Hard on the heels of its recent decision that women who wear tight jeans cannot be raped (because the difficulty involved in removing them suggests compliance), the Italian Supreme Court has come up with yet another legal wowser. From now on, it will be against the law for couples in Italy to make love in […]

The David Gleason Column For many of South Africa’s larger companies the imperative to become globally competitive is compelling. There they are, rushing to establish themselves abroad, confident they can compete on equal terms with the world’s best. Well, maybe they can but they still need to be certain they are keeping clean yards back […]

Ferial Haffajee CAPE TOWN: THE MAKING OF A CITY by Nigel Worden, Elizabeth van Heyningen and Vivian Bickford-Smith (David Philip) This is the history book I wish we had had at high school instead of the stiff set work that was so historically incorrect that it was laughable even to us teenagers. Cape Town, according […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, London | Friday 6.00pm. The International Rugby Board (IRB) on Friday said it will adopt disciplinary procedures from the Super 12 and Tri-Nations after the World Cup in October. This will be part of a major rewrite of the game’s regulations that be implemented when the world championships end in November – even […]

WEDNESDAY, 3.30PM: SOUTH Africa is to be the only African member of a new grouping of nations — the G-22 — established in the United States last week, according to Finance Minister Trevor Manuel. The grouping, established by the US Federal Reserve, consists of the G-10 (most powerful economies) and 12 other economically important countries. […]

THE South African Broadcasting Corporation on Wednesday said it will not be re-hiring Special Assignment presenter Max du Preez despite the public support the renowned journalist enjoys, and a possibility of legal action against the corporation. TV news head Phil Molefe told du Preez on Wednesday that the decision to drop his contract remains unchanged. […]

ANGLO American Platinum Corp (Amplats) said late on Wednesday that strike action at its Rustenburg and Union sections will have no immediate impact on its output. Amplats, the world’s biggest platinum producer, said some 18000 workers were affected by the strike action at the two operations which account for some 40% of the company’s platinum […]

THE Swaziland Electricity Board plans to cut ties with South African power supplier Eskom once the 400kv power line to Mozambique is complete. SEB has been importing additional electric power from ESCOM The Swaziland Environmental Authority Action Plan revealed that SEB is making arrangements to purchase electric power from Mozambique because hydro-power prices are lower […]

THE Health Department said on Thursday that there is no proof that the drug AZT could prevent the transmission of HIV to rape victims. The department said in a statement it has done an extensive survey of all published scientific data on the relationship between rape, HIV, and AZT. “We have not come across a […]

SABC TV news on Wednesday night reported that one of the suspects beaten by police in January, in front of BBC cameras, later died in hospital. The cause of his death has not yet been determined, but the incident is being investigated by the Independent Complaints Directorate.