Western Areas has announced the resignation of Brett Kebble as CEO of the company with effect from August 24, while also unveiling the details of its rights offer. Kebble has also resigned as CEO of fellow mining group JCI, but will remain on the JCI board as a non-executive director.
Thousands of Arab Sunnis took to the streets of Iraq on Monday to demonstrate against the country’s draft Constitution — but a moderate Sunni group hinted it might back the Constitution in a referendum due in October. Sunnis opposed to the Constitution have found common cause with maverick Shias such as Moqtada al-Sadr, who reject a federal state.
Guitars and a touch of politics struck a louder note than urban sounds at the MTV video music awards as Green Day celebrated 16 years in punk rock by winning seven prizes. But the ceremony in Miami was overshadowed by gunfire after the shooting of a rap record company boss shortly before the gala event
Genetically modified organisms (GMO) food production is growing worldwide despite vigorous anti-GMO campaigning, according to major agricultural seed and pesticide company Monsanto. South Africa planted 400 000 hectares of GM crops, and a large percentage was grown by smallholder emergent farmers.
Media group Caxton and CTP Publishers and Printers lifted headline earnings per share from 75 cents to 94 cents for the year ended June — an increase of 26%. This was achieved on the back of a 10% growth in turnover from R2,9-billion to R3,2-billion.
As dawn broke over the ravaged Gulf of Mexico coastline on Tuesday, rescuers in boats and helicopters furiously searched for survivors of Hurricane Katrina. The governor said the death toll in just one Mississippi county could be as high as 80. ”The devastation down there is just enormous,” said Governor Haley Barbour.
A corruption scandal centred on Brazil’s governing Workers Party has been gathering momentum on a daily basis since it broke two months ago. But the great paradox of the situation is that President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silvas’s grip on power seems undiminished.
Villagers said a meteorite that slammed into rural Zimbabwe sounded like a helicopter as it landed, state media reported on Tuesday. The 4,1kg, white-speckled black lump landed on August 22 in the remote Dotito area of the Zambezi escarpment, about 140km north of the capital, Harare.
A drinking and dancing celebration by the king’s daughter shocked a Swazi traditionalist enough for him to deliver a spanking to the teenage princess, and cast a pall over Swaziland’s annual royal bride-choosing rites. Royal officials had tried to keep word of Princess Sikhanyiso’s party quiet, but acknowledged it late on Monday.
Following several power cuts in Johannesburg, an independent audit has identified serious problems concerning the city’s electricity supplier. These include serious transformer leaks — some at major infeed stations — and the insufficient maintenance of battery systems, the National Electricity Regulator said on Tuesday.