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Police patrol Madiba’s Johannesburg home

Former president Nelson Mandela’s home in Houghton was quiet on Wednesday morning, with police cars occasionally patrolling the area as the former statesman remained in a critical condition in a Pretoria hospital. At around 1.10am three cars and one van from the Johannesburg metro police came down 4th Street, and turned into the street where

Family hears prayer for Mandela’s ‘peaceful, perfect end’

Cape Town’s Archbishop on Tuesday led Nelson Mandela’s closest family in a sombre prayer, offering support for his wife and a “peaceful, perfect, end” for a man considered by many to be a living saint. Bishop Thabo Makgoba visited the Pretoria Mediclinic Heart Hospital where the anti-apartheid leader is critically ill, consoling wife Graca Machel

Putin: Snowden never crossed Russian border, so no extradition

Former NSA contractor Snowden remains in the transit zone of a Moscow airport. President Putin said that Snowden never crossed the Russian border and doesn’t fall under any extradition treaty. He called accusations against Russia “nonsense and rubbish.” “It is true that Snowden has arrived to Moscow, and it really came as a surprise for

Mandela still critical: South African presidency

Former president Nelson Mandela remains in a critical condition in a Pretoria hospital, the presidency said on Tuesday. “[Mandela’s] condition remains unchanged in hospital, and doctors continue to do their best to ensure his recovery, well-being and comfort,” spokesman Mac Maharaj said in a statement. He said President Jacob Zuma thanked the public for their

Global surveillance: Where is the outrage?

The British-American surveillance program Tempora marks a historic turning point. Unnoticed by the public, intelligence agencies have pursued total surveillance. Governments have deliberately concealed from the public the extent to which we are being watched. The term, “information superhighway” has always been insufficient to describe the Internet. In reality, the Web is a global communication

Libya, Syria, Lies, Perfidies and Tony Blair

by Felicity Arbuthnot Having learned nothing from the catastrophes of Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, it seems President Obama, the equally clueless UK Prime Minister Cameron and his culturally challenged Foreign Secretary William Hague are cheerleading another bloodbath in formerly peaceful, secular, outward looking Syria. Having covertly provided arms and equipment to insurgents from numerous different countries

The US and Britain’s proxy war in Syria threatens planetary civilisation

by Dan Roodt [followbutton username=’danroodt’ count=’true’ lang=’en’ theme=’light’] Like Dan Roodt’s Facebook page The news that the UK, US and allies will provide ‘urgent military support to Syrian rebels’ has signalled the prolongation and possible escalation of the Syrian civil war. Not surprisingly, it was followed by news that Russia (is) to supply advanced weapons

American cars assume ethnic identities

Coming to a showroom near you for 2014: the first sport utility vehicle in its class equipped with a 9-speed automatic transmission. It’s also the first to offer a parallel-parking feature. And, in 4-wheel-drive models, the rear axle disconnects automatically, for fuel efficiency. Oh, yes: its name is the Jeep Cherokee. Hold on — wasn’t

First-Strike nuclear war as U.S. policy

I have now had the chance to read Obama’s Report on Nuclear Employment Strategy of the United States, that just came out on Friday, June 21, 2013. The critical passage can be found on page 5: “The 2010 Nuclear Posture Review established the Administration’s goal to set conditions that would allow the United States to

Australian Government shelves PRISM-like scheme

A controversial “data retention” scheme that would have required Australians’ internet and telephone activities to be stored for up to two years for law enforcement purposes has been shelved by the federal government after an inquiry that did not recommend the scheme go ahead. The committee looking into the proposal – the most controversial among

Anglo Irish Bank jokes about fleecing Irish government

Executives at the Anglo Irish Bank were recorded joking about how they lied to Dublin about the bank’s financial future in 2008, convincing lawmakers to invest in the failing bank with figures “picked out of my arse” – with no plans to pay them back. John Bowe, the head of capital markets for Anglo Irish,

Prince Charles warns of rising antisemitism

Prince Charles has warned that Britain was suffering from an “apparent rise in antisemitism, along with other poisonous and debilitating forms of intolerance”, according to . He made the comments in a speech that praised the work of Lord Sacks, the outgoing chief rabbi, in promoting tolerance Charles said: “Running throughout your time as chief

Digital dementia

Doctors in South Korea are reporting a surge in “digital dementia” among young people who have become so reliant on electronic devices that they can no longer remember everyday details like their phone numbers. South Korea is one of the most digitally connected nations in the world and the problem of internet addiction among both

Pork-laced bullets to fight Islamic terror

An Idaho ammunition manufacturer has developed a new line of pork-laced bullets they hope will fight against Islamic terrorists – and keep them from going to heaven. South Fork Industries of Dalton Gardens, Idaho, took traditional bullets and coated them in pork-infused paint to make them “haram,” or unclean, under Islamic law. The company’s website