a rainbow ,just one of the antics of God, definately we will get the scientific definition for it,” @Princess Anna-Marian Ayeley Ardayfio commented on someone’s status.

@Peace Naa Adei stated on her profile: “The sun is so beautiful!”

A halo also known as a nimbus, icebow or Gloriole is an optical phenomenon produced by ice crystals creating colored or white arcs and spots in the sky.

Mobile number portability for Kenya from July

2010-04-15T09:32:00.001-07:00

The Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) has said it will implement mobile number portability from July. The Commission said this would improve consumer choice and lower prices in the country. According to CCK's director, Charles Njoroge, the infrastructure needed for number portability would be ready by mid year.

The regulator first announced its plans to speed up mobile portability three years ago, according to Kenya’s Daily Nation.

Mobile phone users will then be able to migrate from one network to another without changing their numbers. They would have to inform their operator of choice which network they want to switch to when they need to.

“Therefore from July networks will cease to be identified by their prefixes (numbers) and business will depend on which firm offers the best service”, said Njoroge at a workshop in Nairobi last week.

However, he added that mobile phone users would pay a small administrative fee for the switching service, but he would ensure “that consumers are not overcharged”.

Also, CCK announced the enforcement of a cost study into prices of wholesale and retail mobile voice call terminations, to allow later for issuing new interconnection rates that are aligned with market trends.

The $700,000 study, conducted by global telecoms technology and media consultant Analysys Mason, required all mobile service providers in the country to submit the requested data by 7 May 2010. The final report will be presented on 18 June 2010.

Kenya currently has four mobile service providers: Zain, Orange, Safaricom and Yu.

SA: One dies in WC 2010 ticket scramble

2010-04-15T09:30:00.001-07:00

A pensioner died while thousands of people remained in long queues all night long across South Africa as the World Cup 2010 tickets go on sale across the counter. About 500, 000 soccer tickets are available for grabs with cash for the first time to entice citizens to fill up the stadiums.

According to Reuters report, local police said the 64-year-old man suffered an apparent seizure as he waited in a queue in central Cape Town. He was number 565 in the line. The Cape Town queue, like others around the country, began on Wednesday afternoon as South Africans rushed to get World Cup tickets, some of them for the final on July 11.

Soccer loving people dressed in the South African national team colours where seen patiently in the snake-like queues armed with their vuvuzelas - the noisy trumpets which are a fixture of South African matches.

Around 120,000 of the tickets are available to South Africans for $20, the lowest price at a World Cup for many years, Reuters noted.

"The last time I waited in a line like this was when I voted for Mandela," said one man who did not want to give his name because he was skipping work to stand in line, according to a BBC report.

Many South Africans had complained the original process, by which tickets were sold through Fifa's website or in a complicated ballot at a local bank branch, excluded people without web access, credit cards or the disposable income to pay for their tickets months in advance.

"We are excited about these new initiatives, which make the process much easier for everyone," commented World Cup 2010 boss Danny Jordaan.

"We have always said that it is important that we make this World Cup more accessible to the people and with over the counter sales, we believe this measure is consistent with the needs of the fans."

The global football fiesta kicks off from June 11 to July 11.

Obama says health vote 'historic'

2009-11-08T06:53:00.000-08:00

Mr Obama personally urged the Democrats to back the bill
US President Barack Obama has hailed as "historic" the approval of a health bill by the House of Representatives.
He said he was "absolutely confident" the Senate would pass its own version, and that healthcare reforms would become law by the end of the year.
Passed in a narrow 220-215 vote by the House, the bill aims to extend coverage to 36 million more Americans and provide affordable healthcare to 96%.
Mr Obama has made healthcare reform a central plank of his domestic agenda.
Correspondents say the legislation could lead to the biggest changes in American healthcare in decades.
Tight numbers
Democratic Senators must now consider their own bill. They need 60 out of 100 votes to bring it to a final vote.
I look forward to signing comprehensive health insurance reform into law by the end of the year
Barack Obama
There are only 57 Democrats and two independents in the Senate. Two Republicans have signalled they could approve a compromise health bill.
If it is passed, lawmakers from both houses will try to reconcile the two versions before the programme can be signed into law by the president.
In Saturday's vote, the bill was supported by 219 Democrats and one Republican - Joseph Cao from New Orleans. Opposed were 176 Republicans and 39 Democrats.
Mr Obama said: "Tonight, in an historic vote, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would finally make real the promise of quality, affordable healthcare for the American people.
"The United States Senate must follow suit and pass its version of the legislation. I am absolutely confident it will, and I look forward to signing comprehensive health insurance reform into law by the end of the year."
Abortion amendment
The debate had sparked strong emotions on both sides.
Democratic Party representative John Dingell said: "[The bill] offers everyone, regardless of health or income, the peace of mind that comes from knowing they will have access to affordable healthcare when they need it."
KEY BILL PROVISIONS

Aims to provide affordable healthcare to 96% to redress 2008 figure of 47 million uninsured
Individuals must obtain coverage and most firms must provide it to workers
Creates an insurance market for purchase of coverage
One product will be a government health insurance plan
People with pre-existing health problems cannot be denied insurance
Funded by raft of measures, including 5.4% surtax on those earning $500,000 a year or more
Those who earn up to 150% of poverty level to qualify for Medicaid government programme for the poor
Insurers must justify increases in premiums
Q&A: US healthcare reform
Send us your views on reforms
But Republican representative Candice Miller said: "We are going to have a complete government takeover of our healthcare system faster than you can say 'this is making me sick'."
Before the vote, Mr Obama had made a rare visit to Congress to try to persuade wavering members of his own Democratic Party to back the bill.
He said such opportunities came around "maybe once in a generation".
After the vote House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said: "I thank the president for his tremendous leadership, because without President Obama in the White House, this victory would not have been possible."
The bill will allow the government to sell insurance in competition with private companies and make insurers offer cover to those with pre-existing conditions.
However, the government-run healthcare programme - the so-called "public option" - was scaled back in the run-up to the vote.
One key concession to get the bill through was to anti-abortion legislators.
An amendment was passed that prohibits coverage for abortion in the government-run programme except for rape, incest or if the mother's life is threatened. Private plans can still offer the cover.
Democrat Bart Stupak, who sponsored the amendment, said: "Let us stand together on principle - no public funding for abortions."
Abortion rights supporters said the amendment was the biggest setback to their cause in decades.
The Senate debate on healthcare reform is expected in the coming days.
Senate majority leader Harry Reid said after the House vote: "We realise the strong will for reform that exists, and we are energised that we stand closer than ever to reforming our broken health insurance system."

