Thousands of Eritreans marched through the streets on Wednesday to a cemetery atop a hill overlooking the capital to honour tens of thousands of people killed in two wars against their former Ethiopian masters. Some holding orange flowers, Eritreans bowed their heads in silence to celebrate an estimated 90 000 people killed in a 30-year independence struggle.
The electronic National Transport Information System (eNatis) is operating well countrywide, the National Road Public Management Corporation said on Wednesday. The corporation manages eNatis on behalf of the Transport Department.
Kimberley will soon get its sparkle back when the State Diamond Trader (SDT) is established in the Northern Cape city. PW Saaiman, provincial minister for economic affairs, said on Wednesday the establishment of the SDT should have many developmental spin-offs for the city.
Morocco and Western Sahara’s independence movement kept negotiations alive on the future of the resource-rich territory, agreeing on Tuesday to meet again in August. But statements by the two sides suggested neither had made concessions on the key question of whether Western Sahara would become independent.
Bafana Bafana legend Mark Fish said that Orlando Pirates must put their past triumph over English Premiership side Tottenham Hotspur out of their minds and focus on the way forward when they take on Kaizer Chiefs and the English club in this year’s Vodacom Challenge.
London’s version of the Lord of the Rings musical, touted as the most expensive show ever staged, has divided critics whose reviews on Wednesday both praised and panned the production. The Lord of the Rings closed early in Toronto, where it was launched in 2006, after opening to mixed reviews.
In what could be seen as the government’s final move to have the public-service wage dispute solved through talks, it gave unions a deadline of 6pm on Wednesday to accept its revised ”settlement offer”. The settlement salary package includes a 7,5% wage increase.
The Johannesburg Metro Police Department wants to raise the payment levels of traffic fines from an average of 33% to 60% within the next few years, media reports said on Wednesday. Measures include establishing a special squad to trace the top 100 offenders.
United States and Iraqi forces killed at least 30 al-Qaeda militants and found numerous weapons during the first day of an offensive against the Sunni Islamist group north of Baghdad, the US military said on Wednesday. The military said a missile strike destroyed a weapons cache inside a known al-Qaeda safe house.
In the spacious, top-floor office of Gaza’s former police chief, the television was tuned to al-Aqsa TV, the Hamas channel, and at lunchtime half a dozen well-armed, bearded Hamas commanders rose in unison and knelt in prayer. On the streets there were no policemen to be seen.