The Simpsons are a famously dysfunctional family from small-town America, but suddenly they have all learned Arabic and started talking like Egyptians, reports Brian Whitaker.
Wataru Tsurumi sparked outrage more than a decade ago with his handbook on how to commit suicide. Now, he says, Japan is finally addressing an issue it long turned a blind eye to. The Complete Manual of Suicide, which was published in 1993 and has sold more than a million copies, has created the momentum for the start of public discussions on the issue, he said.
The Politburo Sessions launches its first compilation disc entitled 50funkYears! A Soundtrek this weekend. Kwanele Sosibo talks to the crew about the collection and questions the relevancy of the sessions.
She was famous for her collection of 3 000 pairs of shoes, love of the high life and marriage to one of the world’s most reviled dictators. Now the life of the Philippines’ former first lady Imelda Marcos is being turned into a musical, reports Peter Richards.
Violence will not stop the minibus taxi recapitalisation programme, the Department of Transport said on Thursday. ”No amount of threats and thuggery by a tiny group will influence our determination to proceed with the implementation of our policies and programmes,” spokesperson Collen Msibi said in a statement on Thursday.
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French football icon Zinedine Zidane on Wednesday said he was sorry for headbutting an Italian opponent during the World Cup final against Italy. But he said in a French television interview that defender Marco Materazzi had deserved it for insulting him with some ”very hard words” aimed at sullying his mother and sister.
Jewish bodies on Thursday hit back at the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) following its call for boycotts against Israel. The union federation also denounced Israel’s military incursions into Gaza. Israeli jets bombed the Palestinian foreign ministry in Gaza and Beirut’s international airport on Thursday.
The European Commission slapped Microsoft on Wednesday with a new fine of €280,5-million for failing to fully respect a 2004 antitrust ruling, but the software giant vowed to appeal. Raising the pressure on Microsoft, the European Union competition watchdog also threatened additional fines of €3-million ($3,82-million) a day from the end of the month if the company continued to defy the ruling.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Wednesday blamed Lebanon for the capture of two soldiers by the Hezbollah militia, branding the attack an "act of war" and threatening a "painful" response. He ruled out any negotiations with Hezbollah in a bid to free the servicemen, snatched on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon.