Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei has handed in his resignation just two days after being sworn in by Yasser Arafat and as another suicide bomber blew himself up in the West Bank, wounding three people. It was not immediately clear if Arafat has accepted the resignation.
South Africa’s ”democracy deficit” is increasing as the African National Congress focuses on grabbing more and more power for itself, says Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon. Writing in his newsletter, Leon said while the ANC had committed itself to transparent government in 1994, it has become accountable to no one but itself.
Four civilians and four soldiers have been killed during an overnight clash in central Burundi blamed on Hutu rebels. The unrest is the first blamed on Forces for the Defence of Democracy rebels since its leader and Burundi President Domitien Ndayizeye agreed to a ceasefire on Tuesday in South Africa.
Oil prices trickled down on Thursday after a planned general strike by Nigerian workers, which could have affected the country’s oil industry, was called off at the last moment. The price of reference Brent North Sea crude oil for November delivery fell 19 cents to ,54 per barrel in early deals.
Opposition parties want the minister of transport to send the government’s taxi recapitalisation programme back to the drawing board, saying the ”wheels have come off” the programme. This follows a court interdict granted on Wednesday to stop the signing of a memorandum between the government and the South African National Taxi Council.
The August heatwave kindled the love light in the beds of southwest France. Oyster beds, that is, and the result is an unprecedented baby boom of 100-billion larvae. ”This record explosion is the result of the summer’s exceptional weather conditions. Reproduction has been especially abundant,” said an official.
Sudanese President Umar al-Bashir has publicly praised his long-time enemy, the leader of the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, John Garang, and invited him to form a partnership once a peace deal has been signed. He invited Garang to enter into ”an effective political partnership”.
Three media organisations have expressed their opposition to the serving of a subpoena on political reporter Ranjeni Munusamy in an attempt to force her to give evidence before the Hefer Commission and testify on the spy allegations against National Director of Public Prosecutions Bulelani Ngcuka.
Aids drug lobby group the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) lost 100 of its leaders to the disease over a four-month period, chairperson Zackie Achmat said on Thursday. Most of those who died were women younger than 24. Only one was taking anti-retroviral drugs.
Traditional chiefs in conservative areas of northern Niger have agreed to spread messages on HIV/Aids in an attempt to curb its spread in this landlocked Sahelian country. Unicef has said it has received a positive response from chiefs, helping it reach more people with different health messages.