Somali Islamic militia on Thursday announced plans to seize control of the central regional capital of Galkayo, sparking a massive deployment by their rivals and raising the spectre of renewed bloodshed. Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, a hard-line cleric designated a terrorist by the United States, said his militiamen have been invited to set up an Islamic court in Galkayo.
The body of an initiate buried in a secret mountain grave could be exhumed in a criminal probe into the cause of his death, the North West provincial government announced on Thursday. Justice Naane’s father, Kereng, insisted that his family needed to bury him to have closure, said government spokesperson Cornelius Monama.
South Africa’s power parastatal has reported that during the last financial year, ending March 2006, R16-million worth, or 144km, of power line was stolen. The annual report — which was tabled at Parliament on Thursday — notes that these losses were considerably down on the previous financial year when 374km of line was stolen, worth nearly R40-million.
Hezbollah guerrillas fought Israeli troops pushing towards the Shi’ite Muslim town of Khiam in south-east Lebanon on Thursday, though an Israeli Cabinet minister said plans for a deeper ground assault were on hold. Hezbollah unleashed a score of rockets on northern Israel, killing two people, including a toddler, medics said.
The number of executives leaving South Africa in 2005/06 rose despite higher pay packages, underlining the country’s struggle to retain a skilled labour force, a new study shows. It says 39% of respondents in the marketing and sales sector lost senior staff members between August 2005 and July this year, up from 24% the year before.
South African Airways (SAA) is not cancelling flights to the United Kingdom yet, but warned of lengthy delays on return flights. However, all passengers flying to the United States from Johannesburg International airport will not be able to indulge in duty free products such as perfumes or alcohol because all liquids and gels have been banned on these flights.
South Africa’s Minister of Transport Jeff Radebe announced on Thursday that the new international airport at La Mercy, 30km north of Durban, will be operational, and the Durban International airport decommissioned, in the first quarter of 2010 in time for the Soccer World Cup.
The death toll from weekend Ethiopia floods that devastated an eastern town rose to 250 on Thursday as rescue efforts entered a fourth day, making it the worst flooding disaster to date in the impoverished Horn of Africa nation, the government and police said. About 10 000 people are still displaced.
A government Aids-awareness campaign that mimics SMSs between lovers has angered activists in HIV-ravaged Swaziland, who say it implies people living with the disease are promiscuous. The campaign features pictures of a cellphone screen bearing SMSs such as ”Let’s have a quickie, my husband’s not around.”
United Kingdom stocks were sharply lower on Thursday as news of a foiled plan to blow up aircraft in mid-flight sent shockwaves through the market, with British Airways (BA) particularly hard hit, along with other stocks tied to the airline and leisure industries. Shares in BA fell 4,8%.