George Bizos: SA letting Mandela down
 

George Bizos: SA letting Mandela down

George Bizos says SA leaders have fallen short of commitments to uphold Madiba's ideals of reconciliation and sacrifice.  More »

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  • Contentious solar energy issue raised in Colorado

    When Xcel Energy raised questions about a system known as net metering that helps determine the credit homeowners get from utility companies for putting solar panels on their roofs, regulators found the ...

    Associated Press22 mins ago

  • Teens ordered to trial in Australian player death

    DUNCAN, Okla. (AP) — An Oklahoma judge says two teenagers charged with first-degree murder must face a trial in the shooting death of an Australian baseball player. Prosecutors say a third suspect will testify against them.

    Associated Press23 mins ago

  • FBI hunting Hawaii for top domestic terror suspect

    SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The FBI said Wednesday agents are hunting in Hawaii for the nation's most wanted domestic terrorism suspect.

    Associated Press24 mins ago

  • Poland's Catholic bishops pick new leader Gadecki

    WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland's Roman Catholic bishops have elected a new leader to succeed Archbishop Jozef Michalik, who angered many with 2013 comments that suggested victims of pedophilia were partly to blame.

    Associated Press24 mins ago

  • Brewers' Braun signs endorsement deal

    Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun agreed to an endorsement deal Wednesday with baseball footwear and apparel company 3n2 LLC — his first since his suspension last year for violating Major League Baseball's ...

    Associated Press27 mins ago

  • Man accused of disrupting Chicago-Portland flight

    PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — For the second time this month, an airliner landed in Portland after officials said a passenger became disruptive.

    Associated Press29 mins ago

  • Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer won't seek third term

    PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer ended months of speculation about her political future on Wednesday when she announced that she will not seek a third term in office.

    Associated Press31 mins ago

  • Obama says Russia faces costs over Ukraine intervention

    By Steve Holland and Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama warned Russia on Wednesday the West would be forced to apply a cost to Moscow if it fails to change course in its dispute with Ukraine, in a high-profile show of support for Ukraine's embattled prime minister. Obama held face-to-face talks with new Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk in the Oval Office in a search for diplomatic leverage that will force Russian President Vladimir Putin to loosen his military grip on Ukraine's southern Crimea region.

    Reuters31 mins ago

  • McFadden wins first Winter Paralympics medal

    SOCHI, Russia (AP) — Making the transition from track to snow has been seamless for Tatyana McFadden.

    Associated Press32 mins ago

  • Top Asian News at 9:00 p.m. GMT

    KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — The last message from the cockpit of the missing Malaysia Airlines flight was routine. "All right, good night," was the signoff transmitted to air traffic controllers five days ago. Then the Boeing 777 vanished as it cruised over the South China Sea toward Vietnam, and nothing has been seen or heard of the jetliner since.

    Associated Press32 mins ago

  • White House promotes economic issues facing women

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Add pay equity to President Barack Obama's 2014 do-it-himself wish list.

    Associated Press33 mins ago

  • Idaho hockey fans suing arena over beer prices

    A handful of Idaho hockey fans are suing a Boise arena, saying they were duped into thinking a $7 beer contains more brew than a $4 beer. The lawsuit says the home arena of the Idaho Steelheads hockey ...

    Associated Press35 mins ago

  • New Zealand raises interest rates to 2.75 percent

    In another sign the world economy is finally picking up steam after five years of recession and anemic growth, New Zealand on Thursday became the first developed nation to embark on a program of interest ...

    Associated Press37 mins ago

  • EU moves towards travel bans, asset freezes for Russians

    By Martin Santa and Aleksandar Vasovic BRUSSELS/SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine (Reuters) - The EU agreed a framework on Wednesday for its first sanctions on Russia since the Cold War, a stronger response to the Ukraine crisis than many had expected and a mark of solidarity with Washington in the effort to make Moscow pay for seizing Crimea. The EU sanctions, outlined in a document seen by Reuters, would slap travel bans and asset freezes on an as-yet-undecided list of people and firms accused by Brussels of violating the territorial integrity of Ukraine. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the measures would be imposed on Monday unless diplomatic progress was made. Shares in Moscow dropped 2.6 percent and the central bank was forced to spend $1.5 billion to prop up the rouble as investors confronted the prospect that Russia could face unexpectedly serious consequences for its plans to annex Crimea.

    Reuters38 mins ago

  • U.S. Senate panel approves Ukraine bill with sanctions, IMF reforms

    By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Senate panel approved legislation on Wednesday that would impose strict sanctions on Russians involved in Moscow's intervention in Ukraine, provide aid to the new government in Kiev, and implement reforms of the International Monetary Fund. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 14-3 in favor of the measure, with several committee Republicans joining the Democratic majority in favor. The bill next goes to the full Senate for a vote. If it passes there, it would have to be approved in the House of Representatives to become law.

    Reuters39 mins ago

  • Abortion insurance law taking effect in Michigan

    A new Michigan law requiring residents or businesses that want health insurance coverage for abortions to buy extra coverage will remain intact despite opponents' initial hopes to overturn it at the ballot ...

    Associated Press39 mins ago

  • Australia beats South Africa by 5 wickets in T20

    DURBAN, South Africa (AP) — Brad Hodge's back-to-back sixes off Wayne Parnell proved decisive as Australia beat South Africa by five wickets in a Twenty20 international that had been reduced to seven overs per side due to rain on Wednesday.

    Associated Press39 mins ago

  • Venezuela unrest death toll rises, students fight troops again

    By Andrew Cawthorne and Diego Ore CARACAS (Reuters) - Protesters battled soldiers in the streets of Caracas again on Wednesday as a student was shot dead in the 23rd fatality from a month of demonstrations against Venezuela's socialist government. Thousands of supporters and foes of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro were on the capital's streets for rival rallies marking a month since the first bloodshed of the recent unrest around the South American OPEC nation. Trouble began when National Guard troops blocked opposition marchers trying to break out of Plaza Venezuela to reach the state ombudsman's office. Students threw stones and petrol bombs while security forces fired tear gas and turned water cannons on them.

    Reuters40 mins ago

  • Swiss ex-banker pleads to helping US tax evaders

    ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — A former Swiss banker pleaded guilty Wednesday to his role in a fraud scheme that prosecutors say helped U.S. taxpayers hide as much as $3 billion in assets from the IRS.

    Associated Press40 mins ago

  • Algerian premier to quit to run Bouteflika election campaign - source

    By Lamine Chikhi ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal will resign on Thursday to run the reelection campaign of the country's ageing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, a source close to the presidency said on Wednesday. Bouteflika, 77, registered his candidacy for the April 17 vote last week and spoke in public for one of the few time he has since suffering a stroke last year that raised opposition questions about his ability to govern. Sellal will be replaced as premier by Energy Minister Youcef Yousfi, the source told Reuters. Backed by the National Liberation Front (FLN) party and the army, Bouteflika is almost assured five more years in power.

    Reuters40 mins ago