Table of contents for 2022-01-11 in Mercury

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za WHILE Eskom seems to have put its house in order over the past month with no load shedding, there is uncertainty about its staying power over the next year. Eskom over the festive season brought on stream unit 4 of the Kusile power plant, which at full operational capacity is expected to add 800 megawatts (MW), but which is not expected at least for the next six months as the unit is commissioned gradually. Meanwhile, concerns have been raised about the scheduled maintenance of the Koeberg nuclear plant’s generators which will have to be shut down over the 10-months maintenance period, taking about 900MW off the grid with each generator shutdown. “We can be more positive about 2023. The current year is different… There is too much…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za THE South African Reserve Bank (Sarb) could be forced to continue hiking interest rates for the second time in a row, as elevated inflation further pushes ongoing monetary policy normalisation in the world’s largest economy, the US. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Monday warned emerging economies to prepare for US interest rate hikes as the new Omicron variant has raised additional concerns of supply side pressures on inflation. The US inflation rate from December is expected to come in at 7 percent, a four-decade high, and the markets are already betting on the US Federal Reserve (Fed) raising rates earlier on the back of this, strong unemployment data, and a strong economy. In December, the Fed announced it would accelerate the pace of tapering and buy…

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za AREIT Prop plans to raise about R300 million through a JSE listing of some 30 million shares by way of private placement, the company said yesterday in its prospectus. The proposed listing as a Real Estate Investment Trust (Reit) on the main board would be at an indicative price of between R8 to R10 per share. The company said interested investors could contact it or AcaciaCap Advisers if they wished to participate in the private placement. The listing is expected on February 14. aReit Prop holds a portfolio of two hospitality properties (Cresta Grande Hotel and Fountains Hotel) and one medical property (Lady Hamilton). Rental income is also derived from the lease of a billboard on top of the Cresta Grande Hotel. The properties were valued…

The 40-year-old pop icon left little to the imagination as she stripped off for a racy Instagram snap. She captioned the mirror selfie, with a heart emoji strategically placed over parts of her body: “Free woman energy has never felt better.” The Toxic hitmaker’s bold statement comes after her 13-year conservatorship was terminated in November, meaning her father, Jamie Spears, no longer has financial control over his daughter. Spears also recently took to the app to reveal she enjoyed her first glass of red wine in 13 years and shared how she was having fun dancing to Madonna songs. “I’m sure it looks weird me dancing to @madonna so much I see it … it’s like I’m not trying as much like I’m INDULGING … well that’s exactly what her…

Sibusiso Mboto sibusiso.mboto@inl.co.za THE ANC in KwaZulu-Natal and the newly elected Moses Mabhida regional leadership have dared the ANC members who have threatened to take the party to court over the recent regional conference to go ahead, insisting that they have no basis for their case. This was in relation to the elective conference held in December in Pieter- maritzburg where Msunduzi mayor Mzi Thebolla was elected regional chairperson and Richmond mayor Samora Ndlovu regional secretary. Emafini Siyabulela Nomaza and Mlungisi Zondi through their lawyers, MM Ntanzi Attorneys, lodged an objection, claiming that rules had been broken in staging the ANC Moses Mabhida Regional elective conference, including: Having branches that had unresolved disputes attending and participating in the elective conference. A regional task team (RTT) that had existed beyond its…

German carmaker BMW has unveiled the world’s first “colour-changing” car at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The concept car, called the BMW iX Flow, uses electronic ink technology normally found in e-readers to transform the car’s exterior into a variety of patterns in grey and white. “This is really energy efficient colour change using the technology E Ink,” said BMW research engineer Stella Clarke. “So we took this material – it’s kind of a thick paper – and our challenge was to get this on a 3D object like our cars.” When stimulated by electrical signals controlled by a phone app, the material brings different pigments to the surface, causing the car to take on a different shade or design, such as racing stripes. In the future,…

NARENDH GANESH | Durban North YOU will soon be required, as the president, to deliver your State of the Nation Address (Sona) – an annual address that is meant to inspire and motivate the country to do better, to live better and to achieve better. This event, in my candid opinion, is truly a waste of money and resources, as I believe it is merely a box-ticking event meant to exacerbate the pageantry of a parliamentary process, and of course, to parade parliamentarians and guests in a show of extravagant fashion. But, unfortunately, it will be a process that will go on nonetheless. I have found that our State of the Nation Address is akin to a “bait-and-switch” event, whereby the president tries to entice the nation…

