Inhoudsopgave van 2023-08-11 - Mercury

CAPITAL & Regional, the UK convenience and community focused shopping centre real estate investment trust (Reit) that yesterday reported strong interim results, plans a £25 million (R603.5m) open offer to help fund an acquisition. The open offer, similar in many respects to a rights issue, will part-fund the planned acquisition of The Gyle Shopping Centre in Edinburgh, Scotland, for £40m. Growthpoint Properties, which is also listed on the JSE and which holds a 62.7% stake in Capital & Regional, has fully underwritten the offer using debt facilities. Capital & Regional CEO Lawrence Hutchings said their focus on value-orientated, non-discretionary and needs-based retail and services had driven a period of robust operational performance, against an uncertain and inflationary economic backdrop. “Our footfall recovery, rent collection, occupancy and leasing metrics continue…

WITH August being National Women’s Month, it feels more important than ever to shine a light on the female entrepreneurs who are not only thriving in the food and beverage industry but are owning it. We are here for it. One sector of the food and beverage industry where we continue to see women shine is the world of winemaking. The wine industry has long been a heavily male-dominated space, but today there are more women than ever in the highest positions. In an effort to highlight these entrepreneurial women in the industry, we wanted to call out these delicious wines by women winemakers to try this year. Wine: Umsasane 2020 Winemaker: Ntsiki Biyela Biyela is one of South Africa’s world-renowned winemakers. She has forged a path to…

THE British High Commission in South Africa says it is supporting the family of the doctor shot dead after taking a wrong turn from Cape Town International Airport into Nyanga township during violent taxi strike protests last week. His vehicle was allegedly approached by a number of suspects, who shot him dead in Ntlangano Crescent. The 40-year-old British citizen has been identified as Kar Teoh, a consultant trauma and orthopaedic surgeon at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow. Teoh was travelling with his wife and 2-year-old son at the time. A British High Commission SA spokesperson said: “We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in South Africa and are in contact with the local authorities.” Police spokesperson Malcolm Pojie said the incident was under investigation. In…

What are you facing today, this week, this month? Tell someone. Don’t unload on the first person who appears available. Take someone aside, a person whom you’ve known for some time, a person with whom you feel elements of trust and ask if you may talk and if he or she will listen. Ask first if it is okay. Then, when and if you do talk about all you are facing, try not to release the “old tapes”, repeat things you’ve said before, the practised routines, complaints and grudges which have been running around your head for years and have come out of your mouth a thousand times. Such talk – “dumping” – is not going to do much good for you or your listener, and your listener will know…

As the leader of the African Democratic Change (ADeC) and a councillor in eThekwini Municipality, I want to express my gratitude towards mayor Mxolisi Kaunda for agreeing to meet with ratepayer organisations who have been expressing their discontentment over poor service delivery and the exorbitant tariffs imposed by the City. I understand that ratepayer organisations have threatened a rates boycott due to the breakdown in communication between the City leadership and themselves. We, at ADeC, voted against the budget as we believed that there was insufficient consultation with ratepayers. Ratepayers are vital stakeholders in a municipality and should be given the respect they deserve. Their concerns and opinions must be heard and addressed by the City’s leadership. It is imperative that the City takes the necessary steps to engage ratepayers…

Police in Mpumalanga have recovered a Toyota Quantum reported stolen in Isipingo, south of Durban, in January 2013. Police recovered the stolen vehicle when they were searching for a Toyota Quantum that had been hijacked in Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga, on Sunday night. While searching for the Bushbuckridge vehicle, they stopped and searched a Toyota Quantum which had different registration plates. When the vehicle’s details were checked, it was found that it had been stolen in Isipingo in 2013. Mpumalanga police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said balaclavas and gloves were also recovered inside the vehicle. “Further investigation revealed that the vehicle was fitted with false registration plates belonging to a Mahindra Pik Up. Investigation revealed that the Toyota Quantum was stolen from Isipingo,” he said. Five people – Irvin Nyalungu, 34, Mpho…

