Fear of bird flu again swept Britain on Thursday as scientists confirmed that a wild swan found dead in a Scottish seaside village had the H5N1 strain that can be fatal to humans. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said the swan — found a week ago on a harbour slipway in Cellardyke, Fife — perished from the same H5N1 strain that has killed more than 100 people.
The Pretoria Regional Court has dismissed an application to throw out the case against an IT executive at the centre of an alleged hoax e-mail conspiracy within the African National Congress. Muziwendoda Sikhona Kunene’s defence representatives had asked that the case be set aside because of high court action over his arrest on a search-and-seizure warrant rather than an arrest warrant.
Hollywood film stars Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are holidaying in Namibia, officials and local papers reported on Thursday, with rumours that the pregnant starlet may give birth there. Immigration officials confirmed the couple jetted into the small Atlantic port of Walvis Bay on Monday morning.
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Jacob Zuma’s daughter believes his rape accuser had ulterior motives when she arrived at his Johannesburg home last November, the high court heard on Thursday. ”She was either trying to definitely seduce my father or get money from him,” said Duduzile Zuma (23), shortly before the court sitting was adjourned to Friday.
Drummer Don Alias, who kept tempo for Miles Davis, Nina Simone and Lou Reed, has died in New York aged 66, his website said on Wednesday. In a nearly 50-year career, Alias showed his versatility on drums and other percussion instruments, accompanying headliners such as Carlos Santana, Al Jarreau and Herbie Hancock.
The Special Court for war crimes in Sierra Leone said on Thursday it had assigned a lawyer free of charge for Liberia’s former warlord and president Charles Taylor, who faces trial for crimes against humanity. Karim Asad Ahmad Khan, a barrister with a British firm, has been appointed to represent Taylor for three months.
Zimbabwe police want to press fresh charges of treason against opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party activists cleared last month on charges of plotting to assassinate President Robert Mugabe, authoritative sources told ZimOnline.
The European Parliament called on Thursday for the creation of a European Union blacklist of countries where corruption is rife, to help the EU make decisions on providing development aid. In a report by Dutch Member of European Parliament Margrietus Van den Berg, backed by the 732-seat EU assembly, it also demanded more transparency in the massive development budget of the EU.
Zimbabwe is the only blot on President Thabo Mbeki’s otherwise successful foreign policy, says The Economist in its April 8 survey on South Africa. The Economist notes that South Africa has moved from being an international pariah under apartheid to become one of the most engaged, open and connected countries in the world.
The South African Trade and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) rejects an interim court order declaring a strike by security guards illegal, but will comply with it, the union said on Thursday. ”The Satawu national strike is therefore suspended with immediate effect and all striking members must return to work to ensure compliance with the court order,” said a spokesperson.