There’s no better way to assess a vehicle’s qualities — its roadholding, fuel consumption, dynamic performance and comfort — than a long journey. And when Citroën delivered a new C4 Hdi to the Mail & Guardian, a quick 1 200km round trip to St Lucia did exactly this.
The decision of who should succeed President Thabo Mbeki as leader of the African National Congress in 2007 depends on the ”sense of comfort” among party members closer to the time, he told the South African Broadcasting Corporation on Sunday night.
United States President George Bush sounds a warning on Monday to those hoping for a significant deal on Africa and climate change at Wednesday’s G8 summit, making clear that when he arrives at Gleneagles he will dedicate his efforts to putting the US’s interests first.
The French build small cars that seem to expand into big ‘uns once you’re inside them, get around corners without wallowing, and don’t guzzle gas. Renault’s new Modus is just such an offering. The Modus is the first of a Renault range that will include the new Clio and the next-generation Twingo minicar.
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.
The West is not, out of altruism, going to reverse the system of trade that impoverishes Africa. It is Africa that must fight politically to force the change. Why hasn’t it been done before now? The answer is that African governments have, in the past, been short-sighted and self-centred to a degree that borders on stupidity.
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.