South Africa’s most popular pick-up line is ”Here’s R5. Go and phone your parents and tell them you won’t be home tonight”, according to dating website YesnomayB.com. The results of an online survey of about 2Â 000 South Africans also said that one in three people would dump their partner for a date with a celebrity.
Six world powers converged on Vienna on Thursday to break a deadlock on Iran’s nuclear programme after the United States made a dramatic offer to join talks with Tehran if it suspends uranium enrichment. Diplomats are hopeful that a compromise can be reached over Washington’s demand for Tehran to first suspend uranium enrichment.
Lightning storms and monsoon rains lashing parts of India have killed at least 28 people and wrought havoc in the country’s commercial capital Mumbai, officials and witnesses said on Thursday. Strong winds with speeds of about 100kph, lightning and heavy rains killed at least 18 people and injured 21 in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh overnight, police said.
The African Investment Climate Facility (ICF), which is a public-private partnership aimed at making Africa a better place to do business by removing obstacles to domestic and foreign investment, has been widely hailed as an instrument which will work, government and business leaders told the World Economic Forum on Thursday.
Johannesburg’s Labour Court was to hear at least two applications on Thursday to prevent the security guards’ strike from spilling over into other industries. The Roadside Employers’ Association (REA) and a company, Tuncor, were due to have their applications for interdicts against the South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu) heard later on Thursday.
England’s forwards may have humiliated the Australian scrum at their last meeting, but they have a healthy respect for the Wallabies’ revamped pack under new coach John Connolly. England’s control at the scrum at Twickenham last November was so complete that Australia tighthead Al Baxter was sin-binned by French referee Joel Jutge for repeat offences.
Zimbabwe’s invitation to United Nations chief Kofi Annan to visit the country still stands, but may no longer be relevant, a senior government official was quoted as saying on Thursday. There has been some confusion over whether Annan is still expected in the Southern African country.
Foreign ministers from Asia and the Middle East have backed a proposal to create an "electronic university" by next year. Meanwhile, one of the poorest countries in Africa, Ethiopia, is spending a 10th of its gross domestic product each year on information technology.
A senior Ethiopian health official said on Thursday that there has been a marked increase in HIV/Aids infection among women in the country, with the prevalence rate among sexually active women now standing at 5%. ”Women are vulnerable to the HIV/Aids pandemic due to their low socio-economic status in Ethiopia,” Health Minister Dr Kebede Worku said.
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England striker Peter Crouch says he wants to be more than a super-sub at the World Cup and is desperate to force his way into Sven-Goran Eriksson’s plans. The towering Liverpool forward appeared as a goal-scoring substitute during Tuesday’s 3-1 victory over Hungary, but admitted he was disappointed to be left out of the starting XI in the absence of Wayne Rooney.