BusinessLIVE - For Your Ear · TimesLIVE Podcasts

LETTER: Forget about secession

An argument one hears quite frequently these days is that the Western Cape has the right to set itself up as an independent country (and that all it would need to do would be to win a local referendum and obtain recognition from the international community). This is a load…

11 Aug 2020 10AM 1 min

Rise in virus cases eclipses India’s early signs of economic recovery

New Delhi — India’s economic activity monitors are beginning to flatline just months after showing signs of returning to life. Latest data from Apple and Alphabet’s Google showed mobility suffered in recent weeks after notching up an increase since May, when Asia’s third-largest economy began exiting a nationwide lockdown to…

11 Aug 2020 10AM 3 min

Time to shift from a profit-driven agenda to a new social contract

The novel coronavirus pandemic and consequent lockdown have devastated much of what we knew of life “BC” — before Covid-19. We will be tallying the toll of opportunities forgone, businesses disrupted or destroyed, lives lost and livelihoods demolished for decades to come. A significant part of that reckoning must include…

11 Aug 2020 9AM 4 min

Basic income grant could make a Big difference to women

Every year in August, gender issues are discussed in a slew of articles. It is not necessarily a bad thing to highlight perhaps the biggest challenge that intersects race, class and economic status in SA. But in 2020, Women’s Day was celebrated in the context of a revived policy proposal…

11 Aug 2020 9AM 6 min

Lebanese economy in tatters, along with its capital

Dubai — A few days before last week’s deadly explosion in Lebanon, Sarah al Sayed sold a $5,000 cheque at her Beirut money-changer for half its face value — just to get hold of physical dollar bills. If she tried today, she says she would get even less, with some…

11 Aug 2020 7AM 1 min

Brazil courts investors after its exploitation of the Amazon

Brasília — Faced with growing global outcry over its environmental policies, Brazil is now inviting foreign investors to help the country preserve the Amazon and other endangered areas of conservation. The approach marks a substantial departure from the combative style adopted last year by President Jair Bolsonaro, who not only…

11 Aug 2020 6AM 3 min

Historic protests in Thailand against army-backed state gain pace

Bangkok — Mostly student protesters in Thailand are stepping up pressure on the military-backed government, with calls for greater democracy and less power for the monarchy — a potentially explosive demand just as leaders struggle to handle the country’s worst economic crisis to date. Thousands of demonstrators gathered again on…

11 Aug 2020 6AM 7 min

Cape Town must talk first and litigate later, judge says in IPP case

The City of Cape Town, which was seeking the right through the courts to procure electricity directly from independent power producers (IPPs), has been told by judge Leonie Windell that it must first attempt to settle matters directly with the department of mineral resources and energy. The city has been…

11 Aug 2020 6AM 1 min

Public will soon be able to complain directly to NPA boss about dodgy officials

The public will soon be able to lodge complaints of improper conduct or corruption against National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) officials directly with their boss, Shamila Batohi’s office. NPA spokesperson Sipho Ngwema said on Monday that the German government has pledged about R9.5m towards this “critical drive to achieve the NPA’s…

11 Aug 2020 6AM 2 min

Russia crows about approving Covid-19 vaccine for rollout

Moscow — President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Russia has become the first country in the world to grant regulatory approval to a Covid-19 vaccine after less than two months of human testing, a move hailed by Moscow as evidence of its scientific prowess. The development paves the way…

11 Aug 2020 5AM 1 min

Oil prices rise on hopes of a US stimulus

London — Crude oil prices rose on Tuesday, underpinned by expectations of a US stimulus to help jump-start the world's biggest oil consumer, a rebound in Asian demand as economies reopen and a stronger stock market. Brent crude added 29 US cents, or 0.6%, to $45.28 a barrel, by 8.19am…

11 Aug 2020 5AM 2 min

World stocks edge to 5-month high on hopes of US stimulus package

London — World stocks edged to 5.5 month highs on Tuesday, lifted by bets that a US fiscal stimulus package will be reached and by signs that China-US tensions have eased ahead of a crucial round of trade talks. While investors took cheer from an order from US President Donald…

11 Aug 2020 5AM 4 min

‘Juancarlismo’ loses its sheen as legacy of Spanish king unravels

Picking the high point of Juan Carlos I’s reign is easy. In 1981, just a few years after Spain had restored democracy and monarchy in the wake of Gen Francisco Franco’s dictatorship, the king used his authority as commander-in-chief of the armed forces to crush an attempted coup d’etat. The…

11 Aug 2020 4AM 5 min

Defiant Hong Kong tabloid fights on after owner’s arrest

Hong Kong — Hong Kong's Apple Daily tabloid responded with defiance on Tuesday to the arrest of owner Jimmy Lai under a new national security law imposed by Beijing, promising to “fight on” in a front-page headline over an image of Lai in handcuffs. Readers queued from the early hours…

11 Aug 2020 4AM 3 min

US and EU slam Belarus for police brutality

Minsk — Protesters in Belarus rallied for a second night, continuing a campaign against President Alexander Lukashenko as fraud allegations and international criticism of police crackdowns against the opposition marred his claim of a landslide election victory. “We do not recognise these results,” opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya told reporters on…

11 Aug 2020 3AM 5 min

Why Boris Johnson is so eager to reopen UK schools

London — Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s pledge to make getting UK children back to school a “national priority” has a clear rationale — it is the only way to get their parents back to work. Parents are bearing the brunt of the economic costs of the pandemic as they were…

11 Aug 2020 3AM 2 min

Entire Lebanese government quits

Dubai — Lebanon’s prime minister confirmed the resignation of his government as an outraged public demanded accountability for last week’s explosion at Beirut’s port, the biggest peacetime catastrophe in the nation’s history. “The scope of this disaster is bigger than can be described,” Prime Minister Hassan Diab said in a…

11 Aug 2020 3AM 4 min

Gold loses ground as dollar bounces

Bengaluru — Gold fell on Tuesday as the dollar firmed after Beijing slapped sanctions on US officials in the latest flare-up in tensions between Washington and Beijing, with investors also keeping a close watch on negotiations over a US stimulus plan. Spot gold was down 0.5% to $2,017.98 an ounce…

11 Aug 2020 2AM 2 min

Oil inches higher on the hope of US stimulus

Singapore — Crude oil gained more ground on Tuesday, with prices underpinned by expectations of US stimulus and a rebound in Asian demand as economies reopen. Brent crude added 22c, or 0.5%, to $45.21 a barrel, by 4.41am GMT. West Texas Intermediate US crude rose 32c, or 0.8%, to $42.26…