[Mogadishu. African Union forces have warned that al-Shabaab fighters who recently fled Mogadishu to the south and north of the capital are planning to intensify kidnappings, suicide and car bombs as their new fighting strategy.]

BURUNDI :

RWANDA :

Renaissance Capital Plans Rwanda Office as Initial Public Offerings Grow

By Eric Ombok -/www.bloomberg.com/ Aug 19, 2011

Renaissance Capital, the Russian brokerage half-owned by billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, said it will open an office in Rwanda as the number of initial public offerings in the East African nation increases.

RenCap, as the Moscow-based company is known, was a transaction adviser in the December IPO of Brassieries et Limonaderies du Rwanda SA, the Rwandan unit of Heineken NV (HEIA), and the sale of shares by Bank of Kigali Ltd., Rwanda’s biggest lender by assets, which closed last month.

“We are bound to see more in the next few months,” Patrick Mweheire, RenCap’s chief executive officer for East Africa, said in an interview yesterday in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital. “We are going to open an office in Kigali by the end of this year; we are already looking for space.”

Rwanda’s government plans to sell shares in six companies over the next three years as part of a plan to attract foreign investors to the East African country, the Capital Market Advisory Council said in April. Among the companies preparing to list are MTN Rwanda, a unit of MTN Group Ltd. (MTN), Africa’s biggest mobile-phone company; Commercial Bank of Rwanda; Sonarwa Insurance and other businesses partly owned by the government.

Rwanda doubled the size of its economy in the nine years to 2010 as it recovers from a genocide in which 800,000 mainly ethnic Tutsis died in 1994.

Investment Banking

RenCap, which has the headquarters for its East African business in Nairobi, became the third-biggest investment bank by value of transactions in Kenya in the first half of this year, compared with 13th a year earlier, Mweheire said. Net income grew to 173 million shillings ($1.86 million), compared with a loss of 34 million shillings a year earlier, as brokerage revenue surged 80 percent, he said.

“We have made a concerted effort to build our brokerage business,” Mweheire said. “On the investment banking side, there hasn’t been an IPO in Kenya since 2008 so we made an effort to build a regional business.”

The company is considering opening an office in Kampala, the capital of neighboring Uganda, next year, he said.

Renaissance bid 251 million shillings for a Kenyan stock- broking license in August 2007. The permit was previously owned by Francis Thuo & Partners Ltd., a Kenyan brokerage declared insolvent in March 2007.

RenCap is a transaction advisor for the initial public offering of Onatel, the state-owned Burundian fixed-line and mobile-phone company, and the sale of shares in a bank in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mweheire said. He didn’t provide further details.

RDC CONGO :

Une épidémie de choléra fait 301 morts en République démocratique de Congo

Vendredi 19 Août 2011 / www.atlasinfo.fr

Une épidémie de choléra a fait 301 morts, sur un total de 5.171 personnes touchées, dans quatre provinces de la République démocratique de Congo (RDC), a annoncé jeudi le bureau de coordination des affaires humanitaires de l’ONU (OCHA).

Ces décès ont été enregistrés à Bandundu (Ouest) avec 101 personnes tuées, l’Equateur (Nord-Ouest) avec 90 personnes et la province Orientale (Nord-Est) avec 82 morts, alors que 25 personnes ont perdu la vie dans la capitale Kinshasa à cause de la maladie.

Selon OCHA, la mobilisation des partenaires humanitaires, en appui au ministère congolais de la Santé, se poursuit à travers les centres et unités de traitement de choléra dans les quatre provinces touchées par l’épidémie.

Le gouvernement congolais et ses partenaires poursuivent également des campagnes de sensibilisation aux mesures d’hygiène.

Crash aérien de Kisangani: la compagnie Hewa Bora contre-attaque

Par RFI / vendredi 19 août 2011

La compagnie Hewa Bora réplique après le premier rapport d’une commission d’enquête sur le crash de son Boeing, le 8 juillet 2011, à Kisangani. Le rapport remis au ministère des Transports fait état de graves manquements de la compagnie. Hewa Bora, aujourd’hui interdite de vol, réfute les accusations de surcharge en passagers ainsi que d’absence de qualification du pilote, et accuse à son tour les installations de l’aéroport de Kisangani.

José Dubier, le directeur des opérations d’Hewa Bora, brandit la feuille de charge de l’avion : 112 passagers pour 114 sièges. Selon lui l’erreur viendrait du fait que les enquêteurs se seraient basés sur les réservations et non sur l’embarquement réel.

Il réfute également l’accusation selon laquelle le commandant de bord n’aurait pas la qualification sur Boeing 727. « Sa licence était valable, donc il était en droit de pouvoir exercer ses fonctions de commandant de bord sur 727 » fait-il valoir.

Une balise défectueuse

La compagnie Hewa Bora accuse la Régie des voies aériennes qui gère les aéroports congolais, d’avoir constaté dans un audit de mai dernier que la balise de la piste de Kisangani était défectueuse, et de ne pas avoir prévenu. La balise VOR sert en cas de mauvaise visibilité.

« Cet audit avait relevé que les balises de navigation au sol présentaient un écart de trois degrés de déviation, note José Dubier. Or ils avaient bien signifié que si un pilote se hasardait à faire une procédure dans cette configuration, il y avait un risque de terminer sa course dans les arbres. Là c’est un défaut énorme, un danger. D’autant plus qu’aucun NOTAM – notice aux pilotes – n’a été fait, aussi bien au niveau des aéroports concernés qu’au niveau des services des opérations des compagnies »

Concernant les indemnisations, la compagnie indique qu’une équipe de la Lloyds de Londres est arrivée à Kinshasa, et que les victimes et ayant-droits seront indemnisés.

UGANDA :

‘Gay’ Ugandan asylum seeker’s deportation deferred

19 August 2011 / www.bbc.co.uk

A Ugandan man who says he will be tortured if he is sent home because he is gay has avoided deportation.

The UK Border Agency (UKBA) deferred Portsmouth resident Robert Segwanyi’s deportation minutes before he was due to board a flight to Uganda.

Lib Dem MP Mike Hancock said the 32-year-old was burnt with molten plastic in Uganda, where gay acts are illegal.

The Home Office found Mr Segwanyi not to have a genuine claim but cancelled his deportation at the 11th hour.

The UKBA is still considering representations put in by Mr Segwanyi’s lawyers and so has deferred the removal.

Ugandan bishop Christopher Senyonjo and Portsmouth South MP Mr Hancock have campaigned to prevent Mr Segwanyi’s deportation.

‘Put through agony’

Mr Hancock said: “I welcome the decision tonight not to deport Mr Segwanyi and all I ask is that Mr Segwanyi’s case is properly considered, which I believe it hasn’t been up until now.”

Mr Hancock said he had “grave concerns” about the way the case had been handled and said he had received letters from UKBA containing “errors on the law”.

He continued: “I hope that the UKBA will now consider his case properly.

“However it is bad that Mr Segwanyi was put through the agony of thinking he would be deported right up until the 11th hour.”

A spokesman for Mr Hancock said Mr Segwanyi had come to the UK in May 2010, applying for asylum in July 2010 on the grounds he was gay.

However immigration and appeal judges did not accept his claimed sexuality, the spokesman said.

Anglican bishop Mr Senyonjo, who is currently in the UK, said people who were gay or perceived to be gay “undoubtedly face questioning at the [Ugandan] airport and will likely face harassment and possibly violence from the police, as we have witnessed before”.

Death penalty

A Home Office spokesperson said: “The government will not remove asylum seekers who have genuinely had to leave particular countries because of their sexual orientation or gender identification.”

A spokesman for the Ugandan High Commission has yet to comment.

In Uganda many people condemn homosexuality both as un-African and un-Christian.

In May, Uganda’s parliament adjourned without debating an anti-homosexuality bill, which includes the death penalty for some gay acts.

However the bill could still be brought up when the new parliament meets later this year.

In January, David Kato, a campaigner who led condemnation of the bill, was murdered in Uganda. Police denied the killing was because of his sexuality.

Uganda: Al-Shabaab Plot New War Tactics

Risdel Kasasira / The Monitor/19 August 2011

Mogadishu. African Union forces have warned that al-Shabaab fighters who recently fled Mogadishu to the south and north of the capital are planning to intensify kidnappings, suicide and car bombs as their new fighting strategy.

The Amisom spokesperson, Lt. Col. Paddy Ankunda, told Ugandan journalists currently visiting Mogadishu the new strategy will target foreigners. “We are aware of their change of strategy. They changed from the conventional frontline to their new planned activities of terrorism, but we are carefully monitoring them,” he said yesterday.

Al-Shabaab is the only extremist fighting group in the world that holds a frontline and controls territory but they withdrew from Mogadishu two weeks ago because of intensified attacks from African Union forces.

Col. Ankunda said there are few fighters under the command of Dahir Aweys who have remained in central Mogadishu.

Mr Aweys agreed to merge his fighting group, Hizbul Islam, with al-Shabaab after the Kampala bombings. One group under Mr Ahmed Abdi Godane has moved to the North of Mogadishu to Baidoa, Col. Ankunda said. He is the commander of foreign fighters from Chechnya, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The main al-Shabaab fighting group which is under Mr Mukhtal Robo has withdrawn to Kisimayo in the south of Mogadishu.

