{jcomments on}OMAR, AGNEWS, BXL, le 16 mars 2010 – www.eyewitnessnews.co.za- March 16, 2010–At least 36 people have died and more than 38 000 made homeless by a tropical storm lashing Madagascar.
RWANDA
Rwandan president rejects human rights criticism
By Tom Evans, CNN /March 16, 2010
(CNN) — Rwandan President Paul Kagame hit back Monday at human rights activists who say he’s behaving like an autocrat and fueling a bloody civil war in Rwanda’s neighbor, Congo.
“If you are talking about people in the human rights community from outside… I have an issue with this,” Kagame said, 16 years after he was hailed as a hero for ending a genocide that killed at least 800,000 people.
“You tend to make a judgment of a country, 11 million people, on what a couple of people have said and (they) don’t take into account what Rwandans say.”
Kagame added, “Nobody has asked the Rwandans … it’s as if they don’t matter in the eyes of the human rights people. It’s our own decisions in the end.”
He said everyone in Rwanda has to play by the rules and be accountable. “There has to be leadership to make things move in the right direction,” Kagame stated.
Kagame’s comments came a month after the New York-based group, Human Rights Watch, said opposition activists are facing increasing threats, attacks, and harassment ahead of Rwanda’s presidential election in August.
Human Rights Watch said opposition party members have suffered serious intimidation by individuals and institutions close to the government and Kagame’s ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF).
The RPF took power in 1994 after its army swept into the capital of Kigali and overthrew the Hutu-dominated government responsible for the massacre of hundreds of thousands of Rwandans, most of them members of the minority Tutsi community.
In the aftermath of the 100-day genocide, the fastest in modern history, Kagame transformed his country, turning it into one of the fastest growing nations in Africa and — in the view of some — a model of economic and social development.
Kagame said Rwanda has made significant progress in erasing some of the scars left behind after the tragedy.
“That’s why the country is stable. That’s why the country is moving on. That’s why the country is developing.”
Kagame insisted he has nothing to do with the continuing civil war in mineral-rich Congo, even though he acknowledged that Rwandan troops intervened there a decade ago in an attempt to stop rebel groups from returning to Rwanda.
The war became the largest and most destructive conflict in African history, costing more than 5 million lives, as various groups and foreign armies fought for control of Congo’s land and mineral resources.
“I cannot be blamed for the problems of Congo or any other country,” Kagame said. “There are the Congolese who have their own country, who are supposed to manage it, who are supposed to govern it. It has nothing to do with me.”
UGANDA
Uganda ‘shocks’ Girls Aloud star
(UKPA) /The Press Association/16032010
Girls Aloud star Kimberley Walsh has told how she broke down during an “overwhelming” visit to a maternity ward in Uganda for Sport Relief.
The singer, who has guest-edited a special issue of Now magazine for the charity, gave a frank account of the poverty she witnessed.
The 28-year-old, who joined other celebrities to climb Mount Kilimanjaro last year, was finding out how her fundraising efforts helped stricken communities in Africa.
“Although it was a sad trip, it was nice to see the difference the money we raised climbing Kilimanjaro last year has made,” Walsh said in Now.
“Visiting a maternity ward in Hoima Hospital, Hoima, was one of the most difficult experiences.
“I was told the story of a woman called Jacqueline who was pregnant and had contracted malaria. She arrived there two days before we did, but her husband didn’t get her to hospital in time. Both Jacqueline and her unborn baby died from what is actually a preventable disease.
“I think even though I had been on a trip like that before, and you see things in the press and on TV, none of that prepares you for the shocking reality.”
Walsh said she thought she would be OK – but felt “overwhelmed” and ended up rushing outside to compose herself.
Sudan denies Ugandan rebel leader relocated to Darfur
Tuesday 16 March 2010 /www.sudantribune.com
March 15, 2010 (KHARTOUM) — The Sudanese army denied statements made by the Ugandan President in which he claimed that the Lord Resistance Army’s leader Joseph Kony has moved to the western region Darfur and also suggested that he is being supported by the central government in Khartoum.
“Joseph Kony is not in Darfur,” Sudanese army spokesman Al-Sawarmi Khalid Sa’ad told Agence France Presse (AFP).
“And even if he had wanted to go, know that Darfur is not a favorable environment for the LRA,” he said. LRA rebels “are used to fighting in the forests,” while Darfur is semi-desert.
In separate statements to the independent Al-Ayaam newspaper Sa’ad said that Kony relies on the tribes that support him.
Last week, Musevini said that Ugandan army intel indicates that Kony fled to Darfur after his fighters fled from the Central African republic.
The Ugandan leader further said that he is not concerned if the intel turns out to be true because it means that the LRA figures have settled in Darfur far away from his country and sparing it the havoc they are known to create.
The fugitive LRA leader has been on the run since December 2008 when regional states launched a hunt to nab him after he refused to sign a peace deal with Kampala.
Since the operation, remnant LRA fighters have been moving in the jungles of northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, south Sudan and the Central African Republic (CAR).
Kony and two of his lieutenants have been charged with atrocities in the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague, which under international law requires they be turned over immediately upon capture or surrender. Past attempts to ink a peace deal between LRA and Kampala has failed primarily because the rebels wanted to persuade the Hague based court to drop the case.
He also did not rule out the possibility that LRA are receiving support from Khartoum as the case was in the past during the civil war years between North and South Sudan.
“If the Sudanese want to accommodate him in Darfur, that makes no difference to us” Musevini said.
“It makes no difference because they supported him much more in the past but whatever they gave him, we captured,” he added.
Last week the Washington-based Enough Project said today that a contingent of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has taken refuge in areas of South Darfur controlled by the Government of Sudan.
Accordingly, an LRA reconnaissance team in late 2009 sought to make contact with the Sudanese army at their base in Kafia Kingi, near south Darfur’s border with CAR, according to Enough Project. Now, based on field research and interviews with government and United Nations officials in several countries, Enough says that it can “confirm that LRA units have reached south Darfur.”
A similar claim was voiced by the official spokesman of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army, who asserted last year that LRA leader Joseph Kony himself was in Darfur. This was denied by Salah Gosh, presidential advisor and ex-chief of the intelligence and security service.
The Sudanese embassy in Washington released a statement calling the report by ENOUGH “outrageous” and “malicious”.
“The intention of these malicious speculations isn’t in the least bit difficult to discern. It’s a desperate and feeble attempt at yet again maligning the Sudanese Government and undermining the progress made towards peace. It is indeed convenient and most opportune for the enemies of peace in Sudan to peddle such alarming news, for it is clear they’ve lost the battle of Darfur as peace is at last dawning in that region, and now are in frantic search for a novel pretext that allows them to perpetuate their military-interventionist campaign in Sudan,”.
According to the U.N. refugees agency, the LRA caused most of the displacement in central Africa in 2009 with hundreds of thousands uprooted.
The rebels have looted, killed civilians and abducted children from three countries, forcing many to flee their homes, according to a report by Human Rights Watch.
(ST)
TANZANIA:
US Congress passes new law against albinos torture, killings
By ThisDay Reporter /16th March 2010
The US House of Representatives last week passed legislation that highlights albino killings in Tanzania and elsewhere in Africa and calls on governments in the region to take action to stop the violence and bring the perpetrators to justice.
The law sponsored by US congressman Gerry Connolly (Democrat-Virginia) was passed by the House on Wednesday with a vote of 418 to 1.
The Connolly bill has a compelling story behind it about the ordeal of a brave young Tanzanian woman with albinism who faced horror and loss of her limbs at the hands of profit-seeking criminals in her own village.
Connolly’s legislation – H.R. 1088 – moved through the House committee process in less than two months and passed the House with broad bipartisan support by an almost unanimous vote.
The Northern Virginia congressman introduced the bill in mid-January after meeting Mariamu Stanford, a young woman with albinism from a rural Tanzanian village who had both her arms hacked off by villagers who then sold them for profit.
Rural witchdoctors in the region believe the limbs of those with albinism have supernatural properties and can be mixed in potions to bring the buyer good luck. The limbs are sold for as much as $2,000 each, something of a king’s ransom in East Africa.
