Sommaire pour 2023-04-26 de Cape Times

THE ANC has cited double standards and failure of the international community to unite around applied human rights and universal values as among the reasons for the government’s decision to begin a process of withdrawing from the International Criminal Court (ICC). President Cyril Ramaphosa yesterday confirmed that the ANC had resolved to pull out of the ICC. It is the second time that the ANC has taken a decision to withdraw from the ICC since 2016 “The governing ANC has taken the decision that it is prudent that South Africa should pull out of the ICC largely because of the manner (in which) the ICC has been seen to be dealing with these types of problems. “There has been commentary from Amnesty International where there has been a reflection that…

This year we celebrate Freedom Day (April 27) with the feeling that we are drifting back into captivity. Freedom Day is a day to remember how we struggled for freedom; how we sang freedom songs. We adjusted the Scottish folk song My Bonnie lies over the Ocean to Our leaders are over the ocean; Our leaders are over the sea. Bring back, bring back, bring back our leaders to us, to us”. This is also a day to tell the younger generations how we queued on April 1994 to vote for the first time. We remember the long queues that were formed at the voting stations. We remember where we voted. We remember how we developed theories for freedom. We borrowed from the German theologian Martin Luther who taught us…

CONSTRUCTION businessman Ridwaan Rajah, who was contracted for internal and external renovations to the parliamentary precinct, has been found guilty of fraud and perjury. The Hawks said the 42-year-old director of Goodhope Plasters CC lied in an affidavit that the company had to pay a subcontractor in advance, forcing the Department of Public Works (DPW) to make additional payments. Rajah and the company were convicted in the Bellville Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Monday, on charges of theft of R519 037; and perjury in Rajah’s founding affidavit in support of his notice of motion proceedings to court. According to the State, Rajah and Goodhope Plasters CC were awarded a R7.3 million tender by the Regional Bid Adjudication Committee (RBAC) of the DPW, to do the construction at the precinct at…

Modernisation today is often associated with technology and artificial intelligence. When living in a developing country such as China, we would witness this modernisation and technological advances first-hand. We came across robots acting as porters in Chinese hotels, and these played an instrumental role during Covid-19 when food and supplies had to be delivered to people who were being isolated. In a 2015 study tour to the country, we were taken to an agricultural hub in the heart of Hangzhou where a farmer was using drones to spray pesticides, as well as to watch out for any unwanted activity on his smallholding. But in China, modernisation, though embracing an aspect of technology, means something different. Addressing the recent Lanting Forum on Chinese Modernisation and the World, Chinese state councillor and…

TÜRKIYE yesterday detained at least 110 pro-Kurdish activists, journalists and lawyers in raids conducted just three weeks before a knife-edge vote that could extend President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s two-decade rule. Police said their “counter-terror” operation was conducted simultaneously in 21 provinces, including Diyarbakir, the Kurdish minority’s unofficial capital in Türkiye. State media said police held people suspected of financing the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) or roping new members into the outlawed group. The PKK has been proscribed as a terrorist organisation by Ankara and its Western allies for waging a decades-long armed struggle for greater autonomy in Türkiye’s south-east. The Anadolu state news agency said the detained included people suspected of fomenting nearly 60 street protests since 2017. The operation also involved suspects who allegedly transferred money to the PKK…

New York: Harry Belafonte, the superstar entertainer who introduced a Caribbean flair to mainstream US music and had a personal investment in civil rights, died yesterday in Manhattan. He was 96. Born in Harlem to a Jamaican mother and a father from the French territory of Martinique, the calypso singer and actor spent part of his childhood in Jamaica before returning to New York. Belafonte became a confidant of Martin Luther King Jnr and funded the cause. When King was thrown into an Alabama jail, Belafonte raised $50 000 to post his bail. | AFP…

Tehran: Iran has charged two prominent actresses for publishing pictures of themselves flouting the country’s dress code for women, just weeks after announcing a crackdown on breaches, reports said. Police in Tehran have referred the case against Katayoun Riahi and Pantea Bahram to Iran’s judiciary, accusing them of “the crime of removing the hijab in public and posting photos on the internet”. If prosecuted, the pair could face fines or prison terms. Police said they would begin using “smart” technology to crack down on women defying Iran’s compulsory dress code. The requirement was imposed after the 1979 Islamic revolution. | AFP…

GENEVA: Contaminated cough syrup made by an Indian company has been found in the Marshall Islands and Micronesia, the World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday after a spate of child deaths linked to syrups in some countries last year. The WHO said samples from a batch of imported cough syrup, with the product name Guaifenesin syrup TG syrup, were contaminated with diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol, which are toxic to humans when consumed and can prove fatal. The new alert follows three WHO warnings last year about tainted cough syrups for children, made by different manufacturers in India and Indonesia and linked to 300 child deaths. | Reuters…

