South African Minister of Public Enterprises Alec Erwin has been urged by the official opposition to break his silence on the government’s privatisation plans. A Democratic Alliance spokesperson said: "Too many contradictory messages have been sent into the market place and investors are rightly feeling confused and uncertain."
Britain’s influential Financial Times newspaper on Wednesday demanded the resignation of United States Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld over the abuse and torture of Iraqi prisoners and issued a stinging criticism of his boss, George Bush.
The world is at a crucial moment in the course of the HIV/Aids epidemic, with a chance to stem the progress of the disease that has become the leading cause of adult deaths worldwide, according to a report from the World Health Organisation. The report, Changing History, says a major transfer of resources from the rich world to the poor would be needed to conquer the epidemic.
"The stability of any government is measured by the freedom it gives to the press," says Kenyan media activist Mitch Odero, adding that a "clean" government should not be worried about the press. But recent statements by Kenyan authorities indicate that they have a less sanguine view of the country’s journalists.
Gold stocks shone on Wednesday in noon trade on the JSE Securities Exchange South Africa (JSE), which was flat overall after a quiet morning’s trade. Solid corporate results released before the opening were also positive for the local bourse, but these influences were offset by a firmer rand and weaker European markets.
If banks cannot identify their clients before June 30 they have until the end of the week to apply for an extension, the Financial Intelligence Centre said on Wednesday. Banks can petition finance minister Trevor Manuel for an exemption in terms of the Financial Intelligence Centre Act.
Zimbabwe has revoked 13 exclusive mining prospecting rights for three companies, including giants Rio Tinto and Anglo American, the government has announced. According to the latest weekly government gazette, the cancelled rights had been granted between two and three years ago.
New IMF boss Rodrigo Rato said on Tuesday surging oil prices, which hit a fresh 1990 closing high minutes after he spoke, are disrupting financial markets. Rato, the incoming managing director of the International Monetary Fund, welcomed a call by Saudi Arabia for Opec to boost output by 1,5-million barrels per day.
Like many Americans, Reverend David Byrum has been struggling to reconcile the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by American soldiers with his notion of what it is to be an American. ”I always took comfort in the fact that my country didn’t commit the types of atrocities that some others have,” he said. ”This hurts.”
Banco Austral, the Mozambican bank within the Absa Group, has announced solid growth in earnings for the year ended March 31 2004, the second consecutive year since Absa acquired it that the Mozambican bank has shown positive growth. The strong performance is attributed to a focus on the core capabilities of the bank.