AFRICAN trade experts have called for the swift implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to lift Africa out of an economic downturn caused by COVID-19. Speaking at a trade forum in Dakar, Senegal, AfCFTA Secretary-General Wamkele Mene said that the pandemic had, for the first time in 25 years, caused a contraction…
THE number of confirmed global cases of coronavirus (Covid-19) has passed 40 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally. The US research institute, which collates reporting of cases from around the world, said the milestone was passed today. It said the number of infections had reached 40 050 902. There have been more than…
A LETTER, purportedly written by 10 ANC members from Mandeni in KwaZulu-Natal, claims that there are plans to get former president Jacob Zuma expelled from the ruling party. The letter surfaced yesterday and it has already reached its intended recipient, the ANC in KZN. Its authors are demanding that the ruling party holds a…
SOUTH Africa’s Health minister Zweli Mkhize announced 61 more Covid-19 related deaths and 2 019 new infections on Friday night. This takes South Africa’s Covid-19 death toll to 18 370, and infections to over 700 203. The number of recoveries in the country stands at 629 260, which accounts for nine out of every…
SELF-PROCLAIMED prophet Shepherd Bushiri and his wife Mary appeared briefly in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, on Friday — where their trial was postponed to next year. The couple will be tried from May 31 to June 18 on charges of fraud and money laundering amounting to more than R15 million. This follows their arrest…
SOUTH Africa’s government laid out conditions on Sunday for when land might be confiscated without reimbursement, saying a new law submitted to parliament would pass constitutional muster and reassure investors unnerved about property rights. The law would allow land to be confiscated without reimbursement in certain cases if it is unused, abandoned or poses a…
The UK unemployment rate has surged to its highest level in over three years as the pandemic continues to hit jobs. The unemployment rate grew to 4.5% in the three months to August, compared with 4.1% in the previous quarter. Meanwhile redundancies rose to their highest level since 2009, the Office for National Statistics (ONS)…
President Donald Trump has returned to the campaign trail less than two weeks after testing positive for coronavirus. He told thousands of supporters, many not wearing masks, that he could give them “a big fat kiss”, at a rally in the battleground state of Florida. His rival, Joe Biden, speaking in Ohio, accused the…
SINGAPORE diners have jumped at the opportunity to have lunch on a stationary Airbus A380 parked at the city’s main airport. Despite a price tag of up to $496 (£380), the first two seating dates sold out within half an hour. The airline has added two more dates, with diners signing onto a waitlist for…
THE UK economy continued its recovery in August, growing by 2.1%, as the Eat Out to Help Out scheme boosted restaurants. But the figure was below expectations and the economy is still 9.2% smaller than before the pandemic struck. It marked the fourth consecutive month of expansion following the slump induced by the coronavirus lockdown….
