More than 250 000 people marched through the sweltering streets of Hong Kong yesterday in a pro-democracy demonstration which will have embarrassed the communist mainland government on the anniversary of the territory’s handover from British rule.
Israel’s security establishment is quietly congratulating itself on breaking the back of Palestinian ”terror networks”, months after driving the leaders of Hamas and its smaller allies underground or killing them. The army and intelligence chiefs have proclaimed a dramatic fall in the number of suicide bombings during the first half of this year, down by 75% on the same period a year ago.
The Netherlands has banned the use of emblems involving windmills, tulips and clogs in favour of a more modern image as it takes over the European Union’s helm for the next six months. By avoiding such traditional symbols, it hopes to make the EU more relevant to millions of disenchanted citizens.
A weakening rand lifted the JSE Securities Exchange South Africa off its lows on Friday, although the bourse remained in the red in noon trade. Dealers said that the bourse had initially taken its cue from world markets, but the currency was now
providing some support.
An application challenging the constitutionality of regulations obliging doctors to acquire special licences to dispense medicines was dismissed with costs in the Pretoria High Court on Friday. Doctors contend that the regulations infringe on their constitutionally protected rights and those of their patients.
Doctors may appeal ruling
Eskom and the National Research Foundation have set aside R4,8-million for a programme aimed at developing black researchers, the power utility announced on Thursday. The programme, launched on Thursday night, arose out of a concern about the increasingly declining number of experienced researchers in science, engineering and technology.
Minister of Labour Membathisi Mdladlana on Friday stated that the South African government’s approach to the country’s labour market policy aims to forge a middle road between the extreme advocated by those in favour of unqualified labour-market flexibility or deregulation of the labour market and those advocating a more rigorous market regulation.
South African motor retailers on Friday applauded the increase in passenger vehicle sales, as reported by the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa. McCarthy Motor Holdings chairperson Brand Pretorius noted that the strong upsurge in new vehicle sales also continued.
A spacecraft the size of a small bus ended a seven-year, 3,2-billion kilometre journey and began a new era of exploration on Thursday morning as it sped over gas giant Saturn, and sent back the first closeups of the rings which have tantalised astronomers for four centuries.
Councillors in Mpumalanga’s second biggest municipality, Enhlanzeni District, must be especially relieved that the Municipality Finance Management Act only came into operation on Thursday and is not retrospective. Last week the M&G revealed that the municipality’s mayor Jeri Ngomane’s two wives won council tenders totalling almost R2-million while Ngomane was in charge.