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/ 14 January 2008
Lesser flamingos have started breeding on a specially constructed artificial island at the Kamfers Dam, the Northern Cape department of tourism, environment and conservation said on Monday. The birds at Kamfers Dam are of historic significance because it is only the sixth breeding locality in the world for the near-threatened species.
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/ 14 January 2008
Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern expressed ”great concern” over the economic and political crisis in Zimbabwe at the outset of a visit to South Africa on Monday.
”I would like to thank President [Thabo] Mbeki for his work as the SADC [Southern African Development Community] mediator in Zimbabwe,” Ahern said.
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/ 14 January 2008
The European Commission said on Monday it will propose tighter restrictions on biofuels next week amid mounting concerns that the energy source can cause unintended environmental and social problems. Biofuels are renewable and environmentally friendlier than fossils, but not completely clean.
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/ 14 January 2008
Russia announced on Monday it will not issue new entry visas to staff working in the British government’s cultural offices in two regions, sharpening a row that has soured already-poor relations. Russia ordered the British Council to halt work at the two regional offices from January 1 in a move both sides have linked to a diplomatic feud.
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/ 14 January 2008
Former Springbok coach Jake White and his World Cup-winning side have been named Newsmaker of the Year for 2007, the National Press Club said on Monday. ”This award is made on the grounds of impact, news value and media attention, both print and electronic,” the club’s chairperson, Patrick Hlahla, said.
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/ 14 January 2008
Tiger Brands began charging 40 cents more for a loaf of Albany bread on Monday, with Pioneer Foods and Premier Foods in the process of considering their increases. In response, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) suggested the increases were linked to last year’s bread price-fixing scandal.
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/ 14 January 2008
European Union competition regulators said on Monday they would launch two new antitrust probes against Microsoft, opening fresh fronts in their battle against the United States software giant’s dominant market power. The European Commission said one investigation targeted the interoperability of a broad range of software with rival products.
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/ 14 January 2008
South Africa’s embattled police force on Monday sought to reassure the crime-ridden country after a weekend that saw its police chief placed on extended leave in a widening corruption scandal. The South African Police Service was under intense public scrutiny before it was disclosed last week that Jackie Selebi would face charges of corruption and defeating the course of justice.
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/ 14 January 2008
Pakistani security forces killed 23 Taliban fighters and lost seven of their own men during clashes on Monday, according to an army officer, while a Taliban spokesperson said 17 troopers were captured. Residents in Mohmand said the army had opened up with artillery and helicopter gunships after the Taliban ambushed a paramilitary troop convoy.
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/ 14 January 2008
Several people have died while 70Â 000 others were displaced by floods in central Mozambique and the situation is expected to worsen till mid-February, the National Institute of Natural Disaster Management said on Monday.