Controversial draft legislation effectively giving the SA Post Office a monopoly on handling parcels weighing less than one kilogram might be amended by the National Council of Provinces.
The Postal Services Amendment Bill was approved in the National Assembly last month, despite the objections of the official opposition, and is now being considered by the NCOP.
Deutsche Post has called on the German government to speed up the privatisation of the postal operator, arguing it would improve its ability to do business, particularly in the US.
Deutsche Post is currently embroiled in a bitter legal battle with its US competitors FedEx and United Parcel Service, who argue that Deutsche Post’s Miami-based carrier Astar Air Cargo violates US laws forbidding foreign control of domestic airlines. They also stress that Deutsche Post’s state ownership further strengthens their case.
Read MoreJapanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said his ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) campaign platform for the Nov 9 general election, including a pledge to privatize postal services in 2007.
Koizumi, the LDP president, said the party also promised to privatize money-losing public corporations, reform the social security system and sustain economic growth.
Read MoreA tiny Australian outfit called Planetwide has launched a service to make it easier for travelers gallivanting around exotic locales to access their regular mail.
The start-up recently got two services off the ground — ScanMe, an electronic mail forwarding offering, and FollowMe, a traditional mail-forwarding service.
Read MoreA Colorado congressman is drafting legislation that would require post offices across the country to encourage the public to recycle unwanted mail by allowing local organizations to place recycling containers in post office lobbies.
“Placing recycling containers at these facilities would not only provide a convenience to postal patrons, it would also encourage the recycling of tons of unwanted mail and keep these materials from filling up local landfill space,” said Rep. Mark Udall, D-Colo.
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