Índice para 2022-11-29 em Star

HUGE GROUP said yesterday that despite global and local economic conditions deteriorating significantly, it had grown value of its portfolio and was positioning itself to be a leading provider in the mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) market. In its results for the six months ended August 31, 2022, the JSE-listed technology investment group whose subsidiaries operate in the telecommunications, media, technology, and software industries, said its net asset value over the past six months had increased from 897 cents per share to 939c per share. Huge Group has nine principal investments, which contribute to the portfolio’s total value, which is in excess of R1.5 billion. “We believe that this value is realis- able, and although we are cognisant of calls to unlock this value through disposals,…

Britney Spears has branded a mystery celebrity as a “piece of s***”. The 40-year-old pop star – who has become estranged from her family since a conservatorship that was governed by them was terminated last year – took to Instagram on Sunday to “finally” express her feelings. Alongside an image of a mystery woman wearing dark glasses, she wrote on Instagram: “Sup birds!!! Come on bitch, clap back at me for two minutes … My own party!!! Smartest one … very good !!! You’re such a classy famous person you piece of s*** … I finally said it!!! Shade!!! I’m only human … what can I say f*** you!!!”(sic) The Baby One More Time hitmaker did not make it clear who she was talking about, but her comments come just…

SEVERAL UN bodies obtained permission from the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg on Friday to be admitted as a friend of the court in a class action lawsuit against Anglo American South Africa, over alleged health problems caused by lead mines in central Zambia. The court ruled that four international organisations, among them the UN Special Rapporteur on Toxins and Human Rights and the UN body concerned with the rights of people with disabilities, may participate in the main application to be heard later to assist the court. The legal challenge, filed in South Africa, alleges that Anglo American’s mining operations in Kabwe from 1925 to 1974, were in such proximity to residents that they caused soil contamination and poisoned the population, especially children. In villages in and…

TODAY the face of HIV in Africa is a young girl with a baby on her back, who, when faced with the difficult choice of self-care versus child-care, will always sacrifice her health for her child. This is according to Thanduxolo Doro, People Living with HIV Civil society leader and project management specialist for US Agency for International Development, who joined a group of experts that believed Africa could overcome HIV by 2030 if it focused on the most vulnerable groups. With countries like South Africa also recording concerning new infections among youth aged between 15 and 19, it is no surprise that experts believed for society to achieve epidemic control, priority must be given to key populations, including men who avoid seeking medical help. They said focus must be…

DRIVEN by passion and a love for sport from a young age inspires netball coach Emily Mathosa to always put in effort in her chosen craft. She is the coach for the South African team which travels to Lilongwe for the 2022 Region V Games. The team has more than 250 individuals across 11 sporting codes. The Malawi games are scheduled for December 2 to 12. “I’m really excited about the tournament,” she said. “I’ll be making sure the team does well together with my assistant coach throughout the tournament.” Mathosa explained that her mother was her greatest inspiration and always pushed and supported her. She coaches both female and male players, and in the past 10 years of being a coach, she has achieved a great deal. She is…

It is outrageous that politicians continue to show disdain for the electorate by being self-centred. The recent behaviour of the ANC and DA underlines this sad fact. The Gauteng ANC betrayed Johannesburg residents when it foiled a loan from the Development Bank of Southern Africa to the city. In taking the decision, the ANC was displaying sour grapes in that its machinations to get rid of DA mayor Mpho Phalatse had backfired. Thus, for the ANC, that the money was going to benefit residents was irrelevant: party interests were paramount. What is galling is that the loan had initially been negotiated by the ANC when it was temporarily in power. But now that the DA was back, it blocked it. The DA is also acting…

On Tuesday November 29 2022, the world community will commemorate International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. At this time, I would like to remind us about the current worsening situation in Palestine, and more importantly, make some recommendations as to how we could display greater solidarity with the oppressed people of Palestine. Earlier this month, the most extreme rightwing Zionist coalition government came to power in Israel. Key members of the current Israeli Knesset openly advocate the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians and support the Zionist settler movement in their goal of creating a Greater Israel. In light of this we should anticipate greater theft of Palestinian lands and even more draconian support for settlers from the Israeli security forces. As has been the case since the Nakba in…

Chinese security forces detained people and appeared to prevent a planned protest yesterday as authorities worked to stamp out widening dissent seeking political freedoms and an end to Covid-19 lockdowns. People have taken to the streets in major cities and gathered at university campuses across China in a wave of protests not seen since pro-democracy rallies in 1989 were crushed. A deadly fire last week in Urumqi, the capital of China’s Xinjiang region, was the catalyst for the public anger, with many blaming Covid-19 lockdowns for hampering rescue efforts. Beijing accused “forces with ulterior motives” for linking the fire to Covid measures, saying local authorities had “made clear the facts and refuted this information and smears”. At an area in the economic hub of Shanghai where demonstrators gathered at the…

