Nigeria authorities welcome truce

Nigeria's government has welcomed a 60-day ceasefire declared by the main militant group in the country's oil-rich Niger Delta region.

The military said troops would remain in the region, but would not attack militants from the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend).

Mend, however, said a partial pullout of troops was a condition of the truce.

The group also threatened to call off its truce immediately because a gunboat had been sighted near one of its bases.

The ceasefire was declared after one of Mend's leaders, Henry Okah, was released from jail under an amnesty.

Both sides have now called for further talks.

Ufot Ekaette, minister for the delta region, told the BBC's Focus on Africa he was confident that a lasting peace could be framed within the next 60 days.

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Sun energy empowers Ethiopian village

Two years after the installation of a solar power project funded by international aid groups, villagers in northern Ethiopia say the sun's energy has turned their lives around.

Rema, 150 miles north of the capital Addis Ababa, is home to Ethiopia's largest solar project. Here, every house in the village has electricity powered by solar lighting systems.

This is unique in Ethiopia - 80% of the population live in rural areas where only 1% of the population has access to electricity.

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