When it is too dangerous to venture out of one’s accomodation in various African war-zones, boredom is delayed by cutting pix to music, maybe it means something to someone or maybe it is seen as the press being insensitive….. whatever! We were there, you weren’t.
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Cattle are vital to South Sudan's economy, but raids have increased since independence in July
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Six-thousand fighters from the Lou Nuer tribe in South Sudan have attacked the town of Pibor, home to the rival Murle tribe, a military spokesman has said.
A hospital and other parts of the town have been set alight, Colonel Philip Aguer told the BBC.
United Nations troops and the South Sudanese army were unable to prevent the attack, which follows a wave of violence linked to cattle rustling.
Tens of thousands of people had fled Pibor, fearing violence.
The United Nations deployed more combat troops to defend the town on Friday, following reports that the armed Lou Nuer men were approaching.
Fighters from the tribe have been marching through Jonglei state burning homes and seizing livestock.
The entire town of Lukangol was burnt to the ground last week. About 20,000 civilians managed to flee the town before the attack, but dozens were killed on both sides.
About 1,000 people have been killed in Jonglei in recent months, during inter-ethnic fighting, triggered by the cattle raids.
The latest violence comes as the governor of Jonglei state and the vice-president of South Sudan are trying to mediate between the rival tribes.
Rugged, volcanic Reunion is a territory of France in the Indian Ocean.
The densely-populated island once prospered from the cultivation of sugar cane, but tourism and financial aid from Paris now underpin its economy.
Reunion's culture, cuisine and ethnic mix reflect the story of its settlement. Overview
French colonists arrived on the island, then known as Bourbon, in the 1640s. Slaves from Madagascar and mainland Africa were brought in to work the island's coffee plantations. Later arrivals included labourers from south and east Asia.
The island was ruled as a colony until 1946, when it was made a “departement”, or administrative unit, of France. The Reunionese are French citizens and many of them wish to remain so; independence movements have been sporadic and there is little will to sever ties with Paris.
Sugar cane was introduced during a brief period of British rule in the early 19th century. It provides the raw material for Reunion's main exports. Tourism is also important; attractions include spectacular gorges and “cirques” – natural amphitheatres surrounded by mountains.
A large wealth gap has fuelled social tensions. These spilled over into violence in 1991 when 10 people were killed in anti-government riots. Unemployment is high, particularly among the young, and migration is commonplace. Violence once again flared up in March 2009 in protest at rising food prices.
Reunion is home to one of the world's most active volcanos, the Piton de la Fournaise, which has erupted more than 170 times since the mid-17th century. Lava flows have closed roads and damaged buildings.
The territory is prone to tropical storms; a cyclone monitoring station in the capital serves the Indian Ocean region.
Computers and documents were seized by Egyptian authorities
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Egypt's Revolution
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Egypt has reassured the US that it will stop raids on the offices of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the US state department says.
Officials said property seized in the raids would be returned to the groups, which include two based in the US.
Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has spoken to Egypt's military ruler by phone to discuss the issue, they added.
Egypt raided the offices of 17 NGOs in Cairo on Thursday, after expressing concern over foreign funding.
The country's ruling military council has said repeatedly it will not tolerate foreign interference in the country's affairs.
But the US reacted sharply to the move, condemning it as an attack on democratic values and hinting that it could review the $1.3bn (£0.84bn) in annual US military aid to Cairo if such incidents continued.
‘Normal operations’
On Friday, Mr Panetta and the US ambassador to Egypt, Anne Patterson, spoke to top Egyptian officials including military ruler Field Marshall Mohamed Tantawi, the US state department said.
“The ambassador has sought and received Egyptian leadership assurances that the raids will cease and property will be returned immediately,” spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in emailed comments.
“She has also made clear that we expect all international NGOs, including those that receive US government support, be able to return to normal operations as soon as possible in support of the democratic transition underway in Egypt.”
David Kramer, the director of the US human rights watchdog Freedom House, told the BBC that while the reassurance was welcome, it was not enough to undo the damage.
Mr Kramer, whose office was among those raided, said some of his seized property had still not been returned.
Thursday's raids were part of a probe by Egypt into allegations of illegal funding from abroad.
Evidence suggested some groups were violating Egyptian laws, including by not having permits, prosecutors were quoted as saying on Thursday.
But analysts said they were part of a broader move by the ruling military council to silence dissent after months of criticism of its human rights record.
The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (Scaf) has been running Egypt since a popular uprising ousted former President Hosni Mubarak in February.
But in recent months the military government has found itself the focus of protests, as activists questioned its commitment to democratic reform.
