{jcomments on}OMAR, AGNEWS, BXL, le 22 avril 2010 – news.blogs.cnn.com- April 22, 2010–A Rwandan court will decide Thursday whether to grant bail to a presidential hopeful arrested on charges that include collaborating with a terrorist organization and denying the genocide.
RWANDA
Rwandan opposition leader arrested
April 22nd, 2010/news.blogs.cnn.com
A Rwandan court will decide Thursday whether to grant bail to a presidential hopeful arrested on charges that include collaborating with a terrorist organization and denying the genocide.
Victoire Ingabire is a likely challenger to President Paul Kagame in the August elections. Her arrest Wednesday was followed by an appearance in a Kigali court, the prosecutor’s office said.
Opposition party members are facing increasing threats, attacks and harassment ahead of the elections, the New York-based Human Rights Watch has said.
Rwanda: Arrested Officers Not Linked to Renegade General – RDF
Edwin Musoni/The New Times/allafrica.com/22 April 2010
Kigali — The Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) has refuted media reports linking the arrests of Lt. Gen. Charles Muhire and Maj Gen Karenzi Karake to renegade Lt. Gen Kayumba Nyamwasa and the recent grenade attacks in the city.
Lt. Gen. Muhire was recently suspended due to “serious charges of corruption and misuse of office” while Maj. Gen. Karenzi was suspended on charges of “immoral conduct that contravenes and undermines the values and ethos of the Rwanda Defence Force”, as announced recently by the military spokesman, Major Jill Rutaremara.
In a statement released yesterday, Rutaremara said that; “neither Lt Gen Muhire nor Maj Gen Karenzi has ever been questioned over grenade attacks or alleged coup attempt, since there has never been any coup attempt”.
He added that the charges against the two Generals were made very clear and that there should not be any speculation.
“There is no intelligence information linking the two generals to the grenade attacks unlike the case of Kayumba Nyamwasa,” Rutaremara said.
He emphasized the arrests were not unusual.
“It is not the first time Generals are arrested … the arrest and even trials of Generals in the RDF go far back beyond the fleeing of Kayumba Nyamwasa, and there are records to that effect,” he said.
He further dismissed allegations that the recent arrest signals a rift in the leadership of the RDF.
“RDF is a solid and coherent institution and its strength lies primarily in its self discipline and in its boldness and resolve to fight impunity,” said the spokesperson.
He further observed that systems that fail to fight impunity have either paid a high price or will ultimately do so.
“The suspension and arrest of the two Generals was an action taken in order to enforce discipline, moral conduct and accountability in the Rwanda Defence Force”.
UGANDA
Iran’s Ahmadinejad heads to Zimbabwe, Uganda
(AFP)/22042010
TEHRAN — President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad left Thursday for a two-day visit to Zimbabwe and to UN Security Council member Uganda, with whom he will discuss Iran’s nuclear programme, state television reported.
Ahmadinejad’s visit to Uganda gains significance as world powers have stepped up pressure for a new round of UN sanctions against Iran for pursuing its nuclear programme.
The report gave no details of the Zimbabwe leg of the trip but said the Iranian hardliner would hold talks on Friday with Ugandan officials, including President Yoweri Museveni, in Kampala.
Uganda currently holds one of the rotating Security Council seats.
“Obviously as a member of the Security Council we are going to discuss the issue of nuclear energy,” the permanent secretary of Uganda’s foreign ministry James Mugume said on Tuesday.
“We’ve have been engaging Iran on this issue for some time.”
Iran’s Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Sunday that Tehran planned to open talks with all 15 Security Council members in an effort to break a deadlock on a nuclear fuel supply deal that has put it at odds with Western powers.
TANZANIA:
Tanzania’s Goodwill Tourism Ambassador in America named
By APOLINARI TAIRO, eTN| www.eturbonews.com / Apr 22, 2010
During his weeklong tour in United States, Tanzanian President Mr. Jakaya Kikwete has picked famous American businessman and photographer, Mr. Douglas Pitts, as Tanzania’s Goodwill Tourism Ambassador in the United States.
Doug Pitt was named Goodwill Ambassador of the United Republic of Tanzania by President Jakaya Kikwete at Essex House in New York this week during a dinner function.
Doug is a photojournalist and the director of charity Africa 6000 International, which helps provide fresh water to the people of Africa.
Mr. Kikwete said during the event that he had acknowledged efforts by Mr. Pitt’s efforts in promoting Tanzania to the US tourist market.
“I understand that you have been visiting Tanzania quietly, taking photographs, doing business and supporting various humanitarian projects,” Mr. Kikwete said after presenting Mr. Pitt with a certificate of his appointment.
The Tanzanian president further thanked Mr. Pitts for accepting the offer and asked him to continue with the good work he has done so far and maintain his love for the country.
Natural Resources and Tourism Minister, Mrs. Shamsa Mwangunga, who accompanied the president at the ceremony, underscored the importance of the fast growing US tourism market.
She said that last year 66,000 tourists from the US visited Tanzania, up from about 5,000 arrivals ten years ago. The minister said the US was now the leading source of tourists to Tanzania ahead of Britain and Germany.
The minister said last year a total of 700,000 tourists visited Tanzania and expressed optimism that the number would increase due to enhanced marketing and promotion drive.
While in New York last week, President Jakaya Kikwete
called for global co-operation in combating maritime piracy off the Indian Ocean coast, in accordance with international law.
The Tanzanian president condemned increased acts of piracy in the Eastern African coast and the Horn of Africa, which is a vital shipping lane connecting Africa, the Middle East, Europe, Asia and the Americas whereby gangs have seized dozens of ships in the area over the last few years and money in millions of dollars in ransom was paid to pirates who hijacked the vessels.
“Piracy is a serious international security and economic problem that needs co-operation in effectively combating it”, he said.
“Every country must play its part in fighting piracy as provided for in international law. In Tanzania, we are going to play our part and everyone else must do so,” Mr. Kikwete said.
He called for immediate punishment of suspected pirates captured during various rescue operations, adding that Tanzania was in the process of reviewing its laws to facilitate trial and conviction of suspected pirates.
Tanzania: Why Politicians Need to Kiss and Hug Female Voters
Charles Onyango-Obbo/The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)/allafrica.com /22 April 2010
Kenya’s draft constitution proposes that at least a third of seats in all elective bodies be reserved for women.
If the draft is passed in the referendum, this provision will bring Kenya’s constitution in line with its East African Community partners Uganda and Rwanda (though Rwanda is more generous, and has the highest percentage of women in its Parliament in the world).
If the experience of Uganda teaches anything about the politics of the female vote, it is that it is easily the most powerful force in African politics. Just that not too many people pay attention.
Now Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni is not a model democrat, and has a bad habit of amending the constitution to suit his whims. But if there one man who knows something about the power of grateful female voters in Africa, it is Mr Museveni.
He is the grandmaster.
When Mr Museveni came to power at the head of a victorious rebel army in January 1986, he needed to consolidate his power.
However, Uganda at that point was still a two-party system. Religion was the thing. Most Catholics supported the Democratic Party (DP).
And most Protestants supported the Uganda Peoples’ Congress. It was that simple. The Muslims divided themselves between the two parties. Between 1979 and 1980, the radical leftist elements in both DP and UPC drifted away and joined Mr Museveni’s Uganda Patriotic Movement (UPM).
In the 1980 election that was marred by rigging, Ms Museveni’s UPM lost badly. Even then, in his own constituency, he placed third and thus lost his deposit.
In power, Mr Museveni figured that this religion-driven two-party system would take long to break.
His genius came from realising that he could use gender to turn things upside down. Early in his rule, he surprised even progressives when he introduced a +1.5 points scheme for university entrance for women.
Thus when university entrance exams were done, every young woman got an additional 1.5 points.
With that single stroke university enrolment for women skyrocketed. Unfortunately, most affirmative action policies tend to produce unintended results.
So while university enrolment for women increased in Uganda, it was mostly for those from middle class backgrounds. Many working and peasant girls scored very low marks, the 1.5 points bonus was not enough to lift them into university.
So while the male-female gap in higher education closed, the one between young men from better off families and those from poor ones grew wider!
By 1990 several laws had been passed guaranteeing women a slice of the action in elective bodies. These were then entrenched and expanded in the 1995 constitution.
These moves shifted a large grateful female vote into Mr Museveni’s corner, with the result that the other parties were left to squabble over male support.
To make matters worse, just to cushion himself, he decided to hive off the votes of the older people, too. Until about 10 years ago, though he rigged elections, Mr Museveni didn’t have to.
Opinion poll after opinion poll, year after year, on a range of issues showed women’s and older people’s support for the man was solid–consistently over 75 per cent.
That is why in his first years, he could afford to sleep with both his eyes closed. He had little to fear.
Mr Museveni also understood two other critical things: Female supporters don’t waver, and unlike the men, are more difficult to bribe.
Candidate A can come to a bar and find 20 male supporters of candidate B, buy them lot of beer, and when they go out to vote next day, 80 per cent of them will shift their vote. No such luck with women.
Secondly, in Africa women – and older people – turn out to vote in larger numbers than young people.
All this makes Kenya’s draft constitution even more remarkable to some of us who have an interest in how politicians cash in their reform chips.
If the draft passes, the two principals, President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga, and their lieutenants in the grand coalition government will claim credit equally. In Mr Kibaki’s case, he is even stepping down in 2012.
Mr Odinga cannot take all the credit and thus collect the gender dividend the way Mr Museveni or Rwanda’s Paul Kagame have done.
