Malaysian emergency services rushed to the tightly guarded United States embassy in Kuala Lumpur on Monday after a powder that police said could be anthrax was found in a letter. The incident comes just days after an anthrax scare at the US embassy in Sri Lanka last week turned out to be a hoax.
United States tanks rolled into the Old City of Najaf toward a holy Shi’ite shrine where militants were hiding on Monday as participants at a national conference voted to send a delegation to Najaf to try to negotiate an end to the fighting. The city, which had been quiet earlier, was hit by explosions in the late morning.
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The peer-review mechanism of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad) should include a provision for free and independent press, Canadian Finance Minister Ralph Goodale was told on Monday. Goodale is in South Africa in his capacity as a commissioner of the Commission for Africa.
South African steel producer Ispat Iscor’s share price on Monday soared to an all-time high ahead of the group’s interim financial results on Wednesday, when it is expected to announce strong results driven by a high global steel price and restocking by local consumers of steel.
An Australian grandmother — sick of having her knickers peek over the top of the latest low-cut trousers — has designed a pair of backless briefs she predicted on Monday will take the market by storm. ”You’ll never have to pull your knickers out again,” 44-year-old Jan Digney said of her revolutionary design which rides neither up nor down buttock cheeks.
Fresh from their court victory against Telkom, three trade unions — Solidarity, the South African Communication Union and the Communication Workers Union — on Monday announced the appointment of a commission of inquiry to look at the rationale behind the company’s planned retrenchments.
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The JSE Securities Exchange (JSE) was in positive territory just before midday on Monday, thanks to strong performances by heavyweight resources stocks. However, the gains came on low volumes with just more than R700-million-worth of shares changing hands.
The Soweto actress who allegedly murdered her son because she believed he was possessed by a demon, might be admitted to a mental hospital before appearing in court, Soweto police said on Monday. The woman may not be named until she appears in court. She has appeared in the soap opera Generations and in the crime drama series Justice for All.
Regional heads of state will gather in Tanzania this week to discuss the latest advances in Burundi’s peace process as well as last week’s slaughter of 159 Congolese refugees in the tiny central African nation, Ugandan officials said on Monday.
South African retailer Pick ‘n Pay is set to introduce 200 000 new Proudly South African shelf labels into its stores as a way of helping consumers keen to contribute to the local economy identify those products. Unveiling its initiative on Monday, Pick ‘n Pay said its pilot project will encompass 37 of its Gauteng stores.