Two drivers are expected to appear in the Midrand Magistrate’s Court this week, after they were arrested by the Gauteng Traffic Police’s high-speed unit for driving at excessive speed on the N1 highway. The two men were arrested on Tuesday night around Sandton and Midrand. “The 26-year-old speedster in Sandton was caught excessively speeding in a blue BMW M3 Coupe at 275 km/h on a prescribed 120 km/h zone,” said Gauteng Traffic police spokesperson, Sello Maremane. “Meanwhile, the 23-year-old speedster was caught in a white Mercedes-Benz on the N1 Midrand at 222 km/h,” he said. Maremane said the drivers were arrested on the spot and detained at Midrand and Sandton police stations, respectively. “The driver that was detained in Sandton was travelling with two male occupants, alleging they were rushing…

over the country, conflicts with many of our country’s constitutional freedoms – including the right to trade and the right to media freedom.” Standard Bank said as the Sekunjalo Group had since filed an application to the Constitutional Court for leave to appeal the decision of the CAC, the bank agreed, “for the time being”, to hold off on implementing its decision. Standard Bank said its actions “will be guided by its obligations under law and it will continue to respect court processes”, adding that they will be opposing the leave to appeal application. Meanwhile, the ANC in the Western Cape has added its voice in condemning Standard Bank, with the party’s provincial spokesperson, Khalid Sayed, saying the planned move by Standard Bank disempowered, most importantly, ordinary citizens and workers.…

President Cyril Ramaphosa said the new laws regarding sexual offences had seen a tougher approach to bail in these matters. He said in terms of the new laws no police bail may be granted to persons charged with rape. Police bail refers to bail being granted at the police station before the matter gets to the court. Ramaphosa said such bail applications should be formally applied for in court. He added that if the accused was in a domestic relationship with the alleged victim, the court has to issue a protection order against them before releasing them on bail. The president was addressing the national event for the celebration of Women’s Day at the Union Buildings on Wednesday. Ramaphosa also said gang or serial rapists now faced life imprisonment, as…

Police have arrested one person in connection with the murder of well-known Gqeberha physiotherapist Marolien Schmidt in her home during the early hours of Women’s Day. Schmidt, 40, was stabbed to death in her Sherlock Street home in Richmond Hill. Provincial police spokesperson Captain Sandra Janse van Rensburg said neighbours heard her screaming and the breaking of glass. “The neighbours immediately responded and found her lying on the floor with stab wounds,” Janse van Rensburg said. “She was rushed to hospital, but succumbed to her injuries.” Janse van Rensburg said detectives from Humewood SAPS made a breakthrough in the early hours of yesterday. “The 29-year-old suspect was arrested in central Gqeberha and is detained for the murder,” she said. Police said the motive for the murder is suspected to be…

If you’re in need of a domestic worker at the office or home I recommend Gloria. Even for a day or two a week. She appeared very early this Women’s Day at my front gate, a mother of three, desperately in need of food and work. Ironic for “Women’s Day” when South Africa takes a breather to honour women. The first two paragraphs of the Constitutional Court judgment in “Mahlangu and Another v Minister of Labour and Others” (2020) ZACC 24 (November 19, 2020) speak volumes. Domestic workers, it said, “are the unsung heroines in this country and globally. “They are a powerful group of women whose profession enables all economically active members of society to prosper and pursue their careers. “Given the nature of their work, their relationships…

Failure to pay constitutes non-compliance, resulting in disqualification THE Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) is a constitutional body mandated to administer elections and declare results as part of our constitutional democracy. And yet, to some who are opposed to the proposed R100 000 deposit fee increase gazetted on August 3, it is doing something many might regard as less than democratic: demanding political parties pay R300 000 deposit to contest the national elections and all regional polls, and independent candidates to pay R20 000 to contest the national election and R15 000 for a provincial legislature. Contesting a provincial election will cost a political party R45 000 a province. The public has until August 27 to comment on the regulations as the IEC…

