Bank launches emergency intervention in markets after Kwarteng mini-budget

Read More The Bank of England has taken emergency action to calm turmoil in financial markets amid the collapse in the pound and the increase in government borrowing costs triggered by Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini-budget. Threadneedle Street said it was taking urgent steps to buy long-dated UK government bonds, beginning immediately in an attempt to stabilise […]

Japan Demands Apology From Russia Over Detention of Consul

Read More Russian authorities allegedly ‘blindfolded and physically restrained’ the Japanese consulate official Japan’s government on Tuesday demanded an apology from Russian authorities for “coercively” detaining a Japanese consulate official, who was accused of espionage and ordered to leave Russia. Tatsunori Motoki, a Japanese consul in Valdivostok, was detained on Sept. 22 and declared “persona […]

Songs in the Key of Life turns 46

Read More To any South African, 1976 is the year the black students of Soweto took to the streets to boycott the introduction of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in schools.  To the rest of the world, 1976 is the year that American singer and composer Stevie Wonder released his eighteenth studio album, a […]

Ramaphosa calls for end to infighting in local governments

Read More President Cyril Ramaphosa has told attendees at this year’s Local Government Summit in Gauteng that they must end political discord and infighting at municipalities.  He said political contestation and infighting was “wreaking havoc” within municipalities, which ultimately prevented economic growth and service delivery.  “We should once and for all end the hijacking of […]

Stick, twist … or sack Kwasi Kwarteng? The choices facing Liz Truss

Read More Battered by financial markets and besieged by MPs whose constituents’ mortgage payments are set to rocket, Liz Truss must now navigate a serious economic crisis of her government’s own making. Does she stick, twist – or gamble again? Rating the likelihood of what might happen from one to five, here are some of […]