No image available
/ 5 December 2003
Tens of thousands of factory workers in Shanghai have been ordered to work nights because of power shortages caused by the rapid growth of China’s economy. Shanghai has also urged shop owners to turn down thermostats and conserve electricity.
No image available
/ 5 December 2003
If they thought it was an open-and-shut case, prosecutors investigating child abuse allegations against Michael Jackson got it badly wrong. Just 10 days after the heavily publicised police raid on the singer’s Neverland ranch, the inquiry has hit several embarrassing snags.
No image available
/ 5 December 2003
South African provincial tender boards are to be phased out as part of a wide-ranging revamp of the government’s supply-chain management, the National Treasury said on Friday. The National Treasury is in the process of issuing practice notes, which deal with specific issues relating to supply-chain management.
No image available
/ 5 December 2003
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II called on Commonwealth leaders to fight poverty and build peace, as she opened a summit of the 54-nation grouping on Friday that is likely to focus on its rift over Zimbabwe. "Your decisions can make a real difference to people’s lives," the queen said.
<li><a class=’standardtextsmall’ href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=24516">’Trade barriers should go'</a>
No image available
/ 5 December 2003
Women were among those badly beaten during a demonstration held in Zimbabwe’s second-largest city of Bulawayo on Wednesday. Some were unaware of the protest until it was too late. Others, however, were there for a reason — including Jenni Williams, head of the pressure group Women of Zimbabwe Arise.
No image available
/ 5 December 2003
No one who has followed the Alix Carmichele case will accuse the South African legal system of being speedy and cheap. The litigation took more than eight years to complete. The troubling question that remains after this important victory concerns the ability of ordinary South Africans, who are not as fortunate as Carmichele.
No image available
/ 5 December 2003
The JSE Securities Exchange South Africa (JSE) remained in positive territory in noon trade on Friday, but was off the morning’s best levels after gold and platinum stocks surrendered their gains. Dealers said investors remained concerned about the effect of the rand’s long-term strength on earnings.
No image available
/ 5 December 2003
A 37-year-old woman was sentenced to 20 years in prison for giving her young son a fatal overdose of an adult sleeping pill. Dunitze Venter, who was sentenced on Thursday, will be deported to South Africa after completing her prison term. She pleaded guilty in September to second-degree murder in the death of her four-year-old son, Kyle.
No image available
/ 5 December 2003
”He’s as cool as an elf, he has the heart of a hobbit, and he’s as mad as a wizard.” That’s the awestruck opinion of Lord of the Rings star Orlando Bloom on a man who has more prestige than any director in Hollywood. Peter Bradshaw reports.
No image available
/ 5 December 2003
Most rappers don’t take much persuading to sing their own praises — and Wyclef Jean is no exception. He doesn’t stop at telling you, face-to-face, how cool and complex he is (”My songs are so famous, they’re like cover versions,” he says, to Caroline Sullivan.