Eritrea on Thursday called for the speedy withdrawal of Ethiopian troops from Somalia, where they have been deployed to protect the country’s fledgling government, warning that their continued stay risked provoking a regional conflict. On a government website, Asmara also urged Addis Ababa to heed calls by the country’s Islamic courts to leave the shattered nation.
A train derailment in Durban has left 86 people injured, Metrorail said on Thursday. Netcare 911 spokesperson Chris Botha said a coach left the tracks near the Duffs Road Railway Station in KwaMashu. It appeared most of the injuries occurred when passengers tried to jump from the coach. There were no major injuries.
The South African trial of nine men charged in an alleged plot to topple the president of oil-rich Equatorial Guinea has been delayed until next year, the men’s lawyer said on Thursday. Alwyn Griebenow said the trial, seen as a test of South Africa’s anti-mercenary laws, had been postponed from next week due to scheduling conflicts with lawyers.
British music group EMI said on Thursday that it would not pursue its proposed takeover of United States rival Warner Music "for the time being". EMI said the decision followed a move by a European Union’s court to annul the European Commission’s approval of the music merger which was to create Sony BMG.
The JSE remained in positive territory in noon trade on Thursday, helped by world markets and higher commodity prices. The bourse so far proved quite resilient in the face of far-worse-than-expected producer price index (PPI) data released at 11.30am.
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) on Thursday confirmed it had served diversified mining company Kumba Resources with a notice for strike action. "After consultation with our members we have opted to strike, because we are of the view that the company is not prepared to improve the conditions and wages of workers," NUM chief negotiator at Kumba Eddie Majadibodu said.
Once again the Bush administration is floating on a wave of euphoria. Israel’s offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon has liberated the utopian strain of neoconservatism that had been traduced by Iraq’s sectarian civil war. And the Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, has propelled herself forward as chief cheerleader.
Michael Schumacher is confident of continuing his superb recent form in front of his home crowd at the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim, Germany, this weekend. The seven-time world champion (37) has cut Spaniard Fernando Alonso’s championship lead from 25 to 17 points after winning the last two races in dominant fashion.
Wallaby coach John Connolly on Thursday condemned New Zealand’s controversial ”throat-slitting” haka as damaging for rugby. Criticism of their pre-match ritual, which in the Kapa O Pango haka climaxes with an apparent throat-slitting gesture, put the All Blacks on the defensive ahead of Saturday’s Bledisloe Cup match against Australia.
Barcelona’s board of directors resigned on Wednesday following a judicial ruling that paves the way for new elections at the Catalan giants later this year, the club announced. The resignation had been expected after a Spanish judge last week ordered the European champions to hold fresh polls for the board after club members complained regulations had been broken.