AP reports that according to government officials ten times more oil than originally thought leaked from a ship to blacken miles of white sand beaches along Australia's northeast coast. Meanwhile,  ABC News say Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett is missing in action as the massive oil spill licks along 60 kilometers of Queensland's coastline.

Emboldened by a new leftist constitution, Bolivia President Evo Morales on Saturday handed over ownership of farmland seized by the state from wealthy estate holders to poor indigenous people, say Reuters.

Reuters say the opposition leader Andry Rajoelina is claiming to have the army's backing and that he is the one giving the orders. However AllAfrica reports president Mark Ravalomenana rejects the opposition leader's claim, and is defiant in his refusal to step down, despite growing tension. Meanwhile, CNN says Mr. Rajeolina has called on workers in the island nation off of Africa's southeastern coast to stay away from work and make the capital a "ghost town" until Ravalomanana steps down, according to a statement from the government.

Reuters say anti-government protesters fought street battles with police in the Pakistani city of Lahore in clashes that deepened concern about the deteriorating situation in the country. According to AFP leader pf the opposition former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, in defiance of his house-arrest, led about 10,000 supporters in a banned protest in Lahore but scrapped plans to address the crowd, diverting his convoy towards Islamabad as darkness fell. The Guardian reports police in riot gear confronted a previously peaceful protest near the high court buildings, launching baton charges and firing teargas rounds at thousands of demonstrators, who in turn pelted officers with stones.

According to Reuters the incident was one of the deadliest attacks against foreign troops in recent weeks in the country. RTE says the latest deaths happened in the eastern province of Nangarhar, on the border with Pakistan. A bomb was remotely detonated to hit a convoy in Bati Kot district. In a different incident, according to ABC, A suicide bomber attacked a NATO convoy in Kabul on Sunday but instead killed two passers-by — among 18 people killed in the country's latest violence, officials said.

Reuters say fighters of the moderate Ahlu Sunna Waljamaca captured Wabho town, 300 km (186 miles) north of the capital Mogadishu, from the more hardline al Shaabab group in fighting that started on Saturday. Meanwhile, AllAfrica reports insurgents simultaneously attacked Somali soldiers manning a checkpoint in the capital Mogadishu and a nearby Ethiopian army base in the northern quarter of the capital. Five people, including a young child, were killed during the 30-minute battle, witnesses said.

The report was forst exposed this morning (Monday) by the Washington Post, which says it is an account alleging physical and psychological brutality inside CIA "black site" prisons. The report also states that some U.S. practices amounted to "cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment." Such maltreatment of detainees is expressly prohibited by the Geneva Conventions. However FoxNews quote "a U.S. official familiar with the report", saying it is important to keep in mind that the report was derived of claims made by the terrorists themselves.

Reuters reports Pakistan's government agreed on Monday to reinstate Iftikhar Chaudhry as chief justice in a surprise move to defuse a crisis and end agitation by lawyers and activists that had threatened to turn into violent confrontation.  Saeed Shah reports in the Guardian that early this morning, hundreds of Chaudhry's ecstatic supporters gathered outside his home in the capital, dancing and clapping, chanting: "Long live the chief justice." A long line of lawyers, stretching from the gate of the house, queued for their turn to personally congratulate him. The Financial Post says Mr. Chaudhry was dismissed in late 2007 by then-president and army chief Pervez Musharraf, but Zardari regarded the judge as too politicised and feared he could pose a threat to his own presidency if restored.

The BBC says Andry Rajoelina has asked security forces to arrest President Marc Ravalomanana, after snubbing his referendum proposal. Mr Rajoelina, a 34-year-old former disc jockey, said he and his supporters would take the presidential palace in the capital Antananarivo today (Monday). Reuters qoute Christine Razanamahasoa, who has been appointed minister of justice in Rajoelina's parallel administration, as saying earlier today that she was ordering prosecutors to arrest the president. The Earth Times say Ms. Razanamahasoa explained the charges against the president as being violating the constitution, including allegedly hiring foreign mercenaries to support in his seven-week tussle with the opposition. For facts and general information about Madagascar see the CIA Factbook.

