Protests at Sudan Woman's Trial

Police have fired tear gas at supporters of a Sudanese woman charged with wearing "indecent clothing", shortly after her trial was postponed. Lubna Ahmed Hussein says she was arrested for wearing trousers. She has adopted a defiant attitude, urging authorities to try her although she faces up to 40 lashes in public. Earlier, she told the BBC she was not afraid, saying: "Flogging is not pain, flogging is an insult to humans, women and religions." Ms Hussein has resigned from a UN job that would have given her immunity to take on the case - indicating she wants it to become a test case for women's rights in Sudan. "If the court's decision is that I be flogged, I want this flogging in public," she told the BBC's Today programme. But Ms Hussein's trial in the capital, Khartoum, was delayed for a month after the judge said he needed to verify if she was immune from prosecution because of her former position at the UN.

After her hearing was adjourned, Ms Hussein said the authorities wanted to delay her trial until the fuss around it went away. Scores of women protested outside the court, some holding up banners saying "No return to the dark ages". Then the riot police drove them away, reports the BBC's James Copnall in Sudan. First, they marched up the road, banging their batons against their plastic shields, and later they fired tear gas and charged the protesters. 'My message' Ms Hussein was arrested in a restaurant in the capital with other women earlier this month for wearing clothing deemed "indecent" under Khartoum's Sharia law. She said 10 of the women arrested with her, including non-Muslims, each received 10 lashes and a fine. "Before police caught me, there are maybe 20,000 girls and women getting flogged for dress reasons," she said.

If this could happen in a restaurant in Khartoum, imagine what the situation must be for women in Darfur, Ms Hussein said. "This is my message." Ms Hussein and two other women asked for a lawyer, delaying their trials. Under a 2005 peace deal between the mainly Muslim north and the largely Christian and animist south, Sharia law is not supposed to be applied to non- Muslims living in the capital. Our correspondent says it is not that unusual to see women, both Muslim and non-Muslim,we a r i n g trousers in the city. Ms Hussein says she has done nothing wrong under Sharia law, but could fall foul of a paragraph in Sudanese criminal law which forbids indecent clothing.

Niger Holds Poll on Third Term

Niger is holding a referendum to decide on President Mamadou Tandja's divisive plan to change the constitution and run for a third term in office. Opposition groups are urging voters to boycott the poll and the EU and UN have expressed concern at Mr Tandja's plans. The BBC's Idy Baraou in the capital, Niamey, says the streets are quiet with only small groups of people voting. He says security forces have fired tear gas at opposition supporters in their northern stronghold of Illela. Some opposition supporters have also been arrested in Dosso in the east, after being accused of trying to disrupt the poll. The President has dissolved both parliament and the constitutional court to push through the referendum. His backers say he has boosted living standards during his 10 years in power and deserves to remain in office.

The President says he needs more time to complete multi-billion-dollar projects such as a uranium mine, an oil refinery and a dam on the River Niger. “It's a great day, our wish has been fulfilled” President Mamadou Tandja said. But his critics portray him as a classic strongman determined to hold on to power so he can benefit financially from the projects he has started. Our reporter says there is a heavy security presence in the capital, with troops and police on every street corner. Markets are closed and the day has been declared a public holiday. Polls are open until 1930 local time (1830 GMT). EU warning State media has been calling on voters to say "Yes" to changing the constitution so the 71-year-old president can stay in office. The official campaign says a "Yes" will improve people's lives, whereas a "No" vote means the country will remain mired in poverty. The move would allow him an initial threeyear term, and then he would be able to run for reelection with no term limits. Mr Tandja's government has meticulously organised the poll, with security forces voting on Monday to ensure they are free to guard polling stations on Tuesday.

Casting his vote in Niamey, Mr Tandja said he was "fully satisfied" that he had done his duty as president. "It's a great day, our wish has been fulfilled," he said. Mr Tandja was first elected in 1999, and then again five years later. He had previously promised to quit in December this year, a month after presidential elections are due to be held. Internal opposition has been led by Mahamadou Issoufou, who was beaten by Mr Tandja in presidential polls in 1999 and 2004. He has been calling on the estimated six million registered voters to boycott the ballot. There have been two huge rallies and two abortive general strikes by opponents of Mr Tandja. The European Union, EU, has already suspended an aid payment and warned of "serious consequences" for its co-operation with Niger if the president carries through his plans. 

Hillary Clinton Heads to Africa

US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, is on her way to Kenya, to begin an 11-day tour of the African continent. Her trip will include South Africa, Nigeria, Liberia and Angola and she will meet Somali leaders in Kenya. The visit, her longest overseas journey in her post to date, is part of an attempt by the US to show that Africa remains a key foreign policy priority. Development issues - including food security, health and gender concerns, are expected to be high on the agenda. Mrs Clinton's trip comes less than a month after US President Barack Obama travelled to Ghana.

Somali hopes Ahead of her arrival on Tuesday, the US embassy in Nairobi issued a statement scolding Kenya for its decision not to set up a local court to seek justice for the victims of the country's post-election violence. Cape Verde At least 1,300 people died during clashes following the disputed December 2007 poll. Meanwhile Somali President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed said the meeting with Mrs Clinton in Kenya would be "a golden chance for the Somali people and government". "It signals how the American government, the Obama administration and the international community are willing to support Somalia this time," he said, referring to earlier failed peacekeeping missions to the country.

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