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A senior Facebook Inc executive was released after nearly 24 hours in a Brazilian jail due to a disputed court order demanding data from the company's WhatsApp messaging service for a confidential drug-trafficking investigation.

An appeals court judge handling the case in Sergipe state overturned a lower court decision to arrest Diego Dzodan, Facebook's vice president for Latin America, court officials said on Wednesday.

Law enforcement officials withheld further information about the nature of their request to the messaging service acquired by Facebook in 2014, saying it could compromise an ongoing criminal investigation.

"Diego's detention was an extreme, disproportionate measure, and we are pleased to see the court in Sergipe issue an injunction ordering his release," a Facebook spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

The arrest came as technology companies face mounting pressure from governments around the world to help them eavesdrop on users. Apple Inc and U.S. law enforcement officials are in a standoff over unlocking the iPhone of a shooter in the San Bernardino, California, attacks.

Court officials said the judge in Brazil resorted to the arrest after issuing a fine of 1 million reais ($250,000) to compel Facebook to help investigators get access to WhatsApp messages relevant to the confidential drug-trafficking investigation.

The move is likely impossible because WhatsApp began using end-to-end encryption technology in 2014 that prevents the company from monitoring messages that travel across its network, according to Christopher Soghoian, principal technologist with the American Civil Liberties Union.

Details: Rita Akana; 03.Mar.2016; Hits: 3051

Lower state revenues, higher inflation and hesitant investors are only some of the reasons African oil producers are suffering from drop in the oil price. This is how eight African countries are affected.

Nigeria: Huge economy deeply in debt

Oil revenues make up almost 80 percent of Nigeria's export revenues. The oil money finances a great part of the budget of Africa's biggest economy. "We expect Nigeria's current budget deficit to double due to the low oil price," said Francesca Beausang, Africa analyst at the London based BMI Research firm. According to the Financial Times, Nigeria expects a budget deficit of around $15 billion. The public expenditure has also risen sharply, as the country tried to boost its waning economy through increased spending. The problem is, with the rising national debt, investors are also asking for higher interest rates for new loans.

Sudan and South Sudan: The cost of pumping the oil

Crisis surrounds the oil regions that straddle the border between Sudan and South Sudan. In 2011, South Sudan which now owns the majority of the region's oil fields, gained independence from Sudan. Since that time, South Sudan has had to pay transit charges to its northern neighbor which runs the pipelines. These charges amount to around 22,50 euros ($24.42) per barrel in addition to the pumping costs. At an oil price of less than 30 euros, South Sudan is suffering major losses. If Sudan's government does not agree to lower its charges, South Sudan would have to stop its production altogether, stated South Sudan's oil minister in January.

Angola: One sack of rice, a bottle of cooking oil and a bag of sugar

In 2013, Angola exported $68 billion worth of oil. That's according to data from the United Nations. Since the oil prices have dropped by two-thirds in the last year, ordinary Angolans have felt the pinch. Angola imports a great amount of its food from abroad . Due to the reduced revenues that have come with the falling oil price, the country has also had to reduce its imports. "There are fewer goods on the market and that is pushing the food prices sky high," said Antonio Panzo, an Angolan economist.

In many parts of Angola, supermarkets and traders have started rationing their goods: One sack of rice per customer, one bottle of cooking oil and a packet of sugar. The traders hope that this will stop a run on the goods and prevent the growth of the black market. Additionally the state has announced a 25 percent reduction of the national budget. Infrastructure projects like the building of new roads, sea ports, airports, hospitals and schools will particularly be affected by this.

Congo (Brazzaville): Spending to boost the economy

As elections draw closer, the Republic of Congo, has set a different course. The government in Brazzaville aims to triple its budget even though the country's growth slowed down to a staggering one percent. In 2014, the economy was still growing by 6.8 percent but according to the International Monitory Fund (IMF), the country's debts almost doubled at the same time.

Oil remains an important source of income for Congo. The country hopes to attract more investment through new oil projects. At the same time, it plans to diversify its economy by putting more emphasis on infrastructure, forestry and mining. Yet experts doubt that the country can sustain its new budget, without falling even further into debt.

Mozambique: Not only oil, but gas prices are low

Mozambique has experienced an economic upswing in the last couple of years and has set its hopes on newly discovered gas fields. Companies from the US and Italy said that they plan to build facilities to produce liquefied natural gas. But unfortunately for them, not only the oil price, but also the gas price is at an extreme low.

The fear is therefore, that Mozambique won't get the billions it had hoped for from its gas fields. Yet oil and gas expert Chris Bredenhann of Pricewaterhouse Coopers says there is no reason to panic. The commodity prices constantly go up and down. "Companies make long-term investments where they can see the potential of the future return. So they are not trying to get a return in a two or five year period. It is a 20 or 30 years planning horizon they are looking at," he explains.

Zimbabwe and Malawi: Profiting from the cheap oil

The falling oil price is however not bad for all. Landlocked countries like Malawi and Zimbabwe which have no oil deposits themselves profit from the lower fuel and transport costs. The two countries have some of the highest fuel prices in Africa. The low price of oil has reduced fuel costs in Malawi by a quarter in the last two years.

