Elvira Van Noort

Elvira Van Noort

Elvira Van Noort

 

Passengers 'on the run' after passport oversight

Elvira Van Noort

About 200 people who flew to Johannesburg International airport from Lagos, Nigeria, entered South Africa on Thursday morning without having their passports checked. A Department of Home Affairs spokesperson said there were "very few immigration officers around at that time to assist the passengers".

Will citizen journalism shake up SA media?

Elvira Van Noort

"Today I might be reporting about a crime that happened across the street, and tomorrow about a car accident. I'll report about everything that is newsworthy," says a Johannesburg security officer. Hold on a second -- a security officer who reports on everyday news? What he will be doing is called "citizen journalism", and everyone can take part in it.

Plight of the world's 'invisible' children

Elvira Van Noort

Millions of children die every year, despite efforts to provide them with the necessary services that could save their lives. They are the world's "invisible" children, who are highlighted in a new United Nations Children's Fund report, The State of the World's Children 2006: Excluded and Invisible, released on Wednesday.

Armstrong on his bike for charity

Elvira Van Noort

"My days of racing are done," stressed seven-times Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong during a press conference in Johannesburg on Wednesday. "However, I would love to do the Argus Cycle Tour once. Is Cape Town flat?" It was Armstrong's first visit to South Africa.

Fewer December road deaths reported thus far

Elvira Van Noort

Since the beginning of December, 560 people have been killed on South African roads -- mostly due to drunken driving, driver fatigue and speeding. At about the same time last year, 726 road deaths had been reported. Road accidents have also decreased, from 619 up to this time in December 2004 to 466 thus far.

The year of Zuma and Oilgate -- or was it?

Elvira Van Noort

Looking back at the Mail & Guardian Online's news stories of 2005, it was a year filled with high-profile events such as Oilgate and the Jacob Zuma scandal. But there was also a lot of lightweight news that was noticed by our national and international readers.

Minister to discuss elephant culling with scientists

Elvira Van Noort

Local and international scientists have been invited to another round table with Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk to discuss the proposed culling of elephants in the Kruger National Park. A report from the South African National Parks board in July this year proposed the culling of the elephants.