Asia Africa Intelligence Wire articles from November 2001

Asia Africa Intelligence Wire archives from November 2001

ELS' FORMER CADDY SUES OVER PAYMENT.
November 30, 2001... South African golfer, Ernie Els, has been assured by his management team that all his obligations to his former caddy, Simon Masilo, had been discharged, his attorney said on Friday. Els is being sued by Masilo for allegedly failing to pay...

ALLEGATIONS OF UNISA IRREGULARITIES HOGWASH: MOTIMELE.
November 30, 2001... A defiant University of SA (Unisa) council chairman McCaps Motimele on Friday denied allegations of serious irregularities relating to council members' remuneration. "I am told... a couple of members are going to be locked up. I think that is...

UNISA BUILDING NAMED AFTER OLIVER TAMBO.
November 30, 2001... Two buildings and an auditorium at the University of SA are to get new names, Unisa council chairman McCaps Motimele said on Friday. The administration building would be named after the late African National Congress president Oliver...

KINSHASA A CITY DRAINED BY WAR AND CONFLICT.
November 30, 2001... "Don't touch glasses with a woman in Kinshasa tonight," a sergeant-major warns before the take-off from Pretoria. "Once you have done that, she is your responsibility for the evening. You will have to pay for her drinks, for her food...and...

UDM WANTS FAKIE'S HEAD FOLLOWING M&G REPORT.
November 30, 2001... United Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa on Friday called for Auditor-General Shauket Fakie's resignation in the wake of media reports that the executive was given power to influence the arms deal investigation. Following revelations...

LABOUR DEPARTMENT SHUTS DOWN FACTORY.
November 30, 2001... The Department of Labour has shut down a textile company in Newcastle in KwaZulu-Natal following the death of twin infants born inside the factory, which was locked at the time. At the same time, the Southern African Clothing and Textile...

ROBBEN ISLAND GATEWAY TO OPEN SATURDAY.
November 30, 2001... Robben Island's most famous prisoner, Nelson Mandela, will on Saturday open a R40-million mainland "Gateway" terminus for tourist pilgrimages to the island The Gateway, which will be named after the former president, centres on a...

SAMA APPLAUDS HEALTH WORKERS WHO WORK WITH AIDS PATIENTS.
November 30, 2001... The South African Medical Association (SAMA) on Friday commended health care professionals for their dedication and commitment towards the fight against Aids, SAMA chief executive officer Percy Mahlathi said. Mahlathi said the association...

SA NO PLACE FOR BLOOD DIAMOND DEALERS: MLAMBO-NGCUKA.
November 30, 2001... Companies involved in the "blood" diamond trade would lose their permits and licenses -- or would not be eligible to receive them -- under a tough new bill due next year, Mineral and Energy Minister Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said. She spoke at...

NORTHPROV RUGBY PLAYERS LOSE BAIL APPEAL.
November 30, 2001... Two rugby players charged with seven others for the murder of Northern Province teenager Tshepo Matloha, failed in their final bid on Friday to secure bail pending the outcome of their trial. The Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein...

DEFENCE ASKS FOR RE-OPENING OF ITS CASE.
November 29, 2001... Defence lawyers taking part in the multi-million rand bribery trial of former Lesotho Highlands Development Authority chief executive Masupha Sole on Thursday applied for the re-opening of the defence's case in the Maseru High Court. Defence...

UCT TO LOOK INTO THE STATUS OF WOMAN IN SA'S IT INDUSTRY.
November 29, 2001... The University of Cape Town's Department of Information Systems has embarked on a comprehensive study to determine the status of women in the local information technology (IT) industry. The study, spearheaded by Nata van der Merwe, aims to...

HOST OF ACTIVITIES PLANNED FOR AIDS DAY.
November 29, 2001... Aids literally becomes a burning issue on Saturday, when South Africans of all walks of life get a chance to light a "flame for life" commemorating World Aids Day. In prisons and sheebens, hospitals and casinos, at truck stops and taxi...

