OWN CORRESPONDENT and AFP, Johannesburg | Wednesday AS soaring petrol prices spark worldwide protests, the South African government is to establish a committee to find ways to control the price. While South African consumers and businesses have meekly accepted the hike, protesters blocked highways across Europe. Belgian Transport Minister Isabelle Durant announced that European Union […]

SUGAR production in Zimbabwe is expected to stay level this year at 580000 tonnes but may increase next season, despite political upheavals and farm seizures, the head of the Zimbabwe Cane Farmers Association said. Next season looked promising, with an expected harvest of between 580000 and 620000 tonnes, he said. – Reuters

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Helsinki | Tuesday ONE or more of the women among the hostages recently released by the Abu Sayyaf group on the Philippine island of Jolo was raped by the rebels, released Finnish hostage Risto Vahanen has revealed to Finnish television MTV3. The hostages included South African couple Callie and Monique Strydom. “We talked […]

CHARLES MANGWIRO and HOBBS GAMA, Maputo | Tuesday PROSTITUTES in the Mozambican capital of Maputo have banded together and threatened to parade naked through the city unless police immediately improve public safety at night. The prostitutes, speaking as a citywide alliance for the first time, warned they would also investigate funding their own private security […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Tuesday RADIO 702 talk show host John Robbie has thrown down the gauntlet to the ruling ANC government by suggesting that Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang appear on his show to clarify the government’s view on HIV/Aids. Following his much-publicised on-air spat last week with Tshabalala-Msimang last week, Robbie admitted he had […]

THE London-listed base metals group Billiton plc has confirmed that it has offered shareholders of Rio Algom Limited CD27 (Canadian dollars), or R129,87 a share, in pursuit of its bid for the Canadian zinc and copper producer. Billiton said the company had posted the offer to shareholders on Friday. Billiton is competing for the stake […]

A NORTHERN Province mining supervisor accused of shooting dead a farm worker while taking pot-shots at a beer can has been released on R1 500 bail by the Phalaborwa Magistrate’s Court. Byron Dennis, 46, of the Phalaborwa Mining Company, was not asked to plead on a murder charge and the case was postponed to October […]

TANZANIA’S national electoral commission has revealed that 97,87% of targeted voters have registered for the multi-party elections scheduled for October 29. NEC chairman Judge Lewis Makame said a total of 10,07 million targeted voters had registered on both mainland Tanzania and the island of Zanzibar. Of these, 9,6 million were on the mainland, while just […]

HUNDREDS of endangered giant sable antelope have fled Angola’s Cangandala National Park and run into a region where government and rebel forces have fought over the last week, Angolan radio has reported. The rare antelope is a symbol of Angola, used as an emblem both by the national airline and the national football team. In […]

STEVEN MANN, Cape Town | Tuesday WILLIAM Bantom, the mayor of Cape Town’s metropolitan council, resigned on Tuesday after being caught for the second time viewing pornography in his office. Bantom, an ordained and widely respected minister, was first caught downloading porn sites from the Internet and watching pornographic videos in his office in October […]