Platinum group Lonmin launches bid for AfriOre of South Africa

The British group Lonmin, the world's third leading platinum producer, said Wednesday it had launched a friendly takeover bid worth 441 million dollars (344 million euros) for its South African rival AfriOre.

The deal, already approved by AfriOre management, needs approval from regulatory authorities and should be completed by the end of January, Lonmin said in a statement.

AfriOre holds a 74 percent stake in the Akanani field in the Bushveld region of northwest South Africa, which has reserves of 33.7 million ounces of platinum group metals.

Dakar customs seize 42,000 fake Nigerian DVDs, CDs

Some 42,000 counterfeit DVDs and CDs transported from Nigeria by three Senegalese traders were seized at Dakar international airport, Senegalese customs officials said Wednesday.

"42,000 counterfeit DVDs and CDs were seized on Saturday at the Dakar airport. They were concealed in wrapped cartons," said Mamadou Ba, spokesman for the Senegalese customs office.

According to Ba, the fake DVDs and CDs, coming from Nigeria and valued at some 60 million CFA francs (around 92,000 euros, 120,000 US dollars), were seized from three Senegalese people and were bound for the Senegalese market.

Some of the seized DVDs included pornographic films, Ba said.

This latest incident comes five days after a conference in Dakar on fighting counterfeit crime, organized by the Senegalese government and the World Customs Organization.

Armand Jean-Jacques Nanga, director general of Senegal's customs office, made a forecast at the seminar that 2006 is set to become a record year for counterfeit products.

Ghana proposes to host headquarters of ICCO

Mr Jan Vingerhoets, Executive Director of International Cocoa Organisation (ICCO) has held discussions with officials of Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning on Ghana’s proposal to host headquarters of the organisation.


A statement issued in Accra on Wednesday and signed by Mrs Pauline Adobea Dadzawa, Public Affairs Manager of Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) said Mr Vingerhoets also held discussions with management of the company.


It said discussions with the management centred on activities and projects of mutual interests including the final Cocoa By-products report, a Round Table on Sustainability, the planned International Conference on the health and nutritional aspects of cocoa and chocolate.


The statement said Mr Isaac Osei, Chief Executive of COCOBOD expressed appreciation for Mr Vingerhoets’ visit and reiterated Ghana’s support for ICCO’s interest in the cocoa industry and gave the assurance that Ghana would participate in ICCO’s programme for growth in the industry.


It said Mr Vingerhoets on a week’s visit to Ghana also held discussions with the President of Licensed Cocoa Buying Agencies and Haulers.


He would visit some cocoa processing factories in Ghana, Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) at New Tafo in the Eastern Region and meet some cocoa farmers.
GNA

Geographic Information System Day launched

An international Geographic Information System (GIS) day was launched on Wednesday in Accra with a call on government agencies to use GIS tools effectively to solve the numerous problems facing the country.

GIS is a technology capable of integrating, storing, editing, analyzing and displaying geographically referenced information, which is useful to society.
The day, which was under the theme "Towards the Creation of National Knowledge GIS Database", was organized by GIS stakeholders in collaboration with Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in Information Communication and Technology.


Ms Joyce Aryee, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, made the call when she chaired the launch of the day and said GIS as a system for creating and managing spatial data and associated attributes when properly used would change the face of the country from poor to rich.


She said Ghana abounded in rich natural and human resources and "I do not see why we should be experiencing poverty and all the problems associated with it".


The existence of a reliable information system is the key to planning resource mobilization and distribution; management of a country and its resources, its security, border control, banking, construction, mining, housing, communication, health etc.

Ms Aryee called on GIS practitioners to collaborate with other institutions to use the available resources to maximize the socio-economic development of the nation as well as the West Africa Sub-Region.


"Collaboration is very essential for better management of information and knowledge to help each and every one of us to know what role to play", she explained.
She urged practitioners to develop a map that would translate planning in the areas of agriculture, mining, real estate development and forest resources for better management to avoid conflicts.


The panellists, who spoke on how GIS could be used in the areas of mineral exploration; health; human resource development; surveying and mapping, and harvesting of underwater trees in the Volta basin called for the need for all institutions to use GIS for development and creation of wealth.
GNA

Leaders of religions to preach peace on Thursday

Representatives from the Catholic, Protestants, Jewish and Islamic faiths would proclaim messages of peace at various centres in the country simultaneously on Thursday, November 16, 2006.

