They eat well, live well and — so they would have us believe — make love pretty well, too. But the French have often been viewed by their neighbours with a disdain that occasionally borders on loathing. A new report on how France is perceived by other European countries may give even the most patriotic Frenchman pause for thought
Egyptian police have made a large number of arrests following a rise in street demonstrations and have used excessive force against protesters, a human rights group said on Monday. The report came as Egypt’s prime minister was visiting the United States to persuade Washington that Egypt is serious about political reform.
Newsweek‘s apology for its controversial Qur’an desecration story was greeted with scepticism and scorn both at home in the United States and across the Muslim world on Monday. Following criticisms on Monday from the White House and the US secretary of state, Newsweek made a full retraction of the story.
The United States administration turned a blind eye to extensive sanctions-busting in the pre-war sale of Iraqi oil, according to a new Senate investigation. A new report by a Senate committee presents evidence that the Bush administration was aware of illegal oil sales and kickbacks paid to Saddam Hussein, but did nothing to stop them.
Unrest spread across eastern Uzbekistan on Monday and fears grew of mass arrests as troops surrounded a border village and the state sought to stamp its authority on a region in revolt. The continuing tension came amid growing international outrage at the alleged massacre of up to 500 civilians on Friday.
Four of South Africa’s major clothing retailers — Foschini, Truworths, Woolworths and Edcon — have issued a statement citing their concerns over the state of the local clothing and textile manufacturing industry, but "unequivocally" rejecting calls by unions to sign a code committing them to prescribed local procurement targets.
The chief executive of world number-four gold-miner Gold Fields, Ian Cockerill, on Monday again urged Gold Fields shareholders to reject Harmony’s offer. Harmony’s offer to Gold Fields shareholders closes on Friday, and the offer has garnered 11,8% of Gold Fields’ securities in issue.
Vryburg Hoërskool made head–lines in the late 1990s when it became a symbol for a South African obsession: racism. Located in a predominantly conservative Afrikaner town in the North West province, the resistance by white parents to racial integration at the high school erupted into open conflict in 1998 when a group of black learners organised a protest march against the school’s management.
It was a long, hard battle for the majority of parents in South Africa to have the right to govern schools so plainly recognised. But with the state regularly challenging the limits of influence set out for it in law, the battle for parents to retain the recognition of this right may be equally long and hard.
There are two significant pillars of a school, beyond the fundamental triangle of teachers, pupils and parents, without which it cannot begin to build for the future. The first is the principal and the second the body of people that governs the school. The school governing body’s most significant role, is to select a principal who understands that education is about the future needs of children.