{jcomments on}OMAR, AGNEWS, BXL, le 30 mars 2010 – THE ASSOCIATED PRESS- March 30, 2010–A Ugandan rebel group accused of slaughtering hundreds of civilians in Congo said Monday that it played no part in the massacres.

RWANDA

UGANDA

Uganda: Rebels Deny Role in Congo Massacres
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Published: March 30, 2010

A Ugandan rebel group accused of slaughtering hundreds of civilians in Congo said Monday that it played no part in the massacres. Human Rights Watch said in a report over the weekend that the rebel group, the Lord’s Resistance Army, had rampaged through at least 10 villages late last year, hacking people to death with machetes. David Matsanga, a spokesman for the rebel group, said no members of the Lord’s Resistance Army were in Congo, and he blamed Ugandan troops for the massacres. A Ugandan army spokesman denied that accusation.

JOINT COMMUNIQUE BY THE REPUBLIC OF UGANDA AND THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
www.mediacentre.go.ug/Tuesday, 30 March 2010

JOINT COMMUNIQUE BY THE REPUBLIC OF UGANDA AND THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA ON THE OCCASION OF THE STATE VISIT TO UGANDA OF H.E. PRESIDENT JACOB ZUMA
His Excellency Jacob Zuma. President of the Republic of South Africa paid a State Visit to Uganda from 24 to 26 March 2010 at the invitation of His Excellency Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the President of the Republic of Uganda. President Jacob Zuma was accompanied by several Cabinet Ministers, Senior Government officials and a high level business delegation.

During the visit the two Presidents held fruitful discussions and reviewed bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest They also expressed their mutual satisfaction with the strong bonds of friendship between the two countries and emphasized their determination to further strengthen and expand cooperation in the fields of agriculture, environment and water affairs, trade, investment, science and technology, social development, energy, defence and public works.

Possibilities were identified to strengthen economic relations based on partnerships in all areas of economic activity between Uganda and South Africa. The Presidents noted with satisfaction the bilateral engagement of the Ministers responsible and economic cooperation in the two countries during the State Visit. The Presidents endorsed the spirit of the Ministerial Statement on Trade and Economic Cooperation signed by the Ministers, and urged for expeditious implementation.

A specific call was made to enhance collaboration to improve the development and promotion of Small and Medium Enterprises as well as the need to foster cooperation in standards development, technology development and transfer. The importance of implementing the COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite Summit Decision was also underscored.
A draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cooperation in tne field of Energy was handed over by the Ugandan delegation to their South African counterparts, it was agreed that the delegation from Uganda will visit South Africa for further consultations in this regard.

The importance of Science, Technology and Innovation (5TI) in improving the lives of ordinary citizens and creating prosperity was underscored. Both countries noted the Bilateral Agreement on Scientific and Technological Cooperation signed in 2009, and made a commitment to ensure its full implementation. A Plan of Action has been agreed upon to effect the Agreement. Priorities for the medium term include increased research in the following areas, energy, and engineering (including ICT and geosciences) and Indigenous Knowledge Systems. These efforts are expected to enhance human capacity, technology transfer and improve science and technology infrastructure within our countries. It was agreed that a joint pool of funding would be created that would allow scientists to further the priorities identified. The sectors concurred that there remains a need for more focus on Human Capital Development

On agricultural cooperation, the delegations agreed to combine the draft zoo-sanitary and draft phytosanitary MoUs into one Sanitary and Phyto Sanitary (SPS) MoU. In addition, it was agreed that the MoU on General Bilateral Cooperation in the Field of Agriculture and Fisheries would also be concluded. The MoUs will be ready for signature within the next two weeks. In addition, the Agricultural Sector agreed to the creation of a Joint Management Committee (JMC) to monitor the implementation of MoUs relating to the agricultural field. The delegations agreed to prioritize the following areas for implementation: accessing and sustaining markets for agricultural products into South Africa: livestock health breeding: crops research and protection measures, focusing on post narvest technologies: capacitating pubiic institutions to respond to challenges of subsistence and smallholder farmers; sharing of experiences with regard to extension approaches and development of fresh water aquaculture. Central to this work will be stiengthening collaboration in agricultural research, diagnostics and animal disease vaccine development, as well as collaborating with private sector partners and multilateral agencies in implementation.

The bilateral engagement further focused in depth on climate change, water resource management and sustainable development, which included talks on water pollution, sanitation, environmental impact management, meteorology monitoring as well as sharing of information and experience. The need for coordinated projects focusing on bulk water transportation and rainwater harvesting was identified. A broader framework for a MoU will be discussed in detail in June 2010 during a bilateral visit.
The sector dealing with defence renewed its commitment to the existing Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Defence that was signea in 2005 and also signed a Declaration of Intent to further deepen and strengthen their cooperation. They also established an implementation framework with set timeiines for the administration of the Declaration and MoU.

The sector on social development undertook to exchange programs for the implementation and monitoring of various programs of children orphaned by HiV & AIDS including child and youth headed households, including the promotion and facilitation of interaction between community care workers of both countries in addition it was agreed that there should be mere support for the exchange of experience on policy and programme development in the areas of disability, as well as rural, community and youth development. This would include training of community development workers, as well as exchange of information on social development, policy, legislation and services around social protection and social security.

Bilateral talks further culminated in an agreement to establish a Uganda/South Africa Joint Permanent Commission which would coordinate and structure regular bilateral engagement. It would be chaired by the respective Foreign Ministers. It was further proposed that the Presidents should meet annually to discuss bilateral relations. It was agreea that every effort should be made to finalise all outstanding bilateral Agreements for signature OP the fringes of the African Union Summit scheduled to be held in Uganda in Juiy 2010.

President Museveni briefed President Zuma on political developments in the East African region, particularly with regard to regional integration and the current situations in Sudan. Somalia, Burundi and the DRC.

On Sudan both Presidents reiterated their support for the full implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in the run-up to elections in April 2010 and the Referendum on Self-Determination in January 2011. Support was also emphasized for the Darfur Peace Process under AU auspices. The two sides agreed on the need
to closely cooperate in joint efforts to build capacity and institutions of governance in Southern Sudan.

In turn, President Zuma briefed President Museveni on the latest developments in Madagascar and Zimbabwe. On Zimbabwe both Presidents concurred on the need for the lifting of international sanctions

It was noted with satisfaction that the peace process in Burundi was progressing and the Presidents called for support for post-conflict reconstruction and peace building efforts. Both Presidents congratulated Burundi on the successful conclusion of the peace process that will lead to the elections starting in May 2010, in which ali political parties in Burundi will participate freely for the
first time. They further ca’leo on all the political parties to avoid engaging in any action that may interfere with the holding of a free and fair election.

On the situation in the Eastern DRC, the two Presidents observed that efforts to secure peace had improved. However, they urged MONUC not to hastily wind up its operations as the situation still warranted an international presence. The current situation in Somalia was also noted with concern

On continental issues, the two Heads of State welcomed efforts by the African Union and the REC’s to establish mechanisms of peace and security, but also noted with concern the challenges the African Union encountered in maintaining and sustaining stability on the continent. Therefore the two leaders emphasized the need to strengthen the AU to enable it to play a more effective role in conflict resolution on the continent.
The two Presidents renewed their call for the reform of the United Nations Secunty Council to afford the African continent a fair representation and to make it democratic, effective and accountable. In this regard. South Africa congratulated Uganda on its excellent contribution made during their tenure in the Security Council

A call was also made for global and complete nuclear disarmament, together with a re-affirmation of the commitment to and support of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The Heads of State also re-affirmed the right of all developing countries to acquire develop and use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

The two Presidents, in solidarity, underscored the importance of cooperation between Uganda and South Africa in multilateral fora in this regard, they agreed to establisn a close.working relationship on matters of mutual interest, especially in the consolidation of international peace and security, human rights, socio-.economic development and political cooperation

During his visit, President Zuma addressed Parliament, which gave him the opportunity to thank the Republic of Uganda for their committed efforts in supporting the liberation struggle in South Africa. The President also commissioned the Oliver Tambo School of Leadership at Kaweweta. a project that symbolises the gratitude of the South African people for Uganda’s support. The President unveiled a plaque at the Wall of Remembrance, built in the Pan African Square, in commemoration of 14 ANC comrades who died in Uganda during the struggle.

Presidents Museveni and Zuma addressed the Business Forum during which they underscored the vital contribution of the private sector as an engine of growth and development. They encouraged business to look at the possibility of establishing a Joint Business Council as a platform to collaborate and promote further trade and investment.

His Excellency President Museveni congratulated President Zuma on the extensive preparations South Africa has made for the FIFA 2010 Soccer World Cup. He expressed his confidence that South Africa would successfully host the tournament, on behalf of Africa continent. President Zuma encouraged President Museveni and all Ugandans in general to visit South Africa for the event.

The two Presidents witnessed the signing of:

• The Agreement Between the Governments of the Republic of Uganda and the Republic of Soutn Africa regarding Cooperation and Mutual Assistance Between their Customs Administrations; and the

• Joint Ministerial Statement on Trade and Economic Cooperation

At the conclusion of his visit, President Zuma expressed appreciation for the warm welcome and hospitality accorded to him and members of his delegation by
President Museveni, the Government and people of Uganda during their stay in the country.

President Jacob Zuma also extended an invitation to President Yoweri Museveni to visit South Africa, which he gladly accepted. The dates of the visit will be agreed upon through diplomatic channels.
Done at Entebbe on the 26 Day of March 2010

TANZANIA:

Viet Nam, Tanzania hold talks, agree to boost bilateral cooperation
March, 30 2010/vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn

HA NOI — Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his Tanzanian counterpart, Mizengo Peter Pinda, yesterday discussed measures to boost bilateral co-operation in all fields, especially agriculture, education and health-care in Ha Noi.

