Police on Thursday stormed the biggest squat in France, evicting hundreds of West African families from a squalid, disused hall of residence at one of France’s elite universities. Up to 1 000 squatters, including 200 children, many from Côte d’Ivoire, Mali and Senegal, were crammed into 300 small rooms.
Newcastle boss Rob Andrew was on Friday named as England’s first director of elite rugby. The former England flyhalf was chosen over some high-profile candidates including England’s World Cup-winning coach Sir Clive Woodward. The position was created following the Rugby Football Union’s review of this year’s Six Nations where England finished a lowly fourth.
The Department of Home Affairs has come under fire after it deported 16 Burundian asylum seekers early on Wednesday this week, despite attempts by the individuals’ lawyers to obtain an urgent stay of deportation. According to Abeda Bhamjee, of the Wits Law Clinic, the department violated South African law in two ways.
The scrapping of old taxis will start in October, Minister of Transport Jeff Radebe announced on Friday. He said 115Â 000 or 98% of taxi operators have already applied for conversion of their permits into operating licences as part of the taxi recapitalisation programme.
The Sylheti community’s anger at the filming of Monica Ali’s novel Brick Lane echoes earlier clashes between art and religion, writes Maev Kennedy.
In a clear signal of its commitment to growing its business in Africa, the Coca-Cola Company is relocating its Africa group office from Windsor in the United Kingdom to Johannesburg, South Africa, beginning in January 2007, the company announced on Friday. The final move will be completed in June 2007.
South Africa’s President Thabo Mbeki cannot demand a new positive image of Africa while continuing to condone the flagrant abuse of office and squandering of public money that typifies so much of the continent, says official opposition Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon.
Kwaito artist Sgonondo released his new album, Amadragon, on Friday. The only problem is that he’s sitting in jail. The rapper, who hails from Zola township in Soweto, is serving a jail term at a Johannesburg prison and awaiting his parole from prison authorities.
The JSE lost 118 points by midday with resources leading the pack downhill, although some support was seen coming for bank and retail counters. By 12.07pm, the all-share index was down 0,55%, with banks the only shining light, up marginally by 0,07%. Financials were down 0,20% while resources lost 0,92%.
Accusations of racism turned a weekend at a Wild Coast resort into an angry tussle between the female manager and a guest, Dispatch Online reported on Friday. Now the guest and her party of 14 friends — all Indians — have been banned from the hotel for life.