If he ordered them from elsewhere - Cuba for instance, which is a major supplier - the dolphins would be caught specifically for him: in other words, he would be guilty of interfering with the species. The drive-hunts, on the other hand, are a pre-existing situation. His dolphins, he says, are a bi-product of the catch.But O'Barry says: "If Desmond was a conservationist, he would be there with a sign saying, 'Stop the killing'."Back in Yokohama, a delighted Fidori towels herself down. I delicately suggest she might want to know the origin of the dolphins She watches our pictures speechless; in tears. She, like everyone else we met outside the dolphin-hunting towns, was unaware of the drives, or that dolphins were eaten It appears the Japanese media prefers not to mention it. As O'Barry says, public opinion here doesn't need changing, it just needs informing.Paul Kenyon's 'Undercover World: the Dolphin Hunters' is on BBC2 tonight at 7.30pm. In what was developing into one of the most high-profile French army interventions on foreign soil for years, 700 troop reinforcements sent to Ivory Coast had last night stationed 50 armoured vehicles and tanks in the country's main city, Abidjan.

At least a dozen French nationals - among about 14,000 registered in the West African country - were unaccounted for after the weekend of violence. Others had reportedly been plucked from rooftops in Abidjan by French army helicopters.Journalists in the capital said the situation was tense. They could not confirm whether looting had continued on French-owned businesses and interests, but believed a televised appeal for calm late on Sunday by President Gbagbo was being respected. The Red Cross estimated that about 400 people had been injured in Abidjan since Saturday.Last night, in a sign that the situation was being brought under control, French army officials and Ivorian military and government officials met in the capital. At the same time in New York, French diplomats asked the United Nations security council to consider a draft proposal for selective sanctions against Mr Gbagbo.The South African President, Thabo Mbeki, is expected in Ivory Coast tomorrow, to help relaunch a peace plan agreed at the end of July.Ivory Coast, which is the world's leading cocoa producer, has been split in two since a coup attempt in September 2002.

The northern half of the country is occupied by New Forces rebels, whereas the south is controlled by the government. French and United Nations peacekeepers guard checkpoints along the divide.President Gbagbo, an unelected leader, has been resisting the French-brokered peace plan, which hinges on incorporating New Forces representatives into his government, for nearly two years. Instead, he has accused France of attempting to force him to share power.. Rupert Murdoch moved swiftly yesterday to head off any potential threat from his fellow media tycoon John Malone by setting up a "poison pill" defence for News Corporation against any attempted takeover. At the current share price of about $17.60, the scheme would mean a 9-for-1 rights issue in which a hostile acquirer could not take part.The Liberty holding as it stands, including its option over the extra shares, would not trigger the plan, News Corp said. But any additional acquisitions by Liberty would trigger the controversial share issue, it said.Mr Murdoch's family owns almost 30 per cent of News Corp's voting shares Liberty has offered no reason for increasing its stake.

In the past, 63-year-old Mr Malone has been an ally of Mr Murdoch.There have been rumours that Liberty may make a bid for News Corp, but this is considered improbable. More likely, analysts believe, is that Liberty wants to acquire some assets from News Corp and it could use the News Corp shares to pay for them.Jake Balzer, an analyst at Guzman & Co in the US, said Mr Murdoch and Mr Malone were serial deal-makers. "Liberty knows that, by having more of the voting shares, they'd have a little more leverage with News Corp," Mr Balzer said.Liberty owns television content businesses, including the QVC shopping channel and half of the Discovery Channel.There is also talk that Mr Malone is positioning himself for the moment when Mr Murdoch eventually retires or dies. Mr Murdoch has made clear that he expects one of his two sons, Lachlan and James, to inherit his crown.Last week, when it was announced that Liberty had options over more News Corp shares, Mr Murdoch, 73, the chairman of News Corp, claimed to be relaxed about it, saying: "I think it's an endorsement of the company... I'm not losing any sleep over it."But the language used by News Corp yesterday was aggressive. "This action [Liberty's shares deal] was taken without any discussion with, or prior notice to, News Corporation. For this and other reasons the company has put in place a Rights Plan to protect the best interests of all shareholders," Mr Murdoch's company said.Ian Ramsay, a corporate law expert at Melbourne University, said: "The type of takeover defence adopted by Murdoch is almost unheard of in Australia, but is not uncommon in the United States."If Mr Malone, 63, decided to challenge the legality of Mr Murdoch's defence strategy, the case would be heard in the Delaware courts, where it is likely to be upheld, Mr Ramsay said.

The weaker protection available for shareholders in the US, compared with Australia, was the reason that many investors had voiced concerns about News Corp's change of domicile.. The drinks giants Diageo and Pernod Ricard are being sued in the United States by the Colombian government over allegations of money laundering and selling contraband products to criminals. As of last night, the Republic of Colombia had filed the complaints in the court of the Eastern District of New York, but the companies said they had not yet been served with the suit.The claims come under the US's racketeering laws, which are used to fight organised crime and are currently in action against the tobacco industry. Diageo said: "The lawsuit alleges that these companies have violated the Federal Rico Act by facilitating money laundering in Colombia through their supposed involvement in the contraband trade to the detriment of government-owned spirits production and distribution businesses."Both companies vigorously deny the allegations. Diageo said it had alerted shareholders to the possibility of legal action from Colombian authorities for some years. Officials in the Colombian government have been considering legal proceedings against large spirits companies for unpaid excise duties and taxes on products smuggled into the country by third parties since August 2000.But Diageo, which makes Smirnoff and Guinness, said it had worked with government officials in Colombia to help eliminate the illegal liquor trade.