HONOLULU: An eruption began in the summit caldera of Hawaii’s Mauna Loa, the world’s largest active volcano, on Sunday night, the US Geological Service’s (USGS) volcanic activity service said. “At this time, lava flows are contained within the summit area,” it said. However, it said that the early eruption stages of this volcano could be very dynamic and the location and advance of lava flows can change rapidly. The alert level was upgraded from an “advisory” to a “warning”. Over a dozen earthquakes of more than 2.5 magnitude struck the region, with one measuring 4.2 in magnitude. | Reuters…

Iran coach Carlos Queiroz said yesterday he hoped the next World Cup would be less about politics and more about football, stressing there were better ways to use the sport as a force for good. Queiroz’s team have been dragged into a political crisis at home, pressured by protesters seeking to challenge the legitimacy of Iran’s clerical rulers to side with them publicly and condemn a deadly state crackdown. Speaking ahead of his team’s Group B match tonight against the United States, Queiroz was asked about the US Soccer federation temporarily displaying Iran’s national flag on social media without the emblem of the Islamic Republic, in solidarity with the protest movement. “I still believe I can win games with those mental games,” the former Bafana Bafana coach said. “Those ...…

THE Ospreys could well be in for a ‘Bok-lash’ on Friday as the Sharks pull out all the stops to redeem themselves after their 35-0 drubbing on Sunday night at the hands of Cardiff. Ospreys were beaten 43-26 by the Bulls on Saturday and when they then watched their countrymen from Cardiff smashing the Sharks on Sunday, they would have had mixed emotions – some national pride that one of the four Wales teams currently in South Africa won, but also that sinking feeling that life has just become harder. And it definitely will because the alarm bells have been ringing at the Shark Tank and one of the remedies will surely be to rush some of their Springboks back into United Rugby Championship action sooner than had been planned.…

INVICTA Holdings, the investment holding and management company, lifted headline earnings per share 43% for the six months to September 30, but withheld the dividend because of the share buybacks through the period. Chief executive Steven Joffe said they were “very pleased as the group had produced a solid performance in all our operations”. He said in a telephone interview that with much of the group now focused on parts sales, and after having made sufficient provisions for unforeseen challenges, and considering the business now derived more than 40% of profit from outside Africa, they were in a good position for the second half. The group had also traded well since the end of the interim reporting period. He said they planned to declare a dividend for the second half…

The City of Ekurhuleni has strongly condemned vandalism at the Chris Hani Memorial Site at the Thomas Nkobi Cemetery in Boksburg. The city said vandalism to the “Four Pillars of the ANC Struggle” part of the facility and the information centre and kiosk was discovered by municipal officials when they reported for duty yesterday morning. The metro’s spokesperson, Zweli Dlamini, said the lighting system of the facility had been removed and one of the pillars was badly damaged. There was also a break-in at the information centre located along the Walk of Remembrance linking the Wall of Remembrance to the Chris Hani Memorial. The city said what makes the situation even more puzzling is the timing of the incident, considering the recent Constitutional Court ruling. “Such incidents are extremely regrettable.…

The quarter two crime statistics for 2022/23 have raised concerns about safety in South Africa, compelling many to call on the SAPS to take action to curb spiralling crime. The rate at which women and children are abused, violated, and killed in South Africa remains worrying. The IFP criticised the SAPS for failing to respond to concerns about the crime statistics. “Police Minister Bheki Cele once again failed to inspire confidence that under his leadership, police will be able to address the dire state of crime.” Crime statistics reveal that from July to September, 7 004 people murdered, compared with 6 163 persons last year. “Just like in the first quarter of the year, the minister is once again calling for ‘more boots on the ground’. Why were they not…

A WIFE has lost a legal bid not to share half her pension benefits with her ex-husband whom she said saw her as a “cash cow”. She felt that he had squandered most of his pension when he was paid out and thus did not deserve a share of hers. But in the North Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, Judge Colleen Collis did not agree. She said it appeared that the husband paid off some of the common household debt when he received his pension, and bought necessities such as school uniforms for the children. Thus, the judge said, the wife had to pay the husband about R1.2m (half of her government pension) as part of the divorce settlement. The husband, on the other hand, had used his pension earlier, when…

THE men’s Fifa World Cup in Qatar is under way to much controversy. Although I do not really follow sports, the uproar spinning around this year’s World Cup caught my attention. Many of the analysts and critics have taken up different issues such as the alcohol ban, working conditions and criminalisation of same-sex relationships, among other grumbles. While being critical of various matters, these same critics, enjoy the affluent entertainment, luxuries, non-essentials and treats made possible by host countries and their workers. Even though an international sporting events like the Fifa World Cup offers an opportunity to sports’ enthusiasts to enjoy sports, it also provides a chance to draw attention to the waste of resources that these mega sporting events are; a drain on economies, and on the lives of…

