No image available
/ 28 February 2008

Thieves pick wrong night for robbery

Two armed thieves picked the wrong night to rob a Sydney club, disturbing a meeting of 50 motorcycle bikers, who tackled and hog-tied one of the thieves until police arrived. The Southern Cross Cruiser Club was staging its monthly meeting on Wednesday night in the club in Sydney’s west when two men armed with machetes entered the club.

No image available
/ 28 February 2008

France foots bill for SA power station

France is giving a R15,5-billion (â,¬1,4-billion) coal-fired power station to South Africa as a gesture of friendship. The agreement was signed on Thursday between Buyelwa Sonjica, the Minister of Minerals and Energy Affairs, and Jean-Marie Bockel, the French Deputy Minister for North-South cooperation.

No image available
/ 28 February 2008

Cosatu: ‘Rescue mission post-Polokwane is on’

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) on Thursday said it will no longer take a ”triumphalist” approach to the outcomes of the African National Congress (ANC) Polokwane conference. ”The campaign to save the ANC from the clutches of the technocrats who sought to bureaucratise the liberation movement is far from being over, ” he said.

No image available
/ 28 February 2008

SA sees progress in Iran nuclear dispute

South Africa said on Thursday that a report by the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency showed ”increasing confidence” that Iran did not intend to use its nuclear programme for military purposes. But it added that further oversight was needed to verify that Tehran was not building atomic weapons.

No image available
/ 28 February 2008

DA criticises Erwin’s job-loss comments

Minister of Public Enterprises Alec Erwin should refrain from making unsubstantiated comments on the job-loss threats faced by thousands of mineworkers, the Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Thursday. On Wednesday Erwin said that it was unclear whether proposed job cuts in the industry were caused by power cuts and electricity rationing.

No image available
/ 28 February 2008

Free State Four: Who’s to blame?

A video made by white students that shows them humiliating black university employees on Thursday continued to draw angry protests as well as criticism that racism remains entrenched in South Africa 14 years after the end of apartheid, with the Democratic Alliance questioning the role of the Freedom Front Plus in the matter.

No image available
/ 28 February 2008

Tourist arrivals up 3% in December

The total number of travellers who visited South Africa through all its ports of entry during December was up 3% year-on-year (y/y) to 2,757-million, from the 5,7% y/y growth recorded in November 2007, according to Statistics South Africa data released on Thursday.

No image available
/ 28 February 2008

Annan launches new bid for Kenya deal

Mediator Kofi Annan launched a new bid on Thursday for a political compromise to end Kenya’s post-election crisis, bringing the country’s feuding leaders to the same table for the first time in a month. The opposition had threatened to hold mass street protests on Thursday, but called them off after meeting Annan.