Romano Prodi was on Wednesday night officially declared the winner of Italy’s general election, nine days after polling stations closed. But his opponent, Silvio Berlusconi, who has challenged Prodi’s right to form the next government, made no immediate acknowledgement of defeat.
Karl Rove is to give up his job as the Bush administration’s policy tsar to focus on this year’s mid-term elections, it emerged on Wednesday, as alarm grows in the White House that the Republicans are in danger of losing control of Congress. The administration also set about changing its public face with the resignation of its spokesperson for the past three years, Scott McClellan.
Iran’s Islamic authorities are preparing a crackdown on women flouting the stringent dress code in the clearest sign yet of social and political repression under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Offenders could be punished with fines or two months in jail.
Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe is threatening the opposition with "fire and death" if it dares call street protests against his government, but analysts say the veteran leader is showing signs of panicking at a time when his main challenger, Morgan Tsvangirai, seems to have ridden through a split in the opposition ranks.
The possible role of outsiders in Chad’s war has come under the spotlight, with the United States expressing concern over reports Sudan was backing the rebels, and the rebels saying they would have toppled President Idriss Déby by now if it was not for the French.
Last March, Janet took a hard look at her prospects and made a drastic decision. Equipped with little more than a friend’s phone number, she joined the growing number of Zimbabweans who cross illegally into South Africa every day, looking for a better life. She felt she knew all about living in South Africa because a friend came home regularly from Johannesburg with gifts for everyone and stories of how well she was doing.
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Two security guards helped load stolen money in last month’s heist at Johannesburg International airport, the Kempton Park regional court heard on Wednesday. This emerged when the investigating officer, Peter Mbobani, was cross-examined during the bail application of nine people arrested since the March 25 heist.
Two more suspects have been arrested in connection with the double murder of actor Brett Goldin — who starred in the comedy Crazy Monkey Presents Straight Outta Benoni — and designer Richard Bloom on Wednesday, the Western Cape police said. A pistol, in the two suspects’ possession, was also seized.
At least 19 people were killed across Iraq on Wednesday as two school teachers were reported slain by militants who slit their throats in front of their pupils, the government said. ”Two groups of terrorists have cut the throats of two teachers in front of their students in the Amna and Shahid Hamdi primary schools in the Shaab district of Baghdad,” a government statement said.