THE whereabouts of an alleged Isis terrorist and his bodyguard who were allegedly kidnapped three months ago from the Mall of Africa in Midrand remains unknown. And the court has struck down an urgent application for the government to reveal what happened to Abdella Hussein Abadigga and his bodyguard Kadir Jemal Abotose. The two were allegedly snatched from the mall on the afternoon of December 29. It is claimed that special force members of the SANDF were involved in their disappearance. Abadigga’s brother, Abdurahim Abadigga, turned to the Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg to obtain an urgent order for the State to declare the whereabouts of the men, or to produce them before a court for the latter to physically see them and then determine whether they had been lawfully detained.…

SOUTH Africans who missed the rescue bus and were left behind in war-stricken Sudan were evacuated yesterday. Gift of the Givers founder Dr Imtiaz Sooliman said the evacuation of 77 South Africans was a roller-coaster of fear, anxiety, terror, uncertainty, panic and sadness. “Thus far we are aware of six South Africans who made it to Port Sudan, three to Djibouti, two who have opted not to leave, one near a mine somewhere still deciding what to do, and we think some are in South Sudan. “Gift of the Givers has arranged a third bus for the four South Africans left behind. It will depart also around 12 noon today (Tuesday),” he said. Sooliman said the challenges on the ground were numerous, including inaccessibility, collapsing networks, no airtime, electricity cut…

The police and volunteers are combing the Table Mountain area in search of missing American woman Julie Goodness. The 38-year-old woman was last seen in Bellevue Street, in the Higgovale area on Monday morning. Goodness is known to be a regular trail runner and is believed to have walked towards Table Mountain. She was last seen wearing a purple/pink long-sleeved sports top, blue jeans and colourful sneakers, an oversized jacket with a white canvas bag. Police spokesperson Malcolm Pojie said a search was under way in the Table Mountain area. “Cape Town Central SAPS has opened a missing’s person file and commenced with a multi-disciplinary search for the missing 38-year-old who was last seen leaving her place of accommodation yesterday morning, Monday, 24 April 2023 at about 7:45am. “It is…

SLAIN social activist Loyiso Nkohla has been described as a “great fallen stalwart” during a memorial service held for him last night. Thousands of people, including his family, friends, political leaders and employees, attended the service at the Mew Way Hall in Khayelitsha. Police were highly visible as cars blocked the road, as well as private security personnel, which were tasked with the safety of attendees. Nkohla’s brother, Luvuyo, described the mourning of his death as a “sad and difficult” time for the family. “But we are here to celebrate; it is not a normal day today in Khayelitsha. “You can tell by the atmosphere that he was a people’s person, everyone here is here because he impacted their lives,” he said. Among the dignitaries in attendance were ANC secretary-general…

Fighting in Sudan eased yesterday and more foreigners and locals fled the capital Khartoum, where marauding combatants created what a UN agency said was a “high risk of biological hazard” by seizing a laboratory. The World Health Organization (WHO) said one of the warring parties had taken control of a national health facility that stores measles and cholera pathogens for vaccinations, and ejected the technicians. It gave few details and did not say which of the two sides – the army or the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – had captured the lab, which also contains a major blood bank. An exodus of embassies and aid workers from Africa’s third-largest country has raised fears that civilians who remain will be in greater danger if an alternative to hostilities is not…

The death toll among followers of a Kenyan cult who believed they would go to heaven if they starved themselves has risen to 89, Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki said yesterday, calling for the group’s leader to spend the rest of his life in prison. The toll has steadily risen in recent days as authorities have carried out exhumations of mass graves found in an 323ha area of the Shakahola forest in eastern Kenya where the self-proclaimed Good News International Church was based. Most of the dead were recovered from shallow graves, while a small number were found alive and emaciated but later died. Exhumation sites were cordoned off and teams could be seen carrying away corpses wrapped in body bags. Kindiki said three more people had been rescued alive, bringing…

NEW YORK: Months after his departure from The Daily Show last year comedian Trevor Noah won a Webby Award for comedy in the America’s Door Problem segment of the late-night talk show, in which he pushes for gun control and criticises policymakers’ response to mass shootings. The 27th Annual Webby Awards, which will be handed out on May 15, also honour work featuring singers Rihanna, Lizzo and Doja Cat, former president Barack Obama and the cast of Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. In Noah’s segment, he skewers the beliefs of some conservatives that books, critical race theory, video games and rap music lead to gun violence. “That’s how evil critical race theory is – it’s only been around for like a year and it’s already caused three decades of school…

