British actor Ian McKellen on Tuesday urged tightly-governed Singapore to loosen up and repeal its archaic laws barring homosexual acts. The openly gay McKellen indicated the laws may affect a vibrant business city like Singapore, which is vying with other Asian cities to draw more foreign talent and professionals.
Thousands of children still figure among the ranks of the Chadian army and the government has done nothing to honour its promise to demobilise them. ”The Chadian government is failing on its promise to remove children from its armed forces,” said Peter Takirambudde, Human Rights Watch’s Africa director.
World champion Gerhard Zandberg of South Africa won two gold medals in swimming at the All African Games on Monday, setting a competition record in the 50m backstroke and helping his team to victory in the 400m freestyle relay. Zandberg won the backstroke in 25,68 seconds, edging Egypt’s Ahmed Hussein and Kenyan Jason Dunford.
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Nelson Mandela’s July 18 birthday is annual cause for celebration in South Africa and draws attention from his many local and international admirers. This year, the partying also has a serious side, with the launch on Wednesday — Mandela’s 89th birthday — of a humanitarian campaign.
Accused serial killer Robert Pickton described how he killed prostitutes after having sex with them and used his pigs to help dispose of the remains. Witness Andrew Bellwood testified that Pickton showed him handcuffs and play-acted as he described stroking their hair and telling them everything would be okay, ”it’s over now”.
More than 12 000 people took refuge in evacuation centres in north-west Japan on Tuesday after an earthquake the previous day flattened homes, killing nine people and injuring more than 1 000, and triggered a leak of contaminated water from a nuclear plant.
Togara Sanyatwe was buried in the sprawling West Park cemetery on the edge of Bulawayo at 83 years of age. The granite headstone reveals nothing more about his life but he would already have been considered an elder of his community at the time those who now lie around him were being born.
Some universities have expressed concern about the loss of teaching time in the recent public servants’ strike in which teachers participated. They believe that if a catch-up plan is not implemented effectively, it might affect this year’s matric pass rate. There is concern that weaker matric learners who are borderline university candidates might fail the exam, resulting in a low university intake.
Told in the first person, Elias Masilela’s<b> Number 43 Trelawney Park KwaMagoga</b> (David Philip) puts a tragic, and in some ways nostalgic, human face to life in exile during the apartheid years. The book tells the story of 25 PAC and ANC members who passed through Number 43, Trelawney Park, writes Vicki Robinson.
Like pride, lust goes before a fall. In his novel, <b>When a Man Cries</b> (University of KwaZulu-Natal Press), Siphiwo Mahala chronicles the downfall and uphill struggle of municipal councillor and serial seducer Themba Limba. This is an extract from chapter 11, "Should a man cry?":