A FLAWED ZIM ELECTION WILL BE BAD NEWS: MBEKI.
November 29, 2001... President Thabo Mbeki on Thursday expressed the fear that a flawed presidential election in Zimbabwe would plunge that country into worse turmoil. "If you have elections which are not seen as legitimate by the people, you will have a...

RESTRUCTURING TALKS TO GO AHEAD.
November 29, 2001... Talks between the government and public service labour unions are to continue on Monday after a dispute over civil service restructuring was resolved in conciliation in Pretoria on Thursday. National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union...

SA PEACE MISSIONS EVOKE ENVY: LEKOTA.
November 29, 2001... Some states begrudge South Africa the credit the country is receiving for its peacekeeping efforts in strife-torn Burundi, Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota said on Wednesday night. "They are not happy with the credit we are getting," he told...

TRC REPARATION COMMITTEE SHUTS.
November 29, 2001... The committee of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that deals with reparations and rehabilitation is to shut down on Friday. The commission said in a statement on Thursday that all outstanding reparations-related matters would be...

MBEKI COMMENDS US FOR COMMITMENT TO AFRICA.
November 29, 2001... President Thabo Mbeki on Thursday commended the United States government for its commitment to matters like Africa and the Middle East conflict despite its focus on terrorism following the September 11 attacks. Accepting the credentials of...

DOG UNIT POLICEMEN JAILED FOR BRUTALITY.
November 29, 2001... Four men who set their police dogs on illegal immigrants in a 1998 "training exercise" were sent to jail on Thursday for four and five years respectively, with the judge describing their crimes as callous, cowardly, brutal and cruel. "They...

COURT HEARS OF VIOLENCE IN FORMER CISKEI.
November 29, 2001... The Bisho shooting trial was told on Thursday that there was a cycle of violence in the former Ciskei homeland before the African National Congress march on September 7, 1992. Former Ciskei Defence Force (CDF) lawyer David Scrooby told the...

Hyundai begins sales of trucks in U.S. next year.
November 29, 2001... Hyundai Motor Co., Korea's largest carmaker, announced plans on November 29 to begin sales of commercial vehicles such as trucks through its U.S. branch next year. The Korean carmaker said it will plan to establish a local branch in...

Hyundai Mipo to supply two PC vessels to Turkey.
November 29, 2001... Hyundai Mipo Dockyard said on Thursday that it won orders to construct two product carriers (PC) from Turkey. The company said it will supply two 37,000DWT PC vessels, which are built to carry petrochemical products, to Turkey's Geden....

Industrial output, production see slight fall during...
November 29, 2001... = Industrial output, production see slight fall during October = Due to the Chusok holidays which resulted in a reduction in working days, industrial figures during October fell lower than the previous month. The National Statistics...

Shares continue to post heavy losses.
November 29, 2001... An intense selling spree by foreign investors took a toll on the main stock market in Seoul on Thursday. However, the announcement of a higher-than-expected industrial output for October helped offset the early losses. On the other...

Samsung Elec. develops SoC chip for digital TVs.
November 29, 2001... Samsung Electronics Co. announced on November 29 that it has developed a key chip for digital TVs, called SoC (system-on-chip). The multi-functional chip, which enables graphic processing, signaling and changing a format, is 0.18-micron...

Samsung agrees with Oracle to cooperate on mobile biz.
November 28, 2001... cooperate relationship in the mobile computing business with Oracle, the world's leading supplier of database software used to collect and manage network data. Chin Dae-je, President of Digital Media Business at Samsung Electronics, met...

Industrial sector shows signs of recovery on...
November 28, 2001... = Industrial sector shows signs of recovery on stronger consumer sentiment = With local consumer sentiment, which had shrunk visibly following the September 11 terrorist attacks, showing a fast recovery, the industrial sector, including...

Current account surplus falls slightly in October.
November 28, 2001... during October, casting some dark clouds on the country's goal to reach a current account surplus of $10 billion for the year. The central Bank of Korea released statistics which revealed that the current account surplus swung down during...

