Indice dei contenuti per 2023-02-20 in Cape Times

IN WHAT is likely to cause a diplomatic storm between Israel and South Africa, the charge d’affaires at South Africa’s embassy would be summoned for a reprimand, Israel’s Foreign Ministry has confirmed. This follows the dramatic removal of a senior Israeli delegate at the African Union (AU) Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia at the weekend. South Africa and Algeria were apparently behind the move, according to reports. But the African Union’s commission spokesperson Ebba Kalondo said Israel’s foreign ministry’s deputy director general for Africa, Sharon Bar-li was removed because she was not the duly accredited Israeli ambassador to Ethiopia. “The individual in question is not known to the AU Commission as the duly accredited Ambassador of Israel to Ethiopia and was duly asked to leave. The Ambassador of Israel to…

The search continues for missing German tourist, 22-year-old Nick Frischke, who was last seen visiting the V&A Waterfront on Valentine’s Day. Police spokesperson, Joseph Swartbooi, said Frischke arrived in South Africa on February 6 and stayed at an Airbnb in Pinelands. Frischke’s dad, Tom Frischke, posted on Facebook that all his son’s belongings were still at the Airbnb. On February 17, Tom Frischke wrote: “We miss Nick. He is currently on holiday in Cape Town and has lost contact since Wednesday. He also did not come home on Wednesday and Thursday in his accommodation (in Pinelands). All his stuff is still there. “On Thursday he signed up for a surf course and he never showed up for. “We don’t know what to do and think that he is in a…

THE EFF was a breath of fresh air when it entered the political sphere 10 years ago. Former ANC Youth League president Julius Malema, having held a successful march from Joburg to Pretoria under the Economic Freedom theme, founded the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) soon after he was expelled from the ANC. By the time the party held its inaugural Tshela Thupa Rally at Lucas Moripe Stadium ahead of the 2014 general election, it was obvious that a giant had been born. The then newcomer went on to win 25 seats in the National Assembly in that election and has grown from strength to strength since then, making inroads in provincial legislatures and municipalities. The EFF’s arrival in Parliament coincided with the rocky path for the then president Jacob Zuma.…

An Israeli air strike on Syria’s capital Damascus killed 15 people early yesterday and badly damaged a building in a district home to several state security agencies, a war monitoring group said. Civilians, including two women, were among those killed in “the deadliest Israeli attack in the Syrian capital” since the start of the civil war, said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The overnight strike cratered a road and wrecked the adjacent 10-storey building in the city’s Kafr Sousa district, home to senior state officials and Syrian intelligence headquarters, it said. A woman was also killed in the capital’s Mazraa district, possibly hit when Syrian anti-aircraft munitions crashed down from the sky. It was not immediately clear who was the intended target of the…

NUSA DUA: Indonesian authorities repatriated alleged drug trafficker Antonio Strangio, an Italian and Australian dual national who was detained in Bali earlier this month, to Italy yesterday, authorities said. Interpol issued a red notice for Strangio, 32, in 2016 over the sale of 160kgs of marijuana and links to Italy’s “Ndrangheta” organised crime syndicate, police commissioner Anggaito Hadi Prabowo told reporters yesterday. “After coordinating with National Central Bureau in Rome, he must be sent to Italy immediately. He will be delivered from here to Italy, and there he will be called to account on his case until there is a ruling,” Anggaito said. Strangio, who claimed to have a property business in Australia, maintained his innocence, local media reported citing police. The authorities said three Indonesian police officials will take…

MUNICH: Ukrainian officials have urged US Congress members to press President Joe Biden’s administration to send F-16 jetfighters to Kyiv, saying the aircraft would boost Ukraine’s ability to hit Russian missile units with US-made rockets, lawmakers said. The lobbying came at the weekend on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in talks between Ukrainian officials and Democrats and Republicans from the Senate and House of Representatives. “They told us they want (F-16s) to suppress enemy air defences so they could get their drones” beyond Russian front lines, said Senator Mark Kelly, a former astronaut who flew US Navy fighters in combat. Biden last month said “no” when asked if he would approve Ukraine’s request for Lockheed-Martin-made F-16s. Four delegations from the Senate and House combined in the largest number…

