There was no warning. The two vehicles, a standard Land Rover and a slate-grey four-wheel drive, had driven out of the British Army headquarters a few minutes earlier. Basra, at 8.30am yesterday, was quiet. The ferocious heat was keeping most of the city’s two million inhabitants indoors, despite the lack of power and water.

The name of the latest Israeli army operation, Fine Tuning 1, is laden with layers of meaning. In its most literal sense the ‘fine tuning’ refers to the assassination of militia leaders, whom the Israelis this weekend said they will now systematically kill where and when they find them unless Palestinian security forces can arrest them first.

As they clicked on the pornographic image, they could not have realised the havoc they were about to cause. These internet users were triggering the biggest virus attack in history.

Deputy President Jacob Zuma will not be prosecuted over South Africa’s multi-billion rand arms deal, despite indications that there may be a corruption case for him to answer to, the country’s top prosecutor said on Saturday.

On Friday night my power supplies were cut off. Nothing as big as North America mind, but still the cause of some localised disturbance. It happened at 2 o’clock in the morning and triggered my burglar alarm.

Former Pan Africanist Congress leader Thami ka Plaatjie has quit politics and joined the National Development Agency (NDA) as a strategy and policy coordinator. But his appointment is already controversial.

Police are investigating how three sentenced prisoners at the Vereeniging prison in the Vaal Triangle acquired a firearm they used in an abortive attempt to escape on Thursday last week.

As in the old apartheid days, police will escort the luxury buses that transport MPs from their parliamentary villages to work. That’s if proposals by the joint committee on members’ support are approved.