A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Mugabe ally vows to expel white 'filth'
A leading Zimbabwean cabinet minister vowed at the weekend to rid the country of the "filth" of white farmers.
Didymus Mutasa, the minister for state security and land reform and one of President Mugabe's closest advisers, said all remaining white farmers must be "cleared out".
About 400 white families are still farming in Zimbabwe, following the seizure by Mr Mugabe's government of more than 4,000 farms.- (Guardian service)
Outrage at French birthright remark
France's minister for overseas affairs provoked outrage this weekend by saying illegal immigrants were giving birth on French territory to ensure their children had French nationality.
Francois Baroin called for a debate on France's birthright laws, challenging a taboo at the heart of France's near-sacred republican values.
A child born on French ground is French, irrespective of parentage. Mr Baroin said on Saturday that parents expecting children were immigrating illegally to France's overseas territories to give birth to French children.
"I have seen things that have shocked me and on the basis of these truths on the ground I want to reopen the debate," the minister said in an interview.- (Reuters)
First pay rise in Niger for 25 years
NIAMEY - Civil servants in Niger, one of the world's poorest countries, will receive their first pay rise for a quarter of a century next year, putting the lowest ranking workers on a salary of just over $3 a day.
The government granted the 10 per cent wage increase, the first since 1980, after two months of negotiations. - (Reuters)
