From the Editor's Desk
Weapon of mass destruction disarmed
Indications are that time has come for the Republican warmongers in the US to take at least a 4-year breather but hopefully 8 years.

News
'Talk to my lawyers at Shoprite Checkers'
A retired world class sprinter and an award winning cattle breeder have formed a legal insurance firm promises to take on Legal Shield and its Winna Mariba game show.

Screws tighten on money laundering
Money launderers be warned. Financial authorities are working on laws that will make it tough for laundered money to be transacted through the country's financial system.

Holcim re-captures local cement market
By Desie Heita
An unprecedented growth in the demand for cement and the withdrawal of Cheetah Cement from the market has given Holcim an early Christmas present.

Government means business in gem cutting and polishing
Namibia means business in its efforts to develop a diamond cutting and polishing industry, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Mines and Energy, Joseph Iita said in Luanda this week.

Namibian shareholders acquire Absa’s state in Capricon
Unnamed Namibian shareholders have acquired for an undisclosed amount the Absa Group’s 34.4% stake in local financial group, Capricorn Investment Holdings Limited (CIH), turning Bank Windhoek into the only financial institute wholly owned by locals.

Kimberly Process crucial for diamond industry’s survival
The diamond industry needs the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme to be effective and credible so that it can be sustainable, chairman of the World Diamond Council, Eli Izhakoff, told a meeting of the Kimberley Process Plenary in Botswana this week.

Rosh Pinah to change hands after Kumba’s split
One of Namibia's two zinc mines, Rosh Pinah Zinc mine will fall under Exxaro Resources - one of the companies that have been formed following the split of Kumba Resources into two entities.

Fitch affirms Namibia at BBB- and says outlook is stable
Fitch this week affirmed that Namibia's ratings at foreign currency Issuer Default 'BBB-' (BBB minus), local currency Issuer Default 'BBB' and Short-term foreign currency 'F3', saying these had stable outlooks.

UNAM/Nokia sign collaborative agreement
Nokia Corporation and the University of Namibia (UNAM) this week signed a Letter of Intent concerning the implementation of a collaborative agreement that will foster mutual knowledge and education in the field of visual culture, art and design.

SACU revenue, MTC stake sell propel budget surplus
Increased revenue from the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) and the recent sell of a stake in Mobile Telecommunications (MTC) have contributed towards the surplus projected in the 2006/7 financial year and increased it to N$931 million,

Demand for houses enormous, says bank MD
Bank Windhoek’s managing director James Hill says there is an enormous demand for houses in Namibia. Hill said last Friday that the availability of land is the most restrictive factor particularly in Windhoek due to the constant influx of people.

Capricorn's profit before tax increases
Local financial services group, Capricorn Investment Holdings Limited said this week in financial results for the year ended 30 June 2006 that operating profit before tax increased by 5% to N$254.3 million. Capricorn has interests in banking, insurance, asset management and microfinance with Bank Windhoek being its flagship brand in Namibia.

RFA goes GPS with Mass Distance Charges
The Road Fund Administration is contemplating using a high-tech tagging device to calculate Mass Distance Charges (MDCs).

Airport terminal to remain awkward for now
By Desie Heita
Waiting for a flight connection or transfers will remain an uncomfortable experience for passengers travelling through Hosea Kutako International Airport.

Air Namibia ahead of e-ticketing schedule
Air Namibia is ahead of schedule with the project to convert to 100% electronic tickets (e-tickets).

Single visa for SADC member states
The privilege of Africa hosting the Soccer World Cup 2010 has prompted African leaders, under the Southern African Development Community (SADC) banner, to propose a single visa for all 14 member states.

RA takes over vehicle testing
The Roads Authority will take over all the functions of the Namibia Traffic Information System (NaTIS) as from Friday 10 November.

Tempers inflate over Katima Mulilo/Cape Fria railway
The recent move by Windhoek based Enviro Dynamics to make public an environment impact assessment on the proposed Katima Mulilo/Cape Fria railway is said to have caused mayhem in political cycles, the Economist was told this week.

More alternatives of going to the North
People travelling to the North from Windhoek now have the choice of going by train. In August, TransNamib, the state-run transport company introduced a passenger rail service to Ondangwa.

