No image available
/ 9 November 2006

FNB moots abolition of Saswitch fees

First National Bank (FNB), a division of the FirstRand Group, on Thursday tabled an industry proposal that would save customers more than R500-million annually in Saswitch fees. The bank is seeking guidance from the Competition Commission, which is conducting an enquiry into banking, on how best to achieve this goal.

No image available
/ 9 November 2006

Media lie in wait for Shaik

There was no sign of businessman Schabir Shaik at Durban’s Westville Prison by 6.30am on Thursday morning, where he was expected to report for a 15-year jail sentence. The media arrived before dawn, on the lookout for the black BMW in which Shaik was expected to arrive. It was their second day spent waiting outside the prison.

No image available
/ 9 November 2006

Ethiopian judge tells of regime’s massacres

The Ethiopian government is responsible for the killing of tens of thousands of students and other critics over the past 15 years, one of the country’s most senior judges, who has defected to Britain, said on Wednesday. Judge Teshale Aberra claimed the government of Meles Zenawi is as bad or worse than that of his predecessor, Mengistu Haile Mariam.

No image available
/ 9 November 2006

Leprosy patients in Nigeria flee to forests

”When I go home, I often notice that as soon as I come, all the towels, soaps and sponges that were in the bathroom will disappear,” says Isaiah Ojeabulu, who has leprosy. He chairs the Human Rights Association of Persons Affected by Leprosy, an organisation in Nigeria. Ojeabulu has similar tales from his earlier years. He says discrimination against him started from the moment that he contracted leprosy.

No image available
/ 8 November 2006

Rumsfeld falls on sword

United States Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld resigned on Wednesday, paying the price for the Democrat surge to power in Congress driven by a wave of public anger over the Iraq war. President George Bush announced the veteran power broker’s departure, sending shockwaves though Washington.

No image available
/ 8 November 2006

Springbok trio to debut against Ireland

Springbok coach Jake White handed debuts to three players when he announced his starting side on Wednesday to play Ireland in the team’s European tour opener at Lansdowne Road in Dublin on Saturday. The new players line up in the back three, with fullback Bevin Fortuin, right wing Jaco Pretorius and left wing Francois Steyn all taking the field.

No image available
/ 8 November 2006

SA urges action after Israeli attacks in Gaza

South Africa on Wednesday blamed Israel of being in violation of international law and the Geneva Convention for shelling a town in the Gaza Strip. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Aziz Pahad condemned Israeli shelling of civilian homes in the town of Beit Hanun in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday morning that left 18 Palestinians dead.

No image available
/ 8 November 2006

Alleged robber tries second escape attempt

A man charged with 32 counts of armed robbery on Wednesday tried to escape from a police vehicle, only months after being rearrested following another escape, Pretoria police said. The escape attempt happened when the man and nine others were being transported to the Pretoria High Court from the central prison.