Market correction sends KOSPI tumbling below 640 level.
November 28, 2001... below the 640 level on Wednesday. Profit taking by foreign investors and a faltering U.S. consumer confidence index were among the negative factors which dragged the index lower. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) swung down by...

Pension funds unlikely go to stock market.
November 28, 2001... market now looks unlikely as the main opposition Grand National Party is strongly opposed to the idea, which it claims would hurt Korea's stock indexes. The opposition party says that it would reject the bill submitted by the ruling New...

Textile exports post worst results since 1990s.
November 28, 2001... results since the 1990s in the wake of a global recession and overheated competition. The Korea Federation of Textile Industries said on November 28 that textile exports shrank 26.5% to $1.129 billion year-on-year, the biggest monthly drop...

Hyundai Motor workers vote to go on partial...
November 28, 2001... = Hyundai Motor workers vote to go on partial strike from Friday = The labor union of Hyundai Motor, Korea's largest carmaker, voted on November 28 to carry out a partial strike from November 29 (Fri.) to Nov. 30 for two hours a day. ...

DP GIVEN "TREKPAS" IN WCAPE.
November 28, 2001... The Democratic Party was given formal notice on Wednesday of the dissolution of the coalition in which it and the New National Party have ruled the Western Cape. DP provincial leader Hennie Bester pledged "an orderly transfer of power" by the...

SOUTH AFRICA NEEDS A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO AIDS: HEALTH DEPT.
November 28, 2001... South Africa, which remained one of the countries hardest hit by the spread of HIV/Aids, needed a holistic approach to curb the spread of the virus, the director of Aids Awareness in the Health Department said on Wednesday. Speaking at the...

MAN KILLED AFTER ROBBING COP DURING POLICE OPERATION.
November 28, 2001... A man was shot dead after he robbed a policeman during an extensive crime prevention operation in Ivory Park near Kempton Park on Wednesday, Gauteng police said. Superintendent Eugene Opperman said that during "Operation Quick Smack", the man...

STATE ACCUSES BASSON OF FABRICATING EVIDENCE.
November 27, 2001... Apartheid-era germ warfare expert Dr Wouter Basson was accused by the State on Tuesday of setting his sails to the wind and changing his version as hard evidence against him emerged in his trial. Arguing on fraud charges against Basson,...

WORLD EXPRESSES CONDOLENCES TO MODISE'S FAMILY.
November 27, 2001... Tributes from different embassies including Germany, Syria, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates were still pouring in on Tuesday night to the family of former defence minister Joe Modise who died at the age of 72 at his home in Centurion,...

MBEKI EXPRESSES SUPPORT FOR AFGHANISTAN TALKS.
November 27, 2001... President Thabo Mbeki on Tuesday expressed support for negotiations of a transitional government to replace the crumbling Taliban regime in Afghanistan. The talks, which are mediated by the United Nations, started in Bonn, Germany, on...

MBEKI COMMENDS FARMING IMPROVEMENT PLAN SIGNED IN PTA.
November 27, 2001... President Thabo Mbeki commended on Wednesday a new plan aimed at addressing imbalances and boosting production in the South African agricultural sector. Referring to the strategy as "a Codesa in agriculture", he told reporters in Pretoria the...

GINWALA REJECTS IDASA APPEAL ON ARMS DEAL.
November 27, 2001... National Assembly Speaker Dr Frene Ginwala will not intervene to force Parliament's public accounts committee (Scopa) to hear oral submissions from civil society organisations on the arms deal report. In a letter to Institute for Democracy...

ANC/NNP UNVEIL NEW DEAL.
November 27, 2001... The African National Congress and the New National Party on Tuesday unveiled a wide-ranging agreement paving the way for NNP representation on national and provincial cabinets, and for co-operation beyond 2004. The deal, ostensibly aimed at...

TAC, GOVT AIDS CASE JUDGMENT RESERVED.
November 27, 2001... The Pretoria High Court reserved judgment on Tuesday in the application by the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) to force government into making Nevirapine available to HIV-positive pregnant woman. Judge Chris Botha said judgment "would...

