Latest news and views in Brief
From Sapa Former president Nelson Mandela is looking down from heaven at the things people are doing to celebrate his legacy, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu said in Cape Town on Friday. Wearing a black jacket over his purple robes at the V&A Waterfront, Tutu explained to bystanders that God had called Mandela to look at … Read more
From Sapa The World Health Organization says its spokesman Glenn Thomas was on board the Malaysian jetliner that was shot down over Ukraine. Gregory Hartl, a spokesman for the Geneva-based U.N. health agency, says the 49-year-old Briton was traveling to Melbourne, Australia, to attend the 20th International AIDS conference, which starts Sunday. Hartl told reporters … Read more
By The Associated Press The Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200 that was shot down over war-torn eastern Ukraine on Thursday was carrying 298 people from at least 10 countries. Here is a breakdown of the nationalities of those on board: Netherlands: 173 Malaysia: 44 (including 15 crew and two infants) Australia: 28 Indonesia: 12 (including one … Read more
From SAPA None of the passengers on the Malaysia Airlines plane that went down in Ukraine were travelling with a South African passport, the department of international relations said on Friday. “Our mission in Kuala Lumpur informed us that amongst the passengers no one was travelling with a South African passport,” spokesman Nelson Kgwete said. … Read more
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South Africa has sold a $1 billion 30-year bond and a 500 million euro 12-year instrument on the international market, with both transactions being more than three times oversubscribed, the Treasury said on Friday. It said the dollar bond had a coupon rate of 5.375 percent, while the euro bond was priced at 3.75 … Read more
By Lisa Twaronite TOKYO (Reuters) – Asian shares sagged and a drop in Treasury yields pressured the dollar on Friday after news of a downed Malaysian airlines jet at the Ukraine-Russia border sent investors scurrying into defensive assets. The United States believes a surface-to-air missile brought down the airliner flying from Amsterdam to the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, killing all 298 people … Read more
By Keith Wallis SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Brent futures climbed above $108 a barrel on Friday, extending sharp overnight gains amid heightened geopolitical concerns after a Malaysian jetliner was shot down over eastern Ukraine. Oil prices on both sides of the Atlantic surged about 2 percent on Thursday, recovering from a weeks-long decline, on news of the … Read more
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South Africa’s rand pulled back from a week low against the dollar on Friday after news of a Malaysian airplane being shot down over Ukraine pushed the currency lower. The rand was trading at 10.7155 versus the greenback at 0639 GMT, gaining 0.42 percent from its New York close on Thursday. The local unit dropped … Read more
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South African pension manager Alexander Forbes on Friday priced its initial public offering at the middle of its planned range on Friday, raising 3.7 billion rand ($345 million) ahead of its return to the Johannesburg exchange. Alexander Forbes, which was taken private by a group of investors including buyout firm Actis in 2007, said it priced the … Read more
By A. Ananthalakshmi SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Gold dipped on Friday on profit-taking after a sharp overnight jump, but the metal is being supported by a wave of risk aversion after a Malaysian airliner was downed in eastern Ukraine, killing nearly 300 people. Gold, seen as an alternative investment during times of geopolitical uncertainty, rose about 1.5 … Read more