Table of contents for 2021-08-05 in Cape Times

Telkom appoints Serame Taukobong as chief executive designate Dineo Faku dineo.faku@inl.co.za TELKOM yesterday appointed Serame Taukobong as the group’s chief executive designate, ushering in a new era for the partially state-owned telecommunications company. Taukobong, currently the chief executive of Telkom Consumer Business, had been appointed effective from October. He would assume the role of group chief executive from July 1, 2022, after Sipho Maseko officially leaves the group, Telkom said. “In line with the board’s leadership transition plan, Sipho and Serame will work together for the remainder of Sipho’s tenure to ensure orderly transition of the group chief executive designate and the stability of the business. During this transition period, Serame will continue to have oversight of the Telkom Consumer Business,” said Telkom in a statement. Telkom said a recruitment…

Universal Partners sells stake in British electric motors producer to Daimler UK Dineo Faku dineo.faku@inl.co.za JSE AND Mauritian-listed investment holding company Universal Partners Limited (UPL) has sold its stake in British electric motors manufacturer Yasa to Daimler UK, a subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz AG (MBAG), the company said yesterday. In a separate transaction, Yasa also disposed of its aerospace business to a consortium of investors, prior to the sale to MBAG. Yasa has developed and commercialised a patented technology, enabling it to manufacture a range of electric motors, generators and controllers with superior performance characteristics. The company said that the aggregate value of both disposals amounted to £195 million (R4 billion), the company said. It said UPL’s disposal of its 21.95 percent share in Yasa would realise total proceeds…

From page 1 Speaking to the Cape Times yesterday a mother whose child has been staying at the facility for nearly a decade said she decided to take her son instead of him being moved. “I’m upset because social workers didn’t call to inform me of what would happen. Instead I saw from our group chat of parents that children were being removed. I rushed to the centre and found it was true. The issue now is that my child doesn’t have a wheelchair, it was taken away and I cannot afford a helper. I don’t know what to do. I just want the best care for him.” Another parent said she was taken aback by the allegations against the home and said her child would be relocated for a…

Zintle Mahlati zintle.mahlati@inl.co.za THE Electoral Commission (IEC) says the Constitutional Court is best placed to decide on whether the 2021 local government elections can be postponed beyond November 1. The Chapter 9 institution filed its court bid at the apex court yesterday. It seeks relief from the court to postpone the elections, which have been proclaimed to take place on October 27. The IEC, last month, accepted and adopted an inquiry report compiled by retired Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke, which found it was not feasible to hold elections in October owing to coronavirus cases and concerns over possible super-spreader events. Justice Moseneke advised the commission to seek relief for postponing the elections to February 2022. On Tuesday, Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma gazetted October…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za AFTER a long struggle spanning more than 20 years, Muslim marriages may finally be recognised under common law as the Constitutional Court is today expected to hear an application confirming its inclusion. The apex court will hear the application brought by the Women’s Legal Centre Trust (WLC), to confirm an order made in December by the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) which declared the Marriage Act and the Divorce Act, in accordance with Sharia law, to be inconsistent with sections of the Constitution. The State was given 24 months to rectify the constitutional defect. WLC director Seehaam Samaai said it had been a long road for the WLC and the women who had sought recognition of their marriages for more than two decades. “The Constitutional Court, as…

Chevon Booysen and Okuhle Hlati THE future of 25 children hangs in the balance as financial constraints have forced the doors of Oudtshoorn children and youth care centre (CYCC), ACVV House Triomf, to close. The centre has been struggling to keep its head above water yet despite being subsidised cannot stay ahead of its financial crisis. The house provides temporary child care, foster care and child and youth care programmes. It currently takes care of 26 children between the ages of eight and 18 years. Regional manager for the ACVV Klein Karoo region, Eunice Strydom, said the doors of the centre will close at the end of September, while structural and maintenance upkeep added to the financial burden of the 60-year-old heritage site. The soaring price of food and petrol…

Robin-Lee Francke robin.francke@inl.co.za FROM Rocklands in Mitchells Plain, Natalie Puffy, 40, has loved doing hair since she was at school but never imagined that one day she would have her very own hair salon. While thousands of people were left jobless when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, Puffy took it in her stride and started her own business, which is booming. Puffy started her career by doing her mother’s hair and that of those closest to her as a hobby. She was soon noticed for her skills and started working as a shampoo girl at a local hair salon. “At a young age I already figured out I’d like to be in the hair industry. I started as a shampoo girl for a salon in Mitchells Plain. The owner soon…

