Men desperate for coitus but sans any relationship with women could soon be trembling in their Grasshoppers/ veldskoens/ama-All-Stars. That’s if an enterprising local manufacturer has its way. The nondescript entrance into the market of a new product could have these so-called ”date rapists” thinking twice before putting their flagitious and diabolical intentions into practice.
The nation’s grief has been turned into a moment of affirmation for South Africa’s lesbians and gay men. In the wake of Brenda Fassie’s death, gay community organisations have issued expressions of condolence that celebrate Fassie as a local lesbian icon. In life, she was seen as a victim of her own sexuality. Her death could just change that.
Traditionally, parents have considered plumpness in children to be a sign of health and happiness — but there is growing concern among health professionals about obesity and unhealthy eating habits among children. Schools are plugging into a Heart Foundation programme that aims to combat playground puppy fat.
Last week the Competition Commission announced an investigation into high new car prices. In February it recommended a R3,7-billion fine for Telkom’s anti-competitive bandwidth policies. It has stopped price-fixing in the health industry and also helped reduce the cost of patented anti-Aids drugs. We spoke to compliance division manager Zodwa Ntuli.
Chiefs rugby skipper Jono Gibbes was already talking about next season just hours after his team’s 2004 Super 12 campaign had come to a sudden halt in Canberra on Saturday night. Both he and first-year coach Ian Foster were talking about learning how to win in the playoffs now they had finally learned how to win in the regular season.
Presidential spokesperson Bheki Khumalo has called on South Africans to ignore rumours that African countries had voted against South Africa hosting the 2010 Soccer World Cup. ”It was done through a secret ballot … when members voted they did not write their names on the ballots … even when claims are doing their rounds, nobody can bring up conclusive evidence,” said Khumalo.
Bonds open stronger
SA jubilant after World Cup news
Another bright new dawn for Springbok rugby was initiated on Sunday with the announcement of Jake White’s 22-man squad for the Tests against Ireland and Wales next month. The squad includes two overseas-based players — Leicester’s Jaco van der Westhuyzen and Percy Montgomery of Newport — and six players of colour.
There is no discernible starting line and the finish 100m away is just a scratch in the sand. The track is rock hard and unforgiving; no serious athlete would consider running here. But for decades the al-Kishafa stadium in Baghdad has been the training ground of Iraq’s athletic champions, and Ala’a Hekmet, a charming, intensely focused 18-year-old, is its latest star.
The cost of air travel is to increase with carriers slapping a surcharge on tickets in an attempt to counter the impact of a huge rise in fuel prices. The aviation sector has seen the price of its fuel rise as a consequence of global crude hitting a barrel — its highest level in 13 years. Soaring oil prices have also dragged up gas prices by 44% over 12 months.
Monsanto has abandoned plans to introduce genetically modified (GM) wheat on to the world market, despite spending seven years and hundreds of millions of dollars developing the crop. Monsanto, the world’s biggest seller of GM seeds, had looked to the development and introduction of GM wheat to fulfil a dream of dominating the world’s bread market.