More than 100 persons with albinism have been murdered in Tanzania and other parts of East Africa by profit-seeking criminals.
The horrors faced by Mariamu and the murders of other albinos were brought to congressman Connolly’s attention by Northern Virginia residents concerned about the butchering of innocent men, women, and children albinos.
Speaking on the House floor last Tuesday, Connolly urged his colleagues “to join me and Mariamu Stanford in bringing international attention to this horrific abuse of human rights.”
He said his meeting with Mariamu and local families concerned about her plight and albinism in general “has moved me to take action.”
Connolly’s legislation condemns the murder and mutilation of people with albinism in East Africa and urges governments in the region, particularly the governments of Tanzania and Burundi, to take immediate action to prevent further violence against persons with albinism.
The law also calls for swift justice against those found to be engaged in such reprehensible practices, and urges governments in East Africa – along with international organizations, other donors, and the United States – to actively support the education of people with albinism about the prevention of skin cancer and provide appropriate levels of assistance.
It further urges the US to assist the governments of East Africa and other organizations to seek elimination of violence against people with albinism.
Connolly said Mariamu Stanford’s story “is one of fear, horror, and unbelievable courage that epitomizes the untold horrors men, women, and children with albinism have faced – and continue to face – in East Africa.”
Along with the Mariamu ordeal, Connolly related two other stories of murders in East Africa to his House colleagues:
He brought up the November 2008 case of a 6-year old albino girl who was shot dead in Burundi’s eastern province of Ruyigi, close to the border with Tanzania. Her attackers removed her head and limbs, leaving only her dismembered torso.
Also, he narrated, in January last year, three men armed with machetes killed an 8-year old boy in Burundi and smuggled his limbs to Tanzania.
“Every one of these stories border on the unbelievable and, quite frankly, turn my stomach as I hope they do yours,” Connolly told the House, adding:
“I applaud the dedicated group of local residents who brought Mariamu’s story and the stories of other atrocities against people with albinism in East Africa to my attention. With their help and the passage of this resolution today, maybe we can bring an end to these horrific and heinous crimes.”
CONGO RDC :
KENYA :
Kenya group plans to buy BP property
thecitizen.co.tz/16032010
By The Citizen Reporter and Agencies Kenya’s KenolKobil said yesterday it was interested in taking up BP Plc’s marketing businesses in five African nations.It said in a statement that such assets would offer opportunities for the group to grow.
The company has marketing operations in Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.Early this month, BP Africa’s chief executive, Mr Sipho Maseko, announced that BP was quitting Namibia, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia and Botswana following a strategy review that would see it throwing all its weight in a handful of African countries mainly Angola, Mozambique and South Africa and in Algeria, Egypt and Libya.
All of these countries, with the exception of South Africa, are oil and/or gas producing countries.“I would like to stress that BP is and will stay committed to Africa,” Mr Maseko said in a statement.“We have significant operations in Angola, Mozambique and South Africa and in Algeria, Egypt and Libya. We will continue to grow and invest in those markets, especially in the value chain infrastructure,” he said.It is clear that the BP’s decision will affect Tanzania’s petroleum marketing industry where the company has often played a significant and pioneering role. But it is difficult to immediately establish to what extent that effect will play itself out.
Until recently BP Tanzania has had a 35 per cent market share in retail and service stations and in the commercial sector, and about 70 in aviation.
In Zanzibar it has been controlling the aviation fuel market.The director-general of the Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority, Mr Haruna Masebu, declined to comment on how BP’s decision is likely to affect the local oil industry.He said since Ewura had not yet received any notification on BP’s withdrawal from the market, it would be premature for him to comment on the matter.
ANGOLA :
Twelve killed as rain lashes Angola
March 16 2010 /www.iol.co.za/Sapa-AFP
Luanda – Twelve people died in the Angolan capital Luanda on Monday after homes collapsed because of heavy rain, a local official said.
“Twelve people died and more than 20 homes collapsed because of strong rains that fell early this morning (Monday) in Luanda,” deputy governor Bento Soyto was quoted as saying by the official Angop news agency.
Around 100 homes were also flooded in Cacuaco, north of Luanda, the agency said.
Heavy rains in neighbouring Zambia last month caused a landslide that killed nine people.
A red alert in Mozambique, to the east, was issued in early March and 6 000 people evacuated, the head of the National Crisis Management Institute, Joao Ribeiro, told reporters, adding that “no deaths occurred because of the flood”.
The southern African nations are regularly affected by flooding. Rains in early 2009 killed 145 people and displaced thousands more in Angola, Namibia and Zambia. –
Reliance Charters VLCC to Import Crude Oil for March Loading
March 16, 2010/By Archana Chaudhary and Rakteem Katakey/Bloomberg
March 16 (Bloomberg) — Reliance Industries Ltd., operator of the world’s largest oil-refining complex, chartered a very large crude carrier to import 260,000 metric tons of crude oil for loading on March 22, according to a shipbroker.
The Taiga is chartered for $3.5 million, according to ship- booking information compiled by Clarkson Research Services Ltd. on March 8. The vessel is headed towards the Dalia terminal in Angola and is expected to reach there by March 17, vessel tracking data on Bloomberg shows. It is signaling a draft of 10.3 meters, indicating the vessel is yet to be loaded.
Reliance started a 580,000 barrel-a-day refinery at Jamnagar in India’s western state of Gujarat in December 2008. Along with the adjacent 660,000 barrel-a-day unit, it is the largest complex in the world, according to Reliance.
–With assistance from Yee Kai Pin and Christian Schmollinger in Singapore. Editors: Jane Lee, Ang Bee Lin.
SOUTH AFRICA:
Cashbuild, Ellies, Pallinghurst: South African Equity Preview
March 16, 2010/By Renee Bonorchis and Janice Kew/Bloomberg
March 16 (Bloomberg) — The following is a list of companies whose shares may have unusual price changes in South Africa. Stock symbols are in parentheses after company names and prices are from the last close.
South Africa’s FTSE/JSE Africa All Share Index dropped 229.53, or 0.8 percent, to 28,032.87 at the close of trading in Johannesburg.
Adcock Ingram Holdings Ltd. (AIP SJ): The pharmaceutical company said it will sell a 13 percent stake to black investor groups by the end of April. Adcock was unchanged at 56.50 rand.
African Bank Investments Ltd. (ABL SJ): The owner of South Africa’s largest provider of unsecured loans was raised to “overweight” from “neutral” at JPMorgan Chase & Co. African Bank declined 29 cents, or 0.9 percent, to 33.71 rand.
Cashbuild Ltd. (CSB SJ): The building-materials retailer said profit for the first half through December declined to 78.8 million rand ($10.7 million) from 113.29 million rand. Cashbuild fell 50 cents, or 0.7 percent, to 73.50 rand.
Coal of Africa Ltd. (CZA SJ): The coal explorer reported a loss of 35.2 million Australian dollars for the first half through December compared with a loss of 1.29 million dollars a year earlier. Coal of Africa dropped 60 cents, or 3.7 percent, to 15.50 rand.
Ellies Holdings Ltd. (ELI SJ): The manufacturer of satellite-television equipment said it revised its rights offer ratio to 18.47238 from 18.493 for every 100 Ellies shares held. The share gained 2 cents, or 1.1 percent, to 1.88 rand.
EOH Holdings Ltd. (EOH SJ): The holding company whose units provide information technology services said net income for the first half through January increased to 43.3 million rand from 33.7 million rand a year earlier. EOH retreated 10 cents, or 0.9 percent, to 10.50 rand.
Mondi Group (MND SJ): The paper and packaging company spun off by Anglo American Plc will join the FTSE/JSE Africa Top40 Index, a measure of the largest companies by market value traded in Johannesburg, from March 23. This may cause investment funds that track market benchmarks to sell the stock. The bourse requires any stock that falls below 45th place in the index, in terms of market value, to automatically drop out. Mondi climbed 50 cents, or 1 percent, to 52.40 rand.
Telkom South Africa Ltd. (TKG SJ): Africa’s largest fixed- line operator will be dropped from the measure. Telkom slid 9 cents, or .03 percent, to 33.51 rand.
