Indholdsfortegnelse for 2024-06-10 i Mercury

Global beauty brand Kylie Cosmetics is finally in South Africa. At the launch in Kramerville, Sandton, leading Joburg beauty influencers and the media got to experience the products from the brand. Hosted by Nomalanga Shozi, with DBN Gogo behind the decks, the launch introduced a range of Kylie Cosmetics products, including the iconic Matte Lip Kits, Kylash Volume Mascara and the latest Power Plush Longwear Foundation. “I am so excited to launch Kylie Cosmetics in South Africa and share my collection of make-up products that I use and love with all of my fans there,” said Kylie Jenner, the founder of the brand. The beauty mogul launched her brand in November 2015 and her debut product, the lip kit, sold out immediately after its release. In other news, Jenner, who…

THE uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) has said it is not interested in being part of the Government of National Unity (GNU) that has been proposed by the ANC. It said it does not recognise the concept of the GNU and its focus was on talking about coalitions. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced last week that the ANC has resolved to ask other parties to form a GNU. The proposal has been met with different reactions from political parties with the EFF saying it will not take part if the DA is part of it. The ANC Veterans League also expressed scepticism about whether it would be wise for the ANC to partner with the EFF and MKP in any national unity project, saying these parties cannot be relied upon and do…

PHILANI PG Mavundla, the president of the Abantu Batho Congress party and the current mayor of the uMvoti Local Municipality, says his family are assisting police as they investigate the circumstances behind the death of his son, Nkosinathi Mavundla. Nkosinathi, 29, went missing last week and his lifeless body was found on Saturday morning. Nkosinathi was to have joined his father and the rest of his family on a family trip last week but never showed up. News of the tragedy broke late on Saturday afternoon, marking seven days since he disappeared from his home. Nkosinathi, who was due to turn 30 next month, is survived by his two children and his fiancé. Mavundla referred media queries to family spokesperson Sandile Mavundla. “For now we do not know what happened.…

South Africa’s fruitful co-operation with China shows benefits of such partnerships AT THE recently concluded G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting led by the US, a statement was issued once again hyping the so-called issue of “overcapacity” in China’s new energy industry. Following the recent imposition of tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and other products, the US is eagerly rallying its allies, attempting to form a “protectionist alliance” to curb China. From both the principles of market economy and the laws of value, this issue is a false proposition. By examining South Africa’s fruitful co-operation with China in the new energy sector, we can illustrate the broader benefits of such partnerships. Revisiting concerns about overcapacity The criticism of China’s capacity in clean energy is reminiscent of historical double…

CAIRO: The UK Navy yesterday said that a vessel caught fire after being hit by a projectile in the Gulf of Aden. The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency, which is part of Britain’s Royal Navy, said that the vessel was hit “by an unknown projectile on the aft section” at about 11.40pm on Saturday, about 70 nautical miles south-west of Aden in Yemen. The hit “resulted in a fire,” the agency said, adding that no casualties were reported. Damage control was under way, and the vessel was proceeding to its next port of call. The agency did not provide details about the vessel hit but advised to transit the area with caution. The Gulf of Aden, off the Yemeni coast, links the Arabian Sea and the Red Sea. The…

MOSCOW: The Somali Information Ministry said that the country’s armed forces eliminated 47 militants of the radical al-Shabaab terrorist group (linked to the al-Qaeda terrorist group, banned in Russia) in the province of Galguduud in the central part of the country, Somali news portal Mogadishu24 reported. The ministry added that five Somali soldiers were killed during the operation, the report said on Saturday. Al-Shabaab is a Somalia-based jihadist militant group linked to the al-Qaeda terrorist group. It wages armed resistance against the Somali government and obstructs UN humanitarian missions in the country.…

MOSCOW: The condition of Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille, who was reportedly hospitalised after an asthma attack, is stable, his office said yesterday. It was speculated that he could be sent abroad for treatment. “After a week of intense activity, on Saturday June 8, Prime Minister Garry Conille felt slightly unwell and went to hospital to receive help. “His condition is stable at the moment,” the office said in a statement on X. In late May, the Haitian Transitional Presidential Council selected Conille to lead the interim government.…

