Staff Reporter

In the first salvo of what promises to be an intense battle for the control of the powerful ANC national executive committee (NEC), Cosatu in KwaZulu-Natal has proposed the exclusion of President Thabo Mbeki and government ministers presumed to be loyal to him when a new NEC is elected in December.

New Anglo American chief Cynthia Carroll has vowed to ramp up mining safety, and the departure of two top Anglo executives this week thrust the thorny issue into the spotlight. Local mining companies have a parlous safety record, in part because of the depth of the mines, and Carroll may find that mining safety, or the lack thereof, is the one challenge that becomes her nemesis.

I had intended to go up to the north of Côte d’Ivoire. I still have fond memories of the two years I spent teaching English in a secondary school in Korhogo, the regional capital. I was enchanted by the contrast between my experience as an Abidjanaise and life in the northern region, writes Véronique Tadjo.

What was it all for? After twice blocking the publication of allegations against him based on an internal SABC audit report — and causing enormous inconvenience to the <i>Mail & Guardian</i> — SABC legal chief Mafika Sihlali failed to file papers or even make an appearance at the final interdict hearing on Wednesday this week.

Decorum was abandoned as accusations ricocheted between the wood-panelled walls of Pakistan’s national assembly on Monday night. "Murderers! Murderers of innocent people!" screamed an MP from a religious party, his yellow turban shaking as he wagged a finger towards the government benches.

The United States government cannot account for 190&nbsp;000 weapons issued to Iraqi security forces in 2004 and 2005, according to an investigation. According to a July 31 report, the military "cannot fully account for about 110&nbsp;000 AK-47 assault rifles, 80&nbsp;000 pistols, 135&nbsp;000 items of body armour and 115&nbsp;000 helmets reported as issued to Iraqi forces."