Marcus Rashford showed Manchester United won't be distracted by the race to buy the Old Trafford club as his double inspired a 3-0 win against Leicester yesterday. United owners the Glazer family are considering rival offers from Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, chairman of one of Qatar's biggest banks, and British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe. Further bids could still be made amid reports United may be under new ownership within six weeks - but Erik ten Hag's side have kept their focus firmly on the pitch. Rashford has been the key to United's impressive form in Ten Hag's first season and the England forward proved too hot for Leicester to handle at Old Trafford. Rashford has scored 24 times in all competitions for United this season, the highest goal tally…

IF THE DA could have its way, there should be transparency and oversight when President Cyril Ramaphosa makes a decision about allowances, benefits or tools of trade for the ministers and their deputies. The opposition party wants Ramaphosa to inform the National Assembly when making any changes to the ministerial handbook. This emerged after the national legislature published a notice inviting members of the public to make written comments on a draft bill proposed by DA MP Leon Schreiber to amend the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers Act. Schreiber said there was no requirement for the National Assembly or Ramaphosa to consider relevant factors such as prevailing economic conditions in the country or the comparative costs of different tools of trade. “In contrast to other remuneration decisions, there is no…

Black Consciousness stalwart, Peter Cyril “PC” Jones, was remembered as a “selfless and resolute” liberation leader, as condolences continued to stream in following his death at his Pringle Bay home earlier this month. Jones died on February 14, aged 72, after suffering a number of strokes since 2018. Jones is known to be the last black person to see Black Consciousness Movement founding father and icon, Steve Bantu Biko, alive. He was arrested, tortured and detained with Biko in the tracks of a liberation mission in 1977 when Biko was ultimately killed. He further served the liberation Struggle as the vice-president of the Azanian People’s Organisation (Azapo). President Cyril Ramaphosa yesterday said Jones was a selfless and resolute liberation leader who put up a good fight against racial oppression. “He…

A multi-millionaire who has refused to comply with a maintenance order, directing him to pay just over R430 000 in maintenance a month, is facing prison for being in contempt of court. The parties involved in the litigation are still married but are currently before court in divorce proceedings. The husband – who according to court papers has gone on luxurious vacations to Greece, Cyprus and France, over the period June until September 2022, but said he cannot afford the monthly maintenance due to a change in his personal circumstances – was accused of having been in wilful contempt after the maintenance order was issued last year. The large portion of the said amount is a R280 000 bond instalment on an immovable property situated in Mooikloof, Pretoria – where…

Climate change has an impact on the health of all life on our planet – from human and animal to vegetation. Primary health care is at the forefront of health-care services. Climate change not only has direct and indirect impacts on human health, but also threatens the capacity of health systems to give proper care and protect population health. The sixth report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which was released last year, states that climate change is the biggest challenge facing human health in the 21st century. Climate change continues unabated, and extreme weather events such as extreme temperatures, heatwaves, subtropical cyclones and progressive droughts have intensified and increased. Climate change, health and health-care services are related in three ways. First is the effect on morbidity…

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will give a 27% discount to students travelling to China to pursue academic degrees, a PIA official has said. The PIA first announced 22% fare reductions for students in December last year to assist students flying to China. A customer care official at the PIA’s official helpline said the price of a regular ticket from Islamabad to Beijing is 272 000 Pakistani rupees (about R18 846), and the students can avail discounts on it. The official said the PIA currently flies to two destinations in China, including Beijing Capital International Airport and Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport. Pakistani students who will be flying to China in the coming days termed the PIA’s discount a great help for them as the airlines’ fares had skyrocketed due to…

MANILA: A small plane with four people on board has crashed in the central Philippines and rescuers are searching for survivors, officials said. The Cessna 340 aircraft went missing early on Saturday morning shortly after departing for Manila from Bicol International Airport in Albay province, south of the capital, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said. The plane was carrying two passengers, a pilot and another crew member. A search-and-rescue team has identified a possible crash site near the airport, CAAP spokesperson Eric Apolonio said. “The problem is bad weather; it hampers visibility of the ground search.” Albay disaster officer Cedric Daep said the debris of a Cessna plane was found near the crater of the active Mayon volcano – that could erupt at any time” – but…

ROME: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will travel to Kyiv today to meet Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, a source said yesterday. Meloni, who took office in October, has said she planned to visit Kyiv before the February 24 anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year. Despite friction on the issue within her rightist ruling coalition and divided public opinion, Meloni has been a supporter of Ukraine. Former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, leader of the conservative Forza Italia party that is part of the country’s ruling coalition, last week said he would not seek a meeting with Zelenskiy if he were still head of government. He blames Zelenskiy for the ongoing war with Russia. Italy and France have recently finalised talks over delivery of an advanced air defence system to…

