Opposition mulls over court action against by-elections

The coalition of opposition parties has said it will go to court to stop by-elections scheduled for this month in 16 wards across the country. It accuses the National Election Committee (NEC) of failure to update the voter register. Speaking to journalists in Dar es Salaam yesterday, Tanzania Labour Party Publicity Secretary Benedicto Mutungirehi said they would file a case against NEC tomorrow so that the by-elections are halted. `The coalition is determined to sue NEC for refusing to enlist new voters. NEC might tamper with the election exercise,` Mutungireli said. He said on August 8, this year NEC told opposition parties that there would be a by-election for 16 wards in 10 regions scheduled to take off this October. `The coming by-elections result from death; withdrawal of membership and transfer of some ward councillors across Tanzanian Mainland,` he said. He added:`NEC gave us a timetable, saying the by-election process would start today (yesterday) and effective campaigns were slated to take-off starting tomorrow (today) up to 27th October. 28th October is election day.` He said:`The bad thing is that NEC announced that the permanent voter register would be used without registering new voters who had attained the age of 18 and who did not register in 2004.` He said the country`s Constitution was very clear on this as it specified rules and regulations governing the election process. `It allows all citizens who have reached 18 to become eligible voters but the way things are going on now is discouraging,` Mutungireli said. `As opposition parties, we requested NEC to register new voters in those respective wards, yet they refused and decided to use the old register that was prepared in 2004,` he added. He said the decision was unfair as it barred the majority of youths who were still young in 2004, although they were now eligible voters. The coalitions comprises Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo, Civil United Front (CUF), NCCR-Mageuzi and TLP.

Kigamboni Bridge project too big for NSSF

The construction of the long-awaited Kigamboni Bridge in Dar es Salaam calls for more funding than the National Social Security Fund can come up with by itself, the government disclosed yesterday. Omary Chambo, Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Infrastructure Development ministry, said in an exclusive interview with The Guardian in the city that NSSF would be fully involved as a co-financier but was without the entire amount of money needed to implement the multi-billion-shilling project. Speaking on the sidelines of a joint infrastructure sector review workshop, he said: `Consultations between the Government and potential financiers have started. The government is working hard to source funds to finance the project because it is obvious that it will spare Kigamboni residents the transport woes they have been enduring.` Chambo explained that several development partners have shown interest in financing the project but he would neither give any names nor specify the amount of money to be spent on the project, which is a brainchild of NSSF. There have been widespread complaints by Members of Parliament and members of the larger public that there were needless delays in getting the project started. Kigamboni residents have faced hard times over the years crossing the Magogoni Creek as they moved to metropolitan Dar es Slaam and back, with the two pontoons they heavily depend on suffering frequent breakdowns. Citing funding as the biggest stumbling block to the implementation of the project, the PS noted: `As the Government continues to solicit finances from our development partners, it is also conducting a cost-benefit analysis to establish the exact amount of money needed. But we are sure we are talking about huge sums of money which is just too much for NSSF to come up with.` A preliminary feasibility study on the project has been completed but the government is still sorting out the modalities of implementation as proposed by experts, he added. He said the issue of how the implementation would run was one of the significant components under the project `because the government must be very keen in this respect`. When completed, the bridge will link Dar es Salaam proper to its Kigamboni suburb and surrounding areas. It will be about 560m long and have 14.5 wide deck and a two-lane 3.75m carriageway. In 2004 it was estimated that the bridge would cost $28.6 million. Speaking to The Guardian shortly after officially opening yesterday`s workshop, Infrastructure Development deputy minister Maua Daftari, said: `The plan to build the bridge is on track. The Government is very serious about its implementation beginning very soon.` But she too was short on specifics. Opening the workshop, Dr Daftari appealed to all stakeholders concerned to assist the government in `designing modalities for getting cost-effective support for the development of the country?s infrastructure.` `You also need to consider how to build the capacity required for sustaining infrastructure development and maintenance, how the private sector could be fully involved in infrastructure development, ownership, and so on,` she said. Meanwhile, European Union Head of Cooperation Enrico Strampelli explained that a thorough review of roles and set-ups of the Infrastructure Development ministry and Tanzania Roads Agency (TANROADS) and a re-examination of local government capacity were crucial steps towards boosting the development of the infrastructure sector. He said all these issues were critical ?as we try to establish a truly sector-wide approach with emphasis on quality and sustainability. Attending the three-day workshop are stakeholders from across the infrastructure sector, among them financiers, planners, service providers and consumers. They are expected to review and draw up a `roadmap` for the progressive development of the sector.