Unless Kenyan politicians have a secret selfless side unknown to us thus far I cannot, for the life of me, find a case in Africa where a power class let the spoils of constitution reform waste away like that.
CONGO RDC :
Falling Whistles: A Campaign for Peace in Congo
daily.swarthmore.edu/| April 22, 2010
Sponsor: The President’s Office, STAND, SASA, and GHF
When:Wednesday the 28th at 7:00 pm
Where: Science Center 199
Sean Carasso, the founder of Falling Whistles, will be speaking about his nonprofit organization’s work in Congo. Falling Whistles is a campaign for peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the Congo, Sean stumbled upon an illegal encampment where 5 boys, escaped child soldiers, were being held prisoner. The boys told him the story of the whistleblowers: boys too small to carry a gun were sent to the front lines of battle armed with only a whistle. After Sean learned about this, he had no idea how to respond, so he wrote a journal entry and sent what he wrote to close family and friends who, in turn, forwarded it on with the same urgency. Right now, 2 years later, Falling Whistles is working side-by-side with a rehabilitation program in North Kivu, DRC, rehabilitating 270 war-affected children. The campaign calls for people to be whistleblowers for peace. They sell whistles and implore people to wear them as their protest, in solidarity of the war. 100% of proceeds go to rehabilitate and advocate for the children in their program.
This event is sponsored by the President’s Office, STAND, SASA, and GHF.
KENYA :
Ruto moved in Kenya Cabinet shuffle
www.nation.co.ke/By ANTHONY KARIUKI/Posted Thursday, April 22 2010
Agriculture minister William Ruto has been moved to the Higher Education docket in a mini Cabinet reshuffle on Wednesday.
President Kibaki named Dr Sally Kosgei as the new Agriculture minister after consultations with Prime Minister Raila Odinga, said a statement from the President’s office.
Trade minister Amos Kimunya will serve, in an acting capacity, as Transport minister.
Belgut MP Charles Keter, a Ruto ally, was dropped from the Cabinet altogether in his capacity as Energy assistant minister.
“These appointments and changes take effect immediately,” said the statement.
In other changes, Kaloleni MP Samuel Kazungu Kambi was named as the assistant minister in the Ministry of Medical Services while Wilfred Moriasi Ombui (North Mugirango ) will now serve the government as the assistant minister, Ministry of State for National Heritage and Culture, Office of the Vice President.
Kipkelion MP Kiprono Magerer Langat moves to the Energy Ministry as MP assistant minster.
Mr Kambi replaces Garsen MP Danson Mungatana, who quit the coalition government last year while Mr Ombui fills the vacancy left by Joel Onyancha, who lost his Bomachoge seat in a by-election.
Mr Kimunya added responsibilities are due to the vacancy left by former Transport minister Chirau Ali Mwakwere, who lost his Matuga parliamentary seat after a petition contesting his election as area MP.
The changes will come as a blow to Mr Ruto, who has been spearheading the No campaign against the draft constitution.
The Eldoret North MP is leading a group of No proponents, largely drawn from the Rift Valley, who are opposed to what they say are contentious issues in the draft, namely: Land, Devolution and Executive.
Particularly galling for him will be the fact that Dr Kosgei, who has gone against the grain in the Rift Valley in supporting the proposed law, is the one to gain from the perceived Ruto’s demotion.
The Agriculture Ministry is one of the key portfolios in government not least because agriculture is Kenya’s economic mainstay and the largest foreign exchange earner. Mr Ruto was also in control of 29 parasatals in the Ministry, one of the largest in the 40 Kenya ministries.
Mr Ruto was non-committal when asked if he considered the transfer as a demotion.
“Whatever it is,” he said.
Mr Ruto has also been at odds with the Prime Minister Raila Odinga and his party- the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM)- over a host of issues among them the Mau Forest evictions and the government’s handling of the post election violence suspects.
He has accused the PM of mismanaging the evictions saying that it was inhumane to uproot people from their homes and “dump them on the roadside”. Incidentally, Mr Odinga is expected in the Mau Thursday for another round of tree planting at Songi Kaboyet in Eastern Mau starting from 10 a.m.
Mr Ruto also differs with Mr Odinga on the government decision to hand over post poll violence suspects to the International Criminal Court at The Hague as he prefers a local judicial mechanism.
In February, Mr Odinga suspended Mr Ruto together with Basic Education minister Sam Ongeri for their role in the maize and Free Primary Education (FPE) scandals respectively, further widening their differences. However, President Kibaki overturned the suspensions saying the PM had no powers to fire ministers.
Mr Kimunya added responsibilities are due to the vacancy left by former Transport minister Chirau Ali Mwakwere, who lost his Matuga parliamentary seat after a petition contesting his election as area MP.
ANGOLA :
CPLP believes on Angola capacity to lead the organisation
4/22/10/www.portalangop.co.ao
Luanda – The Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP) believes on the implementation of the programmes during Angola’s leadership to be assumed coming July, when will host the 8th meeting of the head of states and government of the organisation.
This was was stressed to the press by CPLP Executive Secretary, Domingos Simões Pereira, at the end of an audience with angolan parliament speaker, António Paulo Kassoma.
Mr Pereira said to have discussed with the Angolan parliament speaker the prepairings of the summit, awaited with “great expectation because the community believes in the good performance of the Angolan institutions”.
One of the issues to be resolved during the Angola mandate has to do with the statute of portuguese speaking-countries citizens, believing that after the development reached in the Parliamentary Assembly of CPLP, held in March in Lisbon, important steps can be made in the round to be held in Luanda.
The integration of new members, such as Equatorial Guinea, will also discussed during the 8th summit. The government of Malabo has requested its integration in 2004, but the language factor (Equatorial Guinea is a spanish speaking country) has forced the postponment of a decision by the portuguese speaking community of states.
Domingos Simões informed that equato-guineans pledged to fulfil the rules of the community and the member states will now decide if the whole conditions have been met.
He said that he will be traveling to Malabo to speak with the country officials in order to facilitate the process, by suggesting them some steps they need to take.
During the meeting, Paulo Kassoma and Domingos Simões exchanged their points of view about the situation in Guinea Bissau, concuring on the idea to help that country to overcome the political crisis.
Domingos Simões is visiting Angola since last weekend, having met different government officials and institutions.
The Portuguese Speaking Community member states are Angola, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Sao Tomé and Príncipe, Portugal, Brazil and East Timor.
SOUTH AFRICA:
Nigeria, South Africa to enhance trade relations
Ayodamola Owoseye /234next.com/April 22, 2010
The South African embassy has promised to improve on the challenges faced by Nigerian business personnel in getting visas to that country, in order to enhance the trade relations with Nigeria.
Thandi Mgxwati, Political Counsellor/Head of Lagos Mission, South Africa High Commission, speaking on ‘Nigeria-South Africa Bilateral Relations – Successes and Challenges’, said efforts are currently being made to make visa applications and processing easier for Nigerians wishing to travel to that country.
The South African envoy, who spoke at a breakfast meeting organised by the Nigerian-South African Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday in Lagos, said this is one of the ways to fully explore the investment and trade opportunities available to both countries through their bilateral relationship.
The relationship between Nigeria and South Africa is believed to be skewed in favour of the latter, as there are more investments and trading activities by South Africa in Nigeria, than the other way round.
“South Africa is looking forward to working with Nigerian businesses to further open up trade and investment opportunities between the two countries, and we will like to see more partnerships and more Nigerian businesses coming into South Africa. We are trying to respond to the imbalance business arrangement by taking advantage of these opportunities to create a better working condition for all parties,” she said.
Ms. Mgxweti argued that Nigeria can gain a lot in business partnership with South Africa in terms of industries, agriculture, among others.
Investment opportunities
Trade relations between both countries since the launch of the South Africa- Nigeria Bi-National Commission 10 years ago, leapt from $16.5-million in 1999, to $2.1-billion in 2008.
Although Ms Mgxweti said she did not have current statistics on the volume of trade between Nigeria and South Africa at the time of the briefing, she however, hoped it is good, adding that there is still a lot of business potentials in the two countries waiting to be explored.
Visa problems
Most of the participants who spoke at the meeting called for a quick resolution of the visa problems encountered by Nigerians at the South African embassy, as the situation is affecting Nigerians intending to do business with that country.
To this, Ms Mgxweti said, “We are currently working on a short term solution. This we intend doing by introducing systems to perfect the turnaround time for visa applications. This will be used to provide more information to people, as we have realised that the lack of information on the visa requirements by the embassy has been a deterring factor to issuing visas.
“We intend creating a website which will enable people to read more, and this will concurrently serve as a platform to addressing issues of business barriers. We also want to use this medium to encourage people who intend going for the World Cup to apply on time for their visas and not leave it to the last minute, as this will help save all the hiccups and unnecessary stress,” she added.
Nicholas Coleman, the new Commercial Counsellor at the South Africa High Commission, said his mission to Nigeria is to enhance trading opportunities between both countries, by providing relevant information to potential investors and business personnel wanting to explore the South African economy.
Alubani Sebanda, Head, South Africa Corporate office, Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc, sponsors of the breakfast meeting, recalled that the bank started with five branch offices in Nigeria, and has been tapping from the vast Nigerian economy, and believes they can still do more.
