Business

Southern African countries will launch a scheme in November to try to end the trade in blood diamonds, funding many of the continent's conflicts, a senior regional official said on Sunday.

Southeast Asian economic ministers will meet from Thursday to finalise a framework agreement with China on how to create the world's biggest free trade area of nearly two billion people.

An array of big businesses joined forces with an unlikely ally on Wednesday to call on governments meeting at the Earth Summit to take clear action to tackle global climate change.

The difference a ''revitalised'' South African Revenue Service (Sars) had made to the country's economic landscape was remarkable, Finance Minister Trevor Manuel said on Monday.

World oil prices stayed firm on Monday, hovering just below a barrel, as brokers speculated the weekend bombing in Bali would bolster international support for US President George Bush's stance against Iraq.

South African mobile phone operator MTN Group Ltd said on Friday it expected to report higher first-half earnings, sending its share up as much as 7,9% to its strongest level in about five months.

Zimbabwe said on Friday four foreign-led groups had expressed interest in a stake in state-owned fixed and mobile phone services, despite a deepening crisis which has seen investors flee the troubled country.

South Africa's all-commodities producer price index rose by 15,4% in the year to August after increasing by 15,2% in July, Statistics South Africa figures released on Wednesday show.

Higher provisions for bad debt and squeezed margins following a run on deposits depressed earnings at South African bank BoE, which is talks on a takeover by bigger rival Nedcor, results on Monday showed

The US economy's outlook is favourable and interest rates need not be raised until the recovery gathers steam, according to a new International Monetary Fund (IMF) report notable for its criticism of the Bush administration's economic performance.

Anglo American Platinum, the world's biggest producer of the metal, signed a two-year wage agreement with eight labour unions on Tuesday, ending months of negotiations, the unions and company said.

Zambia will buy maize from Kenya and Tanzania to help feed millions of people after rejecting offers of genetically modified (GM) maize aid.

The world's most powerful economic policymakers meet behind a wall of security here Friday to plot a recovery course through turbulent global markets, a threat of war in Iraq and stumbling growth.

The European Commission stepped closer to imposing -million a day fines on Microsoft on Monday when it gave the software group eight days to comply with sanctions imposed last year. Neelie Kroes, competition commissioner, said in Madrid: ''The deadline is the end of this month and if it's not met then it's the end of the game.''

Eskom takes Eddie Koch on a tour to prove that Koeberg os perfectly safe ...