In two seemingly unrelated events, the east of Zimbabwe was rocked recently — first by a violent earthquake and then by the election of Manicaland local hero Arthur Mutambara as the president of the pro-Senate faction of the Movement for Democratic Change.
Former United States president Bill Clinton this week said he supports mandatory HIV testing in countries with high prevalence, provided people are willing to participate in the testing programmes and that the country can provide access to anti-retroviral drugs and ensure HIV-positive residents would not experience discrimination.
Up to 20 000 Africans are trying to reach Europe from camps in Western Sahara and Mauritania, the governor of Spain’s Canary Islands said on Wednesday. Citing a Spanish police report, Jose Segura told AFP: ”After an evaluation, there are maybe 15 000 or 20 000; it’s very difficult to put a precise figure on it.”
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Concert pianist Lily Dumont Mindus, who performed around the world after fleeing Nazi Germany, has died. She was 94. Mindus — who died at her home on Monday — performed as a soloist with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra by the time she was 15.
The Bush administration is getting closer to a United Nations Security Council rebuke of Iran, but the latest round of diplomacy shows the United States needs the help of Cold War foe Russia to close the deal. Iran is offering to suspend full-scale uranium enrichment for up to two years, a diplomat said on Tuesday.
The SA Army has unveiled a vision for the next 15 years that will require major changes in the way it thinks and fights. The chief of the army, Lieutenant-General Solly Shoke, said in Pretoria on Tuesday that his Vision 2020 would determine the future direction of the army and also influence what equipment it would buy.
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The woman Jacob Zuma allegedly raped told the Johannesburg High Court on Tuesday she had been raped on a previous occasion. She said this while giving evidence on the contents of an SMS sent to her sister after the alleged incident involving Zuma.
Dick Pound, president of the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada), has admitted it is almost impossible to get ahead of drug cheats, but says better tests are being developed to narrow the gap. Pound said Wada had been ”spectacularly succesful” since being set up in 1999, but still had a long way to go to drive drugs from sport.
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The Friends of Jacob Zuma trust fund has condemned the burning of his alleged rape victim’s picture by the ANC deputy president’s supporters outside the court on Tuesday. ”The rule of law must be upheld. There are those masquerading as Zuma supporters,” said chairperson Don Mkhwanazi.