SOUTH Korea was to begin loudspeaker broadcasts directed at North Korea yesterday that would be “unbearable” for the Kim Jong Un regime, its National Security Council said, after Pyongyang resumed sending balloons carrying trash across the border. The council met yesterday, after dozens of balloons with trash were found in Seoul and in areas near the border earlier and overnight. “The measures we will take may be unbearable for the North Korean regime but they will send a message of hope and light to the North’s troops and its people,” the council said. South Korea has warned it would take “unendurable” measures against the North for sending the trash balloons, which could include the blaring propaganda broadcasts. Pyongyang started sending balloons carrying trash and manure last month, saying the move…

The Bulls are the last South African side left standing in the United Rugby Championship after a lukewarm season for the local franchises. In spite of this a host of young players put their hand up during the tournament and have been rewarded by the Boks.Here, Leighton Koopman looks back at five players under the age of 23 who impressed in the tournament. Ethan Hooker – Sharks, centre Suddenly, SA has a bright future when it comes to inside centres that can step into Damian de Allende’s shoes. Hooker is one of them, a strong, hard-running centre with some good soft skills. It helped the 21-year-old iplaying next to Springboks Lukhanyo Am and Francois Venter at the Sharks. But it’s not just on the attack where he stood out.…

DUTCHMAN Piet Wiersma and Gerda Steyn emerged as the winners of the 2024 Comrades Marathon up-run from Durban to the HollywoodBets Scottsville Racecourse in Pietermaritzburg yesterday. Wiersma, 26, of the Nedbank Running Club International (Netherlands), had the opportunity to rewrite history after being disappointed last year when he came second, with a time of 5:14.01, just three seconds behind Tete Dijana in a sprint to the finish. He finished strongly yesterday after picking up the pace at Polly Shorts and experiencing some cramping, with a time of 5:25.00. “It definitely feels like I finished some unfinished business from last year, so it feels good,” he said. Describing his journey from last year’s Comrades to now, Wiersma said everything did not go according to plan because, after a short resting period,…

Experts have welcomed findings that indicate that male infants are more likely to achieve HIV cure/remission after anti-HIV therapy was initiated at birth. But there has been a call for the research to be done on a broader scale. The study, which was published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Medicine, included scientists from the Universities of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) and Oxford, the Africa Health Research Institute at UKZN, as well as the Ragon Institute of Mass General, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology Harvard in the US. UKZN said that the observational study took place between 2015 and last year and included 284 mother-child pairs living with HIV in KZN, the epicentre of HIV prevalence globally. “The study assessed 284 children from KwaZulu-Natal in whom anti-HIV therapy was initiated at birth following…

AS THE reality of these election results sinks in, the concerning slow progress of negotiations on forming coalition governments between elected political parties looms ever larger. Some things we can say about these election results are how they have brought some parties down and others up and how they significantly impact our political practices inside and outside government from now on. Whenever we glimpse the proposals under consideration in these parallel negotiations and contemplate several scenarios in which each might result, we realise that unpredictability, surprises, ructions and new lessons mark the facets of politics to change. But what about the face of South Africa’s politics itself? This question matters as these elections bring us to uncertain territory with many unknowns. The outgoing parliament will not be missed much, primarily…

BOGOTO: Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced on his social media account that his country will suspend coal export to Israel due to its attacks on the Gaza Strip, which he again called a “genocide”. The draft decree shared by Petro on Saturday will be published by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism on its website from tomorrow to June 17 for comments before entering into force, says Xinhua News Agency. Official data show Colombia exported $447 million (R8.45 billion) of coal to Israel last year, a 57% drop from 2022, while in the first four months of this year, $88m of coal was exported to Israel. Since the Gaza war erupted, relations between the countries have grown more tense.…

