Songs, plays and heart-rending testimonies on Thursday marked the first anniversary of Zimbabwe’s demolitions blitz, which left hundreds of thousands homeless and destitute. Reti Chakadenga, a former house owner now living among the destitutes on the banks of a river on the outskirts of Harare, sniffed and battled to hold back tears.
South African President Thabo Mbeki has opened the door to a review of floor-crossing legislation — which allows MPs, members of the provincial legislatures and local government councillors to defect from their political parties — but said the matter was ”eminently political” and should be dealt with by MPs and not the executive.
Poor nations should highlight to the United Nations the problems that make them more vulnerable to HIV/Aids than developed countries, Minister of Health Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said on Thursday. She was speaking at the launch of the National Consultative Forum in Johannesburg.
A survey of sex workers has revealed that police officers are the main sexual and physical abusers of prostitutes, media reports said on Thursday. ”Our experience indicates that the highest levels of violence against sex workers come from the police and law-enforcement sectors,” said researcher Nicole Fick.
Taliban militants fought fierce battles with coalition and Afghan forces in a dramatic upsurge of violence in southern Afghanistan, leaving up to 100 people — mostly rebels — dead, officials said on Thursday. Two suicide bombs also rocked the insurgency hit country. One, in western Afghanistan, killed a United States anti-narcotics adviser.
Jurors deliberated for a second day on Thursday in the fraud trial of former Enron chief executives Jeffrey Skilling and Kenneth Lay, who led the energy giant before its spectacular meltdown in 2001. After more than three months of testimony from 55 witnesses, the government concluded its closing argument on Wednesday.
Indonesia’s Mount Merapi appeared calm again on Thursday as hundreds of evacuees drifted back home, unconvinced they were in danger from the simmering volcano. But scientists warned that despite an apparent slowdown in the growth of a magma-filled dome at its peak, the volcano remained temperamental.
In another twist in the Pretoria High Court drama of seven alleged Pakistani illegal immigrants, Judge Dion Basson recused himself on Thursday from presiding in the case. The men were arrested outside the court after attending another court case about Khalid Mahmood Rashid, who disappeared last year when he was deported to Pakistan.
Sanath Jayasuriya has seen his chances of a Test recall dented after he was omitted from Sri Lanka’s four-day game against English county Sussex starting on Thursday. The 36-year-old former Sri Lanka captain has made himself available for selection just six weeks after he announced he was quitting Test cricket.
Zimbabwe’s Econet Wireless has acquired a 65% stake in ST Cellular of Burundi, one of four licensed operators in the Central African country. ”The investment in Burundi is part of our expansion strategy to invest and grow in targeted emerging markets in Africa and beyond,” said Zachary Wazara, Econet’s executive director.