Skeletons, many wearing clothes and blindfolded, jut out from the desert sands in south-western Iraq where forensics experts have unearthed at least two mass graves of victims from the brutal suppression of a 1991 Shi’ite uprising. The chief investigative judge in Saddam Hussein’s trial said they have documented evidence of more than 100 000 victims of the crackdown against Shi’ites.
Telkom CEO Papi Molotsane said on Monday that the Interception of Communications and Communication-related Information Act places onerous conditions on telecommunications operators. However, he said that Telkom and mobile operator Vodacom were in a position to intercept communications and register subscribers as was required by the Act.
Johannesburg’s Stock Exchange was listed as a public company on its own boards on Monday. Speaking at a listing ceremony at the exchange in Sandton, Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka congratulated the stock exchange on another milestone in its history.
Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon will lay a charge of crimen injuria to investigate the origins of a fake Africa Muslim Party pamphlet defaming him and his wife, the party said on Sunday. The pamphlet accuses Leon and his Israeli wife of supporting ”racist and murderous” Israeli government policies.
Mystery surrounding the disappearance of Australian entertainer Olivia Newton-John’s longtime boyfriend Patrick McDermott deepened on Monday following a report he was alive and living in Mexico. McDermott, who had been Grease star Newton-John’s partner for nine years, disappeared off a boat while on an overnight fishing trip off the California coast a year ago.
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A senior African National Congress (ANC) official has denied the party intends grilling Jacob Zuma about statements he made in court during his rape trial. Its website quoted ANC secretary general Kgalema Motlanthe as saying there would be no further questions about Zuma’s utterances in court.
With its hazy skies, traffic-clogged streets and fume-belching vehicles, the Indonesian capital Jakarta is poking fun at its constant state of pollution in a bid to clear the air. To mark World Environment Day, authorities on Monday unveiled six giant billboards around Jakarta reading "Welcome to Pollution City", with an illustration of a couple holding their noses.
Year-on-year growth in total South African vehicle sales was 14,5% in May, up 6 671 units to 52 534 units. This improvement on April’s relatively soft sales figures was driven by an uptick in passenger vehicle sales growth, which picked up to 16,6% in May from April’s 13,9%.
High oil prices and the United States deficit of $800-billion were key reasons for the large sell-off that occurred on the stock markets last week, South African Finance Minister Trevor Manuel said on Monday. He referred to the "yawning, gaping" $800-billion deficit and the rapid rise in the oil price which had been $11 a barrel "a few years ago" and was now standing "on the other side" of $70 a barrel.
Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi has sacked four ministers, also warlords, who were involved in deadly clashes with Islamic courts militia over control of the lawless capital and its northern outskirts. In the latest clashes on Sunday, Islamic gunmen seized control of the strategic town of Balad township, around 30km north of Mogadishu.