Zimbabwe’s central bank governor Gideon Gono has become so unpopular that some ruling party officials want him dead, President Robert Mugabe was quoted as saying in the Herald newspaper on Wednesday.
Saddam Hussein, weak from a hunger strike, said on Wednesday that he has been forced to attend his trial for crimes against humanity and that he would prefer to be shot than hung if found guilty. The entire defence team boycotted the latest session in the controversial trial which is approaching its conclusion.
Zambia’s Chinese-run Chambishi copper mine has stopped production after riots on Tuesday in which six workers were shot, police, company and union officials said on Wednesday. It remained unclear who fired the shots amid conflicting reports from the restive copper-belt region in Zambia that has been the scene of labour violence in the past.
Real Madrid have made a new offer for Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy after Manchester United rejected a bid last week. ”The club have made a new offer and are waiting for reply from Manchester,” a Real spokesperson said on Wednesday. The 30-year-old Van Nistelrooy is at the centre of a tug-of-war between Real and Bayern Munich.
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If the prosecution in Jacob Zuma’s corruption trial does not have a strong enough case against him, then charges should be withdrawn, an alliance of youth groups said on Wednesday. ”It does not take an intelligent person to arrive at the conclusion that their case is not very strong,” said South African Students’ Congress official Mandla Seopela.
A formula will be finalised shortly for reserving portions of new residential-property investments for low-cost housing, Minister of Housing Lindiwe Sisulu has said. Her department was holding discussions with stakeholders to determine the percentage required to be set aside, she said in a written reply to a parliamentary question.
Somalia’s virtually powerless government said a cargo plane that landed at the capital’s airport on Wednesday morning was carrying weapons for Islamic militants who have seized control of much of southern Somalia. The Ilyushin-76 was only the second aircraft able to land at Mogadishu International airport in more than a decade of anarchy.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak rejected calls for tougher action in response to Israel’s offensive in Lebanon, in comments carried by state-owned press on Wednesday. ”Those who urge Egypt to go to war to defend Lebanon or Hezbollah are not aware that the time of exterior adventures is over,” he told reporters on the flight back from talks with Saudi King Abdullah.
When photographer Jill Greenberg decided to take a lollipop away from a small child, she had a broader purpose in mind. ”The first little boy I shot, Liam, suddenly became hysterically upset,” the Los Angeles-based photographer said. ”It reminded me of helplessness and anger I feel about our current political and social situation.”
Former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon was taken to a hospital emergency room on Wednesday after his health worsened, a hospital spokesperson said. Sharon has been in a coma since January. The Sheba hospital near Tel Aviv said Sharon was taken to an emergency care unit to drain fluids in his body.