IRISH Prime Minister Bertie Ahern arrived in Lesotho on Monday for a brief official visit to be followed by a four-day trip to neighbouring South Africa. Ahern and a delegation of Irish trade and aid officials were met at Maseru’s airport by Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili and members of his cabinet. The Irish premier was […]

THE death toll on South African roads passed the 900 mark on Monday, Arrive Alive said. The traffic safety campaign said 902 deaths had been recorded in 632 crashes since the start of the December holidays. KwaZulu-Natal led the fatality rate with 140 followed by Eastern Cape and Free State with 124 deaths each. The […]

THE World Bank said on Thursday that it plans to sell a $3-billion global bond offering over the internet, allowing individual investors to invest in the bank which provides loans to developing nations. Syndicate leaders Goldman Sachs & Company and Lehman Brothers will offer the bonds online while individuals can buy into the offering online […]

A FRENCH couple wounded in an ambush by suspected Unita rebels in northeastern Namibia in which their three children were murdered, arrived back in Paris late on Sunday aboard a private medical flight. Claude and Brigitte Bidoin, wounded in last Monday’s attack, flew in from Windhoek and were whisked to hospital. The bodies of their […]

THE sixth MTN Cape-to-Rio yacht race got off to a slow start on Saturday, with hardly enough wind to fill the sails of the 71-boat fleet. The weather and smooth water was however perfect for hundreds of spectators who took to the water in all kinds of craft to watch the start of the race, […]

THREE men set an old man alight in a veld on Sunday night and then raped his elderly wife next to the burning body. Northern Province police said James Chauke, 59, and his 56-year-old wife were confronted at about 9pm on a footpath in Tshamahanza village in Mokopane near Potgietersrus. The assailants beat Mr Chauke […]

THE United States government will ask Congress to approve an extra $100-million to the fight against Aids, bringing its total commitment to $325-million, Vice-President Al Gore said on Monday. He said the government will also commit $50-million dollars for the US contribution to the vaccine fund of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation.

EDUCATION Minister Kader Asmal has called for an urgent review of the controversial Curriculum 2005 outcomes based education system which is set to revolutionise teaching methods in the country. The Argus reports that sources close to Asmal say although he is stopping short of scrapping the controversial system, he has raised some serious concerns about […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, London | Monday 7.25pm SUB-SAHARAN Africa, with Mozambique in the lead, is set to be the fastest-growing region in the world this year, according to the latest annual analysis by the respected Economist Intelligence Unit. It forecasts that the world will be a richer place than it has ever been, even if 1,3-billion […]

ANGLO American Zimbabwe said on Wednesday it has reached a provisional agreement to purchase the Zimbabwe Mining and Smelting Company with partners of its choice. In a statement, the company said the finalisation of the purchase is subject to conclusion of a due diligence exercise undertaken with the government’s support as well as regulatory approvals […]