Table of contents for 2023-12-19 in Star

Matthew Perry had similar amounts of ketamine in his system as a patient under general anaesthetic when he died, his autopsy revealed. The 54-year-old actor was found dead in his hot tub on October 28, and on Friday, his death was ruled an accident and found to be caused by the “acute effects” of the drug, with contributing factors cited as drowning, coronary artery disease, and the effects of buprenorphine, a drug used to treat opioid addiction. The medical examiner noted the former Friends star had been receiving ketamine infusion therapy as a depression treatment, but the last session was a week and a half before his death and the substance only stays in the system for three to four hours. The toxicology report found 3 540 ng/ml of…

THE government has taken a tough stance against South Africans found to be working with the Israeli forces in the fight against Palestine. In a statement yesterday, the government issued a stern warning against those who want to join the war currently under way in Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths of about 20 000 people, including children and women. It said that South Africans and permanent residents who have reportedly joined Israel Defence Forces (IDF) in the Gaza conflict and other occupied Palestinian territories will be held liable for prosecution in South Africa. “The South African government is gravely concerned by reports that some South African citizens and permanent residents have joined or are considering joining the IDF in the war in Gaza and the other occupied…

YESTERDAY judgment was handed down by the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) in the matter of Nedbank challenging the interim interdict awarded to the Sekunjalo group of companies (Sekunjalo) that prevented Nedbank closing any of the company bank accounts, and reopening those already closed, until such time as the conclusion of the main Equality Court case in Sekunjalo’s claims of discrimination against it. In a statement, Sekunjalo said yesterday it was “utterly shocked” by the so-called ‘reasoning’ behind the SCA’s granting Nedbank the right to effectively terminate any banking facility of any company associated with the Sekunjalo Group. “This leaves the group with no other choice than to appeal to the good sense of the Constitutional Court of South Africa (the Concourt),” it said. In March last year, Judge Mokgoatji…

THE discharge of David Teeger, the Proteas under-19 captain, by advocate, Wim Trengove was a travesty of justice. I wonder – if Teeger awarded his prize to Islamic State (Isis), would Trengove agree with Teeger’s choice? The good fight for human rights, social justice and freedom from the brutal apartheid Israeli occupation of Palestinian land cries out for true justice for the indigenous people of the Holy land – the Palestinians. The violation of human rights that cannot be allowed in South Africa or in any democracy or civilised nation, cannot continue in occupied Palestine. Across the world, people are protesting against the occupation of Palestinian land by the settler-colonial Israeli regime, and sadly, Trengrove exonerates Teeger. Although Teeger was not tried in a court of law for a criminal…

I AM devastated and heartbroken that poor road networks are causing horrific accidents in Zimbabwe. It is shocking and unimaginable that 33 people perished due to road accidents in less than 24 hours. In Zimbabwe accidents occur every 15 minutes. The transport system is dysfunctional and urgent attention is needed. The system faces numerous issues, including roads with potholes, unmarked roads, traffic lights not working, poor or no road signage, unworthy road vehicles, unlicensed drivers and corruption among traffic police officers. The failure of President Emmerson Mnangagwa to solve dysfunctional transport systems in Zimbabwe proves that he is not fit to be governing Zimbabwe. He should be forced to resign because of the catastrophic failures. President Mnangagwa must go.…

SOUTH African family business Takis Biltong, which also sells other snacks, scored a major victory over a Mexican rival selling tortilla chips and other items, regarding the use of the word “Takis” for its products. The legal battle over the trademark Takis Biltong and Takis Fuego (used by the Mexican company) has been raging for some years. Takis Biltong said consumers could confuse its product with Takis Fuego, although it did not sell exactly the same products. Grupo Bimbo, the Mexican company, trades in many countries, including South Africa, and is the proprietor of the mark “Takis Fuego”. It was registered in South Africa in 2012 and covers several goods, among them corn flour chips, wheat flour chips, corn extruded, wheat extruded and pop corns. Takis Biltong sells biltong…