Madagascar is the world's fourth biggest island after Greenland, New Guinea and Borneo. Because of its isolation most of its mammals, half its birds, and most of its plants exist nowhere else on earth.
The island is heavily exposed to tropical cyclones which bring torrential rains and destructive floods, such as the ones in 2000 and 2004, which left thousands homeless.
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The Malagasy are thought to be descendants of Africans and Indonesians who settled on the island more than 2,000 years ago. Malagasy pay a lot of attention to their dead and spend much effort on ancestral tombs, which are opened from time to time so the remains can be carried in procession, before being rewrapped in fresh shrouds.
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At a glance
Politics: In January 2009 political unrest erupted into violence. President Ravalomanana resigned in March following a fierce power struggle with opposition leader Andry Rajoelina, who then assumed power with military backing.
Economy: Many areas suffer food shortages. Madagascar stands to benefit from a G8 pledge to write off the debts of 18 poor countries.
International: African Union suspended Madagascar and EU froze aid after the 2009 coup.
After sometimes harsh French colonial rule, which included the bloody suppression of an uprising in 1947, Madagascar gained independence in 1960. The military seized power in the early 1970s with the aim of achieving a socialist paradise.
This did not materialise. The economy went into decline and by 1982 the authorities were forced to adopt a structural adjustment programme imposed by the International Monetary Fund.
The World Bank has estimated that 70% of Malagasy live on less than $1 per day. Poverty and the competition for agricultural land have put pressure on the island's dwindling forests, home to much of Madagascar's unique wildlife and key to its emerging tourist industry.
The island has strong ties with France as well as economic and cultural links with French-speaking West Africa.
However, Andry Rajoelina's seizure of power in 2009 left the country isolated by the international community and deprived of foreign aid.
Long Way Down is a television series, book and DVD documenting a motorcycle journey undertaken by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman, on which they rode south through 18 countries from John o’ Groats in Scotland to Cape Agulhas in South Africa via Europe and Africa in 2007. It is a follow-up to the Long Way Round trip of 2004, when the pair rode east from London to New York via Eurasia and North America.
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Audio slideshow: Cattle country
“The UN is facing enormous logistical challenges – we still have no military aircraft, only civilian helicopters,” she added.
Jonglei governor Kuol Manyang Juuk told the BBC that the UN would not be able to contain the violence because the Lou Nuer were moving around in the bush, rather than staying in towns.
He also said South Sudan's army was badly equipped and most of its soldiers had been deployed to the border with Sudan following recent unrest there.
“We can't work miracles,” he said.
South Sudan Vice-President Riek Machar has been shuttling between the rival communities in a push for peace. On Thursday night it seemed he had persuaded the Lou Nuer not to attack Pibor – but they then left in their thousands overnight heading towards that town.
Cattle plays a central role in the life of many South Sudanese communities. In the absence of banks, they are used to store wealth and to pay bride prices.
The violence between the two communities has been going on for years, but with modern weapons its scale is increasing.
Our correspondent says the clashes may have begun as cattle raids, but they have spiralled out of control into retaliatory attacks.
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Nigeria – Troubled Giant
Mapping the divides
Anxiety over poll fallout
Jos: Neighbours are enemies
Maiduguri: City of fear
After lurching from one military coup to another, Nigeria now has an elected leadership. But the government faces the growing challenge of preventing Africa's most populous country from breaking apart along ethnic and religious lines.
Political liberalisation ushered in by the return to civilian rule in 1999 has allowed militants from religious and ethnic groups to express their frustrations more freely, and with increasing violence.
Thousands of people have died over the past few years in communal rivalry. Separatist aspirations have been growing, prompting reminders of the bitter civil war over the breakaway Biafran republic in the late 1960s.
The imposition of Islamic law in several states has embedded divisions and caused thousands of Christians to flee. Inter-faith violence is said to be rooted in poverty, unemployment and the competition for land.
The government is striving to boost the economy, which experienced an oil boom in the 1970s and is once again benefiting from high prices on the world market. But progress has been undermined by corruption and mismanagement.
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At a glance
Politics: People's Democratic Party (PDP) has dominated since the return to civilian rule in 1999.
Economy: Nigeria is Africa's leading oil producer; more than half of its people live in poverty
International: Nigeria plays a prominent role in African affairs; has withdrawn troops from oil-rich Bakassi peninsula to settle border dispute with Cameroon
Country profiles compiled by BBC Monitoring
The former British colony is one of the world's largest oil producers, but the industry has produced unwanted side effects.
