Madagascar coup leader takes oath as prez

An army colonel who seized power in a military coup was sworn in as Madagascar's new leader on Friday in a lightning-fast power grab that ousted the president and sent him fleeing from the country into hiding.

- AP

Col. Michael Randrianirina, the commander of an elite army unit, took the oath of office to become the new president at a ceremony in the main chamber of the nation's High Constitutional Court and in front of its nine red-robed judges. His ascent to the presidency came just three days after he announced that the armed forces were taking power in the spra