{jcomments on}OMAR, BXL, AGNEWS, le 28 juillet 2010 — The African Union (AU) will send an additional 4,000 troops to Somalia while the change of the peacekeeping mandate is still under consideration, the African Union Commission Chairman Jean Ping told a press conference on Tuesday after the closing of the AU summit.

BURUNDI :

Burundi ruling party sweeps 81 out of 100 parliamentary seats
www.apanews.net/www.apanews.net/28072010

APA-Bujumbura (Burundi) The Burundi ruling National Council for the Defence of Democracy / Forces for the Defence of Democracy (CNDD FDD) party swept 81 out of the 100 seats up for grab in the Friday legislative elections.

The party of the Union for National Progress (UPRONA) received 17 seats while the Front for Democracy in Burundi (FRODEBU-Nyakuri) obtained five and the minority Twa ethnic group got three seats, according to final results of the Burundi elections released Tuesday by the National Electoral Commission (CENI).

Following the cooption to meet the gender and ethnic balances, Parliament will have 106 MPs. The turnout for the legislative polls, according to observers, was 66%.

Ms. Renate Weber, president of the European Union observer mission, welcomed the return to the electoral process of the UPRONA party which questioned the 24 May elections though it remained in the electoral process.

She overtly deplored the boycott of many opposition parties, adding the low turnout means that the Burundians want to voice their feelings.

She also expressed her concern over the untimely arrests by the police and intelligence services within the Alliance of Democrats for Change (CDA).

Ms. Weber therefore called on all Burundians to endeavour to save the frail democracy.

According to a sources close to the opposition parties, CDA’s spokesman, MP Leonard Nyangoma who is also CNDD leader, has run away from the country after the Defence Minister had asked the head of state to instigate lawsuits against him over remarks on the Burundian armed forces during the arrests of opposition members in Ruziba, in the municipality of Kabezi, a province in rural Bujumbura.

Nyangoma was taken as the authorities’ target for saying that the Burundi army had committed “genocide” during these operations because it had used excessive force, including fighter planes, and battleships.

RWANDA

Rwanda: Economy Registers Strong Recovery
Berna Namata/The New Times/28 July 2010

Kigali — A strong positive growth of the industry and service sectors in the first three months of 2010 is offering optimism that the real economy will bounce back with a strong Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate in the financial year 2010/11, Central Bank statistics have shown.

The service and industry sector were significantly affected by the external shocks of global financial crisis and the liquidity crunch last year.

But a mixture of better international economic environment, continuing agriculture sector performances and improvement in the banking system liquidity conditions have ensured recovery in the respective sectors.

According to the Central Bank’s quarterly report, the total turnovers registered by large companies in the industry and service sectors rose by 22.3 percent to Rwf310.65 billions in the first quarter of 2010 from Rwf253.96 billion in the same period last year.

This is expected to boost economic growth prospects for this year to between 7 and 8 percent after declining to 6 percent last year from 11.5 percent in 2008.

“The performance of the economy has greatly improved this year and we expect growth to be much higher than last year. For instance in the Service industry average growth should be higher than 20 percent,” Francois Kanimba, the Central Bank Governor told Business Times recently.

The industry sector slightly rose by 8.1 percent due to the increase in the mining and construction sectors which grew by 23.35 percent and 17.14 percent respectively.

The service sector grew by 28.09 percent on account of high increase of 125.3 percent in the transport and storage services sector while banks and insurance services grew by 44.5percent.

Yet last year industry and services underperformed, growing by only 1.1 percent and 4.3 percent respectively down from 16.3 percent and 11.5 percent in 2008. This was mainly attributed to fall in global demand and tightening banking system conditions.

For this year the service sector is projected to expand by 7.6 percent on account of increased government spending.

Though the other services performed better, garage services, which had been performing better, did poorly this time falling by 66.8 percent from Rwf1.68billions to Rwf0.56 billions in the first quarter of this year.

Regarding the external sector, strong recovery was also seen in the export sector which rose sharply by 11.47 percent and 29.04 percent in value and volume terms respectively. Imports declined by 3.22 percent in value while increasing by 19.66 percent in volume.

As a result the imports/exports coverage ratio improved to 15.05percent this year from 13.07 percent in the first quarter 2009.

Sustained growth of exports is needed to close in the gap with the country’s worsening trade balance primarily driven by declines in export prices during the financial crisis. Last year, imports outstripped exports pushing up the trade deficit by 20 percent.

However the value of exports is expected to go up by 25 percent this year with the steady recovery witnessed in the sector, the Governor said.

Rwanda’s traditional exports such as coffee, tea and minerals continue to dominate the list constituting 61.05 percent of the total export earnings in the first half.

Coffee and tea took the lion’s share of the total export earnings contributing $18.82 millions or 39.24percent while major mineral exports contributed $10.46 millions or 21.81percent respectively.

Rwandan Police Brutally Raid Opposition Members Residence
Alysha Atma Salem-News.com African Affairs Correspondent /www.salem-news.com/Jul-28-2010

The government is consistently stalling the efforts of the opposition, appearing more as a dictatorship then a democracy. 

(PORTLAND, Ore.) – “The police brutality in my residence last night (July 24th) is politically motivated,” declared Ms. Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, “from 8:10 until to 8:50 p.m. a police flying squad drifted in my temporary residence, knocked off and assaulted 2 guests and a house watchman in front of the door”.

The victims of this unexpected insult, Mr. Martin Ntavuka – Fdu -Inkingi, leader in Nyarugenge district and Mr. Anastase Hagabimana – Fdu Inkingi, leader in Kicukiro District, were handcuffed, beaten and taken to the Remera police detention facility.

Salem-News.com was told the watchman was left with face injuries including one eye swollen shut. Eye witnesses confirm death threats and ethnic hate abuses hurled on-spot by the officer Karekezi, a CID staff.

The government radio station quoting police sources, informed that last night the two citizens were arrested for planning an illegal protest next week and that “inflammatory print” T-shirts were confiscated.

“Our print t-shirts display our colors, green and red, and the text on either the front or the back says “WE NEED DEMOCRACY AND FAIR JUSTICE” or “Turashaka Demokarasi N’Ubutabera Busesuye”. What is inflammatory in this”? replied Ms. Ingabire.

She went on to say “from the 26th of July, a Kigali High Court opens the bail appeal hearings of many opposition leaders on demonstration charges while the incumbent is promising heaven to sorry Rwandans in rural areas. Only this month of July, I was pressurized twice by landlords to vacate the rented houses or to face police eviction due to death threats from the ruling party. The current landlord turned up unexpectedly only two days after occupancy and prompted a speedy lease annulment process. A 20-day notice to vacate and a total refund of 5 months prepaid rent is in force since. A few months ago, Kigali hotels aborted at the last minutes our conference room reservations thanks to threats from the secret police”.

The government is consistently stalling the efforts of the opposition, appearing more as a dictatorship then a democracy. The opposition members are adamantly calling upon the government to release their fellow members and to adequately address the issue of police brutality, beatings, torture, death threats, excessive force and the use of hate language, profanity and defamatory remarks.

Rwanda: National Airline Wins Contract to Airlift RDF Peacekeepers
Saul Butera/The New Times/28 July 2010

Kigali — RwandAir and the Ministry of Defence (MINADEF) have signed a deal to transport Rwanda Defense Forces to and from Darfur, in the next two months.

“This is a big opportunity for the national carrier as it is in its early growing stage…the carrier is not profit running at this stage, but contracts like these will improve its cash flow,” said Rene Janata, RwandAir’s Chief Executive Officer.

The $1.6m (Rwf947.5m) agreement gives RwandAir the duty to transport four battalions of 800 soldiers each until September 2010 with plans to renew it January next year.

Janata cited that according to the UN deal, RwandAir will charge $500 (Rwf296,125) per soldier.

This is the second time the national carrier has been awarded the contract to transport soldiers to Darfur.

Rene said the airline had facility problems at the time the first deal
was cancelled and that since then RwandAir has acquired its own fleets.

“The airline (Sun Air) we sub-contracted didn’t have the capacity to carryout the job at that time,” he explained.

The CEO also said that since they had been cheated, their lawyers are now in Khartoum negotiating for the reimbursement of the funds that were paid to Sun Air.

Sun Air conducted only four flights to and from Darfur on behalf of RwandAir through a wet-lease deal. When Sun Air disappeared, RwandAir had to refund MINADEF about $400,000 (Rwf236.9 million).

Send Leon Mugesera home to face justice
The Gazette/www.montrealgazette.com/July 28, 2010 

After 15 years, Canada is now nearly ready to dispatch Leon Mugesera to Rwanda to face justice. Better late than never, we suppose. But it’s a scandal that even those accused of almost the gravest known crime can hide behind our pathetic refugee-determination system for so long. 

The Rwandan government wants to try Mugesera for incitement to genocide. Here’s how Philip Gourevitch explained, in his 1998 book on the 1994 Rwandan genocide, Mugesera’s alleged offence: 

“In November of 1992, the Hutu Power ideologue Leon Mugesera delivered a famous speech, calling on Hutus to send the Tutsis back to Ethiopia by way of the Nyabarongo River, a tributary of the Nile that winds through Rwanda. He did not need to elaborate. In April of 1994, the river was choked with dead Tutsis, and tens of thousands of bodies washed up on the shores of Lake Victoria.” 

In 1993 -well before the genocide – Mugesera somehow got refugee status in Canada. Rwanda has been trying to get him back since 1995, but Canada’s notoriously broken deportation system has failed us in this case as in so many others; he’s still here. 

For a long time, Mugesera hid behind Canada’s reluctance to deport anybody to anyplace where there’s a death penalty. (In his case, that policy arrogantly deprived Rwanda of the right to apply its own legal process to one of its own citizens for crimes allegedly committed there, not here. We’re puzzled that Canada’s enlightened foes of the death penalty can be oblivious to this implicitly -no, explicitly -colonial-era mentality of “we know better.”) 

But by 2007, Rwanda had abolished the death penalty. Happily for Mugesera, however, another argument was at hand: He couldn’t get a fair trial in Rwanda, some claimed. But now those concerns, if ever they were valid, have dissipated, and so Rwandan ambassador Edda Mukabagwiza might get some attention in Ottawa, finally, for his government’s request to get Mugesera back. 

The world’s indifference to the Rwandan genocide in 1994 remains a stain on the honour of governments everywhere, Canada’s included. Letting someone like Leon Mugesera toy with us for 15 years, thwarting our resolve to see justice done, makes the stain even worse for this country. Send this man to Rwanda now.

UGANDA

Uganda: VP Among Worst Performing MPs
Emmanuel Gyezaho/The Monitor/28 July 2010

Kampala — Vice President Gilbert Bukenya is named among worst performing Members of Parliament in a report assessing the performance of individual lawmakers in the third session of the Eighth Parliament.

The report compiled by the African Leadership Institute (AFLI) will be released today in Kampala at a ceremony where President Museveni is expected as chief guest. Daily Monitor has obtained a copy of AFLI’s scorecard report, which assesses MPs’ performance between June 5, 2008 and May 20, 2009 where a total of 96 sittings of the House were recorded.

Prof. Bukenya, who is the Busiro North MP, attended only two of those sittings and is joined on the list by army MPs Gen. David Tinyefuza, Brig. Francis Okello and Col. Ramadhan Kyamulesire, all of whom did not attend a single sitting of the House. Army MPs Maj. Gen. Julius Oketta and James Makumbi also make it on the list.

