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HARARE - A senior member of Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF said yesterday he would run for president in an election next month in the biggest challenge to Robert Mugabe from within his party in 20 years.
Former finance minister Simba Makoni is popular with the main opposition party, Movement for Democratic Change, the business community and urban voters, who are disenchanted with Mr Mugabe. - (Reuters)
CIA used water torture after 9/11
WASHINGTON - The CIA used a widely condemned interrogation technique known as waterboarding on three occasions shortly after the September 11th attacks, CIA director Michael Hayden told Congress yesterday.
"Waterboarding has been used on only three detainees," Mr Hayden told the Senate Intelligence Committee, publicly specifying the number of subjects and naming them for the first time, as Congress considers banning the technique.
Those subjected to waterboarding were al-Qaeda suspects Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Abu Zubaydah and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, Mr Hayden said. - (Reuters)
Police open fire on protesters
MAPUTO - Police opened fire on a crowd protesting against transport price hikes in Mozambique's capital yesterday, killing one person, a police official said.
Thousands of people joined the protests in Maputo, burning tyres and throwing stones at police vehicles. Police fired rubber bullets as they attempted to clear the streets.
The government said it would meet transport operators to try to negotiate an end to the stand-off, but explained it had little control over rising transport fares. - (Reuters)
Thaci urges Serbs to stay in Kosovo
RUBOVC - Kosovo prime minister Hashim Thaci, a former guerrilla fighter, made a visit to a Serb family yesterday to urge Serbs to stay on after the Albanian majority declares independence from Serbia.
"My message to Serbs in Kosovo is: stay in Kosovo. Kosovo is going to make some big decisions. Status [ independence] will be good for all citizens," Mr Thaci (39) said while visiting a Serb family in the ethnically mixed village of Rubovc.
Kosovo is expected to declare independence this month with the backing of the West, which sees no prospect of returning the territory to Serb rule after its almost nine years under UN stewardship. - (Reuters)
Girl (2) who drank detergent 'stable'
NICOSIA - A two-year-old British girl was in serious but stable condition in a Cyprus hospital after being served detergent mixed with orange juice at a luxury hotel, police said yesterday.
Annabel Rhodes suffered burns to her mouth and oesophagus after drinking the corrosive acid on Saturday night. The child was in the intensive care unit of the hospital in the Cypriot capital Nicosia, but was fully conscious
"It appears a bartender unknowingly mixed orange juice with a dishwasher detergent," a police spokesman said. - (Reuters)
Marijuana linked to gum disease
WASHINGTON - Smoking marijuana, much like smoking tobacco, may increase a person's risk for gum disease that can lead to tooth loss, researchers said yesterday.
A study of 903 New Zealanders found those who smoked marijuana frequently had triple the risk of severe gum disease and a 60 per cent higher risk for a milder form of it, compared to people who did not smoke the drug. People who smoked marijuana less frequently had a smaller risk, the researchers said.
- (Reuters)