“We are an international repute bank with no crisis record during the bank auditing and repositioning carried out by the Central Bank of Nigeria, in August last year. We are still waxing stronger and are encouraging a growing partnership and business investments between both countries, and we are willing to extend our private equity external bank by looking into enterprises and help them gather information about what is happening in South Africa and what to invest in,” he said.
Thobi Duma, Country Manager, South Africa Airways, used the opportunity to encourage Nigerians to book their flights to attend the World Cup, as this will open up more business opportunities for them, while also providing them a means of relaxation and tourism
Pretoria Luxury Train Derails in South Africa, Two Dead
By Marco ‘t Hoen/Epoch Times Staff /Apr 22, 2010
A luxury train derailed just outside the South African city of Pretoria on Wednesday, killing two people and injuring dozens.
The train derailed at the end of its journey from Cape Town near a station in Pretoria while switching to a different locomotive. Seventeen luxury cars ended up laying on top of one another.
Both South Africans and tourists were on the train at the time of the accident. A spokesperson of Rovos Rail, the company that runs the train, told the South African Press Association that most of the tourists on the train were of European or U.S. nationality.
Two South African women working in the train were killed. A safety inspector told AFP that the switch from an electric locomotive to a steam engine caused the accident.
AngloGold, Great Basin, JSE: South Africa Equity Preview
April 22, 2010/By Janice Kew and Nasreen Seria/Bloomberg
April 22 (Bloomberg) — The following is a list of companies whose shares may have unusual price changes in South Africa. Stock symbols are in parentheses after company names and prices are from the last close.
South Africa’s FTSE/JSE Africa All Share Index fell 73.68, or 0.3 percent, to 28,938.78.
Anglo American Plc (AGL SJ): The mining company that accounts for more than 10 percent of the All Share index by weighting hosts it annual general meeting of shareholders and gives an interim management statement. Anglo American fell 3.33 rand, or 1 percent, to 324.07 rand.
AngloGold Ashanti Ltd. (ANG SJ): the gold producer sold $1 billion of notes in a two-part offering, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The shares fell 2 rand, or 0.7 percent, to 288.50 rand.
Anglo Platinum Ltd. (AMS SJ): The world’s biggest platinum producer will release an interim management statement. Anglo Platinum rose 14 rand, or 1.7 percent, to 818 rand.
Great Basin Gold Ltd. (GBG SJ): The gold exploration company entered into a purchase agreement with Newmont Mining Ltd. to sell a maximum of 50,000 ore tons. The shares were unchanged at 13 rand.
JSE Ltd. (JSE SJ): The operator of the stock exchange in Johannesburg hosts its annual general meeting of shareholders. JSE rose 90 cents, or 1.4 percent, to 67 rand.
Vox Telecom Ltd. (VOX SJ): The Internet-service and software company said first-half net income declined to 25.5 million rand ($3.44 million) from 31.1 million rand a year earlier. Vox gained 1 cent, or 2.8 percent, to 37 cents.
Shares or American depositary receipts of the following South African companies closed as follows:
Anglo American Plc (AAUKY US) fell 0.8 percent to $21.77. AngloGold Ashanti Ltd. (AU US) rose 0.2 percent to $38.78. BHP Billiton Ltd. (BBL US) dropped 1.8 percent to $66.01. DRDGold Ltd. (DROOY US) climbed 5.4 percent to $5.25. Gold Fields Ltd. (GFI US) increased 1.8 percent to $12.77. Harmony Gold Mining Co. (HMY US) increased 0.5 percent to $9.35. Impala Platinum Holdings (IMPUY US) increased 0.1 percent to $28.92. Sappi Ltd. (SPP US) fell 0.7 percent to $4.25. Sasol Ltd. (SSL US) gained 0.4 percent to $40.38.
–Editors: Glenn J. Kalinoski, Vernon Wessels.
SANZAR secures lucrative new TV deal
April 22, 2010/www.smh.com.au
Australia, New Zealand and South Africa have thrashed out a lucrative new broadcast rights agreement for Test and Super Rugby worth US$437 million dollars.
The agreement which covers, the five-year period from 2011-2015 represents a 35 per cent increase on the current five year agreement, with the Australian Rugby Union getting a 30 per cent increase in its share.
South Africa, New Zealand, Australia Rugby (SANZAR) reached agreement with pay television operators Fox Sports (Australia), Supersport (South Africa) and Sky Sports (New Zealand).
The Nine Network has been confirmed as the new free-to-air rights holder in Australia and will simulcast the Wallabies’ June Test and Tri-Nations matches in addition to broadcasting a weekly one-hour highlights program of Super Rugby.
Australian Rugby Union chief executive John O’Neill described the deal as a good outcome which would help under pin an expanded Super 15 tournament which includes fifth Australian franchise the Melbourne Rebels from next year.
Under the new conference format, the amount of Australian local derby matches will rise from six to 20.
“The conference model and the increase in local derbies and the increase in local content really gives us a far better chance of competing for the hearts and minds of fans, sports fans, rugby fans, generally,” O’Neill told reporters on Thursday.
Fox Sports chief executive David Malone acknowledged the addition of the Melbourne team added to the attractiveness of the SANZAR package.
“The expanded Super Rugby competition will provide tremendous for fans, with a subsequential increase in the number of matches played in Australian time zones,” Malone said.
AAP
AFRICA / AU :
McDonald’s profit beats forecasts
www.dailytimes.com.pk/Thursday, April 22, 2010
NEW YORK: McDonald’s Corp reported quarterly profit on Wednesday that beat analysts’ forecasts as its US business picked up in March and global sales were keeping up their momentum in April. Shares of the world’s largest fast-food chain edged up 0.5 percent as it also said global sales at established restaurants rose 4.2 percent for the quarter, which ended March 31, and 5.2 percent in March. In the United States, where quarterly same-store sales rose 1.5 percent, results got a boost from its coffee and other beverages. Sales at US restaurants open at least 13 months rose 4.2 percent in March, while same-store sales in Europe rose 5.9 percent and the Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa region reported a rise of 2.8 percent. First-quarter profit was $1.09 billion, or $1.00 per share, up from $979.5 million, or 87 cents a share, a year earlier. Excluding a tax charge related to restaurant closings in Japan, McDonald’s earned $1.03 a share. On that basis, analysts’ average forecast had called for a profit of 96 cents per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Revenue, which includes sales from company-owned restaurants plus royalties from franchisees and other fees, rose 10.5 percent to $5.61 billion, above analysts’ forecasts of $5.52 billion. reuters
AngloGold Ashanti Announces Pricing Of $1 Bln Note Offering – Update
4/22/2010/RTTNews
(RTTNews) – Gold miner AngloGold Ashanti Ltd. (AU: News ) on Wednesday announced the pricing of a public offering of $1 billion of notes. The notes consist of 5.375% notes due 2020 in the principal amount of $700 million and 6.50% notes due 2040 in the principal amount of $300 million.
The South Africa-based company said that the notes, which are unsecured and fully and unconditionally guaranteed by the company, were issued by its wholly owned subsidiary AngloGold Ashanti Holdings plc. The offering is expected to close on April 28, 2010.
AngloGold Ashanti estimates that the net proceeds from the offering will be about $983 million, after deducting discounts and estimated expenses. The company intends to use the net proceeds to repay certain indebtedness and for general corporate purposes, including to fund capital expenditure and the development of the company’s projects pipeline.
The company said that pending such application, it may temporarily repay indebtedness under its credit facilities or place the funds in short-term deposits.
Barclays Capital and Goldman, Sachs & Co. acted as active book-runners for the offering and Royal Bank of Canada and Standard Chartered Bank were passive book-runners.
Earlier on Wednesday, AngloGold Ashanti said it secured a US$1 billion, four-year unsecured revolving credit facility from its banking syndicate, a group of 16 banks, replacing a three-year facility of US$1.15 billion that was due to mature in December 2010. The credit facility is also expected to extend the overall tenor of AngloGold’s balance sheet.
AU closed Wednesday’s regular trading session at $38.78, up $0.09 or 0.23% on a volume of 2.27 million shares.
UN /ONU :
Ahmadinejad Leaves for Zimbabwe, Uganda to Improve Africa Ties
April 22, 2010/By Ladane Nasseri/Bloomberg
April 22 (Bloomberg) — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad headed today for a two-day visit to Zimbabwe and Uganda to improve ties with the two African countries, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported.
Ahmadinejad will meet with his counterpart Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe, and hold talks with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, state television reported without elaborating.
Uganda is a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.
Iran is entangled in a conflict with the U.S. and its allies which accuse it of seeking to develop atomic weapons using its nuclear program as a cover. The U.S. is trying to rally support for a fourth round of UN sanctions against Iran, which says its nuclear program is purely civilian.
–Editors: Louis Meixler, Philip Sanders.
American Idol 2010: Idol Gives Back and sends one home
dusty /www.curlio.com/2010-04-22
Today is the result show of the top 7, however it is also the Idol Gives Back episode for this year. The show started off with a video message from the United States President Barrack Obama and First Lady Michelle. This evening they have two stages, while Ryan Seacrest is on the main stage, in the Pasadena Theatre Queen Latifah was the host.
We got to see a top 12 performance. They all were dressed in white and no-one actually stood out as very bad or good. Followed by the first video of Jennifer Garner about “Save The Children”. This was followed by Victoria Beckham, she was clearly reading from a tele-prompter and it felt like she was completely not connected to the message she was conveying. This went into Captain Sully told people that they could save thousands of lives by donating.
