Pakistani security forces fought fierce gun battles with students at a pro-Taliban mosque in Islamabad on Tuesday after a lengthy stand-off exploded into violence, leaving nine dead and 140 hurt. Clerics at the radical Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque, threatened suicide attacks to avenge the "blood of martyrs" after the day-long clashes.
Tentative moves by Nigeria’s new government to subdue attacks on the oil industry have drawn mixed reactions from rebel factions in the Niger Delta and sporadic violence is hampering the fledgling peace process. A one-month truce declared by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta expires on Tuesday.
Child Welfare South Africa on Tuesday welcomed the implementation of some sections of the Children’s Act from last Sunday, but also expressed concern about giving young children access to contraceptives. This section stipulates that no person may refuse to sell or distribute free condoms to a child over the age of 12 years.
A young HIV-positive Aids activist who filed rape charges against former South African deputy president Jacob Zuma has been granted asylum in The Netherlands, a daily said on Tuesday. The woman (32), who arrived in The Netherlands last year after losing a lawsuit against Zuma, has been granted a five-year residency permit, De Volkskrant said.
South Africa’s population at mid-year is estimated at 47,9-million, of which approximately 24,3-million are female, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) said on Tuesday. Spokesperson Trevor Oosterwyk said Stats SA estimated that fertility had declined from an average of 2,89 children per woman in 2001 to 2,69 children by 2007.
Najwa Petersen stabbed her husband, Taliep, in the neck the day after she was discharged from psychiatric treatment, the Wynberg Regional Court heard on Tuesday. Najwa, who is appearing with Abdoer Emjedi, Waheed Hassen and Jefferson Snyders in connection with Taliep’s murder in December last year, is seeking bail.
Seasoned travellers know that the key to a great vacation is great preparation. The means taking care of many details beforehand: where to go, what to pack, where to stay and how to afford it all. Thankfully, the internet makes the chore of vacation planning easier than ever before. Never has there been so much information available so readily.
Police officers in the Dutch city of Alkmaar were surprised to see a car passing by with a man sitting on a bicycle on its roof. The driver and his wife, when stopped by the police, said they heard a noise while waiting at a traffic light, but did not realise they were taking on an extra passenger.
The Gauteng government’s attempt to negotiate with violent taxi organisations sent out the wrong message about crime, the Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Tuesday. The DA’s Gauteng transport spokesperson, James Swart, said bus drivers in Alexandra in Johannesburg had been attacked recently.
The hooded killers of the Chadian president’s son were filmed on video surveillance cameras in the underground car park in France where his body was found, a judicial source said on Tuesday. Brahim Déby was discovered dead in his car early on Monday near his home outside Paris.