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/ 10 January 2008
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) made a ”concerted effort” to undermine investigations into Scorpions boss Gerrie Nel and prevent his prosecution, Gauteng police said on Thursday. In a statement, Superintendent Lungelo Dlamini said prosecutors had refused to look at evidence presented to them in September, which implicated Nel in criminal activity.
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/ 10 January 2008
Lawyers for Charles Taylor on Thursday sought to discredit a witness who told the court of the former Liberian president’s ties with Revolutionary United Front rebels in Sierra Leone, contending that he was biased against Taylor. Defence counsel Courtenay Griffiths stressed that the witness was once one of Taylor’s sworn enemies.
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/ 10 January 2008
African Union chairperson John Kufuor quit Kenya on Thursday without a deal to end a political crisis that has killed hundreds of people, leaving the president and opposition leader accusing each other of wrecking talks. Controversy over President Mwai Kibaki’s re-election in a December 27 vote triggered bloodletting that displaced 250 000 people.
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/ 10 January 2008
Shaun Pollock made a successful return to Test cricket and captain Graeme Smith smashed a century as South Africa dominated the first day of the series-deciding third Test against the West Indies at Kingsmead on Thursday. Pollock took 4-35 as the West Indies were bowled out for 139 after being sent in to bat.
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/ 10 January 2008
Britain gave the go-ahead to a new generation of nuclear power stations on Thursday, setting no limits on nuclear expansion and adding momentum to atomic energy’s worldwide renaissance. Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s government argues Britain must build new nuclear plants to help meet its climate-change goals.
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/ 10 January 2008
An airborne operation to pluck two hostages from their rebel captors deep in the Colombian jungle lurched back to life on Thursday, after a botched handover attempt collapsed 10 days ago. Two Venezuelan helicopters departed for Colombia at dawn, said a spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross.
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/ 10 January 2008
It is billed as the ”first flush” — the ceremonial opening of a new public toilet on the streets of New York City. The first of 20 public toilets under the city’s street-furniture contract with Spanish advertising giant Cemusa opened on Thursday at Madison Square Park in Manhattan.
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/ 10 January 2008
Sudan admitted on Thursday that its troops had opened fire on a joint United Nations/African Union peacekeeping convoy in Darfur, contradicting an earlier denial by its ambassador to the UN. A spokesperson for the Sudanese armed forces said the attack was the result of a ”shared mistake”.
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/ 10 January 2008
India’s Tata Motors unveiled the world’s cheapest new car on Thursday, bringing car ownership closer for millions of poorer consumers in emerging markets but raising environmental concerns. The four-seater Nano, with an engine of 625cc, will have a dealer price of 100 000 rupees ( 500), about half the cost of the cheapest car on today’s market.
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/ 10 January 2008
Thousands of South African motorists may lose their driver’s licences by the end of 2008 if they fail to adhere to the rules of the road, the KwaZulu-Natal transport department said on Thursday. Bheki Cele, provincial minister of transport, community safety and liaison, said the demerit system will be introduced this year.