the right note John Higgins The silence was broken by a series of fragile notes from the bared mechanism of an old, abandoned musical-box. Some 80 people – crammed into a room meant to hold 50 – sat or stood in rapt attention as the British poet, Tom Raworth, fed a sheet of card through […]

future Tim Radford Kevin Warwick has just made history. The 44- year-old professor of cybernetics at Reading University, United Kingdom, got his own doctor to implant him with a silicon chip. He then opened a doorway into the future. Actually, he opened a doorway into his own university department. As he stepped into the building, […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Ottowa | Thursday 9.00am. CANADA has given President Nelson Mandela a hero’s welcome at a rare meeting of the two chambers of the Canadian parliament in Ottowa. Mandela, at the start of a two-day state visit to Canada, thanked a packed House of Commons chamber for Canadian support in the fight against apartheid […]

SARAH BULLEN, Johannesburg | Wednesday 5.00pm. LOCAL stock enjoyed another strong day on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange as the players turned momentarily away from international developments to the strengthening rand. Dealers, while enjoying the rand’s newfound gains as it rose to R5,95 to the dollar, warn, however, that the gains may be shortlived. Most of […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, New York | Thursday 10.30pm. UNITED States Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has suggested establishing an international centre to curb arms transfers. During a United Nations Security Council session devoted to Africa on Thursday she reminded the meeting of foreign ministers that the UN was overseeing work to draw up “responsible policies for […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Cape Town | Thursday 9.00pm. WESTERN Cape premier Gerald Morkel on Thursday announced a complete reshuffle of his provincial cabinet which sees popular former Cape Town mayor Leon Markowitz taking over the finance portfolio. A second newcomer, former chief executive of the Helderberg municipality Frieda Adams will assume the post of MEC in […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Thursday 7.15pm. QWA-QWA Stars thrashed Moroka Swallows 3-0 in a Castle Premier League match at George Goch Stadium in Johannesburg on Thursday. Stars striker Goodman Mazibuko scored a brace in the 63rd and 76th minutes, while captain Sipho Khuse scored the third in the 82nd minute from a cross in the […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Cape Town | Thursday 9.00pm. KAISER Chiefs left it pretty late but the Amakhosi edged Seven Stars 2-1 in a Castle Premier League match at Newlands Stadium in Cape Town on Thursday. Chiefs held a 1-0 lead for virtually the whole second half, but were shocked by a late goal by Stars to […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Maseru | Thursday 10.00pm. LOOTING and mayhem has spread thoughout Lesotho, while the capital, Maseru, remains volatile with mutinous troops and dissidents in the hills still shooting into the city at random. Althought the joint task force of South African National Defence Force and Botswana troops had regained some degree of control in […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Freetown | Thursday 9.00pm A MASSIVE build-up of rebel forces has been reported along the Sierra Leone border. General Abu Ahmadu, commander of the west African peacekeeping force, Ecomog, in Sierra Leone, told a security briefing in Freetown that the build-up was a flow-on from events taking place in Liberia, where President Charles […]