Angry staff at the University of KwaZulu-Natal are squaring up against management over the "unsuccessful" amalgamation of the former universities of Natal (UN) and Durban-Westville (UDW). They say that six months after the merger took effect, they are still working under two different and unequal sets of employment conditions — with former UN staff favoured over the UDW cohort.
Two Pacific island countries have become the global centre of the Internet porn industry, according to a report. The report, by United States-based consultants Secure Computing, said Niue and Tonga provide addresses for almost as many pornographic web pages as the whole of Asia and Latin America. It alleges that Niue hosts 2,9-million pornographic pages.
Ever wondered how often you narrowly miss bumping into a friend in the street or whether anyone you know is in the same cinema, park or airport as you? Finding out could soon be as simple as looking at the screen of your cellphone thanks to Socialight, a phone-based social networking service. Once you’ve downloaded a small program, Socialight turns your cellphone into a ”friend radar”.
The killing of a 19-year-old boy in Phoenix, Durban, two weeks ago by city council security guards has again cast a spotlight on the measures state authorities use against impoverished communities in protest. Marcel King was shot dead by a member of a security company hired by the Durban council to disconnect electricity that had apparently been illegally reconnected in the Durban suburb.
NOT THE MOVIE OF THE WEEK: <i>Spider-Man II</i> barely improves upon its disappointing and restrained predecessor. But at least he has an impressive opponent this time round in the form of Dr Octopus, writes Shaun de Waal.
Justice Minister Brigitte Mabandla has appointed a committee of inquiry to probe the country’s liquidation industry, it was announced on Friday. This follows allegations of fraud and illegal practices in the multi-billion rand industry. Mabandla said the committee would be appointed as soon as possible and would report back to her within three months.
When Afghan police burst into the large suburban house in Kabul, they were not expecting to see three men strapped to the ceiling and hanging by their feet. This was supposedly an import business, after all. But as they released the men, and five other captives who were also in the house, officers realised they had stumbled upon a private jail where Afghan prisoners were being locked up and tortured.
A United States Senate report due to be published on Friday will blame the CIA for the Bush administration’s unfounded claims about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction, and will not address White House responsibility for the debacle. The report will admonish the outgoing director, George Tenet, and CIA analysts who, one Republican senator claimed, had made ”wholesale mistakes” in their collection and processing of intelligence.
The African Union on Thursday committed itself to international military intervention in the Darfur crisis, setting it in direct confrontation with the Sudanese government. The AU, a pan-continental body, is to send a 300-strong protection force to Darfur to support 60 AU monitors who began work last month.
"The city boasts new shopping centres, new restaurants and new university buildings, but poverty is still one of the overriding impressions of this settler town, where everyone and their grandmother is a car guard." Mike van Graan reflects on the context of the National Arts Festival.