BusinessLIVE - For Your Ear · TimesLIVE Podcasts

Tech stocks tumble as Wall Street heads for worst day since June

Bengaluru — Wall Street's main indices tumbled on Thursday, heading for their worst day since June as investors dumped high-flying technology-focused stocks, while economic data highlighted concerns about a long and difficult recovery. Shares of Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft and Google-parent Alphabet sank between 4.9% and 7%. The five stocks,…

3 Sep 2020 3PM 3 min

Joe Biden meets Jacob Blake’s family ahead of Kenosha tour

Milwaukee — Joe Biden and his wife Jill met on Thursday with the family of a black man shot by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin aiming to test the strength of his message to unite the country as president. Four members of Jacob Blake’s family and two members of the family’s…

3 Sep 2020 3PM 3 min

Zimbabwean opposition activist Job Sikhala denied bail

Harare — While his fellow activists were released on bail on Wednesday, the Harare magistrate’s court on Thursday denied bail to Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) deputy chair Job Sikhala saying he is a flight risk. Sikhala was one of the antigovernment critics arrested in a brutal crackdown on dissent…

3 Sep 2020 2PM 1 min

Eurozone recovery from record downturn falters as economies diverge

London — The eurozone's recovery from its deepest economic downturn on record faltered in August, surveys showed on Thursday, with some countries in the bloc suffering more than others from restrictions imposed to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Overall growth in the dominant service industry — which has been…

3 Sep 2020 2PM 3 min

EDITORIAL: Leaving renewable energy in the dark will stunt growth

As Eskom hit stage four load-shedding again this week, the prospects for economic recovery dimmed along with the lights. With a 7% contraction in GDP forecast for 2020 it is estimated that due to the economic damage caused by the Covid-19 lockdown, it will take SA five years to recover…

3 Sep 2020 2PM 3 min

Power cuts will soon be a thing of the past, says David Mabuza

Deputy president David Mabuza says SA’s crippling power crisis will soon be resolved as Eskom’s new power plants come online and other sources of energy, including gas and renewables, become established. This is despite statements by Eskom executives recently that the load-shedding currently affecting the country due to depleted generating…

3 Sep 2020 1PM 2 min

Nomvula Mokonyane says she got a R3m Aston Martin through a ‘family friend’

How former environmental affairs minister Nomvula Mokonyane acquired a luxury Aston Martin vehicle came up again at the state capture hearings on Thursday with the evidence leader wanting to know where she got the money to buy it. The vehicle became the subject of an investigation after testimony in July…

3 Sep 2020 1PM 3 min

US suspends aid to Ethiopia over dam dispute

Washington — The US has decided to cut $100m in aid to Ethiopia amid a dispute with Egypt and Sudan over a dam Ethiopia is building on the Blue Nile, a congressional source told Reuters on Wednesday. Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt have been locked in a bitter dispute over the…

3 Sep 2020 1PM 2 min

Police clash with Nehawu members at protest over protective equipment and wages

Police used stun grenades and a water cannon to disperse members of the National Education Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) who had marched to parliament to deliver a list of demands related to personal protective equipment (PPE) and better wages. Nehawu, the country’s third-largest public sector union, which represents…

3 Sep 2020 12PM 3 min

Stay off social media if you work at the BBC, says its new boss

London — The new boss of the BBC has told staff they should not air their own political views on social media because they risk damaging the British broadcaster’s reputation for impartiality. Tim Davie, who became the corporation’s 17th director-general on Tuesday, said too much of its audience thinks the…

3 Sep 2020 12PM 1 min

Despite pressure, Merkel wants to separate pipeline and Navalny poisoning

Berlin — German Chancellor Angela Merkel is waiting for Russia’s response to the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny before deciding how to react, as she faces pressure to drop support for a controversial gas pipeline. “Much will depend on whatever reaction we have from the Russian side,” Merkel said…

3 Sep 2020 12PM 5 min

DA calls on Ebrahim Patel to fire lotteries board

The DA has called on trade & industry minister Ebrahim Patel to fire the corruption-accused National Lotteries Commission board and place the entity under administration. The commission is tasked with regulating lotteries and the distribution of funds to good causes. It generates its funding and operational budget from the proceeds…

3 Sep 2020 12PM 3 min

Uncertainty governs Covid-19 projections, so multidisciplinary research is vital

Graham Barr reminded us in a recent article in this publication of some of the challenges we have encountered while estimating the possible number of SA Covid-19 cases and associated healthcare resource use as part of the SA Covid-19 Modelling Consortium (“Government shunned proper statistical tools to tackle pandemic (,”…

3 Sep 2020 12PM 7 min

Livestock export trade in question after cattle ship capsizes in storm

Tokyo/Wellington — More than 40 crew members were missing after a ship carrying cattle from New Zealand to China capsized in stormy weather in the East China Sea, the Japanese coastguard said. A lone crew member from the Gulf Livestock 1 had been rescued so far. Three vessels, four planes…

3 Sep 2020 11AM 3 min

Dubai gears up efforts to lure wealthy retirees

Dubai — Dubai is looking to attract retirees by gearing up a programme first started two years ago that has taken on greater urgency as the Middle East business hub contends with the flight of expatriates amid an economic downturn. Foreigners over the age of 55 will be eligible for…

3 Sep 2020 10AM 2 min

NEW YORK POST: Joe Biden’s soft spot is showing

Naturally, all the folks who have been downplaying and/or defending the violence of the anti-cop demonstrations across the US are happily seconding Joe Biden’s claim that yes, it is terrible — and it’s all President Donald Trump’s fault. In fact, Biden’s remarks fall far short: the Left is plainly driving…

3 Sep 2020 10AM 1 min

WE ARE HIRING: Companies editor at Business Day

Here's your chance to join the team at one of SA's most innovative publishers Reporting to: Business Day editor/deputy editor Department: Editorial Location: Johannesburg Position overview Business Day is looking for a companies editor to co-ordinate our company-news coverage for BusinessLIVE, our digital business platform, and Business Day. We’re seeking…

3 Sep 2020 10AM 2 min

Calls grow for Angela Merkel to drop Putin pipeline

Berlin — Chancellor Angela Merkel is under pressure from within her own party to drop support for a controversial gas pipeline with Russia after links point to the Kremlin in the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Norbert Roettgen, head of the German parliament’s foreign affairs committee and a…

3 Sep 2020 9AM 4 min

Trump takes the fight to Biden safe seat

Washington — President Donald Trump is taking to the airwaves in the once reliably Democratic state of Minnesota, launching an attack ad that paints opponent Joe Biden as “taking a knee” when protests in Minneapolis turned violent. The Trump campaign’s foray into Minnesota — including at least $12.9m in advance…