NIGERIAN-led Ecomog intervention force troops repelled a rebel attack against the northern Sierra Leonean town of Kambia earlier this week, Ecomog officials said on Thursday. They said rebels entered the town of Pamalap, close to Kambia and about 80km north of the capital, Freetown, on Monday. An Ecomog contingent of Guinean troops “opened up with […]
PRESIDENT Nelson Mandela will address a rally in Tripoli on Friday after meeting Libyan leader Moammar Gadaffi about the Lockerbie case. His spokesperson Parks Mankahlana said on Thursday that Mandela has been given an exemption from the United Nations to fly directly to the Tripoli despite an air embargo. Mandela leaves Stockholm for Libya late […]
A TRADITIONAL Nigerian rainmaker was killed by lightning this week as he climbed on to a building and attempted to divert a storm. The man, known as Rasaq, was employed by a family in Abeokuta, south-western Nigeria, to hold off the rain threatening a burial wake. Wearing only a pair of red shorts, Rasaq had […]
FREE STATE African National Congress chairman Pat Matosa has lost his High Court appeal against a 1997 conviction for attempted murder, and is likely to serve a five-and-a-half year sentence. Matosa plans yet another appeal however. The Court’s decision threatens Matosa’s political career — the Constitution prohibits anyone sentenced to more than a year in […]
AUSTRIAN journalist Peter Cvetko was shot dead after his car broke down in Houghton Drive, Johannesburg on Wednesday morning. Cvetko (39) was a temporary resident in South Africa. Police spokesperson Inspector Mark Reynolds said he was on his way home from visiting friends in Hillbrow when the car broke down. He called the Automobile Association […]
NIGERIA’S Liquefied Natural Gas Ltd. on Wednesday confirmed that it has signed a multi-million dollar contract with four western oil groups to build a third liquefied natural gas train. The company said the four companies concerned are Technip of France, Snamprogetti of Italy, MW Kellogg of the United States and Japan Gasoline Corp. It did […]
JUDGE Willem Heath’s anti-corruption unit has issued a subpoena to Absa for documents regarding the R1,1-billion Reserve Bank lifeboat to the Bankorp Group. Heath is probing the rescue package, and needs Absa’s documentation to complete its investigation. Gerhard Visagie, senior legal representative of the Heath unit, said Absa has not responded to the subpoena, but […]
SPRINGBOK flyhalf Franco Smith was the high-profile victim as Northern Bulls coach Eugene van Wyk took the drastic measure of axing four players for Saturday’s Super 12 showdown against the New South Wales Waratahs. Clearly fed-up with his under-achieving team who lost their three opening matches against the Stormers (42-19), Otago Highlanders (65-23) and the […]
THE Independent Electoral Commission announced on Wednesday that three provincial legislatures will be smaller after the general election. It said that the Gauteng legislature will lose 13 seats, bringing it down to 73 members, the Western Cape three seats and North-West legislature one. The number of seats in the National Assembly will remain at 400. […]
A MOLDAVIAN woman attempting to smuggle five baby Nile crocodiles in three pieces of luggage was foiled by Egyptian customs officials on Wednesday, an airport spokesperson said. It is illegal to export the reptiles from Egypt but the woman, who also had 59 water snakes and aquarium fish in her luggage, was allowed to resume […]