SOUTH AFRICANS TAKE RISKS DESPITE AIDS: SURVEY.
November 27, 2001... Eight in 10 South Africans are concerned about contracting HIV/Aids or another sexually transmitted disease, but many are not protecting themselves, an international sex survey revealed on Tuesday. The 2001 Durex Global Sex Survey, carried...

DA WALKS OUT OF DEFENCE COMMITTEES.
November 27, 2001... The Democratic Alliance on Tuesday suspended its participation in Parliament's defence committees dealing with the joint investigation team's report on the probe into the arms deal. After spending the entire morning arguing about process, and...

CORVETTES, SUBMARINES ON TRACK: SA NAVY.
November 27, 2001... The process of building four new patrol corvettes and three submarines for the SA Navy as part of the country's strategic defence package was on track, project leaders said in Pretoria on Tuesday. The first complete corvette is to be...

The competitive edge.
November 27, 2001... (From Israel Business Arena) Byline: Michael Neuvirth One of the keys to the success of any company is its ability to grow. Growing a company is a daunting - and never-ending task. Hiring new employees, finding new markets, fighting...

LG Elec. continues to reign as world's biggest...
November 27, 2001... = LG Elec. continues to reign as world's biggest supplier of A/C = LG Electronics Inc. held on to its position as the world's top manufacturer of air conditioners. Japan-based JARN magazine recently released an article which...

Hyosung to establish production plant in China.
November 27, 2001... The Hyosung Group, Korea's largest chemical/textile supplier, said it will establish its global production facilities in China, where it hopes to manufacture key profitable items that will include polyester and spandex production plants. ...

Korea forecasts earlier than expected recovery in 2002.
November 27, 2001... The National Economic Advisory Council (NEAC), which advises President Kim Dae-jung on economic policies, reported on November 27 that the Korean economy will grow at a rate of 3% during the first half of next year. Following the stable...

Gov't to moderate issuance of sovereign bonds...
November 27, 2001... =Gov't moderate issuance of sovereign bonds to stabilize bond market= In a move to stabilize the fluctuating bond market, the government said it will moderate the volume and timing of sovereign bonds, which are set to be issued next...

Local bourse under correction.
November 27, 2001... Following the recent explosive rally, the Korean stock market made a correction on Tuesday as institutions dumped shares on both futures and spot markets. The stock index closed at 650.01, down 4.55 points from the previous close, while...

Bank's lending rate for large companies declines...
November 27, 2001... = Bank's lending rate for large companies declines to record-low of 6% = Commercial banks' lending rate for large companies dropped to a record-low of 6%, the Bank of Korea reported on November 27. The rate continued to decline and...

Heated competition expected in global PDP market.
November 27, 2001... The global PDP (plasma display panel)TV industry is facing heated competition as new rival companies from Taiwan and China are soon expected to eat into the fast-growing display market. The market is currently controlled by Korea's...

Money moving back to stock market.
November 26, 2001... The huge flow of money commences to be felt in the stock market. According to the Bank of Korea and the financial industry, money at bank accounts and bonds markets started moving into the stock and property markets. BOK officials...

Korea-Japan business conference to begin on Monday.
November 26, 2001... Japan's business gurus are scheduled to arrive in South Korea on November 26 to attend the 18th Korea-Japan Business Meeting slated for Monday at Hotel Shilla in Seoul. Officials of the Federation of Korean Industries said Takashi Imai,...

Final deal made to acquire Hyundai Curitel.
November 26, 2001... Both KTB Network and Pantech have signed a final contract to acquire Hyundai Curitel, a CDMA mobile manufacturer wholly owned by Hynix Semiconductor Inc, in a consortium. Officials of KTB Network said a final contract was sealed on...

Hynix's STN-LCD sold for 75 bln. won.
November 26, 2001... Following a MOU (memorandum of understanding) signing in recent months, Hynix Semiconductor signed a formal contract to hand over its STN-LCD operation to a joint consortium comprised of China's DongBang Electronics and Semicon Engineering...