Remand prisoners protest case delays

Scores of remandees from Dar es Salaam`s Keko Prison yesterday refused to alight from a truck that had taken them to the Temeke District Court in connection with their cases. The inmates, who were shouting and booing at police officers trying to force them out of the truck, said they would not attend the court sessions because their cases had taken unnecessarily long to determine for reasons they did not know. There was a series of similarly dramatic developments involving remandees in Dar es Salaam and a few other regions some months ago. The crisis was resolved following intervention by a number of cabinet ministers and other authorities. Much the same reasons were given for the action, characterised by calls for fair treatment by the State organs charged with dispensing justice. During yesterday`s protest, just like previously, the inmates were heard shouting that they were fed up with the way they were held in custody for long periods with their cases not attended to while cases involving prominent or well-connected people were dealt with swiftly. The remandees were chanting songs blaming the government and the judiciary for perceived failure to improve the administration of justice and for adjourning their cases unnecessarily. Again, just as previously, they demanded an audience with Prime Minister Edward Lowassa, Constitutional Affairs and Justice minister Mary Nagu and Inspector General of Police Said Mwema. The inmates were later hauled back to Keko after efforts by prison and police officers to make them relent failed. However, later reports said they were eventually returned to the court in police Land Rovers and peacefully alighted. Asked for comment on the bizarre development, a public prosecutor at Temeke Court said he was non-committal. But while the Keko remandees were defiant, their colleagues from Ukonga and Segerea prisons attended court sessions as usual. The inmates` strike in March this year lasted a week and ended after a delegation from the government visited the prisons and addressed the inmates. The first of its kind in the country` s history, it disrupted court business in Arusha, Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Mwanza and Rukwa regions. The strike was triggered by the bailing out of former Tabora regional commissioner Ukiwaona Ditopile Mzuzuri, currently facing manslaughter charges at the High Court in Dar es Salaam.

Aid inflows won`t help - AfDB chief

African Development Bank (AfDB) President Donald Kaberuka has said that the private sector and improved trade are significant components that could help African countries eradicate poverty and attain Millennium Development Goals. Speaking at a press conference in Dar es Salaam yesterday, Kaberuka said the notion held by many Africans that the continent could be developed with aid inflows was wrong. He was speaking during the Aid-for-Trade meeting, which ended yesterday in Dar es Salaam. `Mobilizing Aid for Trade: Focus on Africa`, was the central theme of the high?level conference which took place under the auspices of the African Development Bank (AfDB), the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), and the World Trade Organization (WTO) in cooperation with the World Bank. Mozambique?s former President, Joaquim Chissano and former UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, had been invited to the conference, which brought together finance and trade ministers, senior donor representatives, regional institutions and key private sector actors to discuss trade-related challenges in the region, and set out priorities for future action. The AfDB President held the joint press conference with WTO secretary general Pascal Lamy. Kaberuka said private sector development and trade could be an engine for growth that would lift millions of people out of poverty and enable developing countries attain the Millennium Development Goals. `A key objective should be expanding Africa`s capacity to manage and deploy scaled-up development resources as well as the ability to negotiate international trade and business deals,` he said. `It takes only one link to paralyze trade and therefore aid for trade must also be provided for building capable governance structures that are critical in running a country?s economy.` The AfDB President`s remarks were in tune with the agenda of the conference, which highlighted the African dimension of Aid for Trade and encouraged governments, donors and the private sector to address specific challenges for Africa, prioritize Aid for Trade needs, and move towards shared solutions to trade-related challenges. The conference was expected to help raise awareness of the importance of trade for growth in developing countries, encourage information exchange about best practices and facilitate collective action to maximize the benefits of Aid for Trade. Wrapping up the meeting, World Trade Organization Director General Pascal Lamy said in order to attain the Millennium Development Goals, building capabilities in nations should be at the heart of aid for trade. He said that aid for trade should be used to empower African business people, improve the investment climate and promote entrepreneurship. Lamy said Kenyan horticulture was a striking example of how targeted investments by lenders could boost market access and earnings. `(African nations) are improving their capacity to benefit, look at flowers. It`s rocketing,` he told reporters. `This region is becoming so competitive in the global market because you have good natural conditions, labour costs are lower than in the Netherlands or Florida, and there are no subsidies on flowers in the Western world.` Kenyan flower exporters had been barred from EU and US markets due to pesticide residues on their blooms. But, Lamy said, the growers changed their processes with technical help. WTO officials estimate that for EU aid of only about 5 million euros to phase out the pesticides some five years ago, farmers were now accessing a lucrative and growing market. Horticulture earned Kenya more than $700 million last year as the sector overtook tea to become the East African country?s second highest forex earner after tourism. Kenya is now the biggest exporter of cut flowers to the European Union, with a market share of some 32 percent, up from 11 percent in 2005. The sector employs some two million Kenyans directly, 80 percent of them small-scale farmers. The trade forum in Dar es Salaam, which was organised by the WTO, African Development Bank and United Nations, was the third in a series of regional meetings that will report to a WTO ?Global Review? in Geneva on Nov. 20-21. Africa`s share of world trade is less than 3 percent, experts say, and often crumbling infrastructure make the cost of doing business there far higher than elsewhere. The cost per mile of operating a two-axle truck in Tanzania, for instance, is more than twice as much as in Indonesia or Pakistan. `We have heard the problem is not a lack of competitive firms, but the lack of competitive economic systems,` Lamy said in his closing speech to delegates. `If we can address this problem, Africa can compete with the world.` Earlier, former Mozambique President Joachim Chisano said African countries experienced a formidable range of barriers that constrained their efforts to reap benefits from the global trading system. `It is our hope that the barriers will either be eliminated altogether or significantly reduced so that Africans can have access to world markets,` he said. He said Africans must deal with their own domestic shortcomings that prevented them from effectively integrating into the global market.

