By publishing 16 essays on the works of the Indian diaspora by Indian and foreign critics, the editors of <i>Indias Abroad: The Diaspora Writes Back</i>, highlight the longing for the motherland by the dislocated Indian writers, writes Kalpana Rangan.
<b>NOT THE MOVIE OF THE WEEK:</b> <i>War of the Worlds</i>, is commended for sticking to something like HG Wells’s ending, though that’s about all the movie can be commended for, writes Shaun de Waal.
<b>CD OF THE WEEK:</b> To love <i>Extensions</i> you have to be into that overproduced Latin whispering, a sound that is pretty enough to sell expensive cars in commercials, writes Matthew Krouse.
South African Minister of Arts and Culture Pallo Jordan has commended the National Arts Festival for its celebration of excellence, writes Helmo Preuss.
Cuba on Friday braced for the arrival of an increasingly dangerous Hurricane Dennis after the storm dumped rain on Jamaica, while Florida authorities issued a state of emergency and ordered first evacuations. The storm looks set to hit the central part of the island with winds in excess of 215kph and pounding rain.
Oil prices swung sharply upward on Friday as traders shrugged off the shock of the London bomb blasts and focused on a drop in United States crude stocks and possible supply disruptions because of Hurricane Dennis. Light, sweet crude for August delivery was up 84 cents at ,57 a barrel by midday in Europe.
About 200Â 000 municipal workers will down tools next Tuesday during a one-day nationwide strike. The South African Municipal Workers’ Union and the Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union said on Friday they have arranged 60 marches in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and several small towns.
Eight South Africans suspected of involvement in a planned coup d’état in Equatorial Guinea had their trial set down on Friday for next year in the Pretoria Regional Court. During a brief appearance in the morning, their trial date was set for January 16 to February 3.
Africa expressed grief and shock on Thursday after a string of explosions in London killed at least 37 people, amid concerns that ending African poverty will take a back seat to security issues at the Group of Eight summit in Scotland. ”The world and all progressive humanity are with you,” said President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria.
Ethiopia’s main opposition party, the Coalition for National Unity (CUD), has pulled out of a joint team investigating alleged fraud in disputed parliamentary elections, officials said on Friday. The CUD complained of threats against its members in various parts of the country following post-election violence in which at least 37 people died last month.