Iraq took a historic gamble on Sunday when the ruling Shia and Kurdish coalition bulldozed over the objections of Sunni Arabs to finish a new Constitution. Frantic efforts to reach a consensus collapsed when a blueprint for a new democratic state which lacked the support of Sunni leaders was submitted to Parliament, triggering what promised to be a bitter referendum battle.
Authorities in New Orleans on Sunday took the unprecedented step of ordering the evacuation of the city in anticipation of the arrival of the biggest storm in its history. The three million residents were told to flee as Hurricane Katrina, bringing winds of 280kph and threatening catastrophic flooding, blew in from the Gulf of Mexico.
"As SUVs and MPVs (sport utility/multi-purpose vehicles) become more popular, so the choice available to the buyer increases. And instead of just big, ungainly SUVs to choose from, there is now a plethora of smaller vehicles more suited to urban travel available. I spent a week with the Fiat Panda and came away fairly impressed," writes Nick Bates.
We’re cycling in Mozambique just the other side of the border of the Kruger National Park when we come across a group of men working on a fence. We stop a short time later and discuss the work party. Most seem to think the fence was being put up
Niger’s food emergency has reached the world’s headlines, but the crisis there is only one part of a much larger disaster. On an extended trip through rural areas in Asia, the Middle East and Africa, on behalf of the United Nations, I visited countless villages afflicted with extreme hunger and struggling to survive against the odds.
Africa’s traditional powerhouses are on the verge of elimination from next year’s World Cup soccer championships and some are even in danger of missing out on the African Nations Cup set for the end of January. There are two rounds left in the qualifiers and none of the continent’s 2002 World Cup contestants
A "private" belly dancer, an aspiring Kilimanjaro climber and, if it tickles her fancy, a corporate environmental activist, if one does not deem that to be an oxymoron. These are the current and future projects of Mpho Nkeli, the executive director for human resources and black economic empowerment (BEE) at Alexander Forbes.
Jacob Zuma is a guest of honour at the inauguration of Burundi’s new President, Pierre Nkurunziza — the man he played a key role in transforming from rebel leader. In an interview before leaving for Bujumbura, Zuma urged Burundians to work at developing their shattered economy as hard as they did for peace.
World champion Valentino Rossi, riding a Yahama, snatched his ninth victory of the season in the Czech motorcycling Grand Prix on Sunday. The six-time world champion led an Italian sweep to finish 1,837s ahead of Loris Capirossi on a Ducati with Max Biaggi third on his Honda at 3,444s.
Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has formally pitched his country’s candidacy for a permanent seat on a reformed United Nations Security Council. Citing the size of his country’s population and status as the world’s fifth-largest source of oil, he recounted his country’s role in peacekeeping conflicts in Africa.