Índex per 2023-06-20 a Mercury

Reality TV star Kourtney Kardashian is “on cloud nine” with Travis Barker after discovering she is pregnant. The 44-year-old reality star has been married to Blink-182 rocker Travis, 47, since 2022 and made the announcement at his Los Angeles concert on Friday, by holding up a sign reading “Travis I’m Pregnant”. An insider told Entertainment Tonight: “Kourtney and Travis are on cloud nine. This pregnancy is beyond Kourtney’s wildest dreams. Kourtney and Travis feel like this is one of the most magical things to happen to them and a complete miracle. They are so thrilled and can’t wait to experience this pregnancy together, bring a baby into the world as a unit, and expand and grow their families.” The insider went on to add that Kourtney’s mother, Kris Jenner, and…

WEAK management practices and failure to monitor contractors resulted in dead people, and others with invalid ID numbers, emerging as beneficiaries of disaster relief aid in eThekwini Municipality. This is one of the findings by Auditor-General (AG) Tsakani Maluleke in a report that she presented to the ad-hoc joint committee on flood disaster relief and recovery last week, into the progress made in the recovery process after last year’s floods. The report, a second one on how provinces including KwaZulu-Natal, particularly eThekwini, and the Eastern Cape had spent money meant to assist those displaced by the floods in April last year, showed there had been little improvement with regard to the problems identified in the first report. More concerning was the revelation that KZN had spent less than a tenth…

When my sons reveal certain physical aptitudes, expose some odd humorous bent, display a uniquely characteristic nod of the head, tilt of the jaw, it crosses my mind that I may be “seeing” their biological dads, glimpsing some semblance of the men who fathered them. I do think about these two men – especially on Father’s Day – and hope they are thriving wherever they are. In ways that my sons may also ponder, although I have not asked them, I wonder who these men are. I consider if each even knows about the baby he fathered or, if he does, thinks about, grieves about what he has sacrificed, missed or lost. I would jump at the opportunity of meeting my sons’ biological fathers. I’d go to such an event…

Given the ANC’s track record of cannibalising and looting resources, Health Minister Joe Phaahla’s claim that private and public health services could “complement each other” in the establishment of National Health Insurance (NHI) is devoid of credibility (The Mercury, June 15). Phaahla’s claim that both the public and private health sectors are doomed to crash is true only with regard to public health. Its poor state is a reflection of countrywide ANC mismanagement. By ending private medical health, the ANC’s aim is to plunder those resources in a short-term attempt to project NHI as a success. The consequences will be detrimental to all as doctors flee the country, equipment is broken and health care becomes a nightmare and a memory. For the ANC bigwigs, Cuba and Russia will be their…

Police in the Eastern Cape say they are consulting following the Makhanda High Court’s order that the government and SAPS must provide effective security measures in response to attacks on long-haul buses travelling through the region. According to bus operator Intercape, there have been concerted attacks against the company, in which coaches were shot at in the “hot spot” towns of Cofimvaba, Butterworth, Engcobo, Tsomo and Idutywa. Intercape approached the Makhanda High Court last week to compel the national and provincial departments of transport and police, to “develop a comprehensive action plan”. Judge John Smith issued an order on Wednesday last week that pending the development of the revised action plan, there must be “a visible law-enforcement presence maintained at every loading point in hot spot towns and areas at…

A KwaZulu-Natal boy who allegedly killed a 74-year-old man he accused of witchcraft was stoned to death. The incident took place in the Bandlaneni area, KwaNongoma Local Municipality in Northern KZN. Nonhlanhla Khoza, the KZN MEC for Social Development, condemned the killing of Solani Mchunu, 74. “It is alleged that Mchunu was brutally murdered by a local boy at the weekend, accusing him of witchcraft. “It alleged that the community also stoned the boy to death after he was seen following the pensioner,” said Khoza. | Jolene Marriah-Maharaj…

