Sommaire pour 2021-06-08 de Cape Times

Part One Over THE past few weeks, a flurry of articles has flooded the media ecosystem whose sole bent seems to be to impugn the dignity and damage the reputation of Dr Iqbal Survé and the Sekunjalo Group. Crafted with dedication and conveyed via Independent Media’s rival media chorus, these articles smack of McCarthyism, the term that has become synonymous with defamation of character and/or reputation through the widespread dissemination of indiscriminate allegations based on unsubstantiated charges. In other words, lies without proof or evidence are told often enough to become a version of the truth. McCarthyism came about in the US in the late 1940s and 1950s and is attributed to Senator Joseph McCarthy, who carried out a witch-hunt during this time, under the auspices of looking for supposed…

Viwe Ndongeni-Ntlebi viwe.ndongeni@inl.co.za The pandemic has changed how we work, learn and interact as physical distancing guidelines have led to a more virtual existence, both personally and professionally. This has led to endless innovation to try and navigate through the new way. The healthcare industry has long been ripe for innovation, and the pandemic has served as a powerful catalyst. Research from McKinsey found that 90% of healthcare executives believe Covid-19 will fundamentally change their businesses, and 85% predict lasting changes to customers’ preferences. And while this pandemic has decimated many industries, it has also caused countless businesses to innovate, most notably in the medical and health industries. Fedhealth gives us some of the health innovations witnessed over the past year in the medical fields: Virtual consultations Our work…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za TRIBUTES have flooded in for theatre legend Shaleen Surtie-Richards since news of her tragic and sudden passing broke yesterday. Television, film and stage actress Surtie-Richards, 66, who had been staying in Cape Town while working on popular Afrikaans TV series Arendsvlei, was found dead in a guest house yesterday. It has been reported that she had been dealing with health complications for many years after suffering a stroke and being diagnosed with diabetes. Family spokesperson Alistair Izobell said Surtie-Richards, a former teacher, had lunch with her brother on Sunday and the two were supposed to go for Surtie-Richards’s Covid-19 vaccination today, which she was “super thrilled about”. “The family is coping with the passing of Shaleen by virtue of the love that they are now tangibly experiencing…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za THE ANC in Mossel Bay has called on the DA to answer to victims of sexual harassment in municipalities and the province following another “major sex scandal” to rock the party. “The second major sex scandal in a week has shaken the DA to its core,” ANC Mossel Bay head Cameron Dugmore said. He said it was recently acknowledged – after weeks of denials – that a senior provincial Transport Management official was being investigated for among others, sexual harassment and committing a sexual act against a subordinate. “In the latest incident, Mossel Bay municipal manager Thys Giliomee has been suspended with the intention to dismiss him after an internal investigation found that he sexually harassed a junior employee,” Dugmore said. “His suspension was also kept secret…

Staff writer MAPPING, trapping, collecting, processing, testing, modelling and engaging pollution in the Umgeni River is the strategy of the University of KwaZulu-Natal that has teamed up with The Ocean Cleanup – a Dutch non-profit organisation developing advanced technologies to rid the oceans of plastic. “How many plastic items have you used today already? Are you possibly using one just now? The answers are very likely ‘many’ and ‘yes’,” said South African Research Chair (SARChI) for Waste and Climate Change, Professor Cristina Trois, lead investigator on the project along with colleague Dr Thomas Mani from The Ocean Cleanup. Today, more than 400 million tons of plastic products are purchased every year worldwide. Of the total of over 8 billion tons of plastics ever produced to date, a staggering 80% has…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za ACTIVISTS say a letter calling for increased visible policing – in response to a picket in support of dismissed SAPS Major-General Jeremy Vearey and dissatisfaction with the police service – should be directed at murderers and rapists instead. The purported letter from the provincial intelligence head, Major-General Mzwandile Tiyo, was addressed to acting provincial police commissioner Major-General Thembisile Patekile and titled “Information Note: Hands off Our Coloured Generals Campaign”. Shared widely on social media, the letter stated that an online social media campaign to mobilise and rally support for Vearey was making claims of possible pickets being planned at police stations. It was recommended that police visibility be increased to prevent any form of disruption. Both provincial and national police did not respond to requests for comment…

