By News from Elsewhere……as found by BBC Monitoring
Image copyrightRomanov Empire websiteImage caption The artificial islands are meant to be linked to The Gambia’s Tanji village by a causeway
The Gambia has become the latest country to deny that it is selling a Siberian businessman land for his plan to revive the Russian monarchy.
The Gambia “has not signed any memorandum of understanding with the Romanov Empire represented by Arch Chancellor Prince Anton Bakov,” the Gambian president’s website says
Mr Bakov told reporters back home that The Gambia had agreed to let him build artificial islands on its Bijol islets as a base for his Romanov Empire micro-state, in return for $60m (£44.8m) and use of the proposed hi-tech “smart city” of Saint Nicholas, the Argumenty i Fakty website reports.
But the Gambian government says it did not agree to Mr Bakov’s proposal during his visit last month.
Government lawyers rejected the plans on the grounds that the Romanov Empire is “not a real state… and does not have the authority to enter into an international treaty,” the president’s website says.
Image copyrightRomanov Empire websiteImage caption Saint Nicholas, Africa’s proposed first ‘smart city’
They also raised concerns about the environmental and financial implications of the artificial islands project.
Mr Bakov, a former MP, created the Romanov Empire micro-nation in 2011 for “people unhappy with President Vladimir Putin’s regime“. It is nominally led by “Nicholas III”, a German aristocrat with a Romanov grandmother, but has little support among Russia’s traditional monarchists.
Mr Bakov has tried and failed to persuade a series of other countries – most recently Kiribati in the Pacific Ocean – to let him use their islands as a territorial base for his Empire.
But this latest rebuff seems unlikely to dampen his enthusiasm for restoring Russia’s imperial glory in exile. “I never put all my eggs in one basket,” he told reporters in his home city of Yekaterinburg.
Image copyrightAnton Bakov/Wikimedia CommonsImage caption Mr Bakov (left) discusses imperial projects with “Emperor Nicholas III” (right)
Image copyrightShymaImage caption Shyma wrote that she had not anticipated the backlash against her video
A court in Egypt has reportedly jailed for two years a singer who appeared in a music video in her underwear while suggestively eating a banana.
Shaimaa Ahmed, a 25-year-old known professionally as Shyma, was arrested last month after the video sparked outrage in the conservative country.
On Tuesday, she was found guilty of inciting debauchery and publishing an indecent film, local media said.
The video’s director was also sentenced to two years in prison in absentia.
Shyma had apologised before her arrest to people who took the video for the song, I Have Issues, “in an inappropriate way”.
“I didn’t imagine all this would happen and that I would be subjected to such a strong attack from everyone,” she wrote on her now-deleted Facebook page.
Last year, Egyptian courts sentenced three female dancers to six months each in prison after convicting them of inciting debauchery in music videos.
Another singer is meanwhile facing trial for “spreading provocative publicity” because she suggested that drinking from the River Nile could make someone ill.
A lawsuit was filed last month after video emerged showing Sherine Abdel Wahab being asked at a concert last year to sing Mashrebtesh Men Nilha (Have You Drunk From The Nile?).
She responded by saying “drinking from the Nile will get me schistosomiasis” – a disease caused by a parasitic worm that is commonly known as bilharzia.
On Monday, the Egyptian Musicians Syndicate announced that it had decided to ban Abdel Wahab from performing concerts in the country for two months.
Note: This story is auto-generated from ‘BBC News’ syndicated feed and has not been edited by Africa Prime News staff.
Media captionWhat the Alabama upset will mean for Donald Trump’s agenda
Doug Jones has become the first Democrat in 25 years to win a US Senate seat for Alabama, after a bitter campaign against Republican Roy Moore.
His unexpected victory deals a blow to President Donald Trump, who backed Mr Moore, and narrows the Republican majority in the Senate to 51-49.
Mr Moore has so far refused to concede, saying “it’s not over”.
He fought a controversial campaign, in which allegations surfaced of sexual misconduct with teenage girls.
Mr Moore, a firebrand conservative who has said he believes that homosexual activity should be illegal, has repeatedly denied the claims against him.
The contest was for the seat vacated by US Attorney General Jeff Sessions earlier this year.
A flawed candidate – or an anti-Trump wave?
Anthony Zurcher, BBC News, Washington
Alabama will have a Democrat in the US Senate.
It’s an outcome that seemed all but impossible a year ago and still seemed unlikely even as voters headed to the polls on Tuesday.
Image copyrightReutersImage caption Supporters of Doug Jones celebrate at the election night party in Birmingham, Alabama
The ramifications of this unexpected victory are clear.
The Republican majority in the Senate will narrow, considerably improving the chances Democrats could gain control of the chamber in the 2018 mid-term elections.
It could also be seen as a rebuke of President Donald Trump, who gave full-throated support to Roy Moore even when other leaders in his party were hesitant.
After winning governor races in Virginia and New Jersey in November, some Democratic supporters will be hoping that an anti-Trump electoral wave is forming.
