England coach Peter Moores has revealed he is considering asking for the volume on stump microphones to be turned down so his side’s sledging of India batsmen is no longer heard by television viewers. During the ongoing Test series fans tuning in to host broadcaster Sky’s commentary have been able to hear players trying to unsettle opposition batsmen.
International ratings agency Fitch reported on Thursday it had changed South African power utility Eskom’s outlook for its long-term local currency issuer default rating and national long-term rating to negative from stable. "The change in outlook to negative reflects challenges related to capacity and security of supply issues," explained Fitch Ratings.
Renewed bickering among Zimbabwe’s opposition only months after a vow to bury their differences looks set to wreck prospects of a united challenge to President Robert Mugabe at elections next year. Analysts believe the only winner is Mugabe, seeking a seventh term in office next year.
Trade-union leaders in Swaziland have threatened more strikes to force Africa’s last absolute monarchy to reform, arguing that the lack of democracy is crippling the economy. A two-day strike, the biggest in a decade, brought the tiny landlocked country to a standstill last week, and union leaders are threatening further stoppages.
Dow Jones’s head office was buzzing with chatter and speculation on Wednesday about life under the company’s imminent new owner. Rupert Murdoch’s ,6-billion takeover of the Wall Street Journal‘s publisher prompted a mixture of resignation and angst, with frustration that so many members of the Bancroft family had accepted News Corporation’s money.
The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) on Wednesday denied assertions that it had blacklisted commentators on the Middle East. This was after the South African Jewish Board of Deputies met the broadcaster to discuss their concerns of a perceived anti-Semitic bias on the part of SABC.
The Department of Minerals and Energy Affairs would not intervene in the strike by fuel production workers, but would monitor developments and supply levels, a spokesperson said on Wednesday. ”Although we have a concern, this is basically an employer issue and we do not really have a mandate [to intervene], said Sputnik Ratau.
Unesco called on Wednesday on the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to urgently stop the slaughter of mountain gorillas in a national park where four were found killed last month. Unesco said that another female gorilla and her young were also reported missing and that seven gorillas had now been shot in the Virunga National Park.
South Africa’s rand steadied against the dollar on Thursday but traders said volatility is likely to persist due to uncertainties in global financial markets. At 6.30am GMT, the rand stood at 7,11 to the dollar at 6.30am GMT, not far off its New York close of 7,10 on Wednesday.
Michael Phelps grabbed the spotlight at the United States swimming nationals on Wednesday, scooping a pair of titles while narrowly missing out on a world record in the 200m backstroke in Indianapolis. Phelps, who set himself an ambitious 10-event programme, got the meet off to a quiet start on Tuesday failing to qualify for the final of the 200m breaststroke.