DUNCAN DU BOIS | Bluff IT IS one of the privileges of adherents to the narrative on climate change and Covid-19 vaccination to dismiss anything that challenges their dogma as “conspiracy theory”. In that respect Gabi Marais (The Mercury, January 10) is a worthy team player. There is no “conspiracy theory” in the extent to which many medical schools rely on Big Pharma for finance. As recipients of such aid, they are obliged to endorse Big Pharma’s narrative on issues such as Covid-19 vaccinations. In turn, the narrative is disseminated by the mass media, which is controlled, if not owned, by Big Tech and linked financially with Big Pharma. That network of operation is there for anyone to research and to appreciate the manufactured and pervasive extent of…

Zelda Venter zelda.venter@inl.co.za THE alleged conduct of a Home Affairs official, who is believed to have changed the version of a Nigerian citizen in his application for refugee status has been referred to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) for investigation and possible prosecution. The Johannesburg High Court last month ordered the NPA to establish whether the official lied about the facts given to him by the Nigerian citizen, only identified as EL to safeguard him from possible persecution. EL told the court through his lawyers, and he maintained throughout, that he had fled Nigeria to come to South Africa as he feared political persecution in his country. This version was allegedly changed by an officer at the refugee centre, who is said to have written on the application form that…

Nomonde Zondi nomonde.zondi@inl.co.za | Additional Reporter Mercury Correspondent THE Competition Commission says it will continue to monitor the pricing of school uniforms and urged schools to keep uniforms as generic as possible. After investigations into anti-competitive behaviour in the school uniform supply chain, the commission and the Department of Basic Education last year jointly released a circular guiding schools and stakeholders about best practice for procurement. The commission says that a survey would be rolled out over the next few weeks to assess the level of compliance. “The principle governing these guidelines include: The school uniform should be as generic as possible so that it is obtainable from as many suppliers possible. Where deemed necessary, exclusivity should only be limited to a few ‘must’ items that the schools regard as necessary…

We want to equip our children with skills to be critical thinkers Anelle Burger IN OCTOBER 2012, in answer to question 2521 on home education) by Ms Cheryllyn Dudley (ACDP), Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga said that the purpose of the revision of the law and policy is to provide for home education as part of the formal schooling system. This comment was made 16 years after home education became legal and it has the potential to effectively outlaw home education in its current form. Home education became legal in 1996 (after the apartheid government prohibited it) and it is estimated that at that time 50 families followed this alternative approach to education. The national census of 2011 indicated that approximately 57 000 learners were home educated. The current number…

MANILA: The Philippine Department of Energy yesterday asked Indonesia to lift its ban on coal export, saying the move is “detrimental” to coal-dependent countries like the Philippines. Indonesia announced the ban for the month of January to avert a looming power crisis in the country. In a statement, Philippine Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi stressed the “healthy economic co-operation between the Philippines and Indonesia,” saying that Indonesia’s “recent policy will be detrimental to economies that rely on coal-fired power generation systems like the Philippines.” He said the Philippines sourced 2.3 million metric tons monthly from Indonesia.…

Friends and families are mourning the deaths of 10 people who died when a cliff rock fell on to tourist boats on a lake in Brazil. On Saturday, a large rock fragment broke free from a ravine and plunged on to four boats in Furnas Lake in Brazil’s eastern Minas Gerais state, as panicked tourists watched helplessly from other vessels. The bodies of the two remaining missing individuals were found on Sunday by rescuers, civil police commissioner Marcos de Souza Pimenta told reporters. More than 30 people were injured, including nine who had to be hospitalised, authorities said. The 10 who died were part of a group of family and friends on the boat that suffered the biggest impact from the rockfall, rescuers said. The victims were all Brazilian nationals,…

NEW YORK: Former first lady Michelle Obama has urged the Americans to “vote like the future of our democracy depends on it” ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. In a letter titled “Fight For Our Vote”, published as an ad in the New York Times, Obama and her voting rights organisation When We All Vote warned that a historic attack on voting rights needed to be stopped. ”We stand united in our conviction to organise and turn out voters in the 2022 midterm elections, and make our democracy work for all of us,” Obama wrote in the letter, signed by 30 other civic engagement, voting rights and voter mobilisation organisations such as the NAACP, Stacey Abrams’ Fair Fight Action, Voto Latino Foundation, NextGen America, LeBron James’ More Than A Vote…