We got a live performance by the Black Eyed Peas on the Pasadena stage, They were singing certainly live because if they would have sung this song on the stage yesterday they would have been voted off today. This performance was immediately followed with a clip why people should donate because with the money they fight Malaria. It’s starting to feel that 75 percent are just clips and commercials to donate and 20 percent is actually performances, leaving the last 5 percent of the show for the results.
Talking about the results they auctioned off the chance of hosting the results, the “winner” of that auction was George Lopez. George decided to let all the contestants sit, because it’s Idol Gives Back night and he decided to judge the judges. He made fun of the judges and the bit was quite hilarious. I don’t think the judges were told that this would happen.
It was time for the Ford Commercial this week, it had absolutely nothing to do with Idol Gives back, and the only time you saw a Ford car was at the very end, while it was driving away. The commercial absolutely didn’t make sense. After this we finally had some results; Crystal Bowersox and Casey James were asked to come to the center of the stage. One of them was safe while the other was in the bottom three. Casey heard he was in the bottom. The next two contestants were Aaron Kelly and Lee Dewyze, not surprisingly Aaron was the one that was in the bottom three.
Back at the Pasadena stage we got a performance by Jeff Beck and Joss Stone. It was a very old fashioned song and sang like it was sung back halfway last century. Vocally the song was great and the performance entertaining. This was followed by a clip about some orphan babies because the mother died in labor.
Ban Ki-Moon the U.N. secretary Geberak had a video greeting and encouraging people to donate. This was followed by Morgan Freeman on the stage talking about mississippi and the lack of proper education there. we got a performance of Alicia Keys singing “Unthinkable”. She clearly was competing with Black Eyed Peas trying to earn her place as the worst performance for the night, She was off key several times and she couldn’t hit several notes she tried to hit. Half way she sat behind a piano and started playing “Empire State Of Mind Part ii”. The part where she was sitting behind the piano was a lot better until of course she decided to walk around on stage again. This was followed by a video of Josh Groban asking people to donate money.
Back at Pasadena Carrie Underwood performed “Change”.The song was about donating to charities and be able to change the world. Very fitting for the Idol Gives Back show and as usual Carrie’s delivery of the song was excellent. After the performance Queen Latifah talked with Carrie and Carrie was very proud to announce that they would donate a whopping 36 cents of each ticket sold to “Save The Children”. Not bad for a ticket that costs around $40, that’s almost 1 percent of the amount. Let’s all say “Ohhhh” together now?
We got a video of Ellen DeGeneres and David Arquette about “Feeding America” which is a charity that helps people have enough food. This was followed by yet another video about Malaria in Africa. This was followed by yet another video with Ryan Seacrest talking to Melinda and Bill Gates about global health.
The comediene Wanda Sykes was a welcome relief for some comedy. She made fun of the fact that the show makes the person that is sent home sing.
The last three contestants were asked to come to the center of the stage. Siohban Magnus was the first contestant from them to hear she was safe. The other contestant hearing that he was safe was Michael Lynche. Which meant that Tim Urban was also in the bottom three.
Ryan Seacrest talked to David Cook about his trip to Ethiopia and we saw another video about David Cook visiting there. Because we clearly didn’t have enough video’s yet we got another video about why we should give to Idol Gives Back with Annie Lennox. This one highlighted the cause to fight AIDS. This was followed by another video where Annie went back to check up on the little girl that they featured earlier and they showed that the little girl was a lot healthier than before because of the medication. Annie was stuck in London because of the ash cloud in europe, and couldn’t perform on the stage. (Cheer!) So they had her perform on a stage in England (Boo!). Luckily her performance was clearly pre recorded so it sounded quite good and she clearly was healthier than when she performed on Idol last time.
We got a very good performance of “Stairway To Heaven” performed by Mary J Blige and a bunch of other stars. This was followed by Simon’s video visiting “Children’s Health Fund”. After this it was announced that during the show the donations have reached 15 million dollars. This means they reached approximately 23 percent of the amount that Simon Cowell has earned by just being a judge on American Idol this year.
For the last time we went back to the Pasadena Theatre. Latifah was talking to Sir Elton John and his foundation about fighting AIDS. He is encouraging everyone to get tested for it because if you are quick enough with detecting it it will not be a life threatening dissease anymore. After his little speech he gave a nice performance of the song “Your Song”.
It was finally time for the end of the show with the results to whom was going home. The first person to hear he was safe was Aaron Kelly. The other person hearing he was safe was Casey James. This means that Tim Urban’s futile attempt on becoming the next American Idol has finally come to an end.
Overall this show was very boring to me. I would rather watch two hours of PBS fund raising as that would at least contain a lot more entertainment, and they wouldn’t be as preachy. It felt to me that this year’s Idol Gives Back was more preachy than ever before and how “Awesome” Idol Gives Back is.
USA :
U.S. Envoy Says Washington Will Review Sudan’s Elections With African Union
Peter Clottey/www1.voanews.com/ 22 April 2010
A United States envoy says Washington will soon hold discussions with the African Union to review Sudan’s general elections criticized by international poll observers as failing to meet international standards.
Ambassador Michael Battle, who is the United States representative to the African Union, says Washington is reserving serious judgment about Sudan’s elections until it examines the vote with the continental body.
“The U.S. has two tiers of interest with regards to what happens in Sudan. One tier has to do with the elections that just took place and we are going to be engaged with the African Union in a discussion and review of the elections on the 8th of May. So, we are withholding any serious judgment about the elections until we have an opportunity to review with the African Union its assessment,” he said.
International poll observers, including the Carter Center and the European Union, concluded in their preliminary reports that the elections failed to meet international standards.
The United States, Britain and Norway reportedly said in a statement that the elections were marred by poor preparation, suspected irregularities and called for the full implementation of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).
Ambassador Battle said many did not expect the vote to be faultless.
“If you read the report from the European Union observers of the elections in Sudan, they acknowledged that the elections were not perfect, but nobody expected them to be perfect. This is the first election in a quarter of a century, so there was no expectation of perfection. The expectation, however, was that it will be a peaceful election, it will be an exercise of democratic processes that then lay the foundation and clearing the way for referendum in 2011,” Battle said.
Sudan’s National Electoral Commission said final results of the vote originally scheduled to be released on April 20th will be delayed due to what the electoral body described as “a very complicated process”. This comes after early results show incumbent President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir leading the poll and set to retain power.
Several opposition groups boycotted the presidential election after accusing President Bashir’s National Congress Party of rigging the vote — a charge the electoral body denies.
Last week’s vote, which was Sudan’s first in 24 years, forms part of the Compressive Peace Agreement that ended decades of civil war between the north and the south.
The agreement also calls for a referendum in 2011 that would determine whether southern Sudanese would want to secede or remain part of Sudan.
Ambassador Battle said residents of southern Sudan have the right to self- determination.
“The US government is not making a determination on how the referendum should come out in terms of the vote, whether there is a vote for separation or vote for unity…southern Sudanese have the right to the referendum, which is a part of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement…Since the CPA established that there would be elections in 2010 and a referendum in 2011, we are supporting the process,” Battle said.
Education for All Act wants universal education back on track
Rep. Nita Lowey introduced the Education for All Act backing universal education on Wednesday in Washington. She says the bill will help produce a society more resistant to the teachings of terrorist organizations.
By Howard LaFranchi, Staff writer / www.csmonitor.com/ April 22, 2010
Washington
With the decade-old goal of providing access to a primary-grade education to all the world’s children by 2015 fast approaching, a new congressional effort is under way, aimed at boosting US leadership in the global education campaign.
.Starting from the stark reality that 72 million children – mostly girls, and mostly in Africa – still lack access to a basic education, education experts are joining congressional leaders in calling for a redoubled national effort behind an existing but lagging international plan for making universal primary education a reality.
At a Capitol Hill press conference Wednesday, US Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY) cited the touchy-feely truths that all children deserve an education to “realize their potential” and to “live healthier and happier lives.” But the longtime promoter of international education initiatives quickly added the steely-eyed perspective that universal education is a US national security interest because “a better-educated society is more resilient against the teachings of terrorist organizations.”
That point has been debated for years – the 9/11 hijackers were generally well-educated and some had advanced degrees – but references to it reflect the reality of a tough budget year when promoting new or reinvigorated foreign-assistance initiatives will likely prove difficult.
Ms. Lowey introduced the Education for All Act, which calls on the US to support a plan for achieving universal education by 2015 – using either an existing “fast-track initiative” within the World Bank, or a new multilateral Global Fund for Education. The bill calls for “predictable, long-term funding” to realize the goal, and tasks the president with coordination of a wide range of international and public and private partners.
The bill as introduced sets no funding targets, but its supporters make repeated reference to the pledge in 2008 by then-candidate Barack Obama to create a $2 billion global education fund.
The new US push is aimed at replicating the success of the international campaign on AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, which has been instrumental in sharply increased treatment rates and in some cases in significantly reducing disease rates across much of the developing world, especially in Africa.
David Gartner, co-director of the Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution in Washington, says the universal education effort would do well to take its cues from the Global Fund for AIDS, TB, and Malaria, a hybrid international campaign set up in 2002. With pledges of $10 billion in its first six years alone, the fund operates on the basis of an “equal partnership” between donor organizations and countries, and the developing countries where the fund’s programs operate.
Bilateral education agreements between the US and developing countries are credited with opening school doors to millions of children over the past decade. But Mr. Gartner says a ramped up, multilateral, and public-private plan of action will have to take effect “this year, not next year or the year after that” if the goal of providing a primary-level education to all children by 2015 is to be reached.