The president stated that municipalities will no longer be staffed by “Mickey Mouse” personnel. What on Earth is he going to do with all the Goofies, Donald Ducks, and other comic book characters that were appointed by his own party post-1994 to municipalities? These ANC, jokers and clowns have systematically eroded the seriousness required in providing good governance, with the ultimate goal of service excellence. The president and his cartoonists find themselves in a quandary, as coalitions emerge that are focused on providing meaningful improvements. The citizens await with keen interest to see who the ANC replaces all these Mickey Mice with … Perhaps Casper, the friendly little ghost? Jislaaik, this plot thickens.…

South Africa is home to tens of thousands of small-scale fishers and fishing households. Some fish purely for consumption and subsistence, while others make up a small commercial sector. Small-scale fishers have long suffered discrimination in South Africa. Under the apartheid government’s segregation policies, many were forcibly removed from their homes and traditional fishing grounds. They were also unable to sell their catch. Despite high hopes for reform under the post-apartheid government, policies did not favour the majority of small-scale fisheries. Instead they emphasised privatisation and economic growth. As a result, small-scale fishers in the Western Cape province joined forces with prominent NGOs and academics. They fought for rights for the sector and a recognition of their way of life. This led to the creation of a regulatory framework that…

Kyiv: Ukraine said yesterday that Russia was preparing for a fresh wave of missile attacks on its energy grid that have plunged swathes of the country into the cold and dark. The Ukraine military said a Russian warship capable of firing cruise missiles had recently deployed to the Black Sea with Kalibr-type missiles on board. In its most recent barrage, Russia fired dozens of cruise missiles at targets across Ukraine last week, and an official in Kyiv said yesterday that residents in and around the capital were still suffering disruptions. President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia was preparing new aerial attacks and Ukraine was preparing itself, alongside Western allies. | AFP…

NAIROBI: South Sudan should investigate officials accused of overseeing systematic gang rapes, some of whose victims were girls as young as 9, UN rights experts said yesterday in a statement the government dismissed as a fabrication. Investigators say sexual abuse has been used as a weapon by all sides in South Sudan’s civil conflict, which erupted in 2013. The Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan said it had reasonable grounds to believe that a county commissioner in the northern oil-rich state of Unity orchestrated gang rapes at a military camp. | Reuters…

Without a doubt, one of the most notable positive from the Emirates Lions’ victory over the Dragons last weekend was Jordan Hendrikse. The young flyhalf had a commanding performance against the Welsh franchise on Sunday, scoring a try, slotting over two conversions, three penalties and a drop goal to compile 21 points and to scoop up the Man of the Match award. The Joburgers are developing a nice bit of competition at flyhalf between Hendrikse and Gianni Lombard, who came on for a 15-minute cameo in the second half, and that should bode well for the team going forward. After the match, as Lions head coach Ivan van Rooyen mused about the 33-25 victory, he explained that the two flyhalfs offer the team options going forward and how they will…

That short first burst of the Cricket South Africa 4-Day Series is over – three matches for most teams and now the premier first-class competition will not to be seen again until February, by which time the landscape of SA cricket would have irrevocably changed. The first part of the already brief four-day competition saw four teams play three matches, while the Lions and Dolphins played two. The Warriors, oft-forgotten but laden with young talent, top the standings with three wins. They are followed by Western Province, who appear to be in the midst of a revival thanks to an experienced top order and four-pronged pace attack, led by veterans and also charged with the left-arm pace of Nandre Burger. Not far behind are the grizzled Titans, the defending champions…

JOL met Ricky is a new game show where Mzansi celebs will show off their personalities. For those who aren’t familiar with the word “jol”, it basically means to have a good time and that often entails dancing the night away. Show host Ricky Schroeder, a former professional rugby player, and more recently, a well-known voice on the radio, is the presenter of Jol met Ricky, and actress Hunter Plaatjies is the DJ who will take care of the music on the show. Schroeder was also seen on Tussen Ons as the floor manager and a SuperSport commentator on rugby matches. He said: “I can’t wait until everyone sees how our favourite celebs challenge me in nostalgic games. “We will laugh, play, and learn more about each other and best…

Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has granted Janusz Walus the rights of permanent residence for the parole period and conditions to be imposed by the justice and correctional services minister. “The minister granted the exemption in order for Mr Walus to serve his parole period in South Africa and the exemption contains a condition that Mr Walus may not use any travel document and/or passport issued by the Embassy of the Republic of Poland,” said a department statement. A letter addressed to Walus and a certificate of exemption have been forwarded to Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola to be delivered to Walus. “The letter set out the exceptional circumstances requiring the granting of the exemption which, inter alia, include the fact that it would be in the interests…

