Mutinous troops kidnap Niger president in coup

Renegade soldiers in armored vehicles stormed Niger's presidential palace with a hail of gunfire in broad daylight, kidnapping the country's strongman president and then appearing on state television to declare that they had staged a successful coup. The soldiers also said Thursday on state TV that the country's constitution had been suspended and all its institutions dissolved. The spokesman for the soldiers said the country is now being led by the Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy and asked their countrymen and the international community to have faith in their ideals, which "could turn Niger into an example of democracy and of good governance."

Smoke rose from the multistory white palace complex, and the echo of machine-gunfire for at least two hours sent frightened residents running for cover, emptying the desert country's downtown boulevards at midday.

Traore Amadou, a local journalist who was in the complex when the shooting began, said President Mamadou Tandja was kidnapped by mutinous troops.

French radio station Radio France Internationale reported that the soldiers burst in and neutralized the presidential guard before politely escorting Tandja outside to a waiting car, which drove him toward a military camp on the outskirts of the capital. His whereabouts remained unknown hours later when the soldiers took to the airwaves to announce the coup.

Tandja first took power in democratic elections in 1999 that followed an era of coups and rebellions. But instead of stepping down as mandated by law on Dec. 22, he triggered a political crisis by pushing through a new constitution in August that removed term limits and gave him near-totalitarian powers.

Niger has become increasingly isolated since then, with the 15-nation regional bloc of West African states suspending Niger from its ranks and the U.S. government cutting off nonhumanitarian aid and imposing travel restrictions on some government officials.

AFP

Palestinian leader meets U.S. envoy on peace effort
Venezuela's Chavez oil price band

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met a senior aide to U.S. envoy George Mitchell on Thursday, part of Washington's effort to relaunch peace negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel.

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat confirmed the scheduled meeting with David Hale had taken place in Ramallah. But like the Americans he offered no comment on what was discussed.

U.S. officials had announced the meeting after Erekat met Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Qatar on Sunday. Mitchell and his team maintain a strict silence about their discussions.

Abbas has been seeking details from U.S. officials on how a proposal that Washington would host "proximity talks" involving Israeli and Palestinian envoys would work. Aides say he has been looking for "guarantees" that any such talks would quickly move to seeking final agreements on the core issues of the conflict.

Abbas, who broke off negotiations with the previous Israeli government in December 2008 in protest at its offensive in the Gaza Strip, has refused to hold talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while Israel expands West Bank settlements.

Netanyahu in November ordered a 10-month freeze on building in some settlements on land Israel occupied in 1967 but refuses to extend that ban to building around East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed in a move not recognised internationally.

The United States and other Western powers are urging Abbas to drop his condition that Israel freeze all settlements and want him to resume talks aimed at establishing a Palestinian state. Abbas says Israeli settlements are making it ever harder to found a viable state in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.