South African retail-sales growth jumped to 10,1% year-on-year in March, official data showed on Wednesday, pointing to persistently high consumer spending and supporting the case for higher interest rates. A robust consumer appetite has been the main driver of faster growth in Africa’s biggest economy in recent years, but has added to inflationary pressures.
Small Aids organisations in Malawi are being monitored after a recent move by the National Aids Commission to suspend financial aid.
A R12-billion monorail will be built between Johannesburg and Soweto in the next two years, it was announced on Wednesday. "By 2009, no one from Soweto should have to wait more than 15 minutes for transport," Gauteng finance and economic affairs minister Paul Mashatile said at the launch of the project in Sandton.
Nicolas Sarkozy succeeded Jacques Chirac as French president on Wednesday in a simple ceremony, promising to revitalise France and restore national pride. Sarkozy was inaugurated under the chandeliers of the Elysee Palace, which will be his home for the next five years, shortly after his predecessor drove off into retirement.
The JSE was a touch higher at noon on Wednesday with further gains capped by a weaker tone in gold-mining stocks, while grocer retailer Shoprite fell on news that takeover talks have been terminated. At 12pm, the all-share index was up 0,18%. Resources gained 0,28%, the platinum-mining index was up 0,44%, but the gold-mining index gave up 0,73%.
A 6,1-magnitude earthquake struck northern Laos on Wednesday, shaking buildings as far away as Bangkok, about 800km to the south, and Hanoi to the east. Shoppers fled some of the Thai capital’s many malls in panic and some high-rise office blocks were evacuated after they swayed.
Sotheby’s auction house in New York has fetched a record amount of cash for contemporary art work with the sale of a painting by United States abstract artist Mark Rothko for ,8-million. The canvas by the Latvian-born painter, entitled Yellow, Pink, Lavender on Rose, had been valued at about -million.
The Bedfordview power failure was caused by an oil leakage in an oil-filled cable, Eskom said on Wednesday. ”The problem initially arose in February this year when the Bedfordview/Croydon 132kV oil-filled cable tripped due to oil leakage,” Eskom said in a statement.
Nigerian militants used dynamite to blow up the home of vice-president-elect Goodluck Jonathan in southern Bayelsa State early on Wednesday, killing two police officers, police said. Jonathan was not in his village of Otu-Eke at the time of the attack on his country home, federal police spokesperson Haz Iwendi said.
Zimbabwe farmers have only planted 10% of the targeted winter wheat-crop hectarage just two weeks before the recommended planting deadline lapses, official media reported, stoking fears of bread shortages. The Southern African country has grappled with shortages of food since 2001.