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/ 13 December 2004
Rebel troops on Monday killed a dozen Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) government soldiers in a battle for control of the eastern town of Kanyabayonga, rebel officials said. The rebels, a mutinous force within the vast country’s post-war army, were in control of central Kanyabayonga.
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/ 13 December 2004
The government has made R4,2-billion rand available over the next three years to improve police salaries, National Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi announced on Monday. He said the ”long overdue” salary improvements are intended to boost morale and improve service delivery to the public.
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/ 13 December 2004
Twin brothers aged 10 have been arrested by police after holding up shops and terrorising residents on a Hong Kong public housing estate, a news report said on Monday. The boys were arrested on Sunday after they started a fire by piling up newspapers and magazines and setting them alight in a playground.
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/ 13 December 2004
A groundbreaking trial of random roadside saliva testing for illegal drugs turned up trumps in Australia on Monday with one in eight of the first batch of drivers turning in a swab that contained traces of cannabis. In the year-long trial, the first of its kind in the world, Victoria police Victoria expect to check the ”gob swabs” of 9 000 drivers.
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/ 13 December 2004
Women who suspect that the lean, muscled divorcee they married lets himself go as soon the ring is on his finger have been given scientific backing. A study of nearly 40 000 American men aged between 40 and 75 found that men who remarry put on weight and exercise less.
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/ 13 December 2004
Ceasefire violations are on the rise in Sudan’s bloodied Darfur region and the fighting is poisoning peace talks where government and rebel negotiators met on Monday for the first time, officials said. ”We can’t have meaningful negotiations in this situation,” said Assane Ba, a spokesperson for the African Union mediating the talks.
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/ 13 December 2004
Israeli troops will withdraw from Palestinian cities and towns for 72 hours during next month’s Palestinian presidential election, the Israeli defence minister said on Monday. Israel has said it will do its utmost to allow the election of the Palestinian Authority president to go smoothly.
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/ 13 December 2004
As the first sub-Saharan African nation to shake free of colonial rule, Ghana helped chart the region’s familiar downward path: post-independence euphoria followed by despotic leaders, corruption, economic decline — and often war. But Ghana has now extended its record of consecutive democratic elections to four.
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/ 13 December 2004
An attempted escape at Boksburg prison, which resulted in warders being taken hostage, has been brought under control, a warder said on Monday. By 3pm, the held warders had been freed and the group of prisoners had been reincarcerated, said a warder at the prison, who did not want to be named.