Sarkozy's Africa policy shift

Sarkozy is seeking relationships outside of France's former colonies

Nicolas Sarkozy became French president in May promising "rupture" on every possible issue - and he made clear that the old corrupt ties with former African colonies were among the items to be ditched.
During the campaign he called for a "healthier relationship" with Africa. The message was reaffirmed during Mr Sarkozy's first presidential trip to the continent in July - when he called for a new "partnership between equal nations" - and again during the current UN General Assembly in New York.
In the clearest indication yet that Paris's Africa policy was no longer focused on its French-speaking backyard, Mr Sarkozy chaired a Security Council meeting on African crises, and presented plans for international humanitarian intervention in Darfur and Somalia.
Putting aside old rivalries, he also said that it was "good news" that other major powers, such the US and China, also took an interest in Africa.
This suggest a sharp contrast with France's traditional policy in Africa, which was deeply defensive and aimed at preserving a sphere of influence on a continent which former French Foreign Minister Jean Sauvagnargues called "the only place in the world where France can single-handedly influence policy".
This policy - derogatively called "Francafrique" and epitomised by Mr Sarkozy's immediate predecessors Francois Mitterrand and Jacques Chirac - was in many ways an extension of colonial rule.

Why can't Africa tackle poverty?

The Millennium Development Goals were meant to end extreme poverty

As the United Nations (UN) General Assembly begins meeting in New York, little is being heard about the Millennium Development Goals.
The eight internationally-declared goals, on reducing poverty and improving life chances in developing countries, were set in 2000 for achievement by 2015.
But the UN says that halfway to the deadline, sub-Saharan Africa is unlikely to meet any of the poverty-busting goals - nor the benchmarks on education, health, and women's empowerment.
This failure was declared a "development emergency" by UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown at the UN in July. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called an emergency meeting to discuss the issue next year.
But why is Africa falling so far behind in the fight against poverty? And is there the will in the West to help?
Promises, promises
One reason is that the promises by Western countries to double foreign aid to Africa over the next decade - made at the "Make Poverty History" G8 summit at Gleneagles in 2005 - are not being met.
THE EIGHT GOALS
1 Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
2 Achieve universal primary education
3 Promote gender equality and empower women
4 Reduce child mortality
5 Improve maternal health
6 Combat HIV/Aids, malaria, and other diseases
7 Ensure environmental sustainability
8 Develop a global partnership for development
The Millennium Development Goals in figures

Aid budgets actually fell by 5% last year, according to Hetty Kovach, Oxfam's policy advisor on aid.
She says the situation is "very worrying" with budget difficulties and the economic slowdown likely to increase pressures on aid budgets in France, Germany, and Japan.
Ms Kovach argues that there have also been problems with the quality of aid that has been delivered, with too little directed at improving basic health and education, and in particular paying the salaries of badly needed nurses and teachers.
And she warns that it will be "too little, too late" if countries wait until just before the development goals fall due before putting more money into the pot.