The Prime Minister of the United Republic of Tanzania began a three-day official visit to Viet Nam yesterday at the invitation of Dung, later met with Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh.

The visit, the first by PM Pinda since he took office in 2008, aims to strengthen bilateral relations between Viet Nam and Tanzania, especially at a time when the two countries are celebrating the 45th anniversary of their bilateral diplomatic ties.

The guest leader expressed his wish to promote and develop the traditional friendly relationship and the multi-faceted co-operation with Viet Nam, especially in the fields of agriculture, healthcare, education and trade.

The better co-operation with Viet Nam in those fields would help Tanzania fulfil its target of hunger and poverty eradication as one of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals which are slated to be achieved by 2015, said the leader of the east central African country.

Tanzania was also interested in obtaining Viet Nam’s experiences in the fight against malaria and production of the anti-malaria drugs, said Pinda who hoped that Viet Nam would share its success in the field.

Dung, in expressing his pleasure with the good relations between the two countries, stressed that Viet Nam always attached importance to strengthening and developing the relations with traditional friends in Africa, especially Tanzania. The host leader confirmed that Viet Nam was willing to share with Tanzania its experiences in developing its economy, building infrastructure, education and healthcare, especially in agriculture, and hunger and poverty alleviation.

The two agreed on speeding up the involvement of relevant ministries and sectors in applying measures to boost co-operation, as well as the implementation of signed agreements. The talks and signing of co-operation deals in agriculture, health care and the encouragement of investment protection would be soon held.

At the end of the meeting, the leaders witnessed the signing of agreements on visa exemptions, which apply to holders of diplomatic and official passports, and the establishment of a diplomatic consultancy mechanism. Vietnamese-made agricultural tractors were handed-over yesterday as gifts to the Tanzanian delegation.

The Tanzanian leader invited Dung to pay an official visit with Vietnamese businesses who would study investment opportunities in Tanzania.

In a reception hosted for Pinda later yesterday, Party leader Manh spoke highly of what had been done by the Revolutionary State Party (CCM), Government and people of Tanzania in terms of socio-economic development, political stability and security, improved living conditions and development of the country. Manh said he hoped the CCM would achieve a great victory in their upcoming general election to continue to lead the Tanzanian people to successfully implement the ‘Vision 2025′ plan that it, together with the Tanzanian Government, has set forth.

The visiting Tanzanian PM reiterated his wish to improve their friendship, solidarity, and co-operation with a focus on agriculture, health care and education.

In return, Manh hailed Pinda’s visit to Viet Nam as a manifestation of the two countries’ traditional political ties and emphasised that the Party, State and people of Viet Nam would continue to boost friendship and co-operation with the CCM, the State and the people in the interests of their people and of peace co-operation and development. — VNS

CONGO RDC :

How are we connected to the Democratic Republic of Congo?
March 30, 2010/www.collegiatetimes.com/by Nicole Faut, regular columnist

Think of someone close to you: your mother, your father, a close friend. Maybe you have younger siblings, a nephew or a niece. What makes that person different from someone struggling to survive in another part of the world, one like the Democratic Republic of Congo? There are countless places of misery and suffering, but I want to bring your attention to DRC because I think it is one of the worst places a person could live. Agree with me or disagree with me — this is what’s going on whatever side you find yourself on.

The deadliest war since World War II ravaged DRC between 1998 and 2003, and other conflicts have since terrorized different regions of the country. To date, more than 5.4 million people have been killed since conflicts began, while more than 1.3 million people have been displaced. Attempts to end violence have manifested themselves in different peace deals and cease fires, but have failed as rebel groups continue to devastate the country, especially in the Eastern provinces.

Civilians are often the direct targets of violence and exploitation. When rebel groups raid villages, they take any resources they can find and then enslave the members of the community they don’t kill to carry the heavy loads of goods. If the carriers cannot keep up with the rebels as they all march from place to place, they are brutally beaten and killed. Some villagers find themselves coerced into working in hazardous mines, where they face death through the whim of their captors, mudslides, rock collapses and exhaustion — all for less than a few dollars a day.

Women especially bear witness with their minds and bodies to these atrocities. More than 250,000 women have been raped each year in the DRC, which is proof that rape as a weapon of war has become completely institutionalized. If that raw number is not enough to show the complete chaos and impunity that plagues DRC, the breakdown comes out to 685 women raped per day, and 28 per hour. Oftentimes, more than one perpetrator carries out the rape. This occurs along with the other unimaginable and inhuman practices that take place. Thousands of children have been abducted to become soldiers or sex slaves, while countless villages and refugee camps have been raided and razed.

Conflicts have come about through ethnic hatred and grappling for control of Congo’s rich resources. Rwandan and Burundian ethnic groups have had a history of political and violent tension in Congo, and with the surge of refugees from the Rwandan genocide, conditions have been further strained. An overarching theme in past clashes, and especially now, is centered on conflict minerals.

DRC has been an object of exploitation for its resources in tin, tungsten, gold and a mineral called coltan. The country is home to 80 percent of the world’s supply of coltan. Rebel groups look to get rich off the resources, and the perpetuation of violence and instability only makes exploitation easier. There are some reports that even the Congolese government allows the promotion of violence so members of the higher class and administration can benefit from illegal smuggling, which is estimated to earn close to $1 million a day.

Now is where some of you ask me why any of this matters.

The plight of the Congo matters because every one of us is helping to bring about unspeakable violence to people like us, children like our children, mothers like our mothers, friends like our friends. We must no longer be ignorant in our role as consumers.

Remember when I said that the DRC has 80 percent of the world’s coltan? You may not know what coltan is, but I guarantee you use it every day. Coltan is in our cell phones, our computers, cameras, Xboxes and countless other electronics that sustain our society. Along with the demand for gold and the other minerals that the DRC is rich with, it is easy to see how struggles over resources are the roots of many conflicts. That means that our demand for coltan (possibly the greatest resource) increases as we want newer laptops, flashier and multi-purpose phones, and exciting gadgets. This desire directly inspires brutal and devastating violence.

I’m not asking us to trash all of our technology and return to the Stone Age, but I am asking you to be aware and acknowledge what went into the production of the electronics that you can’t live without. Are they conflict free? If you think they should be, there are several things you can do:

You can join the Virginia Tech chapter of STAND, which focuses on issues like this. You can also look up places in the DRC that help civilians who have been attacked, such as the Panzi and Heal Africa hospitals. They are always in need of support. If you follow politics (or even if you don’t), you can urge your legislators to co-sponsor and support the Conflict Minerals Trade Act: H.R. 4128, and S. 891.

Whether you do any of these things or not is up to you, just consider the lives of those in conflict areas like DRC. They are not so different from us, and yet they are subject to horrors we cannot even imagine.

KENYA :

Yemen: Pirates Take Cargo Ship Off Aden
By REUTERS/Published: March 30, 2010

Pirates seized a cargo ship on Monday with 24 crew members off the port of Aden, Yemen. The vessel, the MV Iceberg 1, was boarded just 10 miles from the port and was being taken toward the Somali coast, said the Ecoterra maritime monitoring agency in Kenya. Members of the crew of the ship, which flies the flag of Panama, are from Ghana, Pakistan, India, Sudan and Yemen, according to the East Africa Seafarers Assistance Program, which is also headquartered in Kenya. A spokesman for traders in Mogadishu, Somalia, said that seven other ships had been seized in the Indian Ocean over the weekend.

ANGOLA :

SOUTH AFRICA:

South African Facilitators Back In Zimbabwe As Power-Sharing Parties Miss Deadline
Facilitation team member Lindiwe Zulu, a foreign policy adviser to Mr. Zuma, told VOA that her team was in the Zimbabwean capital to take delivery of a report by party negotiators detailing results of power-sharing talks
Ntungamili Nkomo & Patience Rusere | Washington/www1.voanews.com/30 March 2010

A South African facilitation team was back in Zimbabwe Monday to resume work with negotiators for ZANU-PF and the Movement for Democratic Change on resolving differences over power-sharing amid concerns the talks may not reach a successful conclusion by the deadline set by South African President Jacob Zuma.

Facilitation team member Lindiwe Zulu, a foreign policy adviser to Mr. Zuma, told VOA that her team was in the Zimbabwean capital to take delivery of a report by party negotiators detailing the results of the talks. If there are unresolved issues, her team will press for results that are “acceptable” to Mr. Zuma, she said.

Sources said chances of a breakthrough appeared slim despite Mr. Zuma’s announcement earlier this month that the parties had agreed a “package of measures” that could be on rapidly implemented to resolve outstanding issues. But last week President Robert Mugabe seemed to be disavowing the Zuma-brokered agreement.

Reached by VOA, Economic Planning Minister Elton Mangoma, a negotiator for the MDC formation led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, declined to comment on the status of the talks, as did Priscilla Misihairambwi-Mushonga of the rival MDC formation headed by Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara.

But Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa, top negotiator for Mr. Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party, told Reuters that the parties had failed to meet President Zuma’s March 29 deadline after marathon meetings, and would continue their discussions on Tuesday.

Political analyst Immanuel Hlabangana told VOA Studio 7 reporter Ntungamili Nkomo that despite such setbacks, President Zuma would eventually obtain binding concessions from ZANU-PF.

Zimbabwean non-governmental organizations, meanwhile, sought a meeting with Mr. Zuma in his capacity Southern African Development Community mediator to voice their concerns over an upsurge in violence and suggest ways to stop the trend.

Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition Chairman Macdonald Lewanika said civil society feels the unity government is unable to provide protection against such violence, so civic leaders must appeal to President Zuma.

Activists say incidents of violence have been on the rise along with arbitrary arrests of members of the MDC, trade unionists, artists and rights activists.