Yogas Nair and Moleboheng Mosia MEDIA law guru Dario Milo has got it all wrong. Independent Media’s internal Ombud’s office does have teeth. It operates exactly like the Press Council of South Africa, consisting of highly experienced panel members who act without fear or favour. Independent Media’s Ombud exists to help foster transparency and accountability in news outlets. Concomitantly, Independent’s Ombud allows the audience to feel that they are a part of the news gathering and dissemination process, and that their voice is listened to and taken seriously. In a recent article in the Daily Maverick, Dario Milo, a partner at Webber Wentzel attorneys and adjunct professor at Wits University, says Independent Media should consider whether its absence from the Press Council is doing it more harm than good.…

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa needs to move with breath-taking speed to finalise the matter facing Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize. Failure to act promptly will have dire consequences for the country’s response to the deadly Covid-19 pandemic and vaccination programme. Mkhize is embroiled in a serious corruption scandal that is the subject of an investigation by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU). Recent revelations in the media detail how Digital Vibes, a company owned by Mkhize’s allies, allegedly paid for maintenance work at his “family property” in Joburg. It was also revealed that Digital Vibes allegedly transferred money into the company account of Mkhize’s son, Dedani. As if that were not enough, recent media reports revealed that the company transferred R160 000 to a Pietermaritzburg car dealership for a 2003 Toyota…

FRANKFURT: Anti-poverty campaigners yesterday criticised a deal reached by seven wealthy countries to impose a minimum tax on multinational companies, saying it would benefit rich nations at the expense of the poor. Finance Ministers from the Group of Seven advanced economies agreed on Saturday to back the creation of a global minimum corporate tax rate of at least 15%, aiming to squeeze more money out of multinationals such as Amazon and Google and reduce their incentive to shift profits to low-tax offshore havens. Oxfam and Eurodad, a network of development agencies, said the new regime would entitle big companies’ home countries, often in the United States or Europe, to a larger share of the tax, leaving little for poor states where multinationals also operate. “The G7 is a small club…

Seattle: Amazon.com Inc founder Jeff Bezos’s brother will fly to space next month on the first space flight from his rocket company Blue Origin, the billionaire said yesterday. “Ever since I was 5 years old, I’ve dreamed of traveling to space. On July 20, I will take that journey with my brother,” Bezos said. Blue Origin closed the first round of the auction last month and said it had received more than 5 200 bidders from 136 countries, without disclosing the highest bid. The highest bid stood at $2.8 million (about R38m) in the ongoing second round of auction, according to Blue Origin’s website.…

LOS ANGELES: Authorities in California said they had arrested two people in connection with the death of six-year-old Aiden Leos, whose shooting in a suspected road rage incident on the way to school had caused an outpouring of public grief. Leos was shot dead in his mother’s car in May on a state highway. A website https://www.aiden-reward.com had sought donations for Aiden’s family and offered a $500,000 reward for any information that led to the arrest of the shooter. The suspects were arrested in their home on Sunday by the California Highway Patrol (CHP), and were expected to be charged with murder.…

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday signed a law to officially quit the Treaty on Open Skies, the Kremlin said. The multilateral Treaty on Open Skies, which came into effect in 2002, allows its states-parties to conduct short-notice, unarmed reconnaissance flights over the others’ territories to collect data on military forces and activities. After Washington announced its withdrawal last year, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in January the country had started domestic legal procedures for the pullout from the treaty. The Russian Federation Council passed a bill last week to endorse Russia’s withdrawal.…

Ashfak Mohamed ashfak.mohamed@inl.co.za IN A major blow to some local athletes still pushing for Olympic qualifying performances, the African Championships in Athletics, scheduled to take place in Lagos, Nigeria, has been cancelled. The event had already been postponed and moved to different dates and venues in Algeria, and late last month, the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) made a final decision to have the championships held in Nigeria. But yesterday, Athletics South Africa’s (ASA) excellence manager, Hezekiel Sepeng, sent out a circular to the local provinces where he announced that the event was off. “(ASA) has received communication from the (CAA) confirming that the CAA African Senior Championships that were to take place in Lagos, Nigeria, from 23-27 June, 2021, has been cancelled,” Sepeng wrote. The 800m Olympic silver medallist…

