A powerful bomb exploded during an Independence Day parade in India’s remote north-east on Sunday, killing 16 people, mostly schoolchildren, and injuring more than 40 others, despite the country’s prime minister promising to ”fight terrorism forcefully”. Reporters said the blast had ripped through the crowd without warning.
Telkom will not start offering voluntary severance and early retirement packages from Monday following a court interdict granted to three unions on Sunday. However, spokesperson Ravin Maharaj said the Sunday night sitting of the Labour Court, in Braamfontein, had also granted the telecommunications giant the right to appeal against the judgement.
The town clock was still stuck at 4.26pm, the exact time when the sleepy palm-fringed community of Punta Gorda bore the brunt of Hurricane Charley and the 230kph winds that came with it. On Sunday those who survived the storm were counting their blessings and their insurance premiums, and those who were evacuated were tip-toeing back to see what was left of their homes.
I’ve been talking over this “let’s ban Christmas” thing with my daughter. She has been asking, for the first time, whether Father Christmas actually exists. I don’t know where she gets these notions from. She is barely able to read the Koran or the Bible, let alone the newspapers, and has no conception of politics, as far as I know. But it is something that the African National Congress government have brought to our family hearth.
"What is important is that corporate social responsibility is not just a public relations exercise but truly reflects commitment and good ethics. All one can suggest is that there is always room for improvement and innovation." Saliem Fakir, chairperson of the judges’ panel, salutes the state bodies that made submissions to this year’s Greening the Future awards.
"Energy is a huge problem all over the world because the world is power-hungry, as <i>Time</i> magazine put it. What is always strange to me is that people who criticise us for investigating other sources of energy such as nuclear do not realise the immense damage that our reliance on fossil fuels is causing this country." Marthinus van Schalkwyk speaks to <i>Earthyear</i> about his future plans.
One of the biggest criticisms to come to light was the bureaucratic romp-slomp in processing EIAs. In some cases, it can take up to four years to get a record of decision from the government. In our last issue we explored the process required for environmental impact studies, but developers complain about lengthy delays. <i>Earthyear</i> investigates new DEAT regulations aimed at speeding things up.
"For decades radical economists have been uneasily aware that the days of full-time employment may be over. It is not easy to admit that we have no way to ensure a job for anyone with some capacity who wants to be employed. So the issue is fudged by ‘if onlys’. What if we have to face the fact that, globally, there will never again be jobs for everyone?", writes Margaret Legum.
Vijay Singh captured his third major championship on Sunday, beating Justin Leonard and Chris DiMarco in a three-hole play-off at the 86th PGA Championship. The 41-year-old Singh, who has won five tournaments this year, birdied the first hole of the play-off then clinched the win with a two-foot putt on the final hole.
The South African women’s hockey team suffered their second defeat in as many matches at the Olympic Games as Australia gave a lesson in composure to inflict a 3-0 defeat on the African champions. It was a case of near misses for South Africa and desperate scrambling from Australia that proved the difference on the day.