South Africa

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Top China Bank Buys Record $5.6B Stake in African Lender

Beijing moves to invest in developing nations

(Newser) - Prodded by Beijing to invest in developing countries, China's massive state-owned bank has inked a deal to buy 20% of South Africa's Standard Bank for $5.6 billion, marking the largest Chinese investment ever in Africa. ICBC, flush with cash, is eager to provide financial services to Chinese companies increasingly...

Economist: No To South Africa Sports Quotas

Athletic affirmative action ‘mocks’ merit in racially mixed nation

(Newser) - The World Cup-winning South African rugby team shouldn’t be saddled with racial quotas, says the Economist: It’s exactly the wrong kind of affirmative action and would “mock the principle of merit.” One might think, the piece allows, the South African case would be the ultimate argument...

Reggae Star Gunned Down
Reggae Star Gunned Down
Oct 19, 2007 12:45 PM CDT

Reggae Star Gunned Down

Lucky Dube killed in front of children during carjacking

(Newser) - Lucky Dube, South Africa’s best-selling reggae singer, was shot and killed in front of his children during an apparent carjacking last night outside Johannesburg. The murder sparked calls for a national crackdown on violent crime, Reuters reports. “The circumstances surrounding his murder again illustrate that violent crime in...

Earliest Humans Put a Shrimp on the Barbie

'Mother of all' ice age survivors roasted shellfish at the beach

(Newser) - Remnants of one of the earliest known human settlements, possibly the community from which all modern people are descended, have been discovered on the South African coast. The band of humans survived 164,000 years ago on cooked shellfish and the occasional whale, and wore red body paint, according to...

Els Scores Record 7th Win at UK Tourney

'Putter stayed hot' as he beat Cabrera despite back pain

(Newser) - Ernie Els scored a record seventh victory at the World Match Play Championship today in Wentworth, England, pocketing £1 million and jumping from third to first on the European Order of Merit, AFP reports. “It’s absolutely a dream come true,” Els says. “In my wildest...

Last South African Miners Freed
Last South African Miners Freed
Oct 4, 2007 7:23 PM CDT

Last South African Miners Freed

Minister vows to 'tighten up' mine safety laws, shuts down mine for 6 weeks

(Newser) - The last of more than 3,200 workers were lifted from a South African mine today after more than a day underground, BBC reports. "It was terrible," said one miner. "There was not enough air and they tried putting in more and ventilating the areas where we...

2,000 Miners Rescued in South Africa

Workers emerge hungry but unharmed after 36 hours underground

(Newser) - About two-thirds of the 3,200 miners trapped yesterday when a lift shaft collapsed in a South African gold mine had been rescued by midmorning today, the BBC reports. They're being brought to the surface 75 at a time in a small shaft normally used for equipment; the remainder are...

Rescuers Start Hauling Up Trapped Miners

All 3,200 expected to come up safely after accident in South Africa

(Newser) - Rescuers have begun evacuating 3,200 gold miners trapped more than a mile underground in a South African gold mine. By early today, 450 had been pulled to safety, Reuters said. No injuries have been reported. Union leaders accused the mine owner of negligence and said the accident was caused...

3,000 Mine Workers Trapped
3,000 Mine Workers Trapped
Oct 3, 2007 4:52 PM CDT

3,000 Mine Workers Trapped

Men under 1.4-mile shaft may be losing air, union spokesman fears

(Newser) - More than 3,000 mine workers are trapped in South Africa after a broken water pipe collapsed a key shaft, MSNBC reports. Managers at Harmony Gold Mining, the world's third-largest gold producer, reported no injuries and promised to rescue the men within 24 hours. A spokeswoman said the pipe broke...

Cleared of Rape, Populist in Line to be Prez in South Africa

Jacob Zuma, ANC veep, mounts campaign

(Newser) - Jacob Zuma, a champion of the poor who conjures apartheid-era freedom songs to excite crowds, is in line to become South Africa’s next president, the London Times reports. Recently cleared in a high-profile rape case, Zuma is the country’s most charismatic and populist—and some would add dangerous,...

