BLOODY LODE: As South Africa’s bloody and bitter mining strike dragged on its fifth week, Lonmin PLC halted construction of a new shaft, putting 1,200 people out of work. Police blocked politician Julius Malema from addressing some 3,000 strikers gathered at a stadium at the mine northwest of Johannesburg.

MORE TROUBLE: The strikes stopped work at seven gold and platinum mines and have spread to the chrome sector, according to the South African Press Association.

BITTER MEMORY: Church and opposition leaders condemned state security for heavy-handed action against strikers, saying it mirrors force used by the white minority apartheid regime.