Tuesday, August nineteen, 2008.

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Shannon O'Donnell.

Making headlines today:

The South African National Taxi Council said on Monday that the proposed bus rapid transit system in Gauteng should be put on hold until the minibus taxi industry's involvement is outlined.

Santaco's general secretary Philip Taaibosch said that a letter would be sent to the transport minister on Tuesday. It was calling for a summit of all interested parties to be convened.

He said the taxi industry was not opposed to the Gauteng transformation strategy. However, the taxi industry needed to be involved as it was an integral part of the transport system.

The Central Statistical Office said on Tuesday that Zimbabwe's annual inflation jumped to 11,27-million percent in June from 2,2-million the previous month. This figure is the highest in the world.

The latest inflation figure shows the economic turmoil is worsening. Zimbabwe is already suffering chronic shortages of food and fuel. There are also no signs that Zimbabwe's rival parties will reach a power-sharing deal to end the country's political crisis.

The CSO also said in a statement sent to banks that month-on-month inflation accelerated to 839,3 percent from 433,4 percent the previous month.

BHP Billiton said on Monday that a merger with smaller rival Rio Tinto made more sense than ever. It said that its original acquisition timetable remained intact.

CEO Marius Kloppers said that BHP Billiton remained focused on seeing the deal through to conclusion. He referred to it as "the main event" in the company's mergers and acquisitions department.

Kloppers noted that the company had to be patient in getting all the necessary regulatory approvals for the deal. He said that it was "hard at work" on this front.

Also making headlines:

Eskom is looking for up to 4 500-MW of base-load capacity from the private sector
A new aerospace centre is to support the local manufacturing industry
A trade union warns that SAA Technical could lose many employees over bad management
Small South African miners may merge to raise funds for projects
Platinum falls 6% while gold dips below $800 again
And, AngloGold temporarily closes two main sections at TauTona

In political news:

US Peace Corps are to return to Liberia
Sudan warns that there will be 'consequences' over Bashir's arrest warrant
Zambian President's health worsens
And, the Constitutional court recommends mediation in the refugee case

That's a round up of news making headlines today. For more on these and other stories, visit engineeringnews.co.za, miningweekly.com and polity.org.za