Lewanika told VOA Studio 7 reporter Patience Rusere that it is in Mr. Zuma’s interest to take concrete action to curb political violence with the World Cup of Football coming up fast in South Africa.

Temasek, Seeking Mining Assets, Invests $100 Million in Platmin
March 30, 2010/By Netty Ismail/Bloomberg

March 30 (Bloomberg) — Temasek Holdings Pte agreed to buy $100 million of convertible debt in Platmin Ltd., the South Africa-based platinum miner controlled by Brian Gilbertson’s Pallinghurst Resources Ltd.

The Singapore state-owned investment company, through its Ridgewood Investments (Mauritius) Pte unit, agreed to buy the convertible debenture from Platmin, the mining firm said in a statement distributed through Marketwire. Platmin also plans a $250 million global equity offering, it said.

Temasek, which manages about S$172 billion ($123 billion) of investments, is “fairly bullish” about mining holdings and is seeking opportunities in Africa, Mongolia and the rest of the world, Nagi Hamiyeh, managing director of investment, said last week. Temasek and China Investment Corp., China’s sovereign wealth fund, are both seeking commodity investments as Asian demand is increasing.

“We believe that the Asian emerging markets will be the engine of global economic and secular commodity demand growth, with demand being increasingly met by supply from new promising mining regions such as Africa,” Hamiyeh said in the statement from Platmin. “Through our investment in Platmin, we will gain direct exposure to the fast-growing automotive sectors in China and India. We are pleased to participate in the funding of Platmin as it grows into an important industry producer.”

Expanding

Temasek can convert all the debt into shares at $1.215 apiece before the debenture matures on Dec. 31, Platmin, with headquarters in Centurion, said. Temasek will receive about 82.3 million shares, representing about 15.6 percent of Platmin’s equity, when the securities are converted, according to the statement.

Pallinghurst and South Africa’s Bakgatla community acquired a 69.8 percent stake in Platmin last year, giving the company funding to complete its first mine in South Africa. Pallinghurst is owned by former BHP Billiton Ltd. Chief Executive Officer Gilbertson.

The Pallinghurst-led investor group will be allowed to buy an additional $30 million of convertible debentures on the same terms as Temasek, according to the statement.

Platmin will use the funds to complete the buildup to full production of its Pilanesberg Platinum Mine, acquisitions and to further develop the company’s Eastern Limb projects, it said.

Temasek managed a portfolio of S$172 billion as of July 31, 2009, according to its Web site.

–Editors: Andreea Papuc, Brett Miller

[EXPAT VOICE] The ties that bind
www.todayszaman.com/Mar 30, 2010

My country South Africa underwent phenomenal social and political changes while I was still a teenager in the early 1990s. Still heady from revolutionary social transformation under way since the end of Apartheid in 1994, many South Africans embraced the budding sense of nationalism and patriotism under the Nelson Mandela regime

But it has been a while since I have felt strong feelings of patriotism as the reality and cynicism of a society growing in inequality and lacking in a unifying social fabric has become starker. Marrying a Turk two years ago has, however, given the concept of patriotism a whole new meaning. I was to discover how deeply rooted the feelings of nationalism are in Turkey regardless of which side of the pro-Islamic or pro-Atatürk divide you find yourself on. Considering Turkey’s long and glorious past, it is also unsurprising that history is a large part of the nationalist sentiment. My first visit to Turkey was certainly an education and more especially on the vastly different lives of Turks from the east to the west of the country and between those in the villages and the cities. In stark contrast to my experience in South Africa, the Turkish example showed how common culture largely characterized by hospitality and genuine respect between citizens can define an inclusive nationalism rather than purely political affiliation.
My in-laws live in eastern Turkey about 500 kilometers from the border with Iran in a typical village, or köy. My first impression of the place was “How quaint! I can’t believe people still live like this.” And yet to the village community, the bride from Africa with Indian heritage was not only the most exotic visitor to have graced the village but also someone to be pitied, after all isn’t Africa an undifferentiated mass of war, poverty and wild animals? We arrived just in time for the Ramadan holiday, in that way, my husband figured I was sure to meet almost everyone in the village. They came with much curiosity to the extent that the local newspaper in Erzincan even ran a story titled “Our African bride.” It was overwhelming yet humbling as I began to realize that far from being peasants trapped in an archaic lifestyle as I arrogantly assumed initially, this was a thriving community that actually ran itself on one of the most self-sufficient models of existence I have experienced throughout my travels to numerous other countries. And imagine their surprise when they learned that this young girl from Africa was actually not used to milking cows or chopping wood but a thoroughbred city girl!

From the cooperatives that still buy raw materials such as wheat and milk from the farmers and repay them with the products to the genuine communal concern people have for each other’s well-being, life in this köy seemed to be nearly idyllic. Without romanticizing this existence, for surely there are many other negative aspects to village life mainly to do with access to education particularly for women, I would have to say that I learnt how incredibly resilient the community is. One telling example of this resilience was the global economic crisis that was well under way at the time of our stay, and yet in the world of village self-sufficiency, there was little sign of this otherwise enormous event. Despite their economic circumstances, my experience in Turkey was that the concept of dignity of the individual is not compromised, and this is perhaps one of the most striking differences between South Africa and Turkey. Indeed South Africa’s history of racial categorization and the denial of basic human rights as an institutionalized policy have much to do with it, but it is also true that the embrace of individualism as a means to catch up with the rest of the world economically has only speeded up a process of social fragmentation. Turkish hospitality is not only a welcome encounter for tourists and visitors but in many ways speaks volumes about the ways in which a society deeply differentiated in political and religious views overcomes these divides on a day-to-day basis. South Africa’s high violent crime rate tells a different story, one in which human life has been grossly devalued, making a mockery of the struggles of our past.

soon weeks, I will be leaving Africa for Turkey once again, the familiar excitement is building and a sense of coming home as I look forward to being witness to a society that has much to offer by way of social example.

——————————————————————————–
*Mariam Jooma Çarıkçı is a freelance journalist based in Turkey.
30 March 2010, Tuesday
MARIAM JOOMA ÇARIKÇI*

AFRICA / AU :

SOUTH AFRICA: Low HIV prevalence rates on campus
www.irinnews.org/PlusNews/ 30 March 2010

JOHANNESBURG, 29 March 2010 (PlusNews) – HIV prevalence rates among South Africa’s university students remain low, but risk is never far off according to one of the largest surveys ever conducted in the country.

The study of almost 24,000 students and staff found a national HIV prevalence rate among college students of about 3 percent – a sharp contrast to the national prevalence rate of around 18 percent estimated by UNAIDS. A combination of individual questionnaires, interviews, and dried blood spot HIV testing was used.

The research was conducted by the Higher Education HIV/AIDS Programme (HEAIDS) a government initiative to strengthen the AIDS response in the higher education sector.

The study also found that prevalence rates were about three times higher in students more than 25 years in age and that female students were hardest hit, exhibiting a prevalence rate of 4.7 percent – more than double the 2 percent rate found among their male peers .
“The study is really the first comprehensive attempt to define the impact of HIV in the higher education sector,” said Gail Andrews, HEAIDS programme director.

“To some extent, it is reassuring that HIV among students and staff at higher education institutions is less common than in the general population, but … it does not mean that any institution can afford to be complacent. Both the survey and the qualitative research … indicate that the sexual and social behaviour of sections of university communities puts them at risk.”

A similarly low prevalence rate of about 1.5 percent was detected among academic staff, but a much higher rate was found in university service staff, who were also least likely to have health insurance.

Risk, writing and arithmetic

The research revealed that about 60 percent of sexually active students had been tested for HIV before, and a similar percentage reported using a condom the last time they had sex.

Still, campus life is risky. Study researcher Dr Warren Parker said the self-administered questionnaires allowed under-researched topics to be explored, such as risky sex, and same-sex relationships, reported by 6 percent of male students.

About 8 percent of all students reported engaging in anal sex; Parker told IRIN/PlusNews that some participants mistakenly perceived anal sex as less risky than vaginal intercourse.

Other high-risk student behaviours that failed to raise red flags included multiple concurrent partnerships and inter-generational sex, where male and female students took partners at least ten years their senior, often for material gain.

“Some new students, especially those from poor backgrounds, may show up to campus with no accommodation. They may have their school fees paid, but no money for food,” said Dr Kevin Kelly, director of the Centre for AIDS Development, Research and Evaluation (CADRE), and part of the research team. “This question of students’ basic needs cannot be separated from the HIV question.”

Know your epidemic

Andrews, of HEAIDS, stressed that many institutions – even those engaged in HIV research – might not “know their epidemic” as well as they should because campus HIV responses usually did not include men who have sex with men, anal sex, or male students with older partners.

Many students and staff felt that on-campus HIV-related health services were lacking or inadequate, which hindered voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) for HIV.

The report’s recommendations included mandatory HIV and AIDS awareness as part of university staff induction, improved links between VCT and psycho-social support on campus, and expanded bridging programmes during orientation week for vulnerable first-year students. Researchers found that first-year female students were often targeted by older male students and campus visitors.

South Africa’s Minister of Higher Education and Training, Dr Blade Nzimande, told IRIN/PlusNews: “We can provide as much skills and training as we want, but if we do not include HIV education [in our higher education institutions] we will simply be training young people for the grave.”
llg/kn/he
Theme(s): (IRIN) Children, (IRIN) Gender Issues, (IRIN) HIV/AIDS (PlusNews)
[ENDS]

Australia, N.Z. Stocks: BHP, Equinox, Gindalbie, Nufarm, Rio
March 30, 2010/By Shani Raja/Bloomberg

March 30 (Bloomberg) — Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index gained 0.4 percent to 4,916.80 at the close of trading in Sydney. New Zealand’s NZX 50 Index was little changed at 3,249.65 in Wellington. Both indexes are set for a fourth consecutive quarterly gain.