The Russian central bank said it would no longer purchase foreign currency on the domestic market from yesterday, as it sought to prop up the ruble, which is at its lowest level against the dollar since March 2022. “The Bank of Russia has decided that, from August 10 through December 31, it will not buy foreign currency in the domestic market,” the central bank said in a statement. “This decision is aimed at reducing volatility in the financial markets,” it said. With the announcement, the bank is setting aside its budget rule, under which Russia buys or sells foreign currency stored in its National Wealth Fund to compensate for fluctuations in revenues from oil and gas exports. The move comes after the ruble fell sharply in recent weeks, prompting fears…

LONDON: Former British prime minister Gordon Brown yesterday called for the Taliban government’s treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan to be declared a crime against humanity. Brown, the UN special envoy on global education, denounced the Taliban authorities for “systematic brutalisation” of women and called for the International Criminal Court to investigate. “I think the evidence is absolutely overwhelming,” Brown, who was in office from 2007-10, told BBC radio. “Complete discrimination against women, banned from university, banned from schools, banned from public places, banned from any activities where they’re walking on their own. “Required to wear a particular dress – not even just the normal dress of a Muslim but very particular requirements on dress – and all those being prosecuted, including the leader of the NGOs, who are…

Seoul: North Koreans must prioritise safeguarding propaganda portraits of their leaders, the country’s official newspaper said, as a tropical storm made landfall on the Korean peninsula yesterday. Tropical Storm Khanun, which battered Japan before taking a circuitous route towards the Korean peninsula, is set to move into North Korea early today after spreading heavy rains across the South. Natural disasters tend to have a greater impact on the isolated and impoverished North due to its weak infrastructure, while deforestation has left it vulnerable to flooding. But Pyongyang’s Rodong Sinmun said focus should be on “ensuring the safety of” portraits of its leaders. | AFP…

STANDARD Bank will now keep open 30 of the Sekunjalo Group of companies accounts, including Independent Media’s, following a Constitutional Court challenge by the group. This as pressure has been mounting on the bank to reconsider its decision after it issued a notice to the companies informing them that their accounts would be closed by August 21, following a judgment by the Competition Appeal Court (CAC) in its favour. Before this, the bank was ordered to keep the companies’ accounts running prior to a final judgment. The interim judgment, which was granted in September last year, was due to come to an end in March this year but was extended by six months. In a statement yesterday, the Sekunjalo Group confirmed that Standard Bank would keep the accounts of 30…

I give up. Do as the good doctor prescribes and what God said to man in the Bible: “Go ye forth into the world, be fruitful and multiply. Have dominion over all creatures big and small, over the fish and the birds and every living thing that moves on Earth.” (Genesis 1, 28) And so, man follows God’s injunction to the letter and plunders Mother Earth. As his numbers grow phenomenally, his hunger and greed for material wealth, power and resources know no bounds. He leaves nothing untouched. He has become the most selfish creature on Earth, posing a serious threat to all living creatures and to the only planet that gives life, and sustains and nourishes us. Anything he deems not to his benefit, comfort and pleasure, he eliminates.…

Dr Mahmoud Baker’s fluent embrace of the narrative that climate change is man-made is a tribute to the efficacy of the globalists’ Orwellian agenda of thought control (The Mercury, August 8). Nowhere in these columns have I denied climate change. Instead, repeatedly, I have emphasised that it is a natural and historical phenomenon. Repeatedly, I have cited two warming periods over the past 2 000 years when fossil fuels were unknown. Repeatedly, I have pointed out how none of the environmental catastrophes predicted since 1970 has occurred. Exceptional weather has occurred in every century, proving that fossil fuel emissions have nothing to do with such extremes. The violent weather front that engulfed the whole of Natal from May 31 to June 2, 1905, when fossil fuel usage was minimal, remains…