THE diplomatic fallout involving South Africa and Poland is the latest indication that Africa’s most industrialised economy is being ostracised for its non-aligned stance in the Ukraine/Russian war. On Friday, the government announced that a plane carrying the security personnel accompanying President Cyril Ramaphosa on a peace mission to Ukraine was held up in Poland, in an incident that sparked a diplomatic squabble. A charter flight carrying security forces and journalists was blocked on landing at Warsaw Airport, with the Polish authorities not allowing those on board to disembark. According to media reports the Polish authorities had raised concerns over the weapons and ammunition of the Presidential Protection Unit on board the charter aeroplane as these were deemed illegal in that country. The incident has served as a disruptive side-show…

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed yesterday for countries to step up aid pledges for Sudan, where a conflict between rival military factions has forced some 2.2 million people from their homes and sparked a major humanitarian crisis. The UN says about $3 billion (about R54.5bn) is needed this year for humanitarian relief inside Sudan and for refugees fleeing the country, only a fraction of which has been funded. “Without strong international support, Sudan could quickly become a locus of lawlessness, radiating insecurity across the region,” Guterres told a fund-raising conference hosted by Germany, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt and the UN. “I appeal to you all today to provide funding to deliver lifesaving humanitarian aid and support to people living in the most difficult and dangerous conditions,” Guterres said. Germany announced…

Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank killed five Palestinians including a militant yesterday, in a raid that saw seven Israeli security personnel wounded and rare helicopter fire. The sound of gunfire was heard across Jenin as wounded Palestinians continued to arrive by ambulance at the northern West Bank city’s Ibn Sina hospital into the early afternoon. Crowds, among them Palestinian gunmen, gathered outside Jenin government hospital, as the funerals of those killed in 11 hours of fighting began. The Palestinian health ministry said five people had been killed and at least 91 others were wounded in the violence. It named four of those killed: 15-year-old Ahmed Saqer, Khaled Assassa, 21, Qais Jabareen, 21, Ahmad Daraghmeh, 19, and Qassam Abu Saria, 29. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed Abu Saria as…

Stockholm: A military attack against Sweden cannot be ruled out following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a report by the Swedish military said yesterday, stressing the importance of its entry into Nato. The report did not single out Moscow for instigating a potential attack but rather said Russia’s war in Ukraine and China’s mounting influence in Asia and the world were responsible for rising insecurity. A commission of experts said the country needed a “bigger army” by 2025-2030, including at least 10 000 conscripts a year, up from the current level of 5 000 to 6 000. Sweden’s full membership has been blocked by Hungary and Turkey. Only full members are covered by full military protection. | AFP…

MELEKHOVO: Jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny appeared before a Russian court yesterday to defend himself against new charges of extremism that could extend his prison term by decades. The hearing took place at the IK-6 penal colony in Melekhovo, 235km east of Moscow, where Navalny is already serving sentences totalling 11.5 years. His supporters accuse Moscow of trying to break him to silence his criticism of President Vladimir Putin. Journalists were not admitted to the courtroom. Navalny contested the authority of the Moscow city court judge to try him in a penal colony far from the capital. | Reuters…

The financial complications that come with relegation are huge as clubs are subjected to losing sponsors rather than retaining them. So when Maritzburg United learnt that they would be competing in the PSL promotion/relegation playoffs, they knew they ran the risk of losing their union with the Gift of the Givers and Arminia Bielefeld if they got relegated. Their first fears were indeed confirmed last week as they lost out on an opportunity to retain their Premiership status via the playoffs to Cape Town Spurs, who finished top in the mini league. But the fate of losing the Gift of the Givers and Arminia seems to be looming large or even confirmed given the damning accusations of betrayal from Maritzburg chairperson Farook Kadodia. Yesterday, Kadodia wrote a long statement that…

Cricketing minnows Oman pulled off a massive upset by beating Ireland by five wickets in their opening World Cup qualifier in Bulawayo yesterday, the Gulf sultanate’s first-ever victory over a Test nation in a one-day international. The other Group B match saw Sri Lanka crush the United Arab Emirates by 175 runs. George Dockrell hit 91 not out and Harry Tector 52 as Ireland reached a respectful 281/7 wickets in their allotted 50 overs. But they hadn’t counted on the fighting qualities of an Omani side for whom opener Kashyap Prajapati hit 72, while captain Zeeshan Maqsood pitched in with 59, Aqib Ilyas 52 and Mohammad Nadeem 46 not out. A triumphant Maqsood said it was an “honour” to have beaten Ireland, eventually by five wickets with 11 balls remaining.…

