MALAYSIA Mining Corp Bhd (MMC), caught in the middle of the fight for Australia’s Ashton Mining, expects world diamond king De Beers to raise its bid for the Australian diamond miner by next week. De Beers’ bid could go as high as A$2.50 per share. De Beers’ is locked in a battle with mining giant […]

THE NIGERIAN lower house of parliament has launched a full scale investigation into a steel project which has gulped about $4.67bn but has failed to get off the ground. In a recent report, the World Bank recommended the scrapping of the Ajaokuta Steel Project for its non-viability. The construction of Africa’s biggest steel project commenced […]

THE National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the the world’s biggest platinum producer, Anglo-American Platinum Corporation (Amplats), are engaged in a war of words over how effective NUM’s current strike is. NUM says more than half of Amplats’ staff has joined the strike, but Amplats claims mining production is only marginally affected. NUM said between […]

THE Swiss National Bank (SNB) has confirmed that it intends to sell 200 more tonnes of gold by the end of September 2001 as it continues its programme of divesting excess gold reserves. The sales are part of coordinated transactions by 15 European central banks under an agreement struck a year ago. The SNB has […]

NAMIBIA has invited bids for the country’s second mobile phone license but said applicants should have a majority Namibian shareholding. The Namibian government in May ended a monopoly held by Mobile Telecommunications (MTC), opening the door for other cellular providers to tap the more than N$100m market. MTC, which has provided cellular services since 1995, […]

THE United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued a warning about home HIV test kits being dumped in developing countries. Dr Steven Toovey from the British Airways Travel Clinic warned that none of the kits, some of which are being sold in South Africa, have been found to be reliable enough to be allowed […]

A UGANDAN member of parliament has been arrested on charges of raping a 25-year-old woman in his Kampala home. Callistus Adome Lokwii, 36, the MP for Jie county in northeastern Uganda, was arrested after he was accused of raping the woman, whom he had apparently offered a lift in his car the previous evening. A […]

ORGANISATION of African Unity (OAU) leaders have proposed the creation of a “transitional council” for Ivory Coast, including representatives of the ruling junta and the main political parties, to prepare for upcoming elections. Seven African heads of state have held meetings with Ivorian military leader General Robert Guei and leaders of the four main political […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Pietermaritzburg | Tuesday FARMERS in the KwaZulu Natal Midlands face financial ruin if government officials go ahead with a plan to slaughter all livestock in a bid to contain an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease which threatens to devastate the South African agricultural industry. The prospect of a pre-emptive slaughtering campaign – and resulting […]