The Daily Telegraph says Fritzl has pleaded guilty to rape, false imprisonment, incest and coercion. However, he denies murdering one of the seven children, who died shortly after being born and whose body he burned in a stove. He also denies a charge of slavery. Reuters report prosecutor Christiane Burkheiser said in the opening statement that in the first three years of the incarceration of Fritzl's daughter Elizabeth there was no hot water, shower or heating. Burkheiser said among the worst aspects of Elisabeth's ordeal was "the uncertainty as to when he (Fritzl) would come down again, and rape before the eyes of the children." Defense lawyer Rudolf Mayer said the charge of enslavement was inappropriate. He described how Fritzl "brought up a second family" and criticized his media portrayal as a "monster," urging the jury to set emotions aside to enable a fair trial. He said Fritzl had shown he was concerned for the children's welfare by taking some of them out of the cellar and his seriously ill daughter, Kerstin, 19, to hospital. Kerstin had never seen daylight and her hospital trip led to Fritzl's arrest in April last year.

Meanwhile, The Guardian reports prison officials said that Fritzl was under an obligatory suicide watch in the final hours leading up to the trial. "We're taking no risks," said Günther Mörwald, head of the St Pölten prison where Fritzl has been held in custody since his arrest last April.

A press conference will be held in the court at 16:00 local time (15:00 GMT). GRN's Allan Hall and Mike Leigid attend the trial and the press conference.

According to the BBC The court began viewing 11 hours of video on the opening day of the trial, with the rest of the material to be shown in segments during the week. Austria is holding one of its most harrowing trials behind closed doors.Mr Fritzl, 73, pleads guilty to incest and "partially" guilty to rape but not guilty to murder or enslavement. addressing media at the end of the first day of proceedings in the town of St Poelten, the court spokesman said the trial would resume at 0900 on Tuesday (0800 GMT).

GRN's Michael Leidig and Allan Hall are among the few journalists accredited to cover the trial. Please book in advance in order to coordinate 2-ways from the court house.

Reuters say Presidential guards and hundreds of supporters on Tuesday protected Madagascar's leader Marc Ravalomanana who is vowing to fight to the death if pro-opposition soldiers try to drive him from power. The leader of the opposition Andry Rajeolina denied that the seizure of the presidential palace in the country anounts to a coup. Meanwhile, Voice of America reports of a cautious response from the African Union to the dramatic events in Madagascar. The Council president for March, Benin's AU ambassador Edouard Aho-Glele told reporters that the government and rebellious soldiers should negotiate.

AlJazeera reports six women have been raped and at least 20 people injured in clashes between the two largest political parties in the country. AFP says Sierra Leone's Vice President Sam Soumana suspended radio stations run by the country's two political parties after police used tear gas to break up clashes. For facts and information about Sierra Leone see the CIA Factbook.

Reuters say An aide to Madagascar's President Marc Ravalomanana said on Tuesday the Indian Ocean island's leader was about to step down and hand over power to the military after a power struggle with the opposition. "Apparently the president is handing over to the military and is going to make a declaration," the aide added in the text message to journalists. Contacted by telephone, the aide declined to give further details. Meanwhile, AP reports Madagascar's embattled president was holed up on the edge of town Tuesday, surrounded by supporters a day after dozens of soldiers seized an unoccupied presidential palace. Many in the capital expected opposition leader Andry Rajoelina to set up a base in the downtown palace, where the soldiers pushed through the gates in an armored vehicle Monday night, meeting no resistance.

While Mr. Ravalomanana prepares to quit, According to Bloomberg (click here to view) the leader of the opposition, Andry Rajeolina, is getting ready to move into the presidential office.