BREAKING GOSSIP

2009-08-05T09:39:00.001-07:00

1549 BST: Fulham boss Roy Hodgson says he will do everything possible to keep highly-rated defender Brede Hangeland at Craven Cottage this summer. (Press Association).
1522 BST: AC Milan have told Chelsea that midfielder Andrea Pirlo is not for sale and that he will finish his career at the Italian club. (AFP)
1505 BST: Fulham have agreed a fee with Golden Arrows for Kagiso Dikgacoi and are now awaiting just a work permit for the South Africa midfielder. (Press Association)
1141 BST: Real Madrid say they have wrapped up their summer spending spree with the transfer of Xabi Alonso from Liverpool, ruling out a move for Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery or Valencia forward David Villa. (Associated Press)
1038 BST: Hull City will try and tempt Cardiff City with a £3.5m offer for striker Ross McCormack. (Wales Online)
1013 BST: Bayern Munich have dismissed speculation that striker Luca Toni is to join West Ham on loan. Full story: The Sun
0928 BST: Bolton manager Gary Megson says he is prepared to listen to offers for defender Danny Shittu. (Bolton Evening News)
Keep an eye on the gossip column throughout the day for updates and breaking news during the transfer window.
TRANSFER GOSSIP
Liverpool are expected to use some of the £30m they gained from the sale of Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid to make an £18m offer for Roma midfielder Alberto Aquilani.Full story: The Independent
Standard Liege midfielder Steven Defour is also linked with a move to Anfield and his agent Paul Stefani says he would not turn down a move to Liverpool. Full story: The Independent
Italian side AC Milan are preparing a £31m bid for Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas.Full story: The Sun
Darren Bent's transfer to Sunderland has still not been completed, despite the Tottenham striker passing a medical on Monday. (Daily Star)
Sunderland, meanwhile, are set to sign Lyon defender John Mensah on a season-long loan deal. Full story: The Sun
The Black Cats are also keeping tabs on Tottenham centre-back Michael Dawson.Full story: The Sun
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has failed with a £5.5m bid for Sevilla centre-back Federico Fazio. Full story: The Sun
Wenger says he will wait to sign Bordeaux's Marouane Chamakh on a free transfer next season, rather than improve his £6m offer for the striker this summer. (Daily Mirror)
Tottenham hope to sign Blackburn defender Christopher Samba for £10m to help ease their defensive crisis.Full story: The Sun
Manchester United will use their friendly with Valencia to run the rule over midfielder David Silva and forward David Villa. (Daily Star)
Stoke City want to take injury-prone Everton striker James Vaughan on loan. Full story: Daily Mail
Hull are set to sign Villarreal striker Jozy Altidore and have agreed a £3m deal for Stoke midfielder Seyi Olofinjana. (Daily Mail)
Burnley are in talks with Independiente winger Fernando Guerrero. (Daily Mail)
South African midfielder Kagiso Dikgacoi claims he has secured a move to Fulham from Golden Arrows after impressing on trial at Craven Cottage.Full story: The Independent
Kilmarnock manager Jim Jefferies has told Hamilton Accies they must make a substantial offer for midfielder Craig Bryson. (Various)
Hamilton have been busy making offers for Killie's Bryson, Motherwell's Jamie Murphy and Inverness midfielder Dougie Imrie - all of which have been rejected. (Scottish Daily Express)
Aberdeen manager Mark McGhee is ready to sell one of his top players to raise cash to bolster his squad. (Various)
Watford have joined Romanian side Unirea Uriziceni in the chase for Morton Jim McAlister. (Scottish Daily Express)
Southampton are interested in signing former Birmingham defender Radhi Jaidi. (Daily Mirror)
Ipswich are set to sign Watford striker Tamas Priskin in a £1.2m deal. (Daily Mirror)
Bristol City have told striker Lee Trundle that he is surplus to requirements at Ashton Gate. (Daily Mirror)
OTHER GOSSIP
Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has agreed a new three-year contract at the club worth over £100,000 a week. Full story: The Sun
Newcastle defender Sebastien Bassong has been fined two weeks wages for refusing to travel to play in a friendly at Dundee United, adding to speculation he may be about to leave for Tottenham.Full story: Daily Mail
Crystal Palace have been banned from signing players due to a dispute over unpaid bonuses and signing-on fees from last season.Full story: Daily Mail
AND FINALLY
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has written off Liverpool's title chances, claiming he has more chance of achieving a hole in one in golf. Full story: The Sun
Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder David Beckham is being considered for a goodwill ambassador's role at former club Manchester United when he hangs up his boots.Full story: The Sun
Meanwhile, Beckham and his wife Victoria are in negotiations to buy a £10m luxury home in Chelsea, sparking rumours of a move to the west London club. Full story: The Sun
Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney is being haunted by a vacuum cleaner that keeps turning itself on. Full story: Daily Star
Northampton's players will turn out for free on the opening day of the season with their wages being split between the club's eight nominated charities. (Daily Star)
It has been revealed that Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez suffered his recent heel problem after slipping in the shower. Tevez is in danger of missing the start of the season. Full story: The Guardian

Charity warns on Zimbabwe cholera

2008-12-21T23:44:00.000-08:00

The UN has warned the total number of cases could reach 60,000

The international medical charity, Medecins Sans Frontieres, predicts that the cholera epidemic in Zimbabwe will last well into 2009.

