HILLARY CLINTON shatters fundraising records by collecting US$26m for her presidential campaign in the first quarter. This sets a high bar by which to measure the fundraising abilities of her Democratic and Republican rivals. Republican Phil Gramm and Democrat Al Gore were the previous record holders.
AT HOME
Mittal, found guilty of excessive pricing by the Competition Tribunal last week, announces plans to increase steel prices by as much as 10%.
According to the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers, new vehicle sales increased by 3% to 57 899 units in March compared with March last year. Including sales from Associated Motor Holdings - incorporated in the data for the first time from this year - total sales for March were 64 071 vehicles.
Standard Bank's monthly property gauge shows annualised house price growth of 8,4% in March, slightly lower than the 8,6% in February, while month-on-month growth was 1,8%. The house price median increased to R580 000 in March from R570 000.
Soccer boss, Raymond Hack, becomes the latest high profile figure to fall victim to crime when an intruder breaks into his Johannesburg home. It is not immediately clear if anything was stolen, but Hack had to undergo an eye operation after fighting off the intruder and sustaining minor injuries.
ABROAD
China criticises a US move to impose duties on its glossy paper exports and demands that Washington reconsider. This comes after the US department of commerce announced tariffs of between 10% and 20% on imports of Chinese glossy paper.
The US and South Korea reach a free trade agreement after almost a year of negotiations. The deal, which must still receive legislative approval, is the largest the US has signed since the 1992 North American Free Trade Agreement.
Russian airline Aeroflot teams up with Italian bank Unicredit to take control of Italian carrier Alitalia. Aeroflot is bidding for the 39,9% stake in the struggling business which the government plans to sell.
Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF endorses President Robert Mugabe as its presidential candidate for next year's elections. Addressing supporters on Friday, a defiant Mugabe said opposition members, who were beaten up by the police, got what their deserved.
German energy giant E.On withdraws its controversial £28,6bn bid for Spanish power company Endesa. E.On says its takeover offer for the firm, which has been opposed by the Spanish government, is unlikely to succeed.
SPORT
The construction of the Green Point Stadium, a venue for the 2010 World Cup semifinals, hits another snag as lawyers for the CT Environmental Protection Association file papers with the Cape high court in a fresh bid to block the project.
The Proteas receive US$175 000 for being top in the International Cricket Council One-Day International Championship standings on April 1, with Australia trailing in second spot.
