A state of emergency remained in force in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand on Thursday as authorities and residents started counting the cost of flash flooding that forced the evacuation of hundreds of people and destroyed or damaged dozens of houses.
The remains of four more people believed to have been killed in December’s tsunami have been found in Thailand, including one that appeared to be a Caucasian woman, an official said on Thursday. A body believed to be that of a foreign woman was found on Tuesday in the basement of a devastated French hotel.
More roads were blocked in Port Elizabeth on Thursday as angry residents ignored the Eastern Cape premier’s call for calm, taking to the streets for the fourth day this week to protest against slow housing delivery, police said. A police spokesperson said the main roads in the suburb of New Brighton have been blocked.
A series of tit-for-tat killings has raised sectarian tension to boiling point in Iraq, where Sunni religious leaders have openly accused Shi’ite militiamen of kidnapping and murdering Sunni Arabs, including clerics. Meanwhile, top United States generals have suggested Washington’s troop commitment to Iraq could last years.
Australia has more than its fair share of sharks, crocodiles, deadly spiders and jellyfish, and now residents of one town have been warned to beware a new hazard — the exploding toilet. The local sewerage authority will be cleaning the sewage mains with high-pressure jets.
A monkey is on the loose in Tokyo, hanging out at train stations, frightening children and leading to a wild chase by television crews hoping for a glimpse of the unusual visitor to the metropolis. The monkey, believed to be a Japanese macaque, was first spotted on April 30.
The Merowe/Hamadab dam being built on the Nile River in northern Sudan could cause serious environmental problems, two environmental advocacy groups have warned. The dam is currently the largest hydropower project being developed in Africa and is expected to be completed between 2007 and 2009.
A former politician in southern India has launched a ”rent-a-crowd” company to recruit people to cheer at party rallies and said he has been deluged by would-be recruits, a report on Friday said. Indian political parties are known for paying people to show up for rallies, often transporting them in fleets of buses.
President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe has refused to sign a controversial new law that would have barred foreign rights groups from operating in the country, a newspaper said on Thursday. Meanwhile, United Nations envoy Joaquim Chissano arrived in Zimbabwe for talks with Mugabe on Thursday.
Roger Federer’s campaign to become only the sixth man to win all four grand slams faces another gruelling examination at the French Open, a tournament where his mediocre record shames his standing as one of the greatest players of all time. In six visits to the French Open, Federer has never got beyond the quarterfinals.