Zelda Venter zelda.venter@inl.co.za THE mother of the 18-month-old infant who was allegedly brutally abused by her parents is expected to testify today. The State yesterday cross-examined the father of the child, known as Baby T, for most of the day. Counsel for the mother, who may not be named to protect the child, asked Pretoria high court Judge Hennie de Vos to stand down her evidence until today because she wanted to prepare a comprehensive timeline. Timelines in this attempted murder and child abuse trial proved to be vital for both parents. The father kept a logbook since Baby T landed in hospital with fractures twice last year. He used the logbook during his evidence this week to try to prove when he saw the baby. He said he had…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za THE City urgently needs to spend more resources on maintaining its sewerage systems to prevent leaks and failed treatment works from spilling into the environment, an expert has said. This comes as Maiden’s Cove and Glen Beach in Camps Bay have been temporarily closed due to a collapsed collector sewer that caused an overflow onto the beach, as well as the recent closures of Zeekoevlei, Rietvlei and Zandvlei owing to the same issue. Dr Jo Barnes from the department of global health at Stellenbosch University said organisms in the waters originate from sewage. “High E coli counts are indicative of sewage leaks. Sewage does not only contain E coli. A wide range of disease-causing organisms are also present in such contaminated water (that is what a…

Gugu Nonjinge IN ORDER to understand the relationship between gender and climate change, it is important to have a clear idea of what gender is. “Gender” and “sex” are sometimes used interchangeably; they are in fact distinct concepts. While a person’s sex refers to their biological characteristics, gender is a socially constructed classification that describes social and emotional attributes and ascribes qualities of masculinity and femininity to people. Gender characteristics tend to be different between cultures. In the context of climate change, gender role expectations and gender inequality affect individuals’ vulnerability, resilience, and adaptive capacity. Tasks core to survival, such as collecting water and wood or growing food, fall on women in many cultures. These are already challenging and time-consuming activities; climate change can deepen the burden, through water…

Lusaka: Tension is rising in Zambia ahead of presidential elections next week, prompting an unprecedented deployment of the military to clamp down on violence. The August 12 ballot is essentially a two-horse race between longstanding adversaries – President Edgar Lungu, 64, and Hakainde Hichilema, 59, who is making his sixth bid for the top job. Rival supporters wielding axes and machetes have clashed sporadically since campaigning started in May, resulting in at least three deaths, according to police. All the fatalities were members of the ruling Patriotic Front (PF). After two were clubbed to death at the weekend, Lungu sent in the army to help the police maintain “law and order”. “I have taken this step in order to ensure that the electoral process... is not interfered with,” he said.…

KHARTOUM: Sudan’s cabinet voted to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said, one step further towards ex-president Omar al-Bashir potentially facing trial for genocide. Since August 2019, Sudan has been led by a transitional civilian-military administration, which vowed to bring justice to victims of crimes committed under Bashir. Hamdok said they would hold a joint council meeting “to pass it into law”. Bashir, who ruled Sudan with an iron fist for three decades, was deposed in April 2019 following months of protests in Sudan.…

Lebanon marked the first anniversary of the catastrophic Beirut port explosion yesterday with prayers for the victims and expressions of anger and sadness from residents who are still in mourning and demanding justice. One year since the blast, caused by a huge quantity of ammonium nitrate stored unsafely at the port for years, no senior official has been held to account, infuriating many Lebanese as their country endures a financial collapse. More than 200 people were killed and thousands hurt. One of the biggest non-nuclear explosions recorded, it was felt in Cyprus, 240 km away. An investigation is stalling as requests to question senior politicians and former officials have been denied. French President Emmanuel Macron, who has led Western pressure for reform in Lebanon, said its leaders owed the people…

Washington: US President Joe Biden marked the second anniversary of the massacre at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas by urging the public to fight “domestic terrorism rooted in white supremacy”. On August 3, 2019 a 21-year-old man shot dead 23 people, including eight Mexicans, at the store, stating that he was fighting back against a “Hispanic invasion” of Texas. “We have to act together to counter what is basically domestic terrorism,” Biden said at a meeting with US Hispanic community leaders. “(The) most lethal terrorist threat to our country in recent years is domestic terrorism, domestic terrorism rooted in white supremacy.”…

