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/ 12 October 2005
Global brewing giant SABMiller plc said on Wednesday that the group’s financial performance in the six-month period to September 30 this year was "in line with management’s expectations", and organic growth of about 5% in lager volumes was recorded.
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/ 12 October 2005
South Africa’s broadband market is expected to be dominated by mobile and wireless technologies as service providers and mobile networks look to reach a larger segment of the market with always-on internet access offerings, Nashua Mobile managing director Mark Taylor said on Wednesday.
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/ 12 October 2005
In a little more than two months’ time, the future course of global trade and development will be shaped at a meeting of trade ministers in Hong Kong. This is when the final contours of the Doha Development Agenda, the current trade negotiations round, are likely to become clear.
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/ 12 October 2005
"Few people have the energy to plough through government department annual reports, whose cumbersome format, prescribed by regulation, is often less than informative. The Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, had attempted to go beyond that format to highlight key outcomes" in short "state of the sector" summaries, writes Mike Muller.
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/ 11 October 2005
"It is a lie that the press operates freer here than in Zimbabwe," says Trevor Ncube, publisher of the <i>Mail & Guardian</i>. Charlene Smith probes why he says that, assesses the <i>M&G</i> at 20 years, and reflects on press freedom at SA’s weekly newspapers.
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/ 11 October 2005
Out with the term "educator" and bring back "teacher". This is one of 40 recommendations contained in report entitled <i>A National Framework for Teacher Education in South Africa</i>. The report was produced by the ministerial committee on teacher education, initially set up in February 2003 to look at how current policies could be drawn into a unified system for teacher development.
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/ 11 October 2005
World Teachers’ Day is usually an opportunity for great cheers of admiration for the many thousands who strive to do right by the 12-million or so youngsters in our schooling system. To those of you who do honour your professional duties, I add my voice of appreciation.
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/ 11 October 2005
Teachers around the world share their experiences in celebration World Teacher’s Day on October 5.
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/ 10 October 2005
Conservative leader Angela Merkel said on Monday she will be the next chancellor of Germany at the head of a coalition uniting the country’s two main parties, and will focus on reviving the economy. "The union will occupy the chancellery," Merkel said, in a reference to her Christian Democratic Union.
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/ 10 October 2005
Political commentator Frederik van Zyl Slabbert believes more say by voters over their public representatives, not floor-crossing, is what is needed in South Africa’s electoral system. He spoke to the <i>Mail& Guardian</i>.
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/ 10 October 2005
It has been 10 years of profits as usual for the pharmaceutical industry. But the recent judgement in the Constitutional Court may finally have breathed life into the Medicines and Related Substances Control Act, giving consumers some hope of relief from high prices.
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/ 10 October 2005
Recent figures from the Life Offices Association show that the sale of retirement annuities as a percentage of the life industry business has fallen over the past six months. With the bad publicity and rulings against the life industry by the Pension Funds Adjudicator, it would appear that investors have real concerns about the appropriateness of RAs as a savings vehicle.
European countries responded swiftly to Saturday’s massive earthquake that hit Pakistan, India and Afghanistan, offering aid and funds as well as condolences. The European Union’s executive arm, said up to â,¬3-million could be approved within a day if requested by agencies working on the ground.
On July 22 this year a young Brazilian, Jean Charles de Menezes, was killed by police guarding the Stockwell underground station in London. At first the killing was justified by the police who said De Menezes had been wearing a bulky anorak, had refused to stop when challenged for questioning, had leapt over a barrier and run down into the underground station.
Months after initially announcing its intention to go into the heavy passenger bus market, Volkswagen South Africa is to immediately start marketing and selling its first bus, the "Volksbus". Volkswagen said the initial range will comprise 9,17 and 18 tonne buses with a passenger capacity between 16 and 65 depending on the configuration.
The moral and political imperatives underpinning transformation, affirmative action and black empowerment are eroded by those who use these as smokescreens to pursue their selfish interests, writes Mike van Graan.
Maybe the Pathfinder weighs as much as a Sherman tank, maybe it could drink a Kuwaiti oil well dry, and maybe it’s a bit of a bitch to park, but I actually don’t give a toss. I love it. I love the feeling of security you get from being able to see over all the cars in a traffic jam.