Pallinghurst Resources Ltd. (PGL SJ): The commodities investment company reported full-year profit of $62.4 million compared with a loss a year earlier. The shares fell 17 cents, or 3.5 percent, to 4.65 rand.
Shares or American depositary receipts of the following South African companies closed as follows:
Anglo American Plc (AAUKY US) slid 0.5 percent to $20.30. AngloGold Ashanti Ltd. (AU US) rose 0.6 percent to $37.61. BHP Billiton Ltd. (BBL US) dropped 1.2 percent to $65.84. DRDGold Ltd. (DROOY US) fell 6.7 percent to $5.31. Gold Fields Ltd. (GFI US) increased 0.2 percent to $11.96. Harmony Gold Mining Co. (HMY US) was unchanged at $9.59. Impala Platinum Holdings Co. (IMPUY US) advanced 0.4 percent to $26.70. Sappi Ltd. (SPP US) fell 1.4 percent to $4.34. Sasol Ltd. (SSL US) dropped 0.9 percent to $38.16. Telkom South Africa Ltd. (TLKGY US) advanced 0.2 percent to $18.01.
–Editors: John Kohut, Ana Monteiro.
N.Korea workers renovate S. Africa soccer stadiums
news.asiaone.com/The Korea Herald/Asia News Network /Tue, Mar 16, 2010
North Korea has been sending workers to renovate soccer stadiums in South Africa and lumberjacks to Mongolia as part of efforts to earn foreign currency.
North Koreans took part in the construction work to upgrade the Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg and the newly-built Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit, South Africa, to be used for the FIFA World Cup in June, said a source close to North Korean issues yesterday.
North Korean workers were also involved in logging in Mongolia, he said.
“North Korea has sent large numbers of workers to construction sites in the Middle East and lumberjacks to Russia although we do not have any exact figures on how many,” Seoul’s Unification Ministry spokeswoman Lee Jong-joo said.
“We heard that they have recently made inroads into Africa as well. Because it is impossible for individuals in the North Korean society to arrange something like this for themselves, we assume that the Pyongyang government is organizing the dispatches.”
North Korea is suffering from drastically reduced income from arms exports and suspension of South Korean tours, in addition to a chronic shortage of food and a failed currency redenomination measure.
The price of rice, often used as the barometer of the North’s market prices, increased nearly 60-fold in the past three months after the currency reform on Nov. 30.
Experts attribute the sharp rise to inflation, devaluation of the new notes and dwindling trade between China and North Korea.
Rice in Pyongyang is now traded at 1,300 won (130,000 won in old notes) per kilogram, up from 2,200 won in old notes just days before the redenomination measure, according to Daily NK, an internet-based news outlet.
The North has exchanged old 100-won notes for new 1-won bills since the currency reform measure.
AFRICA / AU :
World Bank Laments Quiet Corruption in Africa
By Paul Ohia/ www.thisdayonline.com/ 03.16.2010
Lagos
The World Bank (WB) has identified non-amplified type of corruption as being responsible for the failure of public servants to deliver goods or services paid for by governments across Africa.
The body described the practice as “Quiet Corruption” and added that it is widespread,
thereby having a disproportionate effect on the poor, with long-term consequences for development, according to a new report from the World Bank.
In a report titled: “Africa Development Indicators (ADI) 2010,” WB notes that most studies on corruption focus on an exchange of money – bribes to powerful political designees or kickbacks to public officials.
“This report instead focuses on the way “quiet corruption” leads to an increasingly negative expectation of service delivery systems, causing families to ignore the system.” The body said yesterday, adding that the phenomenon is behind the failure of public servants to deliver goods or services paid for by governments.
WB lamented further that it is pervasive and widespread across Africa and is having a disproportionate effect on the poor, with long-term consequences for development.
“Quiet corruption does not make the headlines the way bribery scandals do, but it is just as corrosive to societies,” said Shanta Devarajan, Chief Economist for the World Bank’s Africa Region.
“Tackling quiet corruption will require a combination of strong and committed leadership, policies and institutions at the sectoral level, and – most important – increased accountability and participation by citizens,” Devarajan said.
The report which features data and research on quiet corruption in the health, education, and agriculture sectors found that in 2004, 20 percent of teachers in rural western Kenyan primary schools could not be found during school hours, while in Uganda, two surveys found teacher absentee rates of 27 percent in 2002 and 20 percent in 2007.
Poor controls at the producer and wholesaler levels resulted in 43 percent of the analyzed fertilizers sold in West Africa in the 1990s lacking the expected nutrients, meaning that they were basically ineffective.
More than 50 percent of drugs sold in drugstores in Nigeria in the 1990s were counterfeit, according to some studies.
In a direct observation survey of Ugandan health care providers, there was a 37 percent absenteeism rate in 2002 and 33 percent in 2003.
One of the most damaging aspects of quiet corruption is that it can have long-term consequences. A child denied a proper education because of absentee teachers will suffer in adulthood with low cognitive skills and weak health. The absence of drugs and doctors means unwanted deaths from malaria and other diseases. Farmers used to receive diluted fertilizers may choose to stop using them altogether, leaving them in low-productivity agriculture.
Africa Development Indicators 2010 also carries economic indicators, tables and an explanation of why quiet corruption is such a hindrance to achieving long and short term development goals. While some solutions are offered, the hope is that shining a light on the problem of quiet corruption will begin a wider debate and hasten the push for solutions.
In addition to the quiet corruption study, the Africa Development Indicators provides the most detailed collection of data on Africa available in one volume. The report contains more than 450 macroeconomic, sectoral, and social indicators, covering 53 African countries.
Data points from the report include: Thirty-seven percent of children who start first grade reach grade five in Chad, while in Mauritius 99 percent reach fifth grade.
In Somalia, 29 percent of the population has access to a safe source of water. In Mauritius, it is 100 percent.
South Africa uses the most electric power per person (4,809.0kW/h); Ethiopia uses the least (38.4kW/h).
In Mauritius there are 22 children per primary school teacher; there are 91 in Central African Republic.
The report introduces new survey tools such as the Public Expenditure Tracking Survey and Quantitative Service Delivery System, which have enabled researchers to track resources and monitor the attendance of frontline providers. These research and survey results have improved the understanding of a broad range of misconduct and contributed to reshaping the policy debate about corruption.
Australia earmarks $11m aid for Africa
www.abc.net.au/2010/03/16
The Australian Government is giving $11 million in food aid and assistance for displaced people in Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya.
The money will be channelled through the Red Cross, the UN High Commission for Refugees and the World Food Program.
Ahead of a meeting with representatives from the African Union and South Africa today, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith stressed the importance of humanitarian aid as a part of Australia’s commitment to engage more deeply with African nations.
“Our attitude is we are a well-developed, prosperous country,” he said.
“We can lend a helping hand in terrible and difficult circumstances.
“Whilst our engagement with Africa is very important strategically and economically, we also know that there are difficult parts of Africa who do need the assistance of the international community, and Australia’s playing its part in this respect.”
AU welcomes power-sharing agreement signed by Somali gov’t, Islamist group
2010-03-16/ english.cctv.com/Source: Xinhua
ADDIS ABABA, March 15 (Xinhua) — The Commission of the African Union (AU) on Monday welcomed the power-sharing agreement signed by the Transitional Federal Government(TFG) of Somalia and a main moderate Islamist group, the armed Sufi group, in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa.
The commission of the regional bloc said in a statement that the signing of this agreement, which comes one year into the tenure of the government, is a clear testimony to the TFG’s strong and continuous commitment to reaching out to those still outside the Djibouti peace process, with a view to broadening the scope of reconciliation among Somali interlocutors.
The implementation of this agreement would require the strong determination and will of both parties to ensure that both the spirit and the letter of the agreement are continuously upheld in a manner that guarantees the overall benefits envisaged, in particular by enhancing the security situation in Somalia and enabling the TFG to expand its presence across the country, in order to deliver peace dividends, including social services, to the population, the statement added.
In this regard, the AU Commission while welcoming this agreement, reiterates its unflinching support to the TFG and further pledges its commitment to helping the government implement its peace and security agenda, and the transitional and other tasks aimed at restoring the country to normalcy.
