The JSE was in positive territory in noon trade on Wednesday after the turnaround on the Dow overnight encouraged investors. The gains came on thin volumes however. By 12.03pm, the all share index added 0,55%, while the all share industrial and financial indices firmed 0,39% and 0,73% respectively.
Responding well to criticism has never been among Bill O’Reilly’s strong points. The star of America’s most-watched cable news show, shown daily on Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News channel, has a habit of yelling at guests who disagree with him to ”shut up”.
President George Bush on Tuesday agreed to send more United States troops into Baghdad to help the Iraqi government of Nuri al-Maliki curb the escalating violence now claiming an estimated 100 lives a day. The US troops will be redeployed from other areas of Iraq where Bush said progress is being made, and will be sent into the capital alongside Iraqi government reinforcements.
Prop Rodney Blake returns from an ankle injury for his third Test in the only Australian change announced on Wednesday to its team for the Tri-Nations rugby match against New Zealand. Blake, who will make his hometown debut at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium on Saturday, replaces Guy Shepherdson. Blake missed Australia’s 49-0 victory over South Africa 10 days ago.
A defiant Saddam Hussein, who has been receiving medical care for his hunger strike to protest against his trial for crimes against humanity, said on Wednesday that he was brought to court against his will. The defence team for the former leader and seven co-accused boycotted the latest session in a trial approaching its conclusion.
Naspers took the plunge last week when it merged its digital division with MWeb Studios, the division responsible for the development of web-based services, to form local internet portal <i>24.com</i>. CEO Kim Reid said: "We think the South African internet environment is ready for an offering like this."
Millionaire Zimbabwean businessman John Bredenkamp was freed on bail late on Tuesday after four days in custody. Bredenkamp (66) was arrested in a dawn raid on Friday at his farm outside Harare for suspected tax evasion, foreign currency and passport violations. Bredenkamp told reporters he did not regret returning to Zimbabwe last week to confront the accusations against him.
Election banners festoon the rutted main road that divides the village, but no candidates have come to press for votes from these cassava farmers whose lives seem locked in another century. Three stopped clocks adorn a wall of the chief’s home. They’re only 100km south of Kinshasa, the capital, but have no electricity.
Police in France said on Tuesday they had thwarted an attempt by a group of marijuana smokers to roll the world’s longest joint by seizing a work-in-progress measuring 80cm in length. "At some point, these young people had wanted to craft a joint of 1,12m to beat the world record in the discipline and get it officially registered," said a police officer in eastern France.
Injury-hit South Africa received unexpected support for the first Test against Sri Lanka starting in Colombo on Thursday from the man likely to cause them the biggest headache. Sri Lanka’s prolific spinner Muttiah Muralitharan said the Proteas will be tough to beat in the two-match series despite being crippled by the absence of three key players, including captain Graeme Smith.