The tents of thousands of pilgrims dot the hillside, the air is heavy with the scent of incense and the sounds of the church bell toll across the valley. This is the Armenian Christian pilgrimage marking the feast of the first-century missionary, St Thaddeus, deep in the north-western mountains of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
A Middle Eastern businessman spent over 000 in a five-hour, champagne- and vodka-fuelled spending spree in a London nightclub on the weekend. Fraser Donaldson, a representative of Crystal, a club favoured by Prince Harry, said in 20 years working in the industry it was the biggest bill he’d seen from one customer.
The South African world of letters and scholarship is in desperate need of colour. Black women and men are in short supply when it comes to imaginative writing and knowledge creation. Yet the publishing industry, we are told, is experiencing a revolution — a fiction boom to be specific. What exactly is the nature of this boom?
Click on image for full-size view.
Soshanguve serial rapist Simon Malatji was on Monday sentenced in the Pretoria High Court to life imprisonment and a further 307 years on various other counts. Judge Ronnie Bosielo sentenced Malatji (32) to life imprisonment for twice raping one of his victims and to a further 307 years’ imprisonment on 30 further counts. All sentences will run concurrently with the life sentence.
Al-Qaeda threatened in an internet statement on Monday to escalate attacks against the ”enemies of Allah” in North African countries, warning Muslims to stay away from government sites. ”The Mujahedin [holy warriors] … have many hidden surprises for the enemies of Allah in the countries of the Islamic Maghreb, which will come in an escalating sequence,” said al-Qaeda.
There is a rising tide of Zimbabwean immigrants crossing the border into South Africa, the Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Monday. DA home affairs spokesperson Mark Lowe said he and several other DA parliamentarians and local DA councillors had visited the Beitbridge border post and surrounding areas.
Former national cricketer Garth le Roux had acted openly and honestly in all the transactions over which he now faces fraud charges, his advocate told Cape Town’s Wynberg Regional Court on Monday. Le Roux and his accountant, Deon van Heerden, are seeking a discharge at the end of the state’s case on the 48 counts of fraud they both face.
State utility Transnet unveiled its new brand positioning and corporate-identity strategy in Johannesburg on Monday. Company group chief executive Maria Ramos told reporters that the company had come up with a new one-brand image with its different operations falling under it.
Alexander Vinokourov clinched his second victory of this year’s Tour de France with panache when he won the 196km 15th stage from Foix on Monday. The Astana rider, who lost all hope of winning the race when he cracked and crashed on Sunday’s 14th stage, went solo 15km from the summit of the Col de Peyresourde to beat Luxembourg’s Kim Kirchen.