Saudi Arabia moved quickly on Monday to reassure the world that the death of King Fahd would not bring turmoil or a sudden change of direction to the world’s largest oil exporter. Crown Prince Abdullah, who had been in day-to-day charge for almost a decade after a stroke incapacitated the king, was immediately declared monarch.
Thirty-six people were killed and around 300 injured after rioting broke out in Khartoum on Monday following the death of the former rebel leader John Garang, who had been sworn in as Sudan’s vice-president just three weeks ago. A dusk-to-dawn curfew has been imposed in the Sudanese capital in a bid to restore order.
Brazil and South Africa are the only two countries in the world that have any real market for half-tonne bakkies. The Brazilian-built Fiat Strada enjoys 25% of the light commercial vehicle market in its home country, and now that it’s arrived in South Africa it’ll probably have a huge impact on sales of General Motors’ Corsa utility and Ford’s Bantam.
Kawasaki’s set to bring an exciting new middleweight into South Africa in about two months time. The ER-6n is powered by a 650cc vertical twin engine — a configuration that was enormously popular in the mid twentieth century but has fallen out of favour these days. The bike’s styling is ultra-exotic, and with 72 horsepower (53 kW) on tap it should also be a lively performer.
Daihatsu’s YRV Turbo is a like a Tonka Toy on ecstasy. It looks like it should be parked in the kids’ playroom, yet delivers performance that should please anybody who enjoys brisk driving, especially along winding roads. The car’s power-to-weight ratio is formidable, thanks to its minimal 950 kg mass and a very lively turbocharged engine.
Are South Africa’s print media giants silencing independent local newspapers by offering drastically reduced advertising rates? Mbuyisi Mgibisa speaks to some disgruntled voices.
I strongly suggest that Andre Kriel and the South African Clothing and Textile Workers Union (Sactwu) stop being defensive and misleading the readers of your paper ("Clothing council is doing its job", July 15).
Millions of people along the coast of North Africa may be forced to migrate as climate change makes their livelihoods untenable, warns an Egyptian report. "There are signs that changes will be significant and possibly severe," says Mohamed El-Raey, professor of environmental physics at the University of Alexandria.
Climate change is likely to "activate" sand dunes across Southern Africa, with potentially disastrous consequences, report researchers in the journal Nature. As the Kalahari desert gets hotter and drier in the 21st century, dunes will become unstable and vegetation for grazing scarce.
Recently President Thabo Mbeki announced the appointment of a task force to push South Africa’s growth to 6%. He said he is considering importing skills, renewing focus on the labour market as a key constraint to achieving higher growth. However, it appears that the government has an inadequate grasp of exactly what skills it requires and where.