The following were among the most active shares in the market today. Stock symbols are in parentheses after company names.

Mining stocks: Copper surged to an 11-week high in New York yesterday, while a measure of metals traded in London rose for a third day, gaining 3 percent.

BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP AU), the world’s largest mining company, rose 2.4 percent to A$44.41. Rio Tinto Group (RIO AU) advanced 1.1 percent to A$79.25. Equinox Minerals Ltd. (EQN AU), which mines copper in Africa, climbed 5.3 percent to A$4.14. Mirabela Nickel Ltd. (MBN AU) jumped 5.6 percent to A$2.46.

Separately, Vale SA, the world’s largest iron-ore producer, and BHP ended a 40-year system of setting annual prices by signing short-term contracts with Asian mills, with the Brazilian company winning a 90 percent increase.

AWB Ltd. (AWB AU), Australia’s former monopoly wheat exporter, surged 6.2 percent to 95 Australian cents after agreeing to sell its Geneva trading unit to Gavilon LLC to concentrate on its domestic operations.

Gindalbie Metals Ltd. (GBG AU) rose 7.3 percent to A$1.18. The company, planning a A$1.8 billion ($1.6 billion) iron-ore mine in Australia, agreed to sell all of the output from the Karara project to partner Anshan Iron & Steel Group in a deal estimated to be worth about $65 billion.

Nufarm Ltd. (NUF AU), Australia’s largest supplier of farm chemicals, fell 6.5 percent to A$8.12. The stock was downgraded to “sell” from “hold” at Deutsche Bank AG and to “underweight” from “neutral” at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

New Zealand:

Fisher & Paykel Appliances Holdings Ltd. (FPA NZ) rose 1.6 percent to 62 New Zealand cents after saying it will end its exclusive distribution agreements with selected retailers in New Zealand, and will make its products available through more stores from July.

–Editor: John McCluskey

UN /ONU :

G-8 nations press Iran sanctions drive
By MATTHEW LEE/The Associated Press /Tuesday, March 30, 2010

OTTAWA — Top diplomats from the world’s leading economies are ramping up pressure on Iran to prove its nuclear ambitions are peaceful, renewing calls for the country to be hit with new international sanctions if it fails to comply.

In meetings outside the Canadian capital on Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and her fellow foreign ministers from the Group of Eight main industrialized nations will warn Iran again it faces fresh penalties if it doesn’t come clean on its nuclear program.

But with Iran refusing to comply, their message will be largely directed at a country not represented at the talks here: China, a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council that is not a member of the exclusive G-8 club.

Support from China, a vocal opponent of sanctions, is critical as it wields veto power on the council. Until recently, it had balked at the mere suggestion of taking additional punitive steps against Iran. That, Clinton suggested, may now be changing.

In an interview with Canadian television on Monday, Clinton said China shared the view of the U.S., its European allies and Russia that “a nuclear-armed Iran is not acceptable.”

“I think as the weeks go forward and we begin the hard work of trying to come up with a Security Council resolution, China will be involved, they will be making their suggestions,” she said.

Iran is already under three sets of U.N. Security Council sanctions and China had been holding up consideration of a fourth, saying diplomacy must be given more time. But last week it softened its position in a conference call among senior officials from the six nations working most closely on the matter, according to diplomats.

A senior U.S. official told reporters traveling with Clinton that the Chinese “have said now that they will engage on the elements of a sanctions resolution.” The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing diplomatic negotiation.

In Washington, meanwhile, President Barack Obama met Monday with China’s incoming ambassador to the United States. The White House said Obama stressed to the envoy the need for the two countries “to work together and with the international community on critical global issues, including nonproliferation and pursuing sustained and balanced global growth.”

Clinton and other Obama administration officials have said they want the new sanctions to target Iranian companies and government elements, like the country’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, and not the Iranian people. U.S. diplomats and their colleagues have been discussing various options for months, but until now China had stayed out of the conversation.

Clinton did not address the specifics of any contribution that China might make but said she believed an agreement on new sanctions could be reached in the council. Russia, another veto-wielding member generally opposed to sanctions, has said it is open to fresh penalties.

“As in any effort, we’re going to have to try to come to some consensus and we’re in the middle of that process,” Clinton said after answering flatly “no” when asked if the world would have to start living with a nuclear-armed Iran.

Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful means only. But Western powers believe the country is working to produce a nuclear weapon, as Iranian officials have refused demands to come clean about their intentions.

Iran will be the major topic of conversation at the G-8 meetings in Canada, involving Clinton and the foreign ministers of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Russia.

They will also look at nuclear arms control in general ahead of a summit of world leaders to be hosted next month by Obama in Washington.

But the ministers will also tackle topics such as terrorism in the Sahel region of North Africa, as well as Somalia, Yemen, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

USA :

Tennessee man pleads guilty in plot to kill Obama, others
Mar 30, 2010 /Reuters

(Reuters) – A U.S. man pleaded guilty on Monday to charges of conspiring to carry out a killing spree targeting African Americans, including then-presidential candidate Barack Obama, the Justice Department said.

U.S. | Barack Obama

Daniel Cowart, 21, of Bells, Tennessee, said he had plotted with Paul Schlesselman of West Helena, Arkansas to carry out a racially motivated plot to murder dozens of people. He said he had planned to culminate the attacks by assassinating Obama, then a U.S. senator and presidential candidate.

“Despite great civil rights progress, this unthinkable conspiracy serves as a reminder that hate-fueled violence remains all too common in our country,” said Thomas Perez, assistant attorney general for the department’s Civil Rights division.

Under terms of a plea agreement, Cowart faces between 10 and 75 years in prison.

Schlesselman pleaded guilty in January to three counts and faces 10 years in prison under a plea agreement.

(Reporting by Deborah Charles; editing by Todd Eastham)

When AIPAC said ‘no’ to Israel
Posted By Sasha Polakow-Suransky/ mideast.foreignpolicy.com/ March 30, 2010

The U.S.-Israel relationship has entered into a tailspin for the first time since 1991, when Secretary of State James Baker refused loan guarantees to Yitzhak Shamir’s Likud government. Now, like then, the issue is Jewish settlements in areas Israel conquered in 1967. When Israel embarrassed Vice President Joe Biden on March 9 by announcing the expansion of an existing East Jerusalem settlement, the reaction from Israel’s friends in the press and in Washington was swift. New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman likened Benjamin Netanyahu’s settler-coddling government to a drunken driver, Hillary Clinton scolded Bibi for 45 minutes over the phone, and pundits across the political spectrum spent an entire week debating just how grave the current “crisis” is.

More interesting, however, is how Israel’s self-proclaimed defenders in Washington have reacted to it. Rather than maintaining a neutral stance or endorsing the pro-Israel, anti-settler line espoused by Thomas Friedman and Hillary Clinton, among others, AIPAC chose to denounce the Obama administration in a press release on the eve of its annual conference, urging Obama “to take immediate steps to defuse the tension with the Jewish State” and “make a conscious effort to move away from public demands and unilateral deadlines directed at Israel.” There was no mention of Netanyahu’s politically inflammatory expansion of settlements surrounding Jerusalem, his lack of control over the junior cabinet officials who announced the construction of 1,600 new housing units while Biden was visiting, or steps Israel could take to defuse the crisis.

AIPAC was not always like this.

In the late 1980s, the pro-Israel lobby faced a similar dilemma that jeopardized U.S. military aid to the Jewish state: Israel’s refusal to stop selling arms to South Africa’s racist apartheid regime. Then, unlike now, AIPAC did not blindly defend the government in Jerusalem and attack the U.S. administration. Rather, it pressured the Israeli government to back down from a myopic and destructive policy that damaged Israel’s image and threatened its warm ties with Washington.

In August 1986, as popular anti-apartheid legislation was making the rounds in the U.S. Senate, a paragraph with far-reaching consequences for Israel crept into the bill. It called for the president to document any arms sales to South Africa and “add the option of terminating U.S. military assistance to countries violating the embargo.” In Israel, the national-unity government of Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Shamir disregarded the bill, convinced that it would never pass.

In Washington, though, leading AIPAC officials believed that Israel’s ties with Pretoria were tarnishing the country’s image in Congress just as the push for anti-South African sanctions was gaining momentum on the Hill. And they began pressuring the Israeli government to act.

Some of AIPAC’s biggest donors were outraged, given that arms sales to South Africa were a major economic windfall for Israel. But unlike the donors, AIPAC’s Beltway insiders saw the bigger strategic picture. In their eyes, the ongoing and increasingly publicized military relationship with South Africa was alienating some of the Jewish state’s staunchest supporters in Congress, who were also committed to the anti-apartheid cause. Pro-Israel lobbyists believed that attempts by anti-Israel groups to paint the Jewish state as an ally of the racist South African regime would eventually sway the American public unless Israel ceased selling arms to South Africa.

Despite AIPAC’s pleas, the Israelis still refused to take the threat seriously. In the upper echelons of the Israeli government, there was a widely held belief that AIPAC and other Jewish organizations, as well as friendly members of Congress, would protect Israel. They were convinced that this threat, like other bumps in the road, would soon pass. AIPAC’s lobbyists saw plainly that Israel was shooting itself in the foot, but it would take a few months before this dawned on leaders in Jerusalem.

When President Reagan vetoed the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act on September 26, 1986, the Israelis felt vindicated. But Congress immediately overrode Reagan’s veto with overwhelming majorities in the House and Senate. The Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act became law a week later–including the amendment threatening to cut off military aid to Israel. It was a rude awakening for Shamir, who left the foreign ministry to take over as Prime Minister on October 20. He was forced to apologize to the AIPAC lobbyists, telling them “Your president told me I didn’t have to listen to you.” But now, with the anti-apartheid law on the books, he did.

