Ivory Coast and Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has been named African Footballer of the Year.Drogba scored five goals as Ivory Coast qualified for the 2010 World Cup and scored for Chelsea in the FA Cup final. Chelsea team-mate and Michael Essien and Cameroon forward Samuel Eto’o were also shortlisted for the award. Drogba, who turned Read More…
By Roland BuerkBBC News, TokyoAn activist from New Zealand has been arrested by Japan’s coastguard after he boarded a Japanese whaling ship in the Southern Ocean last month.Peter Bethune said he had boarded the ship intending to make a citizen’s arrest of the Japanese crew. Instead, the Shonan Maru 2 immediately set sail for Japan Read More…
New York City has agreed to pay up to $657m (£437m) to thousands of rescue and clean-up workers at the 9/11 attacks Ground Zero site.The settlement would compensate more than 10,000 plaintiffs who say they were made sick by dust from the collapsed World Trade Center towers. At least 95% of the plaintiffs must approve Read More…
By Brandy YanchykWhitehorse, YukonAs Vancouver gears up for its second stint as Olympic host with the Paralympics beginning on 12 March, one northern Canadian territory is hoping the lasting legacy of the Games will be a boost to tourism.The government of Yukon spent just under 3m Canadian dollars (£1.9m) trying to educate people about their Read More…
Arranging an election in an area where many people live in refugee camps is far from straightforward, as the BBC’s James Copnall discovered during a trip to Sudan’s Darfur region. Six years ago, as he fled the fighting in Darfur that killed one of his brothers, Adam Mahmoud felt utterly powerless. Swept this way and Read More…
By Julian MiglieriniBBC News, Mexico CityThe first Mexican opera to deal directly with the country’s drugs conflict has staged its premiere in Mexico City.The opera, Only the Truth, is based on a popular Mexican song of the 1970s which tells the story of a woman who smuggles marijuana into the US. Her lover betrays her Read More…
Thailand has mobilised about 40,000 security personnel ahead of mass rallies by "red shirt" opposition protesters over the coming days.The demonstrators plan to meet around the country before converging on the capital, Bangkok, on Sunday. They are mainly supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a military coup in 2006. They Read More…
A senior advisor to former US President George W Bush has defended tough interrogation techniques, saying their use helped prevent terrorist attacks.In a BBC interview, Karl Rove, who was known as "Bush’s brain", said he "was proud we used techniques that broke the will of these terrorists". He said waterboarding, which simulates drowning, should not Read More…
Election laws announced by Burma’s military rulers have provoked a storm of condemnation.A United States State Department spokesman, Philip Crowley, said it made a mockery of the democratic process. Burma has prohibited political prisoners – including the pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi – from participating in forthcoming elections. However, several offices of her National Read More…
Chilean tycoon Sebastian Pinera is due to be sworn in as president of the country, which was recently devastated by a massive earthquake and tsunami.Mr Pinera not only faces the challenge of reconstruction, but takes over from a highly popular outgoing leader. Michelle Bachelet leaves office with a record 84% popularity rating despite criticism of Read More…
