America’s north-eastern states are on the brink of a declaration of environmental independence with the introduction of mandatory controls on greenhouse gas emissions of the kind rejected by the Bush administration. Nine states are expected to announce a plan next month to freeze carbon dioxide emissions from big power stations by 2009
Can the Brett Kebble era possibly be over? Just about everyone who has ever had anything to do with him doubts it. Kebble might have been knocked off his perch atop JCI — the venerable mining firm that he transformed into a motley collection of empowerment ventures — and he may have lost his corner offices at Randgold and Western Areas, but he will be back before long.
Out by Monrovia’s crumbling airport is a ramshackle settlement known by the Liberian people as Smell-no-taste. The older people still remember when United States soldiers were stationed there during World War II, tantalising hungry locals with the smell of their rations cooking. More than 50 years later, the people are still hungry and there is still no electricity, but there is a different smell in the air.
There was no word on Wednesday night on progress made at a tripartite alliance meeting held to discuss calls to drop corruption charges against former deputy president Jacob Zuma. The meeting was held at the ANC headquarters, Luthuli House, in Johannesburg.
President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela hit back vigorously at calls by an ally of President George Bush for his assassination by offering cheap petrol to the poor of the United States at a time of soaring fuel prices. In a typically robust response to remarks by the US televangelist Pat Robertson, Chávez compared his detractors to the ”rather mad dogs with rabies” from Cervantes’s Don Quixote.
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There was no word on Wednesday night on progress made at a tripartite alliance meeting held to discuss calls to drop corruption charges against former deputy president Jacob Zuma. ANC spokesperson Steyn Speed said at 7.30pm that he was not sure if the alliance members were still meeting.
New Zealand piled up a massive score of 397-5 in only 44 overs against a hapless Zimbabwe at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on Wednesday in the first of a series of one-day international matches that also involves India. Lou Vincent and Stephen Fleming figured in a record partnership of 204 for any Kiwis in this form of the game.
Famine is a threat in almost half of Chad because of destructively heavy rains after a long period of drought, a food security official at the health ministry, Tao Bouhouraye, said on Wednesday. ”We can’t speak of famine in Chad, but we can talk of a risk of famine in the Sahel zone and in the centre of the country, as well as … in the west,” he said.
The FNB Stadium might be the last place on the planet Kaizer Chiefs would like to be playing soccer following the uncontrolled vandalism of their supporters on Saturday night during and after the 2-1 SAA Supa8 defeat against Bloemfontein Celtic. But, like it or not, Amakhosi return to the scene of their shame on Thursday night.