The fleeing of al-Shabaab has now enabled World Food Programme to feed at least 25,000 displaced people in Mogadishu.

Uganda: I’m Surprised That It’s Nrm Govt That Wants to Give Away Mabira

19 August 2011/ The Monitor

As the Mabira forest saga goes on, I am reminded of the fact that in the 1980s, the NRM government, which had taken over power, evicted people who were growing matooke in Mabira forest in the name of protecting the environment.

Many years later, I am surprised that the same government now wants to give away the same land to Mehta, an investor. My question now is, do issues of saving the environment only arise when it is wananchi who are involved?

My advice to the government is that they should go slow on the issue of Mabira Forest give-away to avoid future problems.

Buganda and Busoga need this forest and any tampering with it will lead to changes in climate in these regions. President Museveni may not care about this for reasons best known to him. However, for us who will be affected, will fight to save this great forest. Saving Mabira forest may turn into a war.

Uganda: Kwoyelo’s Hope for Pardon Hangs in Balance

Anne Mugisa And Hillary Nsambu/The New Vision/17 August 2011

FORMER Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) commander Thomas Kwoyelo’s case hangs in balance after the State yesterday said the Amnesty Act, under which he applied for pardon, had loopholes.

Kwoyelo’s lawyers and those of the State battled yesterday over whether the former rebel commander should be granted amnesty, which he applied for last year.

The case is before the Constitutional Court where Kwoyelo’s lawyers, Caleb Alaka and John Francis Onyango, went in a bid to stop his prosecution for war crimes.

Principal State Attorney Patricia Mutesi argued that Kwoyelo had no grounds for applying for amnesty because the law he was relying on is unconstitutional.

She said although the law had been duly enacted by parliament and implemented for sometime, the Attorney General discovered that it took away the discretion of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) granted by the Constitution.

Kwoyelo’s lawyers tried in vain to block the State from presenting the argument that the sections of the Amnesty Act under which Kwoyelo applied for amnesty were inconsistent with the Constitution.

Justices Amos Twinomujuni, Constance Byamugisha, Augustine Nshimye, Stella Arach Amoko and Remmy Kasule said there was no way Kwoyelo could ignore the arguments.

Mutesi said the Constitution states that the DPP is independent and cannot be directed when and when not to prosecute.

She argued that the error with the Amnesty Act came after Parliament substituted its own discretion for the DPP’s discretion and granted blanket amnesty.

“When it comes to telling the DPP when and when not to prosecute, it contravenes the Constitution,” she said.

Mutesi pointed out that the Act tells the DPP to stop prosecutions when someone applies for amnesty, even when there are criminal cases.

She added that the Act violates the international conventions and treaties which Uganda ratified and was obligated to implement.

Mutesi further argued that the country domesticated some of the conventions which bind the country to act on some war crimes.

“We pray that your Lordships order that the criminal trial against Kwoyelo continues” she said.

According to Alaka, Kwoyelo was a victim of the Lord’s Resistance Army leader, Joseph Kony, who abducted him when he was 13 years old.

Kwoyelo grew in the rebel ranks where he stayed until he was arrested by the UPDF after the failed peace talks in Garamba, Congo.

Alaka cited others like Brig. Sam Kolo and Brig. Kenneth Banya who were also captured by the UPDF and granted amnesty under the Amnesty Act.

He said Kwoyelo was eligible for amnesty because he fulfilled the requirements and renounced rebellion.

SOUTH AFRICA:

South African Bonds Have Best Week in Three Years as Stocks Fall

Bloomberg /August 19, 2011

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Aug. 19 (Bloomberg) — South African bonds headed for the best weekly return in almost three years as a global stock market rout boosted investor appetite for lower-risk assets.

The 6.75 percent securities due 2021 gained 90 cents to 93.616 rand, driving the yield down 14 basis points, or 0.14 percentage point, to 7.70 percent, the lowest since January 2009. The bonds have gained 2.9 percent this week, the most since the week ending Dec. 19, 2008.

Emerging-market stocks fell for a second day, prices of industrial metals slumped and gold soared to a record amid signs the U.S. economy is slowing and Europe’s debt crisis may cause funding problems for banks. South Africa’s benchmark stock index headed for its biggest two-day fall since April 2009, dragged down by losses for mining companies including Anglo American Plc and BHP Billiton Ltd.

“The story of global bonds as the safe haven in a world of volatile equity markets continues, with the local yield curve even flattening today as demand for the higher-yielding longer stocks outweighed any concerns regarding inflation or issuance,” Rand Merchant Bank analysts led by Theuns de Wet wrote in a research note.

Investors favored 10-year and 15-year debt over shorter- maturity notes, with the yield on notes due 2026, known as the R186, falling below 8 percent for the first time since November 2010. Investors are betting the central bank will delay an interest-rate increase to support growth in Africa’s biggest economy.

Rate-Cut Bets

“Investors increased the duration of their portfolios and the longer-dated R186 outperformed other bonds,” BNP Paribas SA analysts led by London-based Paul Mortimer-Lee wrote in an e- mailed research note. “This trend is likely to continue as rate hike expectations are priced out and eventually reversed to rate cuts.”

The Reserve Bank has kept its benchmark rate unchanged at 5.5 percent this year, after lowering it three times in 2010, even as inflation climbed to a 15-month high of 5 percent in July.

Standard Bank Group Ltd., Rand Merchant Bank and Nedbank Group Ltd. have pushed out the likely date for a rate increase, and money-market traders have pared bets for an advance in the next 12 months, forward-rate agreements show.

Three-month forward-rate agreements starting in May next year dropped 5.5 basis points today to 5.51 percent, the lowest since January. The rate has declined from 6.63 percent on May 16, the highest in a year.

–Editors: Ana Monteiro, Linda Shen

South Africa’s Malema May Face Suspension From Ruling ANC

August 19, 2011/By Mike Cohen/www.businessweek.com/Bloomberg

Aug. 19 (Bloomberg) — Julius Malema, youth leader of South Africa’s African National Congress, may face suspension from the party after the ANC said it will take disciplinary action against him for a second time in two years.

Malema has been accused of undermining the party through his statements calling for the government in Botswana to be ousted and for “sowing divisions in the ranks of the ANC,” the party said in an e-mailed statement today.

The 30-year-old youth leader, who has been pushing the government to nationalize mines, said on July 30 Botswana’s government posed a threat to regional security because of its close ties to the U.S. The ANC described those remarks as a serious transgression that “crossed the political line.”

“Malema has left the party with no other choice but to discipline him,” and he could face expulsion or suspension, Zwelethu Jolobe, a politics lecturer at the University of Cape Town, said in a telephone interview today. “It’s hard to see now how he will bounce back from this.”

Floyd Shivambu, a spokesman for the ANC Youth League, did answer his mobile phone and it did not revert to voice mail. Calls to Malema’s mobile phone did not connect.

In May last year, Malema admitted to violating party rules by dividing the ANC and “undermining the stature” of President Jacob Zuma. He was forced to apologize, seek anger-management help and agreed to pay a 10,000 rand ($1,387) fine. He was also warned that he risked suspension from the party if he committed a similar infraction in the next two years.

“When it comes to the ANC Youth League, we have had many incidents that show the desire to undermine the ANC leadership,” Gwede Mantashe, the party’s secretary-general, said in an e-mailed statement on Aug. 3.

The youth league played a key role in helping Zuma take control of the ANC from Thabo Mbeki in 2007. The party is due to hold leadership elections in December next year, and local newspapers have reported that the league will shift its support for Zuma in favor of Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe.

–Editors: Nasreen Seria, Karl Maier

G-20 Weakened by Failure to Coordinate Policy, South Africa’s Gordhan Says

By Nasreen Seria and Stephen Gunnion/www.bloomberg.com/ Aug 19, 2011

The Group of 20 has become less effective in its role of managing financial crises just as the world risks falling back into recession, South African Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan said.

A lack of coordination on economic policy, including exchange rates, has undermined the G-20 in the past 18 months to two years, Gordhan said in a Bloomberg TV interview from Pretoria yesterday.

“The G-20 hasn’t done well,” Gordhan said. “We haven’t captured the opportunities we could have in order to engage in more coordinated action.”

Gordhan’s comments follow an opinion piece he co-authored with finance chiefs from Singapore and other G-20 members Canada, U.K. and Australia in the Financial Times on Aug. 15 calling for “political courage” to help prevent the global economic recovery stalling. Equity markets around the world have slumped this month, while gold climbed to a record of $1,867.95 an ounce today as concern mounted that the world economy was heading for another recession amid a debt crisis in the U.S. and Europe.

“The consensus around the world is that a key role needs to be played by decision-makers,” Gordhan said. “We are going to require bold leadership, we are going to require what Bank of England’s Mervyn King once called a grand bargain between different players across the world, in order that we can lay a platform for a more successful decade for the global economy.”

Debt Crisis

The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index has lost 3.2 percent this week and is down 16 percent from its April 29 high. South Africa’s benchmark FTSE/JSE Africa All Share Index slumped 7.3 percent this month, while the rand has dropped 7.2 percent against the dollar.

Gordhan called for firmer action in Europe to deal with a debt crisis that threatens to engulf Italy and Spain. Europe accounts for about a third of South African manufactured exports.

