A hunt for diamonds along the coast of Namibia has led to the discovery of a shipwreck dating back about five centuries, with its booty of gold coins and bronze cannons still intact. A spokesperson for Namdeb, the company whose miners made the discovery last month, said the ship was believed to have been the oldest wreck to be discovered in sub-Saharan Africa.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, his popularity plunging and his reputation for economic competence under fire, faced his first electoral test on Thursday since taking over from Tony Blair in June. The local council seats up for grabs in England and Wales, alongside a high-profile clash to pick the next mayor of London, were last contested in 2004.
Former minister of population development Jac Rabie has died at the age of 69, Beeld reported on Thursday. According to Rabie’s family, his death was the result of ”protracted pain and suffering”, which he endured after he saw his wife, Sandra (47), murdered two years ago.
Police battled demonstrators in Istanbul as tens of thousands of workers rallied on World Labour Day on Thursday while soaring food prices brought large crowds on to the streets of some Asian capitals. In Istanbul, police used pepper gas and water cannon to disperse workers outside Turkey’s main left-wing labour confederation.
A United States air strike killed an Islamist commander thought to be al-Qaeda’s leader in Somalia and at least a dozen other people on Thursday, the insurgents and witnesses said. Aden Hashi Ayro died in the latest of several US bombings in recent months to have targeted Somali rebel leaders.
Mozambican police on Wednesday denied recent accusations by Amnesty International of having a ”mandate to kill” in regard to policing the country. Police spokesperson First Deputy Police Commissioner Carlos Rungo said that accusations of the police killing and torturing citizens with near total impunity were completely untrue.
President Hugo Chávez is raising Venezuela’s minimum wage by 30% as inflation continues to soar in the oil-producing nation. The socialist leader has signed a decree that will fix the monthly minimum wage at , starting on May 1, International Workers’ Day. Chávez says the move will give Venezuela the highest minimum wage in Latin America.
In the samba spirit that the South African Football Association seems to have been seized by, and to welcome Joel Santana, the Brazilian coach, South Africans now have an opportunity to convert their names to Brazilian ones. After all, one Brazilian turn deserves another.
Ajax Cape Town’s hopes of winning the Absa Premiership were dealt a massive blow at Atteridgeville’s Super Stadium on Wednesday night when defending champions Sundowns crushed the Urban Warriors 2-0. Sundowns led the match 2-0 at half-time.
South Africa’s Coastal Sharks face a moment of truth against the toughest team in rugby’s Super 14 when they put their chances of a home play-off on the line against the Canterbury Crusaders in Christchurch on Friday. The Sharks are feeling the effects of five demanding weeks on the road in Australia and New Zealand.