Fifty-seven security guards have died since a strike in the industry began in March, the chairperson of a provident fund for the guards confirmed on Monday. Kevin Derrick, acting chairperson of the Private Security Industry Provident Fund, confirmed a report in Beeld newspaper, saying this was based on a study of newspaper reports since the strike began on March 23.
Darfur rebels were in Khartoum on Monday for the first time since signing a peace deal with the Sudanese government last month to end three years of conflict in the western region. The delegation from the largest rebel group was due to hold talks with the government on implementing the agreement signed in Nigeria.
Palestinian factions sought on Monday to find agreement on how to end a political crisis, deadly clashes and fiscal meltdown in a deal that could implicitly recognise Israel and avert a July referendum. Bitter rivals Hamas and the Fatah party of President Mahmoud Abbas were to meet late on Monday, nearing the end of a second round of crisis.
African and Western diplomats were discussing the details of a peacekeeping mission to Somalia, an African Union spokesperson said on Monday, after militias vowing to impose Islamic rule took over the capital. The meeting will not decide when peacekeepers will be deployed because the United Nations Security Council will have to first ease an arms embargo on Somalia.
Going on holiday can increase the likelihood of suicide in people suffering from clinical depression. ”A change of scene does not help a person with depression. It’s more likely to make them worry about the new environment they are in,” says Christa Roth-Sackenheim, chairperson of the professional Association of German Psychiatrists.
The JSE was in positive territory at midday on Monday, buoyed by firmer European markets, a weaker rand and an overhang from Thursday’s futures closeout. Gold stocks shone following a strong performance by their ADRs (American Depository Receipts) in New York on Friday.
Italian Emanuele Pirro and German duo Frank Biela and Marco Werner drove Audi to an historic victory in the Le Mans 24 hour race on Sunday. The Audi R10 finished four laps ahead of the Pescarolo driven by France’s Franck Montagny, world rally champion Sebastien Loeb and Eric Helary, to become the first diesel-powered car to win the famous endurance race.
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England have vowed to end their 38-year winless streak against Sweden in Cologne on Tuesday — even if the reward is a World Cup second-round showdown with host nation Germany. Fixture scheduling has left England heading into their final Group B match with the identity of their last 16 opponents in their own hands.
The national open-water swimming squad dominated proceedings at the French Cup event in Lodeve on Sunday. Once again the trio of Shaun Dias, Kenneth Smith and the promising Chad Ho produced an impressive performance that must augur well for the discipline in the future.
The Islamic alliance in control of key areas of Somalia on Monday urged world powers to pressure Ethiopia to withdraw troops from Somali territory, saying it would spawn more bloodshed in the Horn of Africa nation. Islamic clerics said several hundred Ethiopian troops had crossed into Somalia over the weekend.