Al Jazeera takes us on a wry and insightful journey through the state of South Africa, asking if Nelson Mandela’s longed-for Rainbow Nation is sinking into a typical African dysfunctionality.
Rian Malan – one of the country’s foremost literary talents – discovers that modern South Africa’s best weapon is its ability to laugh at itself.
The President visits Trinity Structural Towers, the former Maytag plant which now houses a green manufacturing facility that produces towers for wind energy production, in Newton. Iowa, a leader in wind energy, is a perfect example of how a community can rebuild a local economy with investments in clean energy and efficiency. Trinity employs dozens of former Maytag employees and is part of the revitalization of a town hard hit by the closing of the Maytag plant. President Obama gives remarks discussing components of his comprehensive energy plan, which include promoting clean energy innovation to help end our dependence on foreign oil, creating millions of new jobs, and preventing the worst consequences of climate change.
Gideon Rose of Foreign Affairs Magazine and Carol Giacomo of The New York Times editorial board join Martin Savidge to discuss the weeks top stories: A new wave of violence in Iraq, growing concern about the spread of the Taliban in Pakistan and South Africa’s national election.
From France24. It has been nearly 20 years since apartheid collapsed but the townships are still reminders of the segregation in South Africa. But South African society is slowly changing, and some township residents are now escaping to achieve their dreams of success.
In recent weeks and quietly at least in the American press there has been an uptick in violence in Iraq. Most worrisome is the situation in Kirkuk, an oil-rich province, where the Kurds and the Iraqi state seem on a collision course.