Entertainer Taliep Petersen died only after two previous murder bids planned by his wife, Najwa, went awry, Cape Town’s Wynberg Regional Court heard on Tuesday. The claim emerged during a bail application by Najwa and Abdoer Emjedi, one of her three co-accused, in a courtroom packed with about 150 family and members of the public.
The latest crime statistics released on Tuesday prove crime is out of control despite government assurances to the contrary, opposition parties said. ”We are alarmed at the increase in murder [2,4%], the 118% increase in bank robberies … and the sharp increase in robberies at residential premises,” Inkatha Freedom Party spokesperson Velaphi Ndlovu said.
Store shelves normally stocked with staples such as corn meal, cooking oil and sugar were empty on Tuesday as the Zimbabwe government threatened to take over manufacturers and retailers who failed to slash prices by half. Smaller shops shut down after running out of stock.
Ethiopian prosecutors on Tuesday appealed for a death sentence for former Marxist ruler Mengistu Haile Mariam, saying the life sentence he was given for genocide was not equal to his crimes. An Ethiopian court in January sentenced Mengistu to life in prison for killings thousands of people during his bloody 17-year rule.
Police detained a sixth doctor on Tuesday over the failed bombings in London and Glasgow, as Britain remained on maximum alert for another al-Qaeda-style attack. A Jordanian neurosurgeon and an Iraqi doctor were also among eight suspects being questioned as the probe spread around the world with the detention of an Indian physician in Australia.
The Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) has posted a record profit of R4,345-billion for the financial year that ended on March 31. Operating income was up to R2,645-billion from R378-million last year, the group said in a statement on Tuesday. Capital gains of R1,796-billion contributed to the group’s profit.
The African National Congress (ANC) is to contest the legality of the decision to reinstate Truman Prince as municipal manager of the Central Karoo district municipality. Western Cape ANC secretary Mcebisi Skwatsha described the move as ”improper and wrong”.
British Airways said on Tuesday that Angola had suspended its flight licence to operate in the African nation in a move seen as retaliatory after European Union steps to ban Angolan airline TAAG on safety grounds. ”The Angolan CAA [Civil Aviation Authority] took away the operating permit that we had …,” a BA spokesperson said.
North Korea has agreed to wide-ranging United Nations measures to verify a shutdown of its atom-bomb programme, nuclear inspectors said on Tuesday, but doubts arose about when disarmament would begin. Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the UN International Atomic Energy Agency, said he would recommend its governing board ratify a new inspector mission.
Sri Lanka took charge of the second cricket Test after Bangladesh crashed to their lowest total of 62 on the opening day’s play on Tuesday. Fast bowler Lasith Malinga and off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan grabbed four wickets each as Bangladesh, sent in to bat by Sri Lanka, were dismissed in the first over after lunch off 25.2 overs.