The Roman Catholic Church in Mozambique’s northern Nampula region on Thursday insisted its claims of a human organ-trafficking network operating in the province and targeting children were true. The church demanded a continued probe to bring the alleged criminals to book.
Up to 55 militants may have been killed in Pakistan’s biggest assault to date against al-Qaeda-linked targets, Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat said on Thursday. About 7 500 army and paramilitary troops have been pounding the hideouts of an estimated 500 al-Qaeda-linked militants and their local tribal supporters.
The Communication Workers Union (CWU) said on Thursday it was shocked by the announcement of further job cuts by Telkom at a time when parties were still negotiating alternatives. The CWU was reacting to a news report stating that Telkom planned to cut its workforce by between 7% and 10% a year over the next three years.
The large 17,5% year-on-year drop in the number of people employed in the formal building industry in September 2003 highlighted the problem South African statistical authorities have in collecting credible employment data given the increase in casualisation in jobs, which is a global phenomenon.
Zimbabwe’s finance minister has denied claims that he violated Zimbabwe’s currency laws when buying a seaside mansion in Cape Town, countering allegations in South Africa media that the real estate deal was illegal, a government newspaper reported on Thursday. Reports of the minister’s property have been the talk of Harare’s business and social circuit.
Dutch authorities on Thursday cleared Amsterdam’s central train station and the station in Roosendaal near the border with Belgium after receiving two bomb alerts, a spokesperson for the Dutch railways said. All train traffic to and from Amsterdam was halted.
<li><a class=’standardtextsmall’ href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=33168">Terrorist plan to attack Milan revealed</a>
<li><a class=’standardtextsmall’ href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=33154">Fear of attacks on French railways</a>
The Passion of the Christ has already outgunned blockbusters such as Titanic and Harry Potter in South Africa. But while some religious leaders welcome the movie, others call it sensationalist. Is Mel Gibson’s new film a cheap portrayal of the Saviour or the moral regeneration SA has been waiting for?
To the extent that the ANC will continue to dominate South African politics in the foreseeable future, there has not been any electoral contest since 1994. Predictably and understandably, this raises the ire of opposition parties. After all, they don’t want to be seen to be cheering the ANC by conceding this point. But without realising it, they are propping up the ANC in power.
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South African Communist Party general secretary Blade Nzimande says the alliance of the Democratic Alliance and the Inkatha Freedom Party represents the most backward elements created by apartheid. ”These two parties represent not only the interests of beneficiaries of apartheid but are reluctantly part of the new order,” he said.
Special Report: Elections 2004
South African parastatals and their employees will be required to contribute to the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) from April 1, the Labour Department said on Thursday. Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana said that only public service workers would be exempted from contributing to the UIF.