A post template

No image available
/ 22 October 2007

Kurdish rebels to declare ceasefire, says Iraqi

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said on Monday that Kurdish rebels would announce a unilateral ceasefire later in the day amid Turkish threats to launch an incursion against them in northern Iraq. ”The PKK [Kurdistan Workers’ Party] has decided to declare a ceasefire from their side tonight,” Talabani told reporters at Sulaimaniyah Airport in Iraq’s northern Kurdish region.

No image available
/ 22 October 2007

IMF chief warns dollar may suffer ‘abrupt fall’

The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Rodrigo Rato, warned on Monday there are risks of an "abrupt fall" in the dollar, linked to a loss of confidence in dollar assets. "There are risks that an abrupt fall in the dollar could either be triggered by, or itself trigger, a loss of confidence in dollar assets," Rato told the IMF board of governors.

No image available
/ 22 October 2007

Chissano wins $5m African leadership prize

Former Mozambique president Joachim Chissano won a new -million prize for African leadership on Monday and was hailed as ”a powerful voice for Africa on the international stage”. Former United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan chaired the committee that selected the inaugural award by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation.

No image available
/ 22 October 2007

Mbeki’s approval rating plummets

President Thabo Mbeki’s domestic approval rating in September fell to 40%, its lowest point in four years, TNS Research Surveys said on Monday. The fall was evident across all race groups but slightly less so among black respondents, the global market insight and information group said in a statement. Large drops occurred in Bloemfontein, Johannesburg and Soweto.

No image available
/ 22 October 2007

DA calls for plan to attract investment

The government needed to take a series of firm and decisive steps to attract the direct foreign investment needed for job-creating economic growth, the Democratic Alliance (DA) spokesperson on trade and industry, Dr Pierre Rabie, said on Monday. In a statement, Rabie listed ten ”action steps” needed to make the South African economy more competitive.