It seems that massacres at American schools and universities are becoming as traditional as the Fourth of July, or, as one newspaper put it, apple pie. As Rupert Cornwell pointed out in the British
Amid the horror at Virginia Tech were tales of heroism during the rampage, including an older professor — himself a Holocaust survivor — who gave his life to protect his students.
2. Why Papi quit Telkom
Telkom has been a curious creature in recent days. It announced it was buying a company that offers internet connectivity in eight African countries, for R140-million. Why, you have to wonder. Is this a precursor to a disinvestment?
3. Big ANC executive shake-out
Forget Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma’s battle over the presidency. The ANC’s December national congress will be dominated by a struggle over the party’s national executive committee (NEC) — its highest decision-making body between conferences.
4. Virginia Tech: How did it happen?
Police and university authorities faced pressure on Tuesday to explain how a gunman apparently evaded detection after killing two people and then went on to kill 30 others two hours later in America’s worst shooting rampage.
5. Worst spring storm in 15 years pummels US
A powerful spring storm expected to be the worst of its kind in almost 15 years pounded the East Coast of the United States on Monday, bringing relentless rains, flooding rivers, and prompting evacuations from New Jersey to West Virginia. It was blamed for eight deaths across the US.
6. Leave Somalia or face all-out war, Ethiopia told
Ethiopia must withdraw its troops from Somalia immediately or face an all-out war that “no army” could resist, three senior Somali leaders warned on Wednesday.
7. Chilling portrait of the gunman emerges
The gunman who massacred 32 people at Virginia Tech university was identified on Tuesday as a student from South Korea and a troubled loner whose behavior had sometimes alarmed those around him.
8. MySpace party invite leads to ‘house rape’
A British teen whose parents were left with a £20 000 bill after a party advertised on the MySpace social networking website got out of control apologised to them on Friday.
9. South Africans come first in sex survey
I can’t get no satisfaction, complained rock legend Mick Jagger back in the swinging Sixties, in a hit song he co-wrote with Rolling Stones band member Keith Richards. Maybe the pair should have moved to Africa.
10. Baby rape: the family connection
Last year, the Human Sciences Research Council released a report stating that in three out of five child rapes, the mother is aware of the abuse. Every day an estimated 150 children are raped in South Africa — about 55 000 reported rapes a year.