In the same instance, the AU Commission reiterates its call to all those groups still outside of the Djibouti process, especially the armed opposition groups, to now renounce all acts of violence against the TFG and the Somali population and join the peace process.
The signing of this agreement is a clear manifestation of the desire of the Somalis to end the long running crisis in their country. It also translates to a hope for the Horn of Africa and, indeed, the continent and the world community, the AU said in a statement.
The Somali government signed the power sharing agreement on Monday the group known as the Ahlu Sunnah Waljama which is fighting the Islamist movement of Al Shabaab.
The agreement came after months of behind-the-scene talks between the two sides.
Jean Ping, chairperson of the AU Commission, chaired the ceremony, which was also attended by ministers, commissioners, ambassadors and other dignitaries, including Omar Abdirashid Shrmarke, prime minister of TFG of Somalia.
Editor: Jin Lin | Source: Xinhua
Rio Tinto, Chalco in talks on Africa JV: WSJ
By Michael Kitchen /www.marketwatch.com/March 16, 2010
LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) — Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto Ltd. /quotes/comstock/22x!e:rio (AU:RIO 75.50, +0.12, +0.16%) /quotes/comstock/13*!rtp/quotes/nls/rtp (RTP 222.33, -2.48, -1.10%) is in advanced talks with Aluminum Corp. of China Ltd. /quotes/comstock/13*!ach/quotes/nls/ach (ACH 25.42, -0.58, -2.23%) /quotes/comstock/22h!e:2600 (HK:2600 7.84, -0.05, -0.63%) /quotes/comstock/28c!e:601600 (CN:601600 12.18, +0.06, +0.50%) to jointly develop an iron-ore project in the West African nation of Guinea, according to a Wall Street Journal report Monday, citing a person familiar with the matter. Under the deal, Aluminum Corp., better known as Chalco, could offset some of Rio’s costs in the projected $6 billion Guinea mine project. Rio is spending about $10 million a month to develop and explore the site, the report said. The move would come a year after Rio’s controversial decision to ditch a $19.5 billion tie-up with Chalco’s parent company. Shares of Rio were up 0.3% midday Tuesday in Sydney, while those of Chalco were 0.4% higher in Hong Kong and 0.3% ahead in Shanghai
UN /ONU :
UN warns of rise in HIV infections
(UKPA)/The Press Association/16032010
A United Nations report has warned that new HIV infections are increasing among homosexuals, drug users and prostitutes.
Michel Sidibe, the head of UNAids, told journalists at an event hosted by the United Nations Foundation that in China and Africa about 33% of new HIV infections involved homosexual activities, a significant increase.
But he blamed the rises on countries with repressive laws against homosexuality.
Mr Sidibe said drug users are also getting the HIV virus which causes Aids in high numbers.
Of 16 million people worldwide who are injecting drugs, almost three million are HIV positive, and among them fewer than 4% have access to treatment.
African arms imports share up: SIPRI
Written by defenceWeb /Tuesday, 16 March 2010
Africa accounted for 7% of global major conventional weapons imports over the period 2005–2009, compared with 6% for 2000–2004. During the period Algeria and South Africa were the two largest arms importers in Africa, accounting for 43% and 28%, respectively, of the region’s imports.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) says the third largest recipient of major conventional weapons was Sudan, which accounted for 5% of Africa’s imports.
The volume of international transfers of major conventional weapons for the period 2005–
2009 is 22 per cent higher than for the period 2000–2004, SIPRI says in its “Trends in international arms transfers, 2009” report released yesterday.
“Combat aircraft accounted for 27% of the volume of international arms transfers. These weapon systems are potentially destabilising, and orders and deliveries have led to arms race concerns in regions of tension in Latin America, the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia and South East Asia,” SIPRI added. “In several cases relatively small volumes of arms supplies to sub-Saharan African countries have had a major impact on regional conflict dynamics.”
“SIPRI data show that resource-rich states have purchased a considerable quantity of expensive combat aircraft’, adds Dr Paul Holtom, director of the SIPRI Arms Transfers Programme. “Neighbouring rivals have reacted to these acquisitions with orders of their own. One can question whether this is an appropriate allocation of resources in regions with high levels of poverty.”
Deliveries to Algeria in 2009 included the last of the 28 Sukhoi Su-30MK “Flanker C” combat aircraft ordered from Russia in 2006. Two Type-636E “Kilo”-class submarines and four Antey S-300PMU-2/SA-20B (“Gargoyle B”) and 38 96K9 Pantsyr-S1 (SA-22 “Greyhound”) air defence systems are also on order from Russia. Algeria’s neighbours Libya and Morocco received much smaller volumes of arms during this period. However, Morocco is slated for major arms imports having ordered 24 Lockheed Martin F-16C combat aircraft from the US, one FREMM frigate from France and three smaller SIGMA frigates from the Netherlands in 2008. “Libya continues to discuss the procurement of combat aircraft, tanks and small warships with several potential suppliers,” SIPRI notes.
“Worryingly, arms continue to flow to unstable parts of Africa,” SIPRI added. During 2005–2009, Sudan received armoured vehicles and military aircraft from Russia, China and Belarus. Ukraine continued deliveries of [Sukhoi] Su-25 [“Frogfoot”] combat aircraft to Chad in 2009 and completed the delivery of 110 Uralvagonzavod T-72M tanks to Kenya, although rumours continue to circulate alleging that the Government of Southern Sudan remains the intended end-user.
Kenya is also in the process of receiving 15 Northrop F-5E “Freedom Fighter” combat aircraft from Jordan and four Harbin Z-9WA combat helicopters from China. The later is a licence-produced version of the Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin.
“International concerns relating to the flow of major conventional weapons and small arms and light weapons (SALW) to areas of conflict in Africa are reflected by the fact that 7 of the 12 United Nations arms embargoes in force during 2009 had African targets. In December 2009 a UN arms embargo was imposed on Eritrea. However, the enforcement of these embargoes remains problematic. In 2009 the UN arms embargoes on entities in Côte d’Ivoire, the Darfur region of Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Somalia were seriously violated,” SIPRI says.
The five biggest suppliers of major conventional weapons for the period 2005–2009 were the United States, Russia, Germany, France and the United Kingdom. The USA and Russia remained by far the largest exporters, accounting for 30% and 23% of all exports, respectively. The top five suppliers accounted for 76% of exports of major conventional weapons in the period 2005–2009, compared with 80% for the period 2000–2004.
The US delivered weapons to 70 countries and to NATO in the period 2005–2009, more than any other supplier. Asia and Oceania accounted for most US deliveries (39%), followed by the Middle East (36%) and Europe (18%). Combat aircraft and associated weapons and components accounted for 48% of the volume of US deliveries of major conventional weapons during this period. Asia and Oceania accounted for 69% of Russian arms exports for 2005–2009. Africa accounted for the second largest share of Russian exports: 14% for 2005–2009, up from 10% for 2000–2004. Combat aircraft accounted for 40% of the volume of Russian arms exports for 2005–2009.
The volume of Germany’s arms exports increased by over 100% between 2000–2004 and 2005–2009 and its share of the global market rose from 6% to 11%. Armoured vehicles accounted for 27% of German exports for the period 2005–2009. Germany exported over 1700 armoured vehicles to 21 destinations, of which over 1100 were second-hand. While European recipients represent the main destinations, German armoured vehicles have also been delivered to states in Asia and Oceania and the Americas.
The volume of France’s arms exports increased by almost 30% in 2005–2009 in comparison with 2000–2004. French exports have been boosted by deliveries of 25 Dassault Mirage-2000 combat aircraft to Greece and 34 to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as well as ongoing deliveries of La Fayette frigates to Singapore. In September 2009 France reached final agreement with Brazil to supply 50 Eurocopter EC-725 helicopters, four conventionally powered submarines and some of the technology required for a nuclear-powered submarine.
The UK saw a drop of around 13% in the volume of its arms exports between 2000–2004 and 2005–2009. The 24th and final British-built Hawk trainer aircraft for India was delivered in 2009, along with the first 5 of 42 built under licence in India. In 2009 the UK began delivery of 72 Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft to Saudi Arabia.
Pic: A SA Air Force Gripen fighter. Deliveries started in 2008, influencing curent SIPRI figures.
