It seems that massacres at American schools and universities are becoming as traditional as the Fourth of July, or, as one newspaper put it, apple pie.
Duncan Fletcher will step down as England coach after Saturday’s final World Cup Super Eight game against the West Indies, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said on Thursday. He is expected to be replaced on a temporary basis by England academy director Peter Moores, although the ECB declined to confirm this in a news conference.
A gripe over pension legislation favouring women appears to have led to Thursday’s hostage drama at the South African Human Rights Commission’s (SAHRC) Cape Town office. SAHRC chief executive Tseliso Thipanyane said the hostage-taker earlier lodged a complaint with the commission about the legislation.
No violent incidents were reported in the Carletonville township of Khutsong on Thursday, the day after youths barricaded roads and stoned passing vehicles, North West police said. Superintendent Louis Jacobs said the situation had calmed down after about 400 youths took to the streets on Wednesday night.
The European Union agreed on Thursday on a watered-down anti-racism law, reflecting wide divergences among the bloc’s 27 states on how to tackle racial prejudice and genocide denial. The bloc struggled for almost six years over proposals for EU-wide legislation.
South Africa’s Cabinet has urged Zimbabwe’s government and opposition to stop pointing fingers at each other in public. ”We are aware, as we move closer and closer to getting negotiations on track, chances are that both parties would be making all kind of statements about and against each other,” said government spokesperson Themba Maseko.
The Zulu royal household budget is R36,4-million for this financial year, an increase of R6-million over the previous year. Addressing the KwaZulu-Natal legislature on Thursday, Premier Sbu Ndebele said this included R14-million for the refurbishment of King Goodwill Zwelithini’s palaces and another R2,2-million allocated to the king’s farms.
A videotaped diatribe by the Virginia Tech gunman shocked students and mesmerised television viewers, but police said on Thursday it yielded little value for the investigation of the campus massacre. Students at the university expressed disgust and disbelief at self-made photos and a disturbing video the killer mailed to NBC News.
Pet owners will be compensated for animals that died from eating contaminated pet food, Royal Canin pet-food manufacturers said on Thursday. This follows the deaths of 30 animals to date after a batch of the company’s pet food was found to be contaminated with a substance called melamine.
Embattled World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz looked more isolated than ever on Thursday as directors debated his fate amid the rumblings of a civil war among senior staff. The 24 executive directors discussed what action to take over a pay and favouritism scandal that has engulfed the former Pentagon deputy chief.