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za THE new vehicle market is expected to continue its gradual recovery during 2022, albeit at a slower pace than in 2021 and a year-on-year improvement of around 8 percent in aggregate new vehicle sales volumes is projected, Naamsa, the Automotive Business Council said yesterday. Factoring an anticipated 15 percent improvement in vehicle exports, industry vehicle production of about 17 percent was projected for 2022 – the automotive industry is South Africa’s largest manufacturing sector. Vehicle sales rebounded strongly year-on-year by 22.1 percent to 464 122 units in 2021. This followed the massive 29.2 percent slide in vehicle sales to 380 206 units during 2020, due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. “It was a very satisfying performance by an industry that has had to deal with…

Albert Einstein was absolutely right when he said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them”. Whereas the context is right: in an era of multiple-stakeholder capitalism where every stakeholder’s contribution is being taken into consideration including inert land and the environment, South Africa still needs to embrace the evolving concept of new corporations and economic institutions. As a relatively new democracy we seem to have moved from total exclusion to unintentional controlled inclusion for purposes that are inimical to the emancipation of marginalised and disadvantaged communities. The concept of “shared value” defines a new way of achieving and measuring economic success, it is the bedrock of what companies and economic institutions do – not elementary social investment or sustainability. Thus, the boldest…

African News Agency A growing global potato shortage that has forced McDonald’s in Japan and Taiwan to remove French fries and hash browns from their menus could soon hit the African market. The South China Morning Post reported yesterday that Japan had suspended sales for its medium and large fries, and was only allowing its customers to buy small-sized portions. The limit on fries was caused by a delay in potato imports from Canada, with the fast-food chain stating the restriction was expected to last for a month. Japan faced the same obstacle last month when they temporarily limited the sale of fries. In a statement by McDonald’s Japan, chief executive Tamotsu Hiiro apologised for the restrictions and admitted the delays occurred due to the “impact of the corona disaster”…

Tarryn-Leigh Solomons tarryn-leigh.solomons@inl.co.za KWAZULU-NATAL has been identified as a hot-spot province when it comes to violence and the kidnapping of pupils from schools. The other hot-spot provinces are Gauteng, Limpopo, North West and the Western Cape. Responding to a written parliamentary question from DA MP Ntombi Khumalo, Police Minister Bheki Cele said the police service and Department of Basic Education (DBE) had decided to team up to combat growing incidents of violence in schools and the kidnapping of pupils. Cele said the SAPS and DBE had reviewed the school safety protocol, which guides the implementation of school safety programmes. “There are various crime-awareness campaigns which are implemented and conducted by the SAPS at schools to address, among others, incidences of bullying and gangsterism among learners in and around school…

FAROUK ARAIE | Johannesburg The quest to conduct a new inquest into the death of iconic leader Chief Albert Luthuli is long overdue. Sadly, all the role-players in his death are either dead or close to it. It is almost certain that all relevant information pertaining to his death was destroyed by the rulers of that day. Shortly after 9.30am, on July 21, 1967, Albert Luthuli was killed by a passing train on a terrain that he knew well. Since that day, conflicting reports have abounded. In his death, truth became the first casualty. In their “total onslaught strategy”, the rulers of that era were prepared to go to any lengths to maintain political dominance and military supremacy in Africa. Mysterious deaths became the talking point of that…

I WOULD like to remind you that you are endowed with superpowers. While you may not feel powerful or think of yourself as powerful, you are. It comes with your humanity. The superpowers to which I refer have nothing to do with money, status or what is generally considered necessary to be influential – and this is most important, they cannot be taken from you. You can only give them away. When you use them, by giving them away, they are immediately replenished so you will never run out. You have the superpower of friendship. This is the capacity to reach out to people who think they have no one. You have the superpower of generosity – the power to give of your time and talents to others and the…

Bongani Nkosi bongani.nkosi@inl.co.za THE Moti brothers’ kidnapping case has taken another turn, with the boys’ father interdicting the police from obtaining statements from his sons. At the weekend, eNca reported that the police battled to make headway in the case, because the boys’ father had obtained an interdict. Nazim Moti, the father of the four boys who were dramatically kidnapped while on their way to school in Polokwane in October, has also reportedly moved his family to Dubai. Police spokesperson Lieutenant- Colonel Robert Netshiunda has on record said that the father refused police access to Zidan, Zia, Alwaan and Zayyad after their return home. The boys were reunited with their parents three weeks after the kidnapping. The kidnappers dropped them off in Vuwani, Venda. A R50 million ransom was reportedly…

