MIT’s "$100 laptop" and the One Laptop per Child initiative have created a huge buzz, but does it make sense for the developing world? Linux International executive director Jon "Maddog" Hall offered an alternative for South Africans at the LinuxWorld Johannesburg conference last week.
While still in the red, the JSE was well off its lows at midday on Monday following a slight recovery in commodity prices. The all share index nevertheless remained below the psychological 20 000 level. By 12.07pm, the all share index was 1,16% softer at 19 966,02 after earlier touching a low of 19 784,02.
![]()
Wayne Rooney’s hopes of being fit in time to play in the World Cup finals have been raised after the England team doctor claimed the forward was making a ”perfect recovery” from a broken metatarsal bone in his right foot. England medic Leif Sward told The Sun newspaper that Rooney’s fracture was healing quickly.
Watford beat Leeds 3-0 in Sunday’s play-off final to win promotion to the Premier League. American defender Jay DeMerit put the Hornets 1-0 ahead at half-time, before an own goal by goalkeeper Neil Sullivan and Darius Henderson’s late penalty completed a win that made Watford the third and final team to go up.
Athletics South Africa (ASA) on Monday announced that Hezekiel Sepeng has been found guilty of having committed a doping offence and has been declared ineligible to participate in any competition for two years. Sepeng’s case was referred to athletics governing body IAAF’s doping review board in January by ASA’s disciplinary committee.
Scientific papers freely available on the internet make a bigger impact than many people realise, according to a new study available on the Science and Development Network’s website. South African research journals have already been urged to increase their visibility dramatically.
The two Eastern European women in their 70s attracted little attention. Dependable members of their immigrant community, they helped their neighbours, played an active role in the local Hungarian church, and were always ready to lend a hand to the homeless.
A 90-year-old Taiwanese man was among three charged by a Cambodian court on Monday with trying to smuggle several kilograms of heroin out of the country, court officials said. The alleged drug mule was arrested over the weekend along with two other Taiwanese also found to be carrying heroin.
Illegal immigrants from Africa arrive on the shores of Tenerife ragged and bleeding, lashed by the waves after days at sea pointing their small and battered craft at the distant peak of the Teide volcano, Spain’s highest mountain. Yet whatever their physical state, they are usually full of joy: they have made it to Europe.
Microsoft has developed technology for people to pay by the hour to use a computer in their own homes, similar to the way many people use pre-paid cards for cellphones. The technology, called FlexGo, will be used as part of efforts to sell computers to lower-income consumers in developing countries.