Manuel Lopez, the head of MSF in the country, told the BBC the epidemic was still at a critical level and would not subside until the rains end in March.

Even then, he said, the lack of clean drinking water means that cholera will be endemic in Zimbabwe.

The disease has claimed 1,123 lives and infected more than 20,000 people.

Mr Lopez says so many clinics and hospitals have closed that large sections of the population have no access to medical care.

"The ministry of health has declared a national emergency," said Mr Lopez.

"So it is very clear that the situation is very, very critical in terms of health people's access to health care."

Latest UN figures include a new outbreak of hundreds of cases in Chegutu, near the capital Harare, which has been worst hit by the disease.

MSF says that when it arrived in Chegutu 10 days ago, it found the local facilities completely overwhelmed.

Patients were lying on the floor, some next to dead bodies, sanitation services were non-existent, and there was no water and no food to be found.

"The situation was absolute chaos," said Luis Maria Tello, the MSF Emergency Team Medical Coordinator.

"There were no beds and patients everywhere. People were dying of thirst because there was no water."

The disposal of the dead was one of the first priorities set by the emergency team.

"Dead people were lying everywhere," said Mr Tello.

'War words'

The easily preventable disease has spread because of the collapse of health services and water sanitation in Zimbabwe.

The UN World Health Organization has said the total number of cases could reach 60,000 unless the epidemic is stopped.

South Africa's Red Cross is rushing much-needed medicine to Zimbabwe

A week ago Mr Mugabe said the outbreak had been "arrested".

He claimed Western powers wanted to use an epidemic as an excuse to invade Zimbabwe and topple him.

Meanwhile, South African ruling ANC leader Jacob Zuma said in a radio interview there was no reason for sending troops to Zimbabwe.

"Why military intervention when there is no war?" he told South Africa's 702 Talk Radio.

"We should be pressurising them to see the light."

Zimbabwe claimed earlier this week that Botswana, which has joined growing international calls for Mr Mugabe to quit, was hosting military training camps for MDC rebels.

But the current chairperson of the the Southern African Development Community, South African President Kgalema Motlanthe, said on Wednesday: "We never believed that."

$30 million aid for zimbabwe

2008-12-21T23:35:00.000-08:00

South Africa said on Sunday it would only hand over $30 million in agricultural aid to Zimbabwe after a unity government is formed, denying a Zimbabwe media report it had reversed a decision to hold back the help.

While South Africa and other southern African countries are helping Zimbabwe deal with a cholera epidemic, the regional power said last month it would only provide farming aid to its neighbour after a coalition government was formed.

The move was seen by many as South Africa's first punitive measure against Zimbabwe, which is battling food shortages, and a sign of frustration at its neighbour’s failure to enforce a stalled power-sharing agreement and stem an economic crisis.

In rare comments about Zimbabwe, Mozambique's president added pressure on the parties to form a unity government, according to a Reuters report.

"Under the present conditions of Zimbabwe, there is no ideal alternative to implementing this agreement (and) both sides should set up a power sharing government without further delay," Armando Guebuza said in a speech to diplomats in Maputo.

Some analysts say South Africa and other African nations have been too soft on President Robert Mugabe and want to see more regional pressure on him to break a political impasse.

Zimbabwe's state-owned Sunday Mail newspaper quoted Agriculture Minister Rugare Gumbo as saying farming inputs like staple maize seed, fertiliser and fuel forming part of the 300 million rand South African package had arrived.

"The South African government has sent a consignment of agricultural inputs to Zimbabwe under its 300 million rand farming support facility," the paper said.
But a spokesman for South African President Kgalema Motlanthe said South Africa had not reversed its stance.

"We said we would be able to help with agricultural assistance worth about 300 million rand once a new government has formed, and that has not changed," said Thabo Masebe.

"In parallel, there have been efforts to assist with the humanitarian crisis so that may be what they are referring to."

Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai signed the power-sharing pact on September 15 but the deal has been unravelling over disagreements about the control of ministries.

Meanwhile Zimbabwe has sunk deeper into crisis. Hyper-inflation means prices double every day and a cholera epidemic has killed more than 1,100 people.
South African is leading the regional Southern African Development Community (SADC) in providing urgent humanitarian aid to Zimbabwe.

Western leaders blame Mugabe for the crisis and have called on him to step down. He says economic sanctions are at fault, and has vowed "never to surrender" to what he says are efforts to topple him.

Insurgents attack AU Peacekeepers in Mogadishu

2008-10-17T00:32:00.000-07:00

One civilian was killed and five others injured as Islamist insurgents attacked African Union (AU) peacekeepers in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. Eyewitnesses say the insurgents aimed artillery fire at a base occupied by Ugandan AU troops, and the six victims were inadvertently struck by stray gunfire. The clash came only two days after two AU peacekeepers and three Somali civilians were wounded in a roadside bomb explosion targeting a new contingent of AU troops arriving from Burundi. [PE]

EU plans more help for mothers

2008-10-16T12:51:00.000-07:00

The European Commission is unveiling plans to extend the minimum maternity leave across Europe from 14 to 18 weeks.

Nancy Godfroid wants more flexible rules to improve work-life balance
The plans are meant to offset falling birthrates across the EU.
For Nancy Godfroid, it would be a dream come true. It's 0730 and Nancy has to take her four-year-old son Anthony to school in a leafy district of Brussels.
She is the sort of woman that an ageing Europe needs, with a full-time job in a bank and another baby due later this month. You could say she has it all - but that's not what she thinks.
"The rules should be more flexible," Nancy Godfroid said, "in terms of the number of weeks you can take before and after birth.
"If I give birth earlier than expected, I lose part of my leave. I'd also like to have more time to breast-feed."
More safeguards
The existing EU law, which dates from 1992, provides for a minimum 14 weeks of maternity leave throughout Europe, including two compulsory weeks before the birth.