Others on list

Included on the list of worst performers are Manafwa Woman MP Sarah Kayagi, Kitagwenda County MP Nulu Byamukama, Busujju County MP Vincent Nyanzi, Mukono Woman MP Mary Nalugo and Mityana South MP Jerome Kaddumukasa.

However, the report, which is AFLI’s third assessment of Parliament since 2007, notes a marked improvement in MPs’ overall attendance of plenary and committee sittings. “While average plenary attendance was just 23 per cent in 2006 – 2007, in 2007 – 2008 it climbed to 45 per cent, and in 2008 – 2009 it further climbed to 52 per cent,” the report reads in part.

Of 333 MPs in the House, only five failed to attend any of the 92 sittings in which Parliament was in session. The list of top performers includes Bukedea Woman MP Rose Akol, Kinkizi East MP Chris Baryomunsi, Kajara County MP Steven Tashobya, West Budama MP William Okecho and Kalungu West MP Anthony Yiga.

Star performers

The scorecard measures MPs on performance in plenary and committees–attendance and contribution, as well as programmes executed in their constituencies. Youth MP Denis Hamson Obua is ranked the most outstanding performer on the floor with a score of 100 per cent, while Mr Tashobya, who chairs Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee is ranked best performing chairperson in committee. Mawokota North MP Peter Mutuluuza comes in first position as best performing MP in committee with a score of 98 per cent while Dr Baryomunsi scored 100 per cent and leads as the best performing MP in constituency.

“One goal of the Scorecard is to encourage MPs to perform better by highlighting areas in which they are performing poorly,” the report notes. “It is therefore important to examine not just how MPs perform year by year, but also how they perform over time.”

Uganda: Barya Summoned Over Makerere Land Disputes
Lydia Mukisa/The Monitor/28 July 2010

Kampala — Makerere University Vice Chancellor Venansius Baryamureeba has been summoned to answer charges of malicious damage to property and theft of building materials worth Shs140 million.

Prof Baryamureeba was summoned by Buganda Road Grade One Magistrate John Francis Wekesa following a complaint filed against him by Mr Steven Mukasa.

Mr Mukasa in his complaint alleges that Prof Baryamureeba together with unknown people intruded into his Kibanja (untitled land), destroyed two buildings valued at Shs200 million and took away building materials.

According to the summons, Prof. Baryamureeba is wanted in court on August 3, to answer the charges. According to the charge sheet, after destroying the building the don allegedly stole timber and iron bars worth Shs140million.

Mr Mukasa claims to have occupied the land since 1983 without any adverse claims from anyone. Mr Mukasa contends he owns eight acres of land on block 38 Katanga, the same piece that Makerere University claims.

Uganda: Proper Energy Use Will Transform Economy – Government
Ephraim Kasozi/The Monitor/28 July 2010

Mbarara — The State Minister for Energy has said efficient utilisation of energy will give consumers an opportunity to save for investment.

In a statement read for him during the annual Energy Efficient Week 2010 last week in Mbarara, by Mr James Baanabe, the commissioner Energy Resources, Eng. Simon D’ujanga, said saving energy will help to make it available for other users, which will eventually reduce the energy deficit.

He said with government procuring about 800,000 energy savers in the last financial year at a cost of Shs1.6 million, it has saved about 30 Mega Watts, which if equated to the development of a new power plant would cost about Shs160 billion.

Exhibited products

The week exhibited equipment including energy saving bulbs, solar bulbs, solar systems, energy and environment saving and efficient stoves, biomass gasification stoves and biomass energy.

The Germany Technical Cooperation (GTZ) in partnership with the World Bank and the Ugandan government sponsored the week under the theme: “Energy for Social and Economic Development-Use it efficiently”. Eng. D’ ujanga said the government has embarked on increasing generation capacity and transmission network.

There is also access to modern services through electrification and renewable energy development as well as promotion of efficient utilisation of energy. He said: “Take advantage of the energy efficiency to promote your products. Ensure that the prices of these technologies and appliances are reasonably affordable.” He added efficient energy use would reduce the cost as well as preserve the environment.

Uganda: Kayunga Farmers Prepare for Bumper Coffee Harvest
Fred Muzaale/The Monitor/28 July 2010

It has been four years since coffee farmers in Kayunga District last had a bumper harvest for the crop they consider their major cash crop.

With at least 80 per cent of the residents in the district engaged in coffee growing, poor yields for the crop in such a long time meant increased poverty levels among many residents, with many contemplating abandoning the crop.

Kayunga District is among the three leading districts producing robusta coffee. But despite the invasion of the coffee crop by the coffee wilt disease and coffee stem borer, this season is promising. Currently, all coffee gardens which have been green are turning red with most of the coffee plants bending due to the immense weight from the coffee they are carrying.

The coffee harvesting season is expected to begin at the end of August and many coffee buyers from different parts of the country have begun booking buildings from which they will transact their business.”Mr Wilberforce Kityo a resident of Nanjwenge village in Kitimbwa sub-county who owns 12 acres of coffee says.”I am sure this season is going to be my best coffee harvest since 2006. I have already begun preparing for it. I have bought tampaulin ( tundubali) which I will use in picking my coffee and also constructed a cemented yard where I will dry my coffee. Kityo says he has made all these preparations to ensure that his coffee is of good quality so that it fetches him good money.

He explains that in 2006 when they
last had a bumper harvest, he harvested about 140 bags of coffee and earned about Shs8m but he is optimistic that this season, he will harvest at least 160 bags of coffee.

“The bumper harvest is here but the only thing that will make us lose a lot of money is when some farmers who want to make quick money opt to pick green coffee which lowers the quality of our coffee hence low prices for the crop,” Kityo says. He attributes this season’s bumper harvest on reliable rains which were received in the district late last year and farmer’s vigorous involvement in fighting the wilt and coffee pest plus replanting of destroyed coffee crops. Mr Yunus Lumiisa, the chairperson Kangulumira sub-county Coffee Farmers Association says the main challenge they are facing are unscrupulous coffee buyers who cheat farmers by offering them low prices for the crop.

He says they intend to contact prominent and honest coffee buyers to whom they will sell their coffee as a group.”We shall not accept cheating middle men to defraud farmers. We want to ensure that all farmers benefit from this bumper harvest,” Lumiisa says. Lumiisa, who is also the Kangulumira Sub-county LC3 chairman says lack of agricultural inputs like hoes, insecticides and planting materials is still hampering efforts to increase coffee production.”Coffee is one of the main cash crop earners for this country but government is doing little to assist coffee farmers increase their production,” Lumiisa complains. With the start of the season only a month away, coffee factory owners are also refurbishing their machines.

Mr Mark Sserunkuuma, the proprietor of Makukuma Domestic Coffee factory in Kayunga town says his factory has since 2006 been operating under capacity due to low coffee production in the district.

Sserunkuuma who also buys processed coffee says this season they will buy processed coffee (Kase) between Shs2,600 and Shs2,700 a kilogramme and dry coffee (kiboko) at Shs1,000 a kilo. He however says the prices might change depending on the quality of coffee.

“If the quality of coffee is low, definitely the price will go down and vice versa,” he says. The Kayunga District Production Officer Dr David Mugabi says to ensure that farmers benefit from their coffee, the district will soon enact a coffee quality assurance and control ordinance that will see farmers who pick green coffee or those who inappropriately dry it penalised.”When the ordinance is passed, a farmer found harvesting green coffee will be heavily punished. We have also embarked on a campaign to sensitise coffee framers on how to ensure that their coffee is of high quality coffee, and the dangers of picking green coffee,” Dr Mugabi says.

Terra Incognita: Just the man for the job
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN/www.jpost.com/07/28/2010 

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni’s background could place him in prime position to rid Africa of threat posed by Islamist militants in Somalia. 
At the recent African Union summit in Kampala, Yoweri Museveni, the president of Uganda, declared that the time had come to remove the threat that Islamist militants in Somalia pose to Africa. What stoked his ire were the recent terror attacks, apparently carried out by Al-Shabab militants from Somalia, which left 74 dead on July 11. The terrorists had targeted two locations where people had gathered to watch the World Cup.

Museveni was in a combative mood. He said it was time for the Islamist militants to be “swept out of Africa… these reactionary militants have now committed aggression against our country… we shall now go after them.”

But unlike some statements that come out of Africa, this is no idle threat. The angry young men of Al-Shabab, which has made Somalia into a base of al- Qaida inspired terror groups from around the world, may finally learn what every other African leader who has confronted Uganda’s iron man has learned.

Museveni was born in 1944 into obscure roots in southern Uganda and has always maintained that his forebears were member of the Ankole tribe, one of the four main ethnic groups in Uganda. As a young man he was involved in revolutionary activity in college in Tanzania, soaking up the ideas of Franz Fanon and prominent West Indian born pan-Africanist Walter Rodney.

After a brief stint in Uganda’s Intelligence Ministry, he was forced to flee back to Tanzania after Idi Amin’s 1971 coup. Years in exile and service in Ugandan dissident forces brought Museveni military experience. In 1978 Amin blundered when he invaded Tanzania, resulting in his overthrow by Tanzanian forces and their Ugandan rebel allies. He again served briefly in government before returning to the bush in opposition to the dictatorial rule of Milton Obote.

For five years, 1981-1986, Museveni led the National Resistance Army in its drive to end the abuses of Obote, whose regime was estimated to have killed more than 100,000 civilians.

MUSEVENI HAS been president of Uganda since 1986. During that time he has presided over an impressive economic recovery under the auspices of the International Monetary Fund. Throwing off his youthful Marxist idealism, he has embraced free markets and privatization. He has overseen a massive anti-AIDs program that saw Uganda’s rate of infection reduced from one of the highest in Africa to more moderate levels.

He has also enabled democracy, winning three free and fair elections. But there has been criticism for staying in power so long that such democratic institutions remain stultified by lack of new blood. His real accomplishment has been his military achievements vis-à-vis the nefarious regimes in the region.

While in Tanzania, Museveni had become acquainted with John Garang, a Dinka from southern Sudan who became a leader of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army that was fighting the Islamist government in Khartoum. Since coming to power, Museveni has provided support for the people of southern Sudan, who are mostly Christian, in their quest to be rid of the genocidal government in Khartoum.

Uganda also intervened to support the Tutsi in Rwanda when they faced genocide in 1994 at the hands of extremist Hutus. Museveni’s support for them was born also of personal relationships with many Tutsi refugees living in Uganda who joined his rebellion against Obote. But he didn’t stop there.

When the Hutu genocidaires fleeing Rwanda were offered shelter by Zairan dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, Uganda and Rwanda supported his overthrow by Laurent Kabila. Kabila, it seems, also had a Tanzania connection; he studied there and was a youthful communist during the 1960s at the same time as Museveni.

MUSEVENI’S TRACK record of ridding Africa of dictators and opposing genocide is probably more important than his more often recognized efforts at democratization and economic liberalization. Through his personal connections, crafted in the 1960s, he has befriended many of Africa’s new generation of leaders. But his willingness to use Uganda’s army to project power abroad, in support of worthy causes, separates him from most African leaders who prefer not to meddle in the affairs of their neighbors and turn a blind eye to genocide and abuses.

It has been a long-standing tradition of pan-African institutions, like the African Union and its predecessor, the Organization of African Unity, to respect the sovereignty of all African states, a response to the history of colonialism when outside powers meddled in their affairs. But this nonintervention policy has allowed millions of Africans to go to their deaths at the hands of dictators.