THE decision by the eThekwini Municipality to call retired engineers to rejoin the City has been welcomed by experts who said it would professionalise decision-making, boost the maintenance of infrastructure and ensure that projects being undertaken were completed on time and were operational. Organisations representing engineering disciplines and professionals, in reaction to the City’s call, said eThekwini was not the only municipality that had taken this decision. They said municipalities across the country had realised that expertise was sorely lacking, which undermined their operations, especially maintenance. The eThekwini Metro recently issued an Expression of Interest call for retired professional engineers and technologists to supplement water and sanitation engineering capacity and to provide support to engineering mentorship programmes. The programme was spearheaded by the Water and Sanitation Unit and sought to…

South Africa recorded at least 207 child marriages in 2021, according to statistics released to the AU special rapporteur who is in the country to monitor and evaluate progress in South Africa’s ongoing campaign to end child marriages. Statistics SA director for education and child statistics Dr Seble Worku revealed that, of the 207 recorded child marriages, 188 were brides and 19 grooms. She further revealed that 37 of the child marriages were registered as civil marriages and 19 customary. Regarding sources of income for children in South Africa, the national Department of Social Development said an improvement has been observed in the number of minors living in low-income households, with the total number at 2.6 million. It was highlighted that 4 million children live in high income households. On…

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa’s official hosting of People’s Republic of China’s President Xi Jinping will provide a platform to strengthen bilateral relations, including trade between the two countries. South Africa is set to host the BRICS summit later this month, with Ramaphosa having sent invitations to 67 leaders from the African continent and countries from the southern part of the globe. The AU chairperson, President Azali Assoumani of the Union of Comoros, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres have also been invited. The Presidency confirmed that Ramaphosa would host China’s president on a state visit on August 22 at the Union Buildings in Pretoria. “Over and above formal talks aimed at strengthening bilateral relations with China, there will be a number of memorandums of agreement that will be signed on the day,”…

A PROMINENT Boeremag member is set to appear in the Bronkhorstspruit Magistrate’s Court on charges of rape and sexual grooming of minors. The man, who cannot be named until he appears, was arrested at Boschkop, Pretoria, on Tuesday. At the time of his arrest he was out on parole for allegedly committing the same crimes. The Mercury’s sister paper, the Pretoria News, was reliably informed that the man arrested was part of the right-wing Boeremag group that plotted to assassinate former president Nelson Mandela. SAPS spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Mavela Masondo confirmed officers were investigating cases of rape and sexual grooming which led to the arrest of the 46-year-old suspect. “The police can confirm that cases of rape and sexual grooming were opened at Boschkop police station and then transferred to the…

The six parties wanting to unseat the ANC in the 2024 elections have said that they will consider matters that arose from the national dialogue on coalitions when they convene a national meeting to discuss a pre-election agreement next week. The parties – the DA, IFP, Freedom Front Plus, ActionSA, United Independent Movement and the Spectrum National Party – will hold a national convention at Emperor’s Palace in Kempton Park on August 16 and 17. They said several points had arisen from the national dialogue on coalitions, held at the weekend, that they believed to be sensible approaches to improving the stability and performance of coalition governments. The parties also said there were concerns that needed to be discussed. “Not least among these concerns is the revelation on Saturday from…

It’s that time again – the Springboks are getting set for a Rugby World Cup. Four years ago seems like just yesterday, when South Africa travelled to Japan for what became arguably their most memorable World Cup triumph. Siya Kolisi and his team went down in the opening match against the All Blacks in Yokohama, but went on to become the first team to claim the Webb Ellis Cup despite losing a pool game. It has been a topsy-turvy time since then, with Covid-19 disrupting the international rugby programme that saw the Boks missing out on the entire 2020 Test season. They then had to go into one of their biggest series, against the British and Irish Lions in 2021, having not played since the 2019 World Cup. But Kolisi’s…