Supporters realize the universal education goal may sound like one well-intentioned international cause among many. But the actress Jessica Alba – who stood by representative Lowey at the Capitol Hill press conference to publicize the adoption by this summer’s World Cup in South Africa of the universal education goal – said she now realizes how education is fundamental to addressing issues ranging from poverty reduction to women’s advancement.
From her work as ambassador for the World Cup 2010, Ms. Alba says she has seen in the African countries she has visited the link between development and education. Education for all – including girls, she emphasized – “seems to be the most effective way to tackle all of those problems.”
CANADA :
Prison HIV nears African rates: advocates
April 22, 2010 /CBC News
The HIV infection rates in federal prisons rivals that of many African countries, advocates of needle exchanges said Wednesday.
The Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network pointed to a Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) report released earlier this month that showed the rate of HIV infection in federal prisons is 15 times higher than among non-incarcerated Canadians, and the prevalence rate “rivals those of many countries in sub-Saharan Africa.”
The hepatitis C infection rate in federal prisons was 31 per cent, 39 times greater than for the general population, the network said.
“About half the prisoners surveyed reported sharing used needles or syringes to inject drugs, and about one third reported sharing a needle with someone who has HIV, hepatitis C or unknown infection status,” Sandra Ka Hon Chu, senior policy analyst at the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, said in a release.
“This clearly poses a risk of HIV or hepatitis C transmission, a risk that could be remedied with prison-based needle and syringe programs.”
The group also pointed to lack of continuity in antiviral medications, which could lead to resistance to the medications.
Greg Simmons, prisoners’ representative for the Canadian Treatment Action Council, called for the CSC to allow prisoners to retrieve their medications once incarcerated and change the way pharmacies in federal prisons monitor and order medications.
The CSC’s report was based on a self-administered questionnaire to 3,370 inmates in 2007 who were asked about infectious disease and high-risk behaviour such as use of injection drugs and engaging in unprotected sex.
If Canada’s military is itching for a fight, it won’t be in the Congo
Campbell Clark /Ottawa — From Thursday’s Globe and Mail /Thursday, Apr. 22, 2010
.The Democratic Republic of the Congo is not Canada’s next big military mission.
The UN has asked for a Canadian commander, Lieutenant-General Andrew Leslie, to lead its peacekeeping mission in the African nation. But the debate inside Ottawa is about whether a Canadian general would go with a handful of troops, or a few handfuls, perhaps 50. If he goes.
Ottawa has not yet given Gen. Leslie the go-ahead because of concerns about costs and the potential for Canadian responsibility for a large and difficult mission to eventually creep into something bigger.
Even with small numbers, however, it is part of a major decision: Canada will have to decide what its post-Afghanistan military will do. Accepting command in the DRC would mean returning to UN-led peacekeeping operations, which Canada has largely left behind since the mid-1990s.
There are calls in some quarters for Canada to do just that: the Canadian Forces mission in Afghanistan is ending, and they argue that the UN has improved the oversight of peacekeeping. But while many Canadians see UN-led peacekeeping operations as part of their identity, many Canadian soldiers view them as a past they’d rather not revisit.
This week’s visit to Kinshasa by Governor-General Michaëlle Jean fuelled speculation that large numbers of Canadian troops will soon be deployed to the DRC under Gen. Leslie’s command. But the debate in Ottawa over smaller numbers probably says more about the wary attitude toward such missions.
The diplomats, as a rule, view the potential appointment of Gen. Leslie as a feather in Canada’s cap, and a useful contribution to multilateral diplomacy in Africa. Canada’s efforts to secure a seat on the UN Security Council this year would only be aided. But they’d be willing to see Gen. Leslie go with a corporal’s guard, perhaps a dozen aides.
That makes some military officers queasy, however. They remember Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire being forced in 1994 to watch the swelling of genocidal killings in Rwanda because of declining troop numbers and waffling UN orders. They think Gen. Leslie, if he takes command, would need dozens of Canadian officers and aides, perhaps 50, to establish a headquarters that he could rely on to exert effective command and control. They fear a Canadian general will be left in a position where he has little control.
Inside Ottawa, one reason Gen. Leslie’s appointment has not been quickly sealed is a concern about mission creep: that once commanded by a Canadian, the demand for troops might rise, perhaps to 150.
The peacekeeping mission in the DRC, which began in 1999 to monitor a ceasefire and has grown amid regular flare-ups in several regions, now numbers 20,500 troops. But the UN mission is regularly castigated for interference or folding to rebels, and its underpaid troops sometimes accused of complicity in corruption, black marketeering and rape. President Joseph Kabila has called for UN troops to start withdrawing in months, and be gone by next year.
The UN troops come from almost 20 countries, including seven big contributors like India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Many of Canada’s old soldiers just don’t think the bureaucratic UN can run a shooting war, unless it hands the whole operation over to one country.
“The UN force in Congo finds itself supporting a shaky government, pursuing rebels in the jungle, killing people who have raped and murdered their way through villages,” said retired major-general Lewis Mackenzie, who commanded UN troops in Sarajevo in 1992. “The UN has extreme difficulty commanding and controlling those types of operations.”
“My only recommendation would be, ‘don’t touch it with a 10-foot pole.’ ”
But some argue that’s out of date. A recent paper published by the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute argues the UN’s peacekeeping-mission control has improved, and Canada should consider a return to peacekeeping.
But when it comes to the DRC, the government is in no rush to go big. Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon’s stand-pat answer on the issue in the Commons Wednesday reflected the ambivalence: Canada has given money and supports the mission’s goals, but when it comes to sending a commander, the government is still “analyzing.”
Canada failed to act during Rwandan geonocide: G-G
Richard Foot, Canwest News Service, with files from Kenyon Wallace, National Post /April 22, 2010
Canada, along with other nations, failed to do enough to prevent the 1994 Rwandan genocide, Governor General Michaëlle Jean said during a state visit to Rwanda yesterday.
“The world’s failure to respond adequately to the genocide is a failure in which Canada, as part of the international community, readily acknowledges its fair share of responsibility,” said Ms. Jean, reading from a statement as she sat beside Rwandan President Paul Kagame in the country’s Cabinet chamber in the capital, Kigali.
“I think we could have made a difference. I think we could have prevented the magnitude of the horror of the genocide here.”
Ms. Jean’s visit is the first time a high-profile Canadian official has made a state visit to Rwanda since the genocide.
Earlier media reports yesterday suggested that Ms. Jean’s comments amounted to an official apology from Canada, but the Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Office said that was not the case. A spokesman for the Prime Minister’s office said the Governor General’s speech was simply a restatement of Canada’s long-held position that the international community, including Canada, failed to respond adequately to the genocide.
The House of Commons unanimously adopted a motion in April 2008 that expressed regret for the “indifference and inaction of the international community, with Canada accepting its fair share of responsibility for failing to respond adequately,” according
to Andrew MacDougall, the Prime Minister’s deputy press secretary.
“It was Parliament’s position that she was conveying,” Mr. MacDougall told the National Post last night.
A spokeswoman at Foreign Affairs also termed Ms. Jean’s remarks not a formal apology but an “acknowledgment” of Canada’s – and the world’s – inadequate response.
Earlier in the day, Ms. Jean laid a wreath at a memorial to the genocide in Kigali and visited a museum dedicated to the infamous 1994 slaughter of roughly 800,000 mostly Tutsi Rwandans by gangs of Hutu “genocidaires.” The museum acknowledges the role of former Canadian army general Roméo Dallaire, who as commander of a small United Nations military mission in Rwanda tried, but ultimately failed, to stop the massacres.
In Ottawa, a spokesman for Mr. Dallaire said the now Liberal senator was “very surprised” by news of Ms. Jean’s remarks, saying he had not been alerted or consulted in advance about the matter.
Ms. Jean’s statement marks the first time a Canadian official of her stature has directly accepted responsibility for Canada’s role in one of the bloodiest episodes of the 20th century.
Canwest News Service, with files from Kenyon Wallace, National Post
Air Canada puts 30 planes back in the sky but many passengers still waiting
By Allison Cross, Canwest News Service/ www.vancouversun.com/ April 22, 2010
Air Canada intended to fly about 30 flights to and from European destinations Wednesday, where airspace has reopened after nearly a week of tarmacs strewn with grounded airplanes.
Air travel came to a standstill over Europe last week when an Icelandic volcano began erupting, spewing ash that threatened to damage jet engines.
About 75 per cent of flights in Europe were slated for takeoff on Wednesday — some 21,000 of the 28,000 flights normally scheduled, European air traffic agency Eurocontrol said.
Almost all of European airspace below 6,000 metres was available, with restrictions in some areas such as southern Sweden and Helsinki.
Britain, a major air hub, located squarely under the ash plume, reopened its airspace on Tuesday night, giving a boost to travellers and companies wishing to fly cargo.
Nonetheless, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said Wednesday airlines lost $1.7 billion U.S. during the shutdown.
Canadian passengers, although relieved flights had begun to resume, continued to express frustration about the massive travel delays associated with the backlog of thousands of cancelled flights.
“My flight’s planned for tomorrow, so hopefully that happens,” said Vancouver’s Ian Koenigsfest, who is stuck in London. “I called Air Canada and they cannot tell me if the flight’s going to leave tomorrow because it hasn’t left Canada yet. If you go to the British Airport Authority, which controls Heathrow (airport) … they have a lot of flights cancelled that contradict what a lot of airlines are saying. It’s chaotic.”