ANKARA: Two people have been killed, and 30 others injured in a bus crash in eastern Turkey’s Van Province, Turkish newspaper Milliyet reported yesterday. The incident reportedly occurred yesterday morning near the Kuskunkıran tunnel on the Van Bitlis highway, when a passenger bus and a truck collided for unknown reasons. Rescue teams and medical personnel were dispatched to the area, the newspaper reported. The bus driver and one passenger died, while 30 others sustained injuries, with four of them badly hurt, it said. The injured were taken to hospitals and an investigation into the incident was launched.…

China has seen new progress in the development of its marine economy and promoted co-operation and partnership in international maritime governance, an official said at the weekend. The country has made constant efforts to improve the protection and development of marine resources, said Sun Shuxian, Vice-Minister of Natural Resources and head of the State Oceanic Administration at a ceremony in China’s Fujian Province to mark World Oceans Day. Official data showed that China’s marine economy accounted for about 8% of its GDP during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025). In 2023, the economic aggregate of China’s marine industry reached 9.9 trillion yuan (about R25.8 trillion), playing a key role in stabilising economic growth. In the first quarter of this year, the container throughput for foreign trade at China’s ports increased…

The Stormers’ inability to adjust as well as the Glasgow Warriors did against the wind, and some staggering calls against them by referee Chris Busby, proved their undoing in the United Rugby Championship (URC) quarter-final this past weekend. A late blitzkrieg of tries against them when they were chasing the game saw them lose 27-10 in the knockout match at a windy and wet Scotstoun Stadium. It is the first time that the Stormers do not make it past the quarters. With the score 13-10, and with the wind at their backs, head coach John Dobson felt his side were still in the game, but errors stopped them from overhauling the Warriors. “I am disappointed because I felt with the wind behind us at 13-10 we could’ve closed it out.…

FORMER Bytes Technology Group chief executive Neil Murphy appears to have escaped unscathed after his fall from grace, following an admission he traded shares without letting the relevant parties know. He has only to pay back bonuses from the time of the company’s listing in London in December 2020. Murphy left Bytes under a cloud on February 21, after failing to disclose more than a hundred share transactions he made on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) to either the dual-listed company or the market, in compliance with regulatory requirements. In addition, it later transpired that Murphy also made 15 transactions on behalf of his wife between December 29, 2021, and November 20, 2023. Bytes disclosed all these deals to the relevant bourses. The disgraced former chief executive, who traded…

NOW THAT the elections are concluded and the 7th administration will soon be constituted, we need to focus on growing the economy, protecting workers, giving relief to the unemployed and modernising the State. A stable, progressive and coherent government is key to tackling these difficult tasks. Naturally as a trade union federation, Cosatu will not agree to any attempts to roll back workers’ hard-won constitutional and labour rights painstakingly achieved over decades of struggle. Nor should they be abandoned, as the real obstacles to growing the economy are load shedding, congested ports, struggling railways, ageing infrastructure, endemic crime and corruption, lack of investment, fragile sectors and SMMEs in need of support. Providing mothers with maternity leave and unemployment insurance is not what causes weak economic growth. Labour market stability is…

Thousands of runners who filed through the Comrades Marathon halfway point at Drummond yesterday, had a look at their time and sighed with relief that they could continue with the race. For others though, the cut off time of 11.50am was too much, the look of disappointment etched on their faces, but as with many who try and fail, there is always the hope that next year they will have a better race and make the finish line in Durban. Neumann Klaus, 72, was the first runner to miss out on getting through the halfway mark. Klaus has 28 medals and has pounded the tarmac between Durban and Pietermaritzburg many times, but yesterday’s race saw him “hit the wall”. “It was tough, but I made it to the half way.…

HUMANITARIAN aid and community organisations remain on the ground assisting victims of the worst-affected areas in oThongathi after parts of the province were hit by a devastating storm last week. The KZN government has confirmed that at least 12 people have been killed and more than 1 200 families left homeless. Siyanda Calvin Ntenga, from the Ntenga Foundation, said they visited several areas in oThongathi where heavy winds and rains destroyed homes and led to the death of several people. “The purpose of the visit was to evaluate the extent of the destruction and create a report outlining the urgent requirements. Additionally, the team distributed lunch meals to those affected who are currently staying at Newtown Hall.” The South African Red Cross Society said it was on the ground…