USA :
In the World
Posted on Tue, Mar. 16, 2010/www.philly.com
U.S., Mexico probe consulate killings
CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico – Mexican and U.S. investigators yesterday searched for clues and a motive after the killing of three people with connections to the U.S. Consulate. Two children were also wounded as gunmen chased down two SUVs and opened fire on the families after a birthday party at the consulate Sunday.
The FBI joined the investigation yesterday, working with U.S. State Department agents and Mexican authorities.
U.S. intelligence pointed toward the Aztecas street gang, which is aligned with the murderous Juarez drug cartel. Authorities also raised the possibility that only one of the families was targeted, while the other was chased because they both drove white SUVs.
But officials offered no details. “As to whether this was a particular incident directed at U.S. diplomats, I think we’re not prepared to draw that conclusion yet,” State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said in Washington.
– AP
Kenya teachers absent, report says
NAIROBI, Kenya – A World Bank report yesterday said that teachers and other public servants who don’t show up for work were fueling “quiet corruption” throughout Africa that is disproportionately hurting the continent’s poor.
The report said studies in the last decade found teachers across Africa failed to appear as often as 25 percent of the time. The report warned of the effect such absenteeism has on children.
Yesterday’s report follows one in February by Transparency International that said parents in seven African countries reported they had paid registration fees for primary education even though by law primary education is supposed to be free.
The World Bank report found that businesses across Africa expect to make bribes to public officials to get things done.
– AP
Bin Laden’s son seeks kin in Iran
CAIRO, Egypt – One of Osama bin Laden’s sons has called on Iran’s supreme leader to release members of his family believed to be under house arrest there since they fled Afghanistan in 2001, according to a letter posted yesterday on the Internet.
Khalid bin Laden’s statement accused Iranian authorities of mistreating about 30 siblings, saying they had been “beaten and repressed.”
The letter, dated early January, appeared to have been written shortly after news reports of a sister who escaped from Iranian guards and reportedly is taking refuge in the Saudi Embassy in Tehran.
It is believed Iran holds several of bin Laden’s children who fled Afghanistan in 2001 after the Sept. 11 attacks, most notably his sons Saad and Hamza, who were thought to have held posts in al-Qaeda. Iran had not confirmed that.
– AP
Elsewhere:
Pakistani police discovered a cache of bomb-making equipment and more than 3,300 pounds of explosives in an empty shop in the blast-battered city of Lahore. Two suicide jackets, 16 hand grenades, and hundreds of bullets were also found.
Italy arrested 19 suspected mobsters in Sicilian raids, including the brother of Mafia’s reputed No. 1 boss and some of his closest aides. Officials say the suspects helped Matteo Messina Denaro run businesses from his hideout and deliver orders to other families in Sicily.
CANADA :
Expat Britons await pension ruling
(UKPA)/The Press Association/16032010
More than half a million retired Britons living abroad could be in line for Government payouts if a group fighting a legal battle over pension rights win their case.
After years of courtroom wrangling, 13 expatriates will learn on Tuesday if they have won their test case for the right to index-linked rises routinely paid to UK-based pensioners but denied to those who have settled abroad.
The decision is being made by judges at the European Court of Human Rights.
Under current rules, pensioners who retire abroad only get state pension increases in line with inflation if they live in countries with reciprocal arrangements – the other 26 EU countries, plus the US, Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, Turkey and Liechtenstein.
So-called “up-rating” of the state pension does not apply to those opting to settle in Canada, South Africa, Australia or New Zealand.
The 13 in the test case live in Canada, South Africa and Australia. They include Annette Carson, 78, who emigrated to South Africa in 1989 and whose example was cited in the original legal claims which were rejected in the High Court, the Court of Appeal and the House of Lords.
A subsequent claim in the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg was also lost, when all but one of the judges ruled that denying the 13 their pension increases did not breach a Human Rights Convention declaration that “the enjoyment of (convention) rights and freedoms shall be secured without discrimination on any ground such as sex, race, colour, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, association with a national minority, property, birth or other status”.
The 13 argued that the reference to “other status” covered their right to retire to the country of their choice without losing pension rights.
In a hearing in the human rights court last September – effectively the last appeal stage – lawyers argued that pensioners who had made full national insurance contributions throughout their working lives should not have their pensions frozen and denied statutory increase just because of their country of residence.
But Government lawyers said the priority had to be to target money on the poorest pensioners living at home, and that it could not apply increases to those opting to live in countries which have no reciprocal agreements with the UK.
Africa Oil Corp.: Lion Energy Farmout Receives Exchange Approval
March 16, 2010/www.marketwatch.com
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, Mar 15, 2010 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) — Africa Oil Corp. /quotes/comstock/11v!aoi (CA:AOI 0.95, -0.01, -1.04%) (“Africa Oil” or “the Company”) reports that the TSX Venture Exchange has accepted for filing documentation pertaining to the August 19, 2009 farmout agreement between Lion Energy Corp. (“Lion Energy”) and Africa Oil. under the farmout agreement Lion Energy has the right to earn an interest in three petroleum blocks located in the Republic of Kenya and two petroleum blocks located in Puntland, Somalia.
With regards to the three petroleum blocks located in Kenya, Africa Oil will transfer to Lion Energy a 10% interest in the Block 9 Production Sharing Agreement, a 25% license interest in the Block 10A Production Sharing Contract and a 20% interest in Block 10BB Production Sharing Contract. Under the terms of the Block 9 PSA, with the drilling of the Bogal-1 well, which is currently continuing, the Company and its partners have fulfilled and exceeded the minimum work and financial obligations of the initial exploration period. As consideration for farming into Block 9, Lion Energy has agreed to finance 33.333 per cent (to a maximum of US$5-million) of Africa Oil’s obligation to pay 40% of exploration costs incurred under the JOA in respect of Block 9. Lion Energy will be responsible for financing its working interest share of all other joint operating expenses.
Under the terms of the Block 10A PSC, the initial four-year exploration period expires in October, 2011, the partners are obligated to complete geological and geophysical (“G&G”) operations (including acquisition of 750 kilometres of 2-D seismic) with a minimum expenditure of US$7.8-million. Additionally, the partners are required to drill one exploration well with a minimum expenditure of US$8.5-million. As consideration for farming into Block 10A, Lion Energy has agreed to finance 50 per cent (to a maximum of US$4-million) of future joint operating expenses in the performance of a seismic program. Lion Energy will be responsible for financing its working interest share of all other joint operating expenses.
In accordance with the terms of the Block 10BB PSC, the initial exploration period expires in January, 2012, the partners are obligated to complete G&G operations (including acquisition of 200 kilometres of 2-D seismic and 200 square kilometres of 3-D seismic) with a minimum expenditure of US$6-million gross. In addition, the partners are required to drill one exploration well with a minimum expenditure of US$6-million. As consideration for farming into Block 10BB, Lion Energy has agreed to finance 40 per cent (to a maximum of US$6-million) of future joint operating expenses in the performance of a seismic program and drilling of one exploration well. Lion Energy will be responsible for financing its working interest share of all other joint operating expenses.
Under the terms of the PSAs for the Nugaal and Dharoor blocks, located in Somalia, the partners are required to drill one exploration well in each block during each exploration period. The first exploration period expires in January, 2011, and the second optional three-year exploration period would be expected to expire in January, 2014. During the exploration period on both the Dharoor and Nugaal blocks, the partners are obligated to complete G&G operations (including geological fieldwork, geochemical surveys, reprocessing seismic). In addition, the partners are required to drill one exploration well during each of the two exploration periods, with a minimum expenditure of US$5-million during each exploration period. As consideration for farming into the Dharoor and Nugaal blocks, Lion Energy has agreed to finance 30 per cent (to a maximum of US$5.1-million) of the first US$17-million of future JOA costs incurred in drilling one exploration well on each of the Dharoor and Nugaal blocks. Lion Energy will be responsible for financing its working interest share of all other joint operating expenses.