Nancy's situation is like that of many mothers across the EU
The new rules say women should be entitled to at least 18 consecutive weeks' maternity leave, six of which should be taken after birth. The rest would be taken before or after labour, as the mother chooses.
Under the proposals, the 27 EU countries would guarantee that women won't be sacked during or immediately after maternity leave. Governments would be free to offer new mothers more time off, but would have to pay them at least as much as sickness leave.
Across Europe, there are wide differences in the amount of leave and pay for mothers-to-be. In Belgium, it is 15 weeks; in France, 16; in Britain it is 26, while in Bulgaria you can take almost a year.
In Germany, which has one of the lowest birthrates in the EU, women are entitled to the minimum 14 weeks, but with full pay.
EU sets example
But Katharina von Schnurbein is lucky. Because she works for the European Commission, she gets 20 weeks on full pay.

Katharina enjoys generous terms as an EU employee
"I think we set a good example," said Ms Von Schnurbein, who is the social affairs spokeswoman for the European Commission.
She is also the highly pregnant poster-girl for the new directive on maternity leave. Just hours before she starts hers, she argues that giving women across Europe more support would make more of them choose to have babies and go back to work.
"It makes sense to see this not only as spending," Ms Von Schnurbein said, "but also as an investment in the future, to see how we can enable women to have a career, to have children and have the number of children they want."
The European Commission may want a better balance between work and family life, but that costs money.
Countries like Germany and Belgium would have to give women longer maternity leave, Britain and Bulgaria would have to pay them more while they stay at home looking after their babies - at least as much as normal sickness pay.
Liliane Volozinskis, from the European Union of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, which represents 12 million companies, says the price would be high for business and women themselves.
"It could create reluctance from small employers to hire women," she said, "because particularly in difficult economic situations you need to have people coming as soon as possible on the labour market."
Some, like the Czech Republic, also object to what they say is European Commission interference in their social welfare systems.
But if a majority of EU governments and the European Parliament agree, the new rules for maternity leave could be in place by 2011. That may encourage others to follow Nancy's and Katharina's example.

Budget fears dominate EU summit

2008-10-16T12:49:00.000-07:00

Anxiety about national budgets dominated an EU summit where the rescue and supervision of banks vied with climate change as the most pressing issue.
The severity of the financial crisis has had an impact on the EU's ambitious plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions, which look likely to be watered down under pressure from a new "eastern bloc", along with Italy.
The billions of euros required to adapt large enterprises to the emissions targets threaten to put further strain on budgets already groaning under the weight of bank bail-outs and rising unemployment.
Poland, heavily reliant on coal-fired power stations, teamed up with seven other former communist countries to demand a reassessment of the burden imposed by the targets.
Then Italy's Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, struck a protectionist note, saying Italian firms were "in no state to take on costs like those we thought about last year".
Fiercely debated
The European Commission will now look at the specific problems that some countries face in meeting the targets. But it is determined - along with the French EU presidency - to clinch a deal on the targets before next year.
The proposed changes to the EU's pioneering Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) will be fiercely debated in the European Parliament and by ministers, who are supposed to hammer out a deal strong enough to inspire the rest of the world. The EU is gearing up for major international talks next year on climate change.

For those who want the European Union to walk with power and purpose on the world stage this summit is both triumph and tragedy
BBC's Mark Mardell in his blog
Mardell's Europe
One of the parliament's chief negotiators on the climate package, Green MEP Satu Hassi, urged EU leaders to "keep firm with the commitments already given".
"The financial crisis does not blow away climate change," she said, adding that the crisis "teaches us that early action is always wiser than emergency action".
Yet in the absence of a clear roadmap on the climate package, EU leaders were keen to show a united response to the banking crisis.
The turmoil in Wall Street, with the freezing of inter-bank lending, triggered emergency bank bail-outs by individual European governments before the 15 eurozone countries announced a joint multi-billion-euro plan to recapitalise banks and guarantee loans.
UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown basked in his fellow Europeans' praise for showing the way, with his rescue plan for British banks, estimated to be worth £500bn (641bn euros).
But, in contrast with his famously low-key appearances at EU summits, he joined the chorus of calls for more co-ordinated EU action.
'Crisis cell'
The EU plans to set up a "financial crisis cell" - a rapid response team tasked with co-ordinating EU action in any future financial crises. Any member state in trouble will be able to trigger the new alert system. The idea is to prevent any country's state intervention harming the interests of another EU member.
But France's President Nicolas Sarkozy also stressed the need for global solutions, to refashion the world's financial system and make it "fit for the 21st century".
He and commission president Jose Manuel Barroso will meet US President George W Bush on Saturday to prepare for a global crisis summit - a "G8 plus", including emerging powers like China and India.

President Sarkozy wants a tighter rein on the financial sector
Mr Sarkozy's priority is tighter financial supervision, with action on hedge funds, tax havens, executive pay and ratings agencies.
Maintaining the international competitiveness of European industry is looming as the next big challenge, once some stability returns to the banking system.
Mr Sarkozy says he wants to see the same joint EU effort applied to that problem as to the banking crisis.
Energy security is highlighted as another EU priority in the summit conclusions - though it was overshadowed by the urgent economic and climate agenda.
The fuel protests across Europe earlier this year - triggered by surging oil prices - and worries about the reliability of Russian gas supplies made energy security a pressing issue.
The EU wants to diversify its sources of supply, make the energy market more transparent and improve the Baltic region's pipeline network.
As for the Lisbon Treaty, which dominated the last EU summit in Brussels, the Irish government has pledged to come up with a plan by December. But the bank crisis has forced the EU's controversial institutional reforms onto the back-burner.

