ROBERT MACPHERSON, Luxembourg | Tuesday EU foreign ministers set the wheels in motion on Monday to impose sanctions on Zimbabwe if it fails to make immediate progress towards greater democracy. Meeting in Luxembourg, they put into action Article 96 of the Cotonou agreement that governs relations between the European Union and its African-Caribbean-Pacific partners. That […]

Maputo | Tuesday SOUTH African financial giant Absa will take over Mozambique’s scandal-plagued commercial bank Banco Austral after months of difficult negotiations, the government announced on Tuesday. Banco Austral was Mozambique’s largest bank until its privatisation three years ago. A Malaysian-led consortium bought 51% of the bank, but then it quickly racked up more than […]

Kabul | Sunday US warplanes carried out punishing new raids on Afghan cities on Sunday, with one attack on Kabul killing at least 10 civilians including eight children. One bomb devastated three homes in a poor part of the Afghan capital. A couple and six of their children were killed in one house and two […]

Cape Town | Tuesday THE elite Scorpions investigating unit’s decision to secretly film and record the trial of Pagad members charged with the murder of gang boss Rashaad Staggie was ”unheard of”, lawyers said on Tuesday. The devices were installed in the court with the permission of Cape Town Judge President John Hlophe. Two secret […]

A DURBAN fisherman drowned near New Pier 204 at Maydon Harbour while another is still missing after rough seas capsized their fishing boat on Sunday, KwaZulu-Natal police said on Monday. Superintendent Vasie Naidu said five men were on board the fishing boat when it was capsized by rough seas. All five men were thrown overboard. […]

Cape Town | Tuesday THERE is unlikely to ever be a single ”magic bullet” that can solve the problem of poor soils in Africa, but there are signs that genetically modified (GM) crops could be one element in a broader solution, says Professor Jennifer Thomson of the University of Cape Town. In a submission to […]

Johannesburg | Tuesday JUBILEE SA on Monday reiterated its call for the cancellation of debts incurred by the apartheid government, following reports that Switzerland entered into a bilateral agreement with South Africa in 1986. According to weekend reports in Switzerland, apartheid-era chemical and biological warfare expert Dr Wouter Basson collaborated with former Swiss secret service […]

Cape Town | Tuesday FINANCE Minister Trevor Manuel will unveil the Treasury’s three-year spending plans on Tuesday in his Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS). It is expected to include lower economic growth forecasts, and a new set of inflation targets for post 2002. The SA Revenue Service (Sars) is tipped to again outstrip its […]

Islamabad | Friday HEAVY US bombing of Kabul on Friday left two young girls dead in a village near the city’s airport and destroyed two Red Cross warehouses. Taliban officials claim over 1 000 civilians have died since US airstrikes began on October 7 but only a handful have been confirmed independently. Following is a […]