Most Indian Ocean coral reefs which were hit by the December 2004 tsunami escaped serious damage, but their full recovery could be hampered by humans, the World Conservation Union warned on Wednesday. Most of the ocean’s tsunami-affected coral reefs could recover within five to ten years.
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A police commissioner who questioned former deputy president Jacob Zuma after he allegedly raped a woman was accused of lying in the Johannesburg High Court on Wednesday. Zuma’s lawyer Kemp J Kemp said it was ”highly improbable” that Commissioner Norman Taioe forgot to put in his statement that Zuma had shown him the guest bedroom at his house.
The Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) was firmer in noon trade on Wednesday, buoyed by futures-related buying ahead of Thursday’s closeout. By 11.49am, the all-share index added 0,73%. Resources rallied 1,23%, with the gold- and platinum-mining indices jumping 1,96% and 2,49% respectively.
American writer Dan Brown returned to the witness stand on Wednesday for a third day of questioning about the writing of his best-selling thriller The Da Vinci code. Brown has already been quizzed about everything from his wife’s handwriting to the word-processing program he uses.
Henkel, the German maker of Persil washing powder, said on Wednesday it was selling a stake in its South African unit to a group of black investors as part of a campaign to involve black South Africans ”more fully in their country’s economic activity”.
The United Nations Committee on Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) has urged the Botswana government to reopen negotiations with the San community, who are contesting their relocation from the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR). After meeting last week, the Geneva-based committee said it was oncerned.
In summer, in the mountains of southern France, storytellers accompany visitors on night-time walks, enthralling them with enchanting tales in magical surroundings. Storytelling is an age-old tradition in France with hundreds of professional storytellers, and thousands of amateurs, still captivating audiences around the country.
A fine of R2 000 for motorists throwing cigarette butts from their cars may soon be a reality in Cape Town, the Cape Times reported on Wednesday. A devastating fire season in the Cape Town area left a British tourist dead, several homes damaged and extensive tracts of fynbos destroyed.
The Ugandan authorities have shut down a radio station that allegedly aired a talk show critical of the country’s military and ruling party, media watchdog Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said on Wednesday. The New York-based CPJ said police shut Choice FM based in the northern town of Gulu on Monday after it aired the show in which an opposition politician criticised local civilian and military authorities for alleged corruption.
Darius Vassell knocked former club Aston Villa out of the FA Cup on Tuesday, scoring to lead Manchester City to a 2-1 victory in a fifth-round replay and into the quarterfinals. After Greek striker Georgios Samaras put City ahead, Vassell — who left Villa at the start of the season — made it 2-0 four minutes into the second half.