At least 36 people have died after runaway fires, fanned by winds from a faraway hurricane, devastated much of the resort city Lahaina on Hawaii’s Maui island, Maui County officials said. Several neighbourhoods were burnt to the ground as the western side of the island was nearly cut off, with only one highway open and thousands to evacuate. Some people fled into the sea to escape the smoke and flames. “We just had the worst disaster I’ve ever seen. All of Lahaina is burnt to a crisp. It’s like an apocalypse,” said resident Mason Jarvi, who escaped from the city. Jarvi showed pictures he took of the destruction along the Lahaina waterfront. He also showed blisters on his thigh that he said he suffered when riding through flames on his…

Niger’s junta named a new government overnight, forcing its agenda before a summit yesterday of regional leaders who have demanded that they end their military takeover. West African heads of state meeting in Nigeria aim to agree on a plan of action for Niger, where coup leaders have refused to stand down despite the bloc’s threat that it could use force to restore democracy. Since the July 26 power grab shocked the region, the defiant junta has rebuffed diplomatic overtures and ignored an August 6 deadline from the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) to reinstate ousted president Mohamed Bazoum. Mahamane Roufai Laouali, cited as “Secretary General of the Government”, read out 21 names on state television without specifying any further plans. Three coup leaders were named ministers of…

LONDON: British discount retailer Wilko said it had fallen into administration yesterday, a form of creditor protection that puts its 12 000 jobs in danger. The family owned retailer, facing a cash squeeze after a downturn in trading, had failed to secure emergency investment. “We left no stone unturned when it came to preserving this incredible business but must concede that with regret, we’ve no choice but to take the difficult decision to enter into administration,” Wilko chief executive Mark Jackson said. Administrator PwC did not have an immediate comment. Wilko sells everything from hardware goods to cleaning products. | Reuters…

Bangkok: Thailand’s Pheu Thai party inched closer to forming a government and clearing the kingdom’s political logjam yesterday, announcing another party had joined its coalition, nearly three months after elections. The kingdom has been politically deadlocked after the reformist Move Forward Party (MFP), which won the most seats in the May polls, was unable to get its leader approved as prime minister by parliament. Pheu Thai, the party associated with exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra and which finished second, has taken the lead in trying to form a coalition. | AFP…

Mamelodi Sundowns’ relentless pursuit of success, which stretches back over six successive seasons, was very much in evidence in the opening two rounds of DStv Premiership matches. Nobody is going to replace Sundowns as the league’s standard bearers, although there were early signs that Orlando Pirates, last season’s runners-up, could have what it takes to mount a challenge as the season unfolds. There were also hints that Sundowns are not always that clinical in their search for excellence. The Brazilians have two wins from as many matches and in their most recent outing they taught Kaizer Chiefs a jarring football lesson. The two goals they scored came after blunders by Chiefs, who might have burgled a point from a match that was dominated by Masandawana. It is worth mentioning that…

As a teenager, Fuka Nagano was inspired by Japan’s Fifa Women’s World Cup triumph in 2011, and the Liverpool midfielder said she and her teammates fully believed that this year’s Nadeshiko will be able to match that feat. After the early exits of the US, Germany and Norway, Japan are the last former winners remaining in the tournament going into their quarter-final against Sweden at Eden Park today (kick-off 9.30am). The 2011 triumph captured the hearts of a nation still coming to terms with the tragedy of the Fukushima earthquake and tsunami that killed more than 18 000 people along the north-east coast. “I was 13-years-old or so,” Nagano recalled yesterday. “Back then, I saw how the Nadeshiko played, and that really empowered me ... that’s what I remember about…

IN ORDER to keep Glencore Smelters in Rustenburg open and protect thousands of jobs, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) will be marching to the Rustenburg municipality today to demand that the district not charge the company a surcharge over and above the approved electricity tariff by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa). The union said yesterday that Eskom was making an application to Nersa for a negotiated pricing agreement (NPA) for Glencore. “The municipality wishes to charge Glencore an additional surcharge, which is a fee over and above the cost of the Nersa electricity tariff,” it said. The surcharge is defined as a charge in excess of the municipal base tariff that a municipality may impose on fees for municipalities provided for, by or…

