Countries deny selling Japan votes Japan and Pacific nations the Marshall Islands and Kiribati have denied trading cash and favors for votes in support of Tokyo on whaling, ahead of a crunch meeting next week in Morocco. Britain's The Sunday Times reported that officials from St Kitts and Nevis, Grenada, the Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Guinea and Ivory Coast were willing to discuss selling their votes at the International Whaling Commission (IWC). The newspaper said officials had voted with the pro-whaling bloc because of Japanese aid, or because they were offered inducements including cash, call-girls and funding to attend whaling meetings. Algeria ready for England Algeria's Madjid Bougherra has described the match against England tonight as “the game of my life”. Walter Smith, his club manager at Rangers, is just delighted it will be over long before the start of the new Scottish Premier League season. Bougherra has made something of a habit out of late returns from international duty. Lost passports, keys and phones have played a part in the reasoning relayed back to Smith at Ibrox. Last November, after Algeria sealed their qualification for the World Cup, there was no elaborate excuse given for Bougherra's delay in reaching Glasgow: the players were simply partying in the company of the country's president. Tunisia open for foreign investment, but don't say otherwise In Tunisia it is now a crime for anyone to try to convince foreigners not to invest in the country, loan money to it, or sign trade deals. Opponents say the new law will be used to silence any criticism of the government. The Justice and Human Rights Minister claimed that the legislation was in line with the law in other countries and was needed to protect citizens. “The country's vital interests are anything that has to do with its economic security,” the minister said. He denied that the legislation in any way limited freedom of expression. Libya stalls on rights, suffers Human rights are suffering in Libya as it continues to stall on reform, Amnesty International has warned in a new report, despite the country's efforts to play a greater international role. ‘Libya of Tomorrow': What Hope for Human Rights? documents floggings used as punishment for adultery, indefinite detentions and abuses of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers as well as the legacy of unresolved cases of enforced disappearances of dissidents. Meanwhile, the security forces remain immune from the consequences of their actions. Sudan announces cabinet Sudan's president has announced his coalition cabinet, expected to be the last before a referendum due in January on secession for the oil-rich south. Omar al-Bashir was overwhelmingly re-elected in April's polls, although they were marred by an opposition boycott and fraud allegations. BM
