Stuart Jeffries The Consolations of Philosophy by Alain de Botton (Penguin) Once, in Portugal, Alain de Botton found that he could not have sex with his girlfriend. It could have been a humiliating moment, but, fortunately, a few months earlier he had read the 21st chapter of the first volume of Montaigne_s Essays. There Montaigne […]
Andrea Burgener food It_s a great favourite with vegetarians and the less texture-phobic, but tofu is still a much maligned ingredient, with many seeing it simply as an animal protein substitute. Understandably, viewed as an alternative to flame-grilled cattle loin, the standard flabby, white blocks of fresh, untreated tofu appear to stand no chance on […]
Aids is the new struggle. Yet again civil society is mobilising to fill the vacuum left by government. Once more the private sector is stirring, recognising that the present situation is unsustainable. Many Aids activists are old hands who learnt their craft in the era of apartheid. But where once they fought an immoral and […]
ZIMBABWE?S government has created a climate of intimidation against journalists in the country that must end, a panel of international press rights groups said Thursday. In presenting their findings, members of the delegation said their meeting with Information Minister Jonathan Moyo produced little hope for change. “Mister Moyo, in my opinion, saw nothing wrong with […]
EGYPTIAN authorities have arrested a man for having five permanent wives – one more than permitted under Islamic law – and for briefly marrying 29 underage girls over the past two years, police said on Thursday. Self-professed devout Muslim Sayed Ragab al-Sawarki, 51, was taken into custody on Wednesday on his return to Cairo from […]
HOTEL owners along the Wild Coast were this week exhorted to join forums for the Wild Coast Spatial Development Initiative to help speed up infrastructure delivery and highlight impediments in the way of progress. Gernot Ott, programme manager for the Support to the Wild Coast SDI programme and East Cape Development Corporation investment manager Martin […]
A NURSE and ambulance driver suspected of negligence after a pregnant woman fell out of the back of a speeding ambulance and died, have been suspended from work. Northern Province health MEC Sello Moloto said on Thursday that the nurse and driver from Tintsaolo Hospital in Acornhoek, were given compulsory leave on Wednesday and immediately […]
ALMOST 4_000 municipal workers in Mpumalanga on Wednesday marched on the South African Local Government Association (Salga) to demand a 10% wage increase. SA Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) demonstrators also briefly picketed Salgas regional headquarters in Nelspruit to demand a minimum wage of R2_000 for all municipal workers countrywide, in addition to an across-the-board 10% […]
AIDS activists in Kenya on Thursday urged MPs to include “life-saving safeguards” when reviewing legislation concerning drug patents. Kenyan legislators are currently reviewing the Industrial Property Bill which, as it stands, conforms with World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules on countries’ rights to, in certain circumstances, overcome patent restrictions. Paralllel imports are re-purchased drugs from countries […]
UGANDAN-BACKED rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have accused government troops and their Zimbabwean allies of attacking a rebel position in the northwest of the country. The attack took place Tuesday on “our defensive position in Lusombo,” Jean-Pierre Bemba, the leader of the Congo Liberation Front (FLC) said late on Thursday. “Our forces […]