Two weeks ago, South Africa witnessed one of the worst cold fronts in a while. Fortunately, it was an unforeseen and temporary inconvenience. It is easy to forget about the mild winters currently forecast by the weather bureau. Weather remains the only unpredictable phenomenon about which we cannot do much.
Jack Kevorkian, the assisted suicide advocate known as ”Dr Death,” steps out of prison on Friday and back into the debate over whether the terminally ill have a right to end their lives with medical aid. Kevorkian (79) is scheduled to be released from a prison in Coldwater, Michigan, after serving eight years for murder.
Despite pressure for Sudan to accept a force of 23 000 troops and police, a African Union committee has not approved plans sent by the United Nations. Sudan has been sent an copy of details drawn up recently but a submission cannot happen until the AU’s Peace and Security Committee gives its consent.
A police officer and two alleged car thieves were wounded in a shoot-out on the M1 highway in Newtown in Johannesburg on Thursday night, said paramedics. The southbound M1 was closed from the Smit street off-ramp after the 9pm shooting, said ER24 spokesperson Werner Vermaak.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair was to hold talks with South African President Thabo Mbeki on Friday on the last day of his farewell African tour, with Zimbabwe likely to figure on the agenda. Blair was due to receive an state welcome at the Union Buildings in Pretoria before heading for discussions with the president.
Motorists were asked to avoid the Johannesburg inner city on Friday, as a protest march by striking public servants was expected to block the streets. The march was expected to start at about 11am from the Educon building in De Korte Street, and proceed to the premier’s office at the corner of Simmonds and Fox Streets.
Britain is considering a direct approach to Iran for help in discovering the whereabouts of four British security guards and a financial consultant abducted in Iraq and who was responsible for seizing them. The issue was raised on Thursday at a meeting of Cobra, Whitehall’s emergency committee.
Concerns about Google’s dominance in online advertising have prompted the United States Federal Trade Commission to investigate its $3,1-billion takeover of internet marketing company DoubleClick. The purchase of DoubleClick, announced last month, is intended to give Google enhanced software and stronger relationships with agencies.
The ANC discussion document titled <i>Economic Transformation for a National Democratic Society</i> captures important shifts initiated by the government in recent years. It rejects market fundamentalism, supports a developmental state, endorses the major public sector-led infrastructure investment programme and affirms the need for state-led industrial policy, writes Jeremy Cronin.
To fence, or not to fence: this debate has been under way for a decade, concerning Kenya’s oldest national park, located just 20 minutes from the centre of the capital, Nairobi. With urban development edging closer to the park, however, a decision one way or the other has become a matter of urgency.