Israeli troops crossed into the central Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing seven Palestinian militants, including six from the Islamist Hamas group that controls the territory. Israeli forces exchanged fire with gunmen in al-Maghazi refugee camp, and some militants said they fired rocket-propelled grenades at the troops.
A Belgian court sentenced a former Rwandan army major to 20 years in prison on Thursday for the murder of 10 Belgian peacekeepers and an undetermined number of Rwandan civilians at the start of the 1994 genocide. The public prosecutor had asked for a life sentence for the accused’s role in the genocide.
Nigeria’s Archbishop Peter Akinola, the leading critic of Western liberals in a growing Anglican dispute over gay priests, insists he has no ambition to lead a breakaway church. ”That has never been on my mind,” he told London’s Times newspaper in an interview. ”We are going nowhere.”
Workers in the metal and engineering industry would strike on Monday, a trade union said. ”The metal and engineering industry must brace itself for a crippling strike from Monday, with a possible far-reaching effect on the country’s economy,” said Tim Kruger, spokesman for the United Association of South Africa.
The JSE was looking strong at midday, which was once again more resource driven. At 12.01pm the all-share index was up 0,52%. Resources strengthened 0,83%, while the gold index added 0,15% and platinum index lost 0,56%. Industrials climbed 0,30% and financials lifted 0,23%. Banks ascended 0,18%.
Despite the massive growth in broadband connectivity, the number of South Africans with access to the internet will grow by little more than 3% in 2007. A report shows that 3,85-million people in South Africa — a mere 8% of the population — will have access to the internet by the end of 2007.
European parliamentarians said on Wednesday that Sudan’s troubled Darfur region had become no safer since a peace treaty was signed a year ago. Insecurity in the remote Western region was preventing any development there, the delegation from the European Parliament’s development committee said.
The South African Chamber of Business’s (Sacob) business confidence index (BCI) has declined further to 99,1 in June from 100,2 in May and 101,9 in April, Sacob data on Thursday showed. The index had edged up to 101,9 in April after declining to 99,5 in March, and this came after it had dipped to 101,5 in January.
An investigation is under way to establish how a section of the Department of Transport’s controversial eNatis vehicle registration system was hacked into, a spokesperson said on Thursday. ”We are going to find out who did it and be more vigilant,” said Collen Msibi.
Small groups of radical students trickled out from Islamabad’s besieged Red Mosque on Thursday, despite warning blasts overnight, raising fears hardcore militants were keeping some children as human shields. The captured leader of the mosque’s Taliban-style student movement said there were 850 students inside.