LISTED diversified investment group, African Equity Empowerment Investments (AEEI), a Sekunjalo Investment Holdings subsidiary, is no longer a shareholder in ICT group AYO Technology Solutions (AYO) following an unbundling that was initiated in March 2023. The unbundling of AYO was finalised at the end of July by way of a pro rata distribution in specie in the ratio of 1 AYO share for every 2.89 AEEI shares. AEEI had held a 49.36% stake in AYO. AEEI CEO Valentine Dzvova said: “AEEI is very pleased that AYO has reached a settlement with its significant shareholder, the Public Investment Corporation, in an agreement that will see the parties working towards the ICT group rebuilding its shareholder value. “We wish AYO well for the future in which we know, it has a…

Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) has unpacked more details of the plan that will see private-sector equity partner, International Container Terminal Services Inc (ICTSI) of the Philippines, come on board to form a new company to operate Durban Container Terminal Pier 2 (DCT Pier 2). The move aims to ensure more efficient running of the Port of Durban. TPT said the joint venture would see it and ICTSI form a new company to manage the operations of DCT Pier 2 for a period of 25 years, with the option to extend the time period. The new company is expected to take operational control by April 1 next year. Managing executive: Durban Terminals Earle Peters said DCT Pier 2 was selected to form a new company with ICTSI as it is Transnet’s…

Sad to say, there are many things condoned by law which would seem to be out of order. Take, for instance, Julius Malema’s chanting of “Kill the farmer! Kill the Boer.” The words are clear and simple – and there’s no need to intellectualise them. And if they don’t constitute hate speech, then what does? As Nelson Mandela once said: “It is never my custom to use words lightly. “If 27 years in prison have done anything to us, it was to use the silence of solitude to make us understand how precious words are and how real speech is in its impact on the way people live and die.”…

What does the controversial movie, Oppenheimer, have to do with midweek holidays, like the one on Wednesday, Women’s Day? A lot: Perhaps it does require an Einstein to explain that using an untested nuclear device to stop an opposing army is likened to harnessing antibiotics to kill off viruses. Anyway, the disaster flattened that country but instead of feeling sorry for itself, the government, there, got its act together, stopped unnecessary festivities and time-wasting holidays and mustered all support to first, recover and then, reignite the economy. Improved quality of all exports overtook cheap bric-a-brac. Heard of Toyota? Greatest sale of quality cars at initially low prices, all from a revived Japan. The sun resumed rising there, once again, after undergoing a short period of twilight and darkness. And here…

A court on appeal has stepped in to safeguard the R2.28 million a woman had received from the Road Accident Fund after she was involved in an accident. This came after the woman indicated that she had planned on dishing out at least R1m of the payout to her family and friends. The woman, who is not being identified due to her circumstances, was earlier declared unfit by a court to manage her own financial affairs, as she is illiterate and unable to understand and interpret financial advice. A neuropsychologist who examined her supported the appointment of a curator. It was found that her functional illiteracy was unrelated to the car accident. The court at the time appointed an advocate to act in her best interests and to make decisions…

A 68-hectare farm in Stilbaai, in the Western Cape has been forfeited to the State in terms of a order granted by the court. This comes after Ruben Robertson entered into a plea agreement with the State at the Riversdale Magistrate’s Court after pleading guilty to dealing in drugs – mandrax and tik – from the farm colloquially known as Die Kliphuis and Die Bakkery where dealing went on day and night. Roberston, who faced six charges of dealing in drugs, will effectively serve one year behind bars after being served with a six-year imprisonment sentence, wholly suspended for five years, and was fined the amount of R1 335. The National Prosecuting Authority then brought an application to have the farm forfeited to the State and community members signed…