Gov't to reinforce 60-80% of budget during first half...
November 26, 2001... = Gov't to reinforce 60-80% of budget during first half of 2002 = The government revealed its plans to boost the economy through the reinforcement of over 60-80% of the public budget designated for 2002 during the first half of the...

Fiscal deficit of health insurance funds estimated at...
November 26, 2001... = Fiscal deficit of health insurance funds estimated at 1.8 trln.won in 2001 Korea's fiscal deficit of health insurance funds are expected to rise to 1.8 trillion won in 2001, up 65.5% from 1.1 trillion won previously anticipated,...

Stocks surge past 670 level.
November 26, 2001... With foreign investors on a continuous buying streak, the local bourse jumped past the 670 level. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index swung up by 29.38 points to finish at 674.56 on Monday. This is the biggest daily rise since January 4th...

Daewoo Motor Sales to undertake harsh lay-off program.
November 26, 2001... Daewoo Motor Sales, a unit spun off from Daewoo Motor in early 1990s, is planning to undertake a harsh restructuring program. Officials of Daewoo Motor Sales said on November 26 that it would encourage voluntary resignations to cut workforce...

Hanwha Group kicks off intensive restructuring plans.
November 26, 2001... The Hanwha Group said it will implement intensive self-rescue plans which will include shaping up the financial status of flagship Hanwha Chemical Corp. In hand with the announcement, Hanwha Chemical Corp. recently stated that it plans...

Samsung joins forces with Shanghai Bell.
November 26, 2001... Samsung Electronics announced plans on Monday to establish a mobile handset company in partnership with China's Shanghai Bell, the leading Chinese telecommunications equipment manufacturer. Samsung said it has obtained approval from...

STOP THE KILLING OF POLICE: ZUMA.
November 26, 2001... Deputy President Jacob Zuma on Monday urged all South Africans to join hands and fight to put an end to police killings in the country. Zuma, in a speech prepared for delivery at a fund raising dinner in Johannesburg, said 25 police officers...

MADUNA BERATES JOURNOS WHO REFUSE TO GIVE CRIME INFO.
November 26, 2001... It was "sickening" for journalists to refuse to give information to police about criminals they had interviewed, Justice Minister Penuell Maduna said on Monday. "No society would tolerate this sort of thing," he told a conference on...

TAC SUPPORTERS MARCH ON PARLIAMENT.
November 26, 2001... About 2000 Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) supporters marched on Parliament on Monday to demand a national programme to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission. The demonstration was a show of support for the TAC court case being heard in...

ANC TO CHALLENGE DA ON EXCO SEATS.
November 26, 2001... The African National Congress said on Monday it would challenge the Democratic Alliance's stand that it cannot claim seats on the executive committee of the city of Cape Town. Earlier on Monday, the DA rejected an ANC demand for four seats on...

SAPS PARTLY TO BLAME FOR DOG ATTACK, COURT HEARS.
November 26, 2001... The SA Police Service was on Monday partly blamed for the actions of four men convicted last week of setting their police dogs on three illegal immigrants in a 1998 "training exercise". "A culture was created within which such crimes were...

HUMAN RIGHTS FOUNDATION FOR ALL ELSE: SAHRC.
November 26, 2001... The SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) on Monday said it was satisfied that it had become part of the country's constitutional landscape -- but was concerned that too many South Africans still did not have proper access to it. SAHRC outgoing...

BODY PART TRAFFICKERS GRANTED R3000 BAIL.
November 26, 2001... Two men facing charges for allegedly trafficking in the body parts of the dead were each granted R3000 bail by a Durban magistrate on Monday. Mnyakwendaba Ndlela, 52, and Satu Griffen Msimango were charged with corruption and violation of a...

SAHRC UNDERFUNDED, LACKS INDEPENDENCE.
November 26, 2001... The SA Human Rights Commission said on Monday it remained underfunded and warned that official indifference has robbed it of much of the independence it needs to discharge its obligations. "After six years of operation, it is very...