AFP says President Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday announced a "large-scale" rearmament and renewal of Russia's nuclear arsenal, accusing NATO of pushing ahead with expansion near Russian borders. Meeting defence chiefs in Moscow, Medvedev said he was determined to implement reforms designed to streamline Russia's bloated military. Russia continues to face various security threats requiring robust defence capacity, he said. The BBC reports that according to the plan Russia will spent $140 billion on new arms until 2011. ABS-CBN News say Mr. Medvedev called for a renewal of Russia's nuclear weapons arsenal and added that NATO was pursuing military expansion near Russia's borders. "Analysis of the military-political situation in the world shows that a serious conflict potential remains in some regions," Medvedev said. He listed local crises and international terrorism as persistent security threats and also stated: "Attempts to expand the military infrastructure of NATO near the borders of our country are continuing.

According to the BBC the US state department announced five aid groups have been told by the North Korean authorities to leave the country. Last year the UN Food Programme estimated that almost nine million people - a third of North Korea's population, were in need of food aid. The international Herald Tribune reports that the State Department spokesman Robert Wood said North Korea had given no reason for rejecting U.S. food shipments. But the decision was made during a nuclear standoff, and North Korean plans a rocket launch next month.

The BBC reports Military leaders in Madagascar have conferred full powers on 34-year-old opposition leader Andry Rajoelina, hours after the president resigned. The officials said they had rejected an invitation from President Marc Ravalomanana to take up power as a military directorate. Mr Rajoelina earlier installed himself in the president's offices, seized on Monday by pro-opposition troops. Meanwhile, Forbes say Although the fresh-faced Rajoelina is a popular figure, particularly in the capital of Antananarivo, where he was elected mayor in 2007, Tuesday's takeover of power had all the hallmarks of a military coup. President Ravalomanana had succeeded in holding his rival at bay through somewhat ruthless means over the past few weeks, including ordering security forces to open fire on a street protest in February, but when even the military turned against him and smashed into the presidential palace on Monday, there was little alternative but to stand down. Reuters say Madagascar risks criticism from around the world after a swift change of leaders that flouted the Indian Ocean island's constitution. According to the existing constitution Rajoelina, 34, is 6 years too young to become the countries president. Yet he now  heads a transitional government which has pledged to hold presidential elections within two years.

AP say Josef Fritzl told a court in St. Poelten, west of Vienna, that he had a change of heart and decided to acknowledge his guilt in the death of one of the seven children he fathered with his captive daughter. The BBC says Mr Fritzl faces life imprisonment for a string of offences, including rape, incest, murder and enslavement. He initially denied two of the charges, including murdering one of the children soon after its birth. According to the CNN Austrian authorities have said Fritzl's daughter Elisabeth and her children were given new identities and are in a secret location.

Haaretz exposes IDF testimonies describing Killing of civilians, vandalism, and lax rules of engagement. The testimonies include a description by an infantry squad leader of an incident where an IDF sharpshooter mistakenly shot a Palestinian mother and her two children. "There was a house with a family inside .... We put them in a room. Later we left the house and another platoon entered it, and a few days after that there was an order to release the family. They had set up positions upstairs. There was a sniper position on the roof," the soldier said. "The platoon commander let the family go and told them to go to the right. One mother and her two children didn't understand and went to the left, but they forgot to tell the sharpshooter on the roof they had let them go and it was okay, and he should hold his fire and he ... he did what he was supposed to, like he was following his orders." Another squad leader from the same brigade told of an incident where the company commander ordered that an elderly Palestinian woman be shot and killed; she was walking on a road about 100 meters from a house the company had commandeered.

The IDF spokesman said to Haaretz that "the IDF is now conducting intensive and comprehensive inquiries, and that commanders are encouraging discussion of these matters. The IDF has no supporting or prior information about these events. The IDF will check their veracity and investigate as required. The head of the preparatory course was also asked to pass on to the IDF any information he has so we can deal with it and investigate it in depth."