Francesca Villette francesca.villette@inl.co.za As plans move ahead to host this year’s State of the Nation Address at the Cape Town City Hall, at least 1 000 Parliamentary employees will not be reporting for duty until the gutted building precinct is declared safe. Following the devastating fire that ravaged the National Assembly and several floors of office space, the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union’s (Nehawu) branch executive committee (BEC) in Parliament said their members were anxious and feared for their lives. The BEC on Friday wrote to National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, Amos Masondo, saying they weren’t persuaded that Parliament would be able to contain another fire outbreak. The union also based its decision on the fire and safety report compiled…

Thami Magubane thami.magubane@inl.co.za Angry northern KwaZulu-Natal residents want the Zululand Anthracite Colliery (ZAC) to be sanctioned over the pollution spill in the Mvalo River. In a statement on its website dated January 6, the company’s environmental superintendent Msawenkosi Buthelezi said the spill happened on December 24 when an end wall of slurry pond 3 failed, resulting in a pollution spill of 1 500m³ of coal slurry. The statement added that upon receiving a report on the failure, mine management immediately began plugging the pond and initiated a clean-up operation, both manually and mechanically. “These clean-up operations will continue as guided by the relevant legislation.” It added that it was assessing possible damage caused to surrounding host communities and engaging the relevant local community forums and structures to identify any…

A teenager is among 11 people allegedly linked to a string of business robberies in the Mtubatuba area in northern KwaZulu-Natal. Police said the business robberies had taken place from November last year until this month. “Police at Mtubatuba noticed an increase in business robberies being committed by a group of armed suspects. “The suspects were targeting businesses and they would rob the staff at gunpoint before fleeing without harming anyone,” said police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Nqobile Gwala. She said the Empangeni Tactical Response Team conducted an operation between January 6 and 7 and 11 people were arrested at different homesteads in Mtubatuba. “Two were found in illegal possession of firearms and 11 rounds of ammunition.” Gwala said more arrests were expected as the investigation unfolds. “The recovered firearms will be…

Koert Meyer THE 220km stretch of the N1 between the two Karoo towns Laingsburg and Beaufort West claims so many lives each year, especially over the Christmas and Easter holiday periods, that it has become known as the road of death. There are two little villages in-between, Prince Albert, 95km from Laingsburg, and Leeu-Gamka, 75km from Beaufort West. They only offer motorists petrol and shops for snacks and other small items. All our roads claim lives right through the year mainly because of human behaviour and human error. Some say to themselves the only way to travel from point A to point B is to speed, even at speeds much higher than the legal 120km/h. Therefore, traffic authorities police this road to catch culprits – and many hell drivers are…

COPENHAGEN: The head of Denmark’s foreign intelligence unit, Lars Findsen, has been remanded in custody over his involvement in a case involving a leak of “highly classified” information. Four current and former employees of Denmark’s two intelligence services were detained in December for leaking highly classified information. Findsen is the only one who remains in custody. The news emerged at a court hearing yesterday when a publication ban was lifted. The case is being conducted behind closed doors. Sources said the case involves leaks of classified information to Danish media outlets.…

Pudding competitions, street parties, parades and live concerts are part of the events to be celebrated in the UK this year to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years on the throne, Buckingham Palace announced yesterday. “There will be year-long Platinum Jubilee celebrations throughout the UK, the Commonwealth and around the world as communities come together to celebrate the queen’s historic reign,” the royal family said in a statement. In the UK, events will culminate in a four-day holiday weekend from June 2-5 that will begin with the Queen’s birthday parade and end with the Big Jubilee Lunch. The 95-year-old monarch, the first British monarch to reign for seven decades, will also be opening up her private estates to the public, and some of the “world’s biggest entertainment stars” will be…

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg yesterday warned Russia of “severe costs” if it launches a further attack on Ukraine, saying he hoped crunch talks could chart a way towards a diplomatic solution. “We are working hard for a peaceful political path and we are ready to continue to work with Russia to try to find that path towards a peaceful solution,” Stoltenberg said before meeting Ukraine’s deputy prime minister. “At the same time, we need to be prepared that Russia once again chooses to use armed force, chooses confrontation instead of co-operation.” Stoltenberg was speaking as high-ranking US and Russian officials held a high-stakes meeting in Geneva over the crisis. That will be followed tomorrow by talks in Brussels between Russia and all 30 Nato allies. “We also need to send…

