Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo on Monday urged Nigerians never to compromise on good governance and to shun corruption, in a speech to the nation marking the return of democracy seven years earlier. "We must never compromise on the need for good governance. It is the key to democratic sustainability and consolidation," Obasanjo said.
European leaders may embark on one of the European Union’s greatest rebranding exercises by changing the name of the European Constitution to ”basic law”. Monday is the first anniversary of the rejection of the Constitution by French voters, and support is growing for a German plan to revive the measure with a name change.
One of France’s most popular rappers will appear in court on Monday charged with offending public decency with a song in which he referred to France as a ”slut” and vowed to ”piss” on Napoleon and Charles de Gaulle. Monsieur R, whose real name is Richard Makela, could face three years in prison or a â,¬75 000 fine.
Tens of thousands of refugees begged for shelter and hundreds of international workers were evacuated from East Timor on Sunday as an army rebellion spilled over into gang violence and ethnic unrest in the capital, Dili. Dozens of homes and businesses were torched and plumes of smoke rose above the skyline, as gangs built makeshift barricades to mark out their territories.
At least 39 people were killed in an bloody explosion of violence across Iraq on Monday, including a spate of bombings against buses carrying people to work. The attacks underlined the parlous security situation in Iraq as agreement on the key defence and interior ministries remained elusive, despite the formation of a new government on May 20.
Standard Bank has become aware of a growing number of cyber-crime incidents taking place at internet cafés and other public places that offer internet services. On Monday it urged customers not to use computer facilities that they are not familiar with.
More than 2 100 officials of Gauteng’s housing and local government department might be investigated after fraud of more than R133-million in the allocation of housing subsidies was revealed, Beeld reported on Monday. These officials have received R32,8-million in subsidies, despite earning more than the minimum a family has to earn to qualify.
Members of the trade union National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) elected a new leadership during the organisation’s twelfth congress on the weekend. NUM president Senzeni Zokwana was re-elected and the congress elected Frans Baleni as the union’s new general secretary. The congress bade farewell to its outgoing general secretary, Gwede Mantashe.
Germany’s seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher has hit out at the critics who accused him of deliberately crashing his car to prevent anyone beating his qualifying time for Sunday’s Monte Carlo Grand Prix. ”I am used to being criticised, but sometimes people are too quick to pass judgement,” Schumacher said.
At least 52 people were killed in a bloody explosion of violence across Iraq on Monday, including a spate of bombings against buses carrying people to work. The attacks underlined the parlous security situation in Iraq as agreement on the key defence and interior ministries remained elusive despite the formation of a new government on May 20.