Ankara: After the massive February 6 earthquakes that hit Türkiye and Syria, killing 59 259 people and damaging thousands of buildings, the government in Ankara is embarking on tens of thousands of housing and infrastructure projects in the region. This is in order to meet the pledge to complete them within one year. However, it faces a big challenge to reach the goal set by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan due to a severe labour shortage. The problem is likely to worsen as the number of constructions sharply increased after the catastrophe. More than 13 million people living in 11 provinces were affected by the destructive earthquakes. | IANS…

OPPOSITION parties have called for the Kannaland Municipality to take action following the arrest of municipal manager, Morné Hoogbaard, on charges of driving under the influence on Sunday. Hoogbaard was arrested in Oudtshoorn and released on warning on Monday. Police spokesperson, Christopher Spies, said the matter was under investigation. “Oudtshoorn detectives are investigating a case of driving motor vehicle whilst under the influence of liquor following the arrest of a 47-year-old man between George and Oudtshoorn on Sunday, April 23 2023 at about 4.40pm by Western Cape Provincial Traffic officials,” he said. Hoogbaard is expected to appear in the Oudtshoorn Magistrate’s Court on August 15, 2023. It comes amid calls by opposition parties for him to step down over allegations of corruption and maladministration in the municipality. Hoogbaard and several…

JUDGMENT has been reserved in the reopened inquest into the death of Imam Abdullah Haron, with the slain martyr’s family saying they looked forward to the outcome. Closing arguments were heard by Judge Daniel Thulare this week. Advocate Howard Varney, representing the Haron family, said it was their submission that Haron was subjected to relentless torture while in detention, and was denied medical attention, leading to his death. “Those involved in the torture, and who decided to deny him medical attention, murdered Imam. We have asked this honourable court to make that finding,” he said. Haron’s son, Muhammad Haron, said they awaited Thulare’s verdict with optimism. “We are pleased with the closing arguments and look forward to the judgment. We are also pleased that the State advocate’s arguments complemented those…

They must assert their position as heirs to the great promise of SA I don’t remember hearing or using the phrase “children of freedom” very much to describe young South African children who were born around the time of Nelson Mandela’s release in 1990. Instead, it is a phrase that has largely been associated with the 1976 generation for their role in bringing about what is mistakenly considered a “revolution” in national politics. But watching the children of the children of 1976 – now in their 20s and 30s – grow up over the past 30 years, I have caught a glimpse of the society for which the latter made sacrifices. I have been disturbed by the navel-gazing focus that has been given to the 1976 generation, which has been…

US President Joe Biden announced yesterday his bid “to finish the job” with re-election in 2024, plunging at the record age of 80 into a ferocious campaign that could set up a rematch against Donald Trump. Launching his pitch in a video on the same date he first began his 2020 challenge against Trump, Biden said he was still fighting to save American democracy from Republican “extremists”. “When I ran for president four years ago, I said we’re in a battle for the soul of America. And we still are,” Biden says in the voiceover. “That’s been the work of my first term: to fight for our democracy,” Biden says. “Let’s finish this job – I know we can.” After a series of big domestic legislative wins, a strong economic…

BRITAIN’S Prince William has “settled” a phone-hacking claim against a UK newspaper group, court documents filed by his brother Prince Harry in his own lawsuit claimed yesterday. Harry, 38, is suing a number of UK newspapers over alleged unlawful information-gathering, including News Group Newspapers (NGN), part of Rupert Murdoch’s global publishing empire. It is asking the High Court in London to throw out the claims, filed by Harry and actor Hugh Grant, arguing they are out of time. But in court papers, the prince’s lawyers said William had “recently settled his claim against NGN behind the scenes”. Harry claims the delay in filing a lawsuit against NGN stems from a “secret agreement” between the royal family and the publisher. “This was to avoid a member of the royal family having…

NEW YORK: Donald Trump went to trial yesterday, where the writer E Jean Carroll is accusing the former US president in a civil lawsuit of raping her in a department store dressing room in the mid-1990s. Jury selection began in Manhattan federal court, where the former Elle magazine columnist is also accusing Trump of defamation. Trump, 76, has denied raping Carroll, 79, He called her claim a “hoax” in October 2022. He said she made up the encounter to promote her memoir and declared that she was “not my type”. Trump is not required to attend the trial, owing to the likelihood of security concerns and traffic delays. Trump also faces criminal probes. He has denied wrongdoing. | Reuters…

LONDON: Toy maker Mattel has introduced its first Barbie with Down’s syndrome in a bid to make its famous doll range more inclusive. Yesterday, Mattel said it had worked with the National Down Syndrome Society in the US to make the doll, which has a shorter frame and longer torso than its other Barbies. The new doll’s face is also a rounder shape, and has almond-shaped eyes, smaller ears and a flat nasal bridge, Mattel said. “Our goal is to enable all children to see themselves in Barbie, while also encouraging children to play with dolls who do not look like the executive vice-president and Global Head of Barbie & Dolls,” Mattel said in the statement.…