Africa Oil Corp. is a Canadian oil and gas company with assets in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia. Africa Oil’s East African holdings are in what is considered a truly world-class exploration play fairway. The Company’s total gross land package in this prolific region is in excess of 225,000 square kilometers – an area roughly the size of Great Britain. The East African Rift Basin system is one of the last of the great rift basins to be explored. New discoveries have been announced on all sides of Africa Oil’s virtually unexplored land position including the major Heritage/Tullow Albert Graben oil discovery in neighbouring Uganda. Similar to the Albert Graben play model, Africa Oil’s concessions have older wells, a legacy database, and host numerous oil seeps indicating a proven petroleum system. Good quality existing seismic show robust leads and prospects throughout Africa Oil’s project areas. The Company is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol “AOI”.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD
Keith Hill, President and CEO
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
AUSTRALIA :
UPDATE 1-Investec prices A$300 mln 2015 govt-backed bond
Tue Mar 16, 2010/Reuters
(Adds pricing details)
SYDNEY, March 16 (Reuters) – Investec Bank (Australia), a
unit of investment bank and asset manager Investec (INVP.L)
(INLJ.J), has priced a A$300 million ($274.5 million) issue of
five-year bonds backed by an Australian government guarantee at
40 basis points over BBSW, a joint lead said on Tuesday. Australian banks have been keen users of a government
guarantee put in place late 2008 to help them weather the
global credit crisis. But the Labor government announced last month it would wind
down the scheme at the end of March, as market conditions had
stabilised. Investec is part of the Investec group, which operates in
South Africa, the UK and Australia.
Deal details are as follows:
Issuer: Investec Bank (Australia) Ltd
Facility: Guaranteed floating rate notes
Guarantor: Australia
Law: Australia
Amount issued: A$300 mln
Maturity: March 23 2015
Set date: March 23
Coupon: +40bp/BBSW
Yield: +40bp/BBSW
Spread: +40bp/BBSW
Issue price: 100
Lead(s): ANZ, RBS, UBS
Issue ratings: AAA (S&P), Aaa (Moody’s), AAA (Fitch)
(Reporting by Cecile Lefort; editing by Balazs Koranyi)
TomTom iPhone app gets Google local search, real-time traffic
March 16, 2010/by Michael Kwan /www.mobilemag.com
I’m not much of one to use standalone GPS navigation devices, I can’t even recall the last time I needed one as I prefer to use the free Google Maps application on my Nokia smartphone. But that’s not to say traditional GPS makers aren’t gonna go down without a fight. TomTom, still one of the world’s leading providers of navigation solutions and digital maps, is shifting their focus to the world of smartphones. More specifically, enhancements for the iPhone TomTom app.
TomTom’s press announcement explains how full real-time traffic information will be available from the TomTom iPhone app (version 1.3), getting you around those nasty traffic jams rather than taking what is suggested as the fastest route. Need to stop at a dry cleaners, perhaps a falafel? You can find out by accessing the local search powered by Google.
Nifty pinch and zoom is one of the neatest advanced features added to the Version 1.3 list of enhancements, new map updates, automatic day/night mode, music fading, and the ability to save locations from other iPhone apps are also added to the TomTom app.
Existing users get the update for free. New customers can buy the app that includes US maps, for $59.99. If you want to add Canadian maps, the total price is $69.99. The traffic portion is $19.99 extra for 12 months of service. Other versions available are for the U.K. & Ireland, Western Europe, Australia and South Africa.
EUROPE :
KENYA ASKS EU TO CONDUCT MID-TERM REVIEW OF REGIONAL STRATEGY PAPER
news.brunei.fm/2010/03/16
NAM NEWS NETWORK Mar 16th, 2010
By Judith Akolo
NAIROBI, March 16 (NNN-KBC) — The Kenyan government has asked the European Union (EU) to conduct a mid-term review of the regional strategy paper, says Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta.
This will enable Kenya’s development partners to encompass the recent developments both locally and internationally that require a re-organization of the strategy, he said here Monday at the signing of the financing agreements under the 10th European Development Fund worth 12.4 billion shillings (about 118 million euros) for the period between 2008 and 2013.
The amount is meant to support a number of regional, economic integration and development projects in international organizations in Eastern and Southern Africa and Indian Ocean (ESA-IO) region.
The EU signed the agreement with the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Common Market of Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), East African Community (EAC), and Indian Ocean Commission (IOC).
“In Kenya, we have placed greater emphasis on the transport infrastructure sector following the conclusion of the review of our country strategy paper,” said Uhuru, who added that following the reassessment, the government was channeling its efforts towards the most efficient and effective manner in which to deploy the resources from the EU.
He said at the 19th Inter-Regional Co-ordination Committee (IRCC) that it was crucial to increase investment in infrastructure for facilitate intra-regional trade in goods and services.
He said the expansion of Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, projects like the Northern Corridor from Mombasa to Malaba, Athi River to Namanga and Isiolo to Moyale and construction of a new standard gauge railway line planned to connect Uganda and Kenya were some of the very important projects which would enhance trade in the region and boost intra-Africa trade.
Gary Quince, the Director in charge of the European Commission, said that the projects being funded were the first of a very significant allocation granted under the 10th European Development Fund (EDF) where Euro 645 million had been allocated to the ESA-IO region.
“November will witness the 3rd Africa Summit which will assess progress on the EU-Africa Partnership launched at the Lisbon Summit in December 2007,” he said.
Quince added that the EU was in the process of establishing an external service after selecting a new commission which took office last month.
The IRCC brings together the IGAD, Comesa, the EAC and the IOC. — NNN-KBC
Statement by HR Catherine Ashton on the Agreement between the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia and Ahlu Sunna Waljama’a
Source: European Union (EU)/www.reliefweb.int/Date: 16 Mar 2010
Brussels, 15 March 2010
A 37/10
EU High Representative/European Commission Vice-President Catherine Ashton welcomes the Framework for Cooperation Agreement signed in Addis Ababa today between the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia (TFG) and Ahlu Sunna Waljama’a (ASWJ).
“This is an important step of broadening the reconciliation process in Somalia in support of the Djibouti Agreement,” Catherine Ashton said.
“We are calling on the parties to implement the Agreement and the EU stands ready to support. I would also like to thank those who helped to make this possible, particularly the African Union, IGAD and the United Nations.”
ECOWAS demands EU’s commitment to development fund
By Bassey Udo/234next.com/March 16, 2010
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is urging the European Union (EU) to show real monetary commitment to a proposed development fund for the subregion.
The call, announced in a press release, follows an ECOWAS Ministerial Monitoring Committee held over the weekend in Cotonou, Benin. Negotiations are expected to commence on Wednesday to lay the foundation for a new trade regime, which aims to create a free trade area of the two regions.
Pending issues
Some issues that remain to be resolved related to the Economic Partnership Agreement Development Programme (EPADP) fund are: what each partner will give to the fund, and how it could be accessed.
The experts-level MMC meeting showed how the Partnership Agreement could be integral to West Africa’s integration process. The fund could also boost competitiveness, leading to an economic partnership pact that would help the 16-member ECOWAS take advantage of potentially greater access to European markets.
West Africa wants EU negotiators to make clear the “dedicated source and accessibility” of the fund, according to the press statement.
Monetary support
Heads of state from across the ECOWAS region say they would like notable EU monetary support for the proposed fund before it is approved by the West African bloc.
For their part, the ECOWAS states are expected to finish listing the priorities in their operational plans and projects, in keeping with a framework adopted two weeks ago, which was to be submitted to the ECOWAS Commission latest end of this month.
Also, the ECOWAS Commission was expected to carry on with planned fiscal reforms, among other activities.
ECOWAS asked its negotiators to get fast replies from EU representatives regarding financing of the proposed fund, as well as guidance on how it could be tapped by the ECOWAS member states.
Some other unresolved aspects of the negotiations are a seven-year old 0.5 per cent Community Levy charged by West Africa for imports from outside the region. ECOWAS uses the funds to pay various activities, but the Europeans consider it a trade barrier and want it lifted.
Still, movement has been perceptible in certain core areas, such as issues related to market access and a comprehensive sectoral economic analysis.
Swiss renews Zim targeted sanctions
By Alex Bell/www.swradioafrica.com/16 March 2010
Switzerland has joined the European Union (EU) and America in extending targeted sanctions against Robert Mugabe and his inner circle, in the latest indication of the international community’s growing impatience with the lack of progress made by the unity government.
