There were no major fireworks on the JSE at midday on Wednesday, with the market being stagnant — only slightly up from early trade — as United States markets were closed for the July 4 Independence Day. At 12pm, the all-share index was up 0,39%. Resources strengthened 0,51%, while the gold and platinum indices added 0,30% and 1% respectively.
In the long phoney war of the 2008 United States elections there have been thousands of articles written about Hillary Clinton’s bid to become the first woman president. Much less notice has been paid to the efforts being made quietly for Bill Clinton to become the first First Husband in American history.
A Nigerian militant group responsible for most of the attacks that have crippled the country’s oil industry has called off a one-month truce, the group’s spokesperson said on Wednesday. Gunmen attacked an oil rig and kidnapped five expatriates overnight, police said.
Charles Taylor will get hundreds of thousands of dollars of legal aid to defend charges of war crimes in Sierra Leone, despite suspicions he is hiding huge personal wealth. The former Liberian president faces 11 charges at the United Nations-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone, including instigating murder, rape and terrorism.
Two armed men disguised as Muslim women in burqas held up a bank in Sarajevo and got away with some 000. They said the pair entered a Union bank branch in the capital wearing head-to-toe black dresses and veils typical of women adhering to the orthodox Islamic code and trained guns on customers.
A tornado swept across eastern China, killing 14 people and injuring 146, state media reported on Wednesday, the latest casualties from bad weather that has devastated parts of the country this summer. The tornado hit three villages around Tianchang in Anhui province on Tuesday, destroying more than 100 houses.
European Union officials have signalled that they will ban subsidies for biofuels in cases where their production causes serious environmental damage. Staff at the union’s executive arm, the European Commission, have now recognised that the production of biofuels can be ecologically destructive.
Australia have made three changes to their starting team for Saturday’s Tri-Nations clash against South Africa at the Olympic stadium. Stephen Hoiles and Adam Freier replaced the injured pair Wycliff Palu and Stephen Moore while Mark Gerrard was called in for suspended winger Lote Tuqiri.
Zimbabwe is a sore thumb for the African continent which last year enjoyed an average economic growth of around 4,5%, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Tuesday. ”Consumer prices altogether came down to single digit, excluding Zimbabwe,” said IMF deputy managing director Takatoshi Kato.
The Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI) has requested that the closing date for nominations for the next board of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) be extended. The FXI criticised Parliament’s portfolio committee on communications in its handling of the process, urging it to heed the letter and spirit of the Broadcasting Act.