World briefs - October 22, 2004
October 22, 2004 Edition 1
Aide quits over gay movie
Brussels - A Belgian political aide has quit his job running the private offices of two regional government ministers after news broke that he had acted in a gay porn movie. "I knew that the two jobs could clash at some point," gay rights activist Michel Duponcelle said yesterday. In defence, he said he had only played an extra, didn't appear naked and had not taken part in the sex scene.
Divorce on a platter
Tel Aviv - It was only a smile at a wedding ceremony. But it was given by the bride, the recipient was the head waiter in the wedding hall - and now the groom wants a divorce. The smile, the new husband from the Israeli city of Haifa said yesterday, "revealed the romance" between his wife and the waiter. He had no proof and was going on "gut feeling", which, he proclaimed, was seldom wrong.
Hippie hound
Detroit - Pike, a 5-month-old yellow labrador from Saginaw in Michigan, is dressed up in the outfit of a 1960s-era hippie. He was taking part in the Saginaw Township Parks and Recreation Halloween pet costume contest on Wednesday.
Homosexual row in Uganda
Kampala - A Ugandan minister has blasted a Dutch diplomat who earlier in the week called for equal rights for gays and lesbians. Minister of State for Information James Nsaba Buturo said "the gay practice here is abominable" and that it was "undemocratic for an envoy to lecture Ugandans about moral values or what our constitution should say regarding gays and lesbians".
New rebel group in Sudan
Khartoum - Sudanese authorities have said a new rebel movement with links to jailed Islamist leader Hassan al-Turabi had emerged in the central Kordofan region. West Kordofan Governor Salman Suleiman Safi said yesterday the group was called "Shahama" (Arabic for valiant) but stressed it was "isolated and has no support in Kordofan", a key region between Darfur and Khartoum.
Hamas No 2 dies in attack
Gaza City - An Israeli aircraft yesterday fired two missiles at a vehicle travelling in the Gaza Strip, killing two people. One of them was Adnan al-Ghoul, the No 2 figure of the Hamas military wing. He was at the top of Israel's most-wanted list. His killing leaves the Hamas military leadership exclusively in the hands of Mohammed Deif, its long-time chief.
'Al-Qaeda link in Angola'
Luanda - People or groups linked to the al-Qaeda terror network are allegedly trying to enter Angola covertly. Ecclesia, a Catholic radio station, yesterday quoted Constantino Vitiaka, head of information at the national intelligence services, as saying there was "an attempt by elements linked to al-Qaeda to come into Angola, especially through Muslim NGOs". The government was on the alert, he said.
DRC refugees head home
Libenge - The UN refugee agency has begun repatriating to the Democratic Republic of Congo some of the 10 000 refugees who fled to the Central African Republic (CAR) when war broke out in the DRC in 1998. On Wednesday, 101 DRC nationals, about half of them children, were ferried across the Ubangi River from the CAR to the DRC border town of Libenge.
Pony crammed into car
Amsterdam - Dutch police have fined the driver of a small hatchback car after spotting a Shetland pony crammed in the back. "The small pony had no room to move and his head was pressed against the window," police said yesterday. A woman on the back seat held the animal by a rope. The 42-year-old German driver was fined 220 euros (R1 760) for improper transport of the animal.
Rare eagles lose compass
Paris - European birdwatchers are scratching their heads over why the booted eagle is migrating north this winter instead of to the balmier south. According to the Bird Protection League, nearly 1 000 of the rare eagles were spotted in southern France in the past two weeks. They should have gone to Africa and India. The bizarre phenomenon had never been seen before, the league stressed.
Police kill rider in their way
New Delhi - Enraged protesters have blocked a national highway and called for a statewide shutdown in Manipur state after police shot dead a scooter rider who did not make way for their vehicle. The 41-year-old brother of a former Manipur chief minister was killed on Wednesday on a crowded street in Imphal. Relatives would not accept his body until the policemen were punished.