Koenigsfest was only supposed to spend four days in London, but has now been there for nearly a week.
“(My) hotel wanted to charge a different rate. . . . I just found that unacceptable and then I spoke to the manager and managed to get a deal,” he said.
Air Canada spokeswoman Isabelle Arthur said it’s going to take time for operations to return to normal.
She said an extra Toronto to London return flight was added Wednesday evening and a Thursday flight on the same route is set to take on an additional 54 passengers on a larger aircraft.
“We’ve also added a Zurich flight this evening from Toronto that will return tomorrow to help customers get on their way as soon as possible,” Arthur said. “We added four flights to and from Rome (two returns) earlier in the week.”
Any fees for changing flights have been eliminated, she said, and waiting passengers should make sure Air Canada has all their personal information in case the carrier needs to call them to book flights as they become available.
Passengers who want a full refund for a cancellation can ask for one, Arthur said, and the airline will consider “individual circumstances” on a case-by-case basis.
Canadians in other parts of the world are also waiting for the passenger backlog to ease. Stephanie McDonald is trying to get home to Iqaluit from Ghana.
In the West African country for a visit when the volcano erupted, McDonald is now booked to leave Accra, Ghana’s capital, for Frankfurt on a Lufthansa flight on April 28 — 11 days after she was originally scheduled to leave. She was supposed to be back to her job as a health data analyst two days ago.
“I had wrongly assumed that those of us with cancelled tickets would jump to the front of the queue. I called again (Wednesday) morning and was told that if a free seat came up before (April 28) that they would call me,” McDonald said in an e-mail to Canwest News Service.
But if her airline can’t confirm an onward flight to Ottawa from Frankfurt, McDonald won’t be allowed to board her flight in Accra.
“They don’t want extra bodies hanging out in the Frankfurt airport,” she said.
Luckily Ghana is a relatively cheap place to be stuck compared to Europe, McDonald said, especially considering she is staying with a local family. But she does have to spend money on more malaria medication and extended travel insurance.
“If I don’t get a call from Lufthansa I plan to spend a few days on the beach, so life isn’t too hard,” she said. “It’s sunny and hot and I’m being well taken care of.”
The shutdown of air traffic also left Canadian Blood Services scrambling to sort out how to receive stem calls from overseas.
CBS runs the OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow network, which matches local and international stem cell donors with Canadian patients.
“We have had some patients affected by the shutdown, but they’re working on the contingency planning as we speak,” said CBS spokesman John Bromley. “Eighty per cent of our product comes from international registries.”
While experts are unable to predict the volcano’s activity in the long term, scientists and airplane manufacturers had downgraded the risk of flying in areas of relatively low ash concentrations.
“The major barrier to resuming flight has been understanding tolerance levels of aircraft to ash. Manufacturers have now agreed increased tolerance levels in low ash density areas,” Deidre Hutton, Britain’s Civil Aviation Authority head said.
An expert from the World Meteorological Organization said Wednesday in Geneva that a low pressure weather system moving into Iceland should help clear the ash cloud within days.
Some say economic impact of the cloud could potentially dent the fragile recovery from the global recession.
PricewaterhouseCooper estimated a week of disruption could destroy approximately 0.025 to 0.05 per cent of annual British GDP, and the same would probably be true of other European countries.
However, the bust for the airlines was a boom for other tourism industry stalwarts — hotels were packed with stranded travellers and business at train services and car rental agencies was also booming as people sought ways to move around Europe.
But since most merchandise is transported by land and sea, the effect on global trade has been minimal.
“Only some perishables such as fresh fish and cut flowers, which are flown to Europe from countries such as Japan and Kenya, have suffered supply bottlenecks,” said TD Bank Financial Group economist Martin Schwerdtfeger.
However, humanitarian flights have also been affected.
Lt. Cmdr. John Nethercott, a spokesman for Canadian Operational Suport Command, said Canadian Forces members who were injured in Afghanistan would be sent to hospitals in the United States, but since no Canadians have been seriously injured since the eruption, they’ve yet to resort to that contingency.
Nethercott also said that Canadian Forces aircraft had rerouted flight plans to fly south of the ash cloud instead of their typical northerly routes.
Also, a polio immunization campaign in West Africa was delayed because the vaccines are stuck at French and German airports.
In a bit of good news, the International Monetary Fund and World Bank announced that a weekend meeting in Washington, D.C., was going ahead.
With files from Canwest News Service, Financial Post, Reuters and AFP
AUSTRALIA :
CNH International Construction Equipment Unveils Its New Organization
April 22, 2010/www.marketwatch.com
LUGANO, SWITZERLAND, Apr 22, 2010 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) — Within the framework of Bauma, the world’s largest and probably most important trade fair for the construction industry held between the 19th and 25th of April in Munich, Germany, CNH International Construction Equipment announces its new organization aimed at strengthening the construction equipment operations in Africa, the Middle East and CIS, Asia and Oceania.
“We took the opportunity of this important show to present our latest products and the new construction organization aimed to support the business,” said Franco Fusignani, CNH International CEO. “Over the last months, we have been working to reinforce our dealer network and our organizational structure in order to increase the focus on the markets and customers. Today, we are officially disclosing the new organization that will serve our customers’ needs throughout our diverse markets.”
Franco Fusignani was named CEO of CNH International Construction operations in July 2009, in addition to his current responsibilities for the agricultural operations for Africa, the Middle East and CIS, Asia and Oceania markets.
Fusignani brought to his new role 40 years of experience in the Fiat Group. He has covered positions of increasing responsibility in industrial operations — truck, buses and engines — in Europe and Latin America, in agricultural and industrial construction equipment operations in Europe, Africa, Middle East and Asia, and as Senior Vice President for CNH Agricultural Industrial and Product Activity coordination worldwide. In 2007, he was appointed CEO of CNH International.
The new construction organization, developed on the basis of the experience gained with the agricultural one, has its head office in Switzerland and maintains two brands and two separate distribution networks — Case Construction Equipment and New Holland Construction — but with a structure finalized at further improving brand value and customer support.
Fabrizio Cepollina, VP Construction Equipment Commercial Operations, manages the construction brands, developing their commercial presence within CNH International markets. Before joining CNH International, Cepollina held various positions in sales and marketing and construction equipment commercial operations within CNH.
CNH International Construction Equipment aims to respond to the specific needs of its customers and partners operating in highly diversified geographical, political and economic areas. The company has structured itself specifically for countries with a strong growth potential, establishing new business models and creating an organization that is lean, efficient and extremely close to the areas in which it operates. Accordingly, it has developed hubs for each key area and focused on markets to try to better serve its customers’ needs. Hubs are based in Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, India, China and Australia, with offices in South Africa and Thailand. Activities related to sales, financial services, training and after-sales are present in the hubs to support the construction equipment businesses.
CNH’s current global manufacturing footprint includes a JV between Case Construction Equipment and L&T in India for the production of tractor loader backhoes and compactors. In addition, since March 2010, a new industrial JV has been operational in Russia for the manufacture of agricultural and construction machinery.
Commercial activities are supported by a strong network coverage composed of 59 distributors and 94 dealers for Case Construction Equipment, and 60 distributors and 87 dealers for New Holland Construction.
Through a comprehensive after sales services approach, that includes parts availability, technical assistance, training and financial services, CNH International is committed to effectively responding to its partners’ and customers’ every business need throughout the world. This also encompasses construction development projects, counseling activities and collaborations with governments, international organizations and academic institutions to assist local communities.
Fabrizio Cepollina, VP Construction Equipment Commercial Operations, commented: “We already achieved good results by end of 2009 in key-markets such as Australia, China and Asia Pacific area where we are leader in the skid steer loader and the tractor loader backhoe segment. In other areas, like Africa and the Middle East, despite market turbulence, we regained positive trends across various product segments. We expect to further improve our performance, along with our scope to provide the best service to the benefit of our customers.”
CNH CNH Global N.V. is a world leader in the agricultural and construction equipment businesses. Supported by more than 11,600 dealers in 170 countries, CNH brings together the knowledge and heritage of its Case and New Holland brand families with the strength and resources of its worldwide commercial, industrial, product support and finance organizations. CNH Global N.V., whose stock is listed at the New York Stock Exchange /quotes/comstock/13*!cnh/quotes/nls/cnh (CNH 31.34, -0.75, -2.34%) , is a majority-owned subsidiary of Fiat S.p.A. (MI: FIA). More information about CNH and its Case and New Holland products can be found online at www.cnh.com.
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CNH International Press office
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Tel. +39 0110086346
Fax +39 0110086731
BHP Billiton under SEC investigation
April 22, 2010/By Rebecca Keenan and Douglas Wong/Bloomberg
BHP Billiton, the world’s largest mining company, has found evidence of possible breaches of anti-corruption laws after the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requested information for an investigation.
BHP Billiton had identified “possible violations of applicable anti-corruption laws involving interactions with government officials”, the company said yesterday.
A spokesman for BHP Billiton in London would neither confirm nor deny that the evidence of possible breaches of anti-corruption laws found by the company had taken place in South Africa.
Ruban Yogarajah said: “The SEC’s requests for information related primarily to certain terminated minerals exploration projects. We cannot name the projects involved, but can confirm they were terminated by BHP Billiton on commercial grounds prior to any SEC inquiry.
“We can also confirm that they were relatively small, were not based in China and do not relate to any marketing activities or the sale of any of the company’s products.”