ANC SHOCKED ABOUT RAVENSMEAD RAPE.
November 26, 2001... The African National Congress' Western Cape executive committee on Monday expressed its shock and horror at the rape of an eight-month-old girl allegedly abducted from her parents' bed in Ravensmead on the Cape Flats this weekend. "The PEC...

MADIBA HONOURED WITH SPECIAL STAMP.
November 26, 2001... Former president Nelson Mandela received the first edition of a souvenir booklet of stamps on Monday -- "The many faces of Nelson Mandela" --issued by the South African Post Office. A booklet, as well as a framed collection of the stamps,...

NNP BETRAYED PEOPLE OF WESTERN CAPE: DA.
November 25, 2001... The New National Party had lied to the people of the Western Cape, betrayed them and handed their province over to the ANC, acting Democratic Alliance leader Joe Seremane said. He was responding to comments made earlier on Saturday at an NNP...

ENGEN REFINERY SPILLS OIL INTO CANAL DURING STORM.
November 25, 2001... (CORRECTS HEADLINE) An estimated one cubic metre of oil overflowed from the Engen Refinery sewer process and entered the Badulla Canal during Friday night's heavy downpour of rain, the oil company reported on Saturday. The canal runs...

GAUTENG MUSIC FANS SNAP UP AL JARREAU TICKETS.
November 25, 2001... Gauteng fans of the multi-talented American jazz musician Al Jarreau snapped up tickets for the Johannesburg concert billed for next Tuesday, forcing organisers to add one more show at the same venue. The multiple Grammy award-winning artist...

WOMEN LIVING WITH ASBESTOS.
November 25, 2001... An asbestos sufferer and her daughter have built a house with her occupational compensation money, but do not have enough cash left to put up a roof. "The reason people can't do things is because they don't have the money to start. The...

UPINGTON Nov 23 Sapa.
November 25, 2001... ALLEGED BABY RAPISTS' CASE POSTPONED The Upington Magistrate's Court on Friday postponed to next month the case of six men charged with raping a nine-month-old baby. The men did not apply for bail, as expected, but only made a brief...

SUPERMARKET HIT BY SERIAL ROBBERS.
November 25, 2001... There is a shop on the outskirts of Welkom, close to the mines, which is like a magnet to robbers. On Wednesday at 7.30pm, manager Antonio Da Costa, 41, was closing the Rantsala Supermarket for the night when he was confronted by five armed...

DA QUESTIONS INTEGRITY OF PERLEMOEN QUOTA PROCESS.
November 25, 2001... Over half the fishermen who were recently granted permits by the department of environmental affairs to harvest limited quantities of perlemoen (abalone) in South African waters, obtained their quotas on false pretences. This is according to...

DAUGHTER RAPIST'S SENTENCE NEARLY DOUBLED.
November 25, 2001... An Elsies River man convicted two years ago for raping his 14-year-old daughter had his sentence increased from seven to 12 years in the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein on Friday. The court criticised Cape High Court judge John...

GAY ACTIVISTS ACCUSE SACOB OF PROMOTING HOMOPHOBIA.
November 25, 2001... Gay activists have accused the South African Chamber of Business (Sacob) of helping to promote homophobia because it allowed its Cape Town boardroom to be used as the venue for the launch of a book opposed to homosexuality. The Lesbian and...

FS SLEEPER THEFTS CAN DERAIL TRAINS.
November 25, 2001... Thieves who steal railway sleepers -- thereby endangering train passengers -- have struck for the third time in the northern Free State, police said on Friday. Inspector Louis Saaiman said a wide-wake Spoornet track master, Christo van...

NNP BETRAYED PEOPLE OF WESTERN CAPE: DA.
November 24, 2001... The New National Party had lied to the people of the Western Cape, betrayed them and handed their province over to the ANC, acting Democratic Alliance leader Joe Seremane said. He was responding to comments made earlier on Saturday at an NNP...