Zuma’s son released on bail
Reuters, Johannesburg
Duduzane Zuma, the son of former South African president Jacob Zuma, was released on bail after appearing in court in leg-irons on Monday on charges of corruption, the biggest scalp so far in an attempt to get to the bottom of the graft allegations that swirled around his father.
Duduzane Zuma, who returned to South Africa last week to attend his brother’s funeral, was released on 100,000 rand ($7,439.76) bail with his case postponed to Jan, 24, 2019.
Over 60 militants killed in Afghanistan within day
Xinhua, Kabul
More than 60 militants have been killed and several others wounded in Afghanistan within the past 24 hours, authorities said Monday.
In one province, 14 Taliban militants were killed and eight others wounded after Afghan army backed by Afghan air force helicopters waged operations in Chimtal, Faizabad and Chahar Bolak districts of northern Balkh province, Hanif Rezai, spokesman of army Corps 209 Shaheen based in the region, told Xinhua.
Monsoon rains
disrupt traffic, schools in Mumbai
Reuters, Mumbai
A third straight day of heavy monsoon rains disrupted trains and traffic in India’s financial capital of Mumbai on Monday, with flooding in several areas prompting the government to declare a holiday for schools and colleges.
Weather officials warned that heavy rainfall was expected for the next four days, in a statement on the website of the meteorological bureau.
New Zealand lawmaker fined
AP, Wellington
New Zealand’s transport minister said Monday he will pay a small fine for violating aviation rules by making a cellphone call from a plane. The Civil Aviation Authority fined Phil Twyford 500 New Zealand dollars ($340) for breaching rules it says were intended to prevent electromagnetic interference with aircraft instruments. The authority said that because Twyford ended his call before takeoff, it didn’t pose a significant risk to the safety of the flight.
Romania’s chief anti-graft
prosecutor fired
AP, Bucharest
Romania’s chief anti-corruption prosecutor was fired Monday over misconduct and incompetence accusations by her own government ministry. Laura Codruta Kovesi was dismissed to implement a ruling by Romania’s top court, which had ordered it over the accusations of incompetence, President Klaus Iohannis’s office said.
In a February report, Justice Minister Tudorel Toader had accused Kovesi of being authoritarian, and claimed that prosecutors under her command had falsified evidence and acquitted an inordinate number of defendants. He also accused Kovesi of harming Romania’s image in interviews with foreign journalists.
