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Nigerian border closures cut smuggling but drive up prices

Benin crossing has been shut for three months, halting trade on vital frontier




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Vested interests are dragging South Africa down

Cyril Ramaphosa will be loath to take on the people who helped him to the ANC presidency




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South African Airways close to collapse

State-owned flag carrier struggling to pay salaries and secure funds to stay aloft




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Endeavour bids £1.5bn for Centamin in gold dealmaking wave

Canadian group makes all-stock proposal public after talks fail to get off ground




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South African Airways seeks bankruptcy protection

First state company to enter business rescue since end of apartheid




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African entrepreneurs pitch to Alibaba founder Jack Ma

Business contestants battle for $1m prize money in glitzy televised extravaganza




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South Africa to impose its biggest rolling power blackouts

Eskom will remove 6,000 megawatts of demand to avert total collapse of national grid




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South Africa’s miners shut down by power cuts

State utility Eskom removed power to stave off grid collapse




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Visa in partnership with MFS Africa digital payments hub

Tie-up aims to allow people with mobile wallets to pay for international online services




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Vodafone targets Africa’s unbanked with plans for M-Pesa

Telecoms group seeks to turn mobile payments unit into provider of wider services




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Nigeria ratifies finance law in boost for small business

Legislation cuts taxes for some enterprises while increasing VAT




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Global firms under scrutiny in Isabel dos Santos alleged corruption leak

McKinsey, BCG and PwC named in records showing allegations of looting by Angolan billionaire




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South African Airways suspends some flights to save cash

State-backed carrier starts cancelling flights as vital government funding is delayed




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Portuguese banker named in dos Santos probe found dead

Suspected suicide comes as Angolan billionaire indicted for money laundering




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Saudi Telecom to pay $2.4bn for Vodafone Egypt stake

Prospective deal comes as Riyadh-listed STC seeks to expand regionally




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South African miners applaud move to cut reliance on Eskom power

Pretoria has waived rules that prevented mining groups generating electricity for their own use




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Angola’s state diamond group seeks global partners to become a top 3 producer

Endiama chief wants ‘radical change’ in overhaul of country’s scandal-hit gem industry




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Sibanye-Stillwater chief hails Lonmin deal

Neal Froneman highlights ‘lowest payback period’ after £285m purchase




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AngloGold sells world’s deepest gold mine in South Africa exit

Move could pave way for company to shift primary listing to London




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Anglo American ‘encouraged’ by South African move to loosen currency controls

Restrictions have hampered miner’s ability to move money out of the country




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Sasol plans South Africa’s biggest rights issue in decades

Petrochemicals group to launch sale of up to $2bn in shares as part of debt reduction push




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African health officials warn of chronic medical shortages

Central African Republic has just three ventilators for its 5m people




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Takeaway suitor Naspers flaunts $8bn takeover budget

South African ecommerce group insists it remains in acquisition mode




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UAE groups implicated in suspected violation of Libyan arms embargo 

Two Gulf companies shipped jet fuel to renegade general Khalifa Haftar, documents show




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De Beers to cut diamond production by 20 per cent this year

World’s second-largest diamond miner cites disruption along the supply chain




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Dow enters bear market as pandemic declared

Investors fret over the level of economic stimulus Washington is likely to provide




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US stocks fall 10% in worst day since 1987 crash 

Wall Street’s late sell-off came on top of Europe’s worst-ever single day performance




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Tokyo stock price fall reflects virus threat to Olympics, say analysts

Nikkei 225 average drops 16 per cent over the week amid broad pandemic-linked sell-off




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Short bans/market closures: they amplify panic

Trading restrictions did not work in the past; there is less reason for them to work this time




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Philippines shuts financial markets indefinitely

Country becomes first in world to halt all stock, bond and currency trading




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SoftBank: money gobbler

The Japanese tech investment group is looking increasingly challenged




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Wall Street has best day in decade as stimulus nears

S&P 500 closes more than 9% higher as investors cheer Fed backstops and political progress




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Wall Street records first back-to-back gains in over a month

S&P 500 gives back some of its earlier rally as US stimulus package attracts objections on Capitol Hill




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US stocks close up 3.4% in positive start to week

S&P 500 records fourth gain in five sessions, despite new leg down for oil prices




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GPIF hunts for overseas bonds to escape Japan’s low yields

Strategy shift comes shortly after $1.4tn fund’s CIO tweeted he was stepping down




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Samsung shares create Korea headache for US investors

Change in Kospi 200 composition prompts US venues to suspend related derivatives




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Japan’s corporate cash-hoarders have moment in sun

Virus’s swift and unforgiving economic effect may silence activists




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Asia stocks higher after latest US coronavirus stimulus

Shares rally this week on hopes that spread of pandemic may be easing




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Hong Kong’s hidebound brokers face coronavirus reckoning

Viral outbreak has sped shift to online platforms, squeezing many traditional outfits




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Blackstone makes new investment in coronavirus-hit casinos

Private equity group acquires 10% stake in Australia’s Crown Resorts




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Coronavirus fears hit UK property market as viewings dry up

Buyers and sellers worry about risk of infection, say agents




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Evictions ban aims to help tenants in rented homes

Emergency move to prevent people being thrown out because of virus




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2.7m properties dragged into higher stamp duty band 

Rising prices and flat tax thresholds since 2015 mean more homes in London and Southeast are in the top band




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Nationwide pulls tracker mortgages after historic base rate cut 

Mortgage products tracking base rate vanish as ‘the numbers no longer stack up’ 




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Fed buys more mortgage bonds as rates rise above 4%

US central bank accelerates purchases to stabilise market for securities backed by home loans




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Non-bank lenders push for access to emergency state funding

Lobby groups led by UK Finance warn there is likelihood of ‘severe’ impact to borrowers




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Lenders sound warning on mortgage holidays

Households urged to consider options such as reduced payments instead of delaying debt




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UK property demand plunges as virus takes hold

60 per cent decline in sales predicted in the next three months




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UK housing market put on hold after plea from banks

Coronavirus lockdown hits lenders’ ability to offer mortgages and evaluate properties




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Banks say Fed rescue threatens mortgage hedging strategies 

Regulatory action sought to prevent intervention from having unintended consequences