Chuck Prince is the chief executive of Citigroup, one of the world’s biggest financial institutions. He is an extremely rich man. Whether he is a wise man, though, is an entirely different matter. I say this purely on the basis of an interview Prince gave to the <i>Financial Times</i> less than three weeks ago, writes Larry Elliot.
The JSE lost 7% last week, recovered dramatically on Monday and Tuesday, only to fall out of bed again on Wednesday, bleeding 3% just in morning trade. The latest credit extension numbers were higher than expected at 24,9%, resulting in analysts’ consensus for a further rate hike this month, which was looking likely anyway as the rand collapsed from R6,80 to R7,20 to the dollar.
Tendai Biti is the secretary general of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) faction led by Morgan Tsvangirai and Paul Themba Nyathi is the secretary general of the MDC led by Arthur Mutambara. The <i>Mail & Guardian</i>’s Percy Zvomuya speaks to both men about the future of the party.
There are many good reasons for communists to exist. Anti-communists cite the plentiful examples provided by the 20th century of rampant corruption, dictatorship and mass impoverishment associated with such regimes, in which the comrade leaders lived it up far from the unwelcome gaze of the proletariat.
As a country we do not do too well on the green front. We are generally energy inefficient and wasteful. But we can take a small measure of pride next month when the first solar panels resulting from South African taxpayer-funded research and development come out of a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant costing upwards of R500-million.
Paul Lee got his liver from an executed Chinese prisoner; Karam in Egypt bought a kidney for his sister for  300; in Istanbul, Hakan is holding out for  700 for one of his kidneys. They are not so unusual: a dire shortage of donated organs in rich countries is sending foreigners with end-stage illnesses to poorer places like China, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Colombia and the Philippines to buy a new lease of life.
The trade and industry department has unveiled its new industrial policy at last — it is the most ambitious state-driven job-creation initiative since the Reconstruction and Development Programme. The policy centrally involves the targeting of selected industrial sectors for state support, including financing.
The 2007 Africa Competitiveness Report — a joint effort of the World Economic Forum, the World Bank and the African Development Bank — identifies low overall competitiveness as one of the main obstacles to maintaining high growth levels across the African continent. Key to encouraging sustained growth is the development of sound business policies.
Afghan forces have killed 21 Taliban insurgents in the southern province of Zabul, a provincial official said on Monday. ”We received intelligence that a sizeable group of Taliban militants were gathered in the Shah Joy district of Zabul in an attempt to block the Kabul-Kandahar highway, and to launch attacks on Afghan and foreign forces,” said provincial deputy governor Gulab Shah Alikhil.
The political tale of South Africa is one of noble leadership. It is a story scripted by powerful and humane beings from the times of Langalibalele Dube, Tshekiso Plaatjie, Pixley ka Isaka Seme and Mvumbi Luthuli. They are part of a long list of men and women from different political persuasions who crafted the story and lived their lives in a way that did not clash with the script.