WYNONA LOUW wynona.louw@inl.co.za SPRINGBOK prop Trevor Nyakane says it doesn’t matter on which side of the scrum he packs down as long as they implement their plans as a unit. Nyakane has been named on the bench at loosehead prop for the series-decider against the British & Irish Lions on Saturday (6pm kickoff). The Boks suffered a 22-17 defeat in the first Test despite a strong first half. Last week, they completely dominated the Lions after the break to pull off a stunning 27-9 triumph. In that game, Nyakane also provided cover for Steven Kitshoff, while he started at tighthead in the opening Test. In that opener, Nyakane, hooker Bongi Mbonambi and loosehead Ox Nche produced a superb outing, with Kitshoff, Malcom Marx and Frans Malherbe replacing them at halftime.…

Zarclear share price falls after its offer to delist Philippa Larkin and Edward West The SHARE price of Zarclear, the investment firm, yesterday plunged nearly 7 percent after it had made an offer to delist through a repurchase of Zarclear shares from its shareholders at R4.60 a share. The shares in later afternoon trade yesterday were 6.67 percent lower at R4.20, with the firm’s market cap at roughly R1 billion. “Shareholders are afforded an opportunity to either monetise their investment in Zarclear at a fair price or to continue to hold shares in Zarclear in an unlisted environment. Any shareholder who does not wish to accept the share repurchase offer may retain its shareholding in Zarclear post the delisting,” it said. The share repurchase offer, if…

From page 1 of service studies, which would provide an objective basis for tariff determination, particularly the demand charge component. “In the absence of this, Nersa benchmarks municipalities against Eskom’s cost of service data and uses this as a guide for determining acceptable tariff increases. In many cases, municipal tariffs are much higher than enjoyed by the equivalent Eskom customer,” the authors found. They said that while there was “an unresolved dispute over the constitutionally derived powers of municipalities to set electricity tariffs”, Nersa’s power to sanction municipalities on electricity pricing had never been invoked or tested.…

Kailene Pillay kailene.pillay@inl.co.za The Department of Social Development has called on only those who are in dire need to apply for the special R350 Covid-19 social relief of distress grant and warned that systems were in place to ensure fraudulent activities were mitigated. Applications for the grant are expected to open tomorrow and payments are expected to be made at the end of August. The government announced that it had set aside R27 billion for payment of the grant to the unemployed and those eligible to receive it. At a media briefing, Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu emphasised that those who had previously received the grant would have to reapply for it as no one would “automatically qualify”. She said that reapplication was necessary to confirm applicants’ personal details and…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za A CLASS action against the City may be on the cards as civil society organisations rally to challenge the growing cost of service delivery which mirrors that of a “corporate business”, following continued outcry over high electricity tariffs that have left poor residents unable to keep up. The electricity tariff hike of 13.5% took effect on July 1 and saw tariffs jump from R2.40 per unit to R2.73 for domestic users. SA First Forum convenor, advocate Rod Solomons, said: “We are in discussion with some civil society organisations to take the City to court. We are considering the class action because the City does not belong to any political party, they are there to be of service to the people. “But the City keeps paying lip service…

ingredients 500g mutton/lamb/beef pieces; 2tbs oil; 2 medium onions, chopped; salt to taste; 7 cloves; 1-2 green chillies, deseeded and chopped; 1 piece stick cinnamon; 1 large cabbage; nutmeg; butter; water as needed Frikkadel ingredients Method 500g fat-free mince; 1 medium onion; 1 small green pepper; 1 tomato; ½ bunch dhanya (optional); ½ tsp nutmeg; 1 tsp crushed garlic; 1 slice of slightly stale bread soaked in water; 1 large egg; salt & pepper to taste Wash and drain mince. Soak bread in water and squeeze excess out. Chop onion, pepper, tomato and dhanya finely. Add all ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Heat oil in a large deep pot. Braise onions until very brown, add meat and spices and cook until the meat is brown and tender, 30 to 45…

Staff writer WITH only a 72% in funeral protocol adherence in the past week, the City has warned that these events could become Covid-19 super spreaders if residents were not vigilant “It is disheartening that funeral protocol adherence continues to be problematic,” said Community Services and Health Mayco member Zahid Badroodien. “During the past week, there were 547 burials compared to 649 in the previous week. “Even though this is a notable decrease of 102 burials, at the same time we are seeing a steady increase in the demand for cremations, having cremated 150 deceased in the past week,” said Badroodien. The busiest cemeteries were Klip, 154 (215 the previous week); Maitland, 139 (on par with the previous week); and Welmoed, 113 (an increase of 74). The City’s Health…

