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BURUNDI :
RWANDA
Rwanda: Kagame Addresses Royal Commonwealth Society London — President Paul Kagame, yesterday, on his second day of a working visit to England, addressed the Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) on the role of the youth in the development in Rwanda, Africa and the Commonwealth. Kagame, who was invited by the society to deliver a lecture as the newest member in the group, said that the youth have played a vital role in the reconstruction and development process of the country and Africa in general. “In any country, the youth should be pillars for the future. Rwanda’s vision for our youth builds on the one we have set for the country as a whole,” “Prosperity, self efficiency and dignity through innovation, creativity, technology and values, including traditional ones,” Kagame said. He told the gathering of over 300 members of RCS, that Rwanda is nurturing the youth who are able to determine their own destiny through making good choices. The President said that the youth form the biggest demographic percentage of the country’s population. 75 percent are below the age of 30, with the majority born after the genocide. In his lecture, Kagame also gave the 3 scenarios in which the country’s youth have been involved; The youth were mobilised in large numbers to carry out the genocide, another group of the youth mobilised themselves to liberate the country and today, it is the same youth playing a vital role in the country’s development. “Throughout our rebuilding process, our youth continue to show immense resilience, many have had to shoulder heavy responsibilities since the genocide, including providing for their siblings at an age when they needed care themselves,” “Against incredible odds, they are contributing meaningfully to reconciliation in their villages across the country. In a sense, a lot is being asked of the Rwandan youth. They inherited a difficult past,” Kagame told his audience. He, however, said that the youth have since gathered the pieces and continue to play a positive role in the development process of the country. He added that today, the youth are represented in the country’s parliament and participate in decision making. The President observed that the youth form a formidable force once given the required guidance and support. He reminded the nations of the Commonwealth that investing in the youth is important both at the national and international level, since the youth form half of the world’s population. Among other things Kagame underscored the need for quality education, adding that having many illiterate youth in a country or on the continent is a danger in itself. He cited the example of the 9-Year Basic Education program, which Rwanda is implementing today, as one of the strategies put in place to ensure that the country’s youth are empowered with the knowledge and professional skills required for development. He was also keen to highlight what being part of the Commonwealth meant for the youth of Rwanda. “The Commonwealth is well placed and has the right values to contribute meaningfully to this generation of young people. This includes supporting the movement of skilled people from countries with higher skills to those where they are critically needed. The commitment to the youth and welcoming Rwanda into the Commonwealth was highlighted with the news that the RCS will be hosting the first Africa Commonwealth Youth Leadership workshop in Rwanda later this year. Building on the success of projects in Malaysia, Ghana, Cyprus and the United Kingdom, Rwanda will play hosts to ‘Nkabom 2010’ – meaning ‘coming together’ in the Ghanaian language of Twi. The ten-day programme will bring together young people from all over the Commonwealth member countries to actively engage them in international issues, working together to develop greater understanding of the host country, the region and beyond.
Kigali — Women from Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Monday called for an end to sexual abuse used as a weapon by armed groups operating within the region. This was during celebrations to mark the International Women’s Day, which saw hundreds of women from Rubavu district meet at the border with their counterparts from North Kivu Province.. The event, that was characterised by a peaceful march that stretched from Kivu Serena Hotel to the border post aimed at uniting their voices against rape, domestic violence and other vices, calling for durable peace and vowed to be ‘bridges of peace.’ “We are tired of sexual abuse targeting women,” one placard read. “We want all women out of isolation” and “we need development for women” other placards read. Upon meeting with their Congolese counterparts, two parties from both side joined a banner that read; “we are bridges of peace.” They were joined by the director of Women for Women International, Rwanda chapter Bella Kabarungi and her Congolese counterpart, Christine Kalumba. In a joint statement read by the two ladies, they called for sustainable peace in the region, denounced rape, discrimination and other vices against the women. “We have decided to be bridges of peace towards fostering sustainable peace in the region, and when women get peace, the whole world becomes peaceful and stable,” Kalumba said. The function was graced by the acting Mayor of Rubavu, Evariste Bizimana and North Kivu Governor, Jules Paluku, both of whom lauded the women from both countries for promoting peace. UGANDA
