No image available
/ 18 October 2006

US population passes 300-million people

The United States now has a population of more than 300-million people, the United States Census Bureau said on Tuesday, although it will not designate the person who broke the historic barrier. The Census Bureau keeps count of the estimated number of Americans, based on the birth rate, death rate and immigration rate.

No image available
/ 18 October 2006

Jordaan calms fears over World Cup

South Africa would be able to safeguard every person coming to the 2010 Soccer World Cup, the chief executive of the local organising committee, Danny Jordaan, said in Johannesburg on Wednesday. ”We will safeguard places where the players will stay, the routes, hotels, etc. The country has demonstrated its ability to manage other World Cups with no incidents of crime,” he said.

No image available
/ 18 October 2006

Schumi looks for one last win in Brazil

The chequered flag comes down on the greatest Formula One career of all on Sunday with Michael Schumacher chasing one last win and, just possibly, an unprecedented eighth title. The Ferrari ace, signing off with a string of records that may never be bettered, will fire up his engines for a final showdown with Renault’s Fernando Alonso in the Brazilian season-ender.

No image available
/ 18 October 2006

Khoza: SA will prove sceptics wrong

The mounting doubts regarding South Africa’s ability to stage a successful World Cup in 2010 were based on inherent worldwide suspicions regarding Africa’s ability to ”do things right”. This was the view expressed on Wednesday by Local Organising Committee chairperson Irvin Khoza at a media briefing in Johannesburg.

No image available
/ 18 October 2006

Eritrea thumbs nose at UN

Eritrea on Wednesday rejected a United Nations Security Council call to immediately withdraw troops from a demilitarised buffer zone on its arch-foe Ethiopia, criticising the world body for ineffectiveness. Asmara claimed it had a sovereign right to have troops on any portion of its soil.

No image available
/ 18 October 2006

Housing backlog increases despite new homes

South Africa’s housing backlog has widened due to growing urbanisation and demand despite the building of 1,9-million new homes for the poor since the end of apartheid in 1994, the government said. Of the total figure, 1,6-million houses worth about R37-billion have already been transferred to poor households, according to a review released late on Tuesday.

No image available
/ 18 October 2006

First Africa-born koala ventures out

He is a little shy and stays close to his mother for most of the time, but Willie, the first koala born in Africa, can now be seen by the public. Doing what koalas do best, the youngster was sleeping on Wednesday, one of his first days in the public viewing area at the National Zoo in Pretoria. Little Willie was born in January this year has been kept with his mother Renee.

No image available
/ 18 October 2006

Probe uncovers irregularities at Cipro

The Auditor General (AG) on Wednesday tabled a report identifying irregularities amounting to millions of rands in procurement processes at the state-owned Companies and Intellectual Property Registration Office (Cipro). The purpose of the report is to make known the findings of an independent investigation conducted by the AG at the request of Cipro.