“Whatever route they take, they need to be decisive, they need to do it in the shortest possible time and they need to create confidence around the world that the euro-region is back on its feet,” Gordhan said.

South Africa lost 1 million jobs after the 2008 financial crisis pushed the economy into its first recession in 17 years, while the rand has surged 30 percent against the dollar since the beginning of 2009 as interest rates near zero in the U.S. and EU fueled demand for higher-yielding assets.

“There are many countries today, including the Swiss and our own, whose manufacturing sectors are grappling with serious challenges as a result partly because of the currency issue,” Gordhan said. “We could have done a few things with a greater sense of urgency.”

South Africa, one of 10 emerging markets represented in the group, will aim to push G-20 members to better synchronize policies at their next meeting in September, he said

South Africa: Ethical Victory in Healthcare for All

19 August 2011/ Health-e (Cape Town) / allafrica.com

I am visiting the University of Cape Town from Australia – this is the fourth consecutive year I have come to this physically beautiful city – and I see in the media recently all sorts of comments on the proposed NHI. These comments are all almost hostile. But then these comments do not come from all sorts of people.

They come mainly from the Medical Schemes and those academics and health care professionals who support the Medical Schemes. I see few comments from Medical Scheme members and none from those, the majority, who will be the prime beneficiaries of the NHI.

There is a very real risk that the current debate on the NHI is and will remain very skewed. Yet whatever else the NHI is, surely it is a part of what might best be described as a social movement or at least a social institution. And 17 years after 1994, is it not time that South Africans built themselves better, more solid social institutions? And is health care not the place for a better, more solid social institution?

The Green Paper on the NHI is a worthy document. There are gaps; there are parts that need to be improved. Overall however the government is getting there. That is commendable since the health of South Africans, especially the majority poor, is badly in need of being improved. When the NHI comes, does anyone doubt that that will happen?

But let us step back to think what all of this is about. Currently there is much legitimate debate about what the NHI will cost. There are some who seem to doubt if South Africa can afford an NHI.

It can. The only real question here is whether it is willing to afford it.

The NHI is about health, it is about fairness in the delivery of health and it is about efficiency in health care. First and foremost it is about the health of the people of South Africa. With all the hostile heat surrounding these issues at this time, it is remarkable how little is said about the health of the population! Currently it is for the vast majority so very bad. It is time to do better. Doing better in this context involves not just health services of course but also working on the key social determinants of health – poverty and inequality. If the majority are to obtain better health, the government must address poverty and inequality. While improving health services is crucial it is not a complete answer. With respect to health services however the question is how best can the people of South Africa provide health services that will most efficiently (give value for money) and most equitably (in some reasonably fair way) promote the health of the people of South Africa?

That is what the debate on the health care system needs to be about. Currently 43% of the health care spend goes to the healthier 16% of the population who are covered by the Medical Schemes. That in anybody’s book is grossly inefficient and grossly inequitable. What is needed first is to alter that balance in spending but second to improve the efficiency of both sectors albeit in different ways. The management of existing resources in the public sector is poor and at least some of the extra spend there in future needs to be used to improve both management systems and managers. The Department of Health needs to bring in some international experts in health service management and ask: “how can we change management structures, the management culture and train better managers to ensure greater efficiency in the future?” That is one side of the inefficiency.

The other is the inefficiency in the private sector. Costs have risen enormously in recent years and so have members’ premiums. It is always difficult to judge quality of care but we can be very clear that quality has not risen as fast as costs. Total costs here are a combination of fees and the amount of services provided – in other words P X Q i.e. price times quantity. Certainly fees have risen and almost certainly the quantity of services has risen (as a result of what economists refer to as ‘supplier induced demand’). Whatever, the costs in the private sector give every indication of being out of control. Here is another case for expert evaluation. Why are costs rising? Are the rises justified? These are questions that must be addressed by internal or external experts. This can be done and it must be done.

That’s efficiency. Equity moves in the same direction. It is so clearly the case that the current setup is inequitable. There can be no moral justification in not moving to improve the health of the poor. This is especially the case when this can be achieved through an NHI, largely by giving better value for money to those currently in the Medical Schemes. This issue of an NHI is relevant to all South Africans. That is the beauty of it. It is not just about improving the public sector. It is about providing decent health care for all South Africans. That is the justification in terms of morality and fairness. The economic justification is that it will provide more health for the health rand.

I suppose however some may say, so what? Is health care not like any other good in the market? Wouldn’t we expect that the rich will do better just as they do with cars?

Put in these terms, in essence the equity argument (which has already been won in almost all decent societies across the globe) is a moral and ethical issue. I find it fascinating that this moral argument holds sway in the critically informed Australian population where time after time citizens with good information say they want a yet fairer health care system. And in a society which is often seen as racist towards Aboriginal people, critically informed Aussies want greater resources to improve Aboriginal health – which is so much worse than non Aboriginal health.

Why do they want more resources for Aboriginal health? Why are these Australian taxpayers prepared to pay more to help to improve the health of these disadvantaged people? Well we don’t really know. Maybe they are compassionate towards Aboriginal people. My gut feeling however is that they see the dreadful ill-health of Aboriginal people as a national disgrace and want something done about it.

We in Australia have our “NHI”. It is called Medicare and is a universal system with access by all. We also continue to have a separate private sector. The two run rather successfully together. We have had that for nearly 30 years now and there is continuing debate about the balance between the two. There is no one however who wants to abandon Medicare. It is seen as part of the building of a decent society where the market is not left to determine who gets health care and who does not and everyone has access to good quality care.

Australians are proud of Medicare, their “NHI”. They see it as morally right, as part of the building of a decent society. Perhaps there are lessons here for South Africans.

Gavin Mooney, Visiting Professor in Health Economics, University of Cape Town.

UPDATE 1-SAfrica mine union rejects revised Implats offer

By Agnieszka Flak /Reuters/Aug 19

JOHANNESBURG, Aug 19 (Reuters) – South Africa’s National Union of Mineworkers members at Impala Platinum on Friday rejected a revised pay rise offer from the world’s second largest producer of the precious metal and will refer the dispute to arbitration.

The platinum sector is the latest to be affected by a wave of disputes in the country’s mid-year “strike season” after stoppages in the steel, fuel and mining sectors threaten to dent growth in Africa’s biggest economy.

“The members unanimously rejected the revised offer. We insist on a double-digit increase across the board,” said Eddie Majadibodu, the NUM’s chief negotiator at Implats.

Implats had raised its offer to between 8 and 10 percent, while the union has been asking for 14 percent, nearly triple the inflation rate. NUM workers in the gold and coal sectors have already reached deals for 7 to 10 percent increases, which could serve as benchmarks in the platinum talks.

The labour disputes are likely to unnerve investors already wary about putting money into the country due to steep power tariff hikes and a debate around nationalisation of the country’s mines.

Talks at Amplats are set to continue on Friday. The two sides moved closer as the company raised its offer on Thursday to 7.5-8 percent, while the union lowered its demands to between 11 and 12.5 percent.

Implats and bigger rival Anglo American Platinum (Amplats) account for two-thirds of global platinum supply and any strike could push prices higher.

BURNING TRASH

In a separate dispute, more than 200,000 water, sanitation and refuse workers seeking 18 percent wage increases are expected to march in Johannesburg on Friday after setting fires and looting vendors at rallies in Cape Town this week.

The NUM, with more than a quarter million members in various sectors, has also threatened a strike at state utility Eskom, which supplies almost all of the country’s power, after rejecting a 7 percent pay rise offer.

Any significant pay rises would affect the utility’s strained balance sheet and could lead to further steep rises in electricity tariffs.

Further wage hikes will make it more costly to hire the workers needed to bring power by 2014 to the 25 percent of the country’s households that still have no access to electricity.

Wage deals over the past years of double to triple the inflation rate have made the country less competitive by driving up the cost of a workforce which is already more expensive and less efficient that those in emerging market peers.

But the ruling African National Congress, which is in an alliance with organised labour, does not want to antagonise a group that has supplied it with millions of votes, by pushing workers to accept more modest pay increases. (Editing by Jon Herskovitz)

Eight percent growth economic policy needed to tackle unemployment: DA

Sapa / 18 août, 2011

South Africa needs to achieve an economic growth rate of eight percent if it is to begin to tackle unemployment and poverty, the Democratic Alliance said.

In a statement marking the launch of a policy project aimed at identifying what needed to be done to achieve this figure, the party said international experience showed economic growth was the only true pathway out of poverty.

“Overcoming the obstacles to economic growth, and ensuring that this growth benefits all South Africans, are our primary challenges.

“And so the DA has put the challenge of achieving an eight percent growth rate at the front and centre of our policy agenda. Leading up to 2014, this will be the party’s core and principal concern,” it said.

Over the next 12 months, the DA would hold a number of meetings with stakeholders — both inside and outside the party — culminating in a national conference and the formal adoption of the policy document in August next year.

S.Africa extends freeze on shale gas drilling

(AFP) /19082011

CAPE TOWN — South Africa’s mining minister on Thursday said no decision will be made on controversial shale gas prospecting until next year with an existing moratorium extended by six months.

