Hillary Clinton’s political shift to the right reached new territory this week as she warmly praised George Bush at a speech in Washington and defended her decision to let Rupert Murdoch sponsor a fundraising event on her behalf. On the day that a New York Times poll found Bush’s approval ratings at an all-time low of 31%, the leading contender for the Democratic party’s 2008 presidential nomination praised the US president’s ”charm and charisma”.
The justice department is unaware of Cape Judge President John Hlophe having received permission to engage in outside business ventures, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Brigitte Mabandla said on Thursday. There is ”no such record in the department”, she said at a media briefing.
Ending three days of legal jousting, the Cape High Court reserved judgement on Thursday in a case that will decide the future of axed Cape Town city manager Wallace Mgoqi. Judge Deon van Zyl said he would need time with his two fellow judges on the full bench to consider the arguments of both sides.
Three people, believed to be security guards, were seriously injured after being thrown off a train at the Cleveland station in Johannesburg on Thursday. On the West Rand, two security guards were seriously assaulted on a train on Wednesday evening in another incident that appeared to be related to the ongoing security strike.
Demonstrations in solidarity with two Egyptian judges facing disciplinary hearings on Thursday morning were forcefully put down and dispersed in downtown Cairo. At least ten thousand security force members prevented 2 000 activists from the Muslim Brotherhood and the left-leaning opposition umbrella movement, Kifaya/Enough, from demonstrating, said security sources.
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has signed into law the Education Act Amendment Bill giving the state powers to fix fees at private schools, in a development education experts say could see standards falling at the schools that are the only sources of a reliable education for young Zimbabweans.
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The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) has reiterated that it wants Jacob Zuma to be the next president of South Africa. The league was briefing reporters following the High Court trial during which Zuma was acquitted on a rape charge.
The Gauteng Rapid Rail team on Thursday unveiled a complex plan of street closures, demolitions and expropriations — set to begin mid-May — for the construction of the new Gautrain link between Johannesburg and Pretoria. Digging will start "within weeks" for the first preparations, said project leader Jack van der Merwe.
Afghanistan’s Taliban militia has released a DVD purporting to show suicide bombers shortly before they carry out attacks and calling for more strikes on United States and British coalition troops. The film is called Convoy of Martyrdom Seekers and is sold at markets in restive north-west Pakistan and on the other side of the border in eastern Afghanistan.
The price of petrol is set to go up by about 20 cents per litre (c/l) next month, taking the price to new record levels, according to Econometrix senior economist Tony Twine. This would mean that the total increase in the price of petrol for May and June is likely to be in the order of around 59 cents a litre.