The Democratic Alliance wants the army to be called in to ensure that a protest march by the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) in Johannesburg is peaceful. ”The DA in Gauteng would like to call on the provincial government to deploy resting army units to the Jo’burg CBD to ensure that the Cosatu strike does not get out of hand,” the DA’s Brian Goodall said.
Iran’s hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday mocked countries that are against Iran’s controversial nuclear programme as suffering from mental problems, the ISNA student news agency said. ”Those [countries] who get upset at the happiness and progress of others are suffering from a mental problem and should find a way to cure themselves,” Ahmadinejad said.
The JSE remained in the red in noon trade on Thursday after plunging at the opening following a sell-off on world markets overnight. The bourse was off its lows, however, helped by bargain hunting as well as strength in heavyweight resources stocks in London.
The world’s first "theme park" dedicated to sex and relationships is set to open in London’s bustling West End later this summer, its promoters said on Thursday. Amora: The Academy of Sex and Relationships, featuring "high-tech and interactive exhibits together with new media displays," expects up to 600 000 visitors within its first year in the Trocadero Centre at Piccadilly Circus.
By rights, last week’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) Show in Los Angeles should have belonged to Sony. With 100-million PlayStation 2 owners on tenterhooks for news of the PlayStation 3, the Japanese consumer electronics giant duly released detailed information about the PlayStation’s launch and pricing; but a strangely flat performance from the company and an absence of compelling PS3 games left an underwhelming impression.
The next version of Microsoft Office, expected in January, represents a dramatic break with the past, at least by Office standards. The core applications have a whole new user interface and use a new file format, the first since 1997. Office 2007 also presents something of a new strategy, as Microsoft attempts to see off several major competitors — most important being Microsoft Office 2003, Office XP and Office 2000.
The death toll climbed to eight after Typhoon Chanchu hit southern China’s Guangdong province early on Thursday, while more than 900 000 people were evacuated, an official and state media said. The typhoon killed 41 people and left thousands homeless when it tore through the Philippines last week.
Rowan Williams-Short, chief investment officer of Nedgroup Investment Advisers (United Kingdom), warned at a national Nedgroup Investments road show this month that South African investors should avoid international emerging markets, including China (even though headline-grabbing articles may make it seem tempting) when investing offshore.
The first quarter of 2006 has seen the South African market once again setting a blistering pace. Despite the massive 195% that the JSE is up after the lows of March 2003, the market is showing no signs of abating, rising 13% in the first quarter alone. This should not come as a huge surprise.
The persistent global build-up of dollar reserves by central banks in the face of ongoing United States foreign trade deficits is likely to boost the demand for gold, says Absa’s chief economist. "As dollar reserves keep rising, central banks are becoming exposed to the danger that, at some stage in the future they will not be able to mobilise these dollar reserves if they decide to do so."