PRESIDENT Thabo Mbeki met Danish lawmakers in Copenhagen on Wednesday ahead of talks with Prime Minister Poul Nyrup Rasmussen and a brief summit with other Nordic leaders. Mbeki, who arrived in Denmark Tuesday accompanied by Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and his wife, Zanele Mbeki, with Queen Margrethe II. Mbeki will also hold meetings with Danish […]
ERIK DE CASTRO, Jolo | Thursday 12.30pm. A PHILIPPINE government negotiator said Manila will not give in to Muslim rebels holding 21 mostly foreign hostages, dashing hopes of an early release of the captives, four of whom need hospital treatment. Sulu governor Abdusakur Tan said the government wanted to end the seven-week drama peacefully rather […]
EMELIA SITHOLE, Johannesburg | Thursday 2.40pm. TELECOMS, media and entertainment group Johnnic said on Thursday it is sitting on a cashpile of close to R3-billion, which it plans to use. Finance Director Jacob Modise said the group is mulling several options, including clearing an almost R1,5-billion debt in Johnnic Communications. He said an announcement will […]
EMELIA SITHOLE, Johannesburg | Thursday 12.00pm. TELECOMS company M-Cell has reported a sharp rise in headline earnings for the year ended March 31, 2000 and says it is confident of strong growth in the current year. It also says it is braced for the issue of a third mobile phone licence and that it is […]
OWN CORRESPONDENT, Harare | Thursday 6.00pm. A WAVE of ”state-sponsored terrorism” against opponents of President Robert Mugabe is threatening free and fair elections in Zimbabwe, Amnesty International said on Thursday. Amnesty’s Africa Director Maina Kiai has accused the government of using liberation war veterans to intimidate the electorate before the parliamentary elections on June 24-25. […]
OWN CORRESPONDENT, Cape Town | Thursday 10.30am. FORMER Springbok skipper Joost van der Westhuizen could return for South Africa in Saturday’s one-off Test against Canada if scrumhalf Werner Swanepoel fails to recover from injury. Swanepoel turned his ankle in training on Wednesday and has been given until 6pm on Thursday to get over the injury. […]
TODD PITMAN, Kisangani | Thursday 5.00pm. RWANDA has told its troops fighting Ugandan forces in the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo city of Kisangani to stop hostilities. ”I have just received a very clear instruction about the ceasefire and I relayed it to commanders in Kisangani,” Colonel Karenzi Karake said. Karake said the ceasefire is […]
OWN CORRESPONDENT, Cape Town | Thursday 3.00pm. SPORTS Minister Ngconde Balfour will meet Moroccan World Cup bid officials in Rabat on Sunday to discuss the possibility of Morocco withdrawing from the 2006 race, officials said on Thursday. South African World Cup 2006 Bid Committee officials said Balfour has been invited by the Moroccans, although no […]
BRITISH Foreign Secretary Robin Cook promised Sierra Leone on Thursday that Britain was ”ready to go the distance” to maintain stability in the West African nation after the imminent withdrawal of most British troops. ”I have assured President (Ahmad Tejan) Kabbah that Britain wants to be a long-term partner in securing a stable, successful, enterprising […]
NIGERIAN President Olusegun Obasanjo has ordered a police investigation into an attack by robbers on the training camp of Nigeria’s national womens’ team. One person was killed and two seriously injured when robbers attacked the Ota training camp of reigning African champions ‘The Falcons’ near the economic capital Lagos on Sunday night as the team […]