Who is Tony Blair? This may seem an odd question to ask about someone who has been a United Kingdom prime minister for eight years, but it remains the crucial dividing line of British politics as it enters the election campaign. To his critics on the left, Blair is a market fundamentalist with a coherent agenda to privatise as much as possible.
Transparency International and Transparency South Africa commissioned the Institute for Security Studies to put together the National Integrity Systems Country Study Report — South Africa 2005. The study’s value lies in the fact that it goes beyond measuring "perceptions" of corruption and provides an in-depth assessment of the various "pillars" of the South African National Integrity Systems.
With many South Africans facing the difficulty of having to commute every day using public transport or taxis, a local motor manufacturer has come up with an innovative plan to make it possible for low-income earners to have their own wheels. Honda South Africa and Sondombili Solutions have introduced the Honda Cub scooter, which is renowned for its low fuel consumption and its reliable design.
World number six gold miner Harmony Gold on Tuesday fell to its lowest level since September 2001 because of the continued strike at most of the group’s Free State gold mines and the group’s continued quarterly losses. By 11.15am, Harmony’s stock on the JSE Securities Exchange South Africa was quoted at R47,20, down 30c or 0,6% from its previous close.
If you own an elephant and don’t know how to keep it happy, you could learn a few lessons from Parbati Barua, Asia’s only female mahout (elephant handler).
Did you know that elephants have a ”sour tooth”, with a particular liking for tamarind? Or that they enjoy a daily, hour-long massage, preferably in a circular motion with a pumice stone?
It is good to hear a wise and sensitive voice on immigration controls. Mamphela Ramphele — former vice-chancellor of the University of Cape Town, former MD of the World Bank — is studying the management of migration trends as co-chairperson of the United Nations Commission on Migration. She brings a breath of fresh air to the challenges that migration poses.
About three million children are likely to die from malaria in Africa this year, despite the fact that simple mosquito nets draped over their beds could offer effective protection against the deadly disease. A mosquito net costs only , but a family which has practically no income cannot afford even this amount of money according to internationally renowned US economist Jeffrey Sachs.
An uninhabited Pacific reef 1Â 600km due south of Tokyo makes an unlikely battlefield. But wars have been fought over less. And Okinotori Shima, as this hazard to shipping is known, is rapidly becoming a focal point of rising tension between China and Japan. Only two small outcrops of the reef, sovereign Japanese territory that is administratively part of Tokyo, remain above water at high tide.
Mahendra Dhoni’s confident century on Tuesday fashioned India’s 58-run victory over Pakistan in the second limited-overs international. Dhoni, playing only his fifth one-dayer, punished the Pakistan attack for a 123-ball 148, his maiden one-day century, and boosted India to 356 for nine in 50 overs — its highest total against Pakistan.
President Thabo Mbeki has cancelled all his engagements for Tuesday to see the Côte d’Ivoire peace talks in Pretoria to their conclusion. The discussions, which started on Sunday, involve the government, rebel and political leaders of Côte d’Ivoire, and Mbeki as African Union-appointed mediator.