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  • Sugar Prices Dropping Over Excess Global Production

    Sugar Prices Dropping Over Excess Global Production

    {{Africa’s sugar producers want governments to tighten border controls across the continent and tackle sugar smuggling, a problem they said was helping drive down local sugar prices.}}

    Sugar prices are already under pressure due to excess global production.

    Rosemary Mkok, chief executive of the Kenya Sugar Board, told a conference of sugar producers on Wednesday that smuggling was a big problem in east Africa’s biggest economy.

    Large amounts of illegal imports had led to stockpiles and was pushing down sugar prices in Africa, with illegal imports being re-packaged into local bags to conceal their identity and evade the surveillance network.

    She said stocks in Kenya had hit a record high of 40,000 metric tonnes against an optimum level of 9,000 metric tonnes.

    “In the period between January 2014 to date, the market (in Kenya) has experienced a decline in sugar prices to a low of $36 for a 50 kilogramme bag, against an average industry break-even of $43…,” Ms Mkok told the conference of African Sugar Producers in Mombasa.

    Prices on the global market, especially in the European Union—Africa’s biggest external market—have fallen sharply over the last few years due to oversupply, and African producers are seeking new markets to cushion themselves.

    African sugar producers at the conference have been discussing ways to increase trade of the commodity within Africa to survive falling world prices and the end of duty-free access to the European Union.

    Jose Orive, Chief Executive of the International Sugar Organisation (ISO), said it was time Africa dealt with bottlenecks like smuggling and foster more trade within Africa to make it less reliant on the unstable global market.

    NMG

  • Mogadishu Explosion Kills 7

    Mogadishu Explosion Kills 7

    {{At least seven people were killed Saturday in a huge explosion believed to be from a roadside bomb in the centre of the Somali capital Mogadishu, police said.}}

    The bomb went off near the busy KM4 junction in central Mogadishu, close to the Turkish embassy – although it was not clear if the attack had a precise target.

    “Several people have been killed, there are at least seven, including four civilians and three policemen,” police officer Mohammed Duale said at the scene.

    Another security source at the scene said the bomb appeared to have been planted at the side of the road. According to another police official, a former regional government official was among the dead.

    The attack is the latest in a string of bombings in the city attributed to Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab rebels, who are battling to overthrow the war-torn country’s internationally-backed but fragile government.

    There was no immediate claim of responsibility, although the Al-Shabaab have said they were behind a series of similar attacks in recent weeks.

    Al-Shabaab have been driven out of fixed positions in Somalia’s major towns by a UN-mandated African Union force, but still regularly launch attacks that include bombings and guerrilla-style raids.

    Recent Al-Shabaab attacks have targeted key areas of government or the security forces, in an apparent bid to discredit claims by the authorities that they are winning the war against the Islamist fighters.

    Last month Al-Shabaab said they assassinated two MPs in the space of 24 hours in Mogadishu in a shooting and car bombing. In February, Al-Shabaab militants carried out a major attack against the heavily fortified presidential palace, killing officials and guards in heavy gun battles.

  • DR Congo Opens One of Africa’s Largest Gold Mines

    DR Congo Opens One of Africa’s Largest Gold Mines

    {{DR Congo, one of the world’s biggest gold producers, on Friday formally opened one of the continent’s largest gold mines in the far northeast of the country.}}

    Production at the Kibali mine started in the third quarter of 2013 but Mining Minister Martin Kabwelulu on Friday attended an official ceremony in the Province-Orientale region.

    Kibali Goldmines, which develops the mine, is a joint venture 45 percent owned by South African mining firm Randgold Resources, with another 45 percent stake held by South Africa’s AngloGold Ashanti and 10 percent by the Congolese state.

    The $2.5-billion project reportedly created 7,000 jobs, 80 percent of them held by Congolese.

    Kibali Goldmines said the mine should have reserves until 2031, with 550,000 ounces (15.6 tonnes) of gold expected to be produced this year.

