The crisis in Turkey has been portrayed, simplistically, as a struggle between secular democracy and Islam. But matters are far more complex. Last Sunday the Justice and Development Party, the allegedly Islamist grouping led by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, captured many more votes than its opponents in a national poll, writes Suren Pillay.
A lever to control engine speed was in the wrong position and probably a major case of a Brazil’s worst air accident last month, according to flight-recorder data cited by a newspaper on Wednesday. An Airbus A320 operated by Brazilian carrier TAM Linhas Aereas barrelled off the wet runway upon landing at Congonhas airport in São Paulo on July 17.
Floyd Mayweather Jnr has agreed to come out of retirement to fight Ricky Hatton, the British boxer’s father, Ray, said on Wednesday. Hatton is expected to move up a division from light welterweight for the fight, which will probably be staged on December 8 in Las Vegas, where he beat Jose Luis Castillo in June to retain his IBO title.
The Presidency has rejected the notion of a multiparty team to advise the government on post-Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) matters. Spokesperson Mukoni Ratshitanga said on Wednesday guidelines followed by the National Prosecuting Authority on the post-TRC legal process were approved by the Cabinet and adopted by the National Assembly.
A woman told the Scottburgh High Court on Wednesday she ”didn’t feel like” she was part of her own body as a man raped her on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast. The woman, who may not be identified, said: ”I didn’t feel like I was a part of my body. I wasn’t there. When something like that happens, you switch off.” The student was the second victim to testify at the trial.
Zimbabwe’s main opposition leader said on Wednesday a government price freeze was unsustainable and had left inflation-battered consumers worse off. Zimbabweans have struggled to buy basic commodities since President Robert Mugabe’s government ordered businesses to cut their prices to mid-June levels in a bid to rein in inflation.
The African Union, whose contingent of peacekeepers has struggled to restore stability in Darfur over the past three years, voiced relief on Wednesday at the decision by the United Nations to send troops to the war-torn western Sudanese region. The resolution authorises the deployment of a robust 26 000-strong contingent.
Rural fires that blazed for weeks in South Africa killed at least 26 people, marking the worst loss of life from such infernos since the 1980s, a government spokesperson said on Wednesday. Ten deaths have been confirmed in Mpumalanga and 16 in KwaZulu-Natal, where veld and forest fires broke out on July 2.
Angry Newcastle supporters have attacked Kieron Dyer’s car and house after the midfielder made it clear he wants to leave the club. The England international was booed when he appeared as a substitute in Sunday’s friendly win over Juventus, and fans then verbally abused Dyer and banged on the windows of his car as he left the ground after the match.
British Airways (BA) was hit with almost £270-million in fines on Wednesday as it reached settlements with United States and United Kingdom authorities for price-fixing on fuel surcharges. Archrival Virgin Atlantic Airways blew the whistle on BA last year after individuals at the two carriers discussed proposed changes to fuel surcharges for long flights.