An angry mob snatches two accused child molesters in a Guatemalan highland village, ties them to a lamp post in the central plaza, douses them with gasoline and threatens to burn them alive. The attack last week was among the latest in Guatemala’s long history of mob violence, which has seen an upsurge this year.
More than 600 rebels have been killed in the past 45 days of the biggest anti-Taliban operation since the hard-liners were removed from government in 2001, the United States-led coalition said on Tuesday. Operation Mountain Thrust involves about 10 000 Afghan and coalition troops and support staff.
European Union regulators on Tuesday started scrutinising Europe’s telecommunications industry on risks for children using cellphones and called for self-regulation in the sector. The growth in cellphone could threaten the safety of minors, the European Commission said.
A commuter train driver was trapped for four hours after his train ploughed into the back of a freight train near the Muldersvlei station in the Boland three years ago, the Paarl Regional Court heard on Tuesday. The driver, Mervyne Matthee (59), is on trial on 10 counts of culpable homicide.
Cape Judge President John Hlophe’s return from long leave despite persisting conflict of interest charges against him bodes ill for public confidence in the judiciary, the Democratic Alliance said on Tuesday. Hlophe has reportedly claimed to have had permission from former minister Dullah Omar to receive money from a private company.
Israel agreed on Tuesday to allow aid airlifts to Lebanon but said it was determined to pursue a war against Hezbollah that key ally the United States has sanctioned. After meeting US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said both agreed that disarming Hezbollah and deploying an international force were key to resolving the two-week-old crisis.
United States internet search engine Yahoo and software security giant Symantec Corporation launched a joint service on Tuesday to protect people online from hackers, viruses, spyware and spam. Norton internet security provided by Yahoo was billed by the companies as an all-in-one security service that blocked intruders, identity thieves and malicious software.
A South African company on Tuesday unveiled plans for the continent’s first billion-dollar factory to make bio-ethanol from maize, as Africa races to find alternative energy sources in the face of soaring oil prices. The Ethanol Africa plant, located in the Free State province, is expected to be in full production next year, making up to half-a-million litres of bio-ethanol a day.
South Africa has the makings of a great nation, the leader of the African Peer Review Mechanism country assessment team said on Tuesday. Wrapping up a two-week visit to the country, Professor Adebayo Adedeji said South Africans are proud of their country and prepared to talk about its weaknesses and strengths.
Somalia’s Islamists said on Tuesday they would not attend peace talks with the interim government until Ethiopian troops left their soil, and for the first time acknowledged Eritrean backing for their cause. ”As long as Ethiopia is in our country, talks with the government cannot go ahead,” the Islamists’ main leader, Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, said.