United States President George Bush’s speech marking the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina was interrupted for CNN viewers when one of the network’s presenters forgot a cardinal rule of broadcast journalism — turn your microphone off when you go to the toilet.
Israel faced a stinging rebuke from the United Nations on Wednesday when the world body’s humanitarian chief expressed shock at the ”completely immoral” use of cluster bombs in Lebanon and Kofi Annan called for a rapid end to the conflict in Gaza. Jan Egeland said civilians were facing ”massive problems” returning home because of as many as 100 000 unexploded cluster bombs, most of which were dropped in the last days of the war.
On the face of it, the rights and wrongs in the crisis over Iran’s uranium enrichment programme are easy to discern: the Islamic republic conducted a clandestine nuclear programme for 20 years. When details finally emerged, and inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency began, it failed fully to satisfy investigators that its activities were peaceful in nature.
Eastern Cape-based <i>The Herald</i> newspaper dominated the Vodacom Journalist of the Year Regional Awards, walking away with five accolades. Francois Rank, Nicky Blatch and Roux Van Zyl won in the Print News, Print Feature and Financial/economic categories with
The Gauteng provincial government has welcomed the ruling of the Pretoria High Court on Wednesday in favour of the Gautrain rapid-rail link. Construction is due to begin in September. The urgent application by the Muckleneuk/Lukasrand Property Owners and Residents Association was dismissed with costs being awarded to the applicant.
It wasn’t just the inhabitants of the United States’s Gulf coast who were stunned by Hurricane Katrina a year ago. It was the whole American nation and the entire watching world. The death, destruction and displacement caused by the worst natural disaster in US history swept away homes, wrecked the unique city of New Orleans and laid siege to the American dream itself.
At the launch of the new South African Airways (SAA) credit card, CEO Khaya Ngqula was heard to say that parents tend to neglect good children because the bad ones demand their attention. ”We are focusing very much on one of SAA’s good children,” said Ngqula. Ja, well, no fine. If anyone can figure out what Oom Khaya was on about please let Lemmer know.
The United States government has been accused of trying to undermine the Hugo Chávez government in Venezuela by funding anonymous groups via its main international aid agency. Millions of dollars have been provided in a “pro-democracy programme” that Chávez supporters claim is a covert attempt to bankroll an opposition to defeat the government.
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Zimbabwe’s rights record was under the spotlight on Wednesday with critics blasting a proposed surveillance Bill and the failure to resettle hundreds of thousands whose homes were razed last year. In a further blow, the economically ravaged country’s once-vibrant tobacco sector hit a new low on the last day of the auction season with sales expected to plummet 31%.