The United States government came under scathing attack from senior members of the medical establishment on Sunday for blocking scientists from attending an international Aids conference that opened in Bangkok. The biennial conference bears huge significance for those involved in the fight against HIV/Aids.
Israel’s Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, said on Sunday that the World Court’s ruling against his country’s vast barrier through the West Bank encourages terrorists, shortly after a bomb at a Tel Aviv bus stop killed a young woman. Sharon said his government "totally rejects" Friday’s non-binding ruling by the International Court of Justice.
<li><a class=’standardtextsmall’ href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=118506">Court declares Israel barrier illegal</a>
I’m not an expert on sport. But being locked up in a foreign hotel room often makes you feel like you are. Sport, sport, sport, you realise, is all you are about to be served — unless you feel like following another aimless coming-of-age film on the movie channel, or submitting your soul to the suicidal power of various gospel choirs dotted around the southern hemisphere.
Trade union and management negotiators have deadlocked in two of South Africa’s critical industrial sectors as they grapple with the country’s shift into an era of single-digit inflation. "This is a huge paradigm change that South Africa has to move towards — an era of low inflation," said Michael Keenan, market analyst at Econometrix Treasury Management.
In November 2003 the Cabinet approved a national plan for HIV/ Aids prevention, care and treatment. The plan estimated that 53 000 people would be placed on anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment by the end of March this year. Eight months on, fewer than 10 000 people with HIV/Aids are receiving anti-retrovirals through the public health system.
"If you see a set of bright, shining lights at night, it’s not a vehicle but a giraffe that got stuck in a pothole in the middle of the road. So, watch out," Zambians used to joke about the state of their roads a few years ago. Zambia, however, is too poor to shoulder the burden of repairing their roads alone. For now then, the responsibility of doing repairs is falling on the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad).
British driver Jensen Button has told his BAR-Honda team that they need to make big strides if they want to keep up their bid to finish in the top three of the formula one world championship this season. Button — hunting for a maiden victory — finished fourth in the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on Sunday.
Paddlers taking part in the isuzu Berg River Canoe marathon face a potentially gruelling time as water levels are said to be ”bitterly low”. The usually reliable Cape weather has proved unkind for the second year running, failing to provide enough rainfall ahead of Wednesday morning’s scheduled start.
Sasol will become the new sponsor of Springbok rugby on completion of the Tri-Nations tournament. The sponsorship, which includes the Springbok Sevens, South African under-21 and South African ”A” teams, will kick in for the end-of-year tour to the United Kingdom, Ireland and Argentina.
A South African pensioner nicknamed Flying Phil became the world’s fastest 100-year-old at the weekend when he broke the record for centenarian sprinting. Philip Rabinowitz entered the Guinness Book of Records by clocking 30,86 seconds over 100m, demolishing the previous record of 36,19 seconds.