Museveni’s policy, even when it has seemed overly meddlesome as was the case in the Second Congolese Civil War (1998-2003), has been a unique and important one.

Now Somalia’s Islamists have declared war on Uganda. The appropriately named Sheikh Ali Mahmud Rage , said “we thank the mujahedeen that carried out the attack” in Uganda. Al-Shabab claims it was in response for Museveni sending soldiers to accompany the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia. Whatever the case, the attack is merely the tip of the iceberg. Somalia has become a new haven for Islamism and along with its Gulf of Aden neighbor, Yemen, is a threat to the region and the world.

Museveni has been in power too long, retarding democracy in Uganda, but the terror attacks might provide a new opportunity. He might pack his bags along with his brother Gen. Salim Saleh, his longtime advisor on military matters, and go lead the African Union troops personally to sweep Al-Shabab out of Africa. There could be no better last hurrah for Africa’s champion of intervention than to free Somalia from the grip of Islamism which has instituted stoning and other hideous oppressions.

The writer is a PhD researcher at Hebrew University and a fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for Market Studies.

TANZANIA:

Tanzania: CCM Stays Mum After Official’s Blunder
Bernard Lugongo/The Citizen/28 July 2010

CCM leaders were at pains yesterday to explain the announcement by a district party official of the establishment of a non-existent parliamentary constituency in Shinyanga Region.

No one within the ruling party gave a straightforward answer when The Citizen sought to know why the official declared the establishment of Ushetu “constituency”, which has since been disowned by the National Electoral Commission (NEC).

CCM secretary-general Yusuf Makamba threw the ball to party officials in Kahama District, saying they were the ones with the answer.

“Parliamentary nominations are currently being handled at the district and regional levels. Contact party officials at those levels,” he said.

However, CCM Shinyanga regional chairman Khamis Mngeja declined to comment, saying he was not the party’s spokesman.

“If I comment on this issue, I will be overstepping my authority…it’s only the secretary-general who can comment in this matter,” he said.

Mr Mngeja was among CCM members seeking nomination as the party’s candidate for the Kahama parliamentary seat. Ushetu was supposedly hived off Kahama constituency.

Mr Mngeja said they initially received a directive from higher levels of the party to start preparing for nominations for Ushetu.

“We began distributing forms prospective candidates as part of the party’s preparations to field a candidate in the new constituency…all this was procedural,” he added.

CCM Kahama District secretary Sospeter Nyigoti, who announced the formation of the “constituency”, declined to comment, saying he was not authorised to speak on behalf of the party on such matters.

When pressed further, he hung up and did not pick up the phone when called later.

But Kahama District Commissioner Bahati Matala said they were waiting for official communication from the NEC.

However, the NEC has already stated that it had not established any new constituency apart from the seven announced a few weeks ago. Ushetu was not among the new constituencies.

Meantime, Mr Mgeja announced his withdrawal from the Kahama nomination race.

He attributed his decision to the NEC’s declaration that Ushetu constituency, announced last week by the CCM Kahama District secretary, did not exist.

He said his decision seek nomination in Kahama was prompted by the fact that the outgoing Kahama MP James Lembeli had opted to seek the party’s nomination in Ushetu. Mr Lembeli could not be reached yesterday.

Others who have also pulled out of the race CCM Kahama District chairman Andrew Masanje and Gongwa Ward Councillor Sosthenes Malale.

The three took nomination forms and returned them on the day the new “constituency” was announced. Other notable figures who were seeking nomination in Ushetu were Mr Raphael Mlolwa and Mr Erhard Mlyasi.

CCM was forced to halt campaigns for preliminary polls after the NEC disowned Ushetu. comment.

Last Friday, just an hour before the deadline for collecting and returning nomination forms, Mr Nyigoti announced that Kahama constituency had been split in two, and the new constituency was known as Ushetu.

The announcement sent sparked confusion as many CCM seeking legislative and civic seats in Kahama opted to seek nomination in the new “constituency”.

Mr Lembeli decided to seek nomination as CCM’s candidate for the Ushetu seat, saying that was where he was born.

CONGO RDC :

UK sued over DRC “conflict minerals”
28 Jul 2010/www.bizcommunity.com

A London-based campaign group plans to sue the United Kingdom government for allegedly failing to tell the UN about companies and individuals involved in the trade of “conflict minerals” from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Global Witness claimed on Monday (26 July 2010) that the UK government is not complying with its legal obligation to forward the names of a number of British firms trading in minerals from mines run by rebels in eastern DRC. UN resolutions passed in 2008 and 2009 stated that all individuals and entities supporting illegal armed groups in the region should be banned from travelling and have their assets frozen.

DR Congo’s former parliament speaker to run in 2011 presidential race
www.apanews.net/2010-07-28

APA – Lubumbashi (DR Congo) The former speaker of the lower parliamentary house of DR Congo, Vital Kamarhe, who is also former Secretary General of the People’s Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD), has announced he would run for the presidential race during his country’s 2011 general elections.

According to the Tuesday publication of the bi-weekly newspaper “Quiproquo” quoting its Belgian counterpart “Le Soir”, Kamarhe, still enjoys strong popularity, particularly in eastern DRC where he originates, despite his long absence from the country.

Vital Kamerhe’s candidacy for the 2011 presidential elections stands as a major challenge as he was the director of the electoral campaign in 2006 for President Joseph Kabila who cruised to victory past Jean Pierre Bemba in the runoff.

In April, Etienne Tshisekedi, leader of the leading Congolese opposition party, the Union for Democracy and Social Progress, also announced his presidential candidacy.

Though the outgoing President has not officially said whether he would vie for another term in 2011, the ruling party’s executive are already in a pre-electoral campaign, particularly in the province of Katanga.

Gadgets -New U.S. Law Blocks Cell Phone Makers from Subsidizing Congo War
By Erin Harrison Senior Editor/gadgets.tmcnet.com/July 28, 2010

A provision in a new United States law aimed at electronics makers – which may have largely gone unnoticed by the public – will force companies to make sure their products do not contain “conflict minerals.”

“…An obscure passage buried deep in the 2,300-page legislation aims to transform a very different place – eastern Congo, labeled the ‘rape capital of the world,’” the Washington Post reported.

The move is aimed at quelling financial gain of the embattled country – the war in Congo killed more than 3 million people between 1998 and 2007, according to International Rescue Committee estimates, Bloomberg (News – Alert) reported.

The new U.S. bill signed into law by President Obama requires companies to certify whether their products contain minerals from rebel-controlled mines in Congo and surrounding countries.

However, according to the Post, the issue of “conflict minerals” was barely mentioned during congressional debate on the Wall Street bill.

At issue, the Associated Press (News – Alert) reported, are three industrial metals: tin, tantalum and tungsten — and gold. “Tin is used in the solder that joins electronic components together. Tantalum’s main use is in capacitors, a vital component in electronics. Tungsten has many uses, including light-bulb filaments and the heavy, compact mass that makes cell phones vibrate,” according to the report.

The law could have far-reaching implications in the U.S. – it applies not only to electronics companies, but also to all publicly traded U.S. firms that use tin and gold. 

During her trip to Congo last year, in which she held an emotional meeting with rape victims, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called for greater international action to stem the flow of the minerals, the Post said.

KENYA :

Kenya: It’s the Ultimate Abuse of Honorary Awards
Ratemo Michieka/Daily Nation/28 July 2010

Nairobi — Lately, there have been interesting reports on the generous awards of doctorates by a university in the United States. And there have been very interesting reactions from local and international scholars.

Unfortunately, this hoax has been targeting innocent Kenyans who may not be aware of the rigour with which a PhD is acquired. University degrees are not bought, just as you cannot purchase someone’s sharp brains.

One earns a degree through sheer hard work. Apparently, Kenyans’ desire for higher degrees has become unstoppable. But to be called a doctor or a professor has its own procedure.

As one of those who has been involved in the award of higher degrees, I would like to explain what happens in all credible institutions of higher learning worldwide.

Registered universities in various countries award Bachelors and Masters degrees, as well as doctorates depending on their mission.

To be registered to pursue PhD in a Kenyan university, one must have a first degree, a second degree or equivalent, and must present a researchable proposal to a panel of scholars.

This is a straightforward method of attaining a PhD. Several years are spent on research, presentations, defence and publications. It can take anywhere from three to 10 years if one does not fail midway.

Some people get fatigued and quit or their supervisors give up on them. Those who make it are awarded the degree in a formal congregation of the particular university. The award is given by the chancellor in public. Senates or equivalent bodies recommend such awards and not individuals.

What is an honorary degree?

It is basically an award to appreciate the exemplary work that an individual has performed for the nation and globally. The recipient must have contributed to the advancement of learning, humanities, science or a major breakthrough unique to himself or herself.

A case in point is when the late Prof Risely Tom Odhiambo was awarded an honorary degree from JKUAT, for his initiative in establishing the International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (Icipe), a world-reknowned institute on insect research including mosquitoes.

It is a living testimony to his credentials that the JKUAT Senate saw it fit to award him with an honorary degree during my time as vice-chancellor. I was proud of his achievements.

Other awardees may have contributed differently but their effect must be a living testimony to justify the award. It is the senate sub-committee which vets the recipients.

No individual will walk to the graduation congregation and announce an award without thorough vetting and approved “citation” of the recipient.

Universities are gauged by the quality of graduates they produce and research conducted. They are also gauged by the frequency and quality of honorary degrees they dish out at one congregation.

The academic world is mean and conservative. Scholars the world over protect their titles. Any abuse of these titles is to be abhorred.

Prof Michieka teaches at the University of Nairobi. He is a former Vice-Chancellor, JKUAT, and Director-General, Nema.

EU pledges more support to Kenya for piracy trials
Written By:Xinhua News/www.kbc.co.ke/Wed, Jul 28, 2010

The European Union has pledged more support for Kenya to continue to prosecute suspected Somali pirates who have been hijacking foreign vessels along the Horn of Africa nation’s coast. 

A statement from the EU Delegation in Kenya said since May last year EU and its member states like Germany, France, the Netherlands, as well as Canada and the United States have so far provided a total of over 10 million U.S. dollars to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) program, designed to support trials and related treatment of piracy suspects in the region.

“Out of this, 1.6 million dollars have already been spent in Kenya, with a similar amount earmarked for the subsequent period,” the EU said.

The EU said the contribution to the Kenyan justice system clearly exceeds by far any direct cost that arises for Kenya due to the additional piracy trials.

Piracy is a threat to the East African region and to international transport. The crime damages Kenyan economic interests and the position of the port of Mombasa.

The Kenyan Shipping Council estimates that piracy has increased the monthly cost for imports by 23.8 million dollars and for exports by 9.8 million dollars. 

“Although long term solutions need to be found to address the root causes of piracy on land, in the short term the problems need to be tackled by detention and prosecution of the the EU said.

“Left untouched, piracy networks might gain influence and further undermine the state, also on Kenyan ground. Kenya needs a stable Somalia and therefore has interest in joining international efforts to counter piracy,” they warned.

Kenya’s proximity to Somalia prompted insurance companies to hike up their premiums for ships travelling to the East African nation’s ports to mitigate the increased insecurity.

This led shipping companies to take the longer route around the Cape of Good Hope while travelling to the Kenyan ports, with cost of doing business on the Kenyan coast going up by over 40 percent.

Kenya has memoranda of understanding with the EU, the United States, Canada, Denmark, Australia and Britain whereby it takes in suspects intercepted at sea and prosecutes them in courts in Mombasa.