Industrious businessman John Comitis has put pen to paper for a working relationship between his club Cape Town City FC and leading Serbian football outfit FK Partizan. The Belgrade-based club have for many years flown under the radar of European football spotlight. However, many of their players have graduated from their ranks to some of the biggest clubs in Europe. Yesterday, the ambitious Citizens took to their social media platforms with the news of the partnership. City's social media post read: “FK Partizan's ground-breaking cooperation with Cape Town City Football Club is underway, as the delegation from Belgrade visits South Africa for the first time. The cooperation will see many elite African talents move to Europe in the coming years.” Last week, Comitis said there were major developments underway…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za THE CONTINUING rally in the price of gold has seen South Africa’s net foreign exchange reserves climbing to a four-month high in May as the yellow metal rose on the commodity supercycle. The SA Reserve Bank (SARB) said yesterday that the country’s foreign exchange reserves rose to $54.14 billion (R726.25bn) from $53.69bn in April – the largest jump since Janu-ary, mainly due to the increase in the US dollar gold price as gold price increased 7.6 percent month-to-month to $1 904.30 per ounce. SARB said that it has also noted a $0.5bn increase in gold reserves to $7.67bn. The central bank said matured foreign exchange swops conducted for sterilisation and liquidity management purposes, as well as valuation adjustments due to asset price and currency…

SIRIUS Real Estate, which owns branded business and industrial parks in Germany, performed well in the year to March 31, declaring a higher dividend for its 14th consecutive reporting period, chief executive Andrew Coombs said yesterday.An 1.98 euro cents (32.3c) dividend was paid for the six-month period ended March 31, bringing the total payout for the year to 3.80 euro cents. Like-for-like rent increased by 5.2 percent in this period while the growth last year was 6.1 percent.Coombs said the group had generated an accounting return of 19.5 percent, bringing to seven the number of years of double digit growth, with the average accounting return at just over 16 percent. He said they were seeing high levels of investment in the German market with the country…

From page 1 opted not to take the jab. In a response to the legislature, Health MEC Nomafrench Mbombo said that, as at June 1, 483 559 people were registered for vaccination – 163 010 as health workers and 320 504 as over-60s. In total, 158 154 people have been vaccinated, of whom 94 923 were health workers. “All health-care workers have not yet been vaccinated. The number of health workers in the private sector is uncertain. “A significant number of people indicated that they were health workers when they were not. “The result is that our registration data for health workers has been impacted,” Mbombo said. “Some staff have exercised their right not to take the vaccine. This is not a compulsory vaccine,” she said. Provincial health department spokesperson…

Kailene Pillay kailene.pillay@inl.co.za ALLEGED Gupta associate and former Transnet board member Iqbal Sharma was forced to spend an extra night in custody, after his bail application was postponed at the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court to today. One of his co-accused, former Free State agriculture and rural development head Peter Thabethe, was granted R10 000 bail yesterday. Sharma, Thabethe and their 15 co-accused face criminal charges related to defrauding the Free State Department of Agriculture (FSDoA). The fraud is in connection with a R25 million feasibility study in 2011 that was allegedly irregularly granted to Nulane Investment 204 (Pty) Ltd – a company owned and controlled by Sharma. The company had to provide a report to the department within seven months. According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) – which claimed it…

Nicola Daniels and Lisa Isaacs AT LEAST 500 000 Johnson & Johnson vaccines have been secured for teachers, the National Teachers' Organisation of South Africa (Naptosa) said, while the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) said it was awaiting reports from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on whether batches of the J&J vaccine were manufactured according to good manufacturing practices (GMP) standards. Naptosa president Nkosipendule Ntantala said they had a meeting with the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and a briefing from the acting director-general regarding vaccines that had been secured for the education sector. The 500 000 doses were expected to arrive from the US this past weekend, on June 5, and would undergo testing yesterday. “For now, we have not received confirmation as to whether…

OWN Correspondent THE 8th South African International Ballet Competition (SAIBC) is forging ahead in spite of pandemic challenges. Africa’s most established competitive ballet event will be presented as a hybrid event from July 19 to 24 at the Artscape Opera House and the patron of the SAIBC, Connie September, has congratulated the competition’s founder and chief executive, Dirk Badenhorst. “While the Covid-19 pandemic may have paused life as we know it, the ballet world is still turning thanks to the perseverance, dedication and unrelenting commitment of those in the performing arts industry, a sector that has been one of the hardest hit since the first lockdown last year,” she said. “In a time like this, artists are called upon to bring hope and inspiration, and I commend all the participating…

