A British court on Wednesday recommended that Briton Gary McKinnon, who allegedly hacked into United States defence computer systems, be extradited to the US to stand trial for what has been called the ”biggest military hack of all time”. His case is expected to be passed to Home Secretary John Reid for a final decision.
The JSE reached a new high on Wednesday, buoyed by rampant precious metals prices. Players were jittery, however, on concerns that the market was ripe for a correction after a phenomenal run.
The United States is a ”fortress” because of its high defence spending and Russia should follow suit in order to ensure a solid defence of its own, President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday. The US defence budget, in absolute terms, ”is almost 25 times that of Russia’s. Their home is their castle — and well done, well done,” Putin said. ”It means we should build our own house strongly and reliably.”
Swaziland’s home-based caregivers are too few and too poorly paid to cope with the growing numbers of bedridden Aids patients, but in the absence of adequate health facilities and trained professionals, they are seen as the immediate answer to a national emergency.
More than 5Â 000 internally displaced persons and returnees were left homeless when a fire gutted their camp in Somalia’s north-eastern port town of Bossaso late on Tuesday. Witnesses said the fire broke out at about 7.30pm local time at the Boqolka Buush camp and spread quickly because of strong winds.
Fernando Alonso heads back to his native Spain this weekend determined to win the Spanish Grand Prix for the first time and extend his lead in the drivers’ world championship. Alonso (24) leads the race for this year’s drivers’ crown after winning twice and finishing on the podium in every one of the five races so far.
Cellular network operator Vodacom connected its 20-millionth subscriber in South Africa on Wednesday. "We have reached this important milestone within 12 years, June 1 1994 being the date that Vodacom and MTN commercially launched their networks," said Alan Knott-Craig, CEO of the Vodacom Group.
The South African Police Service will have to establish if Dirk Prinsloo — accused of sex crimes — is in the Russian Federation as suspected before Interpol can help in the search, police said on Wednesday. Prinsloo allegedly jumped bail and stayed on in Russia instead of returning for his trial in the Pretoria High Court.
Three people were killed and at least six injured when tornadoes moved through north Texas, a county official said on Wednesday. At least one tornado touched down late on Tuesday near Anna, about 60km north of Dallas. Tornadoes were also reported in the Texas Panhandle town of Childress and in south-eastern Oklahoma.
Fierce fighting in the Somali capital subsided on Wednesday after dozens were killed in 72 hours of pitched battles between Islamic militiamen and gunmen loyal to a United States-backed warlord alliance. At least 40 people were killed and nearly 200 wounded in clashes that began on Sunday.