Compromise on Ugandan aid bill ends sit-in at Sen. Tom Coburn’s city office WASHINGTON — A compromise was reached here Tuesday on a bill aimed at helping victims of the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda, ending an 11-day protest outside the Oklahoma City office of Sen. Tom Coburn. Coburn, R-Muskogee, has been blocking consideration of the bill for several weeks — even though he agrees with its objectives — because it authorized $40 million in new spending that wasn’t offset with spending cuts elsewhere. Coburn spokesman John Hart said Tuesday that the bill’s supporters satisfied Coburn’s request on spending. “The compromise amendment repeals the authorization for new spending and replaces it with (nonbinding language) that Congress should spend this money out of the appropriations given to the State Department,” Hart said. The bill has strong bipartisan support. Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Tulsa, is one of the lead co-sponsors, and has argued strenuously for passage on the Senate floor. The legislation would encourage the capture of Joseph Kony, the head of the LRA, for whom arrest warrants have been issued by the International Criminal Court. The legislation would also provide aid to victims of the group and seek to stabilize local governments in the area where the army operates: Uganda, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Central African Republic. It directs the administration to develop a regional strategy to eliminate the threat to civilians and regional stability posed by the fighters, to enforce the rule of law and to ensure full humanitarian access in areas affected by the group. Michael Poffenberger, who heads the group Resolve Uganda here and helped organize the protest in Oklahoma City, said Tuesday that the compromise satisfies Coburn’s principles and the desires of those who want to end the violence in Uganda. Once the legislation is passed by the Senate, it must go to the House. Poffenberger said in an interview he hopes the administration will now recognize how strongly Americans feel about helping the victims of the fighters and stopping the violence, which has ensnared children forced to commit violent acts. Poffenberger said the protest outside Coburn’s office in the Chase Building had drawn young people from several states and had helped end the impasse. He said he was grateful that Coburn had been personally engaged in the negotiations, which also included Inhofe and Sen. Russ Feingold, the chairman of the African Affairs subcommittee. As many as 75 people slept outside the Chase Building during the protest, he said. In a statement from Resolve Uganda, Mark Nehrenz, the Oklahoman who coordinated the protest, thanked Coburn “for listening to our voices and hearing our cries for the children of Uganda and central Africa. Over the last eleven days and nights, I have stood beside, slept beside and frozen beside amazingly committed individuals from this state and all over this country. It has been painful and cold, but worth every last second.” TANZANIA:
CONGO RDC :
DJ Freeport-McMoRan Close To Congo Mine Agreement: CEO -Reuters Mar 09, 2010 (Dow Jones Commodities News Select via Comtex) — Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. ( FCX | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) is near an agreement with the Congo government for Freeport to expand its copper/cobalt mine in the country, Reuters reported Tuesday, citing the company’s chief executive officer. “The government has been realigned within the last month…and there are positive indications that we are within sight of having a conclusion to this process,” the report quoted Richard Adkerson as saying at the Reuters Global Mining and Steel Summit. The expansion has been delayed by the Kinshasa government’s decision to review all mining contracts in the country, the report said. “I am confident,” Adkerson was quoted as saying about the status of the contract review, “(but) I will tell you there are risks associated with this investment. I am confident, or we wouldn’t be doing it. But I wouldn’t underestimate the risk of doing business in a country like the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo).” (END) Dow Jones Newswires KENYA :
Pirates seize Kenyan-flagged fishing ship 2010-03-10/Editor: Zhang Pengfei /Source: Xinhua NAIROBI, March 9 (Xinhua) — Somali pirates have hijacked a Kenyan-flagged fishing vessel with 16 crew members onboard in the Indian Ocean off Somalia, a regional maritime official said on Tuesday. Andrew Mwangura, the East Africa Coordinator of Seafarers Assistance Program (SAP) said the Sakoba was taken last week but he received information on Tuesday. “The fishing vessel was hijacked last week but we received information on Tuesday. It’s not clear when the vessel was seized but it seemed it was in the Kenyan waters,” Mwangura told Xinhua by telephone from Mombasa. He said the vessel has 10 Kenyans, a Spanish captain, a Polish chief engineer, two Senegalese, a Namibian and a citizen of Cape Verde. Reports said the ship was last registered in Spain three years ago. However, a statement from the European Union said the Kenyan- flagged fishing vessel was hijacked 400 nautical miles (740 km) east of Dar Es Salam. “The Sakoba is heading towards (the Somali coastal village of) Haradere and EU Navfor is continuing to monitor the situation,” the statement said. Hijackings off East Africa are a cause of growing international concern, spurring a number of international navies to patrol the pirate-wracked Gulf of Aden. Hundreds of other people remain hostage aboard hijacked ships in the Gulf of Aden and its surrounding seas. An estimated 25,000 ships annually cruise the Gulf of Aden, off Somalia’s northern coast. ANGOLA :
ANGOLAN HOME MINISTER SAYS CONCERTED ACTION BY SADC POLICE NECESSARY NAM NEWS NETWORK Mar 10th, 2010 LUANDA, March 10 (NNN-ANGOP) — Angolan Home Affairs (Interior) Minister Roberto Leal Ramos Monteiro “Ngongo” says it is necessary for police in member states of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to have concerted actions to effectively fight against trans-frontier crime. Speaking at the opening of the first Command and Leadership Course for SADC Female Police Network here