Nigerian officials stepped up efforts on Thursday to negotiate the release of two kidnapped Americans and a Briton after six of the hostages’ fellow oil workers were freed by militants. On Wednesday, separatist guerrillas allowed two thirds of their captives to go free after holding them for 13 days in the swamps of the Niger Delta.
Militants have released six foreign oil workers they deemed ”low value”, but held on to two Americans and one Briton and threatened crippling new attacks aimed at cutting off all oil production in Nigeria. American Macon Hawkins, who turned 69 on Wednesday, was the first to be released.
Kenyan police silenced the country’s second-biggest media group early on Thursday, closing its television station and burning its newspapers, after it reported that President Mwai Kibaki had held secret talks with a political opponent, witnesses said. Hooded officers carrying AK-47 rifles stormed the group’s headquarters.
Rain hammers down on a Johannesburg night as a woman pulls up outside a suburban house, steps from her car, the engine running, and rings the bell. A man breaks cover from bushes across the street. He slides into the vehicle and begins to reverse. The woman whirls around and screams.
RMB Holdings, which is the holding company for some of South Africa’s leading financial-services companies, including the FirstRand Group, lifted headline earnings by 16% to 121 cents or R1,44-billion for the six months ended December. This was compared with earnings of 104 cents per share in 2004.
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The Democratic Alliance was trailing the African National Congress in most wards as municipal election results were trickling in on Thursday morning. The African National Congress had captured 14 of the 20 counted Western Cape municipalities by 8am on Thursday.
Hospitals have been asked to cut back on surgery because of a severe blood shortage, the South African National Blood Service said on Thursday. ”South Africa is currently experiencing a severe blood shortage, particularly the ‘O’ blood type,” the service said. This blood can be used in an emergency for all other blood types.
Perhaps it stems from a premonition on the part of the Premier Soccer League (PSL) or maybe it is simply a coincidence, but the only two mid-week PSL matches feature the teams involved in a tense battle for top spot in the league. Mamelodi Sundowns face up to Santos and the Buccaneers are up against Jomo Cosmos.
Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting risks aggravating a stomach muscle strain if he plays in the remainder of the five-match one-day series in South Africa, team physiotherapist Errol Alcott has warned. Medical opinion is that Ponting will miss the game as well as Sunday’s match in Port Elizabeth.
New South Wales Waratahs will be looking to overcome a tumultuous week of suspensions as they try to get their Super 14 rugby campaign back on track against South Africa’s Coastal Sharks in Sydney on Saturday. Last season’s beaten finalists will be without banned forwards Rocky Elsom and Matt Dunning.