South african post office news

A train with a commemorative livery showing the face of former South African President Nelson Mandela is seen among newly constructed trains at the PRASA Wolmerton depot near Pretoria, on March 10, 2021. (Photo by Michele Spatari / AFP) Johannesburg, South Africa — South Africa’s railway infrastructure has been ravaged during coronavirus lockdown, with thieves plundering anything from cables and handrails to bricks and doors. In the strictest months of confinement last year, looters went to work on unguarded stations and railway infrastructure, making off with almost anything that could be ripped off or cut down and carted off. Kliptown, a train station in the famous Johannesburg township of Soweto, lies in ruins, stripped bare of its windows and doors and even its roof. Signaling and electric cables have been yanked out. Staircase railings have been sawn off. Even the perimeter walls have not been spared, with bricks bashed out and hauled away. “It’s like an atomic bomb was ... » Learn More about South Africa’s rail stations in ruins after COVID lockdown plunder

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday congratulated Tanzania's new president Samia Suluhu Hassan, the first woman to hold that office, and said the United States was ready to strengthen ties between the two countries. Harris, the first woman and first person of color to serve as U.S. vice president, made the comment in a posting on Twitter. "Sending best wishes to @SuluhuSamia following her swearing in as Tanzania's new President - the first woman to hold the office. The United States stands ready to work with you to strengthen relations between our countries," she wrote. Hassan, who had been vice president since 2015, on Friday urged the country to unite https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL1N2LH099 and avoid pointing fingers after the death of John Magufuli, her COVID-19 sceptic predecessor. The U.S. Trade Representative's office is leading U.S. efforts to forge a new trade and investment partnership with the East African Community, a ... » Learn More about First female U.S. vice president Harris congratulates Tanzania’s first woman president Hassan

The popularity of a Chinese interpreter has soared because of her cool handling of State Councillor Yang Jiechi’s 15-minute opening remarks at the start of talks between senior US and Chinese officials in Alaska on Thursday (March 18). Zhang Jing stole the show for her part in the first face-to-face talks between high-level officials from the two countries since US President Joe Biden took office in January. The two-day meeting in Anchorage concluded on Friday (March 19). Chinese media reports referred to her as “China’s Principal Interpreter” and “China’s Most Beautiful Interpreter”. Her name has become one of the top searches on social media platform Weibo. Videos featuring photographs of her also scored tens of millions of views online. The Alaskan talks began with a tense exchange of criticisms and ended with an agreement to cooperate on climate change and people exchanges. But in the words of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the two countries remained “fundamentally ... » Learn More about China’s Most Beautiful Interpreter’ becomes an internet hit after Alaska summit

PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Iran makes payments on old loans to World Bank Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Iran resumed payments on old loans to the World Bank, the bank said on Friday, just as the country held the highest level conversation with the United States in more than three decades. The poverty-fighting World Bank, which did not provide a reason for the resumption of payments, announced in July that Iran had not made any payments for more than half a year, a possible sign of the strain on the sanctions-hit Iranian economy. At the time, Iran denied that it had failed to make payments on its loans, which now total US$616 million, and blamed Western sanctions for preventing an intermediary from forwarding funds to the global lender. All of the payments are for old loans, as Iran has not had a World Bank program since 2005. The Washington-based World Bank said it is in compliance with all UN ... » Learn More about Iran paying it back; Anti-coco mission crashes; Sudanese hit with tear gas; Global warming mankind’s fault