Heavy rains are wreaking havoc in many parts of the country, causing severe damage and affecting many people’s lives. The Department of Water and Sanitation warned residents along the banks of the lower Vaal and lower Orange rivers to evacuate to areas above the flood line as floodgates were opened to alleviate pressure at Vaal Dam and outflow at the Bloemhof Dam increased over the weekend. Certain areas surrounding the Vaal Dam and Vaal River, such as Parys in Gauteng, have been hard hit by floods. Properties, vehicles and infrastructure have sustained water damage. There have been no reports of lives lost. However, several people were rescued from the roofs of their homes by helicopter. Residents in some areas are reporting that the damage is the worst experienced since…

CAPE TOWN artist Talia Ramkilawan has been announced as the winner of South Africa’s prestigious visual art accolade for emergent and under-represented artists, the Tomorrows/Today Prize. Announced at the Investec Cape Town Art Fair, the prize of R50 000 acknowledges a burgeoning art career and is awarded to an artist whose body of work is captivating in the present and will likely be so in future. Now celebrating a decade of achievement, the art fair, produced by Fiera Milano, ran from Friday until yesterday at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. This year’s Tomorrows/Today Prize winner, Ramkilawan, is represented by BKhz Gallery in Johannesburg. According to her biography, “Central to Ramkilawan’s practice is rug hooking, a slow, accumulative process with which she creates her wall pieces. “Her more recent preoccupations…

The Judicial Inspectorate of Prisons is mooting a bail-funding scheme for prisoners who cannot afford to pay bail of less than R1 000 because of their financial circumstances. Inspecting judge Edwin Cameron said the bail fund was partly modelled on funds operating successfully in several US jurisdictions. “We hope to take what is good in bail funding and hope to evade the potential difficulties,” he said. “The fundamental premise is that it is wicked and wrong for the system of administration of justice to free those who have money to pay bail, whereas those who simply due to poverty cannot pay bail remain in what we all sadly know are very adverse conditions in remand centres in our country.” Cameron said they were worried about the high number of remand…

ON WEDNESDAY, February 22, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana presents what is arguably his and one of the ruling ANC government’s most important National Budgets, which primarily sets out the state of the nation’s finances and the revenue, expenditure and public debt service burden projections for the 2023/2024 financial year. Faced with poly-economic, governance, capacity, societal and delivery deficit prospects, Godongwana gave as a taster of what to expect on Wednesday, in his pre-budget Medium Term Budget Policy Statement last October, when his mood was somewhat sombre stating the obvious to millions of compatriots declaring: “South Africa’s economy has underperformed for many years. Several long-standing structural impediments continue to hamper growth. These include unreliable electricity supply, costly and inefficient ports and rail network, crime and corruption, weak state capacity, and…

ADDIS ABABA: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for solidarity with Africa to address the multifaceted challenges engulfing the continent and its peoples. Terrorism, violence, insecurity, and conflict are arising across the continent, jeopardising human lives and rights while democratic gains are disappearing in some countries, he said. “A cost of living crisis – with rising food and energy costs, climate chaos causing floods and deadly droughts, and complex peace and security threats – including rampant terrorism are jeopardising people’s lives across the continent,” he said on Saturday. Guterres called for remedial measures to a dysfunctional and unfair global financial system that denies many African countries debt relief and concessional financing. Guterres also announced $250 million (R4.5 billion) to combat famine across Africa.…

The US held joint air exercises bilaterally with South Korea and Japan involving strategic bombers yesterday, a day after North Korea fired a Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in a “sudden launching drill”. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the exercise, in which South Korea’s F-35A, F-15K and US F-16 fighters escorted American B-1B bombers, demonstrated the allies’ “overwhelming” defence capabilities. “(The exercise) strengthened the combined operation capability and affirmed the US’s ironclad commitment to the defence of the Korean Peninsula and the implementation of extended deterrence,” the South’s military said in a statement. Japan flew F-15s over the Sea of Japan with the US armed forces’ B-1 bombers and F-16s in tactical exercises, Japan’s Defense Ministry said. The air drills come a day after North Korea launched…