But Moore was such a flawed candidate that it may be too early to tell.
Mr Jones won with 49.9% of the vote, to Mr Moore’s 48.4%. All votes from precincts around the state have been counted.
The margin of victory is well above the half a percentage point which would have triggered a recount.
Media playback is unsupported on your device
Media captionRoy Moore: “It is not over”
But Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill, quoted by the Washington Post, said a recount could still be ordered if a review of write-in votes and overseas ballots narrowed it to within this range.
There was a total of 1.7% of votes for write-ins, where voters wrote in names of candidates who did not appear on the ballot paper.
Even if the final result is outside the 0.5% margin, either candidate can request a recount if they are prepared to pay the costs.
Mr Moore, a 70-year-old former judge, told his supporters it was not yet over.
“We’ve been painted in an unfavourable and unfaithful light,” he said. “Realise that when the vote is this close that it’s not over.”
Although Mr Moore did not concede, President Trump congratulated Mr Jones in a tweet shortly after US media declared him the winner, adding that “Republicans will have another shot at this seat in a very short period of time”.
The Senate seat will come up for re-election in November 2020.
Congratulations to Doug Jones on a hard fought victory. The write-in votes played a very big factor, but a win is a win. The people of Alabama are great, and the Republicans will have another shot at this seat in a very short period of time. It never ends!
Mr Jones told his supporters in a victory speech that the “entire race has been about dignity and respect”.
“This campaign has been about the rule of law. This campaign has been about common courtesy and decency and making sure everyone in this state, regardless of which zip code you live in, is going to get a fair shake in life,” he said before the crowd erupted in cheers.
Media playback is unsupported on your device
Media captionDoug Jones: “We have shown America the way”
The 63-year-old is a former lawyer known for helping convict two Ku Klux Klan members who bombed a black church in 1963 in Birmingham, killing four girls. He has never held elected office.
Mr Jones’ victory has been credited to an unusually high turnout of black voters. Exit polls also suggest 56% of women voted for him.
Why was Roy Moore so controversial?
The former judge has made headlines for a series of incendiary remarks over the years, including his belief that Muslims are not fit to serve in Congress.
But it was allegations of sexual misconduct made by several women, some when they were teenagers, that dogged Mr Moore’s campaign and drew national attention to the special election.
One accuser alleges Mr Moore molested her when she was 14 while another claims he sexually assaulted her in a car while she was a teenager.
The claims against Mr Moore came amid a wave of allegations of sexual misconduct against prominent figures that has led to the resignation of three politicians.
What effect will the election have on the Senate?
The election will reduce the Republican majority in the Senate to 51-49.
However, Luther Strange – the Republican appointed to replace Mr Sessions as an interim senator in February – is likely to remain in the seat until early January.
This means the party will still have time to pass its tax-cut bill and vote on any year-end budgetary resolutions, but after that the window for legislative success narrows considerably, says the BBC’s Anthony Zurcher.
After Mr Jones takes his seat, the Republicans can only afford to lose one vote – in the event of a 50-50 split Vice-President Mike Pence will have the casting vote.
Note: This story is auto-generated from BBC syndicated feed and has not been edited by AFRICA PRIME NEWS
CNBC reported that Fox and Disney were on a “glide path” for an announcement on Thursday, according to people familiar with the negotiations.
The Murdoch family was said to favour a deal with Disney because it would rather be paid in the entertainment giant’s shares than Comcast stock.
A deal with Disney could also face fewer US regulatory hurdles, although it is extremely unlikely to be waved through.
Image copyrightReuters
Also in question is what will happen to 21st Century Fox’s bid to buy the 61% of Sky that it does not already own.
The deal is already under scrutiny by the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which is expected to publish its provisional findings in January.
It is not clear whether Disney will continue with the takeover if it buys the 39% stake from 21st Century Fox as part of the wider transaction.
Matthew Horsman, analyst at Mediatique, told Variety magazine that the CMA is likely to continue probing the deal. “They’ve done all the work. I’m pretty sure they’re going to announce a decision,” he said.
Image caption How 21st Century Fox fits into the Murdoch empire
The assets being sold by Fox include its FX and National Geographic cable channels, 22 regional US sports networks and the company’s stake in the Hulu streaming platform in the US.
It would also add to Disney’s extensive film and television library, with movies such as Avatar and Deadpool, as well as small screen hits including The Simpsons and Modern Family.
The Fox broadcast network, Fox News and Fox Sports would remain under the Murdochs’ control.
As well as its film studio, Disney also owns the ESPN sports network and cable channels.
Mr Murdoch’s decision to sell most of Fox has surprised many commentators given his desire to continually expand his media empire over the past five decades.
Talks were understood to have been held between the two companies in November but did not result in an agreement.
According to the Reuters news agency, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said “this sort of incident creates anxiety not only among those involved with the school but the people of Okinawa and should never happen”.
The US military confirmed in a statement that the window of one of its helicopters fell onto the sports ground of an elementary school outside the US Marine Corps Air Station Futenma.