THE moonshot pact national convention is expected to take place this month, with parties yet to reach consensus on how to put together the broadest possible coalition to unseat the ANC. While the pact will be negotiated at the convention, parties have discussed including the Abantu Batho Congress (ABC), led by former ANC and Greytown mayor Philani Mavundla, in the agreement. The ABC has two seats in the eThekwini Metro and Mavundla had previously worked with the ANC and was the deputy mayor, but was later removed and replaced by Zandile Myeni of the National Freedom Party (NFP). The incorporation of the ABC into the pact, especially after the party formally ended its coalition pact with the IFP in April, will reveal if parties can ignore what has happened in…

IT IS NO SECRET and absolutely shattering that morality across the world is eroding. Many people engage in unethical behaviours, often repeatedly, without being overwhelmed by guilt. Moral decay has become a powerful threat to humanity’s well-being. We are living in a demented world whose moral fibre has decayed to an extent that it is threatened with collapse. No society can endure by taking a brazenly defiant view of sex and it’s frightening ramifications for human progress. History has recorded the destruction of such societies over hundreds of years. Sadly, this generation has been desensitised to intrinsic evils on all levels of a civil society. These grotesque acts have weakened our moral fibres and are graphically advertised as equality to accomplish evil agendas. We remain defiant as we embrace the…

THE Shoprite Group must be commended for making available, for some time now, a 600g loaf of good brown bread, a staple food, at the low price of R5. The going rate for such a loaf is around R17. In addition, such stores provide some basic sandwiches (two slices) for R5 and an 8-pack of sanitary pads for R5. In this day when poverty, destitution and unemployment are rife, such items are a blessing, primarily to those with limited finances. Shoprite, please keep up this good and welcome low-cost trend. Rival big national retail chains and other local stores can take a leaf out of the Shoprite book of beneficence and emulate its example. Except for the above mentioned bargains, the pursuit of profits before people is the business world’s…

Let’s face it. The only good reason that President Cyril Ramaphosa was forced to venture into the far north regions of the globe to endeavour to bring peace on earth is, of course, to prevent the gory possibility of having to dump Russian President Vladimir Putin into our own Guantanamo (code-named Robben Island), immediately after customs clearance at Joburg Airport as per the stipulation by the great court in the Hague: the International Criminal Court. We very old people who are awaiting the great eternal peace underground or up in the air, if one prefers cremation, in a very few years, can sit back and contemplate the near future of the planet in one of two different ways. Either worry about violent nationalistic trends by almost every country to grab…

A SEASONED pilot has his wings back after the court allowed him to take to the skies again after the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) suspended his licence for six months when he flew too close to the ground, to encourage people on the landing strip to move away. David Mandel turned to the Eastern Cape High Court in Gqeberha for an urgent order allowing him to fly again, pending a review application against the CAA’s decision to clip his wings for six months. Mandel is said to be an experienced pilot, holding a private pilot’s licence for about 40 years, with an unblemished flying record. He regularly receives invitations to fly in air shows and pilots his own planes between South African cities on a weekly basis for business purposes.…

As abalone and crayfish poaching continues in the Overstrand, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) has deployed additional resources to fight it. On June 2, authorities found 4 108 abalone, with an estimated street value of R2 million, abandoned in a vehicle in 7th Street in Voëlklip, Hermanus. This came after 3 180 units of whole abandoned abalone were found by the Swartland K-9 Unit in May. DFFE Minister Barbara Creecy, in a written response to questions posed in the National Council of Provinces, said the department was ramping up prevention efforts. “The department is currently in the process of deploying operations within the Overberg region in terms of Initiative 5: The Enhanced Co- ordinated Enforcement Programme of the Marine Protection Services and Governance LAB of Operation…

Multiple statements of the Western establishment regarding its desire to help and support Africa indicate that the West keeps trying to normalise relations with the African continent. However, the West forget their promises when a real need to move from words to deeds arises. The situation related to the grain deal is not an exception. The Russia-Ukraine conflict has worsened the food security crisis in Africa, as almost all the exported grain is sent to rich European countries instead of Africa, for which it was intended. Europe stockpiles agricultural products in case of complete cessation of export from Russia and Ukraine. This problem also could be caused by Ukraine being willing to pay for the West’s military aid with grain. It’s pertinent to note that Europe uses this grain as…

