Japanese company Bridgestone will exclusively supply tyres for the Formula One world championship from 2008 to 2010, world motor sport’s governing body the FIA said on Wednesday. Bridgestone had been the favourites to win the deal since French tyre manufacturer Michelin refused to participate after FIA asked for offers.
Australia’s Robbie McEwen of Davitamon won the fourth stage of the Tour de France, held over 207km between Huy in Belgium and Saint Quentin, France, on Wednesday. Belgian Tom Boonen of Quick Step retained the race-leader’s yellow jersey ahead of Thursday’s 225km stage from Beauvais to Caen.
The South African Trade and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu) will investigate the leaking of a memo on its R3-million debt, believing this is linked to its forthcoming elections, Satawu said on Wednesday. ”We have no doubt that this memo was leaked deliberately,” a statement from the union read. ”It was never intended for media or even public consumption.”
A barrage of criticism burst forth after the South African Broadcasting Corporation was accused of operating a politically motivated ”blacklist” to exclude controversial commentators. But there’s a need to get beyond knee-jerk responses and still-to-be-tested allegations.
In just three years, Johannesburg’s shiny Nelson Mandela Bridge has gone from being a symbol of the city’s upliftment to a vandalised, shabby hangout for criminals. ”It’s no longer heavenly and the essence of it is no longer so. It’s sad,” said Penelope Motubatse, who uses the bridge almost every day.
Large tracts of India’s western financial hub of Mumbai were under water on Wednesday as the weather bureau warned further heavy rains were on the way and the death toll from the monsoon deluge rose to nine. The deaths brought to at least 234 the number who have been killed across India since the arrival of the monsoon in May.
The ”recklessness” with which some South African lose their identity documents (IDs) is a concern, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Malusi Gigaba said on Wednesday. ”Some people in South Africa have been applying for an ID five times a year,” Gigaba said.
Former Enron chairperson and chief executive Kenneth Lay, awaiting sentencing after being convicted of fraud and conspiracy charges, has died, United States media reported on Wednesday. ”Ken Lay passed away early this morning in Aspen,” said a family statement read out on CNN.
The Department of Justice and Constitutional Affairs has budgeted R1-billion to update its management of money in trust programme (MMIT), its chief operations officer Khotso De Wee said on Wednesday. His remarks come after Auditor General Shauket Fakie tabled a report in Parliament on Tuesday identifying serious financial and administrative inefficiencies in the MMIT.
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) on Wednesday condemned the proposed Western Cape fuel tax of between 10c and 50c a litre in addition to the current national levy. ”The effect of such a levy would be to move the greatest burden of this special tax onto the poor people,” Cosatu said in a statement.