Political parties should condemn any attempts to foment more violent unrest in KwaZulu-Natal following the outcome of the national and provincial elections. This comes amid growing concern over the possibility of violence in KZN in the wake of disputed election outcomes by various political parties and the subsequent court action led by the uMkhonto weSizwe Party. More than 300 additional police officers have been deployed to the province following voice notes and social media posts that have been doing the rounds, warning people of possible looting and unrest following the poll results. Law enforcement, made up of the police and the SANDF, should do their utmost to enforce law and order, especially in the volatile province of KwaZulu-Natal. Post-election violence is the last thing we need, especially since the devastating…

ISLAMABAD: At least five people, including two police officers, were injured in a terrorist attack on a polio vaccination team in Pakistan’s northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, police officials said. According to the police officials, the incident happened on Saturday in the Kulachi area of Dera Ismail Khan district of the province when unknown attackers opened fire indiscriminately on the polio team, injuring two police officers and other staff of the polio team. The assailants fled the scene after the attack, police said, adding that law enforcers have launched an operation in the area to find the suspects, the Xinhua News Agency reported. No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.…

New Delhi: Lauding the Indian-origin engineer Ashok Elluswamy, who was the first recruit of Tesla’s Autopilot team, Elon Musk yesterday expressed gratitude to him, saying that “without him and our awesome team, we would just be another car company looking for an autonomy supplier that does not exist”. This comes after Elluswamy, in his detailed note, said that Musk has been the key driver of AI and autonomy at Tesla. “He has always pushed us to achieve great things, even when such ideas were seemingly impossible at the time,” he wrote. Later, the tech billionaire quoted Elluswamy’s post on X and wrote: “Thanks Ashok! Ashok was the first person to join the Tesla AI/Autopilot team and ultimately rose to lead all AI/Autopilot software.” Elluswamy, in his note, wrote: “Back in…

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi was sworn in yesterday for a third term after worse-than-expected election results left him reliant on coalition partners to govern. Modi, flanked by officials from his Hindu-nationalist party and coalition members, vowed in a ceremony marking his formal assumption of power to “bear true allegiance to the constitution of India”. Modi’s Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ruled outright for the past decade but failed to repeat its previous two landslide wins this time around, defying analysts’ expectations and exit polls. He was instead forced into quick-fire talks with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), a 15-member coalition, to gather the parliamentary numbers needed to govern. Honour guards lined the steps of the presidential palace and a military brass band played as he made the oath. But…

GERDA Steyn smashed yet another Comrades Marathon record with a new up run best time and immediately turned her focus on the next goal. The darling of South African road running ran an incredible 5:49:46 in the world-famous KwaZulu-Natal ultra from Durban to Pietermaritzburg for her third victory in the Ultimate Human Race, beating her nearest competitor by a massive quarter of an hour. “I will be heading straight back to training camp. I am going to France from now on all the way until the Olympics. If I can find something nearby, maybe I might do a race. But there won’t be any races easily accessible. So, I don’t see myself doing any other races before the Olympics.” Steyn was speaking during the post-race media conference at the Scottsville…

It WAS far from a convincing performance from the Bulls, but the fact that they battled to put away a competitive Benetton side has actually given them belief that they can beat Leinster on Saturday. The Irish powerhouses will field their full-strength side for the first time on South African soil when they run out at Loftus Versfeld for the United Rugby Championship semi-final (4pm kick-off), after they dispatched Ulster 43-20 in their Dublin quarter-final. The Bulls, in contrast, were too loose and made a number of unforced errors in their 30-23 victory over Benetton, where they needed a spirited passage of defence in the closing stages to hold the Italian club at bay. They started strongly, though, with two Kurt-Lee Arendse tries in the opening quarter. But losing the…