The company said the probe into the termination of some minerals exploration projects did not involve its business in China, where four Rio Tinto executives had been jailed last month for bribery.
US regulators have increased scrutiny of corporate governance and compliance following the 2008 collapse of Lehman Brothers.
“We are getting more serious on responsibility,” said Albert Hung from Alleron Investment Management, which has BHP Billiton in its top five holdings. “It’s not just the mining sector.”
BHP Billiton, which did not disclose the location of the projects, declined 1.3 percent to £21.52 (R244) by 10.13am in London trading. The mining company’s stock dropped 0.2 percent earlier in Sydney, and on the JSE it lost 1.8 percent by yesterday’s close.
BHP Billiton also trades on the New York Stock Exchange, which is why the SEC has jurisdiction over the company.
BHP Billiton’s chief executive Marius Kloppers is spending $10 billion (R74bn) on exploration and capital expenditure this fiscal year.
The SEC could not “confirm or deny the existence or non-existence of any investigation”, spokesman John Nester said. Its mission is to “protect investors, maintain fa
ir
, orderly and efficient markets, and facilitate capital formation”, according to its website.
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission could not comment, spokeswoman Georgie Morell said.
“This is obviously an event that BHP will wish had not occurred and may have implications for its ability particularly to undertake exploration activities in the relevant jurisdiction,” said Michael Bush of National Australia Bank.
The company had exploration projects in Chile, Zambia, Australia, Gabon, South America, Russia, west Africa and Canada, the company said yesterday in its quarterly exploration report, in which it revealed the probe.
The SEC and the Department of Justice encouraged self-reporting, or voluntary disclosure, and a company’s co-operation was an important consideration in determining whether to prosecute, said Christopher Stephens, a senior partner for China of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe. “The department may also decide that even apparently isolated transgressions in one country may merit a global investigation of industry practices,” Stephens said.
The government might take into account recent convictions of four Rio Tinto employees in China for taking bribes and decide a broader investigation was needed, he said. “If that’s the case, look for these cases to continue for years.”
The company had provided the evidence to other, unidentified agencies, said a person with direct information of the investigation, which began in August last year.
The projects were not necessarily located in the US, said the source. The projects had been stopped for commercial reasons, according to the company.
“The fact that the investigation applies to expired mineral exploration tenements is infinitely preferable to if it had applied to marketing or sales activities, which would have potentially far wider ranging implications,” Bush said.
The development was unlikely to have any significant credit or ratings implications, he said.
“It is not possible at this time to predict the scope or duration of the investigation or its likely outcome,” BHP Billiton said.
BHP Billiton had spent $346 million on minerals exploration and $587m on petroleum exploration in the nine months to March, the company said in the report.
“We are limited in what we can comment on as the matter is still under investigation,” BHP Billiton added. –
EUROPE :
ATW Daily News
atwonline.com/Thursday April 22, 2010
Other News
ICAO Council Tuesday welcomed the decision by EU transport ministers to gradually reopen European airspace and cited the success of the International Airways Volcano Watch system established by ICAO and the World Meteorological Organization in “providing critical information to states, allowing them to exercise their responsibility as regards the use of their airspace.” But the organization said “more effort needs to be undertaken to establish a global safety risk framework for routinely determining safe levels of operation in airspace contaminated by volcanic ash” in light of “the unprecedented disruptions to air traffic.” It invited member states, the scientific community and aviation stakeholders “to provide valuable input to the development of such a framework.”
US Air Transport Assn. said March passenger revenue rose 15.4% compared to March 2009 based on data provided by a sample of its member carriers, marking the third consecutive month of year-over-year improvement. Passenger numbers were up 1.4% in the month, while average yield grew 11.7%. Domestic yield climbed 12.5% to 15 cents, Atlantic yield rose 17.4% to 12.37 cents and Latin yield lifted 4.9% to 13.36 cents, marking the first positive yield growth since January 2009 for that region. Pacific yield gained 7.4% to 12.25 cents. Cargo traffic (RTMs) grew 14% in February, driven by increased international trade. March 2010 cargo data was not yet available, ATA said.
African Airlines Assn. Executive Committee meeting in Kenya endorsed a restructuring strategy intended to revitalize the organization. “AFRAA has lost relevance in the eyes of some of its members, has seemed to lack the international stature, authority and prestige needed to command global attention on key issues and currently faces financial challenges,” said Secretary General Nick Fadugba.
The Executive Committee also mandated Fadugba to “voice the concern” of African carriers to IATA on key issues “and to seek [IATA’s] intervention” on its behalf. Issues include the impact of the EU blacklist on the reputation of the African airline industry, imposition of “unilateral aviation regulations” such as the EU’s Emissions Trading Scheme and the EU policy of “block negotiations” on air transport market access that “unfairly pitches the EU against individual airline states.” The committee agreed to recommend the appointment of EgyptAir Group Chairman Hussein Massoud to the IATA board of governors as the joint representative of AFRAA and the Arab Air Carriers Org. South African Airways CEO Siza Mzimela was nominated to fill the other upcoming vacancy for Africa on the IATA board.
Hawaiian Airlines and the International Assn. of Machinists and Aerospace Workers announced that union members approved a new four-year contract negotiated last month. The new contract features increased compensation for 600 of HA’s employees working as aircraft inspectors, mechanics, line service personnel, cleaners and contract service personnel. The airline previously reached agreements with its pilots (ATWOnline, January 5), flight attendants, clerical workers and dispatchers ATWOnline, Nov. 11, 2009).
Pegasus Airlines will launch four-times-weekly Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen-Marseilles service May 1.
Cathay Pacific Airways received approval to use the ARINC AeroConnx electronic flight bag solution and has begun operational evaluation on 777-300s.
Delta TechOps signed a long-term contract with Global Avia Logistics to support overhaul and repair services on Nordwind Airlines’ PW2000s and GTCP 331-200 APUs supporting the airline’s 757 fleet.
OAG appointed DARS as its regional representative in South Korea to promote its range of cargo and travel products and services.
Quintiq was awarded a 9.5-year ATC employee scheduling contract from FAA worth up to $17.6 million to provide its workforce planning solution. The employee scheduling software features “advanced optimization engines” and “what-if” capabilities. The solution will manage annual leave planning, create shift plans, allocate shifts to individual employees and support short-term absenteeism management, Quintiq said.
Revenue Management Systems reached a deal with Azul for provision of its revenue management software airRM. Transaction details were not disclosed.
DeTect said it was awarded a contract to supply a Merlin Aircraft Birdstrike Avoidance Radar system to Riga International. The company said RIX will become the second commercial airport in the world to deploy the bird radar technology in the air traffic control tower, the first being the new King Shaka International near Durban, South Africa, that installed a Merlin system in 2009.
DHL Express Deliveries Never Stopped During EU Airspace Shutdown
April 22, 2010/www.marketwatch.com
PLANTATION, Fla., Apr 21, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — DHL Express, a unit of global logistics company Deutsche Post DHL, continued to operate in Europe throughout the air traffic shutdown by activating its contingency plans immediately after the volcano eruption.
DHL routed additional flights from its U.S. international hub in Cincinnati to Europe through its facility in Vitoria, Spain, to keep shipments moving through its network. DHL set up alternative ground routes across Europe, increasing its fleet of trucks to over 300 in just three days, and increased its flight operations in regions around the world.
DHL Express is operating at nearly 100 percent of its capacity in Europe. That included nearly all daily intra-European express flights today, with regular night operations at its Leipzig hub in Germany following the re-opening of German air space.
“We activated our weather contingency plans and they worked. We never stopped pickup and delivery. We had some delays to some European countries, but we had continuous flow in our hubs,” said Roger Crook, chief executive officer for DHL Express Americas.
Intercontinental air operations to Asia, United States and Middle East/Africa were gradually stepped up during the weekend, including those of AeroLogic and DHL Air UK, and are now back to normal.
In those areas that are still affected by the closure of airspace, DHL will continue to serve customers through an alternative and decentralized road-based network. Customers will receive their shipments at the earliest possible point in time. DHL Express expects to resume its standard express services within the next few days.
Two other divisions of Deutsche Post DHL — DHL Global Forwarding and DHL Global Mail — are using alternate air freight routes to keep shipments moving. Both divisions have been in close contact with customers and are working closely with carriers to clear shipments that is currently in the pipeline. They expect most lanes will return to normal operating levels by the beginning of next week.
About DHL
DHL — The Logistics company for the world
DHL is the global market leader in the logistics industry and “The Logistics company for the world”. DHL commits its expertise in international express, air and ocean freight, road and rail transportation, contract logistics and international mail services to its customers. A global network composed of more than 220 countries and territories and about 300,000 employees worldwide offers customers superior service quality and local knowledge to satisfy their supply chain requirements. DHL accepts its social responsibility by supporting climate protection, disaster management and education.
DHL is part of Deutsche Post DHL. The Group generated revenue of more than 46 billion euros in 2009.
SOURCE: DHL Express
Deutsche Post DHL Media Communications
Beatrice Garcia, 954-701-9265
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CHINA :
South Africa Boosts Coal Supplies to China, India on Growth
April 22, 2010/By Dinakar Sethuraman/Bloomberg
April 22 (Bloomberg) — South Africa’s Richards Bay Coal Terminal, Europe’s biggest source of coal burned for electricity, is boosting supplies to India and China as rebounding Asian economies build new power plants.
