A NEW defence bill before the Namibian parliament that aims to restrict media reporting on military activities is causing concern among journalists and human rights organisations. The draft legislation for the defence bill, which was introduced in the National Assembly on Tuesday by Defence Minister Erkki Nghimtina, deems it an offence to publish information which […]

A NIGERIAN court has sentenced a policeman to death by hanging for the murder of a cab driver during a raid, a press report said on Friday. The Asaba high court in southern Nigeria on Thursday found 32-year-old sergeant Adegboye Ibikunle guilty of killing Godspower Edeha last year in a police raid on his house, […]

Cape Town | Thursday SOUTH African Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma called on Wednesday for the UN Security Council to be restructured, and issued an implicit call for it to be involved in any riposte to the terror attacks in the United States. “Whatever definitions and conventions — whether they be about terrorism, or something else […]

New York | Sunday THE US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) started sending teams to Afghanistan three years ago in a bid to convince opposition forces to capture and maybe kill terror suspect Osama bin Laden, the New York Times reported on Sunday. It said the CIA officers tried to work with Ahmad Shah Massoud, the […]

THE hearing of former national cricket captain Hansie Cronje’s application to the Pretoria High Court to overturn his life-long ban from activities of the United Cricket Board and its affiliates, will continue on Thursday. Counsel for the UCB, Wim Trengove, SC, is expected to continue his argument in opposition to the application. The UCB imposed […]

Moscow | Thursday THE pro-independence leader of Russia’s mainly Muslim republic of Chechnya reacted coolly on Wednesday to a US statement calling on him to break off all contact with the Saudi-born extremist Osama bin Laden, clearly implying that there were no contacts to break off. A representative for Aslan Maskhadov, the main rebel leader […]

PRESIDENT George W Bush was ”very disturbed” by remarks last week from a US lawmaker who described turbans as diapers, the White House said on Wednesday. Republican Representative John Cooksey of Louisiana reportedly told a radio network in his home state that: ”If I see someone come in that’s got a diaper on his head […]

A BRITISH minister said that Osama bin Laden was planning further major attacks in the next few weeks. ”I understand that he is preparing already for high-impact terrorist attacks in the coming weeks if he’s able to,” Peter Hain, minister for Europe, said on BBC TV’s Question Time programme on Thursday evening. ”There is evidence […]

AN airborne attack against US President George W. Bush may have been planned during the Group of Eight summit in Genoa two months ago, Italian Foreign Minister Renato Ruggiero said on Wednesday. He said indications such an attack may be planned caused authorities to close the airspace over the Italian city during the July 20-22 […]

SAYED SALAHUDDIN, Kabul | Wednesday THOUSANDS of angry Afghans stormed and set fire to the long-deserted US embassy in the capital, Kabul, as part of huge protests against threatened US strikes. Two Taliban fighters climbed on to the building and used a hammer and an iron rod to rip off the US seal from over […]