The continuing and widespread vandalism of electricity infrastructure in eThekwini Municipality is now undermining investment in new projects that must be undertaken by the Metro’s electricity unit. This was revealed by Luntu Mthethwa, the senior manager responsible for construction planning and works in the unit. This comes as the Msunduzi Municipality is set to roll out a multi- million-rand street lights project in which aluminium cables will be used instead of copper in a bid to curb cable theft. Mthethwa, speaking via the City’s podcast, eThekwini Matters, said that vandalism of the municipal electricity infrastructure was a serious and ongoing problem and it was widespread across the City. “The issue of cable theft and vandalism is quite a big challenge for the city. It is setting us back in terms…

The case against five members of the African Truck Drivers Forum, who are accused of torching trucks in Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, and Limpopo, has been postponed to September to allow them to consult legal representatives to prepare for their bail applications. The accused Nelson Khulekani Shongwe, 29; Sibusiso Emmanuel Mthethwa, 38; Fundile Alberta Mpondo, 41; Mafika William Sibanda, 61; and Nkosingiphile Nkosikhona Gumede, 27, appeared in the Ermelo Magistrate’s Court in Mpumalanga province yesterday. They are charged with robbery with aggravating circumstances,malicious injury to property, conspiracy to commit a crime of malicious injury to property, and possession of an unlicensed firearm. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said the bail application in the matter has been set down to be heard from September 5. “Legal representatives for the accused requested time to…

WITH the geopolitical crisis taking a turn for the worse recently and the world economy showing signs of a downward trend, it is becoming evident that the countries of the Global South will be negatively affected. There is growing pressure for sanctions against China in the computer chip industry and over the One-China Policy. In South Africa there is growing concern that the US will cancel the forthcoming African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) Forum in retaliation for its position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. How will China respond to these events in the context of President Xi Jinping’s launch of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2013 and, following his 2015 interview in the Wall Street Journal? In the interview the leader of China committed to build more…

Tunisia and Libya yesterday announced they had agreed to share responsibility for providing shelter for hundreds of migrants stranded at their border, many of them for over a month. The migrants, primarily from sub-Saharan African countries, had been driven to the desert area of Ras Jedir by Tunisian authorities and left there to fend for themselves, according to witnesses, rights groups and UN agencies. Aid groups said three groups of about 300 migrants in total remain stranded there. A spokesperson for Tunisia’s interior ministry, Faker Bouzghaya, said during a joint meeting with Libyan authorities in Tunis that “we have agreed to share the groups of migrants who are at the border”. “Tunisia will take charge of a group of 76 men, 42 women and eight children,” Bouzghaya said. He said…

KAMPALA: Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni yesterday denounced the World Bank’s decision to suspend new funding in response to a harsh anti-LGBTQ law and vowed to find alternative sources of credit. The country would have to revise its budget to absorb the move’s potential impact, a junior finance minister said. The World Bank said on Tuesday that the law, which imposes the death penalty for certain same-sex acts, contradicted its values and that it would pause new funding until it could test measures to prevent discrimination in projects it finances. The anti-LGBTQ law, enacted in May, has drawn widespread criticism. | Reuters…

GURUGRAM: More than 3 000 poor Muslims have fled a business hub outside New Delhi this month, fearing for their lives after Hindu-Muslim clashes and sporadic attacks targeting them, residents, police and a community group said. Shops and shacks owned or run by Muslims and their houses in two large slum areas were padlocked when Reuters visited them more than a week after seven people were killed in clashes in Nuh and Gurugram districts in Haryana state, adjoining the Indian capital. Stone-throwing, arson and vandalisation of two shrines in the slum districts forced hundreds of Muslim families to abandon their houses and seek shelter at a train station. | Reuters…

Offshore has seen some bigger seas but plenty of fish caught. The garrick and snoek continue to be the stars of the show. The north coast has seen a lot of fish. From the guys travelling further north to Vidal and Sodwana all the way to Durban, there have been fish. The snoek have been feeding very well in the early mornings along the backline along the entire north coast. Westbrook and Umdloti have produced good results while Jex estate has been the pick of the venues. The Durban coast has seen more launches due to the ease of the Harbour and Vetch’s beach. These two sites make it possible for boats to launch in most sea conditions. There have been some smaller snoek and couta caught just behind limestone…