Peace talks aimed at bringing a final end to Burundi’s 13-year civil war hung in limbo on Thursday with the government and rebels still at odds over basic issues, officials said. The stalled negotiations had been set to resume on Thursday in Tanzania’s commercial capital of Dar es Salaam after a one-week suspension called by South African mediators.
The Zimbabwean student accused of trying to hijack a South African Airways (SAA) domestic flight last month was denied bail in the Bellville Magistrate’s Court on Thursday. Tinashe Rioga (21) had failed to prove the exceptional circumstances necessary for bail to be granted, Magistrate Suzette Marais ruled.
The circumcision death toll in the Eastern Cape has reached 19 with news on Thursday of the death of another would-be initiate, the provincial health department said. An official said the 18-year-old youth died after being circumcised at an illegal initiation school in the Libode area of Transkei.
South Africa’s banking system remained stable during 2005 and banks in general were sound and continued to benefit from South Africa’s economic health, the bank supervision department of the South African Reserve Bank said in its annual report released on Thursday.
Saddam Hussein and three of his co-defendants have been on hunger strike for five days in protest at court procedures and the killing of their defence lawyers, the United States military said on Wednesday. A spokesperson, who declined to identify the other three, said all four had refused meals since Friday evening but were in good health. Saddam’s lawyer said the protest had lasted for seven days and he was concerned about the former president’s health.
Declining oil reserves and soaring prices could see desperate nations overturning a ban on drilling in the last untouched frontier — Antarctica, an oil expert told a scientific conference on Thursday. Pressure to exploit the pristine, icy continent could become irresistible, said Ali Bakhtiari, a former senior adviser for the National Iranian Oil Company.
Free State police have launched a manhunt for a gang who robbed a chartered aircraft at the Bloemfontein airport of an undisclosed amount of money early on Thursday. Police spokesperson Captain Elsa Gerber said a group of between eight and ten men stopped their Ford bakkie in front of the Baron Beachcraft twin prop plane at around 7.45am, preventing the pilot from taking off.
Twin explosions hit oil installations belonging to Italian oil company Agip in Nigeria’s volatile south-eastern delta region, officials said on Thursday. Officials suspected sabotage in the explosions on Wednesday along two pipelines in Baleysa state.
A white Zimbabwean security expert who has been in police cells since March for allegedly plotting to overthrow President Robert Mugabe’s government has been denied bail for a third time, reports said on Thursday. Michael Hitschmann was arrested after detectives found what they said was a cache of arms at his house in the eastern city of Mutare.
South African power utility Eskom announced a pre-tax profit of R6,8-billion for the financial year ending on March 31 2006 from R7,6-billion for the 15-month period ended March 31 2005. Chief executive Thulani Gcabashe said 2006 had been characterised by a significant number of challenges, particularly in the generation and transmission of electricity in the Cape.