Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon earned a backhanded compliment from President Thabo Mbeki in the National Assembly on Thursday. Responding to debate on the Presidency Budget vote, Mbeki said he appreciated the way Leon had expressed himself on Wednesday during that debate.
Iran said on Thursday it is open to nuclear talks with the West but that technology was not up for discussion, amid rising hopes for a breakthrough in the stand-off over its controversial nuclear aims. "We will negotiate about common concerns and for clearing up misunderstandings in the international atmosphere," said hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis is to sign an accord with Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul establishing a crisis management hotline between the two countries’ air forces, the Greek Foreign Ministry said on Thursday. ”The agreement has been elaborated, now it is a matter of signing it,” Greek Foreign Ministry spokesperson George Koumoutsakos said.
A new report on seven South African land-reform successes, released this week, says land reform can be successful, but it requires careful planning, post-transfer assistance, debt relief and an interest holiday. Most of all, it requires good old elbow grease from the communities involved. Communities also cannot depend on the government too heavily.
After a 10-year absence, Namibia has witnessed a sudden reappearance of polio, with 34 suspected cases and seven deaths recorded so far. The recent outbreak has been confirmed in five of the country’s 13 regions, but most cases have occurred in and around the capital, Windhoek.
Trade union Solidarity on Thursday said it has declared a dispute with the National Petroleum Employers’ Association (NPEA). The Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood and Allied Workers’ Union and the South African Chemical Workers’ Union have also declared a dispute with the NPEA, Solidarity said.
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France’s World Cup hopes have suffered a cruel blow after striker Djibril Cisse broke his leg in their last warm-up game before leaving for Germany. The Liverpool forward was forced out of Raymond Domenech’s squad after undergoing surgery late on Wednesday on a fractured right fibula and shinbone, picked up in the friendly against China.
It was an impressive double whammy for Iraq’s new prime minister: first announcing the death of the country’s most notorious terrorist, then getting approval for his government’s final, key posts. With that rapid fire of good news on Thursday, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki grabbed strong control of his country — and the United States seemed overjoyed he did.
Five more men arrested following the massive heist at Johannesburg International airport in March appeared briefly before a Kempton Park regional magistrate on Thursday. The court heard that a sixth was unable to attend court having been admitted to hospital.
The European Union is keen to trumpet its latest role in easing the Iran nuclear crisis, but strains and institutional limbo are clouding the bloc’s efforts to punch its diplomatic weight, officials admitted on Thursday. EU foreign policy head Javier Solana stands ready to return to Tehran to negotiate with the Islamic republic over a package of trade and political incentives.