False hopes
Some argue that the Millennium Development Goals may have been unrealistic targets for Africa.
Simon Maxwell, director at the independent think-tank Overseas Development Institute, says that the goals were always meant to be more of a tool of political mobilisation than an exact guide to planning an aid strategy.
But he says they have proved very effective, particularly when used by the UK government, in mobilising world opinion on the issue.
And he argues that, although there have been some signs of progress in Africa, particularly on education and on the spread of democratic institutions, there are more deep-seated problems that aid alone cannot deal with.
These include wars and conflicts, geography (especially landlocked states), over-dependence on the export of natural resources, and poor governance.

The developmental state
In a new report, the UN organisation Unctad suggests that in the future, Africa will have to do more to help itself.
It suggests that Africa should follow the model of the successful East Asian economies like Korea and Taiwan, which have grown rapidly in the past 20 years without foreign aid by mobilising their domestic resources.
It argues that, like in East Asia, the state will have to take a mobilising role in spurring economic growth, because the private sector is too weak, with the barriers to its expansion, such as poor infrastructure and lack of a developed financial system, too great.
"The widespread market failures, along with the huge financial resources involved in implementing the earlier stages of development, imply that the private sector cannot be expected to play the lead role," it says.
But for African governments to be effective in such a role, they have to develop more legitimacy and more competence.
And Africa must save and invest more of its own resources, including making better use of the profits from high commodity prices, and of the remittances from its workers who have moved abroad.

Challenging the 'Washington consensus'
Their argument throws down the gauntlet to the institutions that have traditionally led the world's effort to tackle poverty in Africa, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which will be meeting in Washington next month.
Their model of development, involving increasing liberalisation of Africa's financial and goods markets, along with cutting back the role of the state and limiting budget deficits, has been called the "Washington consensus".
John Lipsky, the deputy managing director of the IMF, told an Oxfam conference this week that "the economic prospects of poor countries depend on their linkage to the global economy" and argues that "new and significant progress to establishing the goals of an effective open economy" are increasingly attainable in Africa.
But both Unctad, and development non-governmental organisation like Oxfam, argue that the IMF model does not produce enough benefits for the poor.
Oxfam argues that, before giving advice, the World Bank and the IMF should have the responsibility to analyse how their policy recommendations will impact on the poor.
But the controversy over the effectiveness of aid is also one factor that is making most Western politicians - and Western people - increasingly reluctant to fund an increase in aid budgets, either for the World Bank (which is seeking another tranche of money) or for meeting the commitments they made at Gleneagles.
So, in the next decade, any progress in reaching the Millennium Development Goals may well depend on Africa itself, and the degree it can mobilise its own economic and political resources.

Shock at SA lion murder acquittal

A South African man convicted of murdering a man whose remains were found in a lion enclosure, has had his life sentence overturned on appeal.
White contractor Mark Scott-Crossley and an employee were alleged to have beaten up black former worker Nelson Chisale and thrown him to lions.
Scott-Crossley was convicted of murder and given a life sentence in 2005.
Now an appeal court in Bloemfontein has overturned the murder verdict and reduced his sentence to five years.
After the ruling, Mr Chisale's niece, Fetsan Jafta said: "We were trying to cope really. We were getting there. But now they have opened those wounds and it is really painful."
"I do not know how we are going to cope with this but God will help us. All we can do is pray because really there is no justice in this," Ms Jafta told the South African media.
The appeal court ruled that the prosecution in the 2005 trial had failed to prove that Mr Chisale was still alive when he was thrown into the lion enclosure.
Consequently it substituted a conviction of being an accessory to murder after the fact, reducing the sentence to five years which means Scott-Crossley will be eligible for release on parole within a few months.
The Star newspaper's Riana van der Schyff, said "the court decision will send shockwaves through the entire nation".

Racial tensions
The case has highlighted the racial tensions that still exist in the South African countryside 13 years after the end of apartheid.
Mr Chisale was sacked late in 2003. In January 2004, he returned to pick up his belongings at the farm near the Kruger National Park in the north-east of the country.
There he was beaten up by Scott-Crossley and another of his employees, Simon Mathebula - who was jailed for 15 years.
They tied Mr Chisale up and then took him to a nearby lion breeding centre, where they threw him into an enclosure.
The court was unable to establish whether Mr Chisale was already dead when he was thrown into the enclosure, as Scott-Crossley claimed during his defence.
The only remains recovered were a few bones and some shredded clothing.