Siphokazi Vuso siphokazi.vuso@inl.co.za SEVERAL hospitals in the Western Cape are reportedly taking strain as Covid-19 infections continue to rise. This follows the partial lifting of the alcohol ban by President Cyril Ramaphosa under alert level 3 last week. Provincial health department spokesperson Mark van der Heever said the department has seen an increase in trauma cases. “We are, however, not in a position to directly link this to the alcohol ban being relaxed as we saw a variety of trauma presentations across several hospitals. “We are reviewing the data as it comes in from the hospitals and should be able to communicate on the size of the impact soon. “But even though our hospitals were seen to be busier, feedback from our clinicians is that our health system was able…

Odwa Mkentane odwa.mkentane@inl.co.za THE father of a Table View High School learner who was assaulted during a fight says he had to take his son for medical examinations after he started urinating blood. The father discovered on Friday that his son was involved in a fight with a fellow schoolmate outside the school premises. Initial reports by the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) noted that the brawl was allegedly over a packet of chips, but the father has since said it was, in fact, over a phone. A video of the two learners involved in the scuffle is still circulating on social media. The father said he was shocked to notice that his son was urinating blood. “The incident started because of the phone. My boy lost the phone at…

Gilbert Tshitaudzi World Breast-feeding Week, commemorated annually from August 1-7, is a key opportunity for the UN Children’s Fund (Unicef), with our partners, to highlight the theme for this year – “Protect Breast-feeding: A Shared Responsibility”. Despite evidence of the positive benefits of breast-feeding, South Africa’s exclusive breast-feeding rate stands at approximately 32%, lagging behind the World Health Organization’s (WHO) global target of 50% which member states should reach by 2025. Breast-feeding contributes to the survival, health and well-being of women, children and broader society and gives children the best start in life. It also protects babies from common infectious diseases – which can make the difference between life and death – and boosts children’s immune systems while ensuring that they have the key nutrients they need to grow and…

Three people died and dozens more were injured yesterday when two trains collided at a village in the west of the Czech Republic, according to railway officials. “Unfortunately, according to the latest information, a train collision has killed three people and left dozens injured,” national rail operator Sprava zeleznic said on Twitter. “All the passengers have been evacuated from the trains,” the firm added. The national police said all passengers were accounted for, adding that the accident happened shortly after 8am local time at Milavce. “At the moment, 31 people whose lives are not in danger are being treated, seven people are in a critical state and two are dead,” said a spokesperson for Plzen region rescue teams, Maria Svobodova. The Munich-to-Prague train, number Ex 351 belonging to the German…

NEW YORK: A new report by the New York state attorney general on the investigation of sexual harassment allegations brought against New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has shed new light on how his brother Chris, pictured, a prominent CNN anchor, advised him on how to deal with the accusations. According to the report, internal documents and communications obtained during the investigation apparently show that Chris Cuomo, along with the governor’s advisers, counselled Andrew Cuomo to “express contrition” following the publishing of allegations from Charlotte Bennett, a former aide to the governor. Chris also apparently proposed the lines that were included in the statement issued by Governor Cuomo in February in response to the allegations, and that political consultant Lis Smith wrote in one message chain “I don’t love that part…

Guatemala City: The Guatemalan attorney-general has appointed a new anti-corruption investigator in a move that comes after the US said it had “lost confidence” in the top prosecutor. The US levied the criticism after Attorney-General Consuelo Porras sacked the previous anti-corruption investigator Juan Francisco Sandoval. Rafael Curruchiche, who headed a unit investigating electoral crimes was accused of protecting the corrupt and will take over from Sandoval, Porras said. “The Attorney-General reiterates her commitment to ensuring continuity of the fight against impunity and corruption,” her office said.…

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi yesterday accused India of preventing five Indian journalists from travelling to Pakistan-governed Kashmir to witness the proceedings of the parliament of the state of “Azad Kashmir” (Free Kashmir), which went to polls last month. ​Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party won 32 of the 53 seats in the state legislative assembly polls held on July 25. The first sitting of the new state parliament is scheduled fo today. ​The Indian journalists were to meet Khan in Islamabad, the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi said. India’s foreign ministry didn’t comment.…

