THE Breitling Orbiter III balloon, which made aviation history with the first non-stop flight around the world, was plucked out of Egypt’s remote Western desert by helicopter on Thursday. Two Egyptian army choppers took part in the salvage operation, lifting the vast balloon and putting it on trucks heading to Alexandria, ready for a sea […]
Allan Boesak has been convicted by a myopic judiciary, argues Farid Esack, but what about its own tainted history? If Allan Boesak ends up in jail, he will be the only significant anti-apartheid political figure of the Eighties behind bars. It’s utterly bewildering. He will, after all, not be behind bars for his political activities. […]
Michael Finch If there is an unwritten law in world athletics, it is that a Kenyan will always win the 3 000m steeplechase on the track and always take the gold medal at the World Cross-Country Championships. That’s the way it has been since the events were invented and that’s the way it will stay. […]
Oupa Bodibe One of apartheid’s many enduring legacies is the culture of secrecy that pervades public and private sector institutions. Our Constitution recognises a right of access to information, and Parliament has to enact legislation by February 2000 to give full effect to this right. This week, the portfolio committee on justice held hearings on […]
n Women have two X chromosomes. Each X holds about 5 000 genes. A man has one X chromosome and one Y chromosome which only holds about 30 genes. n The male equivalent of nymphomania is satyriasis. n The vagina has a pH of 3,8 to 4,5. That’s more acidic than black coffee (pH 5), […]
Elias Chitenje The Democratic Republic of Congo security force members who fled into Zambia from the upsurge in fighting have been relocated pending their repatriation. The 650 armed soldiers and 250 policemen were relocated during the week from Kaputa to Chililabombwe near the Zambia/Congo border. They have separated from more than 7 000 civilian refugees. […]
music day With top-class gigs happening across the country for an entire 24 hours, South African Music Day is set to take local is lekker to new heights. Michelle Constant takes the microphone The key to the very first South African Music Day (March 27) is not to find all the answers but to feel […]
Cameron Duodu:LETTER FROM THE NORTH When I ended my column last week with the words, “that’s another story for another day”, little did I realise that “another day” was to come so soon. For now my own king, the Okyenhene, Osagyefuo Kuntunkununku II of Akyem Abuakwa, has also “gone to Banso” – the resting place […]
Lisa Buckingham A new equities index, which will include the world’s largest and most international companies, is to start in London later this year. FTSE International, the organisation that operates Britain’s share indices, is about to sign a contract to run the new benchmark, which has the working title Global Multinational Index. A series of […]
Wonder Hlongwa A Nigerian syndicate defrauding Durban businesspeople and professionals has been identified by the police, and three of its members have been arrested. The suspects had, on several occasions, approached wealthy people and offered to double their money through various schemes. After raiding the suspects’ house, detectives recovered a large amount of counterfeit notes. […]