The EU is reportedly seeking to forge similar agreements with other five countries in the region, including South Africa and Tanzania.

To date more than 100 suspects have been transferred to Kenya by the Western warships patrolling the Indian Ocean to combat piracy.

It is only Kenya and the Seychelles in the region that have agreed to take in suspects for prosecution, but both have recently complained about the burden of trying and jailing pirates in their countries.

The agreements allowing foreign naval powers to hand over suspects to Kenya instead of taking them back home for prosecution include financial support from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.

Early this year, Nairobi formally announced it wished to stop the prosecution of suspected Somali pirates and cancel the agreements it has to that effect with several countries from Asia and Europe.

The foreign ministry had sent “cancellation notes” to at least two of those powers’ diplomatic representations in Nairobi, arguing it could no longer bear the burden on its prison and court systems.

Kenya had also accused the international community of failing to keep up its obligations in sharing the burden in prosecuting and imprisoning the detained pirates.

But during last week’s meeting, participants welcomed the resolve of the Kenyan government to continue its cooperation, and expressed their determination to take into account any outstanding Kenyan concerns in future cooperation against piracy.

According to the statement, the international partners are looking forward to receiving the government’s recommendations on this issue which are expected within the next few weeks
.

“The minister underlined his intention to subsequently meet with MoU signatory countries to discuss areas where the MoUs could be confirmed and enriched, possibly through an addendum to the existing MoUs,” it said.

Sources said the EU nations are reluctant to try suspects captured by the force in busy shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden but the bloc cannot send them to any country where they might face abuse or the death penalty.

According to the EU, the challenge of piracy to the region has been recognized by the UN and its International Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS), as well as major regional organizations including EAC, IGAD and the new Djibouti Code of Conduct under the International Maritime Organization. 

“With active Kenyan involvement, the CGPCS is providing practical support to States and organizations in their efforts to ensure prosecution of piracy suspects,” they said.

This, the bloc said, has led to concrete actions to build the capacity in the region, including maritime information exchange, training centers, Trust Funds among others.

The EU said there are no indications that piracy suspects are in any way linked to terrorism or Al Shabaab, a militant group which has waged an onslaught on the transitional government of Somalia. 

“On the contrary, they are equally despised by Somali extremists, as piracy is considered un-Islamic. The captured pirates in Kenyan prisons are merely “foot soldiers” of criminal gangs,” the EU said.

Kenya shares its southern border with Somalia, whose coastline has been infected with piracy in recent years. 

More than 160 pirate attacks have been reported in the waters off Somalia from the beginning of last year.

World Bank Approves US$35million for Kenya’s Coastal Development
28/07/2010/finchannel.com

The FINANCIAL — The World Bank has approved a credit of US$35 million to help Kenya promote environmentally sustainable management of its coastal and marine resources

The Kenya Coastal Development Project approved by the World Bank Board of Executive Directors today will also benefit from a US$5 million Global Environment Facility (GEF) grant to strengthen conservation and sustainable use of marine and coastal biodiversity. 

“Kenyans living in Coast province are among the poorest in the country, despite the province’s considerable potential for economic growth from tourism, fisheries and other investments,” says Johannes Zutt, the Country Director for Kenya. “This project will help to increase economic opportunities for coastal communities by promoting environmentally-sustainable tourism and fisheries, equitable sharing of tourism and fisheries revenues, and investment in rural micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises.” 

According to World Bank , the project will promote sustainable management of tourism and fisheries resources in line with the government’s Vision 2030, which identifies tourism as an engine of growth, job creation, poverty reduction and wealth generation in the Coastal region. It will support governance reforms of fisheries management in an exclusive economic zone and promote research in near-shore fish stocks to increase sustainable and profitable fishing practices. 

The project will also improve the management and regeneration of natural resources and biodiversity of the Coastal and marine environments, reflecting the environmental sustainability theme of the Bank’s Country Partnership Strategy for Kenya, which was endorsed by the Board in April 2010. Provision 

“These objectives will be complemented by sustainable livelihoods in a sound governance framework including spatial planning and land capability mapping, integrated coastal management and compliance with regulations and safeguards,” says William Leeds Lane, the project’s Task Team Leader. 

The project will also promote dialogue amongst national partners and regional stakeholders, and establish a Community Village Fund to build capacity of micro projects through grants. 

This investment is the first in a series planned by the government, Bank and other development partners to improve the economic viability of Kenya’s Coast and increase economic opportunities for the estimated 2.5 million people in the region. 

The credit is provided on standard terms of the International Development Association (IDA), the Bank’s concessionary lending arm, which include a 10-year grace period and a 40-year maturity period. 

Fatal shootout hits Kenyan national park
July 28 2010/ – Sapa-dpa /iol.co.za 

Armed raiders have killed one man and injured two in an unprecedented raid on the fringes of Kenya’s famous Masai Mara national park, Kenyan police said on Wednesday.

Police spokesperson Eric Kiraithe said the group of Kenyans, celebrating the birthday of one of their party, had set up camp on the Western edge of the park, which backs onto Tanzania’s Serengeti national park, when they came under fire on Monday.

“The robbers took some things … and there was a shootout,” he told the German Press Agency dpa. “Two were injured and unfortunately John (the man celebrating his 60th birthday) was shot and killed.”

Incidences of banditry are common in the north and east of Kenya, but this was the first such raid in the tourist area of the Masai Mara.

Kiraithe said there was a suspicion the raiders may have come across the border from Tanzania, as witnesses said they were not speaking Kiswahili with a Kenyan accent.

Security has now been beefed up to prevent any further incidents.

“The security was already there, but we have become more cautious now,” Kiraithe said. “In the future we won’t allow people to go without security, especially those who are camping in open places.”

Kenya’s tourism industry, a major earner that relies heavily on game parks and beach tourism, is slowly recovering from several bad years brought on by deadly post-election violence in early 2008 and the global recession. – Sapa-dpa 

UK Minister for Africa visits Kenya
BY VPPS/www.capitalfm.co.ke/Jul 28 

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 28 – The government remains committed to giving Kenyans a new Constitution, Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka has said.

He said that a new constitutional dispensation will see Kenyans continue to enjoy peace and stability as well as freedom of expression.

The Vice President affirmed that a new constitution would herald the most important reform initiative for the Grand Coalition Government.

Mr Musyoka said Kenyans have yearned for a new law for more than 20 years, noting that it was time the country gets a new Constitution.

The Vice President made the remarks on Wednesday at his Jogoo House office when he received the United Kingdom Minister for Africa Henry Bellingham.

Mr Musyoka said it was only through a new Constitution that development in all parts of the country could be realised.

“I want to assure you that we are keen and committed to giving Kenyans a new Constitution that will unite the people of this country who are divided on political and tribal backgrounds after the last general election,” said Mr Musyoka.

The Vice President hailed the cordial relations between Kenya and Britain and assured that Kenya will continue to cooperate with Britain in the fields of infrastructure and trade among other areas. 

“We are impressed that Britain has continued to cooperate with Kenya in the sector of trade,
infrastructure and among other social activities which have led to the improvement of living standards among the people of Kenya,” he said.

The VP said the Kenyan Government was committed to ensuring that the problem of 
unemployment among Kenyans is tackled.

“Unemployment is the major problem facing this country and that we are doing 
our best as government to solving it. This will be achieved especially with the 
passage of a new law,’’ he said.

Mr Bellingham on his part applauded Kenya’s leadership for the conduct of the referendum campaigns saying that if it is passed, the new constitution will send a powerful signal to the international community.

He said the passage of a new Constitution will attract inflows of foreign and direct investments and good will.

Present were British High Commissioner to Kenya Rob Macaire and Private Secretary to the Minister Emily Malthan among others.

ANGOLA :

Workshop about 11 commitments on children held in Benguela
www.portalangop.co.ao/7/28/10

Benguela – A workshop on the Eleven Commitments assumed by the government for the welfare of children in Angola, is taking place since Tuesday in Benguela, in a promotion of the provincial managing board of the National Children Institute (INAC), ANGOP has learnt.

The event, a partnership with the Onjoi da CF and the World Learning, is to last two days and participants will debate the themes analysed from the first to the fourth forum on children.

The themes are The National Children Council, The Eleven Commitments on Children, as well as the analysis of the report of the activities presented during the fourth forum and its recommendations.

INAC’s acting provincial director, Maria Madalega Tchingala, said the situation of children in the province demands from the various social partners the safeguarding of the most elementary rights of the children.

On his turn, Ondjoi da Cf project director, Luis Alfredo de Carvalho, said that the workshop aims at making a reflection on the ways of using the resources to guarantee the implementation of the government’s eleven commitments.

Participants in the meeting are representatives of governmental institutions, non-governmental organisations, members of the local staff and the national council of assistance to children.

Sonangol negotiates oil exploration in Iraq with US and Indonesian companies
[ 2010-07-28 ]/(macauhub) 

Baghdad, Iraq, 28 July – US oil company, Occidental Petroleum Corp and Indonesia’s Pertamina are negotiating a partnership with Angola’s Sonangol for exploration of the Qaiyarah and Najmah oil fields in Iraq, an official from the Angolan state company said in Baghdad Sunday.

On the sidelines of an oil conference in the Iraqui capital, José Luís, manager of assets in Iraq, told Dow Jones Newswire that, “we are going to meet in August in order to discuss a possible partnership.”

Luís said that at that meeting Sonangol would put forward a working proposal for exploration of the two oil fields, under the terms of which the company plans to extract 50,000 barrels of oil per day from the Najmah field and 30,000 barrels from the Qaiyarah field by 2013.

The two fields, which have proven reserves of 800 million barrels of oil, are located 400 kilometres to the north of Baghdad.

At the auction held in 2009, 11 licences were granted to foreign companies, which committed to adding almost 10 million barrels of oil per day to Iraq’s current production capacity of 2.5 million barrels per day by 2017. 

Angola: Vice Minister Assures Train Circulation Ahead of Scheduled Time
28 July 2010/AngolaPress

Huambo — The deputy minister of Transports, Jose Joao Kuvingwa, said Tuesday, in Huambo that the circulation of Benguela Railways (CFB) may happen in the first half of 2011, one year earlier than the previously set time.

“The period of implementation of this project is 2012, but taking into account the benefits that the train will bring to the development of this region we have been suggesting that even before the beginning of the regular circulation it should be made available to the population a train exclusively for transportation of loads,” said Jose Kuvingwa.

The minister, who met Tuesday in Huambo, with the official of the Chinese company responsible for rehabilitating the railway line, said that while the works are stalled, there are possibilities of resuming train services in this region in the first half of next year.

He stressed that the intention of the Ministry of Transport is to alleviate the great difficulties that the populations of central and eastern regions are facing in the transportation of cargo.

BP Reveals Comeback Plan
By Guy Chazan /money.uk.msn.com/28/07/2010

Seeking to put the Deepwater Horizon disaster behind it, BP PLC announced a $32 billion pre-tax charge to pay for the massive Gulf oil spill, detailed plans to sell $30 billion in assets, replaced its gaffe-prone chief executive and promised to become a “different company” more focused on safety. 

Yet even after all that, some investors complained that BP had missed an opportunity to clean house and make a definitive break with its troubled past. And the company’s apparent success in capping the ruptured well-which has helped produce a rebound in its pummeled stock price-may have made BP less inclined to perform more radical surgery. 

