ELSEWHERE in this issue, we report that a number of banks have become sitting ducks for potential takeovers or mergers, as deep-pocketed investors circle on the sector for cheap Zimbabwean assets.

De Beers Botswana this week hosted Reggie Bush, the US professional football player with the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League and his partner Kim Kardashian in Botswana.

In one of the most significant legal rulings in the post-apartheid history of South Africa, victims of apartheid have finally received the green light from a US judge to sue multinational corporations that knowingly aided and abetted the regime. The

President Jacob Zuma on Wednesday urged members of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) to work out a practical new strategy in line with the changing financial situation and make concerted efforts to overcome the global crisis.

Government is talking to investors interested in mining diamonds in Marange fields and will soon announce their names, Mines and Mining Development Minister Obert Mpofu said yesterday.

PRESIDENT Mugabe has challenged the Non-Aligned Movement to assess its relevance and lead the process of reforming multilateral financial lending institutions and the United Nations in pursuit of a more equitable global order.

Zimbabwe is preparing to re-launch a military crackdown on illegal diamond miners in the eastern part of the country, risking an international ban on its precious stones.

THE construction sector strike that targeted 2010 Soccer World Cup infrastructure projects came to an end officially late yesterday after employers gave in to workers' demands, including a 12% pay rise.

SOME of SA's key growth policy thrusts, including the flagship industrial strategy and a plan to spur economic activity in rural areas, were implicitly faulted in the World Bank's latest development report, released yesterday.

Consultations are going on that will see companies listed at the Nairobi Stock Exchange cross-list at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE).

President Jacob Zuma has appointed Gill Marcus to take over from Tito Mboweni as Reserve Bank Governor in November 2009.

The East African Business Council (EABC) and TradeCom Facility have reached an agreement to strengthen the role of the region's private sector in EAC-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) negotiations.

INVESTEC Asset Management favours investments in gold, platinum, zinc, corn, sugar, iron ore and natural gas this year but is concerned about the near-term outlook for the prices of crude oil, aluminium and fertilisers, the group's investment team said yesterday.

POLITICAL developments in SA such as the formation of a state-owned mining company and talk of nationalisation in political circles were unnerving foreign investors, Canada-SA Chamber of Business president Bruce Shapiro said yesterday.

Hilton Hotels Corporation, the international hotel giant, has announced the introduction of its Doubletree brand into Africa after signing two Franchise License Agreements in Tanzania with the owners of the Opulent Hotel Group.

For several companies, especially those listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), the year 2008, which could best be described as a horrible one, is long gone, but its echoes have continued to reverberate regularly, especially for the nation's banks

WHAT a day. In markets around the world, everything seemed to come up smelling of roses. In the US, influential analyst Meredith Whitney made some bullish comments about financials, saying she saw a 15% upside in the Goldman Sachs price.

Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Sama'ila Makama, has observed that issues related to economic meltdown in the country could be tackled through investment in education of women.

The Capital Market Advisory Council (CMAC) yesterday sensitised the Senators on the importance of capital markets and long term investment.

Despite challenges in the investment climate, Rwanda Development Board (RDB) is on track with achieving the 'two digit' figure in world 'Doing Business' rankings by the year 2010.