BBC News with Kathy Clugston

The Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng has

appealed to

the central government for justice after making a dramatic escape from house arrest. One activist told the BBC that Mr Chen, who's blind, was helped to climb the garden wall at his rural house and was taken to the US embassy last Monday. There's been no confirmation or denial from the US State Department. Charles Scanlon reports.

Activists have told of a daring rescue mission, in which the blind campaigner was

smuggled

out of his home in a rural village which has been surrounded by

plain-clothes

agents. He was driven across country, and then transferred to another car and taken to an undisclosed location in Beijing. From there, Chen Guangcheng recorded a video making a direct appeal to the Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, who's seen as the most liberal member of the leadership. Mr Chen said he and his wife had been beaten and abused by local officials, and he wanted to know if this was part of the government's policy.

The military leaders who seized power in Guinea-Bissau earlier this month in the middle of a presidential election have released the leading candidate Carlos Gomes Junior and the interim president, who they had been holding ever since. Reports say the coup leaders have also agreed to a 12-month transition period to

restore

civilian government as demanded by the regional bloc Ecowas. John James reports from Abidjan.