For BP, the asset sales and new CEO are an attempt to begin moving beyond a catastrophe that has wiped out nearly 40% of its market value and put a question mark over its future in the U.S. The company Tuesday unveiled a loss in the second quarter of $17.15 billion-one of the largest in U.K. corporate history. 

The oil giant tripled its previous target for asset sales to $30 billion from $10 billion, a step that will focus BP more on high-growth areas like the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico and offshore Angola and Libya. Analysts expect it could offload oil fields in Argentina, Colombia and Venezuela and reduce its positions in former heartlands like Alaska and the North Sea. In all, the $30 billion asset sale would represent nearly 10% of BP’s value and about 8% of the energy it produces. 

The company appears confident it will find plenty of willing buyers for its wares: A recent deal to sell Apache Corp. gas assets in North America and Egypt netted the company $7 billion.

SOUTH AFRICA:

South Africa Stocks Rise as AECI, ArcelorMittal and Gold Fields Lead Gains
By Garth Theunissen/www.bloomberg.com /Jul 28, 2010 

South Africa’s FTSE/JSE Africa All Share Index gained 126.93, or 0.5 percent, to 28,588.41 as of 9:36 a.m. in Johannesburg. 

Trading closed one hour late at 6 p.m. local time yesterday following a six hour stoppage that resulted from technical problems. 

The following were among the most active stocks in the South African market today. 

AECI Ltd. (AFE SJ), an explosives and chemicals company, gained 1.83 rand, or 2.7 percent, to 70.46 rand. Profit from continuing operations rose 48 percent to 484 million rand ($66 million) during the six months through June, AECI said in a stock exchange statement. 

Anglo American Plc (AGL SJ), the diversified mining company that makes up almost 10 percent of South Africa’s benchmark stock index, increased 5 rand, or 1.7 percent, to 295 rand. Copper rose as much as 1.8 percent to $7,185 a metric ton on the London Metal Exchange. Shares in larger rival BHP Billiton Plc (BIL SJ) rose 2.61 rand, or 1.2 percent, to 229.10 rand. 

ArcelorMittal South Africa Ltd. (ACL SJ), a unit of the world’s largest steel producer, rose 1.89 rand, or 2.2 percent, to 86.39 rand. The company posted a first-half profit of 1.78 billion rand compared with a year-earlier loss of 848 million rand, according to a stock exchange statement. 

Gold Fields Ltd. (GFI SJ), Africa’s second-largest producer of the metal, climbed 1.05 rand, or 1.1 percent, to 95.95 rand. Bullion prices rose from a three-month low, gaining as much as 0.3 percent to $1,165.05 an ounce. 

Gold One International Ltd. (GDO SJ), a miner of the precious metal, added 5 cents, or 3 percent, to 1.70 rand. The company said it produced a monthly record 5,981 ounces of gold at a record low cost of $434 an ounce in June, according to a stock exchange filing. 

South Africa: Students Plead Guilty Over Racist Video That Spurred Protests

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/July 28, 2010

Four white students from the University of the Free State pleaded guilty on Tuesday to charges of illegally and deliberately injuring another person’s dignity in connection with a video they made in 2007 showing black university employees forced to consume food and drinks that appeared to be tainted with urine. The video prompted bitter protests that racism remains entrenched in South Africa more than a decade after racist white rule ended. 

ArcelorMittal South Africa Cancels Steel Surcharge After Kumba Agreement
By Ron Derby /www.bloomberg.com/Jul 28, 2010 

ArcelorMittal South Africa Ltd. will cancel a surcharge on steel products next month after reaching an interim supply agreement with Anglo American Plc’s Kumba Iron Ore Ltd. for deliveries of iron ore. 

The steelmaker will “charge a single all-in price, reflecting the higher cost of iron ore, rather than a separate surcharge,” ArcelorMittal South Africa said in a statement to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange today. 

ArcelorMittal South Africa introduced the charge from the start of May after Kumba, which supplies two-thirds of its ore needs, canceled a nine-year-old accord that sold it iron ore, a steelmaking ingredient, at a price 3 percent higher than production costs. The charge would have been reimbursed to customers if the steelmaker was successful in its bid to stop Kumba canceling the contract, ArcelorMittal South Africa has said. 

“The new prices are being communicated to customers today,” Julian Gwillim, spokesman for ArcelorMittal South Africa, said from Johannesburg today. 

The surcharge was canceled after the companies on July 22 agreed to an interim supply agreement in which ArcelorMittal will pay $50 a metric ton for ore supplied to its mill on South Africa’s coast and $70 a ton for deliveries to its two inland mills. 

ArcelorMittal, the world’s largest steelmaker, reported its fourth consecutive quarterly profit as higher metal prices and demand boosted sales. The Luxembourg-based steelmaker owns 46.8 percent of ArcelorMittal South Africa, which had a first-half profit of 1.78 billion rand ($240 million) compared with a year- earlier loss of 848 million rand, ArcelorMittal South Africa said today. 

ArcelorMittal South Africa said its third-quarter earnings will decline from the second quarter because of lower international steel prices and high input costs. 

South Africa: Tycoon and Wine Icon Beck Dies at 80
Katy Chance/BusinessDay/28 July 2010

Johannesburg — GRAHAM Beck, businessman, renowned horse breeder and the name behind some of the country’s iconic wines, died yesterday morning in London.

Mr Beck, who owned eponymous wineries in Robertson and Franschhoek as well as the Steenburg estate in the Constantia appellation, was 80.

His wife Rhona was with him when he died.

Pieter Ferreira, cellar master at the Graham Beck wineries, who worked for Mr Beck for 21 years, said despite his age and frailty, the death was a huge shock. “He was a great visionary and larger than life, but always said you can only be as good as the people you employ,” Mr Ferreira said.

Mr Beck acquired wealth in coal mines. Born at Faure in the Western Cape, his stockbroker father told him his first job should be to “sort out the coal mines”, which were battling.

After a BCom at the University of Cape Town he became a coal miner, got his blasting certificate, his mine manager certificate and, said his financial director and friend of more than 25 years, Alastair Rogan, had some of the biggest private coal-mining interests in SA. “Nobody could tell him anything about the mining game, because he knew it from the bottom up,” said Mr Rogan. “He used to buy smaller mines that the big houses weren’t interested in and made them profitable.

“His (empowerment) partner was Cyril Ramaphosa, but five years after that a Spanish power utility made him an offer and he accepted it, saying it was time to get out of mining and just stick to wine and horses.”

Mr Beck bought his Robertson property in 1983, planting the vineyard from scratch. He believed the limestone soil would be good for his horses, but it is also good for wine. In the 1990s he bought the historic Bellingham farm in Franschhoek, where he created a red wine cellar under the Graham Beck name in 1998.

His funeral will be held on Friday in Jerusalem. Mr Beck is survived by his wife, a son and five grandchildren.

Scottish scientist killed in South Africa car-jacking
28 July 2010 /www.bbc.co.uk

A Scottish scientist was shot and killed in a car-jacking in South Africa, it has emerged.

Dr Rory Smart, 61, from Fortrose, the Black Isle, had worked for mining support company Minova in Africa for more than 20 years.

He was attacked as he filled his car at a petrol station in a suburb of Johannesburg on 18 July. His car was stolen after he was shot.

Dr Smart’s family said details of his funeral would be announced later.

The scientist was technical director of Australia-headquartered Minova’s technical support division and an expert on the use of cement linings for mines.

Along with the company’s South African chief executive officer, Peter Ferreira, Dr Smart was a committee member for an international conference on restoring mines at the end of their use.

The committee was preparing for the 10th International Conference on Mining with Backfill, which will be held next March.

Dr Smart rented out his home in Fortrose and it was understood that he planned to return to the village when he retired.

AFRICA / AU :

AU to send 4,000 troops to Somalia, change of mandate still under consideration: AU commission chairman
English.news.cn/Editor: yan/Xinhua/2010-07-28 

KAMPALA, July 27 (Xinhua) — The African Union (AU) will send an additional 4,000 troops to Somalia while the change of the peacekeeping mandate is still under consideration, the African Union Commission Chairman Jean Ping told a press conference on Tuesday after the closing of the AU summit.

Jean Ping said that half of the 4,000 troops will be from the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD) and the rest will be from Guinea and Djibouti.

He said that currently there are 6,000 peacekeeping troops out there in the field of Somalia, from Burundi and Uganda.

“We have committed to deliver quickly an additional 4,000 troops there. We should help them reach the ceiling and perhaps above the ceiling,” he said.

“One battalion from Guinea, one battalion from IGAD, 2,000 troops and Djibouti immediately,” he added.

Ping said there are many countries who are ready to send their troops to Somalia. The chairman also said that the change of the AU peacekeeping mandate in the war-torn Somalia is still under consideration.

“We had a request to change the request, which is under consideration. Because AU can change this mandate but there are a lot of implications. If we change the mandate, we need additional equipment adapted to the new mandate.”

The chairman also said that the U.S., Britain and France are still considering AU’s request to them to send more helicopters.

The AU’s latest decision of troop enforcement came after a three-day summit where the issue of Somali peacekeeping mission has overshadowed the theme of maternal and child health.

The summit, which attracted nearly 40 heads of state and government of AU member states, was held two weeks after the Somali insurgent group al-Shabaab claimed the deadly twin bombing attacks which killed more than 70 people in Uganda.

AU Demands Suspension Of Arrest Warrant For Sudan President Bashir
7/28/2010/RTTNews

(RTTNews) – The meeting of African Union member countries that concluded in the Ugandan capital Kampala has demanded the suspension of the arrest warrant issued for the arrest of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.

Making the announcement, Malawi’s President and AU chairman, Bingu wa Mutharika said the AU would evolve its own mechanism to address the Sudan issue.

“We have decided to establish our own mechanism to approach the Sudan problem. We are asking the UN to postpone the period for the warrants of arrest for 12 months to allow us find what is really happening on the ground and corroborate our findings with those of the ICC, ” he said.

Bashir has the dubious distinction of being the only sitting head of state to be tried by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague in Netherlands after being indicted on genocide charges.

According to Wa Mutharika, even though the AU did not condone genocides or other crimes committed by anyone, it will not allow foreigners to come and decide matters concerning a head of state.

In July, the ICC added three counts of genocide to the warrant issued against Bashir.

The Sudanese President for his part has dismissed the ICC warrant and went on a state visit to Chad. It was his first foreign trip since a warrant was issued for war crimes committed in Sudan’s Darfur province.

Bashir recently won an election marred by opposition boycott, charges of electoral fraud and logistical nightmares. His return to office virtually turned the judicial proceedings launched against him into something of a mockery. 

by RTT Staff Writer

Around Africa: Somaliland transfers power to opposition; Alcohol kills 17 in Kenya
28 July 2010 / Haggae Matsiko/www.independent.co.ug

Somaliland transfers power to opposition: In an election that observers declared free and fair, Somaliland got a new leader Ahmed Mohamed Silanyo. This democratic transfer of power in a region whose independence has been denied by the African Union and foreign powers since in 1991 means a lot in a struggle for international recognition. Somaliland was colonised by Britain while the rest of Somalia was under Italian administration. President Silanyo will make his official inauguration speech and announce his cabinet today.

Alcohol kills 17 in Kenya: Poisonous liquor has killed at least 17 people and blinded a dozen more in Kenya’s largest slum of Kibera. Police said the home-distilled drink may have contained traces of methanol. Many of those who died were found in their homes in the Nairobi slum. Alcohol-related deaths are common in Kenya, with hundreds of people dying every year from poisoned liquor often sold in the brewer’s home.

