■ Kenya
Somali warlord jailed
A Kenyan judge has jailed one of Somalia's most powerful warlords over an unpaid debt, throwing a new spanner into drawn-out peace talks for the shattered African country. Hussein Aideed -- whose father Mohamed Farah Aideed humiliated the US military in a 1993 Mogadishu battle recalled in the film Black Hawk Down -- was arrested at a Nairobi hotel on Thursday, court officials said yesterday. Magistrate Christine Meoli ordered Aideed held for one month after hearing charges he reneged on a development deal with a Kenyan businessman dating back to 1997 and still owed him 15 million shillings (US$180,000).
■ Zimbabwe
Militia attacks opposition
The youth militia of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party went on the rampage in Harare on Thursday, smashing windows and destroying property at the offices of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). The youths also blockaded an entrance to parliament and threatened to kill a white member of parliament who, in a fit of anger, had thrown Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa to the ground earlier in the week. Riot police took no action against the Zanu-PF youths, but instead arrested four MDC members.
■ Brazil
Peacekeepers set for Haiti
Brazil will send 1,200 army and marine troops to Haiti for UN peacekeeping duties in an operation set to begin on Monday, according to a statement from the Defense Ministry. The Brazilian Senate gave its approval for the move following a spirited debate on Wednesday night, with 38 of the body's 81 members voting in favor and 10 against. "This is a mission to help Haiti so that it can be rebuilt into a fully functioning democratic state," said Senator Eduardo Suplicy, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who sponsored the motion. Brazil will send 970 army soldiers and 230 marines, the ministry said.
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