Articles by Enca

Technology

Steve Biko inquest postponed to January 2026

JOHANNESBURG - The inquest into the death of anti-apartheid activist and Black Consciousness Movement leader Steve Biko has been postponed to 30 January 2026. The delay will allow for case management and finalisation of legal funding for potential suspects. Prosecutors have named two former apartheid police officers as persons of interest. READ| South Africa to reopen Steve Biko inquest The two have applied for state funding for their legal defence. Biko died 48 years ago, allegedly at the hands of the apartheid police’s Special Branch. The pair was initially cleared of wrongdoing, but the Truth and Reconciliation Commission later denied them amnesty. The NPA and law enforcement say they remain committed to tackling apartheid-era crimes and bringing closure to victims’ families.

1 days ago

Technology

Indian forensic teams scour deadly Delhi car explosion

NEW DELHI - Indian crime scene investigators scoured through the wreckage of a car on Tuesday that exploded hours earlier in the heart of the capital, killing at least eight people. Police have not given details on the cause of the explosion, which also left at least 19 people injured, when intense flames ripped through other vehicles near the landmark Red Fort in the crowded Old Delhi quarter of the city. Home Minister Amit Shah told reporters that the security forces were "keeping all angles open", adding it was "very difficult to say what caused the incident" until forensic samples had been analysed. At dawn on Tuesday, AFP reporters at the site of the explosion said police white sheets had been erected around the charred remains of vehicles overnight. Both forensic and anti-terrorism agencies were searching for evidence, while security was increased across New Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences to the families of those killed, and said he had "reviewed the situation" with Shah. "Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones in the blast in Delhi... may the injured recover at the earliest," Modi said in a statement. The 17th century Red Fort is one of India's most well-known landmarks. Prime ministers address the nation from its ramparts on Independence Day, and it features on the largest banknote. Both forensic and anti-terrorism agencies were deployed at the site. Citing hospital authorities, New Delhi's deputy chief fire officer AK Malik told AFP that "eight people have died so far and 19 are injured". The Press Trust of India news agency on Tuesday reported that the toll had risen to nine dead. Eyewitnesses described to AFP how the car exploded in traffic and how people caught up in the surge of flames were set on fire.

3 days ago

Technology

As COP30 opens, urban Amazon residents swelter

"No one talks about protecting those of us who live in the urban Amazon, or about how the climate crisis affects our most vulnerable territories," said community leader Gerson Bruno, 35. Although the Amazon is synonymous with lush greenery, more than 75 percent of the 27 million people living in Brazil's share of the rainforest actually live in urban areas, according to official data. - Improved services - Vila da Barca, founded by fishermen a century ago, flanks one of the city's wealthiest areas. Many of the favela's some 7,000 residents however, struggle with poverty. The lack of basic sanitation worsens the impact of the climate crisis, residents say. The arrival of COP30, with its flurry of infrastructure projects, was a rare opportunity for Vila da Barca to pressure authorities into delivering better services. At first, they complained that affluent districts were receiving massive investment, while the mostly black and mixed-race residents of the favela were left behind. In one example, residents were angered by a plan to build a sewage pumping station inside their community to serve a wealthy neighbourhood -- not Vila da Barca itself.

3 days ago

Politics

Trump threatens air traffic controllers over shutdown absences

WASHINGTON - An additional 2,300 US flights were cancelled on Monday as President Donald Trump threatened to dock pay for air traffic controllers who called in sick during the government shutdown. After Trump ripped absent aviation workers as unpatriotic, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) labour union hailed members working without pay as "unsung heroes" in a statement that called for Congress to immediately end the shutdown. "Enough is enough," the union said. The back-and-forth highlights the mounting strain on the aviation industry as the record-breaking shutdown hit day 41, though a compromise bill advancing in Congress was raising hopes of a resolution this week. The air traffic control system was already under strain prior to the shutdown due to understaffing, and is facing a surge in passengers with upcoming Thanksgiving holiday travel. Besides Monday's 2,300 cancellations, more than 8,700 flights involving US airports were delayed, according to website FlightAware. And carriers have already scrapped 1,100 flights scheduled for Tuesday, the flight tracker reported. The Trump administration last week ordered 10 percent reductions in flights at dozens of airports, including some of the nation's busiest, due to "staffing triggers." Trump took to social media on Monday to threaten that controllers who do not return to work "will be substantially 'docked.'" "All Air Traffic Controllers must get back to work, NOW!!!" he demanded on his Truth Social platform. Trump said he was recommending a bonus of $10,000 to the "GREAT PATRIOTS" who did not take time off during the shutdown. His statement was posted just as the air traffic controller union was concluding a press conference, timed to the second consecutive zero-dollar paycheck for its members. Union president Nick Daniels called an emerging deal in Congress a "right step in the right direction." "Air traffic controllers should not be the political pawn during a government shutdown," said Daniels, who has spoken in increasingly dire terms since federal funding first lapsed on October 1. A NATCA statement released later Monday, following Trump's social media threat, said controllers "deserve our praise." "This nation's air traffic controllers have been working without pay for over 40 days," the union said. "The vast majority of these highly trained and skilled professionals continue to perform one of the most stressful and demanding jobs in the world, despite not being compensated. Many are working six-day weeks and ten-hour days without any pay." Democratic congressman Rick Larsen called Trump's comments "nuts." "The women and men working long hours in air traffic control towers to keep the aviation system running deserve our thanks and appreciation, not unhinged attacks on their patriotism," said the Democrat from Washington state. Hours later, during a phone-in interview to broadcaster Fox News, Trump doubled down on the bonuses but admitted he was unsure where the funds might come from. "I don't know. I'll get it from someplace...I always get the money from someplace," the billionaire president said. "Regardless, it doesn't matter."

3 days ago

Sports

Ferrari boss tells Hamilton, Leclerc to drive, not talk

SAO PAULO - Ferrari president John Elkann issued a plea to the misfiring team's two drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, calling on them to focus on driving, not talking. Elkann's intervention follows a disastrous weekend for the Formula One giants when both cars failed to finish the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. The wretched double DNF prompted seven-time world champion Hamilton to reflect on "a nightmare" first season at the Scuderia. Hamilton was retired by the team after battling for 40 laps in a damaged car following several incidents in the opening laps and a penalty, while Leclerc's race ended on lap six following a collision in which he was an innocent victim. "It's a nightmare," said Hamilton at Interlagos. READ: Hamilton faces stewards after more frustration "I've been living it now for a while and the flip between living the dream of driving for this amazing team and then the nightmare of the results that we've had," added the former Mercedes driver. Elkann said he wanted Hamilton and Leclerc to concentrate on the three race weekends remaining of an underwhelming 2025 season. "It is certainly important that our drivers focus on their driving and talk less," Elkann said. "There are still important races left, and it is not impossible to achieve second place (in the constructors' standings)," he added in comments reported by the AGI Agency at a sponsorship event for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. He pointed to Ferrari's success in claiming the world endurance championship crown, saying "it is the demonstration that when Ferrari is a team, we win". "We need drivers who do not think about themselves, but who think about Ferrari," he added pointedly. Ferrari left Brazil after slipping from second to fourth in the constructors' title race, and will be looking for a change of luck in the next race in Las Vegas.

3 days ago