Mandela's jail overrun by rabbits

2008-10-16T12:43:00.001-07:00

South Africa's Robben Island is to be closed for two weeks while authorities cull rabbits that have overrun the site where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned.
The rabbits are so numerous that they threaten the island's vegetation and historic buildings, an official said.
Mr Mandela, who became South Africa's president after the end of apartheid, was held on Robben Island for 18 years.
The UN World Heritage site has become one of the country's most famous tourist attractions.
"The current population is so large that it threatens to permanently damage the island's sensitive vegetation, and poses a serious threat to other fauna species," said Seelan Naidoo, an official at the Robben Island museum.
A "humane" cull would be carried out in co-ordination with animal rights groups, he said.
This will be followed by a sterilisation programme aimed at allowing a small and manageable population of rabbits.
The Robben Island museum, located off the coast of Cape Town, is to be closed from 1-16 November.

Mandela's jail overrun by rabbits

2008-10-16T12:43:00.000-07:00

Somali Islamists threaten Kenya

2008-10-16T12:35:00.000-07:00

Somali Islamists say they will attack Kenya if it goes ahead with plans to train 10,000 government troops.
"We will order all our holy warriors to start the jihadi war inside Kenya," said spokesman Sheikh Muktar Robow.
Foreign Affairs Minister Moses Wetangula has been quoted recently offering the training to beleaguered government forces.
The warning comes as insurgents have again battled government troops and peacekeepers in the capital, Mogadishu.
At least five people have been killed, residents and doctors say.
A witness told the BBC there were clashes near an African Union peacekeeping base at the strategic K-4 junction and that mortars were used.
The Islamists have increasingly targeted the AU peacekeeping force in recent months, as well as the government and their Ethiopian allies.
The K-4 junction is strategically placed in the south of the city linking the airport and the presidential palace, and some AU peacekeepers are based there.
The witness said he could see houses on fire, and heavy gunfire could be heard in the background.

The government is recognised by the international community but correspondents say it only controls a few patches of the country.
Somalia has been without a functioning government since President Mohamed Siad Barre was ousted in 1991.
Ethiopian troops helped the government push Islamist forces from control of central and southern Somalia in late 2006, triggering an insurgency.
The US supports Ethiopia's intervention in Somalia and accuses the Islamists of links to al-Qaeda.
The US says they are sheltering al-Qaeda operatives who attacked Israeli targets in Kenya in 2002.
'Threat'
On Thursday, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said Ethiopia would review its position in the coming months, but would stay longer if Somali politicians showed "readiness for peace".
Even if Ethiopian troops left, he said, they could still return if the powerful Islamist militia al-Shabab threatened to take power.

Civilians have fled the fighting in Mogadishu in huge numbers
"Whenever there's a threat posed, we will come back to break their backs," he said.
"Any government is preferable to the Shabab. It's in the interest of Ethiopia and the Somali people to prevent them from coming to power."
More than three million people - almost half of Somalia's population - need food aid, according to the UN.
Aid agencies recently estimated that 1.1 million people had been uprooted from Mogadishu over the last nine months.
Last weekend, Burundi deployed more than 800 peacekeepers to Somalia, boosting the strength of the AU force to just over 3,000.
But the mission, which is made up of troops from Uganda and Burundi, remains well below the force of 8,000 that the AU originally said it would send.
Mr Meles said Ethiopian troops would remain in Somalia "at least until the African peace force is fully deployed."

Iran and Iraq in war missing deal

2008-10-16T12:30:00.000-07:00

Iran and Iraq have signed an agreement to search for missing persons from the bitter eight-year war they fought in the 1980s, the Red Cross says.
It said both countries had agreed to share information and would hand over any remains that were found.
It is not known how many people are missing, but some estimates put the figure in hundreds of thousands.
Delegates from Iraq and Iran signed the document at the Red Cross headquarters in Geneva, the aid agency said.
It was the first time the two neighbours signed a direct agreement to work together on the issue, having dealt separately with the Red Cross until now.
The agreement represents "an important step toward easing the heavy burden of thousands of bereaved Iraqi and Iranian families," said a spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) .
Around a million people were killed in the 1980-1988 war, with thousands of prisoners captured on both sides.
Iran's official reports suggest at least 8,000 Iranians are unaccounted for. Iraq's Ministry of Human Rights says the Iraqi figure ranges from 375,000 to one million.
In total, the ICRC says it has helped repatriate some 97,000 prisoners of war (POWs) since the end of the war.
Twenty years after the end of the war, families on both sides continue to search for records of their loved ones in hospitals, morgues and police stations.