A survey has placed South Africa as having among the world’s friendliest accents, with the US leading the pack as the top-ranked country on the list. The findings revealed that Americans had the highest chance of being considered friendly, with 1 in 5 choosing the American accent as the friendliest (19.5%). According to MinimumDepositCasinos.org, respondents thought the South African accent was the nicest sounding, but has dropped in ranking to12th overall, from 2019 when South Africa was deemed to have the second-most beautiful accent in the world. With 6 in 10 people believing that others had make subconscious judgements about them based on their accent or how they speak (62%), and accent bias dictating job prospects, level of attractiveness, intelligence and even friendliness – it is clear that dialects can…

No government can ever run a business “on a commercial basis”, even when it honestly tries. True commercialisation requires full privatisation. Anything less, and the government can exert influence on the company’s operations. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), a rich-country club, has observed that many of South Africa’s significant state-owned enterprises (SOEs) are characterised by chronic underperformance, with poor returns on government investment and continuous reliance on government support, whether in the form of explicit government guarantees or subsidies. The shortcomings can be attributed to major corporate governance failures, including weak managerial accountability, excessive politicisation and unclear objectives. To address the weaknesses in South African SOEs, the OECD has recommended that: ◆ The government should set realistic profitability objectives which SOEs should meet. ◆ SOEs’ governing structures…

Israel faced mounting international pressure yesterday over the rising civilian death toll and destruction of hospitals in Gaza, as it pressed on with its war against Hamas militants in the besieged Palestinian territory. The UN Security Council was set to vote yesterday on a new resolution calling for an “urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities” in Gaza. The deadliest ever Gaza war began with unprecedented attacks by Hamas on October 7, when the group killed 1 139 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250, according to updated Israeli figures. The health ministry in the Hamas-run territory says more than 18 800 people, mostly women and children, have been killed in Israel’s campaign in Gaza. It said dozens were killed in Israeli strikes on Sunday. Following months of fierce bombardment and…

Kampala: A Ugandan constitutional court yesterday began hearing the first challenge to a draconian anti-gay law that has triggered criticism from the UN and led to US visa restrictions on government officials. The East African nation adopted one of the world’s harshest laws against homosexuality in May, prompting an uproar by rights advocates and Western powers, with US President Joe Biden threatening to cut aid and investment to Kampala. The petitioners include several human rights activists, two law professors from Makerere University in Kampala and two legislators. | AFP…

BEIJING: The cold weather sweeping China brought rare snowfall yesterday as far south as the province of Guangdong, while temperatures in the chilly north plunged to near historic lows for the month. Yesterday in Guangdong, where snow is generally limited to the northernmost areas, snowfall blanketed the top of a mountain in a city just 80km north of the provincial capital Guangzhou by the coast. A low of 8°C was forecast for Guangzhou, compared to the province’s typical early winter temperatures that hover in the double digits, while January averages around 14°C. | AFP…

The Stormers’ English import, Ben Loader, could be out of the big SA derby in Cape Town this weekend because of an injury he picked up after starring in the defeat of La Rochelle at the weekend. The 25-year-old newcomer has looked dangerous for the Cape team over the past fortnight and they would love to have him available on Saturday as they bid to defeat the Bulls for the seventh game in a row. “Ben was great at Welford Road against Leicester and he was great against La Rochelle,” Stormers coach, John Dobson said of the winger, who is of Cameroonian descent. “I think he suits our game model. “We have not yet hit our proper flow and when we do, Ben will profit from that. Unfortunately, it looks…

It was a year of oscillating fortunes on the domestic front for SA rugby. Here, we wrap up 2023. BULLS URC: Quarter-finalists; EPCR Champions Cup: Last 16; Currie Cup: Semi-finalists The Bulls flattered, only to deceive by being knocked out in the play-offs of all three competitions they participated in last season. After a terrible end to 2022, the Bulls recovered to beat the Dragons away and Exeter at home, only to be knocked out of the Champions Cup by Antoine Dupont’s Toulouse in France. They even lost to the Lions at Loftus Versfeld and suffered their sixth defeat in a row to the Stormers in the URC quarter-final. Bulls coach Jake White admitted ahead of the new season that he overplayed some stalwarts and didn’t build enough depth…