A few days ago, Gloria Magombo, head of Zimbabwe's energy authority (Zera), announced that fuel prices would drop even further in the next few weeks. In late February, Zimbabweans could buy a liter of petrol at $1,24 and a liter of diesel at $1. "Zimbabwe is relying on diesel for quite a bit of its power generation. So the cost of doing business in generating power is reduced," explained Bredenhann.

The benefits for the economy? "I suppose there is more disposable income in the hands of the general population because the transportation and energy costs go down which means investments and spending in the economy that could stimulate the economy growth a little bit," added Bredenhann.

(DW)

Details: Rita Akana; 03.Mar.2016; Hits: 2506

The Douala International Airport have suspended flights for over twenty-one days due to ongoing rehabilitation works. The Yaounde Nsimalen International Airport is now a massive theatre of air traffic – the lone entry and exit route from Cameroon. This is sequel to the commencement of modernization works at the Douala International Airport with the runway, aircraft taxiways and aprons expected to be refurbished as well as the passenger terminal to be renovated and restructured.

Government sources have maintained all management and operational staff are ensuring that their operations are successful as regard safety and security. In the main hall of the airport, some 150 staff transferred from the Douala International Airport for the three-week exercise were spotted sorting out last-minute operational guidelines. The office attendants of the Director of the Yaounde Nsimalen International Airport, the Civil Aviation Authority where batches are issued and staff of airline companies who are temporarily lodged at the airport have finalised preparatory tasks.

Temporary offices set up for airline companies in the main hall and at the East wing of the tarmac have gradually been taken up by their occupants. Meanwhile, technical, logistical and managerial aspects have already been handled, with the Cameroon Airports Company, ADC,claiming it is coping with the heavy traffic. The Director of the Airport, Thierry Nkodo revealed that apart from Arik Air and Taag Angola Airlines that decided to suspend their flights during the three-week re-routing to Yaounde, the other airline companies operating in Cameroon have confirmed their flight schedules. The hitherto near-idle Nsimalen-Yaounde Airport is witnessing a pretty different scenario since it went operational in October 1994. Traffic flow has more than double, with close to 20 aircrafts, as against 10, arriving and departing everyday. It has been busy flight schedule with the first flights that landed in the wee hours of March 1.

The management of the airport have insisted on safety and security measures. A safety and security assessement impact carried out identified vulnerable areas that have since received reinforcement. All safety and security threat indices at the Douala International Airport have been transferred to the Yaounde Nsimalen International Airport, said Thierry Nkodo. Measures to limit any threats have been put in place with access to some parts of the airport strictly forbidden. Passengers have been invited to scale down their accompanying delegations.

Details: Elangwe Pauline; 02.Mar.2016; Hits: 3357

Cameroon treasury experts have met in Yaounde, the nation's capital to examine the country’s 2016 Treasury Account. The Director General of the Treasury Department, Sylvester Moh Tangkor who presided over the opening of the forum called on state treasurers to intensify efforts in reinforcing the internal control and a concrete balance-sheet of states accounts among other challenges.

The seminar was organized at a time when the country’s treasury plans to raise the sum of 52-57 billion FCFA on the World Bank stock market, during the first quarter of 2016. The money is aimed at financing the 2016 budget deficit on one hand and the Public investment budget on the other. The one day intense workshop is an annual exercise carried out by the state treasury and will be organized subsequently in the ten regions before the end of 2016.

Details: Ngwa Bertrand; 26.Feb.2016; Hits: 5037

It seems the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is backing out from a fight with Apple, but still arguing that it is no big deal for the company to help unlock the iPhone used by one of the shooters in the San Bernardino, California, terrorist attack.

On February 16, a federal judge ordered the giant tech company to assist the FBI in opening Syed Rizwan Farook’s phone.

In response, the Justice Department filed a motion seeking to force Apple to comply with the judge's order to unlock the encrypted iPhone, pushing back on the company's characterization of the request as a "back door" threatening the privacy of all iPhones.

FBI Director James Comey on Sunday night attempted to defend his agency's handling of the investigation into the San Bernardino shooting.

"We simply want the chance, with a search warrant, to try to guess the terrorist’s passcode without the phone essentially self-destructing and without it taking a decade to guess correctly. That’s it," Comey said in a statement.

"We don’t want to break anyone’s encryption or set a master key loose on the land," Comey insisted. "I hope thoughtful people will take the time to understand that."

Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, were shot dead in a shootout with police hours after the massacre in a Department of Public Health training event and holiday party on December 2, 2015, which left 14 dead and 22 injured.

A senior Apple executive, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity, said Friday that the US Congress is the right place for a debate over encryption not a courtroom.

The intensifying battle between the US government and America’s most valuable company has spread to the race for president, with Republican front-runner Donald Trump calling for a public boycott of Apple until it complied with the order.

Apple has argued that helping crack the phone in question would lead to less secure iPhones for all customers and that current law does not force the company to comply.

The Justice Department framed Apple’s refusal to comply as a "marketing strategy."

FBI experts fear losing the data on the phone after several failed attempts to enter the password, arguing only Apple can solve the problem.

A federal court hearing on the issue has been scheduled for March 22 in California.

Details: Ngwa Bertrand; 22.Feb.2016; Hits: 2971