The trade in stolen oil has fuelled violence and corruption in the Niger delta – the home of the industry. Few Nigerians, including those in oil-producing areas, have benefited from the oil wealth.
In 2004, Niger Delta activists demanding a greater share of oil income for locals began a campaign of violence against the oil infrastructure, threatening Nigeria's most important economic lifeline.
Nigeria is keen to attract foreign investment but is hindered in this quest by security concerns as well as by a shaky infrastructure troubled by power cuts.
Elephants tusks are in huge demand in Asia
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More elephant tusks were seized in 2011 than in any year since 1989, when the ivory trade was banned, international wildlife trade group Traffic says.
The group said elephants have had a “horrible year”, with 23 tonnes of ivory seized – representing at least 2,500 dead animals.
Trade in ivory was banned in 1989 to save elephants from extinction.
But it has continued illegally because of huge demand in Asia, where it is used to make decorative objects.
“The escalating large ivory quantities involved in 2011 reflect both a rising demand in Asia and the increasing sophistication of the criminal gangs behind the trafficking,” said a statement from Traffic, which monitors the trade in wildlife products.
“Most illegal shipments of African elephant ivory end up in either China or Thailand.”
Shifting smuggling routes
The group said there had been at least 13 large seizures of ivory this year, amounting to more than 23 tonnes, compared to six last year of less than 10 tonnes.
“In 23 years of compiling ivory seizure data… this is the worst year ever for large ivory seizures. 2011 has truly been a horrible year for elephants,” Traffic's elephant expert Tom Milliken said.
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Traffic said the smugglers appear to have shifted away from using air to sea – in early 2011, three of the large scale ivory seizures were at airports but later in the year most were found in sea freight.
“The only common denominator in the trafficking is that the ivory departs Africa and arrives in Asia, but the routes are constantly changing, presumably reflecting where the smugglers gamble on being their best chance of eluding detection,” it said.
In six of the large 2011 seizures, Malaysia was a transit country in the supply chain, Traffic said.
In the most recent case on 21 December, Malaysian authorities seized hundreds of African elephant tusks worth about $1.3 million (£844,000) that were being shipped to Cambodia.
The ivory was hidden in containers of handicrafts from Kenya's Mombasa port, Traffic said.
Mr Milliken said despite the seizures, there were generally few arrests.
“I fear the criminals are winning,” he said.
Some environmental campaigners say the decision to allow some southern African countries, whose elephants populations are booming, to sell their stockpiles of ivory has fuelled the illegal trade.
Those countries – South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe – however, deny this and argue they should be rewarded for looking after their elephant populations.
The famine has already claimed tens of thousands of lives, according to the UN
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Famine-hit Somalis could lose access to up to $100m of remittances from relatives in the US, charities say.
They urged a US bank and the Treasury not to disrupt money transfers to Somalia, where more than a quarter of a million people are at risk.
The Franklin Bank is thought to be the last major US bank to offer remittance services to Somalis living there.
But it says it will stop the service on 30 December because of US counter-terrorism regulations.
The US Treasury said banks had to observe diligence rules but that there was “no assumption on the part of the Treasury that money transmitters present a uniform or unacceptably high risk of money laundering”.
‘Devastating’
Oxfam America wants the bank and hawalas (money transfer businesses in Somalia, where there are no banks) to work with the US government to find a solution.
“It is estimated that $100m in remittances goes to Somalia from the US every year. This is the worst time for this service to stop,” said Shannon Scribner of Oxfam America.
“Any gaps with remittance flows in the middle of the famine could be disastrous. The US government should give assurances to the bank that there will be no legal ramifications of providing this service to Somalis in need.”
More than 300,000 have fled Somalia's drought, famine and conflict, according to the UN
It is thought that when Franklin Bank stops the service, smaller banks might follow suit.
They would fear being held responsible if money fell into the wrong hands, such those of al-Shabab, an al-Qaeda-linked militant group.
“With famine and drought already impacting families throughout Somalia, the cessation of bank transfers will be devastating on a national scale”, said Daniel Wordsworth, president of the American Refugee Committee.
Oxfam spoke to one mother of six in Lower Juba, Somalia, whose brother sends her money from the US.
But he called a week ago to warn that he would be sending the last cash as the hawala might stop working.
“My family is relying 100% on that cash and if it stops, we have no option but to move to Dadaab refugee camps in Kenya,” Habiba Abdi Ali said.
The US Treasury said it “engages regularly with the Somali-American community” to “promote the continued use of legitimate and transparent methods” of remittance.
It said it believed the community would continue to have such methods to transfer funds to Somalia.