THE controversial appointment of disgraced attorney Ramesh Vassen as consul general to India will continue as planned, Foreign Affairs Minister Alfred Nzo said on Tuesday. At a media conference in Pretoria, Nzo called objections to the appointment “political opportunism”, saying Vassen deserves a second chance. He was struck off the attorneys’ roll in 1996 for […]

SEVENTH seed tennis star Amanda Coetzer won her first round Pan Pacific Open match against Magui Serna of Spain 6-2 6-1 on Tuesday. She faces Belgian Els Callens in the second round.

The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) has set up a special court to arbitrate disputes related to economic development and market integration. Comesa secretariat member Onyango Matata said the Comesa Court of Justice, launched in September last year, the Lusaka-based court will be empowered to place sanctions on countries reneging on agreement […]

THE corpses of several white men believed to be mercenaries who fought along side Sierra Leonean rebels have been found washed up on beaches in Freetown, sources said on Wednesday.The bodies were found along Milton Margai, Juba and Lumley beaches. According to sources from the west African Ecomog intervention force, the mercenaries were to have […]

MOZAMBIQUE’S ailing light aircraft charter service, TTA, threatened to return the company to the state on Tuesday unless it was granted domestic passenger routes. TTA was initially promised a share of domestic passenger routes when it was privatised in August 1997 but has been unable to pry licences for flights out of the national airline, […]

EMBATTLED South African soccer chief Joe Ndhlela refused to confirm on Tuesday suggestions that he could be relegated to the role of a clerk in the Premier Soccer League administration. The City Press newspaper reported the PSL chief executive faced the sack if he refused to accept a six-month contract, which restricts his powers of […]

SOUTH African golf star Ernie Els, ranked world number five in the latest rankings, heads the European Tour money list after the Heineken Classic in Australia. Els has earned 169045. over the past year. FIFA WARNING COUNTRIES bidding to host the 2006 World Cup have been warned by FIFA that they will be struck off […]

SOUTH African Breweries announced to retailers on Monday that it is to increase the price of its wholesale beer by up to 10%. The rise could see the consumer paying considerably more for a beer after accounting for VAT and varying mark-ups. According to SAB the price of cans — both 340ml and long-toms — […]

OLD Mutual Fund Managers — UK-based unit trust arm of Old Mutual International — was last week fined 20000 by an investment regulatory body for failing to correctly price the assets of four unit trusts under its management. Business Report reports that the British Investment Management Regulatory Organisation said the breaches occurred between July 1 […]

DEPUTY President Thabo Mbeki and visiting Chinese Vice President Hu Jintao signed several agreements on Monday to boost bilateral trade between the two countries. The bilateral agreements target air services, trade, economic and technical co-operation, and a joint economic and trade commission. Trade between the two countries stood at $1,8-billion last year.