Dieketseng Maleke dieketseng.maleke@inl.co.za STEINHOFF’S shareholders appear more optimistic about the company’s future as its share price rose up to 8 percent to R5.39 on the JSE yesterday, following its announcement to list its American-based subsidiary Mattress Firm on the New York Stock Exchange. In a statement, the retailer said it had applied to the US Securities and Exchange Commission for an initial public offering as part of a possible listing on the bourse. Steinhoff successfully listed its European discount retailer Pepco in 2021. “The number of shares to be offered and the price range for the offering have not yet been determined. Mattress Firm intends to apply to list its common stock on the New York Stock Exchange, subject to notice of official issuance,” it said. Steinhoff bought the 90-year-old…

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za REBOSIS Property Fund’s board has opted not to pay a dividend for the year to August 31, 2021 to continue reducing a heavy debt load. The fund did not pass the liquidity test to pay dividends for the year. It was in a net-operating loss position and also in breach of its bank debt covenants. It announced in October that it had entered into a R6.3 billion sales agreement with Ulricraft, a special-purpose vehicle owned by Vunani Capital Partners. Proceeds from the proposed deal, which involves the sale of 32 of Rebosis’s commercial buildings, including the “diamond building” on 11 Diagonal Street, Johannesburg – and which is still subject to several conditions – is aimed at reducing Rebosis’s debt. Rebosis’s share price increased 7.3 percent to 30…

Andy Cohen thinks the outfits in the early days of the Real Housewives franchise were “just terrible”. The 53-year-old television personality – who also serves as executive producer of the Bravo reality TV brand – compared their style to something you “might wear to a PTA meeting” instead of the glamorous events they are known for attending. Cohen told Vanity Fair: “In the early Real Housewives of Orange County, the fashion was just terrible. If you look at the first few years of reunions, Orange County, Atlanta and New York, they were basically wearing – I don’t even think what they would wear to a cocktail party. I think it was more what they might wear to a PTA meeting.” | Bang Showbiz…

Chevon Booysen, Sibusiso Mboto, Mashudu Sadike and Tarryn-Leigh Solomons WHILE the ANC in the Eastern Cape has become the latest to join its Limpopo and Northern Cape counterparts in backing President Cyril Ramaphosa’s second-term ambitions, some ANC senior members have described the use of the party’s January 8 birthday celebration to lobby for Ramaphosa as a travesty. The ANC heads to its 55th elective conference in December with widening factions, and for the first time without a secretary-general following the suspension of Ace Magashule last year. Magashule, who is seen as Ramaphosa’s foe, did not attend the celebrations and was seen with national executive committee (NEC) members Lindiwe Sisulu and Bathabile Dlamini at the funeral service of Emalahleni mayor Linah Malatjie on Sunday. At the birthday celebrations, Limpopo ANC…

ANTHONY PIERCE | New Dawn Park New Dawn Park is a suburb located in the north of Durban. The community has, over a period of time, raised concerns about the lack of municipal maintenance. Numerous mails have been dispatched to the municipality, and to date, we are awaiting a response. As recently as yesterday morning, a leak was identified in Tiburon Place, which soon became a rivulet. A plumber was dispatched who arrived and proceeded to dig a huge hole to locate the origins of the leak. The plumber left without completing the job. The residents now have a problem driving out of their driveway. The plumber has apparently been recalled. A call to the call centre has not resolved the issue. We continue to pay our rates…

A FELLOW in India walked into a vaccine station to receive his 12th jab against Covid-19, according to the BBC. But Brahmdeo Mandal was frustrated by health officials in the state of Bihar who told him he’d already had nine jabs, according to their records. Brahmdeo disagreed, saying he’d had 11 jabs and this would be his 12th. But the medics said that was way too many and he was sent on his way, poor chap. The retired postman said the jabs had helped him get rid of aches and pains and “stay healthy”. He had not suffered any adverse effects. The health authorities are investigating how he managed to get multiple jabs. Why did he do it? Maybe Brahmdeo’s hoping to play tennis in Australia. But he’d better get…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za ABOUT 3 7​00 hectares of vegetation has burnt near Kleinmond in the Overberg region in the Western Cape, as a moun- tain fire continued to rage yesterday. The wildfire broke out on Saturday evening. Resources from Working on Fire, CapeNature and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment have been deployed to fight the blaze which has been fanned by strong winds. No evacuation order was issued by Sunday, however some voluntary evacuations took place. An update ​yesterday on the Facebook page of the Fire Protection Association in the Overberg district said that the fire was not contained. It said the R44 between Arabella and Kleinmond remained closed and that one uninhabited structure had been destroyed.​ It also said that an estimated 3 700 h​ectares of…

