Ethiopian prosecutors demanded the death penalty on Monday for 38 opposition officials convicted of trying to overthrow the government, treason and inciting violence. ”Since they have been found guilty on all counts, they should be punished with the highest penalty,” prosecutor Abraham Tetemke told the court.
Sudan’s northern army has missed a deadline to move its troops to the north under a peace deal and are still paying illegal militias based in the south, the United Nations said. A January 2005 north-south peace deal created a southern autonomous government and two separate armies with joint units in key towns.
The <i>Financial Gazette</i> reported from Harare that Zimbabwe is in negotiations with Libya for a $2-billion loan to help stabilise the country’s economy, which is facing a huge crisis. This, according to the <i>Gazette</i>, was revealed to them by senior government sources.
South Africans have taken the bait for the FishMS line that can tell you whether the fish you are about to eat is in plentiful supply or illegal, a spokesperson for the Southern African Sustainable Seafood Initiative said on Monday. The instant access to accurate information and an informed choice has ”struck a chord with South Africa’s seafood lovers”, Timony Siebert said.
Deprived of international competition for 15 years due to the threat of Islamic terrorism, Algeria is primed and ready this week to host the ninth edition of the All Africa Games. The North African state will be only the second country after Nigeria in 1973 and 2003 to host the event on two occasions, having already been the venue for the Games in 1978.
Kenya police on Monday said they had killed eight suspected members of a gang blamed for a spate of murders and beheadings, as part of a widening crackdown. Once a religious group of dreadlocked youths who embraced traditional rituals, the politically linked Mungiki sect has fractured into a gang notorious for criminal activities.
The JSE extended gains at noon on Monday paced by miners on better metal prices, while banks rose on talks that the local monetary authorities were unlikely to raise interest rates. At 11.58am, the all-share index was up 1,10%. Resources gained 1,17%, the gold and platinum mining indices surged 1,35% and 2%.
Bali, the lush Indonesian island famous for its sun-kissed beaches, is drawing tourists in droves, and travel warnings that Islamic militants might strike again has done little to dampen the spirit. Almost five years after 202 people were killed in the bombing of a Bali nightclub, tourists are back enjoying the island’s nightlife and soaking up the sun on Bali’s palm-fringed beaches.
”I’d been given a ticket for parking illegally on the pavement near the Greek temples at Agrigento in southern Sicily more than a year ago. My excuse? Everyone was doing it and the car park looked full … I’d been a fugitive for too long and it was time to turn myself in.” Giles Elgood discovers it’s rather hard to pay a Sicilian parking ticket.
A ”huge contingent” of Johannesburg metro police will direct traffic in the central city on Monday for a march by metal and engineering workers. ”We are preparing for 22 000 demonstrators,” said chief superintendent Wayne Minnaar on Monday morning.