Lisa Isaacs lisa.isaacs@inl.co.za WHILE immunity following an infection, as well as reinfections with SARS-CoV-2 is not fully understood, there are more than 3 000 confirmed cases of people who have been diagnosed with Covid-19 more than once in the province. The provincial health department said there were an estimated 3 200 reinfections in the Western Cape, based on laboratory-confirmed diagnosis. “Reinfections are defined as individuals testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection with 90 or more days between positive tests. This can be with or without a negative test in between. “An important caveat is that these are known reinfections in people who opted to get tested in both instances. “We know that not everyone who may have been infected has been tested – and therefore what may appear as a first…

Kennedy Mudzuli kennedy.mudzuli@inl.co.za ZELDA VENTER zelda.venter@inl.co.za A PASTOR from Durbanville in Cape Town will now be able to prepare his sermons in peace and quiet after a court ordered the closure of a puppy and dog daycare centre in his neighbourhood. Reverend Mark Wayne Christopher had to endure the barking and yelping coming from his neighbours’ business, known as Puppy Town, for years. His complaints to Puppy Town owners Jolindi and Pieter Verster were ignored. Not even his complaints to the City of Cape Town that the Versters were, among other things, contravening the by-laws by looking after more than 17 dogs and puppies during the day, yielded any results. The Versters said that they were within their rights to operate their business and that Christopher could not expect to…

Siviwe Cingo and Yonela Mlambo Education and access to education is a complex phenomenon in South Africa and this is informed by our past history of colonialism and apartheid. The 2015-2016 university #RhodesMustFall and #FeesMustFall protests and numerous protests in our schools are the manifestation of obstinate social engineering of our past that sought to systematise the marginalisation of black people from getting an emancipatory education. The colonial government and apartheid government committed themselves in effect to black epistemicide to create docile black subjects who were going to participate in their oppression. In 1976 black students in Soweto utterly rejected apartheid epistemicide endeavours and took it to the streets. We are all aware of the Soweto Student uprising massacre. Nevertheless, post-apartheid, black people – concerning education and many other…

At least 47 people were killed and dozens injured yesterday when a packed Pakistani inter-city train ploughed into another express train that had derailed just minutes earlier, officials said. Several people were still trapped in the mangled wreckage near Daharki, in a remote part of rural Sindh province, which took rescue workers with specialist equipment hours to reach. The double accident happened at around 3.30am when most of the 1 200 passengers aboard the two trains would have been sleeping. “We tumbled upon each other, but that was not so fatal,” Akhtar Rajput, a passenger on the train that derailed, said. “Then another train hit us from nowhere, and that hit us harder. When I regained my senses, I saw passengers lying around me, some were trying to get out…

KENYA should intensify action on the climate crisis in the coastal region that has disrupted livelihoods of predominantly fishing and pastoralist communities, Mithika Mwenda, executive director of Nairobi-based Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) said. “We have seen rapid deforestation, which has reduced forests and coastal wetlands, endangered biodiversity, human livelihoods and wildlife,” Mwenda said in a statement. He noted that extreme weather events, which have become a regular phenomenon along the Kenyan coastline, have escalated food insecurity, vector-borne diseases, and resource-based conflicts. According to Mwenda, the destruction of mangrove forests and peatlands has undermined the ability of coastal communities to cope with climatic shocks like droughts and flooding. He said the central government and devolved units should strengthen the protection of habitats, including wetlands and marine species, as part of…

LONDON: Outspoken journalist Piers Morgan says its “ironic” that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have decided to use the Queen’s nickname for their newborn daughter Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor. Called “Lili” by her parents, the newest edition to the Sussex clan was born on June 4 in California, where the couple relocated after ditching their senior royal duties last year. Their daughter’s first name is a nod to her high-profile granny, Queen Elizabeth II, who was endearingly called “Lilibet” by her late husband Prince Philip. ​But Piers, who left his job at Good Morning Britain (GMB) in March after slamming “Princess Pinocchio” Meghan Markle over her “lies” in the controversial Oprah Winfrey interview, said the reference may be an attempt by the couple to mend bridges with the royal family following…

Bamako: Malian strongman Colonel Assimi Goita was sworn in as transitional president of the unstable Sahel state yesterday. The ceremony in the capital Bamako came after Goita, the leader of a coup last August, ousted the civilian president and prime minister of a transitional government on May 24, to international condemnation. “I swear before God and the Malian people to preserve the republican regime... to preserve democratic gains,” said Goita, who was dressed in full military regalia. Mali’s second putsch in nine months has sparked a diplomatic uproar, with the AU and the Economic Community of West African States suspending it.…