UK sued over Congo minerals: A campaign group Global Witness has launched legal action against the UK for allegedly failing to refer firms trading in “conflict minerals” from DR Congo for UN sanctions. The UN passed resolutions in 2008 and 2009 which called for a travel ban and asset-freeze to be imposed on companies supporting the illegal trade but the group says UK has done little to bring these companies to book. Global Witness has gone to the High Court for a judicial review, saying the UK government is breaching its legal obligations. There are global efforts to halt the trade in minerals from areas controlled by armed groups in the DRC. Five million people died in a 1996-2003 civil war and its aftermath.

African Peer Review Mechanism chairman resigns: Professor Adebayo Adedeji announced his resignation on July 23rd as the Chair of the APRM Panel. APRM is an instrument voluntarily acceded to by Member States of the African Union as a self-monitoring mechanism tasked to ensure that the policies and practices of participating states conform to the agreed political, economic and corporate governance values. The body is supposed to foster the adoption of policies and standards that lead to political stability, high economic growth, sustainable development and accelerated sub-regional and continental economic integration.
White former students plead in South Africa race trial: Four South African former students have pled guilty to charges of humiliating black housekeepers in a case which has strained the country’s race relations. The four, all white men, were filmed three years ago apparently forcing black employees to eat food mixed with urine. When the video came to light they were charged with illegally and deliberately injuring another person’s dignity. The case sparked protests on campus at Free State University in Bloemfontein, where the four were students.

UN /ONU :

UN chief encourages support for African Union mission in Somalia
July 28, 2010 /english.peopledaily.com.cn/ Source: Xinhua

UN Secretary-general Ban Ki- moon has encouraged countries to help strengthen the forces of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) in order to keep peace and boost stability in the Horn of Africa country, a UN spokesman said here on Tuesday.

Martin Nesirky, the UN spokesman, made the statement following a Tuesday decision by the African Union to increase the troop strength of AMISOM.

“The secretary-general has consistently said that stability in Somalia is crucial,” Nesirky said. “He has encouraged countries that have sent troops to Somalia and those that propose to deploy them.”

African heads of state and government attending the just- concluded African Union summit in Kampala, Uganda decided to deploy 4,000 more troops to war-torn Somalia for the peacekeeping mission, bringing the total number of troops to more than 10,000.

The decision came after three days of intense discussions on the troops increment and change of mandate of AMISOM forces in Somalia.

USA :

CIA Interrogations Have
Their Day in Court
July 28, 2010/article.nationalreview.com

Al-Qaeda terrorist Ahmed Ghailani provided a test case for CIA interrogations. The interrogations passed.

In February, we wrote in the Wall Street Journal about a classified brief filed in federal court in which the Obama Justice Department argued for the importance and efficacy of the CIA interrogation program. Now a federal judge has reviewed the evidence and agreed.

On Dec. 18, 2009, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, Preet Bharara, made the secret filing in response to a motion by Ahmed Ghailani, an al-Qaeda terrorist facing charges for his role in the U.S.-embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998. Ghailani argued that those charges should be dropped because lengthy CIA interrogations denied him his constitutional right to a speedy trial.

In his response, Bharara explained that “the defendant was . . . a rare find, and his then-recent interactions with top-level al-Qaeda terrorists made him a potentially rich source of information that was both urgent and crucial to our nation’s war efforts.” Bharara went on to say that “when the United States took custody of the defendant . . . and it justifiably believed that he had actionable intelligence that could be used to save lives, it reasonably opted to treat him initially as an intelligence asset.” And it turned out that “the defendant . . . did in fact have actionable intelligence about al Qaeda.” The “information supplied by the defendant had important real-world effects,” and he provided “crucial, real-time intelligence about senior al-Qaeda leaders and al-Qaeda plots.” Bharara concluded: “The results of the CIA’s efforts show that the defendant’s value as an intelligence source [was] not just speculative.” Thus, “the interest in national security plainly justified holding the defendant in this case as an enemy combatant [and] interrogating him . . . even if that meant delaying his criminal trial.”

Earlier this month, the federal judge presiding over the case, Lewis A. Kaplan, affirmed these conclusions by the Obama Justice Department. His ruling included a classified supplement describing Ghailani’s interrogation and the results it produced. But in his unclassified ruling, Judge Kaplan wrote: “Suffice it to say here that, on the record before the Court and as further explained in the Supplement, the CIA Program was effective in obtaining useful intelligence from Ghailani throughout his time in CIA custody.”

Kaplan went on: “The government has offered evidence that Ghailani continued to be of intelligence value throughout his time in CIA custody. Ghailani’s counsel have had access to extensive classified materials related to his interrogation, yet they have pointed to no evidence to the contrary. As discussed in the Supplement, the Court concludes that the government’s evidence is persuasive.”

He concluded: “The government has offered credible evidence indicating that the decision to place Ghailani in the CIA Program was made in the reasonable belief that he had valuable information essential to combating al-Qaeda and protecting national security. The same evidence shows that the government had reason to believe that this valuable intelligence could not have been obtained except by putting Ghailani into that program and that it could not successfully have done so and prosecuted him in federal court at the same time.” Therefore, “Two years of the delay [while Ghailani was held by the CIA] served compelling interests of national security.”

The judge also rejected “Ghailani’s claim that he was so affected psychologically by the alleged CIA mistreatment that his ability to assist in his defense has been impaired.” The court appointed a psychiatrist to examine Ghailani, and, “On the basis of the psychiatrist’s report and the entire record, including the evidence from the defense psychologist, the Court found that Ghailani suffers from no mental disease or defect, that he is capable of assisting in his defense, and that he is mentally competent. The Court is not persuaded that his mental state has been affected in any material degree by anything that took place while he was in CIA custody.”

The ruling was a major victory for the prosecution. And it was also a major vindication of the CIA interrogation program. The Obama Justice Department has now argued in federal court that the CIA program was necessary for our national security, that it was effective in producing actionable intelligence about al-Qaeda plots that could not have been obtained in any other way, and that it caused no damage to the terrorist’s mental state. A federal judge has reviewed the intelligence, heard the counterarguments of the terrorist who was interrogated, and agreed with the Obama administration that in the case of Ahmed Ghailani, the CIA interrogation program “served compelling interests of national security.”

Africa advocates to Obama: Don’t recognize Kagame’s election
July 28, 2010/sfbayview.com

Support real freedom and democracy in Africa
by the Africa Faith and Justice Network, Friends of the Congo, Hotel Rwanda/Rusesabagina Foundation, International Humanitarian Law Institute of Minnesota, Institute for Policy Studies, Mobilization for Justice and Peace in Congo

President Obama said, in his 2009 speech in Accra, Ghana, that America should support strong institutions and not strong men. However, in the case of Rwanda, this has been no more than rhetoric. Rwandans, like most Africans, cheered Obama’s election, hoping that it might signal a new, more peaceful and cooperative relationship between the U.S. and Africa, but Obama has expanded AFRICOM, the U.S. Africa Command, and now he remains silent as Rwanda’s strongman, President Paul Kagame, prepares a sham presidential election to retain his brutal grip on power.

On Aug. 3, in Washington D.C., we, a coalition of Africa advocates, will gather at the National Press Club to call on President Obama and the U.S. State Department not to recognize the legitimacy of Rwanda’s upcoming Aug. 9 election results and to stop militarizing Africa and supporting repressive regimes.

“The U.S. policy has been to support strongmen,” says Maurice Carney, executive director of Friends of the Congo. “And at the head of the class is Paul Kagame, who has received military support, weapons, training and intelligence and as a result has been able to invade Rwanda’s neighbor, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and sustain proxy militia fighting there to rob the Congolese people of their natural resources. He has contributed to the death of over 6 million people in Congo and to the destabilization of Africa’s whole Great Lakes region.”

Assassinations, arrests, disappearances, imprisonment and torture of both politicians and press critical of Kagame have led up to Rwanda’s Aug. 9 presidential polls, and now the question is not “Will Rwanda’s August 2010 election be free and fair?” but “How much more violence will the population suffer from Rwandan police, military and security operatives?”

And how much longer will President Obama continue to support the brutal Kagame regime in the heart of Africa, even though 40 of Kagame’s top officers and officials have been indicted in both Spanish and French courts for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide? Kagame himself has not been indicted by these courts but only because he is a sitting head of state and indictment would therefore be a declaration of war.

“Kagame is doing everything he can think of, including killing journalists, jailing and torturing political 

opponents and denying political opponents their constitutional right to register their parties to exclude them from the election. Because as soon as he loses the presidency, he is likely to be tried for all the mass killings he ordered,” says Rwandan exile, writer and activist Aimable Mugara, who now lives in Toronto.

All the viable opposition has been kept out of the election, but four Kagame allies have agreed to stand so as to make it appear that Rwanda is having a real election.

Leading presidential candidate Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, who was arrested and indicted on trumped up charges to prevent her from registering to run against Kagame, has said that she will not vote and has urged other Rwandans not to vote either. “We know that the military and police will use violence against the population,” Ingabire said, “but we have to fight for our rights. There is no reason to vote if you don’t have a choice.”

In May, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson announced that the U.S. government plans to send a dozen teams of election observers to Rwanda before the Aug. 9 polls, but many Rwandans now say they will only be wasting U.S. taxpayers’ money.

“There is no reason to vote if you don’t have a choice.” – Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza
“Why do people seriously think of going there to observe elections?” asked Charles Kambanda, an American of Rwandan origin, former member of Kagame’s RPF Party and former professor at Makarere University in Kampala, Uganda. “Which elections are they going to observe? There is nothing to be observed, because what we have is a one-man show. What we have is a situation where the government has created the so-called opposition.

“The RPF has kicked out all the real opposition leaders. They are either under house arrest, like Victoire Ingabire, or in prison or they are already dead or they are in exile.”

“Foreign election observers planning to go to Rwanda to observe the ‘election’ this August are wasting time and money,” said Aimable Mugara. “I would recommend that they stay in their countries and write their reports based on all the insane actions Gen. Kagame’s ruling party has taken since the beginning of this year, actions that make this so-called election null and void.”

The United States government has provided not only election observers but also over $1,034,000,000 in United States taxpayer-funded foreign assistance to Rwanda since 2000. An additional $240,200,000 is proposed in the president’s fiscal year 2011 budget.

US hostage in Darfur says conditions desperate
Wed Jul 28, 2010/By Opheera McDoom/Reuters

KHARTOUM (Reuters) – An American woman abducted by armed men in western Sudan more than two months ago said on Tuesday that food and drinking water were scarce and her living conditions had become desperate.

The woman works for the U.S.-based Christian charity Samaritan’s Purse, which has asked that her name be withheld, and is the last foreign captive held in Darfur. Two German men were freed earlier in the day after nearly five weeks in captivity.

“Now I’m camping out in a wadi (dried river bed) with about 20 men,” she told Reuters by satellite phone. “I’m no longer being fed, it’s raining here and there are a couple of tarps (tarpaulins) but we are sleeping in the rain with no clean water — I drink rain water when I can collect it.”

She said she was surviving by drinking camel’s milk. “The situation has become a living nightmare,” she said.

Drug abuse and HIV
The U.S.-led war on drugs has also contributed to the HIV epidemic around the world.
www.latimes.com/20100728

Last week, thousands of scientists, physicians and activists fighting the HIV and AIDS pandemic around the world gathered in Vienna to discuss the latest breakthroughs — and frustrations.

