A Chilean court has stripped General Augusto Pinochet of his immunity from prosecution, opening up once more the possibility of his being tried for his part in the human rights abuses that followed his military coup in 1973. But lawyers for the 88-year-old may argue he is not mentally or physically well enough for trial.
A British-educated neurosurgeon who spent 30 years in exile in Britain, and who has close links with both the CIA and MI6, has been named as Iraq’s new interim prime minister. Ayad Allawi (58) the head of the Iraqi National Accord (INA), emerged as Iraq’s surprise new leader after weeks of speculation and intrigue.
Three rising stars of New Zealand rugby were jailed yesterday after they beat up a 15-year-old girl who was five months pregnant in an attempt to make her miscarry. Shaun Williams-Metcalf, Geoffrey Ruaporo and Kyle Donovan were said to have lured the girl to a park after she became pregnant by Williams-Metcalf.
Deputy president Jacob Zuma is to host a meeting with Burundi president Domitien Ndayizeye and representatives of three key political parties at the Presidential Guest House in Pretoria at the weekend. Zuma’s office said the talks were aimed at advancing Burundi’s peace process and holding elections later this year.
Girls under 18 can legally have abortions without parental consent, the Pretoria High Court ruled on Friday. The court dismissed the Christian Lawyers’ Association’s (CLA) challenge to the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act. This is the second time the CLA has lost an court challenge to the Act.
Iran’s northern and western regions were jolted by a ”relatively strong” earthquake on Friday, state television said, sending many people in Tehran scurrying into the streets. The quake struck at 5.10pm local time, the report said, without giving its magnitude or epicentre. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
Seven pharmacy and health-care groups launched a joint court challenge against controversial new medicine regulations in the Cape High Court on Friday, their legal firm confirmed. This brings to at least nine the number of legal challenges against the Medicines and Related Substance Act, which came into force on May 2.
Iranian demonstrators clashed violently with security forces on Friday as they again tried to storm the British embassy in Tehran, an AFP reporter witnessed. Riot police made several baton charges to push back a crowd of more than 300 protesters trying to push its way towards the main gate of the embassy compound.
Jane Campion has made an incredibly sexy movie, and she knows it. In the Cut is being hailed as her finest work since The Piano. She tells Libby Brooks about the delights of working with Jennifer Jason Leigh’s stomach — and why she had to hire a gigolo.
How many of the lottery’s Arts, Culture and National Heritage Distribution Agency (ACNHDA) members does it take to change a light bulb? We don’t know. They can’t get a quorum to decide. How long does it take them to decide to change the light bulb? A year, if you’re lucky, laments Mike van Graan.