No image available
/ 18 January 2008

Eskom under fire over power cuts

Eskom must provide answers about the ongoing electricity crisis, the South African Human Rights Commission said on Friday. In a statement, the SAHRC said it and the Public Protector could soon work together in an investigation to establish why Eskom had instituted power cuts to the extent that it has.

No image available
/ 18 January 2008

AU head wants extension for Somalia peace force

The African Union Commission’s chairperson recommended on Friday a six-month extension for a peacekeeping force in Somalia and criticised member states for failing to honour pledges for troops. A 1 800-strong AU Mission in Somalia has been carrying out peacekeeping duties in Mogadishu, where Islamist insurgents have been fighting the interim government.

No image available
/ 18 January 2008

Google’s $175m hi-tech bid to aid the globe

Google has been accused of trying to take over the world, but on Thursday the internet giant revealed more details of its plans to help the globe. One scheme, called Predict and Prevent, will target infections by investing heavily in the development of computer tracking systems to allow scientists to speedily identify potential outbreaks.

No image available
/ 18 January 2008

Pakistanis reel from one bomb to the next

A few days ago a Pakistani newspaper published a cartoon of a political weather map forecasting bombs all across Pakistan. It is all too real. There has been no let-up in attacks in a country still reeling from the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto in a gun and suicide-bomb attack last month.

No image available
/ 18 January 2008

Indonesia reports 97th bird-flu death

An eight-year-old Indonesian boy has died of bird flu, the Health Ministry said on Friday, bringing the toll to 97 in the nation worst hit by the H5N1 virus. The boy was the seventh person from the Jakarta satellite city of Tangerang to die of the disease since October. He died at 4am local time in a Jakarta hospital, the ministry’s bird-flu centre said.

No image available
/ 18 January 2008

India threaten Australia’s winning streak

Australia were battling to avoid their first defeat since the 2005 Ashes series after India seized control of the third Test in Perth on Friday. The Indians piled on 294 in their second innings to set Australia a near-impossible target of 413 to win, then picked up two early wickets to leave the home team in deep trouble when play ended on the third day.

No image available
/ 18 January 2008

Zambia declares flood disaster, rains lash region

Zambia has declared a national disaster after floods swept through the Southern African nation and several neighbouring countries, killing at least 45 people and destroying roads, bridges, crops and livestock. ”This is a national disaster and it requires concerted efforts of all of us to solve,” Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa said late on Thursday.