Zimbabwe 'running out of bread'

Reports from Zimbabwe say bakeries have run out of flour and there will be no bread in the foreseeable future.
The Agriculture Ministry has confirmed that this year's wheat harvest yield of 145,000 tonnes is only one third of the country's requirements.
Agriculture Minister Rugare Gumbo is quoted as blaming the shortages on the failings of what he called the "new farmers" created by the land reforms.
Last week, the government announced it would import 100,000 tonnes of wheat.
But even that would still leave Zimbabwe short of its 400,000 tonne target for this year.
And it appears that a shortage of hard currency has already stranded a shipment of 35,000 tonnes of imported wheat at the Mozambican port of Beira.
Last week, Zimbabwe's main bread producer Lobels Bread said it had scaled back its operations by 80% and had only two days' supply of flour left.
The AP news agency says stores across Zimbabwe are now telling customers that bread will not be available until further notice.

The blame game
The Sunday Mail newspaper in Zimbabwe reported that this year's production was badly affected by erratic power supplies that resulted in some farmers completely abandoning their crop at germination levels because of the failure to irrigate.
Other reports quoted the agriculture minister as pinning the blame on farmers.
Speaking last Thursday at the Zimbabwe Farmers' Union (ZFU) national congress in Masvingo Minister Gumbo said: "I am disappointed that our new farmers have proved to be failures since the start of the land reform programme in 2000."
"In spite of all the support government has been pouring into the agricultural sector, productivity and under-utilisation of land remain issues of concern," he added.
And he admitted that he was "painfully aware of the widespread theft of stock, farm produce, irrigation equipment and the general vandalism of infrastructure by our new farmers".
Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union director Mr Phillip Tavuyanago told the Sunday Mail the failed harvests meant wheat farmers would be heavily affected in terms of paying back loans accessed during the winter programme.
Critics have blamed President Mugabe's policies, especially the seizure of farms from their former white owners, for ordinary Zimbabweans' hardship.
A foreign currency crisis has helped push inflation to record levels in recent months.
Government price controls have been blamed for worsening shortages.
For his part, President Mugabe has accused foreign governments of trying to interfere in Zimbabwe's affairs - saying some businesses had raised prices without justification as part of a Western plot to oust him.

Should Africa come first when shopping?

Some economists argue that if Africans bought more home produced goods the continent would increase its bargaining power with the rest of the world.But when you go shopping in Africa, do you consider where what you buy comes from, or do you just look at the price?Do Africans do enough to support their farmers, suppliers and companies or is it seen as more prestigious to buy western products?African countries are currently negotiating a new trade deal with the European Union which could possibly lead to African markets being fully open to foreign produce.Could Africa withstand such competition or does it still need some form of protective trade barrier?Should Africans be putting African goods first? Would you buy only local products to lock out western goods? What trade alternatives should Africa pursue?

If you would like to share your comments, please do not hesitate, just click at comments.
Thanks in advance

Nujoma to step down as party boss

Namibian President Sam Nujoma is in his late-70s

The founding father of Namibia, Sam Nujoma, has announced he will step down next month as president of the ruling Swapo party after 47 years at the helm.
Mr Nujoma was a co-founder of Swapo when it was formed as a liberation movement in 1960. He became Namibia's first president after 1990 elections.
He then retired as the head of state in 2005, but continued to lead the party.
Namibia's National Society for Human Rights predicts Mr Nujoma may continue to wield influence in the party.
Director Phil ya Nagoloh says he may be planning to take over the position of Swapo chairman, which has been dormant for the last five years.
Swapo still dominates political life in Namibia and Mr Nagolah warned that there would be no genuine transition to democracy and national reconciliation as long as Mr Nujoma remained in a position where he could influence Namibian politics.

Sudan pledges $300m to aid Darfur

Sudan's government has promised $300m (£150m) to "help rebuild and repair" Darfur, tripling a previous pledge, said ex-US President Jimmy Carter.
Mr Carter said President Omar al-Bashir was also willing to have international observers at planned elections in 2009.
Jimmy Carter is part of a group of four elder statesmen who are in Sudan to try to find solutions to the conflict.
Meanwhile, Nigeria has said pledges of troops and equipment to a joint AU-UN peacekeeping force must be honoured.
A presidential spokesman said Nigeria would continue to support the African Union's mission in Darfur, despite the weekend attack in which 10 troops were killed by rebels.
But the creation of a new, combined operation with the UN, he said, must depend on other African countries playing their part.
Urgent talks are going on about how to strengthen the force.