Europe should brace for more deadly heatwaves driven by climate change, a sweeping report said yesterday, noting that the world’s fastest-warming continent was some 2.3°C hotter last year than in pre-industrial times. Crop-withering drought, record sea-surface temperatures and unprecedented glacier melt are among the consequences laid out in a report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. The continent, which has been warming twice the global average since the 1980s, saw its warmest summer on record last year, with France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain and the UK experiencing their warmest year on record. The world has warmed an average of nearly 1.2°C since the mid-1800s, unleashing a devastating cascade of extreme weather, including more intense heatwaves, more severe droughts in some areas and storms…

Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron has created a brouhaha in France after being filmed downing a bottle of beer with Toulouse’s rugby players after they clinched the domestic league title at the weekend. Video has emerged on social media showing the president being handed a bottle of Corona in the Toulouse changing room after the end of the game at the Stade de France in Paris on Saturday. After being urged to down it in one, the 45 year old drains the bottle in 17 seconds to cheers from the Toulouse coaching staff and players after their victory over La Rochelle. | AFP…

Kathmandu: The death toll in Nepal from weekend floods and landslides rose to six, officials said yesterday, as rescuers continue to search for 28 missing people. A worker at a hydropower project on the Hewa River in Nepal’s eastern Sankhuwasabha district was found dead, while 17 other staff have been missing since Saturday. Every June to September, monsoon rains wreak widespread death and destruction across the country, but fatal floods and landslides have increased. Nepal’s army said it rescued 12 people by helicopter after they were trapped by landslides in Panchthar district, where two people had died. | AFP…

LONDON: Britain’s Marks & Spencer yesterday became the latest supermarket to cut food prices, adding to signs that a surge in inflation is set to abate. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s key pledge to halve inflation in 2023 has been undermined by high food inflation, which was running at over 19% in April, according to official data, and 17.2% in May. Any signs that it could abate in the coming months are being watched by the Bank of England, MPs and consumers. M&S said it had cut the price of 70 staple products, such as beef mince, Greek style yoghurt, salmon fillets, chickpeas and tortilla wraps, by between 3% and 25%. | Reuters…

Nearly four months since appointing Kgosientsho Ramokgopa as the minister of electricity, President Cyril Ramaphosa has yet to finalise a budget allocation to the ministry. “The Presidency, in consultation with the National Treasury, is in a process of finalising the budget allocation to the Ministry. Furthermore, co-ordination has been activated through intergovernmental relations to use available resources to respond effectively to the national energy crisis,” Ramaphosa said. He was responding to questions raised by EFF MP Omphile Maotwe, who had asked him about the total budget allocated to Ramokgopa’s ministry and where the money for the budget had been sourced from. In his response, Ramaphosa said he appointed Ramokgopa to focus on reducing the severity and frequency of load shedding as a matter of urgency. He also said Ramokgopa would…

THE Sharks lost to the Pumas in the semi-final of the Currie Cup, or we should say the Pumas beat the Sharks B team. The truth is that the once prestigious competition has been downgraded to reserve teams and poorer provinces who do not play in Europe. Once upon a time, every South African rugby player wanted to win a Currie Cup medal. However, now the only thing that matters is money. The fans are being cheated, with second-string sides playing for one of the oldest trophies in rugby history. This is a sad situation. I, for one, have lost interest in SA rugby.…

We have forgotten something about Ramaphosa. He played a key role at Codesa (Convention for a Democratic South Africa), the bilateral and multiparty negotiations to end apartheid. So buoyed up was he with that outstanding achievement on his CV that he led a delegation of African leaders to Europe to get the two warring nations to the negotiating table to end the Ukraine conflict. If he could pull it off, it would greatly enhance his tattered image. Phala Phala, Eskom and his corrupt and inefficient government would be forgotten. He would go down in history as the great peace negotiator, a great son of South Africa and may even stand a chance to win the Nobel Peace Prize. But Europe proved a bridge too far to cross for Ramaphosa and…

