Zambia: Zambians demand benefit from copper boom

The Zambian government is under increasing pressure from business and labour to increase its mineral taxes in the wake of surging copper prices on the world market but, ­analysts say, a revision could lead to litigation. Copper prices on the London Metal Exchange have shot to record highs of about $8 000 per metric tonne -- from the average of $1 200 six years ago -- in what is considered the biggest base-metal bull market in 50 years, fuelled by strong demand from China and India.