Governor of the South African Reserve Bank Tito Mboweni said on Wednesday evening that South Africa is facing a critical shortage of specialist skills in a number of fields, most especially in the important financial and economic field. However, he added it is pleasing to see some institutions were getting involved to help develop the skills base.
Virgin America got an early taste of the challenges facing the United States aviation industry on Thursday as a thunderstorm wreaked havoc at New York’s congested airports, delaying the carrier’s inaugural flight. The new domestic carrier’s first service was due to take off from Kennedy airport at 9.59am — but flight VX1 to San Francisco finally lifted off shortly before 11am.
New Zealand Test captain Stephen Fleming has been left out of the Kiwi squad for next month’s inaugural Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa after the selectors confirmed Daniel Vettori as the new skipper. Vettori was the obvious choice to succeed Fleming as skipper after he quit the one-day captaincy following this year’s World Cup in the Caribbean.
United States space shuttle Endeavour was blasting through space on Thursday, taking the first teacher there 21 years after the Challenger explosion ended the dream of another pioneering teacher. Teacher-turned-astronaut Barbara Morgan (55) has become the star of the second shuttle mission to the International Space Station this year.
Record high oil prices have so far had a muted effect on sub-Saharan Africa, with exporters reaping rewards and importers less badly hit than many had feared. A combination of demand, refinery bottlenecks and political fears drove crude oil to a record high of more than ,50 last week. While the poorest are paying the price, the impact has not been the disaster some forecast.
Nigerian ransom-seekers kidnapped the 11-year-old son of a state legislator in the southern oil-producing Niger Delta, the third child abduction in just over a month, authorities said on Wednesday. Kidnappings for money have become increasingly common in the delta, although children were rarely targeted until recent weeks.
Beijing Olympic organisers said on Thursday they were confident that athletes would compete in clean air next year despite revelations that events could be postponed because of pollution. ”We are well aware of the challenges but we are confident that air quality will be good for the Olympics,” Beijing Olympic organising committee spokesperson Sun Weide said.
Embattled Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf was set to decide on Thursday whether to impose emergency rule due to ”external and internal threats”, a government spokesperson said. Official sources said late on Wednesday they believed that a proclamation of a state of emergency was likely following a meeting later on Thursday at the president’s camp outside Islamabad.
President Hugo Chávez has launched an intensive tour of South America to shore up Venezuela’s influence over the region and to loosen the grip of Western creditors. The socialist leader promised to buy up to -billion of Argentinian bonds and to help fund a -million gas plant, bolstering his reputation as a benefactor of Buenos Aires’s economic recovery.
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Gordon Igesund says he is not surprised to hear the baying of wolves at his door after the Premier Soccer League (PSL) champions’ 4-0 defeat against SC Sfaxien in Caf’s Confederation Cup encounter in Tunisia last weekend. ”It’s all part of the game,” said the coach with the Midas touch, who holds the record of guiding four different clubs to the PSL title.