Mali

BAMAKO, Mali - Mali's interim president, who was beaten by a mob of demonstrators who broke into his office this week, has left the country to seek medical treatment in France, an adviser and two French government officials said Wednesday. The unexpected, and unpublicized, departure of 70-year-old Dioncounda Traore leaves a dangerous power vacuum in the West African nation, which was thrown off course after a March coup. Contacted by telephone, an adviser to Traore said the interim president had left Mali for France to undergo medical tests on his heart because he has had a previous heart attack.

BAMAKO, Mali - Mali's new interim civilian president took office Thursday, vowing to keep the chaotic country intact even after rebels declared an independent state in the north following a military coup three weeks ago. Hours after handing over power to Dioncounda Traore, the junta also released about a dozen politicians who had been detained since the coup, including the country's foreign minister. Traore, who heads the country's national assembly, is to serve as Mali's president for 40 days following an agreement between West African regional mediators and the leader of the junta that seized power last month.

BAMAKO, Mali - The junior officer who overthrew Mali's democratically elected leader last month and dissolved the nation's constitution made a public U-turn on Sunday, declaring amid enormous international pressure that he was reinstating the 1992 constitution and planning to hold elections. Capt. Amadou Haya Sanogo added that he would organize a national convention to agree on a transitional government that would organize free and fair elections. What he did not make clear was when the convention would be held, or when elections would take place, or whether he would remain president during the transitional period.

BAMAKO, Mali - The rebel group that recently seized control of Mali's remote north in a maneuver that effectively partitioned the country in two announced a cease-fire Thursday, saying it had reached its military goal. Moussa Ag Assarid, a spokesman for the National Movement for the Liberation of the Azawad, said the group was declaring the cease-fire to allow humanitarian aid to resume in the north, where shops were looted. In Ivory Coast, the military chiefs of the nations bordering Mali met Thursday to hash out their plan for a military intervention.

A World Cup qualifier at Mali was stopped yesterday when fans rioted following a go-ahead goal by Togo in the 90th minute. Fans blocked a main road in Bamako with flaming tires and smashed car windows after they invaded the field. Police fired tear gas as protesters descended on the capital's main African Unity Avenue and screamed about the play of Mali's top players. "Give us Frederic Kanoute and Mamadou Bakayoko!" they demanded. "We're going to kill them!" Kanoute plays for Tottenham Hotspur in England and Bakayoko for Nantes in France.

BAMAKO, Mali - Mali's U.S.-trained coup leader said Saturday that he was in control of the country, had no fears of a countercoup, and wanted peace talks with the rebels whose northern rebellion was the trigger that led him to oust a democratically elected president. Capt. Amadou Sanogo, who appeared exhausted, his voice hoarse, stressed the importance of unity for the West African nation in an exclusive interview with the Associated Press at Kati garrison outside Bamako, the capital.

At a shout, a dozen tiny bare feet fly upward toward black belt Lou Giamo in a martial-arts studio in Eagleville. "Right foot first. No, that's your left foot," Giamo tells 3- to 5-year-olds there to learn tae kwon do. "We have some left-and-right issues here," he privately concedes. But this summer, Giamo, 45, a master and instructor of tae kwon do - the art of fighting with foot and fist - swaps the local stage for the international. With three other trainers, he will fly to Mali to help that West African nation field a tae kwon do team sharp enough to qualify for the 2008 Olympics.

A low, wailing song reaches from the mosques of this ancient town of mud houses and sand dunes to the tent of Adama Alhadan, who sits in the flicker of a gentle campfire, talking of rebellion. "I sell crafts to the tourists," he says. "I have no time for war. But be cautious of others who tell you this. The rebels are all around, especially here in Timbuktu. Their armies hide in the desert. The guns can sound at any time. " Alhadan is a Tuareg nomad, a peau rouge, or "pink skin," so called for his light, Moorish complexion that distinguishes the Tuaregs of northern Mali from the darker-skinned residents of southern Mali.

Probe of attack on Mali leader BAMAKO, Mali - West Africa's regional bloc said Tuesday that it would impose sanctions on those it finds responsible for allowing an attack on Mali's president at his office. Interim President Dioncounda Traore suffered a head wound after Monday's attack by protesters and was taken to a hospital. Traore was released from the hospital a few hours later. The Economic Community of West African States said in a statement that it was launching an inquiry and that protests leading to the attack must have been organized by forces wanting to disrupt a return to constitutional rule in Mali.