Embarrassed by his miscalculation, Prime Minister Shamir had no choice but to impose sanctions of his own. As two leading Israeli journalists argued in the Washington Post, “Without U.S. military aid, valued at $1.3 billion this year, Israel could soon be defenseless, destitute or both.” Shamir’s government now saw the threat clearly and passed a sanctions resolution on March 18, 1987, vowing to sign no new defense contracts with South Africa. Two weeks later came the dreaded U.S. report on South Africa’s arms suppliers. It named several European countries as occasional violators of the arms embargo, but the focus was on Israel’s arms sales. Damningly, the report’s authors concluded, “We believe that the Israeli government was fully aware of most or all of the trade.”

Suddenly, American Jewish organizations were forced to acknowledge an unsavory relationship they had downplayed and denied for years and defend Israel’s more pressing interest: ongoing military aid from Washington. Pro-Israel organizations such as AIPAC saw the prospect of losing U.S. aid as a much greater threat to the Jewish state than cutting ties with South Africa. As the self-appointed guardians of Israel’s interests in Washington, they told Shamir to make sure Israel’s measures against South Africa were just as strong as those taken in the United States and Western Europe–export revenues be damned.

Such resolve and foresight is sorely absent today, when AIPAC’s reflex is to denounce the White House rather than quietly pressuring the Israeli government to abandon policies that damage its image in Washington and the rest of America. The pro-Israel lobby is not stupid; it has correctly judged that ongoing settlements in greater Jerusalem and the West Bank are not as politically toxic in today’s Washington as arms sales to a white supremacist government were in the 1980s. But its ostensibly pro-Israel line is startlingly shortsighted. It allows Israel’s government to get away with further settlement expansion that will eventually do grave harm to Israel’s long-term survival by undermining the two-state solution.

As with arms sales to apartheid South Africa in the 1980s, most clear-eyed observers of the Middle East regard the settlement enterprise as a public diplomacy disaster for Israel–not to mention a long-term strategic liability.

If AIPAC is truly concerned about Israel’s long-term security, it should be denouncing new settlements and demanding the dismantlement of existing ones with even greater fervor than the Obama administration. If it does not, AIPAC lobbyists may soon find themselves defending something far more distasteful than 1600 new homes in Ramat Shlomo. As Bibi’s own defense minister Ehud Barak acknowledged last month, “as long as between the Jordan and the sea, there is only one political entity, named Israel, it will end up being either non-Jewish or non-democratic…If the Palestinians vote in elections, it is a bi-national state, and if they don’t, it is an apartheid state.”

And when that day comes, AIPAC will have to confront a South African problem far bigger than the one it faced in 1987.

Sasha Polakow-Suransky is a Senior Editor at Foreign Affairs and th
e author of the forthcoming book The Unspoken Alliance: Israel’s Secret Relationship with Apartheid South Africa.

CANADA :

Lest we offend
By Andrew Cohen, Citizen Special/ www.ottawacitizen.com/ March 30, 2010

In the autumn of 2008, Robert Fowler addressed a Montreal conference on Canada and the world. It was organized by the Trudeau Foundation, and he spoke on the same subject, with the same audacity, as he did to the Liberal party the other day.

The first talk was off-the-record. But it was memorable for his sense of outrage. His remarks became even more memorable — surreal, even — when Fowler was kidnapped in Africa a few weeks later.

He was held for four months. As he acknowledges, he was released because of the efforts of the government of Canada, whose leadership and direction he now attacks.

If you think that his critique was born in confinement, in response to his captors, you’re wrong. Fowler, one of the eminent Canadian diplomats of his generation, has been unhappy for some time. His critique did not just fall from the heavens, though it did flow from his lips with a clap of thunder and a bolt of lightning.

Good thing, too. This country needs to hear from Bob Fowler, as it needs to hear from other spirited practitioners and thinkers on other issues, with the same imagination and independence.

The point isn’t whether you agree with him. He says, most contentiously, that Canada has no strategic interest in Afghanistan and should withdraw tomorrow. Is that sensible for a member of the western alliance?

Yet Fowler is right on other issues. He had the courage to tell the Liberal Party that it “has lost its way and is in danger of losing its soul … that it will endorse anything that will return it to power … that it has no cogent vision.”

He said that Canada has abandoned Africa, which we have; that Canada doesn’t necessarily deserve a seat (there will be a vote this year) on the UN Security Council, which we don’t; that we haven’t had a new idea of consequence in the world in years. For this he blames Liberals and Conservatives alike.

Again, though, what matters is whether you want an honest debate. Increasingly, we don’t want to discuss hard questions in Canada.

We have turned into a nation of fraidy-cats and hand-wringers, skittish and fretful, terrified to talk about anything difficult in our history, our culture or our politics. “Lest we forget” has become “Lest we offend.”

The silencing of Ann Coulter (however odious) at the University of Ottawa was emblematic of a country keen to avoid the contentious, the uncomfortable and the politically incorrect, political correctness being our new religion.

As the university’s unfortunate provost (the poor man has since vanished) harrumphed, we have standards of “civility and respect” here! We have reasonable limits on free speech! Ms. Coulter, educate thyself!

Perfect. The message in the provost’s prissy, patronizing admonition is: “No debate, please. We’re Canadian.” His homily was reinforced by students determined to shout her down. One of the more sensitive among them cited the “safe” environment at the university, synonymous, no doubt, with inclusive, wholesome, nurturing and loving.

You know, like daycare. As reassuring as Campbell’s chicken soup. Or as soothing as a warm bath.

Intellectually, universities shouldn’t be safe. They should be risky, edgy and flinty. They should challenge old saws and home-truths.

So should parliamentary democracy. It’s messy, sure. Democracy isn’t a tea party, and we shouldn’t be afraid to break the china occasionally.

In the fraidy-cat country, though, we rescue money-losing automakers — offering billions, without debate on mass-transit and high-speed rail. We send troops to Afghanistan (right choice, wrong way) without debate. We tolerate the Alberta oil sands — the Liberals, in particular, refused to revisit this one — without an adult conversation about its environmental impact.

We insist — our politicians do — that we eliminate the deficit without raising taxes. This defies fiscal reality. The Liberals could challenge the government but worry they will be crucified.

Same thing on a carbon tax. Can’t go there. It’s political suicide. Didn’t you see what happened to Stéphane Dion?

What are we afraid of? In Canada, a whole lot.

Business is afraid to invest, despite declining corporate tax rates. Bankers are afraid to take risks. They are praised around the world as exemplars of prudence but that celebrated caution hasn’t always been a good thing for Canada. We need risk-takers as well as life insurers here.

Teachers are afraid to let kids fail in school. Curators are afraid to discuss art in our galleries, lest it be unrepresentative of our diversity and offend someone. Historians are afraid to discuss painful moments in our past, such as the Conquest, whether re-enacted on the Plains of Abraham or recreated in the Museum of Civilization.

Diplomats are afraid to discuss the world with a necessary frankness. Civil servants, for their part, are afraid to talk about anything.

This is Canada, 2010, the fraidy-cat country.

Andrew Cohen is president of The Historica-Dominion Institute. These views are his own. Email: andrewzcohen@yahoo.ca

Afghanistan or Congo?
Norman Spector /www.theglobeandmail.com/Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Yesterday, the Ottawa Citizen reported in its line story that the Canadian Forces have “quietly begun angling to take command of the UN’s largest peacekeeping mission.”

According to CanWest’s Matthew Fisher, the Congo mission “could be headed by Lt.-Gen. Andrew Leslie … Gen. Walter Natynczyk … has already begun talking up an African mission at the ‘town halls’ he regularly holds with troops in Canada and overseas. In recent months, troops of all ranks in Afghanistan have mentioned Africa as the place where Canada’s army and air force are most likely to deploy to next.”

Today, from behind its Internet firewall, Le Devoir is reporting that Canada has already received an unofficial request from the UN – last fall – to send our troops to Congo. And, in an interview with reporter Alec Castonguay, the NDP’s foreign policy critic, Paul Dewar, says that his party would support such a mission.

With U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton “publicly calling for Canadian troops to stay in Afghanistan past next year,” we may at last have the kind of substantive defence and foreign policy debate in Parliament that we didn’t get before our forces were deployed to their deadly Kandahar mission. With the New York Times reporting today on growing friction between the Obama and Karzai administrations, that debate can’t come too soon.

Global economic challenges to new Iranian sanctions
By Austin Knuppe/www.longwarjournal.org/March 30, 2010

As Iran’s Minister of Petroleum, Masoud Mirkazemi faces mounting sanctions from the West, a decline in the price of crude oil, and an aging energy infrastructure that threatens Iran’s production levels. In view of these challenges, Mirkazemi is asking foreign investors to supply $200 billion in capital to renovate Iran’s oil, gas, and refining capacities. In a press conference held on the eve of a meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), he addressed the threat of new sanctions, stating: “It’s about 31 years since Iran got independence and some countries do not like it. These kind of sanctions will not have any effect on [investment].”

The alarming thing about Mirkazemi’s brazen dismissal of new sanctions is that he is largely correct. Even if Western countries were to make good on their promises to withdraw investment from Iran’s energy sector, China’s energy-hungry economy will step in to fill the gap. Currently the People’s Republic relies on Iran for 15 percent of its energy needs, a figure that will only grow as China develops an economically viable middle class. China has further solidified the relationship by becoming the Islamic Republic’s largest foreign trading partner, overtaking the European Union for the first time this year.