The Swiss Foreign Ministry in a statement over the weekend said that it was renewing the measures slapped on senior officials of Mugabe’s regime in March 2002.
“The measures include a prohibition on supply of military equipment and materials which might be used for internal repression and targeted financial sanctions, such as freezing of assets owned by the 160-plus individuals in Switzerland,” the ministry said. Individuals on the sanctions list are also prohibited from entering Switzerland or from travelling through the country in transit.
The EU last month also extended its targeted sanctions on Zimbabwe for a further 12 months, after widespread concern that the European powerhouse would remove the measures altogether. The EU instead moved only to de-list six individuals and nine companies, citing a “lack of progress in the implementation of the Global Political Agreement signed in September 2008.”
America followed soon afterwards, with President Barack Obama announcing that US measures would not be removed. Australia and New Zealand have also maintained their visa and financial sanctions against Mugabe and his cronies, regardless of Mugabe trying to blame the targeted sanctions for the economic collapse of the country over the last decade. The sanctions issue has also been used by ZANU PF as a weapon against the MDC, which has been accused of not doing enough to get the West to remove the sanctions. ZANU PF has since vowed not to make any further concessions to its partners in the fragile unity government until the targeted sanctions are removed; leaving the ongoing inter-party talks deadlocked.
CHINA :
WISCO takes over Liberian iron ore deposit for $68.46 million
Published: 16 Mar 2010/news.alibaba.com
SteelOrbis – On March 12, Hubei Province-based Chinese steelmaker Wuhan Iron and Steel Co. Ltd (WISCO) signed an agreement to pay China-Africa Development Fund Co. a total of $68.46 million for a controlling 60 percent stake in China-Union Investment Co., a company which owns an iron ore deposit located in Bong country in central Liberia.
The deposit in question has proven reserves of 1.31 billion mt of iron ore (35.48 percent Fe) and potential reserves of 2.785 billion mt, and is connected to the ports via an 80-kilometer railway.
Before the agreement in question, the China-Africa Development Fund Co. held an 85 percent stake in China-Union Investment Co.
China working to rescue fishermen kidnapped in Cameroon
Mar 16, 2010 / By Sapa
China is doing everything possible to secure the release of seven fishermen abducted off Cameroon and has asked for help from other countries involved in the rescue effort.
“The Chinese foreign ministry and the embassies in relevant countries… have been working to rescue the Chinese fishermen in an all-round way,” foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters.
“We urge relevant countries to make all-out efforts for the rescue and ensure the safety of the Chinese fishermen.” The seven were kidnapped early Friday in international waters off the restive Bakassi peninsula in southwest Cameroon.
They were working for a Chinese fishing company, Qin said.
A Chinese diplomat in the Cameroon capital Yaounde said Monday that the seven kidnap victims were “in good health” and had not been mistreated.
The kidnappers, who call themselves the Africa Marine Commando, have upped their ransom demand to 25,000 dollars, a Cameroonian source close to the matter said. Qin did not mention any ransom demand.
The resource-rich Bakassi region has been at the centre of a territorial dispute between Nigeria and Cameroon for 15 years.
It was handed back to Cameroon in August 2008 after the International Court of Justice ruled in Cameroon’s favour.
The marshy region has recently witnessed a spike in rebel attacks. Ten oil sector workers including seven French were kidnapped there in late 2008 by a group calling itself the Bakassi Freedom Fighters.
China had a total of 768,000 workers abroad at the end of February, 57,000 more than a year ago, official data showed.
Separate figures for workers in Africa were not available. In October 2008, nine Chinese oil workers were kidnapped in Sudan. Five of them were killed and four were freed.
Porous China-Myanmar border allowing illegal wildlife trade
Posted on 16 March 2010/www.panda.org
Doha, Qatar — Porous borders are allowing vendors in Myanmar to offer a door-to-door delivery service for illegal wildlife products such as tiger bone wine to buyers in China, according to TRAFFIC’s latest snapshot into wildlife trade in China.
The State of Wildlife Trade in China 2008, released this week, is the third in an annual series on emerging trends in China’s wildlife trade.
The report found that over-exploitation of wildlife for trade has affected many species and is stimulating illegal trade across China’s borders.
“China’s border areas have long been considered a hotbed for illegal trade, with remote locations often making surveillance a difficult problem in sparsely populated areas,” said Professor Xu Hongfa, Director of TRAFFIC’s programme in China
The illegal trade in Asian big cat products is a key issue at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) meeting, which began on 13 March and runs until 26 March.
The meeting is taking place in Doha, Qatar, where 175 countries will vote on measures that, if properly enforced, can end illegal tiger trade for good. Tigers are especially in the spotlight during this Year of the Tiger in the Chinese lunar calendar.
“Both TRAFFIC and WWF will be encouraging CITES Parties to enforce the law effectively in their own countries in order to end all illegal trade,” said Colman O’Criodain, Wildlife Trade Analyst, WWF International.
Tiger and leopard parts were also found openly for sale in western China, although market surveys in 18 cities found just two places where such items were encountered. One of them—Bei Da Jie Market in Linxia city—has a history of trading in tiger products. There, a total of five surveys between late 2007 and 2008 found one tiger, 15 leopard and seven snow leopard skins for sale.
“There is clearly ongoing demand for leopard and tiger products, but the trade appears to be becoming less visible year-on-year,” said Professor Xu, adding that it is unclear if it is because there is less trade in such products or it has become more covert and organized.
The report also examines the trade of other wildlife species in China. In southern China, TRAFFIC identified 26 species of freshwater turtles for sale. The majority of animals were claimed by vendors to be supplied from freshwater turtle farms—many of which do not practice closed-cycle captive breeding and therefore rely on wild-sourced breeding stock.
“If no action is taken, sourcing from the wild coupled with increased captive production to meet an expanding market demand will pose a serious threat to wild species through unsustainable harvesting from wild populations in China and beyond,” said Professor Xu.
The report also highlights research into the legality of timber imported into China from source countries in Africa and South-East Asia, noting up to 30% discrepancies between reported import and export timber volumes.
Other topics covered include sustainable utilization of traditional medicinal plants, analysis of wildlife trade information, the Corallium trade in East Asia, tackling cross-border illegal wildlife trade on the China-Nepal border, and stopping illegal wildlife trade online.
INDIA :
No obstacles seen to Zain-Bharti deal close: report
Tue Mar 16, 2010/ Reuters
(Reuters) – Kuwaiti telecom Zain (ZAIN.KW) and India’s Bharti Airtel (BRTI.BO) have faced no obstacles in due diligence and expect the $9 billion deal to close on time, a Kuwaiti newspaper said on Tuesday.
Deals
Daily al-Rai, quoting unnamed sources familiar with the deal, said both firms were keen on closing the sale of Zain’s African assets to Bharti on March 25 as scheduled.
“We are progressing with due diligence step by step and there are no obstacles so far. Each of Zain and Bharti are keen to finalize the transaction according to the preset timetable,” according to a person quoted by the newspaper.
The paper said due diligence had been done on the majority of Zain’s African assets in major countries and only procedural steps, which are unlikely to change the final report, remain.
The newspaper quoted sources as saying Bharti, India’s largest telecoms firm, is expected to name the final bank consortium on the deal.
Bharti’s exclusive talks with Zain run until March 25, and follow two failed attempts by the Indian firm to tie-up with South Africa’s MTN (MTNJ.J), Africa’s biggest telecoms firm.
Bharti is looking at a mix of dollar and rupee funding to finance the Zain deal, sources told Reuters last month.
(Writing by Rania Oteify; editing by Amran Abocar)
Godrej Consumer Products buys Nigerian brand Tura
Tue Mar 16, 2010/By Sarimul Islam Choudhury (VCCircle.com)/in.reuters.com
Tura is owned by the UK-based Lornamead Group, which last year sold Yardley for $45.5 million to Wipro.
Godrej Consumer Products Ltd (GCPL), a leading player in FMCG space in India, is acquiring an African beauty company, Tura, for an undisclosed sum. Tura offers personal care products and claims a market and distribution reach of around 70% in the region, according to a Godrej statement.
