ILO 12:00

03/06/11

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have joined hands to support a broad dialogue on polices for employment creation in Zambia. The two international organisation say apart from Zambia their support for broad dialogue also include Bulgaria and Dominican Republic. The organisations agreed at a meeting conference to held in Norway to work in three key areas. The areas are cooperation on defining social protection floor policies in low income countries, among others. This was contained in a press briefing made available to ZANIS in Lusaka yesterday. The two organisations and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, employers and trade unions met in Lusaka last month to prepare for a tripartite social dialogue to be held later this year. IMF African Department Senior Advisor, Sean Nolan said the meeting was an important step in preparing for in-depth dialogue on employment policies in Zambia. ENDS/

VENDING 12:00

03/06/11

Minister of Local Government and Housing Brian Chituwo says his ministry plans to regulate street vending in the city through facilitating the construction of markets, kiosks and mobile carts in some selected areas. He said the initiative is expected to help decongest the central business district. Dr Chituwo said Government has also embarked on the national market development programme aimed at building modern markets and rehabilitating the existing ones. He was speaking on Wednesday after touring vending sites in the city centre. During the tour, Dr Chituwo, in the company of top management from his ministry, engaged in dialogue with various illegal vendors to get their views on the formation of mobile kiosks. He said during the discussions with the vendors, one the key issues that rose was that illegal trading in the streets posed a danger in terms of public safety and security, public health and general public order. However, the vendors said they could not leave the streets because that is their source of livelihood. ENDS/

MOPANI 12:00

03/06/11

Government has urged mining companies in the country to continue nurturing the emerging local entrepreneurs who it says help in reducing production costs. And Mopani Copper Mines says the financial turnaround in the mining sector has helped its increased sizeable contribution to the community. Mines and Minerals minister Maxwell Mwale says following the liberalization of the economy, most members of the general public are at liberty to engage in meaningful business related to mining industry, among others. Mr Mwale said this during the Copperbelt mining agriculture and commercial show ( CMAC ) luncheon hosted for him by Mopani copper mines held at jubilee lodge in Kitwes show grounds. This year's theme is : 2011 prosperity on the Copperbelt. He urged the emerging business community to diversify their businesses so that it is able to survive in an event of a global crisis and continue to run their business beyond the life of the mines. And Mopani chief executive officer Emmanuel Mutati said the financial turn-around in the mining sector has enabled the company to increase its already sizeable contribution to the community. Mr Mutati said his company has taken advantage of the current good metal prices to expand on production capacity by investing in new projects that will increase not only production levels but also extend the life of the mines.

ENDS/

ECONIMIC GROWTH 12:00

03/06/11

Government says nothing will deter its goal of yielding the target of four billion kwacha economic growth. Commerce, Trade and Industry Felix Mutati says government will remain focused to achieve this goal despite the 2011 tripartite elections. Mr. Mutati expressed gratitude at the unwavering support from the private sector through the Public Private Partnership (PPP). He says investors in the country has assured of the good policies that have continued to flourish under the able leadership of President Rupiah Banda. Mr. Mutati was speaking in an interview with ZANIS in Lusaka yesterday. The minister said Zambia has reached a level of maturity of conducting elections and that had nothing to derail to yield its intended target of growing the economy. And Zambia has finalised preparations for much anticipated 10th African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA) summit to be attended by the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. ENDS/

SOUTHAFRICA

03/06/11

12:00

South Africa is mourning one of the leading lights of the antiapartheid movement, Albertina Sisulu, who has died aged 92. Mrs Sisulu was the widow of Walter Sisulu, a friend and mentor of former South African President Nelson Mandela. A political figure in her own right, she was active in the women's league of the African National Congress (ANC). ANC spokesman Brian Sokutu said Mrs Sisulu had dedicated her life to bringing democracy to South Africa. On Thursday, social networking websites in South Africa were flooded with tributes to the veteran campaigner. Mrs Sisulu first met Walter Sisulu in the 1940s after she moved to Johannesburg to work as a nurse. Although not from a political background, she quickly established herself as an anti-apartheid activist in her own right and was among those who in 1956 led a march of 20,000 women protesting at being forced to carry passbooks. While her husband was confined to jail with Nelson Mandela, she found herself subject to periods of house arrest. ENDS/