It is doubtful that China will want to risk a $36 billion trading relationship over the West’s threat of sanctions (thankfully, US trade with China is double this figure). If China’s foreign direct investment in Africa is any model, the Chinese will continue to invest in industries that will support its long-term economic growth and will do so under the radar so as to avoid global criticism. China’s relationship with Sudan is a perfect example, where – much to the chagrin of human rights activists – Beijing is continuing its cozy relationship with Sudanese President Omar al Bashir.

In return for its exports of oil and gas, Tehran is receiving consumer goods and weapons. In the days of the Cold War, the United States supplied Iran with a heavy dose of military aid. Uncle Sam saw the Shah as the West’s best bet against a Soviet takeover of the Middle East. Now that Tehran’s US hardware is aging (much of it is leftover from the Korea and Vietnam wars), Iran is turning to China and Russia to modernize their military.

Thus far, the Russians have stalled their sale of the Almaz-Antei S-300 surface-to-air missile defense system to the Ahmadinejad regime. With the S-300, Tehran would have an additional line of defense against an Israeli or American bombardment of its nuclear program. The Russians have temporarily halted the deal because of US and European opposition, but this does not necessarily mean the deal is off. The Russians aided the Iranians in the R&D of their third indigenous fighter attack aircraft called the Shafagh – the identically match older prototype aircraft from Moscow’s Mikoyan Design Bureau (producers of MiG aircraft).

The Iranians have also been successful in procuring Chinese military technology. Nestled in the hills of the Zagros Mountains, dozens of Chinese-variety anti-ship cruise missiles are positioned to attack naval assets just south of their position in the Strait of Hormuz. At the naval port in Bandar Abbas, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps maintain Chinese-made Houdong fast missile boats capable of swarming oil tankers or pestering America’s 5th Fleet stationed in Bahrain. Using both of these weapons systems in tandem, the Islamic Republic could shut down the Strait of Hormuz in a matter of days, chocking off 25% of the world’s oil supply.

Iran’s political, economic, and military relationship with Russia and China makes it resilient in the face of American and European economic coercion. Regardless of what actions Presidents Obama, Sarkozy, and Merkel take on the international stage, the Russians and Chinese are unlikely to jeopardize their own current cash flow from Iran.

The collapse of the Greek economy, the weakening of the euro, and the massive amounts of US debt held in Chinese reserves make matters even more complicated. The global financial crisis has also caused OPEC to reconsider if it should continue to sell crude oil in US dollars. The Iranians (and ironically, many of the West’s Persian Gulf allies) are on board for pegging the sale of oil to a currency basket, which would include gold, euros, yuan, and yen. Shrewd observers of the proposed currency basket observe that the US dollar is not being included.

Like Iran, Russia is also in a good bargaining position because it supplies most of the European Union with natural gas. Currently the EU imports roughly 40% of its natural gas from Russia and over 45% of its oil from the Persian Gulf. Considering these statistics, the Europeans cannot afford to alienate both the Russians and Iranians in one fell swoop, especially if sanctions would further unite Ahmadinejad and Putin.

All and all, the United States and its European allies are in a bind. Time is of the essence, especially if the US wants UNSC approval of these new sanctions. Until 2011 Lebanon is a voting, non-permanent member of the Security Council. Because Lebanon is a client state to Iran, any move to push further sanctions through the Security Council will prove difficult. A possible strategy for the Obama administration is to build on Russia’s growing impatience with Iran’s dithering over the IAEA fuel-swap deal. The Russians are currently willing to enrich Iran’s uranium and ship it back to Tehran for the Iranian nuclear reactor. Iran’s dithering is costing the Russians money and international credibility.

With regard to the Chinese, the situation is more difficult. Any US move to compromise China’s trade and foreign direct investment in Iran will anger Beijing. Obama would be wise to drop all rhetoric of a ‘trade war’ with China and move to increase free trade between both nations. A stronger US dollar and a push for the Chinese to stop strategically undervaluing their currency would also help. The $70 billion trading relationship between the US and China (one-third of the Chinese economy) is more valuable to both parties than any perceived gains or setbacks with Tehran.

As the world economy continues to evolve, the United States and Europe must take the proper steps to ensure that the dollar and euro are the essential currencies of global exchange and that both continents are critical to a healthy global economy. These moves will also help convince Russia and China that Iranian oil and trade are not such valuable commodities since they can only be obtained at the risk of alienating larger economic opportunities.

AUSTRALIA :

Australia shocked at severity of punishment
By Kathy Marks in Sydney/www.independent.co.uk/Tuesday, 30 March 2010

The arrest of Stern Hu, an Australian citizen, and three Chinese colleagues last July was greeted with consternation in Mr Hu’s adopted home country. Much more than his liberty was at stake: China is Australia’s largest trading partner, and its shipments of iron ore to China account for a sizeable chunk of export income.

While trade relations have not, apparently, been affected, Australian businessmen were shocked yesterday by the severity of the sentences handed down. “A slap on the wrist might have been expected … but this [Mr Hu’s sentence] is far longer than we thought,” said Paul Bartholomew, China editor of the website Steel Business Briefing.
The three-day trial in Shanghai has sparked concerns about the pitfalls of doing business in the world’s third-largest economy. Ann Kent, from the Australian National University’s (ANU) College of Law, said Mr Hu’s 10-year sentence “sends a very strong message to foreign investors and foreign companies to be very wary of this market and their activities in China”.

China’s rapid industrialisation has fuelled an ever-rising demand for Australian minerals, particularly iron ore. Chinese companies have invested heavily in Australian mining ventures. Most observers believe the trading relationship is too important to jeopardise, with China reliant on Australian raw materials and Australia dependent on that key export market.

Ron Huisken, an East Asia expert at the ANU’s Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, predicts that relations will cool somewhat. “To the extent that the trial – and a legal system that seems to be subject to government management and direction and is not transparent – has left a bad taste in Australians’ mouths, I would expect it to have a lingering effect on the quality of the wider relationship. For example, the Foreign Investment Review Board [which has to approve all major investment in Australian companies] could be more disposed to saying ‘no’ down the line.

“It [the Hu affair] may change the tenor of relations in ways which are essentially invisible. But it’s almost unimaginable that you would see the relationship put at genuine risk,” he added.

Rio Tinto, which has reportedly cleared itself of any wrongdoing at a company level in the Hu affair, announced a US$1.35bn deal with the Chinese aluminium giant Chinalco earlier this month to develop an iron ore mine in West Africa.

EUROPE :

Sarkozy’s White House Rendezvous
March 30, 2010 /whitehouse.blogs.foxnews.com

When French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni meet with Barack and Michelle Obama on Tuesday at the White House, all eyes will be on the glamorous first ladies and the body language between the two leaders.

During their one-on-one meeting, the two Presidents are expected to discuss issues ranging from Iran to climate change to recent controversial Air Force refueling contract bid. Their relationship has gone through some very public ups and downs since they have both been in office.

Sarkozy was not shy in expressing his admiration for then-candidate Obama in July 2008, “The French love the Americans.” Obama’s campaign trip through Europe and the Middle East was his debut on the international stage. Obama left such an impression that Sarkozy wrapped up their joint appearance saying, “Good luck to Barack Obama, if he is chosen, then France will be delighted. If it is someone else, France will be the friend of the United States of America.”

‪After Obama’s victory, the relationship between two presidents seemed to get off to a strong start.

In a letter soon after the election, Sarkozy congratulated Obama for having won a hard-fought campaign, “It is also a crowning achievement of an exceptional campaign whose brilliance and high tone demonstrated the vitality of American democracy to the entire world, while keeping them spellbound.”‪

Sarkozy greeted Obama warmly during the NATO summit in Strasbourg last April, his first trip to Europe as commander-in-chief. The U.S. president had nothing but praise for his counterpart at a joint news conference, “He’s courageous on so many fronts, it’s hard to keep up. And the energy that he has brought to foreign affairs is something that I think we’ve all benefited from.” Sarkozy returned the compliment, “I appreciate his open-mindedness and his clear determination to build a new world.”‪

Two months later when Obama returned to France in June to mark the 65th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy, the relationship between the two presidents appeared to start to get a little shaky.

The Obamas made a stop in Paris for some sightseeing but turned down a dinner invitation by the French President, opting to dine alone. But Michelle Obama and their daughters did have lunch with the Sarkozys after the president bolted the City of Lights.

‪The French press widely speculated that the pro-American Sarkozy was obsessed and enamored with Obama and was seeking one-on-one face time at various global forums.‪

Sarkozy then suggested that President Obama was naive in his address at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2009 when the U.S. president said “We must stop the spread of nuclear weapons and seek the goal of a world without them.”

In front of more than 100 world leaders, the French president took a jab back at the leader of the free world, saying “President Obama has even said, ‘I dream of a world without (nuclear weapons).’ Yet before our very eyes, two countries are currently doing the exact opposite.” Sarkozy was referring to Iran and North Korea as he continued, “We are living in a real world, not a virtual world.”

Heather Conley Director of European program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies considers tomorrow’s visit important for the US and France and overall US-European relations, “There are clouds on the bilateral and transatlantic horizon that bear watching.”

The French leader does not see eye-to-eye with Obama on a host of issues. France opposes Turkey joining the EU, would like to see more aggressive efforts in combating global warming, and insists on tighter regulations on banks, executive compensation, hedge funds, credit default swaps and other financial transactions.

