At least eight people were killed in violence in Iraq on Thursday amid a continued power vacuum as prime minister-designate Nuri al-Maliki missed a personal deadline to present his new Cabinet. Though the constitutional deadline for the new Cabinet is not until May 21, al-Maliki had pledged to have the government ready by Wednesday.
Zimbabwe civic society will next week commemorate Operation Murambatsvina, the government’s controversial urban-renewal exercise last year under which armed police and soldiers demolished townships and city backyard cottages, leaving close to a million people homeless.
The South African Trade Activity Index declined to 52 in April from 56 in March, reflecting a pull-back in trade conditions which was attributed to the number of trading days lost in April because of public holidays. However, the figure is still higher than the 50 recorded in February, the 47 recorded in January and December’s figure of 49.
John Thys still has not figured out how much his company has paid Google for bogus sales referrals caused by ”click-fraud” — a sham aimed at a perceived weakness in the internet search leader’s advertising network. But Thys says he has uncovered enough of it to conclude that Google is trying to shortchange his company and thousands of other advertisers.
One survivor said it was like a thunderstorm that ”went crazy” as twisters ripped through rural North Texas, reducing homes to concrete slabs and killing three people, including a teenager cowering in the stairwell of his home. At least 26 homes were destroyed in the storms that hit late on Tuesday and early on Wednesday.
Critics complain the Bush administration once again dropped the ball by failing to cite China for a currency system they see as a prime culprit in the loss of millions of United States manufacturing jobs. The administration said in a report to Congress on Wednesday that China moves too slowly to reform its currency system, but isn’t technically a currency manipulator.
After a humiliating exit from the 2002 World Cup, a disappointing Euro 2004, and a lacklustre qualifying campaign, France are not exactly surfing a wave of optimism as they head to Germany. Which is strange, because any side boasting the likes of Thierry Henry, Zinedine Zidane, David Trezeguet, Patrick Vieira and Claude Makelele would normally be considered strong favourites for the title.
Togo’s euphoria at qualifying for their first World Cup was tempered by a dismal performance at the African Nations Cup which indicates they will struggle in Germany. The Togolese accounted for 2002 World Cup quarterfinalists Senegal in a huge upset but were brought down to earth with a resounding bump after failing to win a point in Egypt.
Mark ”Chopper” Read, the notorious self-confessed Australian hit man whose criminal exploits have inspired books and a movie, has now lent his name to a board game. Using bullet-shaped counters, players cavort through the criminal underworld, visiting brothels, attacking fellow gangsters, evading the police and finally making their way to the island state of Tasmania.
A remarkable meteorite the size of a beachball, found in heat-forged crystals in one of the world’s largest impact craters, may push back the boundaries of knowledge about space rocks. The 25cm fragment has been found in the Morokweng impact crater in north-west South Africa, where a massive object slammed into Earth around 145-million years ago.