“We take this report extremely seriously and are investigating the cause of this incident in close coordination with local authorities,” the statement said. “This is a regrettable incident and we apologize for any anxiety it has caused the community.”
Image copyrightReutersImage caption Okinawa governor Takeshi Onaga shows the window that crashed on the school yard
The US presence on Okinawa is a key part of the post-war security alliance between the two countries.
The Futenma base is located in a residential area, with schools, shops and hospitals. Residents have long been concerned over possible crashes or accidents.
In October, another US helicopter crash landed and burst into flames in northern Okinawa.
In November, a US serviceman caused a deadly car crash on the island. When the accident was linked to drink driving, the US military banned all soldiers stationed in Japan from drinking alcohol.
Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson speaks at the Atlantic Council in Washington
Rex Tillerson is taking stock of a tumultuous year.
The reticent Secretary of State spoke at great length on Tuesday, first in a town hall meeting with State Department staff, and then in a policy speech at the Atlantic Council.
The headlines are that he’s trying to find a way just to get in the same room, around the same table, as the North Koreans, that he’s announced the first steps of his controversial department redesign – “quick wins” he called them – and that he plans to visit two continents next year, acting like a man who’s expecting to keep his job.
Oh, and he’s more comfortable with cowboy culture than Washington politicos.
The North Korea line came up in a question-and-answer session after two scripted speeches on the same topic, and the White House was quick to say it wasn’t a policy shift.
But it sounded like a softening.
Tillerson said Washington was ready to talk without preconditions, whenever Pyongyang was ready, and that first chat could be about anything, even the weather.
In the past he’s been vague about preconditions, but suggested the North Koreans would have to at least demonstrate a willingness to consider giving up their nuclear arsenal. So his readiness for talks of any kind, at least initially, is interesting.
And this coincides with a very senior UN visit to Pyongyang, by the Undersecretary General Jeffrey Feltman. He urged North Korean officials to consider “talks about talks”, in what he described as the most important mission he has ever taken.
Media playback is unsupported on your device
Media captionHow would war with North Korea unfold?
President Trump has taken a much tougher line in his public statements – famously tweeting that Tillerson was wasting his time trying to negotiate with “Little Rocket Man,” his derogatory nickname for Kim Jong Un.
But in practice he’s gone along with Tillerson’s diplomatic strategy, for now. And the secretary of state remained clear about the goal: that the US ultimately could not accept a nuclear-armed North Korea.
Kim Jong Un, meanwhile, has been saying that his country aims to be the “strongest nuclear power” in the world.
So no imminent visits to North Korea for Tillerson, but he will be travelling to South America and Africa in the new year, which suggests he plans to stay on for a bit longer as the country’s top diplomat, despite reports that Trump doesn’t get along with him and wants to replace him (reports that both men have denied).
Tillerson gave a nod to his difficult year when asked by a State Department employee whether he was enjoying his job.
“I’m learning to enjoy it,” he said, to laughter from the floor. He explained that he didn’t enjoy the actual task of dealing with countries like North Korea and Pakistan, but he did enjoy working with the department’s diplomats and experts on these topics.
His town hall was an effort to connect with staff who’ve have been alienated by the perception that he’s gutting the State Department amidst budget cuts and hiring freezes.
Tillerson gave them their first briefing on his project to redesign the department: he presented plans to revamp its outdated information technology; streamline its functions; and improve career management.
And he announced a few immediate changes to make work simpler and easier, some of which drew applause.
Image copyrightReutersImage caption The US is ready to open nuclear talks with North Korea without preconditions, Mr Tillerson says
I did a silent poll afterwards – no one wanted to speak publicly so it was a ‘thumbs up’ or ‘thumbs down’ kind of question. There were more of the former than the latter. Granted, those happy with the performance may have been more inclined to respond, but the secretary clearly did connect with some.
I know many employees still feel frustrated by Tillerson’s management style and sceptical about what a leaner department will mean for diplomacy, especially with the departure of experienced hands at the top and low recruitment numbers at the bottom.
And it has to be said that the most popular “quick win” Tillerson announced was one that fixed a problem he had created: he lifted a temporary hiring freeze he’d imposed on family members of diplomats working in overseas missions.
To the extent that poor communication between Tillerson and the Rest of the Building has been part of the problem (and it has), there’s been some movement.
Tillerson has finally managed to fill the most senior position on that front, Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. It’s Steve Goldstein, who told us the town hall meeting was part of a broader strategy to improve communications.
For his part, Tillerson is looking forward to spending Christmas break with the cowboys on his ranch, or “the guys I like to hang out with” who follow the “Code of the West: your word is our bond”.
Much easier out West than in Washington. No contracts, lawyers, (or nasty politics). Just saddling up ‘”my favourite pony, Blue, and I’m going to go out and check on some cows”.
Note: This story is auto-generated from BBC syndicated feed and has not been edited by AFRICA PRIME NEWS
Image copyright Romanov Empire website 
