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/ 22 December 2005
United Kingdom banking group Barclays plc now owns approximately 56% of South African banking group Absa, the group said on Thursday. This follows the acquisition earlier this year and the purchase of shares on the open market. Absa has also entered into agreements with Barclays for the acquisition of the Barclays South African Branch Business.
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/ 22 December 2005
The hotels may not be full and Israel’s ”wall” may have cut it off from Jerusalem, but after five years of misery, Bethlehem is looking forward to a slightly happier Christmas. The birthplace of Jesus Christ has been the scene of some of the most notorious episodes of the Palestinian uprising that erupted in September 2000.
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/ 22 December 2005
The centuries-old custom of blood feuds has gripped a part of Kosovo, threatening the lives of people in two clans as it did with thousands of ethnic Albanians in the past. The feud between the two clans began at the end of November when Fadil Mujota, a 36-year-old father of four, was shot dead at a gas station owned by the Beqaj family in the central village of Belinc.
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/ 21 December 2005
The life industries’ settlement of between R2,6-billlion and R3-billion has in part brought finality to the seven-month battle between the life industry and pension funds adjudicator. Recently the National Treasury and Life Offices Association issued statements that agreed to terms in which policy-holders will be reimbursed for fees recouped by life companies as a result of early surrender.
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/ 21 December 2005
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Wednesday Iran will ”not agree to any conditions whatsoever” for the resumption of talks with the European Union on its controversial nuclear programme. Mottaki said Iran is not interested in ”talks about talks” but in discussing how to keep nuclear technology within the country.
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/ 21 December 2005
Anglo-Dutch oil giant Shell in Nigeria was struggling on Wednesday to put out a fire that engulfed a pipeline allegedly sabotaged on Tuesday by unknown persons in the southern Niger Delta region, a company spokesperson said. The fire was apparently caused by a dynamite attack, according to an initial probe.
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/ 21 December 2005
This year’s matric exams were valid and credible, education quality assurance body Umalusi said on Wednesday in Pretoria. It found that the country’s matric, adult education and vocational examinations were conducted in line with policy and the results were valid, reliable, fair and credible, said Umalusi chairperson John Pampallis.
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/ 21 December 2005
Saddam Hussein was back in court on Wednesday on charges of crimes against humanity, calmly taking notes as a witness recounted how he and his family were tortured and beaten after an attempt on the ousted Iraqi dictator’s life. Saddam had defiantly boycotted the last hearing two weeks ago.
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/ 21 December 2005
A chemical spill from a zinc smelter has polluted the Beijiang River in southern China’s Guangdong province, forcing the suspension of water supplies in two cities, state media said on Wednesday. Cadmium levels reached 10 times the safety limit near Shaoguan city on the Beijiang.