In his analysis piece on the expose Haaretz's military correspondent Amos Har'el says "The IDF's ethical problems did not start in 2009. Such discussions also followed the Six-Day War. But a reserve officer who looked at the transcript Wednesday said: "'his is not the IDF we knew.'  The descriptions show that Israel's view of the enemy is becoming more extreme. The deterioration has been continuous - from the first Lebanon war to the second, from the first intifada to the second, from Operation Defensive Shield to Operation Cast Lead."

Police and protestors are bracing themselves for the G20 summit in London on Saturday 28 March. Anti-globalisation organisations are hoping to bring thousands out to the streets, the Observer has reported, while the leaders of the 20 largest world economies meet. The security forces are getting ready to stop them from disrupting the summit.

GRN correspondents around the world and in all G20 nations provide various angles on the summit. Today, GRN's Simon Lane in Brazil comments in his blog about the implications of the recent anti-condoms declarations by the pope, and the radical stance of the Catholic Church, on one of the largest G20 economies.

GRN Chris Walker in London has some thoughts on what is planned - click here

Katy Glassborow is in the Central African Republic collecting evidence from people who have been beaten up, shot, raped and abused in the wave of violence washing the country, and hears the calls for trials against human rights offenders, and repatriation for their victims.

Click here for the CIA Fact Book on the Central African republic. Click here for the Wikipedia page on the country. Click here for the Amnesty International Report on the Central African Republic.

Haaretz says Richard Falk, UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, said the Geneva Conventions required warring forces to distinguish between military targets and surrounding civilians. "If it is not possible to do so, then launching the attacks is inherently unlawful and would seem to constitute a war crime of the greatest magnitude under international law," Falk said. Yesterday, Israel was shaken by an exposure of soldiers' testimonies of atrocities committed in Gaza. In recent years a growing number of Israeli soldiers have shown willingness to speak publicly, though often anonymously, about what they felt was misconduct of the Israeli army in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon. Click here to view some of their testimonies.

The BBC says suspected Taleban militants fired three rockets at a security force base in north-western Pakistan, killing eight people, officials said. The attack took place in Landi Kotal town in the Khyber tribal agency, near the Afghan border, on Thursday night.The deaths occurred when one of the rockets hit a commercial area in the town. At least 25 people were injured. Rashid Khan, an area government administrator, told AP one of the rockets hit the town's commercial area, killing at least eight people, injuring more than 30 and setting fire to a timber yard and a string of nearby shops, Khan said. The other two struck villages outside town, and it was not immediately known if there were casualties there. "The death toll could rise because we are still searching through the rubble in the dark," Khan said.

"My administration is now committed to diplomacy that addresses the full range of issues before us," Mr Obama said.According to the BBC his message was released to coincide with the festival of Nowruz, when Iranians mark the arrival of spring. Relations between Iran and the US have been strained over Tehran's nuclear activities. AP say Obama has signaled a willingness to speak directly with Iran about its nuclear program and hostility toward Israel, a key U.S. ally. At his inauguration last month, the president said his administration would reach out to rival states, declaring "we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist." Time Magazine says this week The Obama Administration is currently honing its Iran strategy behind closed doors, amid a wider debate in Washington and beyond over the timeline available for a diplomatic solution, and how that diplomacy should be handled. Some have suggested a take-it-or-leave it offer of enhanced incentives, accompanied by a big stick and on a tight deadline; others are advocating a slower process of diplomatic engagement building toward a "grand bargain" that resolves the nuclear standoff as part of a wider understanding between the U.S. and Iran in which each recognizes the other's interests and concerns in the region. But while some will be warning the President that time is short and the danger is mounting, others will caution that alarmist assessments could narrow Obama's options and escalate the standoff to a point of confrontation. The new President's answers to these questions may yet determine his legacy in the Middle East.

GRN's Leevy Freivett reports thousands of workers are expected to rally on Saturday (21 March) in Mauritius, in protest of the government’s decision to deduct 1% in salaries of workers and the passing of two new labour laws. Nearly all trade union confederations of Mauritius take part in the protest. For the CIA factbook of Mauritius click here.