The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) on Wednesday denied assertions that it had blacklisted commentators on the Middle East. This was after the South African Jewish Board of Deputies met the broadcaster to discuss their concerns of a perceived anti-Semitic bias on the part of SABC.
The Department of Minerals and Energy Affairs would not intervene in the strike by fuel production workers, but would monitor developments and supply levels, a spokesperson said on Wednesday. ”Although we have a concern, this is basically an employer issue and we do not really have a mandate [to intervene], said Sputnik Ratau.
Michael Phelps grabbed the spotlight at the United States swimming nationals on Wednesday, scooping a pair of titles while narrowly missing out on a world record in the 200m backstroke in Indianapolis. Phelps, who set himself an ambitious 10-event programme, got the meet off to a quiet start on Tuesday failing to qualify for the final of the 200m breaststroke.
South Africa’s rand steadied against the dollar on Thursday but traders said volatility is likely to persist due to uncertainties in global financial markets. At 6.30am GMT, the rand stood at 7,11 to the dollar at 6.30am GMT, not far off its New York close of 7,10 on Wednesday.
Unesco called on Wednesday on the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to urgently stop the slaughter of mountain gorillas in a national park where four were found killed last month. Unesco said that another female gorilla and her young were also reported missing and that seven gorillas had now been shot in the Virunga National Park.
A bridge over the Mississippi, linking Minneapolis and St Paul, collapsed on Wednesday night during evening rush-hour traffic, sending cars and trucks plunging into the river. The entire span of the bridge, a major link between the two cities, fell apart in sections like an accordion, according to one witness.
No price was too high to allow Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe to step down, Mail & Guardian publisher Trevor Ncube said in Johannesburg on Wednesday. ”If that means giving Robert Mugabe immunity from prosecution, let that be done,” he told a public debate on leadership in Zimbabwe.
Decorum was abandoned as accusations ricocheted between the wood-panelled walls of Pakistan’s national assembly on Monday night. "Murderers! Murderers of innocent people!" screamed an MP from a religious party, his yellow turban shaking as he wagged a finger towards the government benches.
It is my opinion that the great majority of the members of the SAP [South African Police] and SADF [South African Defence Force] were honorable, dedicated and trustworthy people and were equally uninformed about extra-legal murders, assassinations, et cetera, says former president FW de Klerk.
A situation out of sync could be remedied this week with the formal launch of the Press Council on Friday. The new body is intended to beef up the role of the press ombudsman — a one-person operation that has dealt with public complaints about newspapers over the past 10 years.