Tens of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes amid brutal post-election violence in Kenya that had claimed at least 300 lives by Wednesday and threatens to descend into full-scale tribal conflict. On Tuesday, at least 35 children and adults sheltering in a church near the western town of Eldoret were burnt alive by an angry mob.
Police raids, arson and tribal attacks over the last 24 hours have claimed more than 100 lives in Kenya, police and officials said on Tuesday, bringing the toll for five days of post-election bloodshed to 299. ”At least 30 have burned to death inside a church in the Kiamba area,” a police commander said.
A suicide bomber killed at least 30 people and wounded 38 at a funeral in eastern Baghdad on Tuesday as the deadliest attack in the Iraqi capital for months cast a pall over New Year celebrations. Baghdadis had greeted 2008 at family gatherings and parties impossible just months ago when travel across the capital at night was too dangerous.
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Fraud convict Schabir Shaik is alleged to have spent in excess of R800Â 000 on Jacob Zuma’s children — footing an education bill of close to R500Â 000. Not only is he alleged to have paid the education fees of the African National Congress president’s children, but he and his companies allegedly forked out more than R200Â 000.
Australian Skipper Ricky Ponting says there is more pressure on India to win Wednesday’s second cricket Test than on his team to equal the record of most consecutive Test victories. Ponting on Tuesday had the luxury of naming an unchanged 12 for the second match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.
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When the African National Congress (ANC) presents its traditional ”January 8” statement on its 96th birthday at a gathering in Pretoria next week, it will have to contend with the new charges its newly elected president faces — and reported threats against the authority of his predecessor, President Thabo Mbeki.
Strict security measures will remain in force as South Africans celebrate New Year’s Day on Tuesday, the South African Broadcasting Corporation reported. Police and traffic officials were out in force on Monday night as people saw in 2008 with carnivals, concerts and private parties.
Despite a drop in United States casualties in the past six months, 2007 has proved the deadliest year for American forces in Iraq since the invasion, with at least 896 soldiers killed, according to a tally based on Pentagon figures. The previous most lethal year for the American military since the US-led invasion of March 2003 was in 2004, when 846 soldiers died.
A man was arrested in Rosebank, Johannesburg, on Monday after spreading petrol in his room in a building inhabited by squatters and setting it alight. The fire in the abandoned building along Jellico Road in Rosebank was being extinguished by fire-fighters on Monday evening.
Premier League clubs are waiting for Tuesday’s opening of the month-long January transfer window, some seeking to tweak their squad as they press for the title and others hoping to add players in the fight to stay in England’s most lucrative competition.