The Dingle Marathon prepares for the 6th running of this delightful event in County Kerry, on the West coast of Ireland, set for the 6th September 2014. In 2009, race organiser Ken Dunne, set his mind on running the inaugural event on the scenic coastal route of Dingle. What a success this proved to be [...]Dingle prepares for 2014 run is a post from: Time-4-Sport


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The Mayor of London officially welcomed the introduction of four British built, pure electric buses this week at an air quality event at The Mansion House. Â* The four Optare MetroCity single deck buses are currently being trialled on route H98, which operates between Hayes and Hounslow. The four buses, in service on route H98, [...]
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The Gauteng MEC for Education, Panyaza Lesufi, says his department’s budget of R32.8 billion will be dedicated to building a non-racial education system, where all learners have access to quality education.

Delivering his department’s Budget Vote for 2014/15, MEC Lesufi said: “Our programmes in this term will be guided by the objectives and goals as articulated in the National Development Plan and Schooling 2030. We will also consolidate the existing improvement programmes,” he said.

The largest allocations in the budget are for salaries at FET colleges and the National School Nutrition Programmes, with smaller grants for HIV and Aids interventions, Dinaledi Schools and Technical High Schools.

Seventy-five percent of the budget will be spent on the salaries of teachers and officials of the department.

The remaining 25% will be used to meet infrastructure, learner teaching material and school subsidy demands.

“We will focus on modernising public education and building an education system that can compete internationally, especially in maths, science and technology, and continue to support the development of the province.

“It is within this context that we have now taken a decision to ensure that 80% of our children in Gauteng should do pure mathematics by 2019,” MEC Lesufi said.

To sustain the improved Grade 12 performance of the province, MEC Lesufi said his department has extended the Secondary School Intervention Programme (SSIP) to reach all secondary school learners.

“This is to ensure that whatever knowledge gaps learners have are sufficiently arrested by the time the learner sits for the final matric examinations. The department aims to support Grade 12 learners through Saturday school sessions, holiday sessions and exam camps,” he said.

The Saturday and holiday sessions have already started and holiday camps are scheduled to take place later this year in preparation for the final examinations.

Already, the Department has implemented a total of 16 Maths, Science and Technology programmes through the SciBono Discovery Centre, to improve the performance of learners in these subjects. – SAnews.gov.za

Science and Technology Minister Naledi Pandor says government has set a target of producing 100 000 Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) graduates by 2030 to improve research and innovation capacity.

Minister Pandor said South Africa needs to train about 6 000 PhDs per annum, which will require an investment of about R5.8 billion a year.

Minister Pandor said her department has allocated R80 million to fund 1 000 science postgraduates in the 2014/15 internship programme.

Addressing The New Age business briefing in Midrand this morning, the minister said more funding is needed to increase the number of staff at universities with PhDs.

The Department of Science and Technology (DST) is working with the Department of Higher Education and Training to achieve this.

“Lack of research supervision capacity and the narrow doctoral student pipeline are some of the hindrances to attaining the National Development Plan vision. The DST has started investing in emerging research programmes, and research career advancement fellowships.

“Our goal with regards to the average graduation age for a PhD is to have it lowered from just below 40 to below 35,” she said.

For young people who are qualified but do not have work experience, Minister Pandor said her department will help them with an internship programme for a period of 12 months to gain work experience.

Between 2012 and 2014, DST had exposed about 1 341 unemployed graduates to work experience in science, engineering and technology institutions.

“Of these, 58% were absorbed into permanent employment in the same institutions and others have found employment elsewhere,” Minister Pandor said.

On development matters, a science and education centre will be built in Cofimvaba in the Eastern Cape, at a cost of R30 million, to encourage an appreciation for science and to offer teacher training in the area.

Minister Pandor said her department will invest R497 million on science education, awareness and communication.

The programme, which will be run through the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (SAASTA), will reach about 350 000 learners and about 13 000 teachers. – SAnews.gov.za

Business Secretary Vince Cable has announced 2 new measures that give the green light for driverless cars to take to UK roads from January 2015. UK cities can now bid for a share of a £10 million competition to host a driverless cars trial. The government is calling on cities to join together with businesses [...] Driverless cars set for UK in 2015 is a post from: AutonSpire
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Minister in the Presidency responsible for Women, Susan Shabangu has launched the 2014 National Women’s Month programme, which will see the building of almost 2 000 houses in each province.

Speaking during the launch of Women's Month on Thursday, Minister Shabangu announced that the Department of Human Settlements will on 4 August 2014 launch its annual Women’s Built Project, where 1 956 houses will be built in each province.

“This will be done through a partnership between the department and sector stakeholders such as South African Women in Construction,” Minister Shabangu said.

The 2014 National Women’s Month programme marks the coming together of women from across the African continent and the Diaspora to launch one association, the Pan African Women’s Organisation.

The month-long programme, which kicks off on 1 August 2014, will be held under the theme “Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the Women’s Charter and 20 Years of Freedom: Moving Women’s Agenda Forward!”

The sub-themes are:

• Equality – Recognising the need to address the historical imbalances between women and men in all spheres of life including the political, civic and social life.

