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Masked men abduct Belarusian protest leader

Moscow — Unidentified masked men seized prominent Belarusian protest leader Maria Kolesnikova in central Minsk on Monday morning and drove her off in a minivan, the Belarusian Tut.By media outlet cited a witness as saying. Kolesnikova, a member of the opposition co-ordination council, is the last of three woman politicians…

7 Sep 2020 9AM 3 min

Covid surge undermines plans to get UK economy back on track

London — Two of Boris Johnson’s senior ministers laid bare the competing pressures facing the British government as it attempts to drag the economy out of its worst recession in at least a century without triggering a new wave of coronavirus infections. Hours after foreign secretary Dominic Raab on Sunday…

7 Sep 2020 9AM 5 min

Clicks should know better than to show an insensitive advert

The potential strength of consumer activism spoke loud and clear in the 6% drop in the Clicks share price in the wake of the insulting hair products advert it posted on its website last week. It sends a clear message to corporations: sensitivity to your customers is key to your…

7 Sep 2020 8AM 5 min

Gender-sensitive budgeting helps adjust priorities to advance women’s rights

Gender equality has been a burning issue for some time, with little tangible progress made. In response to growing demands for justice, organisations, have become vocal in advocating against, and raising awareness around, social challenges that oppress women. Foremost of these challenges are the scourges of gender-based violence, femicide, patriarchy…

7 Sep 2020 8AM 5 min

Reserve Bank has policy space to cut interest rates, official says

The decline in inflation has created the policy space for the Reserve Bank to cut interest rates, a senior Bank official said on Monday. The Bank has cut the repo rate by 300 basis points to 3.5% so far in 2020. This was as inflation dropped and then rose again…

7 Sep 2020 8AM 2 min

Journalists caught in visa war between US and China

Beijing — Beijing has held off renewing the expiring media credentials of journalists at US media outlets, including Bloomberg, CNN and the Wall Street Journal, the news organisations reported, amid a tussle with Washington over journalist visas. The move comes as Chinese journalists in the US wait for their lapsed…

7 Sep 2020 7AM 2 min

Donald Trump denies disrespecting US troops

Washington — US President Donald Trump was on the defensive on Sunday over what critics said was a “pattern” of disrespect towards the US military following media reports that he had disparaged fallen veterans, the fallout from which could harm his campaign for re-election on November 3. Democratic and Republican…

7 Sep 2020 6AM 4 min

ALLAN GREENBLO: Did Mboweni think this one through?

With so much on the plate of finance minister Tito Mboweni, who is trying to generate a little warmth for the SA economy, it’s perhaps unavoidable that a few crumbs will fall off. One recently did. It relates to Mboweni’s appointment of Dube Tshidi to “perform the functions of commissioner”…

7 Sep 2020 6AM 5 min

Oil prices slip due in part to price cut by Saudi Arabia

London — Oil prices fell on Monday as Saudi Arabia made the deepest monthly price cuts for supply to Asia in five months and uncertainty over China’s oil demand cloud oil markets’ recovery. Brent crude was at $42.04 a barrel, down 62 US cents or 1.4% by 8.59am GMT, after…

7 Sep 2020 6AM 2 min

EU to blacklist Belarusian officials

Brussels — The EU aims to impose economic sanctions on 31 senior Belarus officials including the country’s interior minister by mid-September, three EU diplomats said, in response to an August 9 election that the West says was rigged. Almost a month into mass demonstrations against the outcome of the contest,…

7 Sep 2020 6AM 2 min

Global shares recover slightly after huge fall in tech stock

London/Sydney — World shares rose slightly on Monday after losing $2.3-trillion in the last two sessions in a technology stocks led rout as investors reassessed soaring valuations when the global economy is in a coronavirus-induced recession while oil prices dropped. European stocks, which have fewer technology stocks compared to the…

7 Sep 2020 5AM 3 min

Italian premier Conte flexes his muscles as he expands state intervention

Rome — Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte made it clear to the country’s corporate elite that he will be calling the shots more often in a pandemic-stricken economy. Conte and cabinet members showed up in force at the weekend at a gathering of financial and company leaders on the shores…

7 Sep 2020 4AM 3 min

Hundreds of Rohingya refugees arrive in Indonesia

Lhokseumawe — Almost 300 Rohingya refugees believed to have been at sea for six months landed in Indonesia’s Aceh province early on Monday, Indonesian authorities said. Acehnese police said a wooden boat carrying the Rohingya was spotted by local fishermen several kilometres off the coast of Lhokseumawe, before landing at…

7 Sep 2020 4AM 2 min

Third Chinese company has ‘fat finger’ issue, but analyst cries wolf

A third Chinese company in less than a week said a major holder accidentally sold its shares, increasing speculation that insiders may be testing the market before they offload stakes. Shenzhen Changfang Group said Nie Xianghong, a shareholder acting in accord with top investor Li Dichu, accidentally sold 16,000 shares…

7 Sep 2020 3AM 1 min

Californians sidestep blackouts but wildfires take out power plants

San Francisco — California once again evaded rolling blackouts on Sunday after residents dramatically curbed electricity use during a record-breaking heat wave — but the state’s energy crisis is far from over. The sweltering temperatures are fueling wildfires that have, just this weekend, taken down power plants, forced evacuations and…

7 Sep 2020 3AM 4 min

JOAN MULLER: How Covid is breathing life into SA’s housing market

If you’re looking to generate some cash from your primary home without giving the front door keys away permanently, now could be a good time to rent it out. There certainly appears to be plenty of demand from tenants. I opted for this route and found takers within less than…

7 Sep 2020 2AM 5 min

LEBOGANG MOKOENA: Mr Fixit isn’t fixing anything

There is an old bridge dividing Orlando East with Orlando West, with a rail line running under it. Every weekday morning at around 6am, the morning train driver blows a horn as the train passes under the bridge. But this is not a greeting — the driver is doing this…

7 Sep 2020 2AM 3 min

Oil slides after Saudi price cuts hit five-month high

Singapore — Oil prices dropped more than 1% on Monday after earlier hitting their lowest since July as Saudi Arabia made the deepest monthly price cuts for supply to Asia in five months while optimism about demand recovery cooled amid the coronavirus pandemic. Brent crude was at $42.21 a barrel,…

7 Sep 2020 2AM 2 min

Asian shares on the back foot amid heady valuations

Sydney — Asian shares were on the defensive on Monday as investors grappled with sky-high valuations against the backdrop of a global economy in the grip of a deep coronavirus-induced recession while oil prices dropped sharply. Chinese stocks started lower while shares of Hong Kong-listed Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC)…

7 Sep 2020 1AM 4 min

Gold rises as worry about global growth supports demand

Bengaluru — Gold edged higher on Monday after weak US data raised concerns over a quick economic rebound from the coronavirus-led slump and cemented hopes that lower interest rates would last longer. Spot gold was up 0.2% at $1,935.50 per ounce by 5.41am, moving further away from a one-week low…

7 Sep 2020 1AM 2 min