Daily News on the Issues Affecting Africa for January 14th

Continue reading for a summary of recent news stories relating to some of the most pressing issues on the continent. We draw on a wide range of respected news sources, both from Africa itself and around the world. The themes of today's In the News post are updates on the political leadership of CAR, a ferry accident in South Sudan, Nigerian legislation against homosexuality, displacement of thousands in southern Africa, the potential resurgence of Congo's rebel group M23, continued tensions in Cote d'Ivoire, the corruption scandal in Malawi, and Zambian political party strife.

CAR begins search for new leader
A special session of parliament convened on Tuesday to elect a new interim president for the Central African Republic, as the country bids to put months of brutal bloodshed behind it. – News 24
To read more, please visit the News 24 site here.

Over 200 South Sudanese fleeing fight drown in ferry accident on White Nile
At least 200 South Sudanese civilians drowned on Tuesday in a ferry accident on the White Nile river while fleeing fresh fighting in the city of Malakal, an army spokesman said. "The reports we have are of between 200 to 300 people, including women and children. The boat was overloaded," army spokesman Philip Aguer told AFP. "They all drowned. They were fleeing the fighting that broke out again in Malakal." – The East African
To read more, please visit the East African site here.

Nigerian president secretively signs bill banning gay relationships
A new law in Nigeria, signed by the president without announcement, has made it illegal for gay people to even hold a meeting. The Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act also criminalizes homosexual clubs, associations and organizations, with penalties of up to 14 years in prison. –Japan Times
To read more, please visit the Japan Times site here.

Botswana bushmen: Modern life is destroying us
"We are getting Aids and other diseases we didn't know about; young people are drinking alcohol; young girls are having babies. Everything is wrong here," Boitumelo says. Thousands of Bushmen lived in the vast expanse of the Kalahari Desert for many millennia. But today most have been moved, many argue forcibly, to government-built resettlement camps far from the reserve. There are an estimated 100,000 Bushmen across southern Africa, mainly in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zambia. – BBC
To read more, please visit the BBC site here.

UN says Congo's defeated M23 rebels active again
The top U.N. envoy in Congo said Monday there are "credible reports" that the M23 rebel group is recruiting fighters and resuming activities despite last month's peace agreement with the Congolese government following its military defeat. – Associated Press
To read more, please visit the Associated Press site here.

Cote d'Ivoire truth panel seen faltering
Côte d'Ivoire's Dialogue, Truth and Reconciliation Commission (CDVR) recently concluded its two-year mandate with a report detailing rights violations and the causes of past conflicts, but observers lambasted the panel for failing to help heal divisions and said that some of its findings were already well known. – IRIN News
To read more, please visit the IRIN News site here.

Malawi prepares for $100m 'cashgate' corruption trial
Malawi is braced for the mass trial of 100 civil servants, politicians and businesspeople involved in the alleged looting of more than $100m (£60m) from government coffers, a case that has become a litmus test for foreign donors backing the government of Joyce Banda. The "cashgate" trial is scheduled to start on Wednesday under pressure from donors who bankroll 40% of the government's budget and who have said they will withhold some aid until it is clear that it is not being misused. – The Guardian
To read more, please visit the Guardian site here.

Zambia police beat opposition party activists
Zambian police on Monday used batons and teargas on a crowd of opposition activists gathered outside a police station in the capital where their leader had been summoned, an Agence France-Presse reporter witnessed. Hundreds of people turned out to support Hakainde Hichilema, who leads Zambia's third largest opposition party, as he arrived at the police station to face a charge of spreading false information. – Mail & Guardian
To read more, please visit the Mail & Guardian site here.