Wild Wednesday

Proof That SA Sold Sniper Rifles To Gaddafi – A document released by Human Rights Watch proves that South African arms manufacturer Truvelo Armoury exported sniper rifles to the Gaddafi regime in 2009, the DA said on Tuesday. ”This provides clear evidence that sniper rifles were exported to Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in Libya,” he said. ”We cannot sit back and allow conventional weapons such as sniper rifles to be exported to rogue regimes.” [news24]

SA Recognises NTC As Libya’s Legitimate Leaders – South Africa joined the African Union in recognising the National Transitional Council as Libya’s de facto government on Tuesday, after its concerns over representation and the safety of African workers were addressed. The move further strips away diplomatic support from ousted Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. [mail&guardian]

Sick Miners Take On Anglo American – South Africa’s highest court on March 3 ruled that ex- miners can seek redress from companies that operated under an apartheid-era system to use cheap black labor in the world’s deepest mines. While the ultimate number of claims and their size is impossible to determine, mining companies may face a liability of as much as $100 billion. [bloomberg]

22 Americans Get $500,000 ‘Genius Grants’ – Twenty-two Americans ranging from a radio journalist to a sports trainer received no-strings-attached “genius” grants worth $500,000 each, a charitable foundation announced on Tuesday. Hating that! [reuters]

Facebook To Launch New Buttons – Kids, keep writing your letters to Santa, because you won’t be getting that Dislike button from Facebook anytime soon. You can, however, look forward to a handful of new buttons rolling out at Facebook’s f8 developers’ conference this week, according to TechCrunch sources. Read, Listened and watched.. [msnbc]

Is Nicolas Cage A Vampire From The 1800′s? [Photo]- Nicolas Cage is a vampire, according to one eBay user who attempted to sell a photo from the 1800′s of a man with an uncanny resemblance to Cage. The photo was listed on eBay, though the link has been removed, for a whopping $1 million, sold by Jack Mord from Seattle-based Thanatos Archive. According to Mord, the photo, taken in 1870, is definitely Nicolas Cage. [ibtimes]

West Hollywood First In US To Ban Fur Sales – The city of West Hollywood has approved a ban on the sale of fur clothing, making it the first fur-free city in the nation. City Council unanimously approved the ban after a late-night meeting Monday. Animal rights activists argued for the ban, saying animals are being used solely for profit and vanity. [ktla]

Google+ Public Launch Takes Battle To Facebook And Twitter – Google has opened its ambitious social networking site Google+ to the public, having attracted more than 20 million users for aits 12-week invitation-only trial. The public launch marks a significant moment in the search giant’s challenge to Facebook and Twitter. [guardian]

Buzz Aldrin Sex Scandal – 81-year-old former astronaut and Dancing with the Stars geezer Buzz Aldrin is having a sex scandal. After 23 years of marriage, he left third wife Lois Driggs Cannon to be with 51-year-old marketer Michelle Sucillon, whom he met while signing books. Though not yet divorced, Buzz and Michelle have reportedly been “making out like teenagers” in public. [gawker]

Gangs Dump 35 Bodies In Mexico – The bodies of at least 35 members of “a criminal organization” have been found in two trucks in Veracruz, eastern Mexico, most of whom had convictions, justice officials said. The cadavers were located inside trucks at an underpass and that those so far identified had criminal records for murder, kidnapping and drug-peddling. [afp]

US Assembling Secret Drone Bases In Africa – The Obama administration is assembling a constellation of secret drone bases for counterterrorism operations in the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula as part of a newly aggressive campaign to attack al-Qaeda affiliates in Somalia and Yemen, U.S. officials said. [washpo]