Zimbabwe’s government continues to step up its crackdown on dissent, using new repressive laws and state-sponsored violence to create a pervasive atmosphere of terror, critics said on Wednesday. Archbishop Pius Ncube, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Bulawayo in Zimbabwe’s western Matabeleland, told a news conference that the new repressive laws show ”Mugabe’s regime has made sure they can beat anyone into submission”.
Opposition is ‘selling out’ Zimbabwe
Zim govt shrugs off damning report
Four more football referees were arrested in Gauteng on Wednesday as part of the police’s ongoing crackdown on match fixing, police spokesperson senior superintendent Selby Bokaba said. Three were Premier Soccer League (PSL) referees and the fourth was a retired referee connected with the Vodacom league.
In what will be the first major inner-city development in South Africa for a black economic empowerment group, South Africa’s Coessa Holdings — acting in partnership with a Johannesburg businessman — plans to develop a new, R390-million residential, commercial and retail lifestyle centre in Cape Town, to be known as Icon.
Former South African president Nelson Mandela is to address a major international Aids conference in Bangkok, Thailand, next week.
While the Automobile Manufacturers Employers Organisation (Ameo) argued on Wednesday that it is too early to call for a strike in the car industry, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) remained adamant that strike action is on the cards before the end of the month. Numsa on Monday declared "war" against Ameo.
Standard & Poor’s (S&P) Ratings Services said on Wednesday it has assigned its B long-term and B short-term sovereign credit ratings to Mozambique. The outlook is positive. The ratings on Mozambique are supported by high export-led GDP growth — albeit from a low base — and strong donor support.
The finalisation of a $400-million debt and equity arrangement for the Moma titanium minerals project in the Nampula Province on the north eastern coast of Mozambique will provide a major boost to the South African government’s commitment to the sustainable development of the African region.
The JSE Securities Exchange (JSE) was in positive territory in noon trade on Wednesday despite a recovery in the rand. Dealers said that offshore buying was buoying the bourse, which was fairly quiet. At 11.57am, the all-share and all-share industrial indices were up 0,34% and 0,32% respectively.
The Democratic challenger, John Kerry, reached out to America’s heartland on Tuesday, choosing as his vice-presidential candidate a charismatic mill worker’s son who embodies Southern charm. The choice of John Edwards, a dazzling performer on the campaign trail, was made public at a rally in Pittsburgh, after weeks of feverish speculation.
The text on Sony’s new Librie electronic book reader doesn’t quite equal ink on a page in clarity, but it comes remarkably close. It’s easier on the eyes than any electronic display yet. The Librie is the first major consumer product to feature a long-in-the-works display technology that is designed to replace printed words on paper — so-called electronic ink.