ZIMBABWE

Six suspected leaders of the international hacking organization known as Anonymous were charged by U.S. authorities of computer crimes, dealing a major blow to the loose-knit group that has wreaked havoc on the websites of government agencies and major corporations.

Impala Platinum, the world's second-largest platinum producer, said on Wednesday that it would not exit Zimbabwe despite the demands being made by the government that it hand over majority stakes in its local operations to Zimbabweans.

A Zimbabwean minister launched a verbal attack on Impala Platinum Chief Executive David Brown, saying on Wednesday he was sick and tired of the mining group's failure to comply with local black ownership laws.

Impala Platinum, the world's second largest platinum producer, said on Friday the Zimbabwean government had rejected part of an empowerment plan submitted by its unit Zimplats.

Platinum prices shot up more than three percent Wednesday after Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd., the world's second largest platinum producer, told buyers April deliveries would be slashed in half because of a strike in South Africa.

Celebrated American war reporter Marie Covlin died in a shelling attack in Syria on Wednesday. Known for her ardent willingness to report from the front lines for Britain's Sunday Times, the 55-year-old reporter had covered conflicts in dangerous war zones. Colvin was killed when a shell attack hit a Syrian army building that had been turned into an impromptu press center in the Baba Amr area of the besieged city of Homs, Syria. Take a look at her last dispatches from Syria.

Mugabe, who turned 88 on Tuesday, shrugged off international criticism of his economic and human rights record, telling state television, At this age I can still go some distance, can't I.

Desperate attempts to get into the mind of Ukranian heavyweight boxing champions Wvladimir and Vitali Klitschko never end. This time, Dereck Chisora, the Zimbabwean-born British boxer, slapped Vitali at the fight's weigh in.

Zimbabwe reacted strongly to the European Union's decision to renew sanctions on President Robert Mugabe's government on Friday. Despite the lift on travel bans and asset freezes on 51 people connected to Mugabe's ZANU-PF party, Zimbabwean leadership is still furious that the illegal sanctions are still in place .

U.S. fast-food giant Yum Brands Inc. plans to open 130 new KFC stores in Africa this year, bringing its presence on the continent to 1,000 restaurants, the Business Day newspaper in South Africa said on Friday, citing a senior executive.

22-year-old Australian tourist Erin Langworthy survived a 365-foot fall into crocodile-infested waters at Victoria Falls Bridge after her bungee cord snapped.

In an accident captured on video, a 22-year-old Australian student named Erin Langworthy nearly plunged to her death on Dec. 31 into a river infested with crocodiles after her bungee cord broke while bungee jumping in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe has instructed bankers for Impala Platinum's local unit Zimplats to pay $28.3 million in outstanding royalty payments, which the platinum miner is disputing, state media reported on Monday.

Travel and tourism are among the world’s leading economic forces and each journey we take makes a statement about our priorities and commitment to change.

In the aftermath of the war's “official cessation” in 2003, many more people continued to die, from both disease and periodic armed conflicts.

A spokesman for the MDC said the charges against Karenyi were fabricated by the state.

A record number of large scale ivory seizures will be recorded globally in 2011, pointing to a surge in elephant poaching in Africa to meet Asian demand for tusks for use in jewelry and ornaments, a monitoring group said Thursday.

23 tons of tusks were seized by authorities, suggesting the killing of at least 2,500 elephants worldwide by poachers

Zimbabwe is considering a ban on raw platinum exports in a bid to force miners to set up refineries in the country, but this move will not take place overnight, a government official said on Wednesday.

The European debt crisis roiled markets all year, producing the most volatile trading since the 2008-2009 meltdown. That is, except in one market -- the euro.

NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) will look into a mysterious space ball, which dropped onto an African village in Namibia in mid-November. The hollow ball is reportedly made of a metal alloy known to man.