With smiles all around and a well-timed pat on the back, the two most powerful figures in British politics made a carefully choreographed attempt on Wednesday to dispel talk of a bitter rift between them. Prime Minister Tony Blair and his heir apparent, Gordon Brown, put on a show of solidarity as they launched the start of the Labour Party’s campaign for the May 4 local-council elections.
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Jacob Zuma was surprised that the woman who accuses him of rape left his bedroom after they had sex, the Johannesburg High Court heard on Wednesday. He agreed with prosecutor Charin de Beer that he thought the woman would spend the rest of the night in his bed.
A 24-year-old man tried to sell his soul on China’s most popular auction website and managed to get 58 bids before operators pulled his ad, he told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Wednesday. "It was just an impulse," the seller, who requested anonymity, said from Shanghai. The man posted the announcement on Taobao last week, asking a starting price of 10 yuan ($1,23).
Former deputy president Jacob Zuma was playing with fire when he had unprotected sex with an HIV-positive woman, says the CEO of loveLife, South Africa’s national HIV-prevention programme for youth. Zuma has been accused of raping an HIV-positive woman and is currently on trial in the Johannesburg High Court.
Global truck giant AB Volvo has acquired a 13% stake in truck manufacturer Nissan Diesel Japan but the transaction will leave the South African operations unchanged, the Swedish firm said in a statement on Wednesday. Following the conclusion of the deal, AB Volvo has become Nissan Diesel’s single largest shareholder with Nissan Motor retaining a 6% share.
The South African wine industry marked a milestone on Wednesday with the launch of Women in Wine, the country’s first wine producing company that is owned, controlled and managed by women, during the second day of Cape Wine 2006, the industry’s bi-annual international trade exhibition.
Johannesburg residents were left high and dry for about 24 hours this week, but the city’s water agency says the infrastructure is in "fairly good" shape. On April 1 pressure from a burst water pipe at the corner of Mooi and Anderson Streets in central Johannesburg caused the road to crack open and sent water gushing into the air.
At least 36 people were drowned when their boat capsized during a heavy storm on Lake Victoria, Tanzanian officials said on Wednesday. Ignas Mbinga, the regional police commander for western Tanzania, said only nine people survived the accident, which occurred when heavy winds and waves swamped and caused the fishing boat to keel over.
Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein launched into a new tirade against his trial on Wednesday and lambasted the interior ministry as the tumultuous process resumed after a three week break. The only defendant in the court, Saddam Hussein was dressed in a crisp black suit and appeared composed as judge Rauf Abdel Rahman reopened his trial on crimes against humanity at the high-security Baghdad courthouse.
The JSE roared to another record high on Wednesday morning, led by resources heavyweights Anglo American and BHP Billiton, which continued to gain ground in London. Dealers expressed surprise at the JSE’s rally, given the rand’s continued strength and the fact that commodity prices had eased from their overnight highs.