Children as young as 12 are being sold drugs around school premises, Gauteng police commissioner Lt-Gen Mzwandile Petros said on Wednesday. “I have met with primary school principals in some of our clusters regarding the drug problem. The situation is severe… some have indicated that they are helpless,” he told reporters in Johannesburg. “If consumption
BEE charities: Segregation is back
Charities could face ruin over a government proposal that firms could lose black economic empowerment (BEE) points if they donate to charities that do not have 100 percent black beneficiaries. Some charities believe the proposal means that any firm that donates to a charity that helps a white, coloured or Indian person may not be
The smell of danger
Scientists have found that some of the ingredients in Chanel’s iconic No. 5 scent and a number of other perfumes can cause allergic reactions. EU health officials are considering banning the perfumes from sale. European scientists unveiled a list of 100 ingredients thought to be hazardous to human health, adding 74 more substances to a
An independent Puerto Rico? No thanks!
For many voters this Election Day, it’s not a matter of who will be the next president that’s a pressing issue: in Puerto Rico, people are hitting the polls to decide if the US territory should petition Congress for statehood. The Atlantic Ocean island of Puerto Rico is home to around 4 million people, but
Me.ga suspended
Kim Dotcom, the founder of MegaUpload, has accused Washington of a “witch hunt” after the government of Gabon announced the suspension of his new site, which was due to be launched in January. Last week, Dotcom unveiled plans to re-launch his file-sharing site in January 2013, using the Gabonese domain me.ga, with the message “this
Obama, pot win in Colorado, Washington
Colorado and Washington became the first US states to legalise the possession and sale of marijuana for recreational use on Tuesday in defiance of federal law. Amendment 64 supporters were ecstatic at their gathering in Denver Tuesday night when news came down. “Marijuana prohibition has failed in Colorado and it has failed in all sorts
Britain will be going after racists
This season, the stench of racism emanating from English football has been contagious. Barely a weekend has gone by in which the game has not been overshadowed by a distressing tangle of accusations, handshake snubs, T-shirt boycotts and monkey-chants. Players, referees, and fans alike have become sullied by its toxic stink. The ugliness of these
Swiss Ecopop group forces immigration referendum
A group of Swiss environmentalists has collected enough signatures to force a national referendum on immigration. The Ecopop group says natural resources are under increasing pressure from overpopulation. It wants annual population growth through immigration capped at 0.2% and a tenth of foreign aid to be used for birth control measures abroad. Switzerland now has
Anthrax outbreak kill 30 hippo
Thirty hippos have been killed by a bacterial virus in the Kruger National Park (KNP), the SA National Parks (SANParks) said on Monday. SANParks said an anthrax outbreak was identified in late August and post mortem results confirmed that most of the dead hippo were infected. The carcasses were discovered along the Letaba and Olifants
Crime scene tampering at Marikana: Commissioner knew
National police commissioner Riah Phiyega knew there was evidence to suggest that one of the crime scenes where 34 protesters were shot dead by police on August 16 had been tampered with, the Farlam Commission of Inquiry heard on Monday. Ismael Semenya for the police said: “The national commissioner has instituted an investigation.” He said
Read more: Crime scene tampering at Marikana: Commissioner knew
Good fences
One of the less heralded, but more successful, projects that have been undertaken recently in Israel is the security fence on the country’s southern border. In October, only 54 illegal African refugees entered Israel—one of the lowest numbers in many years, and a far cry from the 1,000 to 2,000 and more that entered the country
Max Keiser: The end of Britain
A serf in the days of King John, Max Keiser argues, was in many ways better off than some US voters in 2012. “Because in the age of Robin Hood,” Keiser says, “at least the process of theft was transparent. The barons came to your house. They whacked you over the head then they took
Britain, the global bully
The global reach by Britain is astounding. A new study has found that at various times the British have invaded almost 90 per cent of the countries around the globe. The analysis of the histories of the almost 200 countries in the world found only 22 which have never experienced an invasion by the British.
School knew of rape
Eleven-year-old Sam (not his real name) went to school on Wednesday, as on any other day. But he returned home scarred for life. The Grade 6 pupil at Refilwe Primary School, in Winterveldt, north of Pretoria, was allegedly raped by a Grade 7 pupil. The school allegedly tried to cover up the assault. According to