Earlier this year in a television interview, Sarkozy wondered why Obama had spent his first year devoted to health care, “I didn’t see that that made things simpler.” In another media outlet, he again let loose about the democrats losing three elections, the governorships in Virginia, New Jersey and the late Senator Edward Kennedy’s seat in Massachusetts, “Obama has been in power for a year, and he has already lost three special elections. Me, I have won two legislative elections and the EU election. What can one say I’ve lost?”‪

Despite differences, Obama and Sarkozy have worked on areas of common concerns and interests. Both countries cooperated on the problem of pirates in seas around the horn of Africa. France is a NATO member that supports the re-engagement of the mission in Afghanistan; and the two countries are working together on passing sanctions against Iran. ‪

However the meeting on bilateral relations goes between the two leaders, their wives will join them for a private dinner at the White House, something the Elysee Palace described as “a gesture of particular esteem.” But what you can bet the press will be most interested in is what both fashion-conscious first ladies will be wearing.

IMF Concerned About East European Currency Gains, Belka Says
March 30, 2010/By Agnes Lovasz/Bloomberg

March 30 (Bloomberg) — East European governments and central banks should move to curb currency gains that threaten to derail the economic recovery and damage competitiveness, an International Monetary Fund official said.

The zloty has surged 22 percent in the past year against the euro, the second-best performer after South Africa’s rand among currencies in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Hungary’s forint is up 17 percent, the Czech koruna has gained 8.6 percent and the Romanian leu has risen 3.9 percent as investors regained appetite for emerging market assets.

Strengthening currencies will “negatively” affect growth, said Marek Belka, director of the IMF’s European department, in an interview in Warsaw yesterday. “This is something that we should fear. An excessive appreciation of domestic currencies can undermine growth.”

The zloty, forint, koruna and leu are benefiting as investors switch funds from some euro-region economies including Greece, Portugal, Ireland and Spain to buy assets in the eastern members of the EU, which have the potential to grow faster and where deficit and debt levels are lower.

Investors are rewarding austere fiscal policies, including IMF-led programs in Hungary and Romania. Poland, the only EU member to avoid a recession during the credit crisis, and the Czech Republic are also returning to fiscal tightening after spending to stimulate economies and bail out banks.

‘Potential Danger’

“All this liquidity that is in the world is looking for yields,” said Belka, who served as Polish prime minister in 2004. “The assessment of risk has improved so the money is flowing in. This is certainly a potential danger.”

Authorities must look at ways to limit the inflow of funds from abroad, including curbing the availability of foreign currency-denominated loans, Belka said. Difficulty in rolling over those loans contributed to Hungary’s near-default in late 2008 after the credit crunch froze its bond market.

“The countries should look at prudential regulation that should discourage some of the foreign currency investments and loan-taking denominated in foreign currencies,” said Belka.

Central bankers are speaking out against the currency gains and have threatened to intervene to halt the moves.

Polish central bank Governor Slawomir Skrzypek said on March 11 the bank will intervene in the currency market if necessary. Monetary policy maker Andrzej Rzonca said the zloty’s strength is the “main threat” to the economy.

‘First Line’

Interest-rate cuts work better than currency sales or purchases to influence the exchange rate, as long as they are couple
d with fiscal stringency, according to Belka.

“I would not exclude intervention as a last resort, not as a regular policy tool,” said Belka. “The right fiscal and monetary policy mix is the first line of defense.” The right policy mix is “pretty lenient monetary policy and pretty disciplined fiscal policy.”

Hungary and Romania are set to reduce their benchmark rates further, from 5.5 percent and 7 percent respectively, as a continued recession keeps inflation at bay. The Czech central bank held the benchmark interest rate at a record low 1 percent on March 25, with two policy makers seeking a quarter-point reduction.

Investors last week pared expectations for an increase in Polish interest rates by the most in five months after a slower- than-expected recovery in consumer demand, forward contracts show. Forward-rate agreements used to speculate on Polish borrowing costs last week had their biggest three-week decline since October.

In Poland “we see even some room for the relaxation of monetary policy,” said Belka. “Inflation is well within bounds. What we should be concerned about is the inflow of foreign capital and the appreciation of the zloty. In Hungary the same forces are at work.”

–Editors: Chris Kirkham

TRADE NEGOTIATIONS:Now business community supports Mkapa on EPA
By Samuel Kamndaya/thecitizen.co.tz/30032010

The private sector and civil society have supported retired President Benjamin Mkapa’s advice that the East African Community should be careful in its Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) negotiations with the European Union.They described Mr Mkapa’s concern as “genuine”, adding that it reflected the position they had been holding for the past five years, saying governments of the EAC member countries should take the former President’s advice seriously.

“Mr Mkapa’s remarks have come as a consolation to us… this is what we have been advocating for the past five years,” a member of the Tanzania Civil Society Trade Coalition (TCSTC), Mr Abubakar Mohammed Ali, told The Citizen.

The statement Mr Mkapa made in Nairobi recently has also drawn the support of members of the private sector, who said there were many issues that should be considered before the region entered into an agreement with the developed nations.

Speaking in Nairobi during the Pan-Africa Media Conference, Mr Mkapa warned the EAC partner states that the EPA, which is being championed by the EU, could be another “scramble for Africa”, and was likely to weaken the regional bloc economically.

The retired President said during the Golden Jubilee of the Nation Media Group (NMG) that even if East Africa was cajoled into an EPA, it should not expect economic wellbeing because there was no fair trade between developed and developing nations.

In a rejoinder, Mr Gerald Ajumbo, a senior official of the EAC Directorate of Customs and Trade, told The Citizen that the former Head of State was entitled his views, but added that the regional body saw nothing wrong in continuing with its negotiations with the EU.

He said abandoning the negotiations, which have dragged on for years, could put the EAC at a disadvantage on a number of international commitments such as trade rules under the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

But TCSTC members said it would be counterproductive for the EAC to go on with an arrangement that had been discredited by people of Mr Mkapa’s stature.

“In principle, the WTO has virtually nothing to offer to poor nations… Mr Mkapa is experienced and well educated. He is conversant with macro and microeconomics, and understands EPAs better than many of us do. We will be making a serious mistake if we take his advice lightly,” said Mr Moses Kulaba, the executive secretary of Agenda Participation 2000.

Another TCSTC member, Mr Musa Bilegeya, said most leaders of developing countries lacked consistency in their development initiatives.

“I was first astonished when I heard former Industries, Trade and Marketing minister Basil Mramba saying EPAs were a bad thing… Mr Mkapa is the second prominent person to say so, and this tells me that senior government officials do understand issues that affect the people. They lack consistency in their own development initiatives and also when dealing with issues in which donors seek to safeguard their interests,” he explained.

He said negotiators may have overlooked the fact that the country had its own Vision 2025 and Mkukuta goals to meet. “I would have expected our negotiators to say to what extent will EPAs help or not help in the realisation of these development initiatives,” he said.

According to an Oxfam International Briefing Paper on the impact of EPAs to African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries, released soon after the EAC and EU signed an interim EPA in Uganda in 2007, the EAC stands to lose due to the reciprocating approach to opening up in the EPA deals.

Under the initialled agreements that are not yet legally binding, the EU has given the EAC a 100 per cent duty and quota-free market access.

But the EU reciprocates in that the EAC is also required to start a gradual reduction of tariffs on EU products in 2010. The reduction will be implemented over 25 years culmination in 82 per cent of EU goods entering EAC member countries duty-free by 2035.

And in another development, Mr Mkapa told The Citizen last week that his comments in Nairobi were mot meant to initiate a debate with anyone.

He presented this newspaper with a document from the South Centre titled Trade for Development Programme, which explains how EPAs are “toxic” to Africa’s collective economy.

According to the 13-page document, EPAs provide a wrong development model for Africa, and will jeopardise the continent’s integration prospects.

The South Centre further says that EPAs discourage African countries from having appropriate trade policies to support increasing production capacities in agriculture and industries.

It estimates that Africa will lose nearly $2 billion (Sh2.6 trillion) under the EPA arrangement through a decline in exports, export tariff cuts, undermining of agriculture and deindustrialisation, among other factors.

“Relinquishing the ability to craft appropriate trade policies will lock African countries into their current patterns of production such as low levels of manufacturing capacity and ‘mono-exportation’,” the document says in part.

A common position on EPAs adopted by members of the private sector indicates that the sector is still sceptical about the negotiations, and frustrated by their inability to access the EU market due to tough sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) rules.

Their concerns are based on the fact that EAC businesses usually find it hard to enter the EU markets due to their level of compliance with SPS and technical measures set by the EU and retailers in EU member countries.

“For EAC Partner States to effectively use the EU duty-free and quota-free access will depend, among other things, on the capacity to continuously comply with the requirements made by the EU as well as by its retailers, since a few but huge retail chains dominate the EU market,” says a statement on the common position as outlined in the EAC-EABC Private Sector EPA Negotiations handbook discussed in Arusha on March 12 and 13.

CHINA :

Sinopec to Purchase Angolan Oil Assets for US$2.46 Billion
www.china-briefing.com/2010/03/30

Mar. 30 – The China Petroleum and Chemical Corp., or Sinopec, announced its first overseas asset acquisition on Monday, agreeing to acquire deep-water oil assets in Angola through the purchase of a 55 percent stake in Sonangol Sinopec International Ltd for US$2.46 billion.

As Asia’s largest oil refiner, Sinopec is actively seeking overseas investments in oil and gas resources to meet China’s increasing energy demands. The deal is Sinopec’s first overseas asset acquisition, aiming to “further expand Sinopec’s upstream business, and Sinopec will have access to overseas oil and natural gas markets,” according to chairman of the board Su Shulin.
The acquisition will be paid by capital and bank loans, through which will increase the company’s proven reserves of crude oil by 3.6 percent, or 102 million barrels. Daily crude-oil production will rise 8.8 percent, or 72,520 barrels.

China’s drive for resources in Africa has met with Western criticism, which Beijing rejects. “China’s oil imports from Africa accounted for only 13 percent of Africa’s total exports, while Europe and the United States took more than 30 percent,” Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said at a press conference in Beijing last month.

