Ghana's Asante people hail a new monarch

By Scott Herron CNN World Report

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II now reigns as the 16th king of the Asante people in Ghana

Africa has a new king.

He's Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, king of the Asante people in the west African nation of Ghana.

Ghana Broadcasting Corp. provided CNN World Report with coverage of the 16th Asante king's ascension to the Golden Stool, focusing on the ceremony's history and colorful pageantry. The traditional enstoolment or coronation took place late last month.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II is the last of six children of the incumbent Asante queen mother, Nana Afua Kobi Serwaa Ampem II. He succeeds his cousin, the late Otumfuo Opoku Ware II, who died February 25.

Another special ceremony was held recently in the southern African nation of Namibia, and was of special interest to nearby Botswana and Zimbabwe, as well as many environmentalists around the world.

All three African countries auctioned tons of ivory to raise funds that will be ploughed back into conservation projects.

Ghana's GBC reported that the auctions were the first of their kind in 10 years and raised fears among environmentalists that they could lead to an increase in elephant poaching in Africa.

The network reported that the auctions were kept low-key and that the sale prices were kept secret, so to not encourage a new generation of poachers.

The ivory came from culled animals or animals that died from natural causes. Each tusk was numbered and registered with CITES, the U.N. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

Portugal's RTP covers war in Angola, coup in Guinea-Bissau

Two former Portuguese colonies in Africa also were featured recently on CNN World Report with contributions from the Portuguese television network RTP. It regularly provides viewers in Portugal with coverage of what's going on in former colonies in Africa and Asia.

The focus this time was on Angola and Guinea-Bissau.

Angola is one of Africa's great tragedies, devastated by on-and-off-again war since winning independence from Portugal in 1975.

The United Nations brokered a peace deal in 1994 between the government of President Jose Eduardo dos Santos and rebels that follow the banner of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola.

The United Nations accuses the so-called UNITA rebels and their leader, Jonas Savimbi, of reneging on the 1994 accord that called on them to disarm.

The violence in Guinea-Bissau is more recent.

RTP reports that more than 70 people were killed in the capital Bissau over the weekend of May 8-9, when rebels over-ran the presidential palace, ending an uneasy peace that had held since November.

The rebels first launched their campaign to unseat President Joao Bernardo Vieira last year, and now want him to stand trial on charges of corruption and treason. They say they don't want power themselves, and are committed to democracy. They're backed by most of the country's 6,000 strong army, as well as many leading politicians.

Protests rock Beijing, Lima, Warsaw, Jamaica

Recent protests and political upheaval in several other countries where national television networks contribute to CNN World Report were far less violent. But the anger that spawned them still rankles.

China Central Television reported on the protests that followed NATO's bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade. NATO says the airstrike was accidental. Many Chinese are far more suspicious.

Demonstrators in Lima protest the government's economic policies and another term for President Alberto Fujimori

Thousands also recently demonstrated in Lima, partly due to widespread public suspicion in Peru over the intentions of President Alberto Fujimori. Protesters took to the streets to vent their anger over Fujimori's economic policies and the possibility he might run for a third term.

CNN World Report also recently featured coverage of protests in Jamaica and Poland.

Riots in Jamaica last month were sparked by an increase in the island's gasoline tax, and the Caribbean Broadcasting Union reported that they resulted in the deaths of seven people, injury to several police officers and the jailing of 100 protesters.

The disturbances -- backed by Jamaica's main opposition leaders -- prompted several airlines to cancel flights and the U.S. and British governments to issue travel advisories, and left untold damage to the island's tourist trade.

Traditional May Day celebrations turn into street clashes in Warsaw

The protests in Poland also were tied to that nation's economy, with thousands of post-communist demonstrators rallying in Warsaw against the center-right, Solidarity-based government.

Polish Television reported that the Labor Day protests on May 1 degenerated into clashes between radical right-wing and left-wing demonstrators, and that amid the name-calling and tossing of eggs and tomatoes, three people, including a university professor, were hurt.

Lebanese villagers fear what the Israeli occupation will bring

The protests in the southern Lebanese village of Yohmor-Shkeef were mainly silent. But the quiet protesters are still filled with anger.

A Lebanese child looks out onto an uncertain future

Future TV in Lebanon told viewers of CNN World Report that villagers are incensed by the continued Israeli occupation of land that the Jewish state maintains as a security zone for the protection of its northern border. The villagers fear being stopped by Israeli troops and their Lebanese militia allies, and many are considering whether to abandon their homes.

Only one doctor visits the village, and he's now reluctant to make the trip. Schoolteachers who commute to the village also are hesitant to travel to and from Yohmor-Shkeef. And some villagers are suffering from psychological stress due to the occupation.

Future TV reporter Mohalhel Fakih reports that few villagers are willing to express their anxiety on camera because of fear of reprisals from the Israelis.

China's Miao people celebrate traditional wedding

Traditional weddings remain a time for great celebration and ceremony in small villages in Guizhou Province in southern China.

A China Central Television crew journeyed there recently to cover the wedding of Zhang Kuanrong and Liu Yaosheng. Zhang wore a traditional gown adorned with five kilograms of silver, paid for by her mother who began saving on the day her daughter was born.

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