South Africa’s premier domestic competition, the Currie Cup, lost some further shine as it battled to remain relevant in the sport’s ever-changing landscape. With the four big franchises and their top players taking part in the URC, eventual champions the Cheetahs, the Pumas, the Griquas, and the Sharks dominated the tournament. The Sharks, thanks to their coaching staff, managed an unbeaten streak in the competition that would have been the envy of the rest of the URC franchises. But it was always going to be a race for top honours between the Cheetahs and the defending champions, the Pumas. They’ve been the two sides who have arguably been the most consistent in the competition since South Africa’s franchises joined international European club rugby two years ago. It came as no…

During the apartheid era, December 16 marked Dingaan’s Day. After democracy was ushered in, it was renamed Reconciliation Day. Has the country reconciled? Methinks not. Every year, on December 16, advocate Mokgatle throws a party for the poor children of Magalies. He also showers them with gifts such as toys, clothes and books. It was his 16th year. This year, the former executive mayor used the occasion to also educate children about reconciliation. He invited political leaders from different parties to address the children of Magaliesburg on this subject. Mogale City executive mayor Danny Thupane gave an update on the heritage route in the city. He revealed that the plot to assassinate Chris Hani was planned in Mogale City. The house used as a meeting place to plot the…

SEASON’S greetings and best wishes to all for the festive period. May you enjoy happiness, peace, safety, good health and rest and have all of your life’s needs met. Share love, joy and compassion, and assist especially the needy, destitute and less fortunate in God’s names of compassion and caring, encompassing ubuntu. In all of your fun and merriment be mindful of those who will not be celebrating or be on vacation due to circumstances such as the death of loved ones, ill health, financial constraints and extreme work commitments. People are urged to spend wisely, avoid debt and non-essentials and shun those who are perpetual moaners, know-alls, arrogant, gossipers and always negative. Be wary of crooks, fraudsters, charlatans and con artists who are in preying mode, seeking naive victims…

I am not a historian or an academic who can present theories, conclusions and other supporting documents to qualify any information. I am not a psychologist who can speak to ramifications and emotional trauma associated with trigger signs such as the swastika. However, I am Jewish, and that is more than enough of a qualification to allow me to express how the abhorrent symbol affects me. As a Jewish person, seeing the swastika triggers a range of emotions including anger, trauma and fear. I am angry the world watched in silence as 6 million innocent Jewish women, children and men were murdered by the Nazis. I am traumatised seeing images of how human beings were treated worse than animals. The fact that I know people who survived the Holocaust and…

Floods caused by heavy rain in the wake of former Tropical Cyclone Jasper cut off several towns popular with tourists in Australia’s north-east along the Great Barrier Reef yesterday, with a crocodile captured from a storm drain. Jasper dumped months’ worth of rain in the far north of Queensland state over the weekend, forcing some people to flee homes and crowd on rooftops to escape fast-rising rivers. “The problem is the rain won’t stop and until it eases up, we can’t get aerial support into remote places,” the state’s premier, Steven Miles, told ABC Television. “We see a lot of natural disasters and this is just about the worst.” Jasper was downgraded to a tropical low after leaving a trail of destruction across the state last week. In Ingham, a…

Cairo: Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has won a new six-year term with 89.6% of the vote, the election authority said yesterday. Turnout reached an “unprecedented” 66.8% of voters, said authority head Hazem Badawy. Over 39 million had cast their ballots for Sisi, a former army chief who has ruled the most populous Arab country for a decade. The president was up against three relative unknowns in the vote held between December 10 and 12. Runner-up Hazem Omar, who leads the Republican People’s Party, received 4.5% of the vote. | AFP…

THIS is not how it was supposed to be. The standings in Group A of the CAF Champions League were not supposed to be all square at the halfway mark. But such have been the surprise results of a group many would have bet on Mamelodi Sundowns sauntering away with, while Pyramids and TP Mazembe battled for second place, that any of the four teams – including Noudhibou – can still progress to the knockout phase. Three matches in and the four teams are all tied on four points, making for a fascinating second stage of the mini-league phase. For the South African champions, it is a position they would not have envisaged themselves in – but a surprise goalless home draw with Egypt’s Pyramids has scuppered their chances of…