Asians find Phila. schools an unexpected experience
By Jeff Gammage /www.philly.com/Inquirer Staff Writer/Tue, Mar. 30, 2010

In the years before Ming Chen came to the United States, he imagined his American education:
His school would be a place of learning and knowledge, where students helped one another achieve.

Chen arrived here from China in August and enrolled at South Philadelphia High School the next month. On Dec. 3, he was attacked in the lunchroom during a daylong assault on Asian students by groups of mostly African American classmates.

Today, he struggles to reconcile how he could be physically assaulted – he suffered a bloody mouth and bruises – in what he was certain would be a center of scholarship and friendship. “School should be a place to learn, to study, not a place to fight,” Chen, 21, said through a translator.

The Dec. 3 violence has spawned three separate, official investigations by federal, Philadelphia School District, and human-relations officials. Asian immigrant students say what has not been discussed is their profound sense of shock, the disconnect and disparity between the reception they envisioned from a far shore and what they actually experienced in school.

In interviews with The Inquirer, eight students described that chasm between expectation and reality.

“Sometimes, I wonder what’s wrong with me, that I don’t get accepted,” said Bach Tong, a 16-year-old 10th grader from Vietnam. “School is supposed to be the safest place, besides home.”

Tong, like most others interviewed, has been in the United States less than three years, his parents having left behind everything in hope their son could snare the gold ring of a U.S. education. Before immigrating, students said, their knowledge of U.S. schools came from watching movies and TV.

Mu Lin Liu, 18, had no idea what he was walking into when he arrived at South Philadelphia High on what he said was either Dec. 6 or 7.

He expected he and the American students would “all become friends.” It never entered his mind he might be a target. But on his first day, in the aftermath of the Dec. 3 violence, the building practically vibrated with anxiety.

“I was very, very surprised and shocked,” the ninth grader said through a translator.

His father had left Fuzhou, China, for the United States, to work and save money so the family could follow, when Liu was 3. Liu was 16 when they met again. That kind of separation is typical among families of Chinese immigrant students.

In countries such as China, many struggle to pay school fees and view free public education as an exceptional benefit.

Through the first months of school, Liu said, he and his brother managed to avoid trouble. But this month, he said, his brother was exiting a bathroom stall when a student on the outside deliberately kicked the door inward, slamming it into the youth.

Regarding Dec. 3, the School District inquiry attributed the violence to rumors that sprang from an altercation involving Asian and African American students the previous day. It said most of the victims were recent immigrants, but found insufficient proof to conclude Asians were attacked solely because of that status.

Community advocates and student leaders, however, say that Asian and particularly Asian immigrant students are routinely slapped, tripped, and punched – and that administrators ignored years of complaints.

The Dec. 3 violence sent seven Asians to hospitals and led to a seven-day boycott of classes by about 50 students. Nineteen students were suspended, and 14 transferred to alternative schools. Five transfers were overturned.

In Philadelphia, Asians comprise a small minority, 5.7 percent of the population, and they account for roughly the same percentage of total district enrollment. But that figure more than triples inside Southern, as the high school is known, to 18 percent.

The neighborhood has been changing since the 1980s, when large numbers of Southeast Asian refugees resettled. Now it’s a frequent first stop for Asian newcomers, who enter a school that is 70 percent African American, 6 percent Hispanic, and 5 percent white.

Some Asian students traveled here to be reunited with parents they barely knew. Others found themselves largely on their own, their sponsoring relatives having left for other cities.

“In some sense, they have a great deal more opportunity than they did at home. In some cases, they face barriers here they never thought they’d face,” Amanda Bergson-Shilcock of the Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians said of the Asian students.

She supervises the agency’s five-year-old program at Southern, which helps 200 students, 60 percent of them born overseas. Most of the foreign students have been in the country less than two years.

They are simultaneously trying to learn English, grasp the content of their studies, and adapt to a new culture where the slightest social interactions can be fraught: How much eye contact is polite? How close should they stand to someone?

The act of leaving everything – country, language, food, family – is itself traumatic, said Godelive Muttu, a coordinator for Lutheran Children and Family Services.

“When they’re in school and experience violence, that is re-traumatizing,” Muttu said. “There is no safe place. That is the message to them. There is no safe place.”

Experts say that these days, the United States offers a harsh climate for immigrants of all ethnicities. Groups such as the Southern Poverty Law Center say immigrants often are victims of violence and routinely are blamed for crime, unemployment, and terrorism.

“First-generation Asian kids really, really work hard – there’s no other way to say it,” said Fariborz Ghadar, a Pennsylvania State University professor who directs the Center for Global Business Studies. “Their SAT scores are good, their grades are good. And there is backlash by American kids who see these guys as major competitors in the classroom.

“All of a sudden, here are kids that work their butts off, don’t really play well on their Xboxes, are not particularly athletic – criteria that our teenagers think are important.”

The district inquiry, issued last month, said race was a factor in the attacks. Other investigations are proceeding through the Justice Department, the result of a complaint filed by an Asian legal group, and the state Human Relations Commission.

“We went to America to get an education, not to be in
violence, not to be victims,” said Duong Nghe Ly, an 18-year-old junior from Vietnam.

Ly’s parents fled from Vietnam in 1990, making their way to Thailand. Ly was born there, in a refugee camp, two years later. When he was 4, the United Nations cut off funding for the camps and his family was forced to return to Vietnam.

In Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, Ly’s parents survived by running a noodle stand in front of their home. They scraped to pay for their son’s schooling, while undertaking a 12-year effort to move to the United States.

“I expected I would have a lot of American friends as my English improved, like I saw on TV,” he said. “I found it was not that easy.”

In interviews, students said that they generally believed their teachers cared about them – and that they were learning. Several cited the English-language teachers as particularly kind and helpful.

The second floor of Southern, where those classes are centered, has been a refuge, students said. They fear district officials will pursue discussions about breaking it up.

Phuong Truong, a 17-year-old junior, said that on his first day in school he saw Asians in the lunchroom pelted with anything that could be thrown – food, trays, oranges, milk.

In an interview, he struggled to convey his disbelief.

“I thought of it as someplace very safe, with friendly teachers and friendly friends,” said Truong, who came from Vietnam in 2008.

Before immigrating, Tong, the 10th grader, lived in Tra Vinh, a city in the Mekong Delta region. His father was a farmer, his mother a cashier.

His parents told him they were moving to the United States the night before the family got on the plane. The couple had feared that alerting their son in advance would upset his schoolwork.

The family arrived in April 2008, and Tong enrolled at Southern that fall. He sought American friends, but found language a barrier. Then, in October, several Asians were attacked at the Snyder Avenue subway stop.

Tong was astonished. His parents were so upset they scouted possible new homes in New Jersey.

Now Tong doesn’t tell his parents when Asians are harassed. He worries they’ll move, and he wants to stay with his Vietnamese friends. He just wishes his school was more what he had imagined: “Nearly perfect.”

Death penalty used as political weapon in China: Amnesty
2010-03-30/sify.com

London: The death penalty is still used as a political weapon in many countries including China, Iran and Sudan, a report released on Tuesday by human rights organisation Amnesty International said.

“Even as world opinion and practice shift inexorably towards abolition, the extensive and politicised use of the death penalty continues,” it said.

China executed more people than the rest of the world put together in 2009, Amnesty said. The country “refused to divulge exact figures … although evidence from previous years and a number of current sources indicates that the figure remains in the thousands.”

The majority of executions carried out were in Asia, the Middle East and North Africa.

Methods included “hanging, shooting, beheading, stoning, electrocution and lethal injection,” the report said.

The report also accused Saudi Arabia and Iran of executing juvenile offenders “in violation of international law.”

But overall the world continued a trend towards the abolition of the death penalty in 2009, Amnesty said.

Outrage as Amnesty sacks Indian rights campaigner

For the first year since the organisation started keeping records, no executions were carried out in Europe and two countries – Burundi and Togo – abolished the death penalty.

“These successes follow decisions by the UN General Assembly in 2007 and 2008 to call for a global moratorium on executions as a first step to total abolition,” Amnesty said.

INDIA :

France Seeking Better Trade Ties with India
Tuesday, March 30th, 2010/Posted by Meena Rani K /www.blogofindia.in

France is keen to invest in India’s infrastructure, at the same time would like to have Indian companies establish their presence on French soil. French Ambassador to India Jérôme Bonnafont revealed his country’s eagerness on both fronts while unveiling France’s new initiatives seeking investments from European countries and emerging economies like India.

France is already on talks with the India government regarding investing in the country’s infrastructure, mostly roads and highways. The French Ambassador said, “Since the emphasis in India is on the development of infra we will put big efforts in this sector.”

France is also keen on contributing in the Indian nuclear power sector. With the proposed Civil Nuclear Liability Bill hanging fire and the US firms wary, France is going ahead with the talks of setting up two nuclear reactors at Jaitapur Nuclear Park in Maharashtra.

Mr. Bonnafont described the Bill as an internal issue. He said, “It is up to India to conduct its internal debates the way it has to be conducted. So I have absolutely no comments on the process which is going on in Parliament and with government in that respect.”

Mr. Bonnafont pointed out the imbalance in bilateral ties. While there are 700 French firms in India, employing about 1.6 lakh people, there are only 90 Indian companies in France employing 6,000 people. He said, “Our message is very simple. A healthy relationship should be balanced. We would, therefore, like Indian companies, which are expanding worldwide to realize the potential of the world’s fifth largest economy.”

He added that France has many companies up for sale due to disinterest among the Gen-Next. This affords ideal investment opportunities for Indian companies to enter France as well as other European Union countries and Africa.

BRASIL:

EN BREF, CE 30 mars 2010 … AGNEWS / OMAR, BXL,30/03/2010