AUSTRIALIA

03/06/11

12:00

The authorities in Australia have announced plans to send unaccompanied children seeking asylum to Malaysia. They will be held in detention centres while their cases are processed. Australia's immigration minister, Chris Bowen, said it would send a strong message to deter people-smugglers selling passage to asylum seekers. The move is part of a controversial swap being negotiated with Malaysia under which some Malaysia-based refugees would be settled in Australia. Mr Bown said it will send a strong message and break the business model of the people smugglers who sell passage to asylum seekers hoping to start a new life in Australia. He spoke of how he hoped he would never again have to see children buried as a result of an overloaded boat trying to reach Australia's shores. Last December, an asylum-seekers' boat smashed onto rocks at Christmas Island, killing at least 30 people, including children and babies. ENDS/

BOSNIA

03/06/11

12:00

Ex-Bosnian Serb army head Ratko Mladic is due to make his first appearance at The Hague war crimes tribunal. He was arrested last week in Serbia after 16 years on the run from charges of having committed atrocities during the 1992-95 Bosnian war. His lawyer and his family say he is too ill to stand trial but doctors have so far declared him fit to be in court. He is charged with masterminding the massacre of nearly eight thousand Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica in 1995. In his first hearing before the International Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, Gen Mladic is to be asked if he understands the charges against him. The tribunal indictment charges him with genocide, persecution, extermination, murder, deportation, inhumane acts, terror, deportation and hostage-taking for his alleged part in a plot to achieve the "elimination or permanent removal" of Muslims from large parts of Bosnia in pursuit of a "Greater Serbia". As well as Srebrenica, Europe's worst atrocity since World War II, Gen Mladic is also charged over the 44-month siege of the capital Sarajevo from May 1992 in which 10,000 people died. ENDS/

HACKERS

03/06/11

12:00

A hacker group has claimed it has attacked the Sony network and stolen more than one million passwords, email addresses and other information. Lulz Security said it broke into servers that run SonyPictures.com. The Associated Press reported that Sony said it was aware of Lulz Security's statement and was investigating. In April, hackers broke into Sony's PlayStation Network and stole data from more than seventy seven million accounts. That attack was considered the biggest in internet history and led to Sony shutting down the PlayStation Network and other services for almost a month. The company has estimated the data breach will result in a one hundred and seventy million hit to its operating profit. ENDS/

VAN NISTELROOY

03/06/11

12:00

Former Manchester United striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy has joined Spanish club Malaga on a free transfer. Van Nistelrooy, 34, who previously played in La Liga for Real Madrid, has signed a one-year deal. The Dutchman successfully passed a medical and will be unveiled to the fans on Thursday. He returns to Spain after an 18-month spell at Hamburg SV, where his contract expired at the end of the 2010/11 season. Malaga, who finished 11th last season, were taken over by a member of the Qatari family and have outlined ambitious plans to turn the modest Andalucian club into a major footballing force. Having signed ex-Arsenal loanee Julio Baptista and Argentine international Martin Demichelis in the January transfer window, they showed their pulling-power by agreeing a deal with the veteran striker. Van Nistelrooy, a former Holland international who scored 34 goals for his country, has enjoyed a fruitful career having won league titles with PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United and Real Madrid. ENDS/

HEADLINES

The International Labour Organisation and the International Monetary Fund have joined hands to support a broad dialogue on polices for employment creation in Zambia. Government to regulate street vending in Lusaka through facilitating the construction of markets, kiosks and mobile carts in selected areas. South Africa is mourning one of the leading lights of the antiapartheid movement, Albertina Sisulu, who has died aged 92 Former Manchester United striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy has joined Spanish club Malaga on a free transfer.

KANSANSHI

03/06/11

12:00

Kansanshi Mining Plc has completed the draft report of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the proposed construction of Sulphide tailing dams and handed over to Environmental Council of Zambia (ECZ) for approval. Once the report is approved the construction of the tailing dams to be situated in Kabwela and Mbonge areas of Solwezi district will commence. Speaking during the Environmental Council of Zambia organized consultative meeting in Kabwela settlement yesterday, Kansanshi Mining Plc environmental manager Richard Zyambo said the mine has completed the draft report and only awaiting the approval of the ECZ. Mr Zyambo said the project will take up 600 hectares of cultivated land adding that 289 peasant farmers will be displaced and relocated to another area to be identified and that the Solwezi Kipushi road will have to be diverted around the tailing dams embankment. He added that Chief Kapijimpanga has already given the mine permission to carry out the expansion project once ECZ has approved. Kabwela residents have welcomed the proposed construction of the tailing dams but are appealing to the mine to compensate them as quickly as possible to enable them look for alternative land and continue with their farming activities. Kansanshi mining plc is proposing to construct two new tailing dams outside the mining area which will help in storing 9 million tones of copper and 200 million tones of tailings per annum and will be operational for a period of 20 years. ENDS/