It was all smiles when Kim Jong-il (r) welcomed his guest to talks

THE TWO KOREAS 1910: Korean Peninsula colonised by Japan1945: Divided into US-backed South and Soviet-backed North1950-1953: Korean War, no peace deal signed1987: North Korea bombs a South airliner, killing 1151990s: South Korea introduces conciliatory Sunshine Policy2000: Kim Jong-il and Kim Dae-jung hold first leaders' summit2007: Kim Jong-il and Roh Moo-hyun hold second leaders' summit

South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun has said he is pleased with the results of historic talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang.
Mr Roh said he was "satisfied with the outcome" and that the two side were drafting an agreement for the end of the three-day summit on Thursday.
It is only the second-ever meeting between the leaders of the two Koreas, which are still technically at war.
They were expected to discuss disputed sea boundaries and economic ties.
Mr Roh said earlier that he hoped the summit would ease tensions between the two countries, but correspondents said expectations for progress were modest.
Mr Kim had proposed earlier on Wednesday that Mr Roh stay on in the North for an extra day.
South Korea media reports say Mr Roh turned down Mr Kim's offer.
However, after the second day of talks ended, Mr Kim said the discussions had been adequate and that the summit would be concluded as planned, reports said.
'Honest talks'
Little information has been released about the subjects under discussion, but it is thought talks will touch on the location of sea boundaries, a contentious issue left over from the 1950-1953 conflict.
During a break in talks on Wednesday, Mr Roh described his morning session with Mr Kim as "honest and frank" but said that the two sides must learn to trust each other.

He said Pyongyang was dissatisfied with the speed of development of a joint industrial park run by the South in Kaesong.
Mr Roh also said the North expressed regret that the international stand-off over its nuclear weapons programs had prevented greater economic co-operation with the South.
North Korea's nuclear programme is the subject of separate international six-party talks.
In a development on Tuesday, the US said it has approved an agreement over North Korea's nuclear weapons that would see its main nuclear facility disabled by the end of the year.
Mr Kim appeared upbeat when the two leaders met on Wednesday, smiling repeatedly as he received a gift of 150 South Korean DVDs.
South Korea had earlier denied that President Roh was given a cool reception by Mr Kim, who appeared dour and unsmiling when he welcomed the South Korean leader on Tuesday.
Millions of people died in the 1950-53 Korean war, a civil conflict which drew in several bigger powers and has never been formally ended.
Seoul has promoted hopes for a permanent truce while North Korea's avowed aim is reunification.

Actor Cage catches naked intruder

A man has denied burglary after film actor Nicolas Cage confronted an intruder at his California home.
Robert Dennis Furo was released on bail of $50,000 (£24,400) after pleading not guilty to the charge.
Police called to Cage's home said he escorted the man outside after finding him standing near a bathroom wearing nothing but one of his leather jackets.
The Oscar-winning actor had called security guards at the gated community after discovering the trespasser.
'No struggle'
Mr Furo, 45, who is scheduled to appear in court on 10 October for a preliminary hearing, could face up to six years' in prison if convicted.
Los Angeles police officer Lt Craig Fox said that Cage was upstairs with his son in the early hours of Tuesday morning when the intruder was reported.
"He was standing there naked - except for the leather jacket," he said.
Cage had already asked him to remove the jacket and escorted him off the premises "without struggle", added Lt Fox.
The 43-year-old actor won an Oscar for his performance in Leaving Las Vegas, and has recently starred in box office successes Ghost Rider and World Trade Center.

Ismaili fire coach

Egyptian club Ismaili have fired coach Taha Basri just five matches into the league season.
The club announced his sacking following a 4-4 draw at struggling Al Ittihad.
Ismaili are fourth in the league, and have also had a disappointing Confederation Cup campaign.
They cannot reach the final of the continental tournament, lying five points behind Group B leaders El Merreikh with one game remaining.
Ismaili were Champions League runners-up in 2003.
At the beginning of the season, Basri replaced the Frenchman Patrice Neveu.
Basri was deemed to have made an unsuccessful start to the domestic league campaign with 11 points out of a possible 18.

Storm over South African deal

KHOZA


South Africa's finance minister and the country's largest trade union have become involved in a dispute over the sponsorship of South Africa's Premier Soccer League (PSL).
Last week Absa, the country's largest banking group, signed a deal with the PSL worth around $72 million over five years.
Widespread criticism has followed a proposal by the PSL's sponsorship committee that it receives a 10% commission on the deal, which could be shared between its members.
The committee consists of former league chief executive Trevor Philips, marketing consultant Peter Mancer, and club owners Irvin Khoza (Orlando Pirates), Kaizer Motaung (Kaizer Chiefs) and Mato Madlala (Golden Arrows).
Finance Minister Trevor Manuel led the attack with a strongly-worded letter to Absa in which he warned the bank not to pay the proposed commissions.
He pointed out that his portfolio includes taking responsibility for the country's financial institutions.
"My understanding is that individuals are elected to serve the interests of the sport, not in the expectation of acquiring personal fortunes," Manuel said on national radio.

