Search Results for: South Africa

BY KEITH NUTHALL
DETAILS of the money demanded by four west African countries seeking compensation for subsidies paid to cotton producers in the developed world and China have been released at the World Trade Organisation. Speaking on behalf of its proposal partners Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali, the government of Benin has claimed that developing countries lose exports worth US$25 million because of the rich world supports, rising to US$1 billion considering losses incurred by people living indirectly from cotton production.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THERE has been a lot of talk about water in international meetings and organisations this year. Report after report has spelt out a gloomy message: we are all using too much water and if reforms do not make systems more sustainable, then a thirsty future beckons.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE NEED for greater openness in the management of scarce water resources in Europe, north Africa, the Middle East and central Asia is required, to better highlight the growing costs of ensuring reliable supplies and persuade the public that more investment is needed to guarantee them.…

BY RICHARD HURST, in Johannesburg
THE AIRPORTS Company South Africa (ACSA) has announced that it will spend Rand 3.8-billion on various airport upgrades between 2004 and 2008 at most of its airports across the country. Its five-year plan has been accepted in principle by the airports’ airlines, which will face increased fees.…

BY RICHARD HURST
THE SOUTH African tobacco sector is surviving despite the unfavourable conditions imposed by its government and an increasingly hostile marketing environment. Nonetheless, the industry contributes Rand 5.5 billion in excise and tax to the government exchequer, equivalent to a quarter of the nation’s health care expenditure.…

BY RICHARD HURST
THE SOUTH African Competition Commission has given the green light to the proposed merger between Harmony Gold and African Rainbow Minerals Gold (ARMgold). The deal includes the acquisition of all the issued share capital of ARMgold by Harmony; once finalised, the merged business will be the largest gold producing company in South Africa.…

BY MARK ROWE
MALAYSIA lost RM1.2 billion (US$350 million) in tax revenue last year as a result of an increase in trade in contraband and counterfeit cigarettes. The Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry said smugglers were exploiting poor enforcement at major ports in both the north and south of the country to bring in contraband and counterfeit cigarettes.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE INTERNATIONAL Finance Corporation (IFC) of the World Bank is lending US$17.5 million in INDRupees to Indian textile company Alok Industries Ltd, allowing the Mumbai (Bombay)-based company to expand and modernise its knitting facilities and meet growing demand from domestic and international customers.…

BY RICHARD HURST
TENDERS for dam construction, building and upgrading main access roads and bridge construction have been awarded for Anglo American’s first Zimbabwe platinum project, the Unki mine. AA has not yet released the names of the successful companies, beyond saying that they have a “strong black South African economic empowerment component.”…

BY SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKA
CEYLON Chocolated Ltd, Sri Lanka’s dominant chocolate company, is launching its premier brand Kandos and its latest introduction Newgen into south India. The company has invested SLRupees 150 million in its production centre at the city of Kandy.…