The group started speaking in 120 cities in America and Japan as part of what has become known as a world tour, where leaders of various religions go round demonstrating love for all humanity and calling on people to come together to bring peace.

Evangelist Eselecha Bill Forcha, Representative of Universal Peace Federation, a non-governmental organization that recognized the importance of faith in God as a central component for peacemaking, announced this at a press conference on Wednesday.


He said the group would speak at Amasaman; La; Abokobi; Ofankor; Sukura and Weija, all in the Greater Accra Region as well as Juapong and Koforidua in the Eastern Region.


He explained that the world tour was initiated by Dr Sun Myung Moon, a servant of God, who went round over 120 cities with his family proclaiming peace.


Dr Moon, who founded the Universal Peace Federation in New York City on September 12 2005 always prayed sincerely that the United Nations would be an institution of peace and would uphold God's will for the realization of eternal peace, Evangelist Forcha said.


"Today heavenly fortune has visited us. Let us welcome and hear from these ambassadors of peace, clergies and apostles of our time sent to all the corners of the world," he said.


Evangelist Forcha said the group went through Europe and were now in Africa but would finally end their tour in South America. Bishop Abraham Annor, member of Universal Peace Federation, noted that peace should start from the family explaining that if there was peace in the families it would affect the society.


He advised that marriages should also be God centred to enable parents to train their children in a way that would yield peace in the society in the future.
GNA

Consular officials warn Ghanaians of fraudsters

About three weeks to the close of entry applications for the 2008 US Visa Lottery, also called the Diversity Visa or DV, officials of the Consular Section of the American Embassy in Accra are warning Ghanaians to be wary of people who might want to dupe them in the application process.

Mr Michael Gray, officer in charge of DV at the Section, said the lottery was free to enter and the application fee of 755 dollars for winning entries was to be paid only to the Embassy during interviews after the applicant had been declared a winner.


He asked applicants to avoid entering the lottery through fixers, who set up tables in front of university dormitories, in the village square or at their trade school.

Mr Gray said as long as unscrupulous fixers preyed upon the ignorance of their compatriots to charge exorbitant fees for both legal and illegal services, honest applicants would suffer.


Ms Nan Stewart, Consular Chief at the Embassy, said there had been an increasing number of fraudulent marriages arranged for immigration purposes only. There is also the prevalence of false birth and marriage certificates.
"These frauds do not do Ghanaians any good. They only help to put the country in a bad light," he told a press conference on Wednesday.


She asked legitimate applicants to consult only official sources (www.state.gov or www.usembassy.state.gov/accra) for information.
They should never knowingly engage in deception of any kind and never to pay fees in connection with DV applications other than the authorized application fee, which is payable to the Embassy cashier.

Ms Stewart said persons seeking to enter the lottery programme must register online through the designated website (www.dvlottery.state.gov) adding that digital photos must be submitted with the registration form.


She asked applicants who did not meet the education level and job experience requirements specified in the instructions not to submit and enter the DV programme.
Ghana is ranked third highest in Africa and seventh in the world among winners of visa lottery. About 3,088 Ghanaians won the 2007 visa lottery conducted last year.
GNA

Parliamentarians salutes Queens

The Women’s Caucus of Parliament has saluted Ghana’s Black Queens for their splendid performance at the just ended African Women Championship (AWC) held in Nigeria.


A statement signed by Honourable Gifty Kusi, Acting Chairperson of the Women’s Caucus said ‘even though you could not annex the ultimate title, the silverware you brought to the country cannot be glossed over”.
The Queens for the third time lost to the Nigerians, winners of all five competitions.


The caucus is buoyant that the Queens will soon break the monopoly of the Super Falcons of Nigeria on the African stage and take their “rightful place as the Queens of African soccer”.


Mrs Kusi called on government to offer the team the needed help to propel them to higher heights and also called on the general public to donate generously towards the preparation of the Queens for the World Cup as was done by the Black Stars.


The caucus expressed its conviction that with the needed support, the team will excel in the Republic of China where they will be making a third appearance at the FIFA World Cup in 2007.