PrairiePundit

Image via Wikipedia Guardian: The playboy son of one of Africa's most notorious dictators commissioned plans for a luxury superyacht costing $380m (£234m) – nearly three times his country's combined health and education budgets, according to a corruption watchdog. Teodorin Obiang, eldest son of Teodoro Obiang , the president of Equatorial Guinea , wanted to build the world's second most expensive yacht after the Russian tycoon Roman Abramovich's $1.2bn Eclipse , the campaign group Global Witness said. It condemned the plan as "outrageous extravagance" in a country where, despite vast oil wealth, 20% of children die before their fifth birthday and few people live beyond 50. The government of the tiny west African country confirmed that Obiang junior had ordered the yacht design, but said he had decided against going ahead with it. ... Well, what is health and education when you can be yachting? A yacht the size described would probably require ...

Times: While the rest of the world recoiled in horror at recent events in Guinea, where at least 150 pro-democracy supporters were killed and dozens of women publicly raped by government soldiers, China has sensed an opportunity to steal another march on Western competitors in Africa. China is preparing to throw the junta in Guinea a lifeline in the form of a multibillion-pound oil and mineral deal, financed largely by soft loans. Such policies have already served China well with rogue and discredited regimes from Angola to Sudan. The move comes as the European Union, spurred on by France, the former colonial power, and the African Union are considering sanctions against Guinea if its young military leader, Captain Moussa Dadis Camara, continues to renege on a deal to stand down in favour of free elections. The massacre occurred after 50,000 demonstrators took to the streets when Captain Camara — who seized power in December after the death of the long-time dictator La...

From the NY Times: U.S. Condemns Mass Killings and Rape in Guinea Even those who would not condemn the conduct would be reluctant to admit.

BBC: The military government of Guinea says it has put the army on high alert at all border posts after uncovering plans for an attack on the country. The West African state said armed men were gathering on the borders with Guinea-Bissau and Senegal to the north and Liberia to the south. An announcement on state-run national radio said drugs cartels were believed to be behind the plans. Guinea is a key transit point for drugs en route from the Americas to Europe. When the junta led by Captain Moussa Camara seized power some seven months ago, it made the fight against drugs one of its key priorities. Several leading suspects have been arrested and are awaiting trial, but the regime must have made powerful enemies in the process, correspondents say. ... "The ministry of defence was informed by the security services and other credible sources of the preparation of an armed attack on Guinea from its borders with Guinea-Bissau and the region of Casamance [in Senegal]," it said. ...