Minister Susan Shabangu froze all new applications and decisions on lodged bids earlier this year and appointed a team to investigate hydraulic fracturing known as “fracking” in the vast central Karoo.

The department had to engage the public and interim reports had been received “but some issues were not clear and I sent them back,” the Sapa news agency quoted Shabangu as saying.

“I can assure you that when it comes to fracking in the Karoo, we will engage with everybody. We will go to the people,” she said.

Anglo-Dutch energy giant Shell is among several companies wanting to drill for shale gas, which has drawn a backlash over environmental fears.

“She’s putting everything on ice for a further six months so that the task team can complete its work. It has given her an interim report and she has asked them to do further work on that interim report,” minerals and resources department spokesman Bheki Khumalo told AFP.

“It simply means that South Africa will not take any decision on fracking and finalise this matter in any way until the end of February next year. Also there will be public consultations once she has got the report.”

Seen as a means to release untapped energy sources, fracking pumps water, sand and chemicals deep underground at high pressure to free gas from rock, but has sparked controversy in several countries.

Shabangu said she expected the final report of the study to go to South Africa’s cabinet next month.

AngloGold, Gold Fields Face Court Battles Against Miners With Lung Disease

By Mike Cohen and Carli Lourens /www.bloomberg.com/ Aug 19, 2011

AngloGold Ashanti Ltd. (ANG) and Gold Fields Ltd. (GFI) are among South African producers threatened with costly court battles as rights groups enlist thousands of former miners with work-related lung disease to a class-action suit.

“We are doing the legal research and at the same time identifying ex-gold miners who are potential claimants,” Richard Spoor, a human-rights lawyer who has won settlements worth millions of dollars from mining companies, said in a phone interview Aug. 16 from Maseru, Lesotho. “Our target is about 30,000 people before the end of the year.”

Spoor has allied with civil-rights groups to identify potential plaintiffs, opening offices in Umtata in Eastern Cape Province and Maseru, while planning others in areas that supplied labor to South African mines. Several hundred former miners have signed up without being approached, he said.

“A first draft of our application for certification of a class-action lawsuit will be ready this week,” Spoor said. “It will likely be filed out of the Johannesburg High Court.”

Spoor won a 490 million-rand ($68 million) settlement with Gencor Ltd. in 2003 after the company was sued by South African workers from asbestos mines it controlled. On March 3, South Africa’s highest court cleared the way for him to seek damages from gold companies by ruling that former miner Thembekile Mankayi could pursue a 2.7 million-rand claim against AngloGold.

AngloGold Rejected

The court rejected AngloGold’s argument that Mankayi, who died a week before the ruling, wasn’t entitled to seek damages because he had already received a one-time 16,316-rand state payout. Mankayi contracted silicosis and tuberculosis after working at the Vaal Reefs mine, which AngloGold ran following the company’s creation by Anglo American Plc (AAL) in 1998.

“We are talking to AngloGold about the Mankayi matter,” said Spoor, who represented the former miner. “We are looking for some kind of resolution on compassionate grounds. I went down to see his family in the Eastern Cape a few weeks ago and there is terrible hunger and hardship, small children who are suffering. I am really trying to expedite a settlement.”

AngloGold, the third-largest miner of the metal, says it complied with state regulations and isn’t liable for damages. The company isn’t discussing any possible settlement, Alan Fine, a spokesman, said yesterday by phone from Johannesburg.

Silicosis is caused by prolonged exposure to dust in mines, leaving irreversible scar tissue in lungs and making it hard to breathe. It also heightens the risk of contracting tuberculosis.

Negotiated Settlement

An estimated 196,560 former miners from South Africa and 84,240 from neighboring states working under a system of migrant labor hadn’t been compensated for occupational lung disease, according to a study published in 1998 in the Stockholm-based Journal of Mineral Policy, Business and the Environment. Surveys of long-serving gold miners who worked in South Africa put the prevalence of the disease at 17 percent to 32 percent.

The government is calling for a negotiated settlement.

“My approach is that we’ve got to take the matter away from the courts,” Mining Minister Susan Shabangu said in an interview in Cape Town yesterday. Litigation is “not good for the mining industry. We have been engaging with all the parties. I can’t say we are even close to a resolution.”

Fewer Gold Miners

The number of gold miners in South Africa has fallen to about 160,000, according to the Chamber of Mines, which represents mining companies. That compares with a peak of 489,000 in 1983, Department of Mineral Resources figures show.

“We’re working through all the processes,” AngloGold Chief Executive Officer Mark Cutifani said on Aug. 4. “It’s a manageable issue, but it will need government, the unions and businesses to come together to find the right solution.”

Gold Fields, the fourth-largest producer of the precious metal, said it’s assessing the potential effect of a claim. “We are reviewing our current processes to determine what additional measures can be taken to further mitigate the risks to employees of contracting silicosis,” it said in an Aug. 11 statement.

Harmony Gold Mining Co., Africa’s third-biggest gold miner, said it’s unclear whether it can be held liable for damages.

“Claimants would need to provide evidence proving that silicosis was contracted while in the employment of the company and that it was contracted due to negligence on the company’s part,” Johannesburg-based Harmony said in an Aug. 15 statement. “No estimation can be made for the possible obligation.”

AngloGold fell as much as 3.4 percent in Johannesburg trading, and was down 3.1 percent at 268.50 rand as of 10:14 a.m. local time. Harmony dropped 2.4 percent to 89.41 rand, while Gold Fields rose 1.3 percent to 120.26 rand. The price of gold gained as much as 2.7 percent.

TANZANIA:

Why Tanzania youth shun farming

Friday, 19 August 2011 /By Victor Karega, The Citizen Correspondent

Dar es Salaam. Lack of enough resources and incentives for improving agriculture sector, have made majority of youth to shun away from farming activities, the government official has said.

“We are therefore, looking to invest more on technology, skills and start providing incentives to stimulate the interest of graduates toward agriculture, ” the director of crop development in the Ministry of Food Security and Cooperatives, Mr Geoffrey Kirenga, told The Citizen on the sideline of the Tanzania-India Agribusiness forum held in Dar es Salaam recently.

According to him, the major challenge has been difficult to make farming attractive to the youngsters since most of them were not interested in taking up farming as their economic activity.

Mr Kirenga explained that most youth in the country viewed the sector as a non-remunerative activity and thus migrating to nearby urban centres, where they don’t succeed as well.

For many years, the country has depended on hand hoe farming, which puts off youth to engage in the sector by considering it as a tedious job.

However, he noted that Tanzania was set to collaborate with India to make agriculture profitable by investing and make incentives available to interested youths.

“They must have access to lending and have specialised training on the kind of crops to grow…..after these have been provided, they should be sure that there is a market for their produce,” he stated.

Over 35 Indian companies and 100 businesses from Tanzania attended the forum.

At the forum, businesses both India and Tanzania agreed to joint venture in diverse projects in order to stimulate growth in the sector and reduce poverty in rural areas, hence public and private investment in agriculture should be increased.

The forum provided good opportunities for local businesses to do business with their colleagues from India in terms of securing markets and good prices in India.

Tanzania Investment Centre (TIC) acting executive director, Mr Raymond Mbilinyi said the forum provided a link for local businesses to grow in association with Indian businesses by investing in technology, skills and capital needed in the agriculture sector to enhance the competitiveness of Tanzanian farming and build trade across the region.

KENYA:

East Africa: Kenya Worst Performer in Business Reforms

Winfred Kagwe/ Nairobi Star (Nairobi) /18 August 2011

Kenya is the worst performer in East Africa in terms of improving its business regulatory environment in the last five years.

A new World Bank survey shows that in the last five years, Rwanda improved its business environment the most followed by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and Kenya.

Most business regulatory reforms in East Africa over the 5 years focused on simplifying procedures for starting a business, registering property and dealing with customs. “As a result of the reforms in business registration, the average time to start a business in East Africa fell from 37 days in 2005 to 24 days in 2010,” reads the Doing Business in the East African Community 2011 report by IFC, the private sector arm of the World Bank.

For the second year in a row, Rwanda was also featured in the 10 most improved the most on ease of doing business, moving up from 70 to 58. Kenya , which has often been described as the business hub of the region, dropped 4 places in the rankings from 94 to 98. Tanzania dropped from 125 to 128 while Uganda improved 7 places from 129 to 122.

In 2003 Rwanda started to reach out to East Asian economies such as Singapore to learn from their reform success stories. Since 2005, it has implemented 22 business regulation reforms in the areas measured by Doing Business, using the report to track progress on an annual basis. But for investors in the construction industry, Kenya is the place to be as it has some of the most business-friendly regulations for dealing with construction permits.

Kenya Central Bank Governor Sees Slower Inflation Once Somali Famine Eases

By Sarah McGregor / www.bloomberg.com- /Aug 19, 2011

.Kenyan central bank Governor Njuguna Ndung’u said he’s confident inflation will slow in coming months after being pushed higher by surging demand for food from tens of thousands of Somali refugees fleeing famine.

“We should see a significant decline in food prices by October,” Ndung’u, 52, said in an interview yesterday in his Nairobi office. The cost of corn, Kenya’s staple food, has begun declining after the humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa rekindled concern over food shortages and worsened the inflation outlook, Ndung’u said. The drought in the region is the worst in 60 years, according to the United Nations.