Mihlali Baleka mihlali.baleka@inl.co.za New Bafana Bafana assistant coach Cedomir Janevski says the new dawn they want to bring to the South African senior national team does not include teaching players how to play football, instead they want to help individuals gel together as a team. It’s been a tough year for Bafana. They failed to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon next year, after losing their last qualifier away to Sudan. They finished third in Group C behind leaders Ghana and the Sudanese. As a result, Molefi Ntseki lost his job. Safa have since appointed Hugo Broos as his successor. The Belgian coach then appointed two assistants, Macedonian Janevski and local footballing legend Helman Mkhalele. Despite having Macedonian roots, Janevski spent most of his life in…

LENDER FirstRand said yesterday that it expected its annual earnings to increase by 35 percent, because the economy had rebounded faster than initially expected. Its current trends indicated that customers were using their discretionary savings as the economy had opened up. “Consumer spending is now back at pre-Covid levels,” First-Rand said. FirstRand’s portfolio of leading financial services franchises includes Rand Merchant Bank, First National Bank and WesBank. FirstRand’s headline earnings per share (Heps) of 308.9 cents, earnings per share (Eps) of 303.5c and normalised Eps of 307.8c for the year to June 30, 2020 would be exceeded by more than 35 percent in the year to June 30, 2021. FirstRand’s Heps, Eps and normalised Eps would be at least 417c, 409.7c and 415.5c, respectively, it said. The financial…

From page 1 “The council resolved that in terms of the investigation report, a prima facie case of serious misconduct in the form of sexual harassment has been established. “It was also resolved to institute disciplinary proceedings against the municipal manager due to the alleged misconduct being deemed to be of a serious nature. “It was resolved that the council intends to suspend the municipal manager pending the finalisation of the outcome of the disciplinary matter,” the statement read. “The municipal manager has seven days in terms of which to provide written representation to the council on why he should not be suspended. “The manager will remain on special leave pending the outcome of council’s decision concerning his suspension,” the statement added. The municipality’s community safety executive manager, Colin Puren,…

Mayibongwe Maqhina mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za ADVOCATE Dali Mpofu said yesterday that when deciding a constitutional matter, a court should declare that any law or conduct that was inconsistent with the Constitution was invalid to the extent of the inconsistency. Mpofu advanced the argument in the Western Cape High Court in an application brought by Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane to declare the rules for the removal of heads of Chapter 9 intuitions as unconstitutional. Mkhwebane also wants the court to determine the constitutionality of the conduct of the National Assembly’s Thandi Modise. In addition she wants the court to determine whether the rules ought properly to be interpreted to give retrospective application, and if not to state that the conduct was in violation of the Constitution. “If the court declares the rules…

Athandile Siyo and Zanele Mvana SET ALIGHT and left for dead. That is the gruesome scene that confronted 78-year-old Nontsikelelo Ndlebe’s daughters who had the harrowing responsibility of identifying their mother’s body after she was murdered. Nondumiso and Nosisa don’t live with their mother, but at 9am on Saturday they had plans to fetch her to fix an issue with water in her house, which is in Kusile Street, Khayelitsha. “Upon arrival we found the kitchen door, which we never used, broken. I felt cold and knew that something was wrong, I cried out and the neighbours came out. “Our neighbour went inside first and we followed behind her, she went straight where my mother’s burnt body was. “The room was dark due to smoke, and the smell was horrible.…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za AS THE Covid-19 pandemic delayed work on the Klipfontein Regional Hospital, residents are now eager for things to start moving again. Provincial Health Department spokesperson Mark van der Heever said the project was in the design phase and the completion date, which before was set for 2029, could no longer be determined. “The Klipfontein Hospital project is currently in its concept design stage with the provincial Department of Public Works in the process of appointing professional services providers. At this stage, we cannot give a practical completion date but we do envisage approximately a 640-bed hospital based on the last planning. “The current pandemic has forced a shift to the current needs to ensure we have enough beds and oxygen in place to save many lives,” he…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za NEARLY 150 000 students who have been accepted to further their studies at higher education institutions did not receive the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (Nsfas) funding for the 2021 academic year. About 146 532 applications were rejected by the student aid body. Of these, 93 532 were from TVET colleges and 52 992 from universities. A total of 22 014 university students were unfunded because they obtained their first undergraduate qualifications and 5 376 TVET college students were unfunded due to their academic pathways not funded as per the guidelines. This was announced yesterday by Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister Blade Nzimande where he further said 22 649 university students and 140 TVET students exceeded the N+ rule, while 88 016 TVET students and 8…