In the Ashes of Apartheid, a Shopping Mall

Mandela marks opening of huge mall in once- impoverished Soweto

(Newser) - Nelson Mandela cut a ribbon today to mark the opening of a massive shopping mall in Soweto, the Johannesburg township that was the center of the struggle against apartheid, and his own home before he went to prison. The Maponya Mall, with 200 shops and an eight-screen theater, is the...

South African Park Houses Grim Exhibit

Non-poached hides and other animal parts prepared for sale

(Newser) - South Africa's Kruger National Park provides a bizarre but legal service: a legitimate source of animal parts for the world's manufacturers of buffalo upholstery, zebra footrests, and giraffe-bone handgun grips. The park's employees harvest the remains of animals that die of natural causes and store them in stockpiles, taking orders...

Tests Will Tell if Big Stone Is Indeed Gem

Could be world’s largest diamond

(Newser) - A South African mining company will know soon if they’ve found the world’s largest diamond, with tests scheduled for next week. The light-green stone was found several days ago; experts say it may turn out to only a fluorite crystal, the BBC reports. A spokesman for De Beers,...

Apartheid Officials Escape Jail Time in Murder Plot

(Newser) - After pleading guilty, five former security officials in South Africa received suspended jail sentences today for their involvement in a bizarre, apartheid-era murder plot. Onetime law and order minister Adriaan Volk and four others admitted they had tried to kill Frank Chikane, a priest and anti-apartheid activist, in 1989 by...

South African Prez Fires AIDS Crusader

Minister sacked as Mbeki continues to deny science of HIV

(Newser) - South Africa's president has fired his government's leading HIV/AIDS crusader, the prime mover of a plan to offer free treatment to millions. Thabo Mbeki dismissed his deputy health minister, who has opposed his AIDS denialism for years, the Mail and Guardian reports.  Mbeki has drawn worldwide outrage for the...

Chappelle Treated for Exhaustion
Chappelle Treated for Exhaustion
Jul 18, 2007 6:07 PM CDT

Chappelle Treated for Exhaustion

Comedian "fine" after weekend hospital visit

(Newser) - Dave Chappelle, the sketch comedian who's famous for finding success stressful, was hospitalized for exhaustion over the weekend. His publicist suggested the comedian’s travel schedule was the reason for an emergency room visit Saturday. In May 2005, Chappelle caused a media uproar when he abruptly walked away from his...

Zimbabwe Arrests Dozens in Price Wars

Businesses flout strict cost-control laws as inflation passes 3,700%

(Newser) - Police in Zimbabwe have arrested 1,328 businesspeople, including 33 top executives, for violating official price controls installed to curb uncontrollable currency devaluation. The new regulations demand that many goods' prices be cut in half in response to inflation that has now risen to more than 3,700%.

Colgate Cautions Against Fake Toothpaste

Counterfeit dentifrice may contain toxic chemical, company says

(Newser) - Colgate alerted the public today that counterfeit toothpaste bearing its brand name and possibly containing a deadly chemical has turned up in discount stores in four Northeast states. The phony products' packaging is riddled with misspellings and gives the manufacturing location as South Africa, where the company doesn't make toothpaste....

Aussies Dismantle South Africa
Aussies Dismantle South Africa
Apr 26, 2007 5:25 AM CDT

Aussies Dismantle South Africa

Australian Juggernaut to Face Sri Lanka in Cricket Final

(Newser) - Australia's wily bowlers looked unbeatable in an all-around thumping of fellow Antipodeans South Africa. The Aussies will oppose Sri Lanka in the final of a cricket World Cup marked by controversy and intrigue, including the as-yet-unexplained death of Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer following an eliminating loss to Ireland on St....

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