Staff Reporter
No image available
/ 29 June 2004

Africa’s largest diamond factory opens in Windhoek

The largest diamond cutting and polishing factory in Africa, owned by Russian-Israeli tycoon Lev Leviev, opened in Windhoek on Monday, officials said. The Leviev group, one of the world’s largest cutters and polishers of the precious gems, took over offshore diamond mining concessions from the liquidated Namibian minerals corporation, which collapsed in 2001.

No image available
/ 29 June 2004

Atlanta Bread official to face fraud charges in SA

Atlanta Bread executive Basil Couvaras plans to return to South Africa to face fraud charges, a spokesperson said. ”Basil is voluntarily going back to South Africa. We are working on the details of when that will occur,” said Jane Langley, spokesperson for Couvaras and his brother, Jerry, who was arrested by South African officials in March.

No image available
/ 29 June 2004

‘African leaders cannot rule like before’

The commissioner of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU) has spelt out four major obstacles to ending conflict on the continent. At a meeting at the AU’s headquarters in Addis Ababa, Said Djinnit said limited resources, lack of support for peacekeeping operations and poor conflict early warning systems all served to hamper efforts to resolve the conflicts ravaging Africa.

No image available
/ 29 June 2004

The view from the Baghdad streets

”I believe there was a desperate need for America and Britain to overthrow this fascist and dictatorial regime,” said Wadha Abdullah Hussein. ”I believe most Iraqis appreciate what the Americans and British have done in Iraq. Now we will go through a critical stage until the government and the elections are settled and I think that after elections the situation will improve.

No image available
/ 29 June 2004

Angry Chirac puts Bush in his place

French president Jacques Chirac bluntly told United States president George Bush to mind his own business on Monday when the United States president urged European leaders to give Turkey a firm date for starting European Union membership talks later this year. Bush, he complained, ”not only went too far but went on to territory which is not his own”.

No image available
/ 29 June 2004

Finding the next F1 king

It may seem as though Michael Schumacher and Ferrari will dominate formula one (F1) for the foreseeable future, but with a bit of research and crystal ball gazing it is possible to come up with a good prediction of who the team may be looking at as his successor.