Telkom’s billing structure allows for profit margins of up to 1 500% on some calls, according to a report asking for telecommunications reform. The report, titled <i>Reforming Tele-communications in South Africa: Twelve Steps for Lowering Costs and Improving Access</i>, states that cellphone operators charge Telkom an interconnection fee to terminate a call on its network.
The National Intelligence Agency’s counsel at the Khampepe commission, George Bizos, struck the right note this week on the question of oversight of the specialised crime-fighting unit, the Scorpions. If there were problems with controls over the Scorpions, Bizos argued, these could be specifically addressed, without the police having to swallow the unit — head, body and sting.
Marine scientists from South Africa’s Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) were part of a group of international scientists studying a female great white shark, which crossed the Indian Ocean from South Africa to Australia and back within a record-breaking 99 days, DEAT reported on Thursday.
Creditors of DRDGold’s North West operations, including organised labour, have approved the planned R45-million acquisition of the Buffelsfontein Gold Mines by listed mining group Simmer & Jack Mines, Simmers said on Thursday. The approval from creditors comes hours after permission from the Competition Commission was granted for the arrangement.
Trade union Solidarity said on Thursday that it had lodged a legal process against Nationwide Airlines by declaring a dispute with the airline at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration. The trade union said in a statement that the airline had been charged with unfair discrimination and victimisation of its members.
The British government has told Airbus that it is ready to provide repayable aid to support the launch of the A350, the long-range aircraft at the forefront of an Euopean Union-United States civil aviation subsidy row, the <i>Financial Times</i> said on Thursday.
Royal Bafokeng Finance, an investment arm of the Royal Bafokeng Nation, is to acquire the entire shareholding in Fraser Alexander, one of South Africa’s oldest services groups to the mining and industrial sectors, with operations in Southern Africa and Chile.
Most <i>Scrabble</i> players presented with a rack containing a tile marked "LL" would be both puzzled and stuck. But for players of the newly released Welsh edition of the popular word game, it’s an easy score. Released on Wednesday, the new edition is aimed at the estimated 500Â 000 speakers of Welsh.
Oil industry executives, petroleum ministers and other role players traipsed into Johannesburg recently for the so-called "Olympics of the global oil and gas trade", which was staged in Africa for the first time. The event itself was the 18th World Petroleum Congress which brings together the World Petroleum Council’s 60 members.
Some local rich guy most of us had never heard of before was killed this week — but in far more interesting news, go stare at the joyful behind-the-scenes classic pic, which I’ll subtly call Chewbacca Gropes Princess Leia. If like me, you’ve also thought about taking some superglue and gluing toilet-paper rolls to local statues’ hands to liven them up, there’s a lovely alternative.
The South Africa Foundation on Tuesday launched a new report that focuses on 12 specific proposals for ways to lower telecommunications costs and widen access. The report comes a week ahead of the telecommunication-pricing indaba. The second round of the government-hosted two-day colloquium will take place in Gauteng.
Listed hospital group Medi-Clinic on Monday announced a black economic empowerment (BEE) transaction valued at R1,1-billion in which it plans to sell a 15% equity stake to strategic black empowerment partners (with 11%) and participating Medi-Clinic staff (4%), based on a share price of R18,40 per Medi-Clinic share.
A former snowboard champion turned sports cameraman and a friend were convicted by a French court on Monday for making a video in which pornographic images were flash-cut into a DVD production about snowboarding. "I did it as a laugh, but it was a bad joke," Julien Joud told the court in the eastern French city of Grenoble.
Rob Davies, one of two deputy ministers of trade and industry, chairs an expert group on industrial policy that is helping to formulate the government’s plan to push economic growth past 6% while reducing poverty and unemployment. He spoke to the <i>Mail & Guardian</i> about directing more resources to strategic areas of the economy.
A museum in Portugal will later this year unveil a metal reproduction of Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho’s iconic grey coat that he wore on the touchlines last season, public television RTP reported. The replica will go on display at Lisbon’s Fashion and Clothing Museum as part of a temporary exhibit.