It's been a good year for Israeli cinema in the States: both the thriller Walk On Water and the coming-of-ager Nina's Tragedies boasted strong characters, deft acting, and writing that worked with depth and subtlety - even in the expurgated world of subtitles. Add Ushpizin, a decidedly different view of modern-day Israel, to the list. Set in an ultra-Orthodox district of Jerusalem during the holy days of Sukkoth, the film is a gently comedic parable that offers a unique view of a cloistered society while addressing themes of faith, family and friendship that are universal.

BAMAKO, Mali - Mali's interim president, who was beaten by a mob of demonstrators who broke into his office this week, has left the country to seek medical treatment in France, an adviser and two French government officials said Wednesday. The unexpected, and unpublicized, departure of 70-year-old Dioncounda Traore leaves a dangerous power vacuum in the West African nation, which was thrown off course after a March coup. Contacted by telephone, an adviser to Traore said the interim president had left Mali for France to undergo medical tests on his heart because he has had a previous heart attack.

Probe of attack on Mali leader BAMAKO, Mali - West Africa's regional bloc said Tuesday that it would impose sanctions on those it finds responsible for allowing an attack on Mali's president at his office. Interim President Dioncounda Traore suffered a head wound after Monday's attack by protesters and was taken to a hospital. Traore was released from the hospital a few hours later. The Economic Community of West African States said in a statement that it was launching an inquiry and that protests leading to the attack must have been organized by forces wanting to disrupt a return to constitutional rule in Mali.

DAKAR, Senegal - West Africa's regional bloc said Thursday it soon will deploy forces to Mali, a plan already rejected by the country's ruling junta that put down a countercoup this week in the country's capital. Kadre Desire Ouedraogo, president of the commission of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, said the group intended to send forces immediately but needed to consult with its partners about financing a deployment. The announcement came late Thursday after hours of meetings in the Senegalese capital that were aimed at resolving the political impasses in Mali and Guinea-Bissau following recent coups.

Temple star Shey Peddy was chosen in the second round of the WNBA draft on Monday by the Chicago Sky, with the 23d overall pick. Stanford senior Nemkadi Ogwumike was picked No. 1 by the Los Angeles Sparks. Peddy, a native of Roxbury, Mass., is the third Owl ever drafted by the WNBA. She was named the Atlantic Ten player of the year, A-10 defensive player of the year and Big Five player of the year this past season. The senior scored 17.6 points a game and averaged 3.1 steals per game.

BAMAKO, Mali - Mali's new interim civilian president took office Thursday, vowing to keep the chaotic country intact even after rebels declared an independent state in the north following a military coup three weeks ago. Hours after handing over power to Dioncounda Traore, the junta also released about a dozen politicians who had been detained since the coup, including the country's foreign minister. Traore, who heads the country's national assembly, is to serve as Mali's president for 40 days following an agreement between West African regional mediators and the leader of the junta that seized power last month.

BAMAKO, Mali - Mali's parliamentary head, who was forced into exile after last month's coup, returned Saturday to this nation in crisis, marking the first step in Mali's path back to constitutional rule. Dioncounda Traore, 70, was by chance in neighboring Burkina Faso on March 21 when disgruntled soldiers stormed the presidential palace in Mali's capital, ousting the nation's democratically elected leader and overturning two decades of democracy. While other ministers and associates of the toppled leader were immediately arrested, Traore remained free, though unable to return for fear of being detained.

BAMAKO, Mali - Under intense pressure from the nations bordering Mali, the junior officer who seized control of the country in a coup last month signed an accord, agreeing late Friday to return the country to constitutional rule. The announcement was made only hours after separatist rebels in the country's north declared their independence. Capt. Amadou Haya Sanogo emerged from his office inside the military barracks that has served the de facto seat of government for the last 16 days, ever since he and his men stormed the presidential palace, reversing over two decades of democratic rule.

BAMAKO, Mali - The rebel group that recently seized control of Mali's remote north in a maneuver that effectively partitioned the country in two announced a cease-fire Thursday, saying it had reached its military goal. Moussa Ag Assarid, a spokesman for the National Movement for the Liberation of the Azawad, said the group was declaring the cease-fire to allow humanitarian aid to resume in the north, where shops were looted. In Ivory Coast, the military chiefs of the nations bordering Mali met Thursday to hash out their plan for a military intervention.