There were reports on several landmark studies describing the crucial role that treatments can play in reducing the infectiousness of HIV-positive individuals. And there was encouraging news from Africa, where a study found that an intra-vaginal anti-viral gel could reduce the risk of HIV infection among women who used it by 40%.

But there was also sobering news at the 18th International AIDS Conference, including stark evidence of how the HIV epidemic is raging unchecked among some populations of illicit drug users.

Vienna was selected to host the biannual meeting of HIV experts because it is the gateway to one of the world’s most rapidly growing HIV epidemics: that among heroin users in Eastern Europe. Outside sub-Saharan Africa, about 1 in 3 new HIV infections stems from injecting illegal drugs, and in some parts of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, 70% of those who inject illicit drugs are infected with the virus.

In response to these alarming statistics, this year’s conference endorsed as its official statement the Vienna Declaration, a document I helped draft to draw widespread attention to how the U.S.-led war on drugs has played a central role in driving the HIV epidemic around the world.

Writing in the medical journal the Lancet, where the Vienna Declaration was also published, Michel Sidibe, the executive director of the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and other prominent scientific leaders stated the situation succinctly: “The war on drugs has failed.”

Criminalizing drug abuse drives addicts deeper underground and into the kinds of unsafe practices such as needle-sharing that spread infection. We have seen clearly that countries with the most draconian drug laws also have the highest rates of HIV infection among users. In Russia, for example, where 1 in 100 adults is now estimated to be HIV-infected, a fierce drug war has outlawed basic harm reduction tools, such as methadone maintenance treatment. Methadone is on the World Health Organization’s list of essential medicines, but Russian physicians cannot even openly discuss the need to prescribe the treatment without fear of reprisals.

The mass incarceration of drug users is particularly alarming, given the spread of HIV in prisons. A Pew Trusts analysis of U.S. Department of Justice data noted that 1 in 9 African American males aged 20 to 34 is in prison, many of them as a result of drug law enforcement. Given the link between prisons and HIV, it is not surprising that in places such as Washington more than 80% of HIV cases identified between 2001 and 2006 were among African Americans.

Beyond HIV and AIDS, the declaration also notes that the war on drugs is ineffective. “National and international drug surveillance systems have demonstrated a general pattern of falling drug prices and increasing drug purity — despite massive investments in drug law enforcement.”

In just a few short weeks since being made public, the Vienna Declaration has been endorsed by more than 13,600 individuals, including five Nobel laureates and various other global leaders in science, medicine and public health.

There also have been signs that the world may be heading toward more reasoned drug policies. Just before the Vienna conference, the Obama administration announced overdue and welcome steps to help fight the HIV epidemic among drug users. Most important, given the strong support for syringe exchange programs from the U.S. Institute of Medicine and WHO, the administration has reversed a longtime ban on funding clean syringe programs.

But there is still much that needs to be done. The Vienna Declaration calls for governments to “implement and evaluate a science-based public health approach to address the individual and community harms stemming from illicit drug use.” Not surprisingly, considering that strident special-interest groups have long misled U.S. voters into believing that the drug war is an essential crime-reduction tool, most government delegations at AIDS 2010, including the U.S. government delegation, remained largely silent on the Vienna Declaration.

Decades of worldwide drug-related violence have made clear that drug prohibition enriches organized crime and causes bloodshed. But the devastating public health consequences of the drug war have been less recognized, and government acknowledgement of the link between the war on drugs and the HIV epidemic is urgently needed. The next International AIDS Conference will be in Washington in 2012. Before that meeting, governments around the world will be asked to state a formal position regarding the declaration.

In the meantime, the declaration also asks for several noncontroversial steps, including that governments “undertake a transparent review of the effectiveness of current drug policies.” Given the international public health emergency presented by HIV among drug users and the estimated $2.5 trillion in tax dollars wasted on the drug war over the last 40 years, the U.S. should move forward with this simple call.

Evan Wood, a physician and associate professor of medicine at the University of British Columbia, directs the Urban Health Research Initiative at the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS.

CANADA :

AUSTRALIA :

Election ignores marginalised: Anglicare
July 28, 2010/AAP /news.smh.com.au

The poor and marginalised will be left out of this year’s election debate as leaders focus on middle Australia, the Christian charity Anglicare says.

Recent Australian elections had been fought to “capture the hearts and minds” of the population’s middle 40 per cent, Anglicare Sydney CEO Peter Kell said on wednesday.

“And this election is shaping up to be, unfortunately, no different,” he told reporters in Sydney.

Mr Kell was launching a report titled The Depth and Diversity of Social Exclusion.

The report outlines disadvantages experienced by three main groups in Sydney – people who access Anglicare Sydney’s emergency relief centre, African refugees and the ageing parents of people with a disability.

It was likely to be unpopular, Mr Kell said.

“It contains uncomfortable truths,” Mr Kell said.

Co-author Sue King said she hoped the report would prompt governments to take notice of the poor and marginalised.

“We actually want to put this on the election agenda,” she said.

The report focuses on “social exclusion”, the isolation felt by people who suffer from a combination of problems such as unemployment, poor housing, bad health and family breakdown.

Monica Biel, a migrant and refugee services worker at Anglicare, said many African refugees came to her for help with housing.

Because of language barriers many of them were taken advantage of by real estate agents or landlords, she said.

She cited the case of a woman who was receiving benefits from Centrelink but only had $20 a fortnight left after paying exorbitant rent.

Permanent housing was the main way governments could help African refugees, Ms Biel said.

Without a settled home, people could not actively participate in their communities.

“Every six months they move to a different place and it’s creating a lot of mental illness, suicide … breakdowns, children run away,” she said.

“I have right for voting (but) if I move from area to area to area, I will notknow even my local council.

“How could I vote?”

Federal opposition MP Malcolm Turnbull, who attended the launch, said he supported the findings of the report.

People should not confuse the African refugees with the current political debate about asylum seekers, Mr Turnbull said.

“You’re really talking about two very different things. The African refugees that were here have not come by boat, they’ve come from some of the toughest refugee camps in the world,” he said

EUROPE :

#ffff00;”>Russian pilot missing in Darfur copter incident
By EDITH M. LEDERER (AP) /28072010

UNITED NATIONS — A Russian-owned helicopter that landed in the wrong place in Darfur has been recovered with all the passengers and crew except the Russian pilot, the top international envoy in the volatile Sudanese region said Tuesday.

Ibrahim Gambari, the joint representative of the United Nations and African Union, said peacekeepers from the U.N.-AU force in Darfur are working with the Sudanese government and rebel movements to locate the missing pilot and “see to his release.”

The helicopter, which was assigned to the U.N.-AU force, disappeared Monday while transporting three members of the rebel Liberation Justice Movement from peace negotiations with the government in Doha, Qatar, to locations in South Darfur, Gambari said. He spoke with reporters after briefing the U.N. Security Council in New York.

Early Tuesday, Gambari said, the peacekeeping force, known as UNAMID, made contact with three of the four crew on the helicopter and an international staff member.

They reported that they were at a Sudanese government location south of Menawashi in South Darfur, he said.

Gambari said a UNAMID helicopter went to the site with another pilot who flew the helicopter, the crew and passengers to safety.

“Apparently, they landed in what was the wrong place, and it seems that it was a place not fully in control of the government,” he said.

“The good news is the government took it very seriously and worked with us and we retrieved the helicopter and everybody except the captain,” Gambari said.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement earlier Tuesday that four Russians and five Sudanese nationals were aboard the helicopter, which it said had been seized Monday by rebels. It said the men were not hurt.

Gambari told the Security Council on Tuesday that there has been “a spike in criminal acts and attacks against U.N. and humanitarian personnel” in Darfur.

In 2009, he said, UNAMID peacekeepers were attacked on 28 occasions resulting in 10 deaths and 26 injuries, and two UNAMID personnel and six humanitarian workers were kidnapped.

The Darfur conflict began in February 2003 when ethnic African rebels took up arms against the Arab-dominated Sudanese government in Khartoum, claiming discrimination and neglect. Khartoum is accused of retaliating by arming local nomadic Arab tribes and unleashing militias known as the janjaweed on civilian populations — a charge the government denies.

U.N. officials say at least 300,000 people have lost their lives from violence, disease and displacement and that 2.7 million have been driven from their homes.

France, African Countries Move to Counter al-Qaida-Linked Groups in Africa
Nico Colombant /www1.voanews.com/28 July 2010

French and African leaders are pledging to counter al-Qaida-backed violence in East and West Africa with more military force in the aftermath of suicide bombings in Uganda and the killing of a French aid worker in Mali. The United States has also pledged more military help in the continent’s widening fight against terrorism. But, some analysts are concerned whether this is the most effective approach.

French Prime Minister Francois Fillon went on French radio Tuesday to say his country was at war with al-Qaida.

He said the French military has been cooperating for several months with Mauritania’s army to combat al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb regional terrorist group.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner has been touring West African countries where the group has kidnapped foreigners, sometimes killing them, as was the case for French aid worker Michel Germaneau. His execution was announced by al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb on Sunday, after a French-Mauritanian raid on one of the terror group’s desert positions in Mali.

Kouchner met with Malian President Amadou Toumani Toure on Tuesday to discuss several security topics, including establishing an anti-terror rapid reaction force with Mali.

Algerian officials at this week’s African Union summit in Kampala, Uganda reportedly have described Mali as the weak link in the fight against terrorism in the vast, mostly lawless, northwest African region. They say Algerian villagers in desert areas are being instructed to form their own defense militias.

Africa security analyst J. Peter Pham says he is not surprised by the French reaction. But he says he fears that al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb will be more in the news in the months ahead . . .

“[g]iven the increased resources that it has obtained in the last 12-18 months because its southern command has acquired resources through an alliance with drug smugglers and other criminal elements,” said J. Peter Pham. “So you are seeing greater activity and, unfortunately, you are likely to see increased activity from them.”

This week’s AU summit in Kampala focused largely on the terror threat and boosting the African Union force in Somalia, where the al-Qaida linked group al-Shabab is fighting a U.N-backed transitional government.

African leaders approved a request to send 2,000 more African Union peacekeeping troops and allow the peacekeepers to fire their weapons, if they face imminent attack. 

Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the recent bombings in Uganda that killed dozens of people, saying the attacks were in retaliation for Uganda’s troop presence in Somalia. The peacekeepers have come under criticism inside Somalia for their frequent shelling of civilian areas. The group warned of more attacks in Uganda and in Burundi, which also has troops in Somalia.

Analyst J. Peter Pham says he does not believe there is a military solution to the problem and that more peacekeepers could make the situation worse.

“The African Union does not have the resources,” he said. “Even if it were to get its act together, which it has not been able to [do], even if it were to get its act together, it does not have the capability to go in there and effectively defeat the insurgency. But it has enough capability to cause more problems.”

Pham says al-Shabab is united mainly because of foreign intervention and that working diplomatically with its less radical elements might be more effective.

“You remove the foreign intervention, let the cards fall where they will for the transitional government, and you will see al-Shabab beginning to break apart into various factions,” said Pham. “They are already factionalized, but they will be further factionalized. Then it becomes easier to pick off the truly threatening ones and the other ones can be brought into some sort of a framework for rebuilding governance.”