US rivals back on campaign trail

2008-10-16T12:21:00.000-07:00

The US presidential rivals are heading back to the campaign trail after a heated final televised debate.
John McCain turned in an aggressive performance but opinion polls on the event suggested he had failed to land a telling blow on Barack Obama.
Analysts say the Republican Mr McCain will now spend some time focusing on shoring up stronghold states.
Frontrunner Mr Obama advised against complacency, recalling his surprise defeat in the New Hampshire primary.
On Thursday night the two candidates will again share a stage - giving speeches at a traditional political dinner in Manhattan in honour of former New York Governor Al Smith.
Advertising plans
Mr Obama will now be targeting states he previously considered to be Republican territory, commentators say.
He is heading out to visit Virginia and Missouri in the next few days.
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McCain and Obama on taxes, tax-cuts and Joe the plumber
Sources in the Democratic campaign say he will advertise in West Virginia, which George W Bush won four years ago and which Mr Obama lost to Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in the primary.
The sources say the campaign may also fund attempts to win over states such as Kentucky, North Dakota and Georgia.
Mr McCain will visit the swing state of Pennsylvania but sources say he will also have to go to more favourable Republican territories such as Virginia, Colorado and Florida.
The Republican National Committee (RNC) has said it will halt advertising in Maine and Wisconsin. The move suggests strategists are doubtful about their candidate's chances there, analysts say.
The McCain campaign will continue to run its own ads in the states. Mr McCain was in Wisconsin last week, and running mate Sarah Palin is expected to visit Maine on Thursday.
'I'm not Bush'
On Thursday morning, Mr Obama said there were now 19 days to go but that would be a beginning not an end, as the amount of work for the next president would be "extraordinary".
He warned against complacency, referring to his defeat by Mrs Clinton in the New Hampshire primary.
"I've been in these positions before where we were favoured and the press starts getting carried away, and we end up getting spanked," Mr Obama said.
Again, McCain seems harsher, but is this not what debating is all about?
BBC North America editor Justin Webb
Read Justin's thoughts in full
Blow by blow: McCain v Obama
Republican challenge on Ohio
In Wednesday's 90-minute TV debate at Hofstra University in Long Island, New York, analysts said Mr McCain had turned in his best performance.
He went on the attack immediately, calling Mr Obama's tax plans class warfare and deriding efforts to link him to President George W Bush.
"Senator Obama, I am not President Bush. If you wanted to run against President Bush, you should have run four years ago," Mr McCain said.
He also referred to Mr Obama's association with Bill Ayers, once a member of a US group that waged a violent campaign against the Vietnam War.
However, Mr Obama appeared unruffled by the attacks, saying Mr McCain had been "a vigorous supporter of President Bush".
He added: "Mr Ayers is not involved in my campaign. He has never been involved in this campaign. And he will not advise me in the White House."
The Illinois senator said that 100% of Mr McCain's political adverts had been negative and that voters were more interested in how the candidates planned to fix the economy.
'Socialist'
Immediate voter polls found Mr Obama came out on top.

Who is 'Joe the plumber'?
A CNN poll of people watching Wednesday's debate said Mr Obama won by 58% to 31%, while a CBS survey found the Democrat the winner by 53% to 22%.
A poll of undecided independent voters by US network Fox also suggested Mr Obama was the victor.
One interested viewer was Joe Wurzelbacher.
He shot to prominence in the campaign when he met Barack Obama and expressed concern about what the senator's tax plans might mean for his plumbing business.
After the debate "Joe the plumber" from Ohio said he was "floored" by the impact he had made.
He refused to say who he would vote for but said Mr Obama had a "very socialist view" of taxes "and that's incredibly wrong".

Ghanaians Express Frustration With Kufuor’s Advisors Over Plane Mishap

2008-10-13T15:19:00.001-07:00

Some Ghanaians are reportedly expressing outrage after President John Kufuor's life was put at risk over the weekend when the presidential jet carrying him aborted its trip due to technical malfunctions. They are calling for the resignation of President Kufuor's top advisors for putting his life in danger. They contend that President Kufuor has been not been using the presidential jet, nicknamed the Flying Coffin, due to its unworthiness.

Kufuor was traveling on the presidential jet on a scheduled state visit to Equatorial Guinea to participate in that country's 40^th Independence anniversary with President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo. The flight had to be aborted after the pilot cited failure of the pressure system, which made temperature within the cabin began to rise significantly.

From the capital Accra, managing editor Ben Ephson of the independent Daily Dispatch newspaper tells reporter Peter Clottey Ghanaians are upset that President Kufuor's Advisors did not value his life.

"Actually what happened is that the pilot said there was a reduction in pressure so the internal pressure system was not working. So the plane started getting hot. So 20 minutes after the flight, he (President Kufuor) had to return to Accra," Ephson noted.

He said Ghanaians are expressing outrage after the president's aborted attempt to fly in the "Flying Coffin" presidential jet.

"If you remember, this plane in the 1990s it was nicknamed the flying coffin because ex-President Jerry Rawlings had used it and he has had a few close shaves with life and death. So the ex-president had to buy a new presidential jet. Now, when President Kufuor was in opposition before winning the 2000 election, he had criticized the way and manner the new plane was bought. So I believe that arising from that previous criticism, when he (President Kufuor) came to power he refused to use that plane and in the end, he exchanged that plane for some helicopters and jet fighters for the Ghana Air force," he said.

Ephson said although the president would be going out of office this year, he controversially put forward a plan, which would acquire two new presidential jets.

"Incidentally, within the last three or four months, he (President Kufuor) has put together a package and he is buying two presidential jets totaling $110 million dollars, and which would be delivered in mid 2009. That is for whoever becomes the next president to use," Ephson pointed out.

He said President Kufuor's plan to purchase two new presidential planes did not go down well with some Ghanaians who he said are still opposed to it.

"The decision to buy those two planes came under a lot of criticism, and some of the arguments used by the ruling NPP (New Patriotic Party) was that President Rawlings also bought one. And I believe this is what quite irritated a lot of floating voters because their argument is that well, for the floating voters, President Rawlings because he had a majority in parliament in 2000, bought a presidential jet, and you (President Kufuor) to use. You are buying it for others to use. This is what has irritated some of the floating voters. So, clearly there was criticism that well, whether we like it or not, money has been spent that was the people's money and not that of the former president. He (Ex-President Rawlings) used state funds to buy the presidential jet, so yes, you may have criticized it, but yes you have to use it," he said.

Ephson said Ghanaians are expressing their frustration over the plane's close call in flight.

"I think that people have been a bit angry. Angry in the sense that the presidents put himself at that risk because, take it or leave it, he is our number one citizen. And that if decided not to use the plane, people expected that he could have chartered a plane or had a plane sent for him, or gone by a commercial flight because that plane was not named the flying coffin for nothing. It had put the former president's life at risk. So people were wondering, yes he may had flown a few times, but you know the president's health is always paramount in any given country, and people thought that he was taking an unnecessary risk," Ephson noted.