HIV/AIDS impact on transport sector study commences
After numerous mini-surveys on the impact of HIV/AIDS on the transport sector

Namcor planning to have storage facilities
State oil company, National Petroleum Corporation (Namcor) is looking at the possibilities of building its own oil storage facilities in the near future, acting managing director,

Government to help boost oxen production
The Windhoek Farmers Association has scooped the national championship of the 2006 Meatco producers’ award.

Training new bankers

Waldorf observes St. Martin’s Market
The Waldorf School Windhoek invites the public to its traditional St. Martin’s Market to be held on 18 November in Avis along Andries de Wet Street.

Walvis Bay airport can be the Dakar of southern Africa, says NAC
By Desie Heita

'With ARVs and God, I will see old age'
By Desie Heita
In her late 30s, Karin Sheetekala is a Namibian television celebrity. She is an attractive woman with a slender physique whose faced is beamed across Namibia in a short TV film by the Namibia Broadcasting Corporation (NBC).

Treasure hunt into the Sperrgebiet
Not only is the desert alive, but sometimes it is virtually teeming with small creatures. This is the conclusion drawn by 17 learners from Windhoek and Karasburg who participated in an excursion of EduVentures into the Sperrgebiet in August.

Japan donates a computer laboratory to Jacob Marengo
The Government of Japan, through its Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) programme

Ubuntu is alive in Katutura

subMission blitz the Bunker
Local heavy rock band subMission will release its first mini CD on Friday, 17 November at the Blitzkrieg Bunker Bar at Gutenberg Platz in Windhoek.

Another title at hand for The Hitman
By Imelda Mokhatu
The 10 round main bout for the International Boxing Bonanza at Ongwediva this weekend will be featuring Namibia's own hotshot boxer and current World Boxing Association (WBA) Pan African Lightweight champion, Paulus 'The Hitman' Moses.

The Weather
Understanding Weather... not predicting
What happened?
The arrival of the anticyclone, affecting surface and alto level circulations, last Friday drove the active trough zone to the north and east.

Columnists & Culture
Pierre on branding
Back to basics 33
Brand communication: packaging
By Pierre Mare
Pierre Mare is a Windhoek-based brand consultant. He has contributed to many of Namibia’s leading brands and has worked with leading Namibian communications agencies

Ernst & Young on tax
Interest & penalties on late VAT payments
By Nikia Bauernschmitt
Nikia Bauernschmitt is a Senior Tax Consultant at Ernst and Young. Should readers have any queries, they are invited to send them to nikia.bauernschmitt@za.ey.com .

There is a certain mathematic to the proposition of belief, though. The power of emotion is strongest with the individual who creates the emotion. It is slightly less strong in the immediate group of followers, and as it spreads out it diminishes even further.

Initiatives
We are not as corrupt as perceived by latest world report!
The latest world corruption index, which shows that the country has dropped eight places, will not affect investments in the country and do not really paint a true picture of the levels of, analysts said this week.

Providing excellent services
The winner of the first Standard Bank Award for Service Excellence was announced last week, for the competition that ran on Radio Kosmos 94.1 from 1 October through which listeners were requested to nominate businesses that have given them exceptional service in Namibia.

Agra harvests buoyant financial returns
Farmers’ co-operative, Agra has registered buoyant results for its financial year ended 31 July 2006 that reveal a healthy cash flow.

Airbus A380 hits turbulence - again
The much hyped commercial passenger plane, the A380 from Airbus, is in trouble. In a span of four months, two chief executives have resigned - the second CEO stayed for only about nine weeks.

Coastal firm adds a new string to its bow
Driven by a passion to succeed, Ivan Marshall says that he knows that he requires a degree to make a success of his businesses.

Meatco wants out of SOE list
The meat processing company, Meatco has applied that it be taken off the State Owned
Enterprise (SOE) list on which the company says it was placed without proper consultations.

And life will never be the same
Venue: Ster Kinekor, Maerua Mall
Film: THE WORLD TRADE CENTER
Director: Oliver Stone
Music: Craig Armstrong
Writing Credits: Andrea Berloff
Players: Nicolas Cage, Michael Peña, Jay Hernandez, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon
Genre: True life drama
Rating: *****
By Gerry Hill