Casting off an end-of-year lethargy, the United States economy bounded ahead in the opening quarter of this year at a 4,8% pace, the fastest pace of growth in two-and-a-half years. The increase in the gross domestic product marks a vast improvement from the feeble 1,7% annual rate registered in the final quarter of 2005.
Revellers in a British town are to have their fingerprints scanned when they enter pubs and clubs in a scheme launched on Friday aimed at weeding out drunken troublemakers, police said. Biometric finger-scanning machines have been installed at six venues in Yeovil, south-west England.
The Department of Correctional Services Department was accused by the South African Prisoners’ Organisation for Human Rights (Sapohr) on Friday of diverting R800-million from a prison-building project promised by the government about four years ago.
President Thabo Mbeki has warned against attempts to weaken and subvert South Africa’s hard-won democracy through violence and destruction. Writing in his weekly newsletter on the African National Congress website on Friday, Mbeki said the country will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Constitution next month.
The European Commission has donated €18-million to Southern African countries to modernise their customs systems and improve border posts, officials said. The commission and the 14-member Southern African Development Community regional bloc signed the deal in the Namibian capital late on Thursday.
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The belief that the rape charge against Jacob Zuma is part of a political conspiracy cannot be dismissed, his lawyer Kemp J Kemp told the Johannesburg High Court on Friday. ”It is not something that one can just dismiss out of hand,” said Kemp, summarising why he thinks Zuma is not guilty.
After starting very close to a record high, the JSE was lower at midday on Friday due to the increase in Chinese interest rates, which has sparked fears about the effect that this could have on demand for commodities, equity traders said. By 12.10pm, the all-share index was 1,34% weaker at 21 068,010.
Internet telephony provider Skype announced on Friday it now has more than 100-million registered users worldwide. Skype, which was bought last year for ,6-billion by online auctioneer eBay, said it has nearly doubled in size from September 2005 when 54-million people were using the service.
At least 27 people were feared drowned when a cargo boat on which they were traveling capsized during a heavy storm on Lake Victoria, Tanzanian police said on Thursday. The cargo vessel MV Nyamageni was carrying 27 people and 100 crates of soda and beer from the town of Bukoba to the port of Mwanza when it capsized on Saturday.
"I like to get to where I am going without a fuss. I also enjoy power steering, air conditioning and a radio for news." Cape Town mayor Helen Zille once spent an entire month’s salary on a traffic offence. She speaks to Sukasha Singh about cars.