A South African court rejected a bid by the families...

A South African court rejected a bid by the families of 70 suspected mercenaries held in Zimbabwe to force President Thabo Mbeki's government to bring the men back to South Africa. Justice Bernard Ngoepe of the Pretoria high court dismissed the case, saying there was not enough evidence to force the South African government to seek the extradition of the 70 men, who are accused of plotting a coup in Equatorial Guinea. The families of the 70 men had asked the court to order the South African government to bring them home to face trial in South Africa or to take measures to prevent them from being extradited to Equatorial Guinea where they could face the death penalty.