United States President George Bush on Wednesday chose one of the most controversial figures in his administration, the Pentagon’s chief ideological proponent of the Iraq war Paul Wolfowitz, to head the World Bank. Bush tried to beat back some of the criticism on Wednesday, telephoning world leaders to lobby for his choice.
The fabled Milan opera house, La Scala, was on Wednesday night in turmoil after its musicians and other employees voted overwhelmingly for the resignation of its musical director, Riccardo Muti, and the entire governing board. In a day of operatic drama, rumours swept Milan that 64-year-old Muti had agreed to go. But they were denied by theatre officials.
Nearly 7Â 000 drivers, mainly foreign diplomats and French officials including top civil servants and senior policemen, escaped fines after being caught by France’s new automatic speed traps last year. The satirical weekly Le Canard Enchainé, citing a leaked interior ministry document, said the diplomatic corps was clocked over the speed limit 2Â 590 times.
The African National Congress is presenting a unified front on the March 31 elections in Zimbabwe, but behind the scenes there is increasing debate in the ruling party about how to deal with the political and economic crisis north of the Limpopo. Many in the ANC are increasingly uncomfortable with the approach of the government and the party.
Putting women at the forefront of scientific research has been one of the greatest challenges of the National Research Foundation (NRF). The object of the NRF is to support and promote research through funding, human resource development and the provision of research facilities, in order to facilitate the creation of knowledge, innovation and development in all fields of science and technology.
The truth is out at last. Those most affected by that truth cannot read this editorial, but there is at least reason to believe officialdom is about to act on the national emergency of adult illiteracy. The 11th year of our democracy is late in the day for the national government to have noticed that about 40% of South African adults — eight million to 10-million people — cannot read or write, and so face bleak futures.
The formula that rocked the world is 100 years old this year. In 1905 Albert Einstein’s special theory of relativity was published and his equation which represented energy being equal to mass multiplied by the square of the speed of light – E=mc2 – went on to revolutionise modern physics. To mark the occasion, this year has been declared World Year of Physics.
With 2005 being World Year of Physics, this particular field of science is being celebrated in style by some international physicists of note at this year’s Sasol SciFest. Among them are Professor Neil Turok, Wendy Sadler and Dr Tanya Lake.
Professor Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan is a cool mom. She knows more than most people on the planet do about dinosaurs. And that pleases her two sons, aged six and eight tremendously, because having a palaeobiologist handy whenever you need one to settle an argument over just how big Tyrannosaurus rex really was is always a good thing!
Each year Sasol SciFest focuses on an endangered animal and its ecological footprint or spoor. This year the spotlight falls on the African elephant, SciFest’s official Spoor of the Year. It has become the powerful symbol of a continent, a true flagship species that seems to encapsulate the energy of Africa’s natural landscape and its raw, unbridled beauty.