Oluthando Keteyi As more people embrace flexible working environments as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, a travel search site has revealed the best countries to work remotely from, with Portugal topping the list. Cheapflights has released its first Work from Wherever Index. To develop the index, Cheapflights, which is managed by Kayak, analysed 111 countries and ranked each against 22 factors across six categories – travel costs and accessibility, local prices, health and safety, remote working capabilities, social life and the weather – to reveal the countries that are easiest to work from while enjoying a new country. South Africa ranked 61st in the global index and takes fifth place among countries in the Middle East and African regions. The country ranked highly in the categories of price, travel…

Nomonde Zondi nomonde.zondi@inl.co.za The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) said yesterday that it was awaiting information from the uMngeni Municipality after its mayor said he wanted the area to be declared a local disaster following a devastating December storm. The request for classification as a local disaster area must be submitted to the National Disaster Management Centre via the Provincial Disaster Management Centre. On Saturday, uMngeni Municipality mayor Christopher Pappas said he wanted the national government to declare the area as a local disaster after the storm that battered the municipality on December 30. He said municipal infrastructure had been severely damaged and a number of communities were affected. He added that individuals had lost their homes and belongings and the infrastructure had in some cases…

AS millions of pupils in inland and coastal provinces return to school, the Department of Basic Education needs to do away with the rotational system of attendance that has been the order of the day in many poor schools due to Covid-19. It can be said without any shadow of doubt that the biggest losers as a result of the many lockdowns imposed by the state have been learners from ill-equipped township and rural schools. While their counterparts from former model C and private schools have continued with their schooling uninterrupted, learners from poor township and rural schools lost out on hours of learning due to rotational attendance. Attending school two or three times a week has had a profoundly negative impact on millions of poor learners. It has served…

HONG KONG: A growing potato shortage that has forced McDonald’s in Japan and Taiwan to remove French fries and hash browns from their menus could soon hit the African market. South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported yesterday that Japan was only allowing its customers to buy small-sized portions. The limit on fries was caused by a delay in potato imports from Canada. McDonald’s Japan CEO Tamotsu Hiiro admitted the delays occurred due to the “impact of the corona disaster” on the global distribution network as well as to flood damage and heavy snowfalls.…

MADRID/LONDON: Europe’s healthcare systems are being strained once again by the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus over the holiday period, with large numbers of key staff ill or self-isolating and experts predicting the peak of infections is yet to come. Despite early studies showing a lower risk of severe disease or hospitalisation from Omicron compared to the previously-dominant Delta, health-care networks in Spain, Britain, Italy and beyond have found themselves in increasingly desperate circumstances. Britain put its biggest private health companies on high alert yesterday to deliver key treatments including cancer surgery should unsustainable levels of hospitalisations or staff absences overwhelm NHS hospitals in England. The country also began deploying military personnel to support hospitals on Friday due to record Covid-19 cases. “Omicron means more…

Oslo: The Norwegian Nobel Committee, which awards the Nobel Peace Prize, denounced three new convictions handed down yesterday against ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi. “The Nobel Committee is deeply concerned about her situation,” the chairperson of the Nobel committee Berit Reiss-Andersen said. “The latest ruling against Aung San Suu Kyi is a politically motivated ruling,” she added. Under house arrest since a February 1 military coup, the former leader, 76, was sentenced to four years in prison.…

THE UN has welcomed a consensus reached on Sunday by the country’s political leaders to expedite the electoral process after many months of delay. Yesterday, the UN told the political leaders that the priority was to implement the 18-point decisions, which were reached on Sunday following six days of national consultative talks to achieve a credible and widely accepted result by the new deadline of February 25. “The UN encourages Somalia’s political leaders to continue in a spirit of co-operation, avoid provocations that risk new tensions or conflict, and stay focused on delivering a credible electoral process quickly for the benefit of all Somalis,” the world body said in a statement issued in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. The statement comes after Prime Minister Mohamed Roble and six regional leaders agreed…