A major breakthrough in the fight against the HIV/Aids epidemic may be likely as research into a revolutionary new type of technology, known as microbicides, gains momentum. Professor Helen Rees of the Reproductive Health and HIV Research Unit at the University of the Witwatersrand said in a statement to the media that microbicides are crucial in reducing the spread of HIV/Aids.
The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) has turned down an invitation to be part of the South African delegation at next month’s special United Nations session on HIV/Aids. TAC general secretary Sipho Mthathi said the process of selecting and announcing the delegation had been unsatisfactory.
World oil prices reached new peaks on Thursday, above in London and in New York owing to low stocks of gasoline in the United States and tensions over Iran’s nuclear programme. In London, the price of Brent North Sea crude for June delivery struck a record high of ,22 per barrel. New York’s benchmark contract for light sweet crude for May delivery hit an all-time peak of ,49.
The situation in eastern Chad, a region plagued by rebel incursions and refugee crises, has taken a dramatic turn for the worse as a rebellion against President Idriss Déby Itno gathers force, aid workers say. Rebels from the United Front for Change (FUC) left their base in the east last week and three days later launched their biggest offensive yet on N’djamena.
South Africa has seen a ”phenomenal increase” in the number of asylum seekers in the past few years, the Department of Home Affairs said on Thursday. Although there are only 29 000 people with refugee status living in the country, there are 103 410 outstanding asylum applications.
Most new taxis did not fully comply with safety requirements published last year, Minister of Transport Jeff Radebe said on Thursday. However, most ”can be said to substantially meet the basic requirements”, he told an Eastern Cape transport conference in East London.
Sickness prevented Epainette Mbeki from travelling to Pretoria to receive the Order of the Baobab on Thursday, said the chancellor of the national orders, Frank Chikane. Mbeki was to have been conferred with the honour by her son, President Thabo Mbeki, for her ”exceptional contribution to the economic upliftment of the underprivileged communities of the Eastern Cape and her commitment to the fight against apartheid”.
Two pending United Nations decisions could shake up peace talks being held in Nigeria on the conflict in the strife-torn Sudanese region of Darfur. The United States has proposed UN sanctions against four Sudanese government officials while the UN wants to take over the African Union (AU) peacekeeping force in Darfur.
China carried out 80% of the world’s 2Â 148 known executions last year, while Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United States accounted for most of the rest, Amnesty International said on Thursday. The London-based human rights group said in a statement that these countries bucked a steady two-decade trend towards the abolition of the death penalty.
Super 14 rugby coaches will have their calculators out this weekend as the unbeaten Canterbury Crusaders head a congested pack of 12 teams still in with a chance of making the play-offs with four matches to play. In a battle of former All Black coaches, the Crusaders should be far too powerful for the winless Western Force in Perth.