Tuareg rebels who attacked military camps in north-eastern Mali in May signed a peace agreement on Tuesday with government officials from Bamako, officials said. The agreement ”reaffirmed the territorial integrity, national unity as well as the republican and democratic principles and values of Mali”.
The case of the former speaker of the Rustenburg municipality, Elizabeth Seduke, and three others accused of stealing cellphones was postponed in the Rustenburg Regional Court on Wednesday. The accused are alleged to have renewed cellphones contracts allocated to Rustenburg councillors and then kept the handsets, which were later sold.
Israel on Wednesday authorised the army to forge deeper into Gaza and to step up attacks on the Hamas-led government after Islamist militants launched an unprecedented rocket strike on the Jewish state. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s security Cabinet ordered the military to intensify air raids against Hamas.
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The Friends of Jacob Zuma Trust is angered by what it calls sensationalising of the multimillion-rand defamation claims that the former deputy president is launching against several media groups, a statement said on Wednesday. ”We are tired of the blatant media bias against our friend, Jacob Zuma,” a statement read.
”Some money” was taken from Standard Bank clients when hackers gained access to the bank’s accounts, group spokesperson Ross Linstrom said on Wednesday. ”There has been some money [taken] but very little. That is not our concern. Our concern is tightening up [security]. In terms of people, it is less than ten,” Linstrom said.
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Police at Berlin’s fan festival have been testing a new device designed to detect chemical and biological threats — giving it a dress rehearsal for the World Cup final. The 70kg portable device, named Sigis 2, can detect 200 different chemical compounds from a distance of 5km.
Annika Sorenstam was so tired from playing 54 holes in two days that she took Tuesday off after winning the US Women’s Open. Pat Hurst was exhausted before she got to the first tee for the 18-hole play-off, and that was after a night of rest. Imagine how Billy Burke and George Von Elm must have felt.
At least two people were killed when Islamic gunmen opened fire on scores of young demonstrators protesting a ban on World Cup viewing at a cinema in central Somalia, witnesses said on Wednesday. The pair were shot and killed late on Tuesday when soccer fans, barred by Islamists from watching the semifinal match between Germany and Italy, complained.
Kenyan police said on Wednesday they were searching for two men suspected of beating to death a fan of Brazil’s World Cup team after the reigning football champion’s weekend loss to France. The 21-year-old Brazil fan died after being savagely attacked by the France-supporting suspects who allegedly chided and ridiculed the victim.
Fraud and corruption in prisons are on the decline, a senior official said on Wednesday. ”Although the road ahead remains arduous and long, I can confidently say we are winning this battle,” said acting National Commissioner of Correctional Services Patrick Gillingham on Wednesday.