Cosatu, the country's biggest trade union federation has also condemned the proposed payments saying the officials are elected to serve the sport and not to seek opportunities to enrich themselves.
Khoza expressed disappointment with Manuel for involving himself in their affairs.
After a PSL meeting on Tuesday, Khoza emphasised that while the committee would be within its rights to claim commission on the massive deal, it is not certain to demand a share of the money.
"No decision has yet been taken regarding payment of commission," he said.
Absa's head of marketing Louis von Zeuner said that the final sponsorship deal has not yet been signed, and that they will institute appropriate checks and balances to ensure that no individual benefits personally from the deal.

Chelsea 'must not lose in Spain'

Joe Cole admits that Chelsea cannot afford to lose their Champions League game at Valencia on Wednesday.
Chelsea drew their first match at home to Norway's Rosenborg and the game in Valencia is their first in Europe since they split with coach Jose Mourinho.
"We need to go out there and get the result," the midfielder said.
"We've only got one point on the board in the Champions League so it's a game we must not lose. We want to go home with all three points."

Chelsea have won only one of their last six games - and that was against Championship side Hull in the Carling Cup.

And they are a lowly eighth in the Premier League after a defeat and a goalless draw in new manager Avram Grant's first two games in charge.
Chelsea put in one of their best performances under Mourinho in Valencia's Mestalla stadium last season, coming from a goal behind to win 2-1 and book a semi-final against Liverpool.
But Cole admits that Chelsea will lose in Valencia on Wednesday if they do not improve their form.
"It's a tough place to come and they are a side with great players," the England midfielder said.
"We need to be five to 10% better than we've been all season. We need to improve.
"That is everyone, including myself, we are not firing on all cylinders at the moment.
"As a team we want to go out and win. Maybe a draw would be a good result, but we want to come here and get a great result.
"We are improving and we don't think it will be too long before we are back to our top level and higher."

And Cole says they need to forget about Mourinho, who led the side to consecutive Premier League titles in 2005 and 2006 and the Champions League semi-finals in the last two years.
"The club were very successful under Jose but in football things move on and things change," he said.
"We want to draw a line under that now and look forward. The atmosphere has been fine, obviously nothing runs smoothly when there is any change among leaders and managers.
"We all just want to look forward to a successful future with Avram and Chelsea, and win things."

Coca-Cola to sponsor Olympic Torch Relay

Coca-Cola will sponsor Tanzania participation in Olympic Touch Relay in April next year. The East African Coca-Cola Head of Government and Foreign Department, Nelson Githinji, said they would be very pleased to sponsor such international event. He said Coca-Cola had been globally supporting the rally for the last six years. Beginning in late March 2008, the Olympic Flame will be shared with citizens in at least 19 cities across the world ? including Dar es Salaam. Following its round-the-world tour, the Olympic Torch Relay will travel throughout mainland China, prior to arriving in Beijing, host city for the 2008 Olympic Games. `We are very proud for having a giant sponsoring portion in the event, considering that among all the African cities, Dar es Salaam is the only city which has been selected to take part in the 2008 Olympic touch rally,` he said. Coca-Cola will integrate its global advertising campaign `Coke Side of Life` in all marketing communications for the Olympic Games through the theme of `Live Olympic on the Coke Side of Life`. The message is an invitation to live on the positive side of life and shares the values of inspiration and the belief that an individual can make a difference that are also embodied in the Olympic spirit, he added. Githinji said the Olympic touch will arrive in Dar es Salaam on April 12 from Argentina. The General Secretary of the Tanzania Olympic Committee (TOC), Filbert Bayi, thanked Coca-Cola for its continued support of the relay.