India’s imports in the first quarter rose about 27 percent to 4.55 million metric tons from 3.59 million a year earlier, based on data e-mailed by Zama Luthuli, a spokeswoman for RBCT. China purchased about 1.9 million tons during the first three months of this year compared with 1.38 million tons in 2009.
South Africa is boosting sales to Asia after recession curbed consumption in Europe. India and China, whose economies are growing at rates faster than 8 percent, together accounted for about 42 percent of RBCT’s shipments in the first quarter of this year compared with about 25 percent a year earlier.
Coal exports from Richards Bay, a site of Africa’s largest export terminal for the fuel, rose about 17 percent to 5.66 million tons in March, with first quarter shipments at 15.46 million tons, according to data on the Web site.
The terminal, on South Africa’s northeast coast, expects to export 65 million tons this year, Raymond Chirwa, chief executive officer of RBCT, said on April 15. RBCT plans to complete increasing its export capacity to 91 million tons a year this month from 72 million.
India’s coal imports from RBCT rose 45 percent in March to 2.44 million tons from 1.65 million a year earlier, according to the data. China bought 401,416 tons in March, compared with none a year earlier, as disruptions to domestic output, higher demand and fuel diversification forced it to seek South African supplies. It imported 1.04 million tons in February.
Prices Drop
Prices for coal shipped from Richards Bay fell by 1.6 percent to $85.60 a ton in the week through April 16, according to IHS McCloskey. Power-station coal prices at Australia’s Newcastle port, a benchmark for Asia, declined 0.5 percent to $98.28 a ton in the week to April 16, according to the globalCOAL NEWC Index.
Total imports of coal by China in the first quarter of this year jumped 226 percent to 44.4 million tons, according to customs data. India’s thermal coal imports surged last year to about 60 million tons from about 30 million tons in 2008, Macquarie Group Ltd. said in March.
Richards Bay is Europe’s biggest source of coal burned for power and is owned by BHP Billiton Ltd., Anglo American Plc and Xstrata Plc.
–Editors: Clyde Russell, Jane Lee.
Miners boost the South African stock market
Thursday, 22nd April 2010/ www.cityam.com
This summer’s World Cup should also have an economic impact
This summer’s World Cup should also have an economic impactThis summer’s World Cup should also have an economic impact
SOUTH Africa will be in the world’s spotlight like never before as the World Cup approaches. Television pictures of gazelles and wilderbeest roaming across the veldt will no doubt be great for the country’s tourist industry, but other parts of its economy also look sure to benefit.
According to a report released last month by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu (DTT), hosting major sporting events such as the World Cup or the Olympics can accelerate the host country’s economic development by encouraging investment, boosting tourism and elevating the country’s status on the world stage. It is estimated that hosting the Olympic games boosted tourist revenues in China by nearly $5bn. Greece spent almost €1.3bn on improving Athens’ transport network. But the economic impact of the Olympic Games in Barcelona in 1992 was unusually large; estimates by the University Autonoma de Barcelona value the economic and social impact of the Games at $16bn.
The DTT report adds that the intensive building of stadiums and other infrastructure before these sorts of events begin can bring a large injection of investment that can have a long-lasting economic impact. South Africa’s tourism minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk estimates that the World Cup will contribute more than £4.3bn to South Africa’s economy through construction. More than 1m tourists are expected to travel to the games, generating £1.3bn.
But the World Cup is not the whole story for South Africa’s economy this year. The country is the world’s third largest gold producer and a leading producer of platinum, which it exports to fast growing emerging market nations. These vast reserves of raw materials mean that it is also benefiting from the growth story in China and other emerging nations.
COMMODITY BOOM
Already the global commodity boom has helped boost South Africa’s fiscal position. Preliminary results for total revenues collected during the 2009-10 fiscal year, released earlier this month, increased to nearly £52bn, £700m higher than estimated. This has helped to reduce the budget deficit burden by 0.5 per cent of GDP; it now stands at 6.8 per cent of GDP, which looks fairly good compared to deficits in some countries in the West.
Together these have improved the outlook for South Africa’s economy, and yesterday the International Monetary Fund (IMF) raised its growth forecast to 2.6 per cent this year, compared to its previous estimate of 1.7 per cent. It said that the continued recovery in world trade should boost growth.
However, it is not all good news. The IMF also warned that consumer spending, which accounts for two-thirds of total expenditure, could be slow to recover. Murat Toprak, emerging market strategist for Societe Generale, also says that there are some worrying holes in the country’s growth story: “Booming trade for exporters helped South Africa to exit recession, however we are now at the point where we need other sectors of the economy, to pick up to continue the positive spiral in the future.”
Those looking to invest in South Africa should focus on its commodity boom. The best way to do this is through the stock exchange, the FTSE/Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), which includes the top 40 companies in South Africa and is heavily weighted toward the mining sector, which makes up nearly 51 per cent of the entire index (see chart on left).
Foreign money is expected to flow into theFTSE/ JSE index this year, as investors look to take advantage of rhe commodity boom. The World Bank estimates that foreign portfolio flows into South Africa’s stock exchange topped $8.6bn in 2007, although they dipped in 2008 as in-flows were hit by the financial crisis.
Investors who are bullish on commodity prices should consider a long position in the FTSE/JSE index and there is now a range of listed products that give you exposure to the index. RBS recently launched FTSE/JSE covered warrants, which are good for risk adverse investors since these products limit your downside. It also recently launched an accelerated tracker, which provides leveraged exposure to the FTSE/JSE. Lyxor Asset Management also offers a FTSE/JSE exchange-traded fund.
Even if your team doesn’t perform at the World Cup, there are plenty of ways to pick a winner.
INDIA :
Indian Premier League — too big to fail?
Thursday, 22 Apr, 2010/ www.dawn.com/ Reuters
NEW DELHI: With its cocktail of celebrities and cheerleaders, the Indian Premier League’s dizzy rise to become cricket’s richest tournament is under threat, illustrating how politics and business don’t mix.
A scandal over a government junior minister accused of influencing a bid for a team has sparked a tax investigation into the estimated $4.1 billion sport franchise, also signalling the inherent risks in the Asian giant’s corporate juggernaut.
It is a scandal that touches much of India, including some of Bollywood’s top stars who became team owners, senior politicians as well as some of India’s richest executives who have all wanted a piece of the pie since the tournament kicked off in 2008.
“Like much of corporate India, the attitude behind IPL was with globalisation, liberalisation, we can take on the world,” said Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, a well-known commentator in India.
“But the IPL has not been transparent. It has become big business, but a rather murky big business … and shown the very cosy ties between very rich businessmen and politicians.”
Lalit Modi, a 46-year-old businessmen known for his flashy suits and love of the high flying celebrity circuit, formed IPL in 2008, a short form of cricket that won millions of dollars in advertising and upset much of the traditional cricket world.
It was a by-product of an emerging India, when local companies like Tata bought brands like Jaguar and Land Rover for $2.3 billion to reflect the self-confidence of Indian business as it enjoyed one of the world’s fasted economic growth rates.
Such was IPL’s success that some team franchises were sold for more than the value of English Premier League football teams.
The tax probe has so far revealed nothing but huge newspaper headlines, and Modi says he has nothing to hide as taxmen visit offices around the country with cameras and lights in tail.
But whatever the results of the investigation, few in Indian believe that tournament will be the same freewheeling business extravaganza, and Modi is now under pressure to resign.
The IPL was at the cutting edge of cricket from day one when its use of cheerleaders sparked initial outcry as conservative India questioned whether it was ready for dancers with bulging breasts and gyrating bellies parading in packed stadia.
Modi himself called it all “cricketainment” – with Bollywood stars watching matches in seats costing as much as $1,000 a game in a country where half the population earns less that $2 a day.
“IPL can be seen as a metaphor for the new Indian middle class which thrives on excess,” wrote commentator Ronojoy Sen in the Times of India.
Modi showed that “Can Do” attitude on which Indian business people pride themselves – the ability to deal with the country’s notorious red tape, corruption and poor infrastructure.
When security concerns and a general election threatened the second year of the tournament, Modi simply transferred the whole event to South Africa in a few weeks.
“Forget Modi’s brashness for a moment. There is an underlying admiration for Modi in India – the fact that he could get through the red tape and get things done,” said V.
Ravichandar, managing director of Feedback consulting in Bangalore, which advises multinationals on doing business in India.
“That kind of thing goes down well in the Indian street.”
But any admiration may not save the IPL. After Modi tweeted questioning the role of Junior Foreign Minister Shashi Tharoor in a team’s $333 million bid, the minister was forced to resign.
India’s tax department suddenly announced a probe into Modi and the IPL – in what many saw in India as a blatant use by the government of tax authorities to win political points.
The political ramifications widened.
Suddenly key Congress party coalition ally and farm minister Sharad Pawar was on a collision course with his own government after he infuriated Congress by initially supporting Modi.
Pawar is president elect of the International Cricket Council and former head of the Indian cricket board – just one of many many politicians in India who also run cricket boards.
The tension came just as the government was seeking to secure its allies support for a possible vote in parliament over high food prices. The government would fall if it loses the vote.
Few think the government will fall. But the fact that a tweet from a businessman sparked worries about the government’s coalition strength a fews days later showed the nexus between business and politics in India – and the fragility of both.
“The IPL was about getting things done despite everything,” said Ravichandar. “It is a spirit of Indian enterprise with all the risks that it entails that holds a mirror to ourselves.” —Reuters
BRASIL:
EN BREF, CE 22 avril 2010 … AGNEWS / OMAR, BXL,22/04/2010
