The United Nations Security Council was on Monday mulling a United States resolution to impose sanctions on the militias in Sudan’s Darfur region, with opposition strong despite the scope of the humanitarian tragedy. Failure to agree on how to handle Sudan could lead to a split rather than unanimous vote on the resolution.
Attorneys representing one million smokers in a class-action lawsuit are urging justices to force tobacco giant Philip Morris USA to pay the ,1-billion judgement in the case. The lawsuit pertains to the cigarette-maker misleading smokers into believing that light cigarettes are less harmful than regular ones.
The JSE looked positive in noon trade on Tuesday on the back of basket buying by futures players. The rand traded slightly softer and a rebound on the Dow overnight added to the positive picture. Both the financial and banks indices firmed, while the all-share index was also stronger.
Villagers marooned by floods that have stranded at least two million people in northern Bangladesh said they were running out of food and fresh water on Tuesday as rescuers struggled to reach them. The country has been hit by torrential rains that have hampered rescue efforts.
FirstRand announced on Tuesday that Cyril Ramaphosa has resigned as a non-executive director of the banking group. "Mr Ramaphosa … has been offered an opportunity to participate in a BEE [black economic empowerment] transaction, which will result in a conflict of interest with his existing position," a statement said.
South African business will speak the common language of investors around the world for the first time when South Africa adopts global auditing standards on January 1 next year, the chairperson of the South African Auditing and Assurance Standards Board, Suresh Kana, said in a statement on Tuesday.
Anglican bishops from five nations, including the United States, Scotland and South Africa, have completed a two-day fact-finding mission to Swaziland. The delegation examined issues such as constitutional reform, economic development and the high HIV/Aids rate.
Police have made no progress in their search for Leigh Matthews, who was abducted on Friday and held to ransom, the investigating officer said on Monday. Her parents have offered a ”substantial” reward for any information leading to her return, and her mother has repeatedly said they will not try to prosecute anyone.
Call it the ultimate wireless network. From the ends of your fingers to the tips of your toes, the human body is a moving, throbbing collection of tubes and tunnels, filled with salty water and all capable of transmitting the lifeblood of the 21st century: information. And now the computer software giant Microsoft has been granted exclusive rights to this ability of the body to act as a computer network.
The latest cellphones come with a whole range of smart tricks, including the ability to catch viruses. They can pick up e-mail, access the Internet, play games, arrange your calendar — and now the latest ”smart phones” have moved another step closer to the PC; they, too, can pick up viruses. Recently, the first such cellphone virus was sent to anti-virus companies by a group of hackers.