By Sarah McFarlane AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – Ghana plans to raise its fixed cocoa price next season to a level which ensures smuggling into neighbouring grower Ivory Coast is not attractive, the chief executive of cocoa sector regulator Cocobod said. Ghana’s falling cedi currency has fuelled smuggling of cocoa into Ivory Coast since October, reversing a … Read more
By Peter Jones KINSHASA (Reuters) – British oil company Soco International has agreed not to explore in Democratic Republic of Congo’s Virunga National Park unless its government and UNESCO agree it would not threaten the area’s world heritage status. Soco has been at loggerheads with conservation campaigner WWF for months over its activities in Virunga, … Read more
By Mike Collett SAO PAULO (Reuters) – When FIFA president Sepp Blatter swept into the chrome and marble lobby of the Grand Hyatt hotel in Sao Paulo earlier this week, he did not look like a man fighting to salvage the reputation of soccer’s ruling body that he has led for 16 years. The 78-year-old … Read more
By TALES AZZONI It’s almost time. The day Brazilians have been anxiously waiting for is finally arriving. Brazil plays Croatia on Thursday to get the home World Cup underway, beginning its quest for a sixth world title almost seven years after the nation was picked as host. After so much talk about delays, protests and … Read more
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – The rand traded on the back foot against the dollar on Wednesday, lagging emerging market peers as a bleak economic outlook and expectations of ratings downgrades later this week applied pressure. By 0638 GMT, South Africa’s currency weakened 0.4 percent at 10.7475 to the dollar, threatening the 10.80 support level that held firm … Read more
LONDON (Reuters) – South African seamer Alfonso Thomas became the first player in 14 years to take four wickets in four balls in the County Championship on Tuesday. Thomas, playing for Somerset on the third day of their match against Sussex at Taunton, bowled James Anyon, trapped Rory Hamilton-Brown leg before and had Ed Joyce … Read more
By Miles Downard * Great Wall Motors (GWM) has launched a number of cars in the last year or so; the C20R cross-over, an H6 SUV, the M4 hatchback, a small sedan in the C30 and the Steed 6 bakkie. All of these point to the company’s intent of shifting to upper segments of the … Read more
By Ed Cropley JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – Winter arrived in South Africa this week, covering hills and highlands with snow in a fittingly chill metaphor for an economy beset by everything from labour unrest and flat-lining output to rising inflation and waning external confidence. South Africa’s problems are many and complex but at their root is the collapse of … Read more
By Alec Hogg After spending a day listening to some of SA’s smartest money managers, as I did yesterday, you’d be hard pressed to retain any money in JSE-listed shares. All the owner/managers of boutique shops in the Met CI universe said local shares are expensive. They have their highest liquidity positions in years. But … Read more
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South African stocks scaled to record highs on Tuesday for a second straight session but shares of platinum mining firms fell after talks to end a five-month wage strike in the sector deadlocked. Lomin was the biggest decliner among the top-three platinum producers affected by the walk out, falling 2.17 percent to … Read more