The Pakistani army was preparing to storm a pro-Taliban mosque in central Islamabad early on Wednesday morning, after a day of vicious street battles had left at least 12 people dead and 150 wounded. A column of troops and armoured vehicles moved towards Lal Masjid, or the Red Mosque, where the electricity had been cut off and a curfew imposed.
The Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI) has requested that the closing date for nominations for the next board of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) be extended. The FXI criticised Parliament’s portfolio committee on communications in its handling of the process, urging it to heed the letter and spirit of the Broadcasting Act.
Zimbabwe is a sore thumb for the African continent which last year enjoyed an average economic growth of around 4,5%, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Tuesday. ”Consumer prices altogether came down to single digit, excluding Zimbabwe,” said IMF deputy managing director Takatoshi Kato.
Australia have made three changes to their starting team for Saturday’s Tri-Nations clash against South Africa at the Olympic stadium. Stephen Hoiles and Adam Freier replaced the injured pair Wycliff Palu and Stephen Moore while Mark Gerrard was called in for suspended winger Lote Tuqiri.
Alan Johnston, the BBC journalist held hostage in Gaza, was freed early on Wednesday after a late-night deal between the ruling Hamas Islamists and the al-Qaeda-inspired clan group that kidnapped him in March. ”It is just the most fantastic thing to be free. It was an appalling experience,” he told the British public broadcaster.
The JSE’s Alternative Exchange (AltX) has listed its fiftieth company since the board opened in October 2003. The 50th company, engineering group William Tell Holdings, listed on the AltX on Tuesday. Beige was the first company to list on the AltX late in January 2004.
As the international community reaches the midpoint between the adoption of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2000 and the target date of 2015, the United Nations on Monday released a 36-page report, described as "the most comprehensive global assessment of [MDG] progress to date".
A glossy magazine cover depicting a bare-breasted Angela Merkel suckling the nationalist twin rulers of Poland has reignited tensions between Berlin and Warsaw — just days after a bad-tempered European summit nearly collapsed because of Polish resistance to a German blueprint on how to run the European Union.
In this week’s <i>Mail & Guardian</i> debate about Ronald Suresh Roberts’s much-discussed book on President Thabo Mbeki, <i>Fit to Govern</i>, we publish an edited extract from the book arguing that the president has protected democracy by opposing military models of change.
From New York to the Antarctic, from Shanghai to Rio de Janeiro, the world is getting ready to rock on Saturday as organisers of the Live Earth events seek to raise awareness of global warming. We publish a selection of the acts to look out for at the eight Live Earth concerts being promoted by former US vice-president Al Gore.