The Department of Trade and Industry’s black economic empowerment codes of good practice on ownership and management last week became as mysterious as the Da Vinci codes. And this is quite apart from the bramble of legalese in which their inner message is contained.
Last week’s SACP-Cosatu–inspired rolling mass action has been an interesting thing to observe, to say the least.The idea had been to bring the central business district of Johannesburg, if not the country itself, to its knees. ”No more job losses,” the placards read. ”No more racism in the workplace.” ”Deflate the currency strong Rand means less jobs.”
Single stock futures are steadily overtaking warrants as the drug of choice for those in search of investment thrills. Stories abound of individuals making profits of 50% or even 100% on single stock futures over two or three days, but less well told are the stories of investors nursing monstrous losses over a similar time frame.
The Bush administration’s policies on indefinite detention and ”extraordinary rendition” are coming under fire from a number of institutions, including the United Nations, Amnesty International, and members of the United States Congress itself. ”The prohibition of torture is non-negotiable,” said UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.
Asma (16) and her younger brother, Ahmad, were collecting laundry from the roof of their home in the south of the Gaza Strip in May last year when they were felled by an Israeli army sniper. Neither child was armed or threatening the soldier, who fired unseen through a hole punched in the wall of a neighbouring block of flats. The army said the two were blown up by a Palestinian bomb planted to kill soldiers.
Click on image for full-size view.
The African National Congress’ national general council meeting ended in Pretoria on Sunday with the party reaffirming its support for axed deputy president Jacob Zuma. ANC secretary general Kgalema Motlanthe told journalists the party was working on the principle of innocent until proven guilty.
Australian outside centre Stirling Mortlock is in considerable doubt for Saturday’s Test match against South Africa in Sydney because of a hamstring injury. Australian coach Eddie Jones said on Sunday that Mortlock has less than a 50% chance of playing in the Mandela Cup match after straining his hamstring in Australia’s 37-31 win on Saturday over France in Brisbane.
Roger Federer strengthened his claim to greatness on Sunday, winning his third consecutive Wimbledon title by beating Andy Roddick 6-2, 7-6 (2), 6-4. With an impeccable performance, even by his high standards, the top-ranked Federer became the third man since 1936 to win three straight Wimbledon crowns, joining seven-time champion Pete Sampras and five-time winner Bjorn Borg.
A man died while being taken to hospital following a hijacking in Greenside on Saturday night, Johannesburg police said on Sunday. One attacker involved in the hijacking died in an accident in the victim’s vehicle. The second attacker was injured in the crash, said Superintendent Chris Wilken.