Over 28 million Covid-19 vaccine doses are estimated to go to waste, Health Minister Joe Phaahla has revealed. Phaahla said the doses, which are worth R3.8 billion, will likely not be used. He also said the government had not set aside any emergency funds for the outbreak of a future pandemic. He was responding to parliamentary questions from IFP MP Duduzile Hlengwa, who noted that the government was still in possession of more than 25 million vaccine doses despite a decline in the number of people who come in for vaccinations and booster shots. Hlengwa asked about the number of vaccine doses the government was expecting to go to waste as the World Health Organization has recently declared an end to the Covid-19 global health emergency and the monetary value…

Three senior police officers, two of whom have retired from the SAPS, are expected to appear in court this week on charges of corruption. The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) said the charges related to job-recruitment processes within the SAPS in 2016. National Ipid spokesperson Robbie Raburabu said the charges followed interviews for advertised posts that were held in 2016 in the Tshwane area. “The three were members of the selection panel responsible for the interview and recommendation of candidates in relation to the advertised posts,” Raburabu said. “They are alleged to have agreed to tamper with the score sheets which resulted in a different candidate being appointed, thus prejudicing the deserving candidate.” In another incident, two Limpopo cops who allegedly demanded a bribe to make a case “go away”…

AS MOST parts of the Western Cape suffer floods and more rain is expected, one’s mind casts back to the floods in KwaZulu-Natal in April last year. Climate change is real and it would seem that our coastal regions in particular are coming under significant onslaught from the weather. Yet we need to keep reminding ourselves that climate change is man-made. Another man-made environmental disaster waiting to happen remains nuclear waste. In this respect and unsurprisingly Japan, and how it disposes of nuclear water waste, remains one of the biggest threats to that region and our world’s oceans. In fact, instead of focusing on Russia and China, one would have expected the recent G7 leaders’ summit held in Hiroshima, Japan, to address the host country’s flagrant disregard for our oceans…

China and the US agreed yesterday to stabilise their intense rivalry so it doesn’t veer into conflict but failed to produce any major breakthrough during a rare visit to Beijing by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed “progress” after shaking hands with Blinken at the Great Hall of the People, a grand venue usually reserved for greeting heads of state. The top US diplomat and Xi both stressed the importance of having a more stable relationship, as any conflict between the world’s two largest economies would create global disruption. However, China refused to entertain Washington’s bid to resume military-to-military communication channels and cited US sanctions as the obstacle. The two sides appeared entrenched in their positions over everything from Taiwan to trade, including US actions…

At least 54 people died in a district in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh over the past few days, reports said yesterday, as authorities probed if the loss of lives was due to the heat- wave in the region. Another 45 people died in neighbouring Bihar state. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert warning last week for extreme heat in some regions, including Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The government said it was investigating the cause of the deaths that occurred over three days last week in Uttar Pradesh’s Ballia district, about 970km south-east of New Delhi. The government fired Diwakar Singh, the chief medical official at the main state hospital in Ballia, for saying that the deaths were due to heat. Temperatures have soared close…

LONDON: Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, is set to sign a lucrative sponsorship deal with Dior. The 41-year-old former actress is in talks with the French fashion house in a deal worth up to $20 million (R363m) over three years. Her new agent, Ari Emanuel, the chief of talent agency William Morris Endeavor (WME), is working on rebranding Meghan as a fashion influencer following her and her husband Prince Harry losing their $25 million Spotify deal last week. A Beverly Hills socialite said: “There have been rumours for weeks that she’s about to sign a deal with Dior.” If the deal comes off, Meghan will be joining an extensive list of A-listers who have represented Dior, including Rihanna, Jennifer Lawrence and Johnny Depp. As a Dior fan, Meghan has…

NAIROBI: Kenya yesterday signed an Economic Partnership Agreement with the EU that will guarantee duty-free access for its farm produce into its biggest export market. European goods entering Kenya will see tariffs reduced over a 25-year period under the agreement, officials said at a ceremony in Nairobi. The deal took seven months to negotiate, making it one of the fastest the EU has ever struck, officials from both sides said. Kenya, Africa’s seventh-largest economy, is a major exporter of tea, coffee, flowers, fruits and vegetables. The EU accounts for 21% of its overall exports. Kenya is also negotiating a trade and investment deal with the US. | AFP…