Factory activity falls to 10-month low as civil unrest, Covid-19 take their toll Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za SUPPLY chains and businesses in South Africa are facing a prolonged period of recovery as civil unrest and level 4 Covid-19 restrictions pushed industrial activity to a 10-month low in July. The IHS Markit Purchasing Managers Index (PMI), released yesterday fell from 51.0 points in June to 46.1 points in July, weighed down by supply disruption and declining demand amid civil unrest and level 4 Covid-19 restrictions. The dip below the 50 points mark in the headline South Africa PMI indicates a serious decline in the composite single-figure indicator of private sector business performance after months of consecutive growth. IHS said the downturn was led by renewed declines in new orders, employment…

Marchelle Abrahams marchelle.abrahams@inl.co.za Sarah Ferguson must have a lot of time on her hands if she managed to write a novel about forbidden romance without letting anything slip to the press. Ferguson, the ex-wife of Prince Andrew, has a Mills & Boon novel Her Heart for a Compass, due for release. She says it’s based on a fictional account of the life of her great-great-aunt, Lady Margaret Montagu Douglas Scott. According to the Daily Mail, the book is set in the Victorian era, and centres on 18-year-old Margaret who rejects the suitor her parents chose for her. Ferguson, 61, has written children’s books as well as non-fiction.…

Lisa Isaacs lisa.isaacs@inl.co.za AIRLINE industry statistics confirm last year as the worst on record due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The International Air Transport Association (Iata) this week released the Iata World Air Transport Statistics (Wats) publication, with performance figures for the year demonstrating the devastating effects on global air transport during the first full year of the Covid-19 crisis. Wats shows that 1.8 billion passengers flew last year, a decrease of 60.2% compared with the 4.5bn who flew in 2019, while industry-wide air travel demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometres, or RPKs, dropped by 65.9% year on year. International passenger demand decreased by 75.6% compared with the year prior, and domestic air passenger demand dropped by 48.8%. Air connectivity declined by more than half last year, with the number of…

Sihle Mavuso sihle.mavuso@inl.co.za AMID a low-intensity mobilisation campaign by supporters of former president Jacob Zuma to overwhelm the Pietermaritzburg High Court when the jailed ANC leader appears in the dock, his foundation has appealed for cool heads. Yesterday, the Jacob Zuma Foundation pleaded with the police and other security forces to work in harmony with the supporters when the former president appears on Wednesday. On Tuesday, Zuma is expected leave his Estcourt Correctional Centre cell, where he is serving his 15-month contempt of court sentence, and travel to court on August 10. Zuma’s lawyers argue that advocate Billy Downer SC of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) should not lead his prosecution for corruption. They claim he is legally and politically compromised. In opposing the in-person hearing, the NPA argued…

Siphokazi Vuso siphokazi.vuso@inl.co.za THE National African Federated Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Nafcoc) has called on the government to ramp-up its efforts in providing relief to black businesses and small, medium and micro-enterprises (SMMEs), impacted by the civil unrest that erupted across parts of the country earlier last month. The South African Property Owners Association estimated that the week of deadly riots, arson and violent unrest could cost the country about R50 billion in lost output, while 150 000 jobs have been placed at risk, Nafcoc said. Nafcoc’s Gauteng spokesperson Refilwe Monageng said many black businesses, which have already been struggling for months to survive the Covid-19 crisis, were left in the cold. “The government’s additional economic recovery measures, announced by President Ramaphosa on July 25, 2021, are…

Lisa Isaacs lisa.isaacs@inl.co.za A NEWLY published study on Covid-19 deaths in the South African Muslim community has found circumstantial evidence that gatherings at the end of Ramadaan and Eid-ul-Fitr probably led to superspreader events in Gauteng and resulted in a large number of avoidable deaths. Authors from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the SAMRC, UCT, Muslim Stats SA, the Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre and Islamic Medical Association analysed data from Muslim community organisations across the country which report daily numbers of known Covid-19 deaths to the Muslim Stats SA co-ordinating group. By June 10, 2 826 Covid-19 deaths were recorded in the Muslim community, predominantly of people of Indian/Malay descent in South Africa, which constitutes 4.9% of 57 474 recorded Covid-19 deaths nationally. The proportion of deaths…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za AFTER landing her dream job, 37-year-old English teacher Lara van Lelyveld, from Gardens, was diagnosed with idiopathic subglottic stenosis – a rare, life-threatening illness that causes the narrowing of a patient’s trachea and inflammation in the throat. Since her diagnosis, Van Lelyveld has been in and out of hospital to stop her throat from closing. The cause of her condition is unknown, but doctors are doing all they can to give Van Lelyveld her life back. On Monday she was fitted with a T-shaped trach (tracheostomy) tube, which unfortunately didn’t work as she was unable to breathe. She has now been given steroid injections in her throat tissue to see if this will stop her tissue from growing. She will also receive an iron infusion as she…