Kenya’s inflation accelerated for a ninth month in July, to 15.5 percent, driven by a 24 percent surge in food prices. The jump in price growth has led to a 13 percent decline in the shilling this year and a warning on Aug. 12 from Fitch Ratings that a failure to lower inflation and stabilize the exchange rate would bring downward pressure to bear on its credit rating.

“A turnaround in inflation is expected in the next few months,” according to notes provided by Ndung’u during the interview.

The central bank aims to keep inflation within its 3 to 7 percent target range. Growth in East Africa’s biggest economy is expected to slow to 5.3 percent this year from 5.6 percent in 2010. That compares with a government target of boosting annual growth to 10 percent and sustaining it through 2030.

Somali Refugees

Food prices in Kenya have risen as refugees fled Somalia to the Dadaab refugee complex in northeastern Kenya, the world’s biggest such facility with more than 400,000 people. The United Nations has declared a famine in five regions of Somalia and predicted it may spread across the country’s southern region and persist until at least December.

“Food prices are coming down,” he said. “But even when they are coming down, we have seen more hungry faces crossing the border from Somalia and Kenya to compete for the already constrained supply.”

The Central Bank of Kenya in March predicted inflation would decelerate to 7.5 percent by year-end. Ndung’u wouldn’t comment on what the bank’s current inflation forecast is. Food costs in the domestic market may start declining as early as September or more likely in October, he said.

Global food prices are close to the peak of 2008 and are contributing to the humanitarian emergency in the Horn of Africa, the Washington-based World Bank said on Aug. 15. The World Bank’s food-price index surged 33 percent in July as the price of corn, sugar and wheat jumped.

Food Prices Surge

Cyclical waves of inflation in Kenya are often triggered by drought, and intensified by bad roads that make it difficult to transport food from farms to the hungry, as well as the failure to build up stockpiles during bumper harvests, Ndung’u said.

Kenya’s central bank has increased the key lending rate twice this year to head off inflation generated by rising global oil prices and food costs. It left the benchmark rate unchanged at its last meeting in July, saying that further rate increases would do little to tame supply-side pressures.

The central bank tightened its policy again this week by imposing a penalty on commercial banks borrowing from its overnight discount window. That may reduce liquidity and lead to a stronger shilling, Africa’s second-worst performing currency this year, after neighboring Uganda.

“The depreciation has supported tea and coffee earnings, but raised the shilling cost of fuels and other inputs as well as famine-related food imports,” Ndung’u said. “The depreciation in the exchange rate could also ease balance-of- payment pressures from rising imports.”

Trade Balance

Kenyan imports jumped 32 percent in June to 104.3 billion shillings ($1.1 billion) from a year earlier, while exports grew 30 percent to 41.4 billion shillings, according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics.

Under the rules introduced on Aug. 15, the central bank applies a three-percentage point penalty to either the previous day’s interbank rate or the benchmark lending rate, whichever is higher.

The bank had previously applied its so-called Central Bank Rate, currently at 6.25 percent. The overnight discount window rate rose for the fourth straight day to 17.89 percent yesterday, according to data on the central bank’s website.

Kenya: New Camp for Somali Refugees

Stephen Astariko/ Nairobi Star (Nairobi) /18 August 2011

An international organisation will set up a refugee camp and transit centre for Somali refugees in the Somali border town of Dobley.

Officials of the international organisation said yesterday that the move will remove pressure from thousands of the Somali refugees who trek long distances as they cross the border into Kenya.

Dahabo Diriye the chief executive officer for the Rural Organization for Advocacy and Development (Road international) said the camp will also remove pressure on the sprawling Dadaab refugee camps of Daghahley, Ifo and Hagardere.

Diriye said the move will also cut the number of deaths of malnourished children who succumb due to starvation as a result of trekking long distances to refugee camps in Kenya and Ethiopia. Diriye said his organisation has partnered up with a Turkish Aid Organisation in distributing relief food to the displaced who were not registered by the UNHCR in the Dadaab refugee camps and the neighbouring Dobley town of Somalia.

AU/AFRICA:

Southern Africa: SADC Must Wean Itself From Donors, Control Own Budget

19 August 2011/ The Herald Published by the government of Zimbabwe

THE proposal that a summit of a special council of ministers of Sadc be convened to look into ways the regional body can finance its budget was long overdue.

Reports from Luanda, Angola, say the Sadc Summit sought to grapple, among other issues, with how to secure Sadc finances.

Of concern was the fact that Sadc is largely funded by donors.

If members believe in what they talk about and believe that they need to have a regional body then they should commit themselves to financing its activities.

It is disconcerting to hear that of the US$83 million budget for 2011, only US$31 million came from member countries with the remaining US$52 million coming from donors.

If the old adage holds true that he who pays the piper calls the tune, then Sadc is not in control of its affairs at all.

Sadc will continue to be compromised as long as it cannot meet its bills. If its programmes are funded by donors, who tend to be Western donors, then Sadc remains open to manipulation.

Western donors bring money into organisations such Sadc and the African Union to support the foreign policies of their countries.

In most cases the foreign policies seek to weaken the African governments so that they can have access to African resources with which to rebuild their struggling economies.

As long as the donors control the Sadc purse they have a big say on the direction the regional body takes.

There is nothing wrong with donors supporting Sadc programmes but the bulk of the funding should come from the members themselves if they are to take full control of the organisation’s programmes.

It is no secret that the agenda of the Western donors often works at cross purposes with the desires of the members of Sadc.

This we see through the internal problems that some of the Sadc members are having because their own national budgets are funded by donors.

Some of the countries are having more than half their budgets funded by donors and can’t do much to determine the course they must follow and to empower their people economically.

At least Sadc has realised this weakness and is looking for a way out of the clutches of these donors.

They need to free their programmes by honouring their financial contributions.

A typical example of the challenges Sadc is having charting its course is the Sadc Tribunal. When we thought the Tribunal was dead and buried, the donors attempted to resurrect it at the Angola summit.

It is reported the judges of the Tribunal fighting to keep it alive are being funded by a foreign donor and some of the countries were beginning to waver from the position they took just recently.

Why would any country be keen to subordinate its own judicial system to a foreign-funded Tribunal, unless it is being arm-twisted through threat of losing funding for its budget at home? Since the

Tribunal is a Western project its existence is being tied to the funding of other Sadc programmes.

The secretariat, which has to worry about funding issues, obviously finds itself in a compromising position as it needs funding for other programmes from the same donors that fund the Tribunal.

This is the same problem the African Union has. Its secretariat sometimes appears more powerful than the executive arm because it has direct contact with the donors. It has often been accused of surreptitiously making decisions, which the executive arm has had to fight to reverse.

So if the Sadc Summit is saying it will convene a summit of ministers to look at funding issues, we hope they are saying they will look inward for that funding. Perhaps they will need to decide what percentage of foreign funding they will allow in order to retain control of the organisation.

But again as long as some of the countries cannot fund their own national budgets, it is unlikely that they will do much to fund Sadc programmes. Perhaps they will need to first free themselves before they can free the regional body.

Recently, liberation movements in the region met in Namibia and resolved to meet on the sidelines of annual Sadc summits. Among the things that irked them most was Western interference in their internal affairs.

Yet in some cases the governments would have given the West a foothold through over-dependence on it for funding.

Unless member countries can seriously empower their people and take charge of their economies they will remain at the mercy of the donor countries.

Member countries are endowed with enough resources to be self-sufficient in the funding of their budgets. In fact they should have enough to meet their obligations not only to Sadc but also to the African Union and other progressive bodies.

Giant Okavango-Zambezi conservation zone launched in Africa

(AFP) /19082011

LUANDA — Five southern African countries signed an agreement Thursday to create a giant conservation zone in the Okavango and Zambezi river basins that stretches over an area half the size of France.

The “conservation and tourism area” will cover parts of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, linking 14 national parks and nature reserves, including world-famous Victoria Falls and the Okavango River delta.

Leaders said they hoped the agreement would protect the region’s rich biodiversity and give root to a thriving ecotourism industry.

“It’s the largest protected tourism zone in the world,” an official from the 15-nation Southern African Development Community said in announcing the deal at the regional bloc’s summit in Angola.

The region is known for rare species including cheetahs, African wild dogs, black sable and rhinos. It is also home to some 250,000 elephants.

Drought Victims In Ethiopia In Urgent Need Of Aid

August 18, 2011/Lisa Schlein /www.voanews.com

| Geneva

A senior official of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies warns many people in drought-stricken Ethiopia are at risk of dying if urgent action is not taken to assist them. The official, who has just returned from Ethiopia, says millions of drought affected people are being overlooked because of the focus on famine-stricken Somali refugees who have fled to Ethiopia in search of food.

Millions affected by the drought

The United Nations estimates more than 12 million people in the Horn of Africa are affected by drought. More than one-third of them are in Ethiopia. And, yet a senior official of the International Red Cross Federation says not enough attention is being paid to their plight.

Red Cross Operations Coordinator Christine South says the international community is focusing most strongly on the Somali refugees. She says this is quite understandable as Somalia is in the grips of a famine and its people are in desperate need of food and other assistance.

