Click on image for full-size view.
A searing heatwave has killed at least 44 people across southern Europe, while in Britain torrential rain claimed three lives and forced hundreds to flee a creaking dam. Twenty-nine deaths have been blamed on the heat in Romania, where temperatures on Tuesday hit 45 degrees Celsius.
The Palestinian extremists claiming to hold BBC journalist Alan Johnston on Tuesday issued a chilling threat to slaughter him ”like a lamb” unless Britain and Jordan release Muslim prisoners. The grotesque threat came just two days after the British journalist appeared in a grim new video.
The United States Justice Department has launched a corruption probe into Britain’s BAE Systems, a potential headache for Gordon Brown just hours before he succeeds Tony Blair as British prime minister. BAE, Europe’s biggest military contractor, said on Tuesday the probe will include its dealings with Saudi Arabia.
Zimbabweans who have fled to South Africa marked the International Day against Torture on Tuesday by recounting their experiences at the hands of President Robert Mugabe’s security services. Few were convinced that South African President Thabo Mbeki’s efforts to mediate in their homeland would bear fruit.
Trade-union leaders will meet on Wednesday to discuss suspending the public-service strike during the 21 days they have to consider the government’s final offer. It is understood that the unions discussed the possibility of suspending the strike at a meeting on Sunday, but some wanted more time to consult their members.
The African National Congress’s (ANC) policy conference, which will play a key role in deciding whether President Thabo Mbeki leads the party for a third term, gets under way in Midrand on Wednesday. About 1 500 delegates are expected at the four-day meeting at Gallagher Estate.
Police said inmates used pancake batter and toothpaste to cover a hole they made to allow a female inmate to slide into the next cell and join a male inmate. Inmates removed a block from the wall after making a digging tool with a nail, a wire from a light fixture and a toothbrush.
Former Mangaung mayor Pappie Mokoena, his wife and other former senior municipal officials appeared on fraud charges in the Bloemfontein High Court on Tuesday. The matter concerns a Scorpions investigation at the Mangaung local municipality relating to alleged fraud amounting to R170-million.
A little-known organisation has taken offence to the Potchefstroom city council blaming ”racist anarchists” for the vandalisation of new street signs. The Zabalaza Anarchist Communist Federation said its reputation had been ”besmirched” by the remarks of council spokesperson Kaizer Mohau.