INTERNATIONAL Fifa president Gianni Infantino accused critics of World Cup host Qatar's treatment of migrant workers of hypocrisy on Saturday, adding that engagement was the only way to improve human rights. In lengthy, and sometimes angry, opening remarks at a news conference on the eve of the start of the tournament, Infantino rounded on European critics of the host nation over the issues of migrant workers and LGBTQ+ rights. "I am […]
INTERNATIONAL Political Arab factions in Israel on Friday staged a protest in the Arab city of Yafa against the Israeli plan to ethnically cleanse 1,400 Arabs from the city. According to Wafa News Agency, the protesters held placards with slogans expressing rejection of the Israeli eviction plans under the Absentees' Property Law of 1950. Under this law, hundreds of indigenous Palestinian families could be evicted from their homes in favour of Israeli settlers. […]
INTERNATIONAL It was a hot night in the Eritrean capital Asmara. The sun had set, but the air was still warm. Cafes, restaurants and cinemas were teeming with people, but instead of the raucous atmosphere that had defined most World Cup matches until this point, there was a hushed silence. The tension was palpable. Eritreans had been waiting for a night like this for decades. Seconds felt like hours and minutes like days. […]
INTERNATIONAL Security forces shot dead at least three people in Iran's Kurdistan province on Saturday as protests continue over the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini, according to a rights group. Government forces "opened fire on protesters in the town of Divandarreh, killing at least three civilians", Hengaw Organisation for Human Rights, a Norway-based Kurdish human rights group focusing on Iranian Kurdistan, told AFP. The incident came as demonstrations over the death […]
NATIONAL Calls to ban pit bull dogs have been mounting after the fatal mauling of an eight-year-old child playing in the yard at his home in Mangaung in the Free State last weekend. Spokesperson for the Pit Bull Federation of South Africa, Lins Rautenbach, said many people were misinformed about the breed and this had consequences for society, as had been seen with recent maulings. “They are a hard-work breed. […]
LOCAL The City of Cape Town is expected to provide an overview of its safety plan for the festive season on Saturday. Several departments, including emergency response services, execute annual operations to ensure the safety of residents and vistors. Specific areas of focus include road safety, increased patrols around popular destinations like malls, beaches and other public amenities, as well as water and fire safety. While year-end festivities are anticipated […]
LOCAL Friends and relatives of Abira Dekhta’s family are demanding bail be denied to the seven suspects arrested in connection with her kidnapping. The male suspects appeared in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on charges of kidnapping and extortion on Thursday, after police rescued the eight-year-old from a shack in Khayelitsha on Monday. Protestors gathered outside of court, pointing to a lack of arrests in other kidnapping cases as well as […]
LOCAL The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has failed in its attempt to recoup more than R92m paid by the Amahlathi local municipality in the Eastern Cape to businessman Mcebisi Mlonzi. The high court in Makhanda this week dismissed the SIU’s application to declare unlawful and void a hire-purchase agreement entered into in April 2014 between Mlonzi’s company, Kwane Capital, and the municipality. The SIU also wanted the court to force […]
LOCAL Social Development Minister, Lindiwe Zulu says there’s been under-expenditure of close to R2 billion on the Social Relief of Distress grant. Zulu says this was caused by the eligibility criteria for confirming bank accounts. The grant provides monetary assistance to the unemployed who were hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the minister, a huge number of applications were excluded due to the inadequate verification of bank accounts. The […]
VOC became the first Muslim radio station in South Africa when a special events license was granted to the station in Ramadan/January 1995. Subsequent temporary broadcast licenses were granted, permitting the station to broadcast for 24 hours.
