Jack Kim

South Africa's Purchasing Managers' Index edged up to 50.7 in September from 46.7 in August, the second consecutive monthly rise and pushing above contractionary territory for the first time since June, sponsor Kagiso Securities said on Monday.

Malawi has awarded oil exploration licences to UK-based firm Surestream Petroleum to search for oil in the country's main lake, the minister of energy said on Monday.

The Kenyan shilling fell nearly one percent against the dollar on Monday on dollar demand from energy sector importers and the interbank market, while stocks were marginally lower as foreign investors sold on global risk aversion.

Democratic Republic of Congo is in talks with Malaysia Smelting Corporation over the construction of a foundry in the eastern Maniema province, the central African country's mines minister said.

Zimbabwe's Econet Wireless, the country's largest mobile phone operator, has reported a 16 percent increase in half-year earnings, mainly driven by subscriber growth.

A Red Cross convoy carrying aid to relieve a humanitarian crisis in Libya's besieged city of Sirte had to turn back on Monday because Libyan interim government forces unleashed a barrage of fire.

Sudan plans to double gold production at its main mine run together with Canada's La Mancha Resources within around two to three years and launch a copper production by 2015 or later, company officials said.

Sudan's massive debt risks exacerbating a difficult economic situation as annual debt servicing costs hit about $1 billion following the secession of the south earlier this year, its foreign minister Ali Karti said.

Angola plans to introduce a benchmark interest rate in October to help the economy attain price stability and boost household savings, daily newspaper Jornal de Angola reported on Friday, citing the head of the country's central bank.

Nigeria's Union Bank on Friday became the last lender rescued in a $4 billion 2009 bailout to get recapitalisation approval, bringing to a close a reform programme set-up two years ago to end the country's banking crisis.

Morocco's antitrust authority pledged total even-handedness in dealing with businesses owned by the monarchy, but exception may be made in sectors that help preserve social stability and firms that are leaders in other sectors, its head said in an interview.

Chad's first oil refinery, a joint venture with China National Petroleum Company, has suspended production, arguing that the price agreed with Chadian authorities to supply them was driving it into heavy losses.

New Zambian President Michael Sata launched a probe on Friday into last year's sale of telecoms operator Zamtel and vowed to keep a close eye on copper exports, while finance minister Alexander Chikwanda told banks to cut interest rates.

China and Tanzania have signed a $1 billion loan agreement to build a major natural gas pipeline in east Africa's second-biggest economy, a Tanzanian newspaper quoted the country's energy minister as saying on Friday.

South African stock prices edged lower on Friday, concluding the worst quarterly performance for over a year, as concerns about the euro zone debt crisis weighed on resource companies and others sensitive to global demand.

The rand fell against the dollar on Friday and looked set for its worst quarter in over two years as investors trim exposure to risk going into a weekend, remaining unconvinced that the euro region's debt crisis will be solved.

Kenyan Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, appearing at The Hague on Thursday to try to avoid being tried for crimes against humanity, put the blame for violence that followed an election four years ago on his prime minister.

Gunmen boarded a ship supplying an Exxon Mobil oil platform offshore Nigeria on Friday, wounding one on board and abducting another, the local unit of the U.S. oil major said.

Somali pirates have freed a Greek-owned bulk carrier held off the Horn of Africa coast for seven months after a multi-million dollar ransom was air-dropped to secure its release, a pirate source and local maritime expert said on Friday.

The U.N. war crimes tribunal for Rwanda on Friday acquitted two former ministers of genocide charges, making them among the most high-profile officials to be found not guilty of playing key roles in the 1994 slaughter of about 800,000 people.

Civilians fled Sirte on Friday as interim government forces pounded the coastal city in an effort to dislodge fighters loyal to ousted leader Muammar Gaddafi.

South Sudan wants to stop the pound weakening by setting an exchange rate target of 2.9-3.3 against the dollar and will intervene to ensure the currency stays in that band, a senior government official said on Tuesday.

Burundi has cut power supply to consumers to just four hours a day following a serious fall in water reserves in the country's main hydroelectric plant, its water and electricity utility said on Tuesday.

Zimbabwe will soon probe foreign-owned firms to establish their level of compliance with a law requiring them to sell at least a 51 percent shareholding in their Zimbabwean operations to locals, an official said on Tuesday.

The African regional trade bloc Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) is considering issuing a regional infrastructure bond and is seeking advisers, a senior trade official said on Tuesday.

South Africa's rand firmed over three percent on the dollar on Tuesday and was the biggest gainer in a basket of emerging market currencies watched by Reuters, as investors returned to riskier assets on hopes Europe's debt crisis will be solved.

South African stocks surged nearly 4 percent on Tuesday, booking their biggest one-day percentage rise in 16 months, as beaten down shares were lifted by renewed optimism that Europe would deal with its debt crisis.

An Egyptian court said on Tuesday it would review proceedings of the trial of Hosni Mubarak to rule on a request to change the panel presiding over the case of the ousted president, who is charged with conspiring to kill protesters.

Wouter Basson, dubbed Dr. Death faces a medical ethics board this week that could cancel his medical licence for producing chemicals used in numerous crimes.