BBC News with Mary Small
Nigeria's acting President Goodluck Jonathan has sacked the country's National Security Adviser in the wake of ethnic violence that left hundreds dead at the weekend. The announcement was made after a special security meeting in the capital Abuja. Earlier, police said they had restored order to three villages in the center of the country where the violence occurred. Here is Caroline Duffield.
Nigeria's acting President Goodluck Jonathan was closeted in a meeting with security officials all afternoon. It broke up, and it was confirmed that the powerful National Security Adviser had been sacked. Abdullahi Muktar Sarki is replaced with Aliyu Gusau, a retired general. It comes amid the ongoing security crisis in Plateau State. Hundreds of corpses are still being counted and buried after areas, south of Jos town, returned to furious bloodletting at the weekend.
The United States has eased sanctions on Iran, Sudan and Cuba in an effort to increase the use of the Internet and social networking sites there. The new regulations will authorize the export of web-based services including instant messaging. Kim Ghattas reports.
Internet freedom is fast becoming a principle of American foreign policy. The Treasury Department said that its decision to lift the ban on export of Internet software and services would make it easier for people in Iran, Sudan and Cuba to use the Internet and communicate with each other as well as the outside world. The statement added this would allow people in those countries to exercise their most basic rights. The technology will likely be bought by small businesses, and some of it will help circumvent government restrictions of the use of programs like Twitter and even Internet-based email accounts.