The trade and industry department has unveiled its new industrial policy at last — it is the most ambitious state-driven job-creation initiative since the Reconstruction and Development Programme. The policy centrally involves the targeting of selected industrial sectors for state support, including financing.
Afghan forces have killed 21 Taliban insurgents in the southern province of Zabul, a provincial official said on Monday. ”We received intelligence that a sizeable group of Taliban militants were gathered in the Shah Joy district of Zabul in an attempt to block the Kabul-Kandahar highway, and to launch attacks on Afghan and foreign forces,” said provincial deputy governor Gulab Shah Alikhil.
The political tale of South Africa is one of noble leadership. It is a story scripted by powerful and humane beings from the times of Langalibalele Dube, Tshekiso Plaatjie, Pixley ka Isaka Seme and Mvumbi Luthuli. They are part of a long list of men and women from different political persuasions who crafted the story and lived their lives in a way that did not clash with the script.
McLaren team chief Ron Dennis was downcast and sad on Sunday despite seeing his brilliant young rookie driver Briton Lewis Hamilton claim a superb victory in the Hungarian Grand Prix. It was 22-year-old Hamilton’s third win of the season in his first year in Formula One and increased his lead in the title race to seven points
Rory Sabbatini settled after an early double bogey to salvage a two-over 72 and build a one-shot lead over Tiger Woods in the Bridgestone Invitational. Woods dropped out of a share for the lead with a bogey from the trees on the final hole, but still managed a 69 and left himself a good chance to win this World Golf Championship for the third straight year.
San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds hit the 755th home run of his career on Saturday, tying the Major League Baseball all-time record held by Hank Aaron since 1974. The controversial slugger slammed the landmark homer, a 611m blast into the Petco Park leftfield stands, off San Diego Padres pitcher Clay Hensley.
An unmanned Delta rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station early on Saturday, sending a water-analysing science probe on its way to Mars. The Phoenix spacecraft, which lifted off at 9.26am GMT, is expected to reach the northern polar region of Mars on May 25.
It took two days of trekking through the bush, before navigating a crocodile-infested river and then scrambling underneath a barbed wire fence for Peter Nkomo and his family to make good their great escape from the meltdown of Zimbabwe to South Africa.
Fuel shortages will continue on Sunday as talks to resolve a pay strike deadlocked on Saturday night. The Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood, and Allied Workers’ Union (Ceppwawu) and the National Petroleum Employers’ Association resumed talks with the bargaining council at the Chamber of Mines in Johannesburg at 10am on Sunday.
The South African Rugby Players Association will challenge the decision of the rugby administration in South Africa that no overseas-based players will in future be eligible for national selection. The union claims that the players were never informed about the decision and that they were never consulted about it.