Aspen profit up

Johannesburg - Africa's biggest generic drugs maker, Aspen Pharmacare Holdings, reported a 17% increase in half-year profit on Thursday boosted by costs cuts and higher sales.

Aspen said headline earnings per share totalled 371 cents in the six months to end-December compared with 316.4c a year earlier.
Aspen, the biggest generic drugs maker in the southern hemisphere, is likely to benefit from patent expiries of some of the best-selling name drugs around the world.
Sales increased 20% to R9bn with core earnings, or Ebitda, at its Asia Pacific unit increasing by 29%, helped by strengthening currencies.
The company expects its Asia Pacific unit to become its biggest revenue generator in the coming year after acquiring Australia's Sigma Pharmaceuticals last year.
Shares in Aspen fell 1.2% to R183.85 as of 09:47 GMT, lagging behind a slightly higher JSE Top 40 - index.
News 24
Neil Devereaux Nel 

Johannesburg Securities Exchange hits record high

The rise was underpinned by gold‚ resource and rand-hedge counters.

All the main indices closed in positive territory‚ helped firmer by the weaker rand‚ which lost value due to SA’ high trade deficit and strikes at several of Exxaro’s coal mines.

The local currency was trading at R9.1249/$ at 17:00 local time from R9.0866/$ at Friday’s close.

The All Share [JSE:J203] index closed 0.62% firmer at 40 984.22 points and the Top 40 - (Tradeable) [JSE:J200] index was up 0.62%.

Gold miners and resources advance 1.14% and 0.92% respectively.

At 17:00 local time London’s FTSE 100 was 0.13% firmer‚ while the Dow Jones Industrial index was flat (0.02%)‚ just short of the all-time high it reached on Friday.

On the JSE BHP Billiton (BIL) added 1.34% to R288.95 and Sasol (SOL) gained 1.12% to R407.50 after reporting a 2% rise in headline earnings per share to R24.01 for the six months ended December from R23.50 a year ago.

Kumba Iron Ore gave back 3% to R554 and Exxaro (EXX) added 1.83% to R169.90.

Rand-hedge SABMiller (SAB) lifted 1.62% to R473.09 and Barloworld (BAW) picked up 1.66% to R91.29.

Gold counters Anglogold Ashanti (ANG) added 1.3% at R226.46 and Harmony (HAR) leapt 4.63% to R58.96‚ while Sibanye (SGL) shed 3.56% to R13.80.

Retailer Clicks (CLS) jumped 5.75% to R62.39‚ builder Aveng (AEG) was up 3.36% to R36.88 and Spur Corporation (SUR) grew 4.32% to R29. Poynting Holdings (POY) surged 21.43% to 85c.

Investment group Remgro (REM) closed 0.96% firmer at R179.20 after it said in a trading statement that it expected headline earnings per share in the six months to December to between 33% and 37% lower than from the similar period a year ago.

Consumer goods group AVI (AVI) ended the day 0.87% softer at R57.95 after reporting an 8% rise in headline earnings per share to 210c in the six months ended December‚ from 194.2c a year ago.

Financial services group Sasfin Holdings (SFN) soared 9.59% to R40 after it reported a 22% rise in headline earnings per share to 198c in the six months to December‚ from 163c in the similar period a year ago.

News24.com

Neil Devereaux Nel 

Mandela released from hospital

 

2013-03-10 16:42

Johannesburg - Former president Nelson Mandela has been discharged from hospital, says the presidency.

"Nelson Mandela has this afternoon [on Sunday] returned to his Johannesburg home following a successful medical examination at a Pretoria hospital," spokesperson Mac Maharaj said in a statement on Sunday.

"The doctors have completed the tests... He is well and as before, his health remains under the management of the medical team."

The 94-year-old was admitted to a Pretoria hospital on Saturday for a scheduled check-up and he spent the night there.

Maharaj said the check-up had been to manage existing condition that came at his age.

In December, Mandela underwent an operation to remove gallstones and to treat a recurring lung infection.

He was then placed under home-based high care at his Houghton home.

The presidency said in January that Madiba had made a full recovery from the surgery and continued to improve.

Former president Mandela has a long history of lung problems, dating back to the time when he was a political prisoner on Robben Island during apartheid. He contracted tuberculosis in jail.

- SAPA
Neil Devereaux nel

 

 

Tourism increases in 2012

 Johannesburg - Tourism numbers increased by 10.4% between January and October last year, the tourism ministry said on Wednesday.

A total of 7 535 498 tourists arrived in the country during the period, compared to 6 823 517 in 2011, the ministry said in a statement. Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said he was happy with the continuing interest shown in South Africa. "Positive growth from the traditional markets in general and Europe in particular gives us confidence that the work we are doing to grow tourist arrivals is paying dividends," Van Schalkwyk said.

