It is a guilt trip inflicted on most children who leave sprouts or cabbage on their plates. ”Eat up,” their mothers chide. ”Think of those starving children in Africa who don’t have such luxuries.” A few grimacing mouthfuls later, the plate is empty. Adults will be reminded of their youth when they step into a Nigerian restaurant in east London.
”Over the past 34 years, I have been arrested 126 times while carrying out my profession as a journalist. Physical and mental torture, death threats, the ransacking of my newsroom and so forth have often been my daily lot in a situation where repression and corruption, even within the press, have become the norm,” writes Cameroonian journalist Pius Njawe.
The World Bank, a leader in the global effort to control malaria, has been accused of deception and medical malpractice by a group of public health doctors for failing to carry out its funding promises and wrongly claiming its programmes have been successful in cutting the death toll from the disease.
Something refreshingly old-fashioned has taken place in the Himalayan kingdom of Nepal: a genuine revolution. From April 6 (until Monday, when King Gyanendra finally gave in to the people’s demands), Nepal was paralysed by a general strike called by the political parties and backed by Maoist guerrillas.
Iraq’s new Prime Minister, Jawad al-Maliki, is not a household name in his country, but that may work in his favour as he embarks on the task of forming a government of national unity that will satisfy the main Shia, Sunni and Kurdish communities, analysts said recently.
The second Castle Lager Test between South Africa and New Zealand ended in a tame draw on Monday afternoon. When the umpires offered the batsmen the light just after 4pm, New Zealand had 121 for three in their second innings, for an overall lead of 202 runs. New Zealand dismissed South Africa for 512 shortly after lunch.
A boxy little car with 110 horsepower under the bonnet and a badge with the suffix GTI — viewed with hindsight, it doesn’t sound very special. Thirty years ago, this combination was enough to launch a whole raft of nimble, sporting saloons; indeed, it heralded a completely new class of car — the hot hatchback.
A new lane will be added to the N1 freeway between the Allendale and Buccleuch interchanges to alleviate congestion, the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) said recently. ”As of October 2 there will be a full additional lane between the two interchanges open to all road users in congested periods,” said Sanral project manager Alex van Niekerk.
The BMW Z4 coupé is available from this month at European dealers just a year after the first design study was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Prices start at â,¬38Â 900 (about R335Â 000) and are between â,¬1Â 500 and â,¬2Â 000 cheaper than the convertible, depending on the engine size.
The correct use of a car’s air-conditioning system, including switching the unit off completely when it is not needed, can save fuel, experts at the TUV Nord testing centre in Hanover point out. When the car interior heats up after the vehicle has been standing in the sun for a long period, it is far more effective to open all the doors and the tailgate first before switching on the air conditioning.