Floods caused by days of heavy rain have caused the collapse of about 3 000 houses and left up to 20 000 people homeless in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, a local Red Cross official told state radio on Thursday. Some of the homeless have been taken in by relatives.
The newly elected members of Burundi’s National Assembly and Senate began work on Thursday to prepare for the election next week of the country’s first post-transitional president. The August 19 vote is almost certain to elect former Hutu rebel leader Pierre Nkurunziza as head of state.
Inkatha Freedom Party senior MP Gavin Woods has accused the media of selectively reporting only ”dramatic” sections of a leaked document penned by himself. The Mail & Guardian reported that the discussion document pulls no punches and calls for the ”infusion of new thinking and new minds”.
The European Union’s executive commission said on Thursday that it has decided to provide €7,9-million to support preparations for planned elections in Côte d’Ivoire. ”These elections represent a crucial stage for reconciliation in the country,” EU development commissioner Louis Michel said in a statement.
A leading Iraqi Shi’ite politician demanded autonomy for central and southern provinces where the majority community predominates on Thursday, four days before the deadline for a final draft of a new Constitution. The proposed Shi’ite autonomous region would mirror a Kurdish one in the far north.
At least 43 people have drowned and another 15 are missing in flash floods caused by torrential rains in Golestan province in north-eastern Iran, the official news agency Irna reported on Thursday. About 350 families have lost their homes as a result of the deluge of heavy rain, which began on Tuesday.
Ignorance was behind South African Reserve Bank Governor Tito Mboweni’s complaints over Pretoria’s apparent decline, the Tshwane metropolitan municipality said on Thursday. Mboweni earlier this week complained about public parks being used as sports facilities, crime in the city centre and inefficient officials.
At least 22 people have been killed and about a quarter-million evacuated in rain-induced floods hitting large parts of western China, state media said on Thursday. The toll could rise further with two people reported missing after a massive landslide in rural Sichuan, according to the Xinhua news agency.
Striking South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) workers on Thursday refused to accept a proposal to alter their pay demands. Workers also refused to hand over their memorandum of grievances to Johannesburg mayor Amos Masondo’s legal representative Thajedi Masikela.
The Democratic Alliance has formally requested a debate in Parliament on the government’s proposed loan package to Zimbabwe, saying South African taxpayers need to be told why money may be made available for that country. ”Parliament must approve any financial agreement of this nature,” the DA said.