    The mine is thought to have reserves of 11.6 million ounces (329 tonnes) of gold but could be higher.

    DR Congo has massive resources of gold, copper and cobalt but also diamonds, iron, nickel, manganese, bauxite, uranium and cassiterite, the most important source of tin. However most of the country’s people live in poverty.

    Control over the mineral-rich areas is one of the factors in the conflicts that have raged in eastern DR Congo for decades.

    AFP

  • Zimbabwe to Wait Longer to Sell Diamonds Locally

    Zimbabwe to Wait Longer to Sell Diamonds Locally

    {{Zimbabwe must meet several conditions, which may take months to put in place, before it can sell diamonds locally, Government and industry stakeholders have said.Experts say the country has to first establish a one-stop-shop for diamond dealing and insist on value addition if it is to stop losing revenue by exporting rough stones.}}

    Mines and Mining Development Deputy Minister Fred Moyo, said policies would be put in place to ensure the country benefits more fully from its diamonds.

    “We need to clean, cut and polish the diamonds before we start selling here,” he said. “We must also have a diamond centre where everything will be centralised because at the moment things are happening at various centres.

    “Like the Minister (Walter Chidhakwa) has already said, we are creating legislation to make sure that not less than 10% gem, not less than 10 percent semi-gem and not less than 10% industrial diamonds are sold to beneficiation players in the country. We are indeed driving toward ensuring that we sell here.”

    Marange Resources acting chief executive officer Mr Mark Mabhudhu said there was need to conduct diamond sales under one roof.

    “We also need a robust IT system able to manage parcels so that they can be tracked and people can use the normal bar-coding system and tight security,” he said.

    “We should also make sure our stones are cleaned, sorted and evaluated properly so that we have a reserve price of the parcel at the market. If you are not happy with the price, you can always decide to try somewhere else.”

    Diamond Mining Company board chairperson Brigadier-General (Retired) Ezekiel Zabanyana said Zimbabwe should expedite local sales and processing. “At the moment, buyers from outside the country are not happy with the bureaucracy here because it takes too long for them to get the product after paying for it,” he said.

    “We need to first establish something like a one-stop-shop for diamonds so that we smoothen the process.”

    DMC general manager Mr Ramsey Malik, said it was important for Zimbabwe to open its market to every interested buyer as is done at the Dubai Diamond Exchange Centre and with the Antwerp system. He said screening and registration of buyers took about two weeks, resulting in people preferring other auctions where it takes about 24 hours to process everything.

    “In Dubai and Antwerp it took 24 hours yet in Harare it would take weeks to process papers. We need to establish a one-stop office where all papers are processed and the product handed over to clients within 48 hours after receipt of funds,” said Mr Malik.

    “Let all the companies agree to hold a sale at the same time; invite the maximum number of customers and process papers on time.”

    Zimbabwe Diamonds Technology Centre chairperson Mr Lovemore Kurotwi said beneficiation was a prerequisite for local sales.

    “The set-up at the moment is punitive because it doesn’t encourage beneficiation to take place because those with licences are just gambling,” he said. “The law must say at least 95 percent of the diamonds must be value-added so that we can benefit as a country.

    “If Government is serious about value addition then we must do like what other countries are doing in the region where they value add their gems and sell them locally.

  • Egypt Warns Against Travel to Saudi Arabia

    Egypt Warns Against Travel to Saudi Arabia

    {{Egypt’s health ministry issued a warning on Friday against children, elderly people and anyone suffering from chronic heart and chest diseases travelling to Saudi Arabia due to an outbreak there of a deadly new virus.}}

    Saudi Arabia said on Thursday the number of cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), an often fatal disease caused by a coronavirus, had nearly doubled in April, with 26 more infections reported on Tuesday and Wednesday.

    Of the more than 370 people who caught the disease in Saudi Arabia, 107 have died since MERS first emerged two years ago.