Staff writer EMERGENCY Medical Services (EMS) responded to 4 953 incidents in the province at the weekend. There were 111 incidents in red-zone areas and 177 transport-related incidents. The top 10 incident types for the weekend included non-cardiac pain (740), weapon assault (660), respiratory complaints (604), obstetric complaints (341), neurological complaints (228), vomiting/diarrhoea (206), abdominal complaints (204), musculoskeletal complaints (186), physical assault (169), and forensic pathology (169). The red-zone area incidents occurred in Beacon Valley, Tafelsig, Hanover Park and Paarl. Ambulance crews are not allowed to enter these zones without a police escort. “We would like to thank the brave EMS staff members for their continuous commitment to serve communities in our province, with zeal and perseverance, despite the challenges they must endure at times. “We also thank our…

Colin Burger | Assagay THE EFF and its two head honchos, Julius Malema and Floyd Shivambu, have yet again been exposed in corrupt and fraudulent activities by the explosive evidence given by Floyd Shivambu’s brother, Brian, in the VBS looting debacle of theft of public funds. This is part of an alleged contract that Brian Shivambu signed when agreeing to pay back R4.5 million to the official investigators of the incident. I think that the EFF and its leaders both need to back off from criticising anyone else or any political party. It is apparent that they are absolutely no different to those who have appeared at the Zondo Commission having been found wanting – the vast majority of whom are ANC loyalists. Zuma after all was…

HALF of the Japanese public think the 2020 Olympics will take place this summer, a survey by the Yomiuri daily newspaper showed yesterday, despite most people opposing holding the Games during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Olympics have already been postponed by a year amid concerns over how organisers can keep volunteers, athletes, officials and the Japanese public safe when they begin on July 23. Opposition lawmakers grilled Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and cabinet ministers in parliament yesterday over the decision to press ahead with the event after several polls showed the public was not in favour. Top government officials repeatedly said that the government would continue to work on coronavirus measures for a “safe and secure” Games, and that a decision on domestic spectators would be made this month. “Taking…

SEOUL: A South Korean court yesterday dismissed a lawsuit filed by 85 victims of wartime forced labour seeking compensation from 16 Japanese firms, saying accepting the case might violate a 1965 treaty under international law. The decision by the Seoul Central District Court will frustrate victims and their supporters in South Korea but it will avert anger from Japan, which considers the issue of compensation for its actions during its 1910-45 rule of Korea closed. The historic feud, including over “comfort women”, Japan’s euphemism for mostly Korean women forced to work in its wartime brothels, has long soured bilateral ties between the two important US allies. A 2018 South Korea Supreme Court ruling that the 1965 treaty, which normalised ties between the neighbours, did not terminate the former forced labourers’…

BRUSSELS: European Union countries yesterday approved the bloc’s flagship fund to wean them off fossil fuels and protect communities most affected, paving the way for members to start receiving the cash. The 17.5 billion euro (about R287.4bn) Just Transition Fund (JTF) combines money from the EU’s budget and its COVID-19 recovery fund. It is designed to support communities most affected by plans to shut down coal, peat and oil shale sectors or other emissions-intensive industries. It will back projects including managing closures of coal mines and retraining workers.…

VIENNA: The UN atomic watchdog has seen indications in North Korea of possible reprocessing work to separate plutonium from spent reactor fuel that could be used in nuclear weapons, the head of the agency said yesterday. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has not had access to the secretive state since Pyongyang expelled its inspectors in 2009. The country then pressed ahead with its nuclear weapons programme and soon resumed nuclear testing. Its last detonation of a nuclear weapon was in 2017. The Vienna-based IAEA now monitors North Korean activities at sites including the main nuclear complex at Yongbyon.…

Herman Gibbs herman.gibbs@africannewsagency.com The “Foreign Legion” in the PSL were smiling all the way to the bank after striking it rich at the virtual awards function for the 2020-21 season on Sunday. Namibian Peter Shalulile walked away with the prize awards of PSL Footballer of the Season (R250 000) and PSL Players’ Player of the Season (R200 000) that allowed him to bank just under half a million rand. He has been at the forefront of Mamelodi Sundowns' Premiership-winning season. The awards were massive recognition for the lanky striker who came within a whisker of also winning the PSL Top Scorer award. It was lifted by SuperSport United's Bradley Grobler, with 16 goals. Shalulile ended the season on 15 goals, after bagging a brace against Cape Town City in the…