Insurgents Attack African Union Troops in Mogadishu

2008-10-13T15:13:00.000-07:00

Islamist rebels have attacked African Union peacekeepers for a second straight day in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, wounding at least one soldier.

An AU spokesman says the soldier was hurt Monday when a roadside bomb exploded near an AU vehicle.

On Sunday, another roadside bomb wounded two newly arrived AU peacekeepers from Burundi.

Approximately two-thousand troops from Burundi and Uganda make up the AU peacekeeping mission, known as AMISOM. The force has been guarding key sites in Mogadishu as Somalia's Ethiopian-backed government fights the Islamist insurgency.

The insurgency began in early 2007, soon after Ethiopian forces helped the government oust an Islamist movement from power in Mogadishu and other Somali cities.

Banks Warn On Mobile Money Transfers

2008-10-13T15:06:00.000-07:00

The banking fraternity is crying foul over what it described as unfair and increasing competition from money transfer operators.

The industry says the operators are enjoying privileges similar to those extended to deposit taking institutions despite not being covered by the same regulatory regime.

"Currently, there is no legal framework within which these entities provide their services despite behaving like current account institutions," says John Wanyela, executive director of the Kenya Bankers Association. "If these operators want to join the financial sector, they have to be properly licensed."

The bankers are calling on the government to subject the services to prudential regulations "for robust and secure movement of funds across the economy."

Under the proposed guideline, the services will have to be supervised by a specialised financial regulatory authority that will oversee their financial soundness and stability.

Currently, the two leading mobile phone service providers -- Zain and Safaricom -- are offering money-transfer services in the country under Sokotele and M-Pesa brands respectively.

Like other deposit takers, the bankers association wants the mobile cash transfer operators restricted on how much deposits they can take.

To avert undue competition with the banking fraternity, Mr Wanyela says, M-Pesa and Sokotele services have to meet the capitalisation requirement as stipulated in the Banking Act.

According to the Act, a deposit taking institution should maintain a minimum capitalisation of Ksh250 million ($3.5 million).

This is however expected to double come December next year before hitting Ksh1 billion ($14.2 million) by 2010 after capitalisation requirements were amended in this financial year's budget.

The bankers also say the "digital money" has implications for the conduct of monetary policy by the Central Bank of Kenya.

To control inflation levels in the country, CBK continuously monitors the amount of money in circulation, mainly in the hands of people and commercial banks.

With the monies in circulation, CBK is in a position to maintain a reserve money target and, therefore, intervene to control inflation.

Observers say it is this huge amount of money circulating electronically that has defeated CBK in the fight against inflation.

Mr Wanyela says it is time the government stepped in to ensure M-Pesa and Sokotele services are regulated before "something goes wrong."

Debate has been rife on who should regulate the mobile phone money transfer operators, with some arguing that the CBK should be party to the issuance of guidelines as "part of M-Pesa and Sokotele services fall under the national payments system."

Fundamentally, the two mobile operations are guided by the Communications Commission of Kenya.

Early last month, CBK said it had no intention of bringing the mobile cash transfer services under the Banking Act.

It claimed that treating the money transfer services under the Act may impede competition in sector that is still at its infancy in a country whose majority population has limited access to financial services.

In July last year, mobile phone giant Vodafone said a regulatory framework to govern financial transactions by mobile phones was urgently needed to "provide financial security to millions of people without access to banking services."

According to Vodafone, "Know your customer and anti-money laundering rules need to be adapted to conditions in developing markets where formal documentation and access to photocopiers is limited.

"The customer data held by mobile operators could, with appropriate safeguards, offer an alternative to existing forms of regulation," says the firm.

Kenya's Safaricom, in which Vodafone has a 40 per cent share, was the first mobile service provider in the world to introduce money transfer services under the M-Pesa brand.

Safaricom statistics show that as at the end of the first quarter of this year, more than Ksh3.1 billion ($44.2 million) had been transferred.

Palin mimic gets US public's vote

2008-10-13T15:04:00.000-07:00

At a campaign rally in Florida, Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin shouts out to the crowd: "I love her, she's a hoot and she's so talented."

She is referring to Tina Fey, who, along with the Alaskan governor, has become one of the most talked about women in this election campaign.

Tina Fey's impersonations of Mrs Palin have generated millions of viewers, website clicks and water cooler conversations.

It is on the hit US comedy show Saturday Night Live that Fey parodies Governor Palin.

The resemblance is uncanny, as are the mannerisms and the accent.

Most of the sketches are direct spoofs of Mrs Palin's television appearances.

In one, Fey sends up the governor's interview with American newsreader Katie Couric in which she was quizzed about foreign policy.

Sarah Palin's supporters say she likes Tina Fey's mimicry

Tina Fey as Mrs Palin: "Every morning, when Alaskans wake up, one of the first things they do, is look outside to see if there are any Russians hanging around.

"And if there are, you gotta go up to them and ask: 'What are you doing here?' And if they can't give you a good reason, it's our responsibility to say, you know, 'Shoo! Get back over there!'"

The fake interview has received rave reviews, but in the real one, Sarah Palin was criticised by many, even from within her own party, for her performance.

Later she admitted she had been "less than successful", but joked there was a reason.

"In response to critics after that interview what I should have told them is, I was trying to keep Tina Fey in business… just giving her more information… job security for SNL (Saturday Night Live) characters."

Guest star

The spoof Sarah Palin has certainly done wonders for the show.

Ratings for Saturday Night Live have gone up, averaging 8.3 million viewers, and the sketches are drawing as many as 9.3 million hits online.

In fact, Mrs Palin herself has said she would like to guest star.

"It would be fun to meet her, imitate her and keep on giving her new material," she said.

That may even become a reality.

There has been talk that the pair could appear on the show together before November's election.

Lorne Michaels, executive producer of Saturday Night Live, has not ruled it out.

