Worried that the lights could go out, European Union chiefs will press President Vladimir Putin on Thursday to agree new rules on future Russian oil and gas supplies, pricing and investment. But Moscow is in no mood to haggle. It has already rejected a proposed international energy charter.
Rescue dogs and 1 000 soldiers searched for bodies on Thursday under a sea of mud and debris in Thailand’s flood-hit north, following flash floods this week believed to have killed more than 100 people. The public health ministry reported 51 people dead and 87 missing from the flooding that began on Monday.
The White House on Wednesday ruled out previously authorised direct talks between Tehran and the United States ambassador in Baghdad, which were to have focused on the situation in Iraq. The move marks a hardening of the Bush administration’s position, despite pressure from the international community to enter into direct dialogue with Iran.
A New Zealand man with no arms has pleaded not guilty to dangerous driving after police stopped him for speeding on a major highway. The police officer who stopped the car on March 23 noticed the driver’s seat was reclined and the driver had his foot up on the dashboard. Then he saw Colin Smith (31) had no arms.
The medical industry is losing billions of rand a year due to fraudulent claims by doctors, dentists, pharmacists and optometrists, the Cape Times reported on Thursday. Its website quoted health-care funders as saying fraud is costing the industry up to R12-billion a year.
President Thabo Mbeki has urged the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to deal firmly with anyone seeking to destabilise that country, media reports said on Thursday. He said if South Africans are involved in attempts to overthrow the DRC government, strong action should be taken against them.
South African retailer Mr Price on Thursday reported a 48% rise in diluted headline earnings per share to 154,7 cents for the year ended March from 104,7 cents a year ago. A total distribution of 81 cents per share — based on a cover of two times — was declared, up from 60 cents last year.
The disciplinary inquiry into allegations of corporate mismanagement against former SA Rugby boss Brian van Rooyen ended without him on Wednesday. South African Rugby Union (Saru) CEO Johan Prinsloo, who testified at the hearing in Bloemfontein, said Van Rooyen’s absence was a matter of regret.
South African Airways (SAA) has agreed to pay a R55-million administrative penalty for contravening the Competition Act, the Competition Commission said on Wednesday. The airline will have to pay the whole amount before the end of May next year, said spokesperson Liziwe Konyana.
A senior United Nations official said on Wednesday that it is far too premature to talk about a UN plan that would involve the departure of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. Meanwhile, South African President Thabo Mbeki has expressed backing for a planned visit to Zimbabwe by UN chief Kofi Annan.