Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who discovered the hallucinogenic drug LSD, has died aged 102, the organisation that republished his book on the mind-altering substance said. Hofmann died at his home in Basel, Switzerland on Tuesday, the California-based Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies said on its website.
Zimbabwe’s army is supplying militants with weapons to intimidate voters to ensure that Robert Mugabe wins a possible run-off in the presidential election, Human Rights Watch said. In a statement released late on Tuesday, it said military forces had equipped war veterans with weapons and trucks to scare Zimbabweans into backing Mugabe.
Russia accused Georgia on Tuesday of planning to invade the breakaway republic of Abkhazia and said it was sending more troops to the region. Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Georgia had amassed more than 1 500 troops in the mountainous Upper Kodori valley — a small but strategic enclave inside the separatist territory but controlled by Georgian forces.
South African private sector credit growth jumped to 22,62% year-on-year in March, knocking expectations of a slowdown in spending and hardening the case for more interest rates increases. Central bank data on Wednesday showed growth in demand for credit leapt from 20,79% in February, while M3 money supply growth edged higher to 21%.
Hundreds of children are still being born with birth defects as a result of the world’s worst industrial disaster 23 years ago in the central Indian town of Bhopal, say campaigners. They are demanding that the Indian government provide immediate medical care and research the ”hidden” health impacts.
The exploitation of the private lives of celebrities, even dead ones, by the United States entertainment industry is again under the spotlight after a Los Angeles company released a 45-minute video purporting to show a sexual encounter with Jimi Hendrix.
Psychologists experienced in helping the victims of sexual abuse and prolonged isolation say that great care will need to be used in trying to bring some normality to the lives of Elisabeth Fritzl and her children. Elisabeth ”may have been compliant because she had her children to protect,” said Lesley Perman-Kerr, who is in private practice in St Albans, Hertfordshire.
Zimbabwe’s tobacco selling season was called off for the second time in as many weeks on Wednesday after farmers withdrew their crop from the auctions citing low prices. The auction floors in Harare, ranked among the continent’s largest, were supposed to open at 7.30am, but after around 80 bales went under the hammer, farmers started ripping off the price tags in protest.
South African stocks were weaker at noon on Wednesday with miners under pressure on retreating metal prices, but the session was quiet as most traders are still away on a long weekend break. At noon, the JSE’s broader all-share index was down 0,46%, with the gold and platinum mining indices down 1,47% and 1,65% respectively.
”Astonishing” and ”moving”, were the words used by psychiatrists on Tuesday to describe the scene as Elisabeth Fritzl and five of her children were reunited for the first time. The meeting followed years of separation after three of the children fathered through incest by Josef Fritzl were ”chosen” to live above ground.