A first wave of anti-war activists will leave London at the weekend on a convoy bound for Iraq to act as human shields at key areas across the country.

The US military has drawn up detailed plans to secure and protect Iraq’s oilfields to prevent a repeat of 1991 when President Saddam set Kuwait’s wells ablaze.

Tony Blair’s government was last night accused of ”outrageous and dishonourable” double standards over Zimbabwe as it emerged that Britain had struck a deal with France that will allow President Robert Mugabe to defy an EU travel ban and attend a Franco-African summit in Paris next month.

Eight lions supposedly saved from the canned hunting industry face being harmed by their owner’s good intentions clashing with the law. Greg Mitchell and Kelcey Grimm bought the lions from a breeder, Marius Prinsloo, for R175 000 and gave them shelter at the Enkosini reserve.

Parliament faces a gruelling year, with a slew of controversial but important delivery-orientated measures on its lawmaking agenda. On the security front, the long-delayed Anti-Terrorism Bill will finally go before the House, two-and-a-half years after a first draft.

Shares in SABMiller (SAB) — the world’s second largest brewer – were down 60 cents, or almost one percent in early trade on the JSE Securities Exchange. At 0924 local time, the counter was quoted at R60, from R60,60 at Wednesday’s close.