continued Archives - Page 2 of 2

26Jul

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Science

Element Six Synthetic Diamond Protects CERN Particle Detectors in Recently Announced Higgs boson Experiment Results

CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) particle detection systems use Element Six synthetic diamond in their first line of defence against beam-induced radiation damage in their recently announced Higgs boson experiment results. LONDON, July 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Element Six, the world leader in synthetic diamond supermaterials, is proud to announce that its highest purity synthetic diamond is an integral part of the CERN LHC (Large Hadron Collider) CMS (Compact Muon Solenoid) and ATLAS Beam Condition Monitoring Systems, used in the recent experiments which revealed the discovery of a new particle consistent with Higgs boson. This follows Element Six's announcement earlier this year regarding the construction of a $30M Global Innovation Centre in the UK, to...

23Jul

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

African News

KEMET Highlighted in GAO Report on Conflict Minerals

GREENVILLE, S.C., July 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- KEMET Corporation (NYSE: KEM), a leading manufacturer of tantalum, ceramic, aluminum, film, paper and electrolytic capacitors, today announced that it is positively cited in the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report Conflict Mineral Disclosure Rule: SEC's Actions and Stakeholder-Developed Initiatives (GAO-12-763). This report highlights KEMET's "Making Africa Work" initiative of establishing a "closed-pipe" supply chain for responsible sourcing of tantalum from Katanga Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120723/CL44445 ) "Addressing both the social and economic health of the local mining communities in the DRC is a critical step in resolving its l...

22Jul

By AfricaBusiness.comNo Comments

Africa to gear up for more meaningful engagement with China

The partnership with China should aim to boost Africa's overall capacity, competitiveness and trade in a way that supports African development. African nations must use the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation to complement the continent's regional institutions and policy agenda. This is according to a report by Standard Bank Group economists Jeremy Stevens and Simon Freemantle ahead of the fifth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing, China, that starts on 19 July 2012. Jeremy Stevens, Standard Bank Group's Beijing-based economist, says that the summit comes at a time when China is distracted by domestic economic challenges and political matters. Meanwhile Africa is now even more reliant on China, in particular Chinese demand for African commodity exports, but even ...

17Jul

By AfricaBusiness.comNo Comments

African News

Mobile Retail Commerce Rises While Social Shopping Drops in Second Quarter, Reports IBM

ARMONK, N.Y., July 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Mobile shopping rose while social media sales fell, providing an indication of where US retailers may invest in order to capture the attention and loyalty of the digital consumer, according to a new report from IBM (NYSE: IBM). The IBM Retail Online Index, a cloud-based analysis of the online retail sector reported that retailers experienced 15 percent growth in sales from mobile devices but saw a 20 percent decline in sales traced to social media based on a much smaller base over this three-month period. This report follows today's news from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Census Bureau which announced its estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales. According to the findings, retail sales fell 0.5 percent in June from May, the third ...

10Jul

By AfricaBusiness.comNo Comments

African News, South Africa News

Students need vocational education

By Thandisizwe Mgudlwa Vocational education and training is clearly the answer for most students who can't enter the university system. That is why experts have in the past urged students to consider private colleges and Further Education and Training (FET) institutions as a viable option for gaining a tertiary education. Among them are quality institutions offering courses that address the economic needs of our country. Many colleges have a higher ratio of graduates placed directly into related employment. Sharene Menteath, Head of Academics at CTI Education Group comments: "CTI Information Systems graduates are employed at the same level as university graduates, but require only one year of study and are likely to have earned an additional R100 000 before their universi...

9Jul

By AfricaBusiness.comNo Comments

Energy, Green Energy

SunEdison Closes 98 MW of Solar Projects in Europe

SunEdison demonstrates its ability to deploy high value solar assets in Europe and to structure complex transactions attracting world class financing partners BELMONT, Calif., July 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- SunEdison, a leading worldwide solar energy services provider and a subsidiary of MEMC Electronic Materials (NYSE: WFR), today provided additional details on the solar project closings announced last week. The company closed three transactions involving approximately 98 megawatts (MWp) of photovoltaic (PV) power plants in Europe during the second quarter. The transactions include the sale of a 60MWp power plant in Bulgaria to a consortium of investors consisting of an affiliate of First Reserve Energy Infrastructure Fund, Crescent Capital and ACWA Power; a 13 MWp portfolio of projects in...

9Jul

By AfricaBusiness.comNo Comments

African News

Market Rally Running Out of Steam?

LONDON, July 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- June proved to be a bullish month for stock markets, with investors buying back into the market after three previous months of declines as Central Banks looked to stimulate a slowing global economy. In June, the FTSE 100 gained 251 points or 4.7%. However, having hit resistance at the 5700 level at the end of last week, will the FTSE's charge start to run out of steam? By close of play in the UK on Friday (July 6), all the major indices were firmly in the red, with the Dow Jones leading the way as it fell by over 150 points (over 1%) by 4.40pm (BST). Major indices in the UK and Europe recorded falls too, with the FTSE 100 shedding 30 points and Germany's DAX 30 sliding by over 125 points to close the week at 5662.6 and 6410.1 respectively. L...

7Jul

By Amat JENGNo Comments

African News

ACCESS BANK HOLDS AGM WITH TOTAL ASSETS, CONTINGENTS GROW AT D991 MILLION

by Amat JENG Access Bank (Gambia) Ltd on Wednesday held its fifth Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the bank’s head office along Kairaba Avenue. Started with a required quorum, the meeting witnessed the Chairman board of directors of the bank, Bai Mattar Drammeh, declared total assets and contingents to have grown by 7.7% from dalasi 920 million in 2010 to dalasi 991 million as at end December 2011. “The bank implemented turnaround strategies that resulted to operational profit (before credit loss) of GMD3 million compared to a loss of GMD16 million in [the] year 2010. However, the high level of non-performing loan was a challenge and resulted to further provision,” he said. Mr Drammeh pointed to the global economy slow recovery and said fears of recession “remained prevalent with a rash of ...