Tina Fey has enjoyed great success in acting and writing

He said that the McCain campaign called after the first sketch to say they enjoyed Tina Fey's take on their candidate.

Tina Fey is a huge star in her own right.

An Emmy award winning comedy actor and writer, she is best known in America for her appearances on the hit comedy 30 Rock as well as Saturday Night Live.

She bears a striking resemblance to Mrs Palin, and it seems that the mimicry is mutual.

Kristan Cole, who has known the Alaskan governor for 38 years, said Sarah Palin had in fact dressed up as Tina Fey a few years ago for Halloween.

She said the reaction back in Mrs Palin's home town of Wasilla to the sketches had been positive.

"Anybody I talk to thinks they're funny, nobody is upset by them," she added.

She also said that Sarah Palin wasn't worried about being sent up and had told her that she thought Tina Fey had her mannerisms dead on.

Credibility 'damaged'

"As someone who is very close to her, I don't like unfair criticism of her but the SNL sketch is not in that category whatsoever.

"This thing is just funny… I think everyone expects SNL to poke some fun. I don't think anyone foresees it as negative."

However, others disagree saying the sketches have damaged Mrs Palin's credibility.

In some sketches Fey get laughs just by directly repeating the governors own words.

Palin has been lampoonable because of those terrible disastrous interviews

Professor Larry Sabato

Some commentators go as far as to dub the "Tina Fey Factor" one of the biggest challenges the Republican Vice-Presidential candidate faces.

A study from the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion concluded that Sarah Palin's favourability rating dropped after people watched the Saturday Night Live sketches.

It asked 314 Democrats, Republicans and independents how they viewed her before and after the sketches.

All groups said they saw her in a worse light.

But that sample is small, and political analyst Professor Larry Sabato does not believe Tina Fey has hurt Mrs Palin's image, but that the candidate herself has.

"Palin has been lampoonable because of those terrible disastrous interviews.

"She opened herself up to this. It's reinforced the damage that Palin herself did."

Internet copycats

Mr Sabato strongly rejects suggestions that the sketches will have an impact on the election itself.

"It's interesting, it's fun, but it has nothing to do with how people are voting," he said.

One thing the Fey impressions have done, is prompt a whole host of copycats on the internet.

A search on YouTube brings up a whole host of impersonators - a singing Sarah Palin, a gangsta rapping governor and even a man in drag attempting a spoof.

Sara Benincasa, a liberal comedian from New York, stars as Sarah Palin in a video blog, which she started in September.

"Her life is filled with drama and we are satirising that drama," she said.

"She has a pregnant teenage daughter and five kids. She's really into promoting herself as a hockey mom and a conservative Christian.

"We thought all of those things were ripe for lampooning."

Benincasa explained why she felt Sarah Palin was such a popular subject of parody.

"This person was trying to promote herself as an average gal while running for one of the highest offices of the land. The job of a court jester is to make fun of the king."

McCain in 'hatred' war of words

2008-10-13T14:58:00.001-07:00

Republican presidential candidate John McCain has become embroiled in a war of words with racial undertones after clashing with a civil rights icon.

John Lewis accused Mr McCain's campaign of "sowing hatred" against opponent Barack Obama and said he was reminded of 1960s segregationist George Wallace.

Mr McCain, who recently said Mr Lewis was one of his most admired Americans, called the reference "beyond the pale".

Mr McCain has also tried to cool his supporters' resentment of Mr Obama.

In Minnesota on Friday, Mr McCain defended Mr Obama after some at the town hall meeting labelled him a "terrorist", "an Arab", a "traitor" and a candidate who inspired fear.

The Republican's campaign has also suffered from a legislative probe in Alaska that found his vice-presidential running mate and state governor, Sarah Palin, had abused her power.

With just over three weeks to go to the election, she has again denied any wrongdoing in the affair.

Rally boos

Democratic Congressman Lewis is considered one of the key figures of the civil rights movement.

He said: "Senator McCain and Governor Palin are playing with fire, and if they are not careful, that fire will consume us all."

My statement was a reminder to all Americans that toxic language can lead to destructive behaviour

John Lewis

Economy may deflect Palin probe

Mr Lewis said the "sowing of seeds of hatred and division" reminded him of Alabama Governor Wallace's rhetoric in 1963 that was blamed for a church bomb attack that killed four young girls.

Mr McCain reacted angrily, calling the reference "shocking and beyond the pale".

"I am saddened that John Lewis, a man I've always admired, would make such a brazen and baseless attack on my character," he said.

Mr Lewis later said his reference was not a direct one, but was simply pointing out that "toxic language can lead to destructive behaviour".

He also welcomed Mr McCain's attempts to cool angry supporters at Republican rallies.

At the Minnesota meeting, Mr McCain said Mr Obama was a decent family man and voters should not be afraid of him, but drew boos for defending him.

The Obama campaign quickly said it did not believe Mr McCain's campaign was in any way comparable to Wallace.

Abortion attack

The McCain campaign has targeted Mr Obama over his alleged links to 1960s militant William Ayers.

Mrs Palin said Mr Obama was "palling around with terrorists".

On Saturday, Mrs Palin defended herself against the findings of the Alaskan investigation.

It found she had abused her power by allowing her husband to put pressure on officials to sack her former brother-in-law, a state trooper who was in a bitter custody battle with her sister.

Asked by a journalist in Pennsylvania if the accusations were correct, she said: "No, and if you read the report you will see that there was nothing unlawful or unethical about it."

The report said Mrs Palin failed to act to stop her husband contacting the officials in the case known as Troopergate.

Mrs Palin on Saturday stepped up her attacks on Mr Obama, calling him a pro-abortion radical.

"He hopes you won't notice how radical, absolutely radical, his ideas on this and his record is until it's too late," she said.

McCain in 'hatred' war of words

2008-10-13T14:58:00.000-07:00