Zimbabwean rights groups are preparing to fight a new Bill that would allow state agents to eavesdrop on private conversations and monitor faxes and e-mails. The Interception of Communications Bill is the latest in a series of laws critics say are meant to crush government opponents and emasculate the country’s once-vibrant independent press.
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Three English football hooligans have been refused entry to Germany as they attempted to cross into the country through the Czech Republic ahead of the World Cup, German police said on Wednesday. They had chosen an indirect route into Germany in order to escape detection, said a spokesperson for the German border police in Sankt Augustin near Bonn.
A 33-year-old man was seriously injured when chemicals at a packaging factory near Durban ignited on Wednesday. Netcare spokesperson Chris Botha said the man had burns to 60% of his body and was airlifted to St Augustine’s hospital. The blast occurred at a division of the packaging conglomerate Nampak.
Representatives of security companies and two unions representing striking security guards resumed talks on Wednesday to resolve the 10-week-old strike. The meeting began at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) offices in Johannesburg at 9am, CCMA spokesperson Lusanda Myoli said.
A tiny minority of individuals has inflicted pain on millions of people in the violence associated with the security sector strike, attacks on local government councillors and those using murder to advance their social and political goals, President Thabo Mbeki said on Wednesday. He described the violence as ”an anti-democratic plague”.
Reigning champion Rafael Nadal advanced to the semifinals of the French Open on Wednesday after Serbian teenager Novak Djokovic withdrew injured when trailing by two sets to love. The 20-year-old Spaniard extended his winning streak on clay to 58 matches after his 6-4, 6-4 victory.
There have been further sightings of the critically endangered riverine rabbit beyond its normal distribution, CapeNature said in a statement on Wednesday. ”This is very significant for conservation as it means there is now a whole new area to discover,” read a statement from CapeNature’s Natasha Rockman.
Lawyers for seven men accused of a multimillion-dollar heist at Johannesburg International airport have objected to a police demand for samples of their blood. The state wants the men’s DNA tested to determined whether any of it matches a trace of sweat found on a bolt-cutter left at the scene of the robbery.
Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas said on Wednesday he would announce the date of a controversial statehood referendum by the the end of the week. "After the end of the 10 days of dialogue, we are now working on the decree [allowing the referendum] and this will take a little time to complete," Abbas said.
Financial services group Sanlam said in a trading update on Wednesday that strong growth in new business volumes and a sound operational performance, coupled with South African equity markets reaching new record heights in April 2006, have contributed to overall satisfactory group results for the first four months of 2006.