Odwa Mkentane odwa.mkentane@inl.co.za TWO suspected Gugulethu extortionists belonging to the “Gupta gang” were shot in the head, at point blank range, in a suspected revenge killing on Tuesday. The gang is notorious in the area for demanding a protection fee from businesses, specifically from foreign-owned shops. The deceased, aged 33 and 34, were driving in a Toyota Tazz when they were chased by three unknown suspects in a Toyota Avanza. The suspects managed to bring their car to a stop, and proceeded to drag them out of the car before shooting them each in the head. Police spokesperson Joseph Swartbooi yesterday said the suspects fled the scene and were yet to be arrested. “Gugulethu police are investigating two counts of murder following a shooting incident that occurred near to NY…

THE pandemic has killed more than 4 million people worldwide, tested and devastated health-care systems and affected economies. It has also reversed many gains for women’s health, empowerment, rights and education. The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization estimates that more than 11 million girls may not return to school once the pandemic subsides. This threatens decades of progress that has been made to keep girls in school. We know that for a country to attain overall good health, fight diseases, protect the environment, achieve food security, and develop technologies and discoveries, it has to use the scientific knowledge and skills of all its people. Unfortunately, women remain underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem), and occupy fewer positions at top universities. Gender disparities in science persist…

THE International Olympics Committee (IOC) should avoid appearing as targeting athletes who are brave enough to use the global stage to shine a light on issues most shy away from. The IOC should not be seen as wanting to censure legitimate issues, but be supportive of athletes like Raven Saunders. She raised her arms in an X above her head during the medal ceremony on Sunday. This gesture was to support the downtrodden; the X being “the intersection of where all people who are oppressed meet”. Saunders said she hoped to continue to inspire and motivate the LGBTQI+ community, African Americans, black people around the world, and those struggling with mental health. She had previously spoken about having major mental health issues and suffering bouts of depression. The committee…

The Mediterranean had become a wildfire hot spot, with Turkey hit by its most intense blazes on record and a heatwave producing a high risk of further fires and smoke pollution in the region, a EU atmosphere monitor said yesterday. Wildfires are raging in countries including Greece and Turkey, where thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes. The fires have struck as southern Europe experiences a heatwave, with places in Greece on Tuesday recording temperatures of more than 46ºC. Human-induced climate change is making heatwaves more likely and more severe, scientists say. The EU’s Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service said the hot and dry conditions had hiked the danger of further fires, although high temperatures alone do not trigger wildfires because they need a source of ignition. The European…

An accountant, two lawyers, an agronomist and a Swiss humanitarian worker have formed Gaza’s first rock band, giving voice in English to the pain of war in the Palestinian territory. The unlikely group got together more than two years ago to create Osprey V, posting video clips online and projecting an aura of mystery by keeping their faces hidden. Now, the band is ready to step into the limelight, with songs steeped in the emotions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In April, a month before an 11-day war between Gaza militants and Israel, they performed in “Live for Gaza”, an online concert to raise funds for musicians in the Palestinian Territories. Pro-Palestinian activist Roger Waters of Pink Floyd fame also took part. The band’s songwriter, Moamin El-Jaru, said Osprey V wants…

BEIJING: China’s Ministry of Transport has asked cities with areas designated medium- and high-risk for Covid-19 to suspend cross-city bus, taxi and ride-hailing services. The ministry will strengthen control over passenger traffic to curb the latest resurgence in cases, said Li Huaqiang, an official with the ministry. Road passenger transportation in and out of the counties and districts where the medium- and high-risk areas are located should be suspended, the official noted. The Chinese mainland on Tuesday reported 71 new locally transmitted Covid-19 cases, the National Health Commission said.…

Kiev: A Ukrainian war veteran, who threatened to detonate a hand grenade inside the government building in Kiev yesterday, has been detained, police said. “He was arrested,” Interior Ministry spokesperson Artem Shevchenko told AFP. Ukrainian police said in a statement that the man, whose name was not released, was detained after negotiations that lasted around 10 minutes. Vasyl Oleksyuk, a local lawmaker who knows the detainee and helped conduct the negotiations, told reporters he had left the army several years ago and was in a difficult financial situation.…