There was a 12.2% increase of German tourists to South Africa last year. Van Schalkwyk said the German market was important for South Africa and that the growth of arrivals from the country needed to be maintained.

He said tourism was a economic growth engine for the country and had been identified as one of the priority sectors to achieve economic growth and attract investment. Tourism attracted foreign direct spend and created jobs.

A number of targets had been set, which included attracting 15 million tourists by 2020; to increase the share of tourism in gross domestic product from R189.4bn in 2009 to R499bn in 2020, and to create more than 225 000 new jobs in the sector.

SA gears up for historic Brics summit

Feb 18 2013 20:02 Sapa

 

Cape Town - Logistical arrangements for the fifth Brics Summit to be hosted in South Africa next month are at an advanced stage, International Relations Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane said on Monday.

Speaking ahead of a meeting with her Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi and his delegation in Cape Town, Nkoana-Mashabane said several "events" in 2013 would help cement relations between the two countries.

"The next big celebration for us is to receive the incoming leader, your excellency, the brand-new president [of China] on a historic visit to the first Brics summit on African soil on the 26th and 27th of March," said Nkoana-Mashabane.

President-designate Xi Jinping is set to attend the summit, as one of his first visits abroad, after the new Chinese government is constituted in early March.

Nkoana-Mashabane paid tribute to outgoing President Hu Jintao, who she said had done "so much" for bilateral relations between South Africa and China.

"During his tenure we have seen relations between South Africa and China being elevated from just having good friendship of having signed all the important agreements to taking our partnerships to the highest level of signing the comprehensive strategic partnership treaty," she said.

Yang said his visit was part of preparations for Xi's upcoming visit to South Africa during the Brics summit.

He said China was excited about deepening relations with South Africa.

"In the last 15 years or so our relationship has developed on so many different fronts; political, economic, social, education and so on and both sides have benefited a great deal from this relationship," said Yang.

South Africa was also a very important gateway into the rest of Africa.

"We ought to work harder for the interests of our two people and for the interests of the developing world, and for mankind as well," said Yang.

There was a drive to boost economic co-operation with South Africa, as trade between the two countries continued to increase.

"The annual trade volume has reached almost $60bn and there's mutual investment, creating jobs.

"Our economies are highly complementary to each other."

The fifth Brics summit will be hosted at the iNkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in Durban.

Brics is an economic bloc representing five of the world's leading emerging economies, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Neil Devereaux Nel

The SA men's hockey team beat USA team

The South Africa men's hockey team withstood a determined USA before coming away with a 6-1 win after the score was 1-0 at half-time in the World League Round 2 match at the Deodoro in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Thursday.

SA's goals came from Clint Panther (third minute), Tim Drummond (seventh minute), a brace from Lloyd Norris-Jones (42nd and 60th minutes), a penalty corner by Austin Smith (54th minute), and a further field goal from Julian Hykes (56th minute) while the USA scored through Manuel Martinez in the 63rd minute.

SA head coach Charlie Pereira was pleased with the way his players kept their heads despite the frustrations of the first half and is not satisfied with the amount of ball being given away.

The win makes it two from two for SA, who beat Brazil 9-0 in the opening match on Wednesday.

Next up, SA face Trinidad and Tobago at 4 pm Saturday before taking on favourites and world number 10 Argentina at the same time on Sunday.

Argentina beat Brazil 10-0 Thursday and demolished Trinidad and Tobago 9-2 on Wednesday.

http://www.timeslive.co.za

Neil Devereaux Nel

SA Govt to increase allocation to science and technology, SKA

Idéle Esterhuizen

27th February 2013

Government’s allocation to the Department of Science and Technology will grow from R15.1-billion in 2012/13 to R18.9-billion in 2015/16, the 2013 Budget has revealed. This amount would include R2-billion to support the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope project.

Separate deliverables were being prepared for Africa and Australia, who would jointly host the R16-billion SKA radio telescope project, though 70% of it would be constructed in South Africa. A hosting agreement was expected to be finalised in March.

Earlier this month, SKA South Africa director Dr Bernie Fanaroff stated that construction of the project would surpass the original estimate of €1.5-billion (roughly R16-billion to R20-billion) and could exceed €3-billion (roughly R40-billion).

He added that the costs of the SKA construction phases were likely to be capped to ensure that the international programme remained affordable for the participating countries.

The SKA was currently in its preconstruction phase – the first of three phases – and would be operational by 2024. This preconstruction phase would run from this year until 2016, followed by construction phase one from 2016 to 2020 and then construction phase two from 2020 to 2024.

Neil Devereaux Nel