Ivory Coast - Disputed leader claims coup d'etat

Ivory Coast's incumbent leader, who refuses to cede power, is describing international efforts to oust him as a coup d'etat.

In an address broadcast on state television, Laurent Gbagbo said no one has the right to call on foreign armies to invade Ivory Coast.

"Our greatest duty to our country is to defend it from foreign attack," he said. The 15-nation West African regional bloc Ecowas has said it will consider a military intervention if Gbagbo fails to step aside. Ivory Coast was divided in two by a 2002-2003 civil war, and the long-delayed presidential election was intended to help reunify the nation. However, tensions over the disputed outcome have sparked deadly violence.

United States - Station agrees to cancel Jackson show

The co-executors of Michael Jackson's estate said the Discovery Channel has heeded their request that they cancel a show purporting to re-enact the dead superstar's post mortem.

John Branca and John McClain said in a statement that the company made the correct decision in choosing to cancel what they called an exploitative programme. The co-executors harshly criticised the company for its plans to broadcast the show last week.

Nigeria - Bomb blast kills up to 30 in Nigeria

A bomb exploded at a beer garden at a Nigerian army barracks where revellers gathered to celebrate New Year's Eve. State TV said 30 people were killed.

An anchor on the state-run Nigerian Television Authority gave the death toll. The channel did not give an estimate on the number of injured people. Police spokesman Jimoh Moshood immediately disputed the figure, saying only four people had died and 13 were wounded.

Death tolls remain contentious in Nigeria, as politicians often inflate or shrink tolls to suit their aspirations. The blast occurred in Abuja, the oil-rich capital. The bomb was planted in an area of market stalls and beer parlours referred to locally as a "mammy market".