“But, at the same time, the host or indigenous communities are, particularly in some of these dry areas in the southeast, are pretty well on the edge…If you are in a camp, there is a structure in place to provide support,” South states. “I think these families live in very remote rural communities. Some of them are nomadic, so they are on the move. They are much harder to reach and to identify, and to assess. So, they are harder to work with in a sense. But, that does not mean that their needs are not grave and that they do not need to be met.”

Running out of options

Ethiopia has been without significant rain for three seasons in a row and, South says, the people are pessimistic that the next rains due in October will be good. This, she says, means people not only have to be able to survive the present crisis, they also must plan ahead for the coming months.

Unfortunately, she says, people are running out of options. “So, many of their options are just closed down to them. And, I think it is that lack of anywhere else to go, which means that their need for support is urgent,” South said. “And, we want to do it before we start seeing human deaths rather than wait until we have a more dire situation before reacting.”

The International Red Cross Federation estimates about two million of the 4.5 million drought-affected Ethiopians are in need of food. The agency has launched a $10 million preliminary appeal to assist 165,000 people. It only has received 29 percent of that amount.

Nevertheless, given the needs, the Red Cross says it plans to scale up its operations and will issue a revised appeal to meet the increased needs of a larger number of drought victims.

Priority – getting food to people

Christine South says getting food to hungry people is the priority. This, she says, can be done by food distributions or, in many cases, by providing cash vouchers so people can buy food in the markets.

Other priorities include water and sanitation and health care. Once the immediate survival needs are met, she says the Red Cross will focus on longer-term solutions. For example, it will help people improve their agriculture and sustain their flock through better water management and irrigation.

Cinq Egyptiens dont trois policiers tués dans un raid israélien

www.liberation.fr/19082011

Cinq Egyptiens dont trois policiers ont été tués jeudi lorsqu’un hélicoptère de combat israélien a tiré une roquette sur des activistes près de la frontière à la suite des attentats meurtriers commis en Israël, a-t-on appris vendredi de sources officielles égyptiennes.

Le tir s’est produit près du passage frontalier de Rafah entre l’Egypte et la bande de Gaza, selon l’agence de presse officielle égyptienne MENA citant un responsable militaire. C’est de la bande de Gaza que seraient venus selon Israël les auteurs des attentats qui ont tué huit Israéliens près de la station balnéaire d’Eilat à proximité de la frontière égyptienne.

«Un appareil israélien était à la poursuite d’infiltrés de l’autre côté de la frontière et a ouvert le feu lorsqu’ils ont atteint Rafah. Il y avait plusieurs membres de la Sécurité centrale (égyptienne) à cet endroit et ils ont été atteints par le tir», selon le responsable cité par MENA.

Trois policiers ont été tués et deux blessés par le tir, selon des sources officielles. La chaîne de télévision officielle Nile TV a de son côté fait état de la mort de deux «Egyptiens non identifiés» dans le même incident. Il n’était pas clair dans l’immédiat s’il s’agit de deux assaillants.

La télévision officielle égyptienne a rapporté que le raid s’est produit au sud de Rafah, près de la localité de Taba, à environ 12 kilomètres de la ville israélienne d’Eilat.

Huit Israéliens ont été tués jeudi dans une triple attaque près d’Eilat dans le sud d’Israël, provoquant une riposte meurtrière de l’armée israélienne ayant fait 7 morts dans la bande de Gaza dont quatre dirigeants d’un groupe radical palestinien de Gaza accusé d’en être responsable, selon les autorités israéliennes. Sept assaillants ont également péri dans ces attaques soigneusement coordonnées, près des frontières égyptienne et jordanienne, selon le chef de la région sud d’Israël, Tal Rousso. L’un d’eux a péri «en actionnant sa ceinture d’explosifs», selon lui.

L’un des objectifs des attaquants était de «kidnapper un Israélien» pour le ramener dans la bande de Gaza via la péninsule égyptienne du Sinaï, a dit de son côté un porte-parole de l’armée. L’armée égyptienne mène depuis plusieurs jours des opérations militaires contre des islamistes dans le Sinaï, procédant à des dizaines d’arrestations.

(Source AFP)

Policiers tués: l’Egypte proteste auprès d’Israël, demande une enquête

(AFP) /19082011

LE CAIRE — L’Egypte a officiellement protesté vendredi auprès d’Israël après la mort de trois de ses policiers à la frontière avec l’Etat hébreu, demandant une enquête sur ces violences.

“L’Egypte a officiellement protesté auprès d’Israël et demandé une enquête urgente pour établir les causes et les circonstances (…) de ces pertes”, a indiqué l’agence officielle Mena.

“Les forces armées font une évaluation globale des derniers évènements qui se sont produits dans le Sinaï aux frontières est de l’Egypte, et réagiront de la manière adéquate aussitôt terminée l’enquête sur ce qui s’est passé”, a indiqué l’armée dans un communiqué.

Trois membres des forces de l’ordre ont été tués jeudi et sept blessés près de la frontière avec l’Etat hébreu, au moment où Israël pourchassait des hommes armés soupçonnés d’avoir déclenché des attaques meurtrières sur son sol, selon un haut responsable militaire cité par les médias officiels.

“Le sang de l’Egyptien est trop cher pour être versé sans réponse”, a réagi le Premier ministre égyptien Essam Charaf dans un message publié sur sa page officielle sur Facebook.

“Notre glorieuse révolution a eu lieu pour que l’Egyptien puisse regagner sa dignité à l’intérieur comme à l’extérieur, et ce qui était accepté dans l’Egypte d’avant la révolution ne le sera plus dans l’Egypte d’après la révolution”, a-t-il ajouté.

M. Charaf a évoqué vendredi soir “l’évolution de la situation sécuritaire dans le Sinaï” avec, notamment, les ministres de l’Intérieur et des Affaires étrangères ainsi qu’un représentant du Conseil suprême des forces armées et des services de renseignement, a indiqué la Mena sans plus de détails.

Le Parquet d’Al-Arich a commencé à enquêter sur les violences survenues du côté égyptien de la frontière.

Des informations contradictoires ont circulé sur les circonstances du décès des trois policiers.

Selon un responsable militaire cité par la Mena, ils ont été tués par une roquette tirée par un hélicoptère de combat israélien qui visait des activistes en fuite à la frontière israélo-égyptienne, après les attaques sur le sol israélien.

Mais le quotidien égyptien Al-Ahram, citant un haut responsable militaire, a affirmé que les trois policiers avaient été tués par des hommes armés tentant d’entrer en Egypte depuis Israël.

Des bilans différents ont également été donnés sur les policiers égyptiens tués. Des sources de sécurité ont ainsi fait état de six policiers en tout tués jeudi et vendredi, le dernier dans un échange de tirs avec des hommes armés inconnus à la frontière avec Israël.

Une source militaire a indiqué que le chef d’état-major égyptien, Sami Anan, s’était rendu dans la péninsule du Sinaï pour “passer les troupes en revue et leur remonter le moral”. Une autre source militaire a dit qu’il présidait une commission chargée d’enquêter sur la mort des policiers.

Toutefois, un responsable cité par la Mena a déclaré qu’il ne s’était pas rendu dans la région frontalière entre l’Egypte et Israël.

Enfin, le point de passage d’al-Oja, entre l’Egypte et Israël, a été fermé “en raison des évènements” de jeudi “jusqu’à nouvel ordre”, selon l’agence. Ce terminal sert au au passage de marchandises entre l’Egypte et Israël.

Amr Moussa, l’ancien patron de la Ligue arabe et candidat le plus en vue à la future présidentielle, a réclamé “une réaction” de l’Egypte, en affirmant que “toutes les parties, y compris Israël, doivent être mises en garde contre le fait de nuire aux soldats égyptiens”.

“Les sionistes (les Israéliens, ndlr) doivent se rendre compte que le sang égyptien a maintenant un prix”, a de son côté affirmé Saad al-Katatni, du Parti de la Liberté et de la Justice (issu des Frères musulmans), dans des déclarations publiées sur le site du quotidien Al-Chourouq.

Le Sinaï devient un casse-tête sécuritaire pour Israël

Par Adrien Jaulmes /www.lefigaro.fr/ le 19/08/2011

Après les attaques près d’Eilat, Tsahal a riposté à Gaza et Ashkelon a subi des tirs de roquettes.

Les embuscades tendues jeudi dans le sud d’Israël par des activistes palestiniens contre des véhicules civils et militaires sur la route d’Eilat, qui ont fait huit morts israéliens, ont été suivies de raids aériens sur Gaza. Premiers visés, les «Comités de résistance populaire», accusés par Israël d’avoir organisé l’attaque à travers le Sinaï. Six dirigeants de cette organisation clandestine, regroupant des membres de différents mouvements palestiniens, auraient été tués, dont leur principal chef militaire, Kamal al-Nayrab.

En représailles, des groupes armés palestiniens ont tiré une dizaine de roquettes sur Ashkelon, faisant au moins six blessés israéliens. Les autorités israéliennes ont cependant affirmé qu’une partie des roquettes avaient été interceptées en vol par le «Dôme de fer», le nouveau système de défense antimissile déployé dans le sud d’Israël.

