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/ 22 February 2008

Samancor shuts furnace after explosion

South Africa’s privately owned Samancor Chrome, the world’s second-biggest producer of ferrochrome, said on Friday it had shut a furnace at its plant after a worker was killed in an explosion on Sunday. Sunel Pretorius, a spokesperson at Samancor, said she could not yet say how much output had been affected by the closure of the furnace.

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/ 22 February 2008

DRC peace deal faces hitch over massacre charges

A month-old peace accord in east Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) faced a fresh hitch on Friday when Tutsi rebels halted participation in a ceasefire commission in protest at United Nations allegations they had massacred civilians. The move announced by renegade Tutsi General Laurent Nkunda posed a potential threat to the January 23 ceasefire.

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/ 22 February 2008

Alleged SACP benefactor Modise denied bail

Controversial businessman Charles Modise was denied bail in the Kimberly Magistrate’s Court on Friday. Modise is being investigated by the Scorpions and faces various charges, including fraud, forgery and corruption in the Northern Cape. Magistrate Andre Williams postponed the matter to July 9 for further investigations.

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/ 22 February 2008

Madagascar cyclone kills 29 people

A cyclone that swept across Madagascar this week killed 29 people and left nearly 70 000 homeless or otherwise affected, local authorities said on Friday. Dia Stivanley, spokesperson for the National Office for Management of Risks and Catastrophes, said 12 of the island’s 22 regions had been hit by Cyclone Ivan, a category-three storm.

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/ 22 February 2008

Manto: Promoting a healthy lifestyle not hypocritical

Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang on Friday said her efforts to promote a healthy lifestyle — including responsible drinking habits — among South Africans were not hypocritical. Speaking to the media at the launch of ”the Healthy Lifestyle Day” in Port Shepstone, she questioned why the media linked her recent liver transplant to her promotion of a healthy lifestyle.

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/ 22 February 2008

Ipswich killer jailed for life

Convicted killer Steve Wright was told by a judge on Friday that he will spend the rest of his life behind bars for his six-week ”targeted campaign of murder” against five prostitutes. Wright (49) killed the five drug-addicted women around the city of Ipswich in late 2006.

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/ 22 February 2008

Australia beat Sri Lanka in rain-shortened match

Sri Lanka’s chances of reaching the tri-series finals were dealt a serious blow when Australia beat them by 24 runs in a rain-shortened one-day match on Friday. The visitors’ gamble to bowl first — expecting the match to be shortened by the weather — looked to have paid off and they restricted the hosts to just 184-7 from their 50 overs.