A Nigerian militant group responsible for most of the attacks that have crippled the country’s oil industry has called off a one-month truce, the group’s spokesperson said on Wednesday. Gunmen attacked an oil rig and kidnapped five expatriates overnight, police said.
In the long phoney war of the 2008 United States elections there have been thousands of articles written about Hillary Clinton’s bid to become the first woman president. Much less notice has been paid to the efforts being made quietly for Bill Clinton to become the first First Husband in American history.
European Union officials have signalled that they will ban subsidies for biofuels in cases where their production causes serious environmental damage. Staff at the union’s executive arm, the European Commission, have now recognised that the production of biofuels can be ecologically destructive.
Capetonians have been asked to use water sparingly this month as the dam supplying much of their water is being worked on. The distribution of water will be limited until the end of the month as the Berg River Dam, which is near completion, is being connected via a tunnel to the province’s main supplier, the Theewaterskloof Dam.
A small plane flying to Kenya’s Masai Mara game reserve crashed on Tuesday and three people were killed, a tour operator said. The dead were two passengers on a safari holiday, both Germans living in Switzerland, and the Kenyan pilot, said Will Jones, managing director of British-based tour operator Journeys by Design.
The Pakistani army was preparing to storm a pro-Taliban mosque in central Islamabad early on Wednesday morning, after a day of vicious street battles had left at least 12 people dead and 150 wounded. A column of troops and armoured vehicles moved towards Lal Masjid, or the Red Mosque, where the electricity had been cut off and a curfew imposed.
The Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI) has requested that the closing date for nominations for the next board of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) be extended. The FXI criticised Parliament’s portfolio committee on communications in its handling of the process, urging it to heed the letter and spirit of the Broadcasting Act.
Australia have made three changes to their starting team for Saturday’s Tri-Nations clash against South Africa at the Olympic stadium. Stephen Hoiles and Adam Freier replaced the injured pair Wycliff Palu and Stephen Moore while Mark Gerrard was called in for suspended winger Lote Tuqiri.
Zimbabwe is a sore thumb for the African continent which last year enjoyed an average economic growth of around 4,5%, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Tuesday. ”Consumer prices altogether came down to single digit, excluding Zimbabwe,” said IMF deputy managing director Takatoshi Kato.
Alan Johnston, the BBC journalist held hostage in Gaza, was freed early on Wednesday after a late-night deal between the ruling Hamas Islamists and the al-Qaeda-inspired clan group that kidnapped him in March. ”It is just the most fantastic thing to be free. It was an appalling experience,” he told the British public broadcaster.