Kenyan authorities said on Friday they had arrested 14 suspected wildlife poachers, including seven Italians, and seized large amounts of ivory and other illegal animal trophies. In three separate raids this month, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) said its rangers had recovered more than 160kg of elephant tusks and processed ivory.
The loss-making state airline Air Zimbabwe carried just 230Â 000 passengers last year, compared with more than a million in 1999, the official media reported on Friday. Acting chief executive Captatin Oscar Madombwe blamed the decline on negative publicity on political and economic turmoil in the country and a perception of safety concerns among both local and foreign travellers.
The French Prime Minister, Dominique de Villepin, vowed to battle on ”until the end” on Thursday, rejecting growing speculation he might resign over a youth job law that has brought millions to the streets. De Villepin’s popularity has slumped during weeks of protests against his First Job Contract (CPE), and he has also been weakened inside the ruling right.
New Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete arrived in Pretoria on Friday for his first official visit to South Africa. Kikwete’s one-day working visit and meeting with South African President Thabo Mbeki was to build on the growing partnerships between the two nations, which included a joint commission between their respective departments of foreign affairs and a presidential economic commission.
Oil-company and Nigerian officials said on Friday they were optimistic that the country’s oil production would recover as soon as next week, following rebel attacks earlier this year that knocked out more than a quarter of the country’s oil flows.
A dispute over South Africa’s economic direction lies at the heart of the conflict within the African National Congress, Democratic Alliance acting leader James Selfe said on Friday. ”The spy scandal that has emerged in recent weeks has shaken the foundations of our democratic order and has exposed the fault lines within the ruling party,” he said in the DA leader’s weekly newsletter.
The Canterbury Crusaders maintained their unbeaten record and took over the lead in rugby union’s Super 14 on Friday with a 17-11 win over the New South Wales Waratahs. The Crusaders edged the Waratahs two tries to one, posting their eighth win from as many starts to lead the competition by two points.
"The Mazda MX5 delivered to us for test purposes got me thinking along these lines, because it’s such a gorgeous driver’s car that I’d seriously contemplate buying one, if I had the money," writes Gavin Foster. "The Mazda is, quite simply, the closest thing to the traditional British sportscar that money can buy, without the irritating foibles."
Djibouti’s President Ismail Omar Guelleh has ordered an investigation into the capsize of an apparently overloaded boat carrying religious pilgrims that killed at least 69 people, officials said on Friday. ”The exact circumstances of this tragedy must be known,” Guelleh said in a message of condolence released to the nation after Thursday’s accident.
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The woman who accuses Jacob Zuma of rape had a sexual relationship at the age of 13, but it did not involve penetration, the Johannesburg High Court heard on Friday. Nzwaki Siqashe told the court under cross-examination that 31-year-old Khwezi, as she has been dubbed by women rights’ groups, was examined by a doctor in 1988 after accusing a man of raping her.