 Police used teargas and batons to clear protesters in Libreville A night-time curfew has been declared in Gabon's Port Gentil after violence by opposition activists and attacks on French interests in the city. Earlier, opposition groups clashed with security forces in the capital, Libreville, after presidential election results declared Ali Bongo the winner. France, Gabon's former ruler, has told its 10,000 citizens to stay inside. Critics say the poll, held on the death of Ali's father, Omar, who ruled the oil-rich state for 41 years, was fixed. French protection In other violence in Port Gentil, Gabon's second city, opposition supporters stormed a jail, freeing its inmates.
They later rampaged through the streets and set fire to the French consulate - as many accuse the former colonial power of propping up the late Omar Bongo's government. Crowds also attacked installations belonging to the French oil company, Total. France has about 1,000 troops stationed in Gabon and its International Development Minister Alain Joyandet said "measures were in place" to protect French citizens. Earlier, police used teargas and batons to disperse protests in Libreville. 'Electoral coup' Former interior minister Andre Mba Obame, who came second in Gabon's presidential election, told AFP he "does not recognise the results" and that he is in fact the winner. "This is an electoral coup d'etat. I do not recognise the election results. It is me who won," Mr Mba Obame said by telephone from a secret location. Opposition leaders have denounced the poll results as a fraud and accuse Mr Bongo and his supporters of carrying out a coup d'etat. Another of the beaten candidates, Pierre Mamboundou, led protests overnight in Libreville. A senior member of his party, the Gabonese People's Union, says Mr Mamboundou was seriously injured in the head and shoulder, but was now safe. 'Unifier' Amid the unrest, Ali Ben Bongo pledged to be a uniting force for the oil-rich nation.
"As far as I am concerned, I am and I will always be the president of all the people of Gabon," he said after his victory was announced. "I am and I will always be at the service of all, without exclusion." Mr Bongo was widely tipped to succeed his father, who died in June. One of the world's richest men, the late president owned a string of properties in France and was an unflinching ally of Paris. A month before his death, French courts began to investigate Mr Bongo for corruption - allegations he denied. Gabon is sub-Saharan Africa's fourth biggest oil producer and Africa's second biggest wood exporter, although most of its 1.4 million people live in poverty. CREDIT:BBC |
GLENDALE, Calif. – Elizabeth Taylor, Barry Bonds and other mourners are gathering for Michael Jackson's funeral, slowly filling rows of white chairs placed outside the mausoleum where the King of Pop will be entombed.
With temperatures hovering at an oppressive 90 degrees in the early evening Thursday, black-garbed mourners used programs for the service at Forest Lawn Glendale to fan themselves as they awaited the start of the service.
A large, inflated production light, the type used in film and television production, and a boom camera hung over the seating area placed in front of the grand marble mausoleum. The equipment raised the possibility the footage would be used for the Jackson documentary "This Is It."
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
GLENDALE, Calif. (AP) — Michael Jackson will share eternity with the likes of Clark Gable,Jean Harlow and W.C. Fields, entombed alongside them in a grand marble mausoleum that will be all but off-limits to adoring fans who might otherwise turn the pop star's grave into a shrine.
A private family ceremony was set for Thursday night inside the massive multistory building at star-studdedForest Lawn Glendale cemetery. The service comes one month after a lavish public memorial that displayed the King of Pop's gleaming golden casket to millions on TV.
After the burial, the closest the public will be able to get to Jackson's vault is a portion of the mausoleum that displays "The Last Supper Window," a life-size stained-glass re-creation of Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece. Several 10-minute presentations about the window are held regularly 365 days a year, but most of the building is restricted.
Lisa Burk, who blogs about celebrity graves at http://www.gravehunting.com, said the Jackson family chose well for his final resting place if it was privacy they were after.
"It's impossible to get in there," Burk said. "It was before, and it will be worse now."
By late afternoon Thursday, media tents had cropped up all along the boulevard across from the wrought-iron gates that serve as the main entrance to Forest Lawn. That vantage point offered no view of any mausoleum — just a fountain and a building containing the gift shop.
Glendale police were providing security for the indoor service, which was well inside the sprawling grounds and by-invite only. Family representatives have said the affair was to be private, with no press allowed.
No fans were allowed inside the blocked-off media area, nor had anyone gathered on the fringes of the perimeter by late afternoon. A car accident near the barricades diverted the attention of some officers, and an elementary school across the street was emptying of curious students.
Gregg Harris, 42, a Jackson fan from Irvine, began waiting at a bus stop outside the security perimeter seven hours before the service was to begin. He was dressed in black from head to toe, including an "In Remembrance of Michael Jackson" T-shirt.
"I just wanted to see the family. I don't know. I just wanted to be in the atmosphere, soak it in, I guess," Harris said. "I think this will give a sense of closure ... ."
The Jackson family had booked an Italian restaurant in Pasadena for a gathering Thursday night, said Alex Carr, assistant operations manager at Villa Sorriso, in the city's Old Town district. She wouldn't specify the menu or number of people, but said the entire restaurant, which can accommodate 200 guests, had been reserved for the event and that security would be present.
The ceremony ends months of speculation that the singer's body would be buried at Neverland Ranch, in part to make the property a Graceland-style attraction. An amended copy of Jackson's death certificate was filed Thursday in Los Angeles County to reflectForest Lawn as his final resting place.
In court on Wednesday, it was disclosed that 12 burial spaces were being purchased by Jackson's estate atForest Lawn Glendale, about eight miles north of downtown Los Angeles, but no details were offered on how they would be used.
The King of Pop died a drug-induced death June 25 at age 50 as he was about to embark on a comeback attempt. The coroner's office has labeled the death a homicide, and Jackson's death certificate lists "injection by another" as the cause.
Dr. Conrad Murray, Jackson's personal physician, told detectives he gave the singer a series of sedatives and the powerful anesthetic propofol to help him sleep.
But prosecutors are still investigating, and no charges have been filed.
AP
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It goes without saying that virtually every American has been offended by the reception accorded to Mr Megrahi in Libya upon his return from the US 
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