Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi blamed ”criminals” for Wednesday’s car bombing near the Baghdad compound housing his government and said it may have been revenge for a police operation that netted hundreds of suspected criminals. ”We will bring these criminals to justice,” he said after the attack, which killed at least 10 people.
The rand held steady against the major currencies in quiet midday trade on Wednesday as the dollar strengthened following the release of United States trade data. Gold was quoted at $403,60 an ounce compared to the previous close of $402,38 an ounce.
Israel fears an outbreak of total anarchy and the complete collapse of the Palestinian Authority in the event of Yasser Arafat’s death, according to an internal Foreign Ministry document leaked on Wednesday. The document warned that ”hundreds of thousands” of Palestinians were likely to march on Jerusalem.
A controversial constitutional amendment banning homosexual marriage is very likely to be defeated in the United States Senate on Wednesday, forcing Republicans to circle their wagons and hope the political fall-out will not affect the upcoming presidential election. Republicans were hoping for a boost among conservative voters.
The civil war in Côte d’Ivoire is allowing government figures, businessmen and other high-ranking figures to cash in spectacularly, says a new report compiled by a top international think tank. It says that the conflict is so lucrative that those benefitting from it may be ‘ill-served by the restoration of peace’.
A new report, compiled by the United States and the United nations, warns that more than one in five children in Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland and Zimbabwe will be orphaned by Aids. The report further found that 20% of Southern African households with children are taking care of one or more Aids orphans.
April’s wholesale sale statistics may be the first sign that the recent strong increase in consumer demand is slowing down, according to Efficient Group economist Nico Kelder. Real wholesale trade sales, excluding diamonds, in South Africa plunged by 9,2% in April from March after seasonal adjustment.
South African activists on Wednesday decried the government’s decision against recommending the use of a key anti-Aids drug that can prevent the virus from being passed by infected mothers to their children. The South African government’s drug council has said it won’t recommend that nevirapine be used by itself.
”I hope you don’t get car sick in the back there,” says paramedic Stewart Masson squeezing the speeding response car between a slow moving truck and a causeway bridge, his speedo nudging the 160kph mark, the siren sending peak hour motorists scattering like ants. The scanty information provided to the emergency operator had only said that a taxi and a Golf had crashed.
Supporters of a Filipino hostage in Iraq cheered Manila’s life-saving decision to withdraw troops from the war-torn nation, but the move was criticised by Washington and its allies, who said the United States-led coalition will suffer. Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said he was ”extremely disappointed”.