Last weekend’s satellite television weekend was, to put it mildly, a disgrace. MultiChoice, the South African satellite signal distributor of satellite television programmes, is preparing for the launch of another of DStv’s famous ”bouquets”. In order to prepare the older decoders of many of MultiChoice’s existing customers, certain remote electronic re-jigging was necessary.
Indian-born steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal boosted his fortune faster than anyone in the world over the past year to become the third richest person in the world, Forbes Magazine said on Thursday. London-based Mittal, who built one of the world’s biggest steel empires, has a net worth of -billion, trailing only Microsoft chief Bill Gates (,5-billion).
Botswana has started providing anti-retroviral drugs to soldiers in an effort to mitigate the impact of HIV/Aids on its armed forces. The programme, described as "a key watershed in safeguarding the security of the nation", is expected to target an estimated 5 000 infected soldiers and their dependents.
African ICT market analysts BMI-TechKnowledge has released the results from their latest research, entitled Top 350 Telecoms Spenders. The report shows that close to 50% of the 350 indicated they would consider switching some of their telecoms business to the second national operator should the service offerings be competitive.
An agreement was reached between the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) and the Musina local municipality in the Pretoria High Court on Friday for Cosatu to increase the number of picketers on the Zimbabwe border to 500. The other limitations imposed by the municipality still stand, the court ruled.
Action by Churches Together appealed this week for more than ,2-million to fund projects aimed at alleviating food and water shortages in Eritrea, caused by four years of drought. Scarce rainfall has resulted in another poor harvest, and food reserves have been depleted and the coping mechanisms of the population are stretched to the limit, said a statement.
The United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, launched a fierce attack on Britain and the United States on Thursday for weakening human rights in the name of the war on terror. ”We cannot compromise on core values,” he said in Madrid on the first anniversary of the train bombings that killed 191 people in the Spanish capital.
Certain limitations on a Congress of South African Trade Union picket on the Zimbabwe border were arbitrary and unreasonable, Cosatu argued in papers before the Pretoria High Court on Friday. Cosatu is bringing an urgent application to contest an official decision to limit the number of picketers to 200.
In 1919, the Chicago White Sox contrived to deliberately lose the baseball World Series, producing a gambling scandal of epic proportions and one of the most enduring lines about America’s favourite sport: ”Say it ain’t so, Joe.” The lament, was back in circulation this week as the world of professional baseball confronted its latest demon: the use of illegal, performance-enhancing drugs.
Eritrea on Friday strongly denied allegations it is massing troops along its border with Sudan, rejecting as ”groundless” reported statements to that effect made by a Sudanese official. ”It’s a groundless accusation, a total fabrication,” said Yemane Gebremeskel, director of Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki’s office.