    The first case of the disease in Egypt was reported on Thursday, in a 27-year-old man who lives in Saudi Arabia but returned ill to Egypt last week after having been in contact with an uncle in the kingdom who died of MERS.

    International concern about the disease is acute because Saudi Arabia is expected to receive large numbers of foreign pilgrims during the fasting month of Ramadan in July, followed by millions more for Islam’s annual haj pilgrimage in October.

    In a statement, Egypt’s health ministry said that anyone under the age of 15 or older than 65, as well as pregnant women and people suffering from chronic heart and chest diseases, should postpone pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia.

    {wirestory}

  • Teenager Gets 20 Years For Mom Killing

    Teenager Gets 20 Years For Mom Killing

    {{A teenager who helped her boyfriend kill her mother was sentenced to 20 years’ jail by the Western Cape High Court, Beeld reported on Saturday.}}

    Judge Robert Henney on Friday accepted 19-year-old Phoenix Racing Cloud Theron’s plea bargain with the State and sentenced her to 20 years, five of which were suspended for five years.

    She admitted that she helped her boyfriend, Kyle Maspero, strangle her mother Rosemary, 39, with a rope in her home in Fish Hoek on 7 March 2013.

    In mitigation of sentencing she told the court that she spent the first three years of her life travelling through SA with her parents, selling marionettes, attending hippie gatherings, and using drugs.

    Rosemary Theron abandoned her daughter when she was 5 to go to South America. She returned pregnant a few years later and performed as a clown and fire dancer at parties.

    From the age of 6 Phoenix Theron was sexually assaulted by a friend of her father’s and her grandmother’s boyfriend.

    She had to steal food as her mother often did not provide any, was in several primary schools and received home schooling. She had an abortion a week before the murder, and suffered from depression.

    – SAPA

  • EAC Heads of State Renew Commitment to Integration

    EAC Heads of State Renew Commitment to Integration

    {{President Paul Kagame together with President Kenyatta of Kenya, President Museveni of Uganda, President Salva Kiir Mayardit of South Sudan, 2nd Vice President Gervais Rufyikiri of Burundi and Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda of Tanzania held the 5th Northern Corridor Integration Projects Summit to discuss ongoing plans to achieve regional integration.}}

    The Summit convened to review the progress made on implementation of the directives given during the 4th Northern Corridor Integration Projects began with the launch of the Kenya National Electronic Single Window System.

    The system is aimed at facilitating the tracking, payment and President Kagame unveiled movement of goods to and from Kenya:

    “We look forward to Rwanda’s continued active participation towards making integration a reality.”

    President Kenyatta described the launch as a milestone in regional integration:
    “Our ultimate vision should be to implement an EAC Regional Single Window platform.

    The benefits from this initiative may not be fully realized unless all of us in the region adopt National Single Window Systems.

    Our brothers in Rwanda are already implementing a Single Window System and similar efforts are underway in Tanzania and Uganda.”

    President Kenyatta also urged partner states to keep up the momentum in regional integration projects:

    “I truly believe that completion of these projects will make our region a world leader in terms of trade facilitation.”

    The launch was followed by a review of the progress of the integration projects. Key areas addressed include power generation and interconnectivity, oil pipeline development, development of human resources, establishment of commodity exchange, fast tracking of political federation, construction of the railway and defense, security and peace cooperation.

    The summit agreed to fast track the establishment of the commodities exchange in the field of developing human capacity, the summit committed to establishing centre of excellence in respective countries and to ensure all citizens of partner states including South Sudan are able to attend institutions of higher learning for the same fee as nationals.

    Rwanda was designated as lead in establishing centre of excellence for GIS related training.

    The partner states agreed to address the issue of use of national ID with all member states national airlines, remove immigration barriers to labour and service provision and operationalise one common border post.

    Rwanda will lead on e-visa issuance for partner states while member states committed to developing strategies to reduce air travel costs between Partner States.

    The construction of the gauge railway was set to begin no later than October 2014.

