Minister of Foreign Affairs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma questioned on Tuesday the wisdom of ”smart sanctions” imposed on the Zimbabwean government by Western countries, particularly the European Union. She said South Africa’s much-maligned quiet diplomacy is the correct stance to take.
Egypt said on Tuesday that most of the suspects behind a string of bomb attacks in the Sinai peninsula have been arrested after a series of raids in the area. ”The intensive efforts exerted recently have led to the capture of most suspects and yielded details on the terrorist attacks in the Sinai,” an interior ministry statement said.
An Anglican bishop who is a strong supporter of autocratic President Robert Mugabe has been brought before an ecclesiastical court investigating charges ranging from inciting murder to besmirching the church. On Tuesday, Jeremy Lewis, acting as prosecutor, postponed pursuing the most serious incitement-to-murder charge.
Exchange-rate fluctuations and crime are the two biggest challenges for businesses in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, a survey revealed on Tuesday. The exchange-rate fluctuation is ”quite a serious problem”, a Regional Business Climate Survey spokesperson said.
Heavy rains triggered severe flooding in southern Germany overnight and authorities warned on Tuesday that worse is still to come. The city of Garmisch-Partenkirchen was the first to ring alarm bells after flooding near the nearby town of Eschenlohe prompted police to evacuate people from their homes in boats.
<i>Spin</i> magazine has built a veritable rock-star Frankenstein, composed of Michael Stipe’s skull, Elvis Presley’s pelvis and Madonna’s bellybutton. Madonna’s navel tops the list of the 25 "most incredible" rock-star body parts in <i>Spin</i>’s September issue, now on newsstands.
The African Christian Democratic Party says that larger parties — in particular the ruling African National Congress — will benefit from the upcoming floor-crossing period for MPs and the nine provincial legislatures. The ACDP opposes floor-crossing because it undermines the will of the voter as expressed in an election.
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomed a cash donation from Germany for its aid operation in Mali on Tuesday. The German ministry for economic cooperation donated €500 000 (R3,9-million) for urgently needed food aid for the people in the West African country, according to a WFP statement.
Other players still need to be brought into peace talks among the divided St John Apostolic Faith Mission Church, according to the South African Council of Churches (SACC). The church and two splinter groups met SACC peace brokers, led by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, on Tuesday.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari said on Tuesday that almost all issues dogging the draft Constitution are resolved, but Sunni Arabs warned it is divisive and will be rejected when put to the nation. ”We have made an important stride,” the Shi’ite prime minister said.