A Durban schoolgirl has made her mark on the medical world by becoming the youngest ever contributor to the internationally respected South African Medical Journal. Thirteen-year-old Safura Abdool Karim’s contribution was a study of ”Playstation thumb” among a sample of her former schoolmates at Crawford Preparatory.
Côte d’Ivoire peace talks scheduled for Pretoria this weekend were postponed on Monday because not all parties could attend, said a spokesperson from the office of South African president Thabo Mbeki. ”We are trying to get all parties down here,” said Bheki Khumalo, adding that a future date had not yet been proposed.
Australia star Shane Warne was reported on Monday to be fighting to save his marriage after new claims he cheated on his wife with a student. The 35-year-old spin bowler, who has been involved in a series of scandals, allegedly stripped naked and begged Laura Sayers (25) for sex before she gave in to his pleas.
Sudan has dropped charges against two European medical aid workers accused of spreading false information in a report alleging widespread rape in the troubled province of Darfur, the organisation which issued the report said on Monday.
After a long-delayed weekend return from exile to his native country, Somalia’s prime minister on Monday began talks with warlords and other power-brokers on finding a home for his transitional government in the lawless war-shattered nation. A debate is currently raging over where the administration should set up shop.
The director general in the presidency, Frank Chikane, has been asked by an opposition MP to investigate whether the Minister of Social Development, Zola Skweyiya, may have contravened the Executive Members’ Ethics Act. The question has been raised of whether a payment to Skweyiya constitutes an attempt to buy influence.
The African Union (AU) was on Monday pushing for progress to be made in ongoing talks to bring peace to western Sudan’s Darfur region as tension eased over Chad’s co-mediation role, an AU spokesperson said. The civil war in Darfur has drawn global attention to what has become one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
England captain Michael Vaughan was full of admiration for Kevin Pietersen after the Hampshire batsman added to his growing list of breathtaking one-day innings with a commanding 91 not out in Sunday’s triangular series victory against world champions Australia. England was faltering in their pursuit of 253 but Pietersen saw them home at the County Ground.
Condoleezza Rice, the United States secretary of state, announced on Sunday that Israel and the Palestinian Authority have agreed that the homes of 8 000 settlers in the Gaza Strip will be destroyed when they have been evacuated later this year.
The Rain Queen, Makobo Modjadji the Sixth, was buried at the royal cemetery at Ga-Modjadji in Limpopo on Monday, South African Broadcasting Corporation news reported. Only family members attended the funeral and thousands of mourners waited outside the cemetery.