L’attaque du commando palestinien contre la route d’Eilat, bien organisée et bien préparée, selon un mode opératoire inédit, avec des embuscades tendues en plein jour le long d’une route fréquentée, a aussi ravivé les inquiétudes israéliennes sur la sûreté de sa frontière sud et l’avenir de la coopération sécuritaire avec l’Égypte. Longtemps considérée comme l’une des frontières israéliennes les plus calmes, et la seule à ne pas être encore équipée d’une barrière de sécurité, la région qui sépare le désert du Néguev du Sinaï égyptien focalise pourtant depuis plusieurs mois l’attention des services de sécurité israéliens. Selon les accords de Camp David, signés en 1979 entre l’Égypte et Israël, les Égyptiens ne sont autorisés qu’à déployer un nombre limité de policiers dans le Sinaï.

Protestation égyptienne

Depuis la chute de Moubarak, la police égyptienne a de plus en plus de mal à contrôler cette péninsule désertique. Outre les Bédouins, qui s’y livrent à presque toutes les formes possibles d’activités illégales, et l’importante immigration clandestine africaine, les activistes palestiniens de Gaza circulent depuis février dernier plus librement dans cette zone. Des attaques contre le gazoduc qui traverse le Sinaï et contre des postes de police se sont multipliées ces derniers mois. La semaine dernière, Israël avait donné son accord à l’envoi de renforts égyptiens dans le Sinaï.

En outre, le Shin Beth (services de sécurité intérieure) aurait été prévenu de l’infiltration d’un commando palestinien dans le Sinaï et pris des mesures de précaution. Celles-ci se sont révélées insuffisantes et les forces israéliennes ont mis un certain temps à réagir à l’attaque. Des voix se sont élevées en Israël pour réclamer l’accélération des travaux de construction d’une barrière de sécurité le long de ces 200 km de désert, ainsi que le renforcement de la police des frontières. La construction de cette barrière, décidée l’an dernier pour endiguer l’immigration clandestine, devrait être terminée l’an prochain.

L’affaire a aussi atteint les relations israélo-égyptiennes. La chasse à l’homme lancée par les forces israéliennes contre les membres du commando palestinien a donné lieu à de tragiques confusions. Cinq policiers égyptiens auraient été tués jeudi et vendredi, certains par des Palestiniens, mais d’autres, selon les autorités égyptiennes, par des tirs israéliens.

L’Égypte a officiellement protesté auprès d’Israël pour la mort d’au moins trois policiers. Le chef d’état-major de l’armée, le général Sami Anan, a été envoyé dans le Sinaï pour enquêter sur cet incident. Le gouvernement égyptien s’est réuni vendredi pour examiner la situation sécuritaire dans le Sinaï.

Au moins 20 morts dans la répression des manifestations en Syrie vendredi

Publié le 19-08-11 /tempsreel.nouvelobs.com

BEYROUTH (AP) — Des milliers de manifestants sont à nouveau descendus vendredi dans les rues des villes et des villages de Syrie pour dénoncer le régime de Bachar el-Assad qui, en ouvrant une nouvelle fois le feu sur eux, a fait 20 morts dans leurs rangs, selon les associations de défense des droits de l’Homme.

Des rassemblements ont notamment eu lieu à Damas, la capitale, dans les villes de Homs (centre), de Latakia (côte ouest), de Deir el-Zour (est) et dans la province de Deraa (sud), selon les Comités de coordination locaux et l’Observatoire syrien des droits de l’Homme.

D’après l’Observatoire, basé à Londres, huit personnes ont été tuées dans le village de Ghabagheb (sud), cinq autres dans le village voisin de Hirak, trois à Homs, deux en banlieue de Damas, une à Inkhil et une à Nawa, deux villages du sud.

Les comités de coordination ont pour leur part fait état de 22 morts, dans le sud de la Syrie pour la plupart.

La télévision d’Etat syrienne affirme de son côté que des hommes armés ont tué par balles un policier à Ghabagheb et un autre dans la banlieue de Damas.

Il était impossible de vérifier ces informations car Damas interdit l’accès à son territoire aux reporters étrangers et restreint la couverture de ces événements par les médias locaux.

Bien que le président Bachar el-Assad ait assuré, mercredi soir, au secrétaire général des Nations unies Ban Ki-moon que les opérations militaires et policières avaient cessé, des soldats, des chars et des blindés de transports de troupes étaient déployés dans les localités contestataires.

Vendredi a aussi vu une nouvelle vague d’arrestations, et ce alors que jeudi, pour la première fois, Washington, Paris, Berlin et Londres avaient explicitement appelé Bachar el-Assad à quitter le pouvoir.

Vendredi, Moscou a pour sa part dénoncé ces appels, et apporté son soutien à son allié de longue date. Le ministère russe des Affaires étrangères a estimé qu’il fallait laisser le temps au président syrien de mettre en oeuvre les réformes qu’il a promises. Pour Moscou, Bachar el-Assad a déjà montré sa bonne volonté en levant l’état d’urgence – qui était en place depuis des décennies – et en publiant un décret autorisant les manifestations pacifiques.

L’ambassadeur de Syrie auprès de l’ONU Bachar Jaafari a quant à lui affirmé qu’une mission humanitaire de l’ONU arriverait à Damas samedi.

De son côté, emboîtant le pas aux Etats-Unis qui l’ont eux annoncé jeudi, l’Union européenne étudiait la possibilité d’imposer un embargo sur le pétrole syrien. Ce serait la cinquième série de sanctions européennes contre le régime de Damas.

La Syrie tire environ 28% de ses revenus de ses exportations pétrolières, à destination essentiellement de pays européens tels que l’Allemagne, l’Italie et la France.

Selon un rapport de l’ONU qui conclut à la mort d’au moins 1.900 personnes dans les violences à la mi-juillet -soit quatre mois après le début du soulèvement-, les forces syriennes pourraient s’être rendues coupables de crimes contre l’humanité. AP

Eritrean leader denies support for al Shabaab

Fri Aug 19, 2011 /By Elias Biryabarema/ Reuters

KAMPALA (Reuters) – Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki, accused by the West of supporting Somalia’s Islamist rebellion, denied on Thursday that his country backed the al Qaeda-affiliated group which has been waging a four-year insurgency in Somalia.

The diplomatically isolated president, speaking in the Ugandan capital at the end of a three-day trip, denied accusations contained in a U.N. report that said Eritrea was bankrolling al Shabaab.

His visit to Uganda has raised eyebrows among regional observers, especially because the al Shabaab rebels his government is accused of financing killed 79 people in twin bombings in Kampala last year.

“These accusations are built on assumptions, innuendos, guesses about this matter.,” Isaias said in a joint news conference with his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni, when asked about his country’s support for al Shabaab.

“Shabaab is serving the interests of those who want to maintain the disintegration of Somalia and give al Shabaab an opportunity to flourish and broaden its influence in Somalia,” said Isaias, who was on his first visit to the region in four years.

Uganda provides the bulk of African Union peacekeepers for the Somali capital Mogadishu, which has witnessed daily battles for the last four years before al Shabaab withdrew earlier this month. A famine declared in parts of the country has also exacerbated the country’s anarchic, desperate situation.

Museveni, who observers say hosted Isaias to showcase his role in the fight against militancy and as a peace-seeking politician, voiced support for the isolated Eritrean leader.

“The bombing here was done by al Shabaab but the issue here is that al Shabaab is not supported by Eritrea, that’s what Isaias told me and I accept it because he’s an honorable comrade, he’s not somebody who has walked out of the slums.”

FABRICATIONS AND LIES

The U.N. has imposed an arms embargo on Eritrea, as well as a travel ban and asset freezes on political and military leaders who it says are violating an arms embargo on Somalia.

A U.N. report said in late July that Eritrea was bankrolling al Shabaab, which Asmara said was “ridiculous and absurd”. The report also said Eritrea was behind a plot to attack an African Union summit in Ethiopia in January.

“We don’t have a tradition of hijackings, kidnappings, (or) bombings in our history … It’s cowardly and it’s not part of our history… Now to simply fabricate and accumulate these lies and disseminate them to create an aura of suspicion about this or that on our credibility doesn’t work,” Isaias said.

As al Shabaab loses some of its foothold in Somalia, Isaias may be trying to mend its international relations, analysts have said.

The secretive Red Sea state rejoined the East African bloc IGAD last month, four years after it walked out on the body in protest at arch-foe Ethiopia entering Somalia to oust an Islamist administration.

Ethiopia has said the visit was a ploy to avert more sanctions. At the United Nations, Eritrea accused Ethiopia of a “frenzied campaign” to impose new U.N. Security Council sanctions in a bid to topple the Eritrean government and secure access to the sea.

INDIA/AFRICA:

India’s CIL starts coal mine development in Mozambique

By: Ajoy K Das/ www.miningweekly.com/19th August 2011

KOLKATA (miningweekly.com) – Marking its international foray, Coal India Africana Limitada (CIAL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Coal India Limited (CIL), would shortly start exploratory and development work at the two coal blocks in Mozambique’s north-western Tete province, estimated to have a reserve of one-billion tons.

The Central Mine Planning and Design Institute (CMPDI) under CIL, has completed initial prospecting and exploratory drilling, with geological mapping expected to start within the next few months.

Following the visit of India’s Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal early this year, the Mozambican government agreed to build infrastructure, including a rail link to facilitate evacuation of coal to India. CIAL, which had successfully bid for the blocks in 2009, had not been able to start development work untill now in absence of infrastructure to evacuate the coal.