GCPL, which has earlier acquired two other brands, Rapidol and Kinky, in South Africa, plans to form a cross functional team with members from Rapidol, Kinky, Tura and its Indian management to bring synergy in the business, the statement added.
Tura is owned by the UK-based Lornamead Group, which last year sold personal care brand Yardley for $45.5 million to the soap-to-software conglomerate Wipro. Earlier reports also stated that Wipro was one of the contendors to buy Tura.
A Business Standard report said that Godrej could be paying between Rs 400-500 crore for Tura which generates revenues of $50 million. The share price of GCPL jumped by more than 4% to Rs 282.4 in days trade after closing at Rs 274, up by 1.14%.
Tura offers products such as soaps, moisturizing lotions and skin toning creams. GCPL says the acquisition gives it a strong foothold across Nigeria and other west African countries. The company plans to leverage on Tura’s marketing reach to expand its own personal and home care products in the region.
Adi Godrej, chairman, GCPL said, in the statement, “Tura helps us leapfrog in our endeavour to build a pan-African presence for our personal care products. We expect the transaction to provide a tremendous platform for value creation in west Africa.”
Godrej has been actively looking at acquisitions and joint ventures in domestic as well as overseas territories. It has recently received board approval for acquiring the remaining 51% stake in Godrej Sara Lee, a joint venture between the Godrej Group and the US-based Sara Lee Corporation.
Madagascar lashed by tropical storm
Jean-Jacques Cornish /www.eyewitnessnews.co.za/16032010
At least 36 people have died and more than 38 000 made homeless by a tropical storm lashing Madagascar.
The island off the south east of Africa lies in the main storm path of the Indian Ocean.
Tropical storm Hubert hit the island six days ago.
Many roads, rice plantations and homes have been destroyed.
Evacuating teams cannot reach disaster victims because of flooded roads and the weather is affecting the number of emergency flights of food getting through.
Madagascar is normally hit by three or four major cyclones a year.
More than 100 died in the storms two years ago and 300 000 people lost their homes.
BRASIL:
The China Dream
Posted by William R. Hawkins / frontpagemag.com/Mar 16th, 2010
The 3rd session of the 11th National People’s Congress (NPC) ended on March 14. The annual meeting of the faux legislative branch of the People’s Republic of China dictatorship met for less than two weeks, having only opened on March 5. At the closing press conference, Premier Wen Jaibao stated, “Some say China has got more arrogant and tough. Some put forward the theory of China’s so-called ‘triumphalism’. My conscience is untainted despite slanders from outside.” He was referring to the increased public disagreements between China and the United States over a number of issues since the end of last year.
An issue Wen was particularly adamant about was one of long standing, the claim by officials, business leaders and economists in both America and Europe that the PRC has gained a trade advantage by setting a low exchange rate for its Yuan currency by government fiat. Despite the global downturn from the financial crisis and recession, China is expected to have a current account surplus of $450 billion this year. The U.S. trade deficit with China in 2009 in goods was $226.8 billion, and America has sent to the PRC over $1.7 trillion in deficits since 1999. China’s total international currency reserve from its surpluses is approaching $3 trillion.
Premier Wen denounced “finger pointing” in the currency manipulation controversy “A country’s exchange rate policy and its exchange rates should depend on its national economy and economic situation,” he said. Global Times, a publication of the ruling Chinese Communist Party, ran a commentary attacking the Western media. The paper argued,
“’It would be good for China,’ is a typical tone adopted to draw Chinese or international readers. But in reality, currency policy is so critical to China’s economy that a cautious approach must be taken. Any sharp appreciation will give rise to a series of negative chain reactions in employment, trade and many aspects of life.”
It is clear how China sees its situation. But when other countries react to Chinese policy, Beijing officials denounce them for adopting “protectionism” as if only China has a right to defend its economic interests and pursue job creation and growth.
The heightened sense of confrontation between Beijing and Washington does not, however, stem from trade problems which have been a sore point for a decade. A number of other issues of a direct, strategic nature have become more prominent since December.
The Chinese list of problems is much shorter than the U.S. list. Beijing has protested the sale of $6.4 billion in military equipment to Taiwan and the meeting between President Barak Obama and the Dalai Lama. These events focused attention on Beijing’s threats against democratic Taiwan and its human rights abuses in Tibet.
Beijing has reacted most strongly to the arms sale even though the U.S. pulled its punch on the deal. The Taiwan package is defensive in nature, consisting mainly of utility helicopters, air defense missiles, and mine clearing ships. The U.S. did not fulfill Taipei’s request for more F-16 fighter-bombers which the island needs to contest air superiority over the Taiwan Strait or attack a Chinese invasion fleet.
On the eve of the NPC, Deputy Secretary of State Jim Steinberg and National Security Council Senior Director for Asian Affairs Jeffrey Bader were sent to Beijing to smooth relations. Their mission failed. In reporting on the visit, state-owned China Daily ran the banner headline “U.S. urged to respect China’s core interests.”
That the United States sent envoys to make amends only confirmed Beijing’s wisdom in taking an assertive stance, confident that the Obama administration was looking for ways to appease Beijing. On March 7, three days after the American envoys left; Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi stated,
“The responsibility for the difficulties in China-U.S relations does not lie with China…. The United States should properly handle the relevant sensitive issues and work with the Chinese side to return China-US relationship to the track of stable development.”
China has not acknowledged its own confrontational actions since December. Beijing has backed Tehran’s rejection of President Obama’s “open hand.” Even Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s claim that Iran is now a “nuclear state” has not lessened Chinese support. Minister Yang repeated China’s line at the NPC, “We don’t think diplomatic efforts have been exhausted.” Negotiations have been held since 2003 without stopping the advance of Iran’s nuclear and long-range missile programs. Beijing understands the process very well, and is happy with the results. A stronger, anti-American Iran is a strategic asset to China.
In her January 29 Paris speech, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, “As we move away from the engagement track, which has not produced the result that some had hoped for, and move forward on the pressure and sanctions track, China will be under a lot of pressure to recognize the destabilizing impact that a nuclear-armed Iran would have.” Global Times replied in a Feb 10 editorial, “China has economic stakes in Iran, and China is determined to protect its interest through diplomacy….. Some voices have recently surfaced in the Western media asking for isolating China on the issue. These voices are extremely shallow and ludicrous.”
Another game changer was the December UN climate conference in Copenhagen. President Obama experienced Chinese intransigence personally. A year-long effort to cooperate with Beijing turned into a nasty confrontation with the fate of the world economy in the balance. Leading the BASIC bloc (Brazil, South Africa, India, and China), Beijing demanded crippling restrictions on the U.S. economy while proclaiming its own freedom to do as it pleases in pursuit of growth. President Obama rejected the demand, and has since taken a harder line on matters of trade and competition. The conflict over climate policy (which has never been about the weather) will continue, as another UN conference is scheduled in Bonn next month.
If the Steinberg-Bader mission signaled that some factions in the Obama administration wants to return to the earlier engagement policy. Beijing will see this as a U.S. retreat due to a lack of will, and will press its own agenda harder.
A March 4 commentary in Global Times, written by Rong Xiaoqing, a Chinese journalist based in New York City, was entitled “American softness bodes poorly in competitive era.” Rong wrote of spoiled Americans “who whine about so much that they will find it difficult to cope with a world where nations like China, India and Brazil are becoming rivals.”
A current best seller in China is the book The China Dream, by People’s Liberation Army Colonel Liu Mingfu, a professor at the National Defense University. He urges China to replace the America as the preeminent global power by building the world’s largest economy and using its wealth to expand military capabilities. “If China’s goal for military strength is not to pass the United States and Russia, then China is locking itself into being a third-rate military power,” he writes. A March 10 editorial in Global Times tells “the world to be prepared for China’s first aircraft carrier…. China has the legitimate right to build up its naval force.” The editorial goes on to talk of aircraft carriers in the plural and “other advanced weapons.”
From its aggressive trade policy to its military buildup, and from its bloc politics at the UN to its support of rogue regimes around the world, Beijing’s rise is generating confrontations with American interests than can no longer be ignored.
EN BREF, CE 16 mars 2010 … AGNEWS / OMAR, BXL,16/03/2010
