Rich and poor countries on Sunday night pledged to secure a new global trade accord by the end of next year after a week of intensive negotiations banished immediate fears of a new era of protectionism by agreeing to cut deep into the West’s lavish farm subsidies.
‘Milestone’ world trade pact
You will be forgiven for not knowing about Madikwe game reserve. Since its proclamation in 1991 it has kept a low profile, slowly building a reputation in an area renowned for its beauty and accessibility. Better known, perhaps, is its sister reserve — the Pilanesberg — an hour’s drive south and next door to Sun City. But a project to link two top game reserves is gathering momentum.
At a talk I gave about my travels, the male organiser pinned a map of the world on the wall behind me, and handed me a pen. He asked me to trace a line to demonstrate where I had travelled for the benefit of the audience. I made a dot. I hadn’t really travelled anywhere, not in that sense. In the past, women travelled to lose themselves, while men preferred to climb and conquer.
I have always said that sport is harmful to your health. The state president has clearly finally heeded my warnings, first by moving Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma from the health portfolio (where nobody with any talent can do much good anyway) to the safer terrain of foreign affairs (where the only sporting danger is getting groped by your own ambassador in the Far East).
Somalia’s warlords, who have caused so much suffering during their country’s 20-year conflict, will be brought to book if human rights groups have their way. Local campaigners, backed by Amnesty International, have demanded that Somalia’s new government ensure that rights violators are brought to justice. One such measure will be formation of a South Africa-like truth commission.
Africa’s two premier daily business titles, South Africa’s <i>Business Day</i> and Nigeria’s <i>Business Day</i> are now linked through a transcontinental joint venture, Johnnic Communications said in a statement on Sunday.
South African champion Hezekiel Sepeng and world indoor champion Mbulaeni Mulaudzi — both Olympic medal contenders — get together in the 800m on Friday night in Zurich for the first time on European soil this year to feel out their opposition for the two-lap showpiece in Athens.
The South African men’s hockey team’s road to the Athens Olympic Games has — to put it mildly — been a rocky one. The inability to gain automatic access via the All Africa Games last October was followed closely by the controversial omissions of the experienced Mike Cullen and Justin King.
A lean-looking South African team carry a huge burden as they depart on Tuesday for Athens to embark on their fourth Olympic campaign since re-entry into world sport just more than a decade ago. Twelve years down the line, the 106-member team have been labelled as too white and not truly representative of their country’s demographics.
There are different types of social entrepreneurs: grassroots activists mobilising for social change; relief workers; grantmakers; and even corporate teams who work on social responsibility issues. The value of their work, however, is often undermined because of a number of reasons. They could learn from business about effective accountability and governance, writes Saliem Fakir.