Following the bombings in Uganda, U.S. President Barack Obama said the United States would redouble support for Africa in the fight against terrorism. The U.S. government has already given the transitional government in Somalia millions of dollars for buying weapons and paying the salaries of its soldiers. The 2011 U.S. budget request for security assistance programs in Africa is reported to include over $80 million for arms sales to African states, military training and anti-terrorism programs.

But critics like the Washington-based activist group Africa Action say military cooperation boosts authoritarianism by African leaders, creates more violence and contributes to resentment by civilians.

CHINA :

Dai Bingguo Delivers a Speech on China-Zambia and China-Africa Relations in Zambia
2010/07/28/www.fmprc.gov.cn 

On the evening of July 26, 2010, Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo attended the welcome banquet hosted by Zambian Vice-President George Kunda in honor of his visit to Zambia. Dai delivered a speech on China-Zambia and China-Africa relations. 

Dai said that Zambia is an important and influential country on the continent of Africa and is a good friend, brother and partner of China in Africa. The Zambian government and people have been long pursuing a development path suited to its national conditions, have overcome various risks and challenges all the way, and have maintained political stability, economic harmony and racial harmony all the time. The Zambian people, under the leadership of President Rupiah Banda and the Zambian government, braved difficulties and kept economy stable and growing at a relatively fast rate despite the tough challenges arising from the international financial crisis last year. 

Dai said that in the last decade China-Africa relations witnessed substantial development. The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation was created and grew with far-reaching influence. Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation was successfully held. The relationship between China and Africa in all fronts including politics, economy and culture grew profoundly. The pragmatic cooperation reached unprecedented width and depth. The trade volume grew exponentially from USD10 billion to a historical level of USD100 billion. The people-to-people exchanges became more frequent. The mutual understanding and friendship got deeper. All these are the result of the concerted efforts of generations of Chinese and African people. 

Dai said that the basic standing and starting point of China’s foreign policy is always based on the solidarity and cooperation with developing countries including African countries. This is due to the common historical sufferings, militant friendship, development tasks and strategic interest. He said that China respects the sovereignty of African countries and the development paths they choose, never interferes in their internal affairs, treats them as equals, and conducts cooperation with them on the basis of mutual benefit and win-win results. China provides Africa with sincere and friendly assistance with no political conditions affiliated and always believes that the assistance and support between China and Africa are mutual. China always integrates its own development into the development of Africa and advances the development of African countries with its own development. 

Dai believes that the most important foundation for the constant development of China-Africa cooperation is to inherit and grow the traditional friendship and adhere to the principles of mutual respect, equal treatment, mutual benefit and win-win results. The fundamental means is to expand and deepen equal and mutually-beneficial cooperation and fulfill the grand goals of China’s and Africa’s development and rejuvenation. The most urgent task is to improve the livelihood of African people, improve the self-development capability of Africa, and execute the UN millennium development goals. The long-lasting driver is to increase people-to-people exchange, learn development experiences from each other, conduct human resources training, increase mutual understanding and cultivate young generations who know each other and treat each other as friends. The most important thing is to keep abreast with the times and spearhead innovation. 

Dai believed that the giant ship of the new type of China-Africa strategic partnership, which was established on the basis of solid friendship and common interest, will ride on the crest of the waves toward a brighter future for the benefit of the people of China, Africa and the world at large.

INDIA :

Vodafone India introduces solar powered phone
Solar powered devices are attractive in India where power supply is erratic
By John Ribeiro, IDG News Service /www.networkworld.com/July 28, 2010

Vodafone Essar, the Indian subsidiary of Vodafone Group, launched a solar powered mobile phone in India on Tuesday, aiming to address problems with the unstable electricity supply in many parts of the country. 

The VF 247 solar powered phone can be charged in sunlight or ambient light, or from mains electricity, according to a company spokesman. It will go on sale in India in about six weeks, priced at about 1,500 Indian rupees (US$32), he said. 

The phone is likely to go on sale in a number of countries, starting with India and South Africa, other sources said. The VF 247 is made by Chinese phone and network equipment manufacturer ZTE. 

Electricity supply is erratic in most Indian cities, with frequent power cuts. In semi-urban areas, access to electricity is also difficult, requiring people sometimes to walk long distances to find a power point to charge their phones, said Ruchika Batra, a spokeswoman for Samsung in India. 

Her employer introduced a dual-powered phone called Solar Guru in June last year, priced at 2,799 rupees. That phone could be charged by solar power or mains electricity. 

“We found that the phone was popular in the cities as well,” Batra said.

Samsung has, however, stopped selling the product, as part of a routine refresh of its product line-up, and plans to introduce a new model at an unspecified date. “We still see great opportunity in a solar powered product,” Batra said. 

Nokia is also working on products to address the requirement of users who do not have easy access to mains electricity to charge their phones. The company unveiled a bicycle charger kit in Nairobi, Kenya, in June. It uses a small dynamo or electrical generator, powered by the rotation of the bicycle wheel, to charge a phone. Nokia said the kit would be available before year end. 

A number of Indian vendors are offering other ways to work around the electricity problem in India, including extended battery life of 30 days on their phones, and dual-mode mobile phones that can use regular alkaline batteries when users run out of charge on their mobile batteries. 

The IDG News Service is a Network World affiliate.

Codeshare deal to grow traffic between India, Africa
Wednesday, 28 July 2010/www.etravelblackboard.com

Indian airline, Jet Airways, announced late last week its codeshare arrangement and frequent flyer partnership with Kenya Airways, Kenya’s national carrier, effective from 22 July 2010. 

“Africa is an important market for Jet Airways and in addition to our direct service to Johannesburg, there is significant demand from our customers to travel to Kenya and beyond,” Jet Airways chief executive Nikos Kardassis said.

“We are confident that this partnership will translate into greater air traffic between India and Africa,” he added.

The partnership between the two airlines is set to mutually benefit both parties noted Kenya Airways Group chief executive, Titus Naikuni.

“Kenya Airways seeks to strengthen its presence in India by offering better connection options to its passengers from Africa, and our association with Jet Airways gives us an opportunity to offer our customers a seamless connection to more destinations in the Indian sub continent,” Dr Naikuni said.

Thanks to the frequent flyer partnership, programme members of both Jet Airways and Kenya Airways will be able to earn and redeem miles across both networks.

Jet Group recently posted an impressive first quarter performance, high traffic growth helping the company record a USD1.8 million profit after tax compared to a loss of USD46.6 million in the same period last year.

South Africa: India’s Titan Has Colossal Job to Sell Watches
Michael Bleby/BusinessDay/28 July 2010

Johannesburg — IN THE consumer goods trade brands are titanic. They are big and they are strong. Sales ride high on them and sales fall when a brand stumbles.

To enter a new market without an established brand, then, may seem like bravery in the extreme, but that is what Indian watchmaker Titan will do when it starts selling in SA in September.

Titan Industries, part of the Tata Group, dominates India’s watch market, selling 11-million timepieces a year in an annual market of 45-million. Reporting first-quarter results yesterday, the company said net profit jumped to 813-million rupees from 460,4-million rupees in the same period a year ago.

Titan is an established brand, as are the others in the company’s watch spectrum, which ranges from cheap mass-market pieces to its own Swiss-made brand.

When the company comes to SA, appearing in local stores in the pre-Christmas shopping months, it will offer a limited range of 150 different watches, mainly priced in the midmarket R800- R1500 range, taking on fashion labels such as Guess and Fossil.

Without the backing of an upmarket Swiss watch appeal, or a fashion brand, the unknown Titan will have to convince shoppers in a new market to buy it. It is not even as if India is known for watches. While China dominates watch exports by volume (with an average price of 2 a unit) and Switzerland by value (with an average value of 528), India does not even rank on an industry list of major exporters. Germany, with 11,1-million units, France (6,2-million units) and the US (5,2-million units) are ahead.

Still, Titan says it can do it.

“The brand name will be established once the product is successful, not the other way around,” says Titan MD Bhaskar Bhat. “Branding is everything, but that is not the reason the consumer will buy our product in the first place. “

Titan faces an uphill battle.

“Their brand means nothing,” says Jeremy Sampson, executive chairman of brand agency Interbrand Sampson Group. “(People) are not necessarily going to be lusting after Titan when can they lust after something else well known and which you can show off as you wear it. They’re not going to say ‘wow’ about a Titan.”

To create a brand around the watch will take two to three years, says Sandeep Sridhar, Titan’s business development manager for new markets, who spent the weekend’s Jewellex trade fair in Sandton talking to retailers.

“The consumer needs to see a fashionable face of our product, something that looks good, that (they are) proud to wear and that represents (their) ambitions and personality,” he says.

Without the heritage of an old- money Swiss watch brand or the hip nature of a fashion label, the pitch it makes in existing promotional material may work here. Titan pushes a message of creating a new future — which strikes a chord in a developing market.

Still, it is a risk to assume any brand will work in a new market, Mr Bhat says, citing the experience of other brands in India. “Footwear brands – the Nikes, Reeboks and Adidas – in India failed in the initial five to seven years because they thought they could simply export. It didn’t work. It’s a combination of styling, pricing and positioning.”

The company has a separate range for SA. Women’s watches, for example,
have larger faces because South African women, like their European counterparts, prefer larger watch faces.

Within five years, Titan aims to have 100 000-150 000 sales, a profitable share of a category it estimates is 1,5-million in size, out of a total South African watch market of 9-million.

The first step will be to get the name known. Titan has had some exposure, having sponsored a 1996-97 cricket tournament in India between India, SA and Australia.

But exposure is not all, Mr Sampson says. “Awareness is only the beginning. It takes a long time before people get interested in adopting it,” he says.

Titan’s parent company has a stronger brand that could, ironically, benefit the watch maker.

“I think Tata has got a good name. They’ve had huge success. I wouldn’t underestimate them. It will be very interesting to watch and see how they do it.”

BRASIL:

No Climate Deal Likely in Mexico Climate Change
2010-07-28/english.ntdtv.com

Environment ministers from India, South Africa, Brazil and China have little expectations of striking a climate deal at an upcoming global conference in Cancun, Mexico. 

Speaking at a climate change meeting in Rio de Janeiro, the ministers pointed to the failure of countries such as the United States to cut emissions and deliver on promises of financing for emissions reduction programs.

Vairam Ramesh, Indian Environment Minister]:
“If money is not put on the table, which was the most important promise made by the developｅｄ countries, then it is unlikely that we will have an outcome in Cancun. The key to Cancun lies not with the developing countries, it lies with the developed countries to fulfil their commitments on financing, which they have undertaken as part of the Copenhagen deal.” 

Striking a deal in Cancun also seems unlikely because the U.S. Senate recently delayed climate change legislation until September. 

[Buyelwa Sonjica, South African Environment Minister]:
“By the time we get to Cancun they will not have completed the legislation. Clearly, we will get less than the legally bindｅｄ outcome and for us that is a concern. We are very realistic about it, that we may not .” 

In the past, nations like China have called on countries with the largest economies to fund climate change measures such as caps on emissions. 

More than 100 countries supported a non-binding accord last year in Copenhagen to limit global warming, but did not spell out how this should be achieved. 

The Kyoto Protocol, which placed carbon emissions caps on nearly 40 countries, expires in 2012 with no new deal in sight. 

This year the US Environmental Protection Agency released a report that says climate change has worsened many environmental indicators like melting glaciers and heat waves. 

The report said warming in the 21st century will surpass the 20th century. 

EN BREF, CE 28 juillet 2010… AGNEWS /OMAR, BXL,28/07/2010