Popular actor Abdul Khoza has made an impression on The Wife, and as a result his departure from the telenovela has been a bitter-sweet experience for those who worked closely with him. Fans of the show continually raved about Khoza’s performance as the hot-headed Zulu brother, Nqoba Zulu, describing it as perfect casting. Khoza, born in KwaMashu in Durban, earned a DStv Mzansi Viewers’ Choice Favourite Actor Award for the role earlier this year, and took home his second Golden Horn when he won Best Supporting Actor in a Telenovela at the 2022 South African Film and Television Awards. For those who have been following the lives of the Zulu brothers, the formidable crime family has come to feel like family to a lot of fans. Khoza’s co-stars have built…

THE Embrace Project is challenging what it calls “problematic” definitions of consent and rape in the Sexual Offences Act, as recently amended. The non-profit organisation filed papers in the North Gauteng High Court, Pretoria against the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, President Cyril Ramaphosa, and the Minister of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities as respondents. The second applicant in the application is a rape survivor, whose attacker was acquitted based on the amended act. The organisation said in court papers that as the law stood, it was insufficient to prove an accused person committed an act of sexual penetration without the complainant’s consent. It must further be proved that, in the accused’s subjective state of mind, he/she/intended to rape the complainant regardless of the complainant not having…

TWINS born prematurely and underweight will experience their first Christmas with their parents after a rocky start to their lives. During the trying times, little did the parents know the healing power of cuddles and so-called “kangaroo care” would be a big part of their babies’ recovery. “Our twins, Aryan and Arianna, were delivered early at 33 weeks and were small babies; one was under 2kg and the other just over 2kg,” Nourah Wax, their mother, said. The babies were born 10 months ago and had to remain in hospital for weeks after their birth. The newborn boy and girl were having difficulty breathing and had to be transferred to the specialised neonatal unit at the Netcare Garden City Hospital in Johannesburg. “These are my first children, and it…

THE days from November 25 and December 10 are observed globally as 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children Campaign. The 16 days is an international campaign originating from the first Women’s Global Leadership Institute held in 1991. The dates, November 25, International Day Against Violence Against Women and December 10, International Human Rights Day, were chosen as “bookends” of the 16 days in order to link violence against women and human rights and to emphasise that gender-based violence is a violation of human rights. Although many governments have committed themselves to promoting equal rights and opportunities for men and women, individuals continue to struggle against deeply rooted patterns of dominance and violence that characterise much of human interaction in many parts of the world. Even…

GUNS are kept for protection. They hurt and kill people. But in the wrong hands, they can hurt and kill innocent people. And the fewer of them in society, the less the risk of people being hurt or killed by firearms. This we know to be true. Interestingly, all of the above is also true of pit bulls. This is the argument presented by groups who are calling for the breed to be banned, following multiple reports of deaths in attacks involving the powerful animals recently. Are these incidents on the increase? Or is the media simply giving them more attention, highlighting a crisis that has always been with us? Whatever the case, the authorities are under increasing pressure to intervene and review by-laws regarding the ownership of the dogs.…

GENEVA: The World Health Organization (WHO) yesterday said it would start using a new preferred term, “mpox”, as a synonym for monkeypox and urged others to follow suit after receiving complaints that the current name for the disease was racist and stigmatising. “Both names will be used simultaneously for one year while ‘monkeypox’ is phased out,” the global health organisation said. Monkeypox, discovered in 1958 and named after the first animal to show symptoms, mostly spread in west and central Africa until this year. Now, 110 countries have reported 80 000 confirmed cases and 55 deaths. | Reuters…

The odds are heavily stacked against Wales reaching the last 16 ahead of their so-called ‘Battle of Britain’ against England tonight, but if they are to fly home early, they will want to do so with pride restored. Wales have waited 64 long years to qualify for a World Cup, but after conceding two goals to Iran deep into stoppage on Friday, it looks like being only a brief stay in Middle East. That late defeat left Wales crestfallen and at the bottom of Group B, and needing to beat England for only the 14th time in 104 meetings dating back to 1879. Even a victory might not be enough to save Wales as they would also need the other remaining group match between Iran and the US to end…

Dean Elgar hopes that Lungi Ngidi’s recent outing for the Titans will stand him in good stead for the Test series against Australia, despite Ngidi looking far from his best. The 26-year-old fast bowler got through 22 overs of work across two innings at the Wanderers, 17 of which were delivered in the first innings, in the Titans’ 10-wicket victory over neighbours the Lions. Ngidi, who took one wicket in the match, looked very rusty in the first innings, bowling his overs across five different spells, in which he struggled with his consistency in terms of line and length. “He’s had a long lay-off from the (T20) World Cup,” said Proteas captain Elgar, who spent much of the time watching Ngidi bowl from his fielding position at first slip. “He…