To expand its global footprint, CIL is seeking joint venture (JV) partners to develop coal blocks and long-term supply agreements with asset owners and operators in South Africa, Australia and Indonesia.

“Coal Videsh, a division of CIL, is pursuing foreign ventures through structured deals to import coal into India. Our preferred destinations are South Africa, Australia and Indonesia,” CIL chairperson and MD, N C Jha said.

“Proposed structured deals could include acquisition of stake in existing assets or joint venture partnership in developing Greenfield coal assets in these countries,” Jha said.

The three models of structured deals being followed by CIL included equity investment by the company in brownfield coal projects with long-term offtake contract at a price less than the prevailing import price, long-term offtake contract on cost plus basis but less than prevailing import price, and the formation of a JV for exploration, development and operation of greenfield coal assets in South Africa, Australia and Indonesia.

Non-binding offers for equity investment in brownfield coal projects and JVs for exploration, development and operation of greenfield projects have been send to coal companies in the three countries and due diligence was under way, Jha said, without divulging identities of the coal companies to which offers had been made.

Meanwhile, on the domestic front, stung by a nil growth in production at 431.32-million tons during 2010/11, CIL was stepping on the gas to complete 42 new mining projects, expecting to add 88.71-million tons a year to the total production during 2011/12.

“CIL has 80 projects entailing investments of $2.47-billion at various stages of implementation which together will add 195.78-million tons to our production,” Jha said.

“In 2010/11, 37 new projects went into partial production which contributed 88.37-million tons to the production for the year. By 2016/17, plans to complete a total of 149 new mining projects entailing an investment of $ 5.69-billion which would give an incremental production of 438.73-million tons a year,” he added.

However, the company’s plans to increase coal production by reviving 18 abandoned mines having reserves of 1.6-billion tons of high grade coking and thermal coal through JVs has failed to evoke interest from global mining majors with experience in underground mining.

“In the first round of limited tendering, none of the short-listed companies responded. Some companies gave suggestion of softer tendering conditions. These conditions have been examined and accepted,” Jha said.

“A second round of limited tendering in under process. If this also does not yield any result, we shall go in for global tendering to invite international mining companies for partnership to revive the abandoned mines,” he added.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, CIL emerged as India’s most valuable company achieving a market capitalisation of $54.8-billion with the company’s share price gaining 2.6% at $8.69, overtaking Reliance Industries, which recorded a market capitalisation of $54-billion. CIL made a debut on the bourse on November 2010 following its initial public offering last year.

Edited by: Esmarie Swanepoel

Sensex Sinks to 15-Month Low on Global Growth Concern; Infosys Leads Drop

By Santanu Chakraborty and Rajhkumar K Shaaw – /www.bloomberg.com/ Aug 19, 2011

Indian stocks plunged, with the benchmark index set for its longest weekly losing streak since 2008, on concern the U.S. economy is faltering and Europe’s debt crisis may spread, hurting corporate profits already threatened by inflation and rising interest rates.

Infosys Ltd., the nation’s second-largest software services provider which gets 98 percent of sales from overseas, tumbled to the lowest since November 2009. Hindalco Industries Ltd. (HNDL), the aluminum maker that controls U.S.-based Novelis Inc., plunged, also headed for its lowest close since November 2009. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee will make a statement about the stock market at 3:30 p.m. today, he told reporters in New Delhi.

The Bombay Stock Exchange Sensitive Index, or Sensex, lost 415.58 points, or 2.5 percent, to 16,054.21 at 1:45 p.m. in Mumbai, set for the lowest close since May 25, 2010. The gauge is heading for a fourth weekly decline, the longest string of losses since the five-days ended Oct. 24, 2008, when the collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. froze credit markets.

“The fiscal situation in the U.S. and other countries is not so great,” said Punita Kumar-Sinha, chief investment officer at Blackstone Asia Advisors LLC. “I don’t think we could end up in a Lehman-like situation. We expect further stimulus measures in the West. Tight liquidity issues remain a concern.”

Data yesterday showed U.S. jobless claims and consumer prices rose, while Philadelphia-area manufacturing shrank to the lowest level since 2009 and existing home sales fell amid receding hopes for more stimulus from the Federal Reserve. The U.S. economy may expand less than previously forecast in 2011 and 2012 because of potential “political paralysis” and fiscal tightening, Citigroup Inc. wrote in a report yesterday.

Bear Market

Losses today dragged the Sensex down 24 percent from a Nov. 5 peak, exceeding the 20 percent level marking a so-called bear market for some investors. The S&P CNX Nifty Index dropped 2.4 percent to 4,824.10 and its August futures traded at 4,828.25. The BSE 200 Index decreased 2.2 percent to 1,994.47.

The India VIX, which gauges the cost of buying protection against losses in the Nifty Index, rose 4.3 percent to 28.63, data compiled by Bloomberg show.

“There are concerns about a double-dip recession, given the weak data points we have seen from the U.S. and Europe and other economies,” said Navneet Munot, who oversees $10.5 billion as chief investment officer at SBI Funds Management Pvt., a unit of India’s biggest lender. “We are cautious on the outlook of the global economy. They will have anemic growth for a long time given that policy ammunition both on the fiscal and monetary side is quite limited in the U.S., Europe and Japan.”

Lower Estimates

Citigroup cut its 2011 gross domestic product growth forecast for the U.S. to 1.6 percent from 1.7 percent and lowered its 2012 GDP growth estimate to 2.1 percent from 2.7 percent, analysts Steven Wieting and Shawn Snyder wrote in a report dated yesterday.

Infosys declined 7.1 percent to 2,188 rupees, while larger rival Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. (TCS) fell 4.3 percent to 920.65 rupees. Wipro Ltd. (WPRO), the third-biggest software services provider, slid 2 percent to 321.75 rupees. India’s top software exporters get 80 percent of their sales from overseas. BNP Paribas SA yesterday lowered its recommendation on the industry to “deteriorating” and cut its ratings on the three companies to “reduce” from “buy.”

Panic-Selling

“All globally exposed Indian companies will face issues in terms of earnings growth,” Blackstone’s Kumar-Sinha said in an interview with Bloomberg UTV. “There is a lot of panic-selling out there on the back of growth fears.”

Hindalco slid 5 percent to 130.75 rupees, extending its slide this week to 13 percent, the most among the 30 Sensex companies. It’s also worst performer on the gauge this year.

Earnings for 46 percent of Sensex companies missed analyst estimates in the three months ended June, according to Bloomberg data. That compares with 33 percent that lagged behind forecasts in the previous quarter.

The Sensex has lost 22 percent this year, the worst performer after Brazil’s Bovespa Index among the world’s 10 biggest markets, on concern higher borrowing costs will slow economic growth and erode earnings. Companies on the Sensex are valued at 13.5 times estimated earnings, compared with a multiple of 9.7 for the MSCI Emerging Markets Index.

The central bank has raised its repurchase rate 11 times since the start of 2010 and last increased it by 50 basis points on July 26 to 8 percent to damp living costs that are rising the fastest among the so-called BRICS nations of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Inflation Concerns

Tata Motors Ltd. (TTMT), the biggest truckmaker and owner of Jaguar Land Rover, plunged 6.2 percent to 705.3 rupees. Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (MM), the biggest maker of sport utility vehicles, toppled the maker of the world’s cheapest car, the Nano, as the nation’s biggest automaker by market value after slumping passenger car demand dragged down Tata’s shares.

Mahindra gained 0.3 percent to 719.55 rupees, giving it a market capitalization of 441.2 billion rupees ($9.6 billion). Tata Motors is valued at 424.14 billion rupees.

Tata Motor’s Jaguar deliveries have declined this year as the European debt crisis and signs of slowing economic growth in the U.S. eroded demand for luxury vehicles. The automaker, whose overseas sales account for about 73 percent of total revenue, has dropped 44 percent this year, while rival Mahindra, which exports about 5 percent of its vehicles abroad, has declined 7 percent.

Food Inflation

India’s benchmark wholesale-price inflation in July rose 9.22 percent from a year earlier, staying at more than 9 percent for an eighth straight month. The median of 22 estimates in a Bloomberg News survey was for a 9.2 percent gain.

India’s food inflation slowed, government data showed yesterday, an easing that may be insufficient to prevent the central bank from raising rates further.

A panel advising the Reserve Bank differed over the extent to which policy makers should raise rates last month, according to the minutes of the meeting held six days before the July 26 decision, the bank said yesterday in an e-mail. The bank meets for its next policy review on Sept. 16.

“We remain skeptical about a broad-based recovery in the Nifty until Sept. 16, when the central bank meets to decide interest-rate policy,” Jigar Shah, senior vice-president and head of research at Kim Eng Securities India Pvt., said in a note to clients today. “Unless, there is a pause in the central bank’s rate-tightening exercise, we expect the Nifty to go down further to 4,500, a two-year low.”

Overseas funds sold a net 4.08 billion rupees ($89.9 million) of Indian equities on Aug. 17, paring their investment in stocks this year to 38.5 billion rupees, according to data on the website of the Securities and Exchange Board of India.

EN BREF , CE 19 Août 2011… AGNEWS/DAM,NY, 19/08/2011