Matumla and Cheka rematch again Nov 3

Popular boxer Rashid Matumla `Snake Man` and Francis Cheka are expected to fight in a 10-round super-middle weight fight on November 3. The non-title fight will be staged at the Luxury Pub in Temeke, Dar es Salaam. The Tanzania Professional Boxing Organisation, Yassin Abdallah, said the fight is expected to be tough and a crowd-puller as both boxers are very strong. `These boxers last met in 2004 and fans have been always asking us about their rematch. I hope that fans will now be happy,` he claimed. `This will be an international fight as the two boxers are internationally recorgnised. They also have many fans in the country,` added Abdallah. Matumla knocked down Cheka in the third round in their first match in January 13, 2003. Cheka won on points in their rematch played a year later. Matumla have so far played 41 fights, won 34 and lost 7 while Cheka played 12 fights, drew 1 and lost three.

JOKE OF THE DAY

Nelson Mandela is sitting at home watching telly when he hears a knock at the door.

When he opens it, he is confronted by a little Chinese man, clutching a clip board and yelling, "You sign! You sign!" Behind him is an enormous truck full of car exhausts. Nelson is standing there in complete amazement, when the Chinese man starts to yell louder. "You sign! You sign!" Nelson says to him, "Look mate, you've obviously got the wrong bloke. Push off", and shuts the door in his face.

The next day he hears a knock at the door again. When he opens it, the little Chinese man is back with a huge truck of brake pads. He thrusts his clipboard under Nelson's nose, yelling, "You sign! You sign!". Mr Mandela is getting a bit hacked off by now, so he shoves the little Chinese man back, shouting: "Look, push off! You've got the wrong bloke! I don't want them!" Then he slams the door in his face again.

The following day, Nelson is resting, and late in the afternoon, he hears a knock on the door again. On opening the door, there is the same little Chinese man thrusts a clipboard under his nose, shouting "You sign! You sign!" Behind him are TWO very large trucks full of car parts. This time Nelson loses his temper completely, he picks up the little man by his shirt front and yells at him; "Look, I don't want these! Do you understand? You must have the wrong name! Who do you want to give these to?"

The little Chinese man looks at him very puzzled, consults his clipboard, and says: "You not Nissan Maindealer?"

Brown loses fight to bar Mugabe from summit

Gordon Brown has lost his campaign to prevent President Robert Mugabe from attending a Europe-Africa summit in Portugal in December despite the EU travel ban on the Zimbabwean strongman. The prime minister is also facing stiff resistance to his demand that the EU appoint a special envoy to deal with the Zimbabwe crisis, according to sources in Brussels. "It's the working assumption that Mugabe will be coming if invited by the Portuguese as expected," said a European Commission official familiar with the preparations for the first Europe-Africa summit in seven years. While a Portuguese official said no invitation had yet been issued to Mr Mugabe for the summit on December 8, he also cautioned against concluding that the Zimbabwean leader would not be coming to Europe. The shadow foreign secretary, William Hague, yesterday joined Mr Brown's effort to bar Mr Mugabe despite all the signs of failure. "We have asked our government to ensure Mugabe is not invited to the African summit with the EU and support the stand they have taken," he told the Tory party conference in Blackpool. But EU and Portuguese officials showed exasperation with the British position, shrugging off the British boycott threat. Mr Brown said last month he would boycott the summit if Mr Mugabe came to Lisbon. It is not clear whether Britain will stay away altogether or be represented at a lower level at a summit bringing together 53 African and 26 European heads of state or government. British officials said no decision had yet been taken. Mr Mugabe and 130 of his regime acolytes are barred from travelling to Europe, but African leaders are insisting that Zimbabwe be treated the same as everyone else for the summit. Portugal and other EU countries are unwilling to jeopardise the summit by blocking Mr Mugabe, not least because they are alarmed that they are losing out to China in the contest for African trade and resources. While Mr Brown is certain to be absent, Britain is pushing to make sure that Mr Mugabe is confronted in Lisbon with vigorous criticism of the appalling human rights situation in Zimbabwe. "If Zimbabwe sends anyone on the visa ban list, the quid pro quo is that there has to be a discussion on human rights and that could focus on Zimbabwe," a British official added. "The condition for lifting the ban is that human rights is on the agenda." While a consensus is emerging on a broad discussion of "human rights and good governance" in Africa, there is also resistance to singling out Zimbabwe lest that trigger a Mugabe walkout in Lisbon and a possible summit collapse. Following Mr Brown's boycott declaration last month, Britain last week asked EU member states to appoint a senior envoy to deal with Zimbabwe. The proposal is to be discussed by EU foreign ministers in a fortnight, but has received a lukewarm response so far. EU diplomats hope that Mr Mugabe will come under "peer pressure" from fellow African leaders. They say that hectoring from ex-colonial powers is more likely to trigger a backlash and generate African support for Mr Mugabe.