South Africa to Boost AIDS Medicines Funds

South Africa's finance minister said Wednesday the government will spend more than a quarter of a billion dollars over the next three years to double the number of people receiving AIDS medication. Trevor Manuel, presenting his ministry's budget, said South Africa would spend an additional $274 million by 2011 to allow an extra half a million people with the AIDS virus to access antiretroviral treatment. That would bring the total to about 900,000. The new plan was welcomed but estimated that even with the additional money, about 500,000 people in need of treatment in 2011 still would not receive it.

South African Pupils Burn "Witches" to Death

Two South African women have been burned to death after a group of students accused them of bewitching their high school with evil spirits. The two were both 60 years of age and were seized from their homes near Manguzi in KwaZulu-Natal province. Students and adults dragged them to a sports field where they were doused with gasoline and set on fire. The school pupils accused the women of being witches after they began to suffer strange crying fits.

Massive Gem Dug Up in South Africa

A small South African mining company has claimed to have discovered the world's largest ever diamond. A shareholder in the unnamed mine told the BBC that the stone had been unearthed at their operation in the northwest province on Monday afternoon. He said the giant gem was about 7,000 carats, which would be twice the size of the Cullinan Diamond, center piece of the British crown jewels Nut industry experts are sceptical about the unconfirmed claim.