Iran on Friday rejected a package of European Union proposals aimed at persuading it to give up nuclear fuel work, instead vowing to resume sensitive uranium-conversion activities. ”The proposals are unacceptable,” nuclear negotiator Hossein Moussavian said.
Nearly 3 100 firefighters and soldiers battled more than two dozen wildfires on Friday for a second straight day in Portugal, while a government official said he foresees ”great difficulties” in the days ahead. At least one man was severely burned. Portugal is enduring its worst drought on record.
The outbreak of an atypical strain of cholera in Uganda has killed at least 56 people and made more than 2 000 others ill since March, the East African country’s health ministry said on Friday. The ministry had sent alerts to health-care facilities about the strain and is issuing public warnings to Ugandans.
After the success of Mecca Cola, a soft drink marketed to French Muslims, perhaps it was only a matter of time before a Muslim-themed fast-food restaurant opened in the country with Europe’s largest Islamic population. The bright and colourful ”Beurger King Muslim” was launched in July in a Paris suburb crowded with immigrants.
Inter Milan have completed the signing of Portugal international Luis Figo from Real Madrid, the Italian Serie A club confirmed on Friday. The 32-year-old forward passed a medical before putting pen to paper on a two-year contract. No transfer fee was involved for Portugal’s most-capped player.
Talks on financial assistance to Zimbabwe are expected to be concluded soon, the South African finance ministry said on Friday. Discussions between the two countries on a ”principled decision” to assist Zimbabwe are at a sensitive stage, spokesperson Logan Wort said.
Attempts to find the person responsible for microwaving a live cat at the University of KwaZulu-Natal will continue until the culprits have been found, the university said on Friday. ”While there’s still no evidence on which we can base a case, we’re not stopping until we get to the bottom of this,” dean of student affairs Trevor Wills said.
About 300 grannies pulled up their rocking chairs in a small Finnish town square on Wednesday to tell stories to small children in a bid to bring the generations together, organisers said. They came from across Finland — and five of them even travelled from as far away as Spain — to take part in the hour-long event.
An envelope leaking a strange pinkish powder sparked an alert in a Paris suburban post office this week, but tests revealed the substance to be nothing more than desiccated elephant dung, police said on Thursday. With France on high terrorism alert, postal workers took no chance when they noticed the strange envelope.
Another round of talks between the South African Local Government Association (Salga) and municipal unions is scheduled to take place on Monday in an attempt to reach a wage agreement and stave off a national strike. Unions are scheduled to embark on a second week of protest action on Monday.