In the colonnaded doorways of Rassul Street, several fighters of the Mehdi army had made their final stand. Their bodies lay in small groups — two here, two there, and five here. For three weeks militia loyal to the Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr have defied the extraordinary firepower of the United States military, hiding in the network of alleys surrounding Najaf’s Imam Ali shrine.
Police abduct journalists
The Sudanese government bowed to international pressure on Wednesday and agreed to allow more foreign troops in the stricken Darfur region. The team of 550 monitors and soldiers sent by the African Union may be expanded to a force of 2 000-3 000 soldiers. Hitherto Khartoum has resisted any enlargement of the force or its mandate.
UN pleads for more Sudan aid
Russian authorities struggled on Wednesday night to explain how two passenger aircraft had apparently blown up simultaneously in midair on Tuesday night, killing all 89 people on board. The owners of the two aircraft, aviation experts and relatives of the dead said the coincidence was too great for it not to be a terrorist act.
Mark Thatcher was on Wednesday night facing a legal battle to avoid a lengthy jail sentence after being arrested and charged in South Africa with helping to finance a failed attempt to overthrow the president of a tiny but oil-rich West African state. Police said they had ”credible evidence” that he was involved in backing a coup attempt in Equatorial Guinea.
Thatcher released on R2m bail
‘Thatcher met with coup plotter’
Wayward son of the Iron Lady
Even dogs of war shouldn’t have rats the size of cats running over them as they sleep; or be shackled in leg-irons; or be woken up at night for interrogation sessions conducted past the end of a rifle; or be denied access to their lawyers; or have their trial conducted in Spanish sans translation. That is the fate of eight South Africans and other nationals holed up in Black Beach prison
Roland Schoeman, the most decorated Olympian in South African history, cleared the air regarding the controversy that has rocked South African swimming after he and his teammates won the gold medal in the 4x100m freestyle relay. Schoeman, Ryk Neethling and Lyndon Ferns addressed a media conference on Thursday.
Swimmers ‘must leave if they want to’
Injuries to a number of Bafana Bafana players for their 2006 World Cup and African Nations Cup qualifier against the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has almost turned head coach Stuart Baxter into an ambulance man. ”I was running around nursing injuries,” said Baxter on Thursday before announcing his 17-member squad.
Manchester United is set to step up their bid to prise Wayne Rooney away from Everton after booking their place in the Champions League proper. A 3-0 win over Dynamo Bucharest in Manchester on Wednesday put Alex Ferguson’s side into the money-spinning group stage of the tournament, guaranteeing a £15-million windfall.
About 4 000 taxi operators will march to the Gauteng premier’s office on Thursday morning to highlight grievances — especially over violence and intimidation — that they want transport authorities to address. The Gauteng Taxi Council drivers will park their vehicles in Johannesburg’s Newtown, then march up to Gauteng premier Mbhazima Shilowa’s offices in Simmonds street and hand over a memorandum outlining their concerns, said Gataco spokesperson ThuThu Molefe.
Life after President Robert Mugabe is a thought that has been avoided for more than two decades, but the old man will not be seeking re-election in 2008. Meanwhile, three camps have emerged within Zanu-PF in the run-up to the party’s congress in December where Mugabe’s successor will be decided.