• Non–discrimination and rights – Women’s rights are human rights and include rights to legal status, land, property, inheritance, dignity, and freedom of association.

• Socio-economic empowerment – A focus on women’s education, health, access to productive resources (land, credit, and employment, among others) and social infrastructure.

• Moving the women’s agenda forward – Reviewing progress made on women’s empowerment and gender equality over the 60-year period and charting the road map for women’s advancement, development and a better quality of life.

South Africa’s population is estimated to be at 54 million with the life expectancy of the population at 61-years of age, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) announced on Thursday.

Stats SA released the Mid-year Population Estimates stated that life expectancy has increased from an estimated 52-years in 2005 to 61-years in 2014.

The increased life expectancy can be attributed to the fact that the number of Aids related deaths is estimated to have decreased from 363 910 deaths in 2005 to 171 733 deaths in 2014.

“This can be associated with the increased rollout of antiretroviral therapy (ART). Second, the infant mortality rate (IMR) has fallen from an estimated 58 infant deaths per 1 000 live births, in 2002, to 34 infant deaths per 1 000 live births, in 2014. The decline in IMR points to an improvement in the general health & living standards of the population,” noted the report.

According to the report, the country’s population experienced an estimated net increase of 844 000 people (a 1.58%) growth from July 2013 to July 2014.

The report showed that black Africans constitute approximately 80% of the total population, while the white population was estimated at 4.55 million with the coloured population at 4.77 million. The Indian/Asian population was at 1.34 million.

“Just over 51% (27.64 million) of the population is female,” noted the report that comes out annually.

In terms of provinces, Gauteng remained as the most populous province with almost 13 million inhabitants followed by KwaZulu-Natal with a population of almost 10.7 million. The two provinces account for about 44% of the population in the country. The Northern Cape remained as the least populated province with just under 1.2 million people.

According to the report the overall number of deaths in the country has been decreasing from an estimated 716 083 deaths in 2005 to an estimated 551 289 deaths occurring in 2014.

The report found that about 30% of the population is younger than 15 and that 4.54 million is 60-years old or older. Of those younger than 15-years approximately 3.66 million live in KwaZulu-Natal and 3.05 million live in Gauteng.

“The proportion of elderly aged 60 and older is increasing over time,” noted the report.

The estimated overall HIV prevalence rate is approximately 10.2% of the total South African population. The total number of people living with HIV is estimated at approximately 5.51 million in 2014. For adults aged 15–49 years, an estimated 16.8% of the population is HIV positive.

For the 2011-2016 period it is estimated that approximately 241 758 people will migrate from the Eastern Cape, while Limpopo is estimated to experience an out-migration of nearly 303 101 people. During the same period, Gauteng and Western Cape are estimated to experience an inflow of migrants of approximately 1 106 375 and 344 830, respectively. – SAnews.gov.za

South Africa’s business delegation is in Taiwan today, where it will explore investment opportunities. The delegation, representing 18 companies,...

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South Africa and Japan celebrate 10 years of successful science and technology cooperation this year. The decade-long relationship has seen over...

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The Thai automotive industry has expressed interest in partnering and forming joint ventures with South African companies, says the Department of Trade and Industry (dti).

In a statement on Tuesday, the dti said that the Thailand Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association (TAPMA) has shown interest in partnering and forming joint ventures with their South African counterparts in order to grow the sector in both countries.

A South African business delegation arrived in Thailand for an Outward Selling and Investment Mission (OSIM) that kicked off, on Monday, in Bangkok. OSIM is profiling South Africa as an investment destination of choice.

The business delegation, on Tuesday, embarked on a site visit to the Thai automotive body parts manufacturers, Somboon Advanced Groups Plant and Summit Auto Body Plant, outside Bangkok.

TAPMA President Achana Limpaitoon committed to future collaboration with South African automotive exporters.

She said the Thailand Automotive Industry had gone through years of a challenging struggle but had managed to achieve noticeable successes.

“The industry is now going for higher regional and global competition, and I do hope for more collaboration in future for Thailand and South Africa,” she said.

Limpaitoon said she believed this visit would lead to exchange of ideas, transfer of skills and technology that would benefit Thailand and South Africa.

Managing Director of Durban based company Microfinish, Deshan Naidoo, who took part in the site visit, said there were plenty of opportunities for partnerships and joint ventures both in Thailand and South Africa.

“The technology currently used in the Asian market is at an advantage and has improved over the years. This is what we want to take advantage of and learn from our counterparts,” said Naidoo, whose company manufactures automotive valve guides and valve seat inserts.

Naidoo added that the partnership will allow them to improve their international competitiveness and give them an opportunity to market their products in other markets.

In his budget Vote, earlier this month, dti Minister Rob Davies said the automotive sector formed part of the key sector identified job drivers in the country. The department has allocated R7.9 billion for capital expenditure through the Automotive Production Development Programme (APDP).

Total trade between Thailand and South Africa was R31.1 billion in 2013; with a trade balance of R22 billion in favour of Thailand.

South African exports to Thailand totalled R4.6 billion, while imports totalled R26.5 billion in the same year. South Africa mainly source special classification products such as vehicle parts which constitute 45% of imports.

The OSIM concludes today. - SAnews.gov.za