SOUTH Africa’s youth, despite the freedom to do as they wish without any restrictions or boundaries, are having a tough time. A dysfunctional education system, massive pregnancies, under-age binge drinking, drugs, bullying, sexual and physical abuse, stabbings, racism, and now the scourge of HIV infections and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). South Africa has one of the highest HIV and Aids infection rates in the world. We are also #1 in the world with regard to STD infections, especially among the youth (15-24). Some 7.5 million are living with Aids, with an estimated 1.18 million of that number being the youth (2022). This does not come as a shock. During the 2022/23 financial year, 90 000 pupils between the ages of 10 and 19 gave birth – thanks mainly to teenage…

THE crippling and devastating cyberattack on the Central Bank of Lesotho serves as a deadly reminder that such attacks are no longer in the realm of science fiction. Cyberwar compared to traditional warfare is already in full progress, a prelude to full-scale war involving computed coded weapons that cannot be tracked, seen or heard. Two world wars were fought with tanks, aircraft, ships and bombs. The next world war, which is in a high state of preparation, will witness combat that has the potential to obliterate humanity on a vast scale transcending geographical boundaries. Software will replace sonar, algorithm will replace radar, viruses will replace vehicles, binary codes will replace bullets and bombs, artificial intelligence will replace combat soldiers. The geopolitical implications of this kind of combat will propel…

THE air crackled with electricity and controversy in Soweto on Saturday as former president Jacob Zuma declared his bold defiance: he would not vote for the ANC in the 2024 elections. This wasn’t simply a vote withheld; it was a spear hurled at the heart of the party he once led, its tip sharpened by vicious attacks on President Cyril Ramaphosa. But while Zuma’s words resonated with some, particularly in his stronghold of KwaZulu-Natal, they also carried the stench of disinformation, leaving one to wonder: Is this a calculated political strategy or a desperate bid for relevance? Zuma, a figure long entwined with allegations of corruption and scandal, paints himself as a reluctant critic, lamenting a party “betrayed” by Ramaphosa’s “sell-out” policies. The narrative conveniently ignores his own turbulent tenure,…

Tehran: Iran said it suffered a cyber attack by Israel and the US that disrupted fuel distribution across 60% of petrol stations yesterday. “Some gas stations across the country suffered a cyber attack and the fuel distribution stopped,” Oil Minister Javad Owji said. He blamed the attack on external powers, saying that since “the Zionist enemy (Israel) and the US suffered blows in other fronts, they sought to create trouble.” Iran, a major oil producer, has among the cheapest petrol price in the world.. After the system failure, petrol stations “disconnected the online system” and fuel was being supplied offline, Salari said. | AFP…

WILMINGTON: A 46-year-old man is facing drunk driving charges after his car crashed into a US Secret Service vehicle attached to President Joe Biden’s motorcade, police said yesterday. The accident occurred on Sunday evening about 40m from Biden as he left his presidential campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware. Police said that it was an “accidental collision” and the driver, a Wilmington man, has been charged with driving a vehicle under the influence of alcohol and inattentive driving. Security personnel rushed the president into a waiting vehicle and he was whisked away to his local residence. | AFP…

The availability of several key Newcastle United players remains in question as manager Eddie Howe tries to field the best possible side in today’s League Cup quarter-final against Chelsea. Defender Fabian Schar and midfielder Joelinton, injured during Newcastle’s win over Fulham on Sunday, had scans that didn’t seem “too bad” but were not a certainty, Howe told reporters yesterday. “To miss Fabby would be a big blow,” he said, referring to Schar. Forward Alexander Isak also missed Sunday’s match with a groin injury but it was not too serious, Howe added. “We need to treat him carefully to make sure he isn’t out for six or seven weeks. “He has a chance for tomorrow but we need to be careful,” the English coach said. But one major boost for Newcastle…