    In the field of ICT, the partner states agreed to implement a one area network by 31st December 2014 and incorporate fiber optic access on all Northern Corridor Integration Projects.

  • African Fisheries Ministers Meet in Addis Ababa

    African Fisheries Ministers Meet in Addis Ababa

    {{African Ministers in charge of Fisheries and Aquaculture yesterday gathered at the African Union Commission offices for the second edition of the Conference of African Ministers of Fisheries and Aquaculture (CAMFA) themed “Transforming Africa’s Fisheries & Aquaculture for Food & Nutritional Security, Improved Livelihoods & Wealth”.}}

    The conference’s main objective is to present and adopt the first ever continental Policy Framework and Reform Strategy for Fisheries and Aquaculture in Africa.

    The Framework provides structured guidance to Africa’s fisheries management agencies and other stakeholders to facilitate reforms towards coherent national and regional policies.

    This will ensure wealth-generating potential, sustainable social, environmental and profitable outcomes for Africa and its people.

    “Over the past five years we have succeeded in prioritizing fisheries and aquaculture on development agenda at national, regional, continental and global levels.”

    This was said by the NEPAD Director of Programmes, Mrs Etherine Lisinge-Fotabong, speaking on behalf of the NEPAD Agency CEO.

    She emphasised NEPAD’s appreciation of donor support .“The last four years has seen unprecedented support to the NEPAD’s PAF Programme. We would like to thank all our partners, particularly, the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) who provided us with fund for the Partnership for African Fisheries (PAF)” she said

    In his presentation during the Ministerial Dialogue on Fisheries and Aquaculture, NEPAD Head of Fisheries, Dr Sloans Chimatiro said that the key message conveyed in the framework is that opportunities exist for fisheries to generate more wealth for the continent, if only, Africa increases awareness amongst policy makers on the value of the fish resources.

    “We also need to create an enabling environment that provides countries (and fishers) with incentives and confidence to invest in and manage the fish resources.

    Africa needs to realise the socio-economic potential of fish resources” he said.

    {myjoyonline}

  • Students Killed in Ethiopia Protest

    Students Killed in Ethiopia Protest

    {{At least nine students have died during days of protests in Ethiopia’s Oromia state, the government has said.}}

    However, a witness told reporters that 47 were killed by the security forces.

    She said the protests in Ambo, 125km (80 miles) west of Addis Ababa began last Friday over plans to expand the capital into Oromia state.

    The government did not say how most of the deaths had been caused but the Ambo resident said she had seen the army firing live ammunition.

    “I saw more than 20 bodies on the streets,” she said.

    “I am hiding in my house because I am scared.”

    The Ambo resident said that four students had been killed on Monday and another 43 in a huge security crackdown on Tuesday, after a huge demonstration including many non-students.

    Since then, the town’s streets have been deserted, she said, with banks and shops closed and no transport.

    She said teaching had been suspended at Ambo University, where the protests began, and students prevented from leaving.

    In a statement, the government said eight people had died during violent protests led by “anti-peace forces” in the towns of Ambo and Tokeekutayu, as well as Meda Welabu University, also in Oromia state.

    {agencies}

  • Obama Calls for Death Penalty Review

    Obama Calls for Death Penalty Review

    {{US President Barack Obama plans to ask Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate problems surrounding the application of the death penalty.}}

    The US leader’s announcement comes just days after a botched execution in Oklahoma drew widespread attention.

    Mr Obama called inmate Clayton Lockett’s prolonged death earlier this week from an improperly delivered lethal injection “deeply troubling”.

    The president said he has conflicting feelings regarding the death penalty.

    “This situation in Oklahoma I think just highlights some of the significant problems,” Mr Obama told reporters.

    Americans should “ask ourselves some difficult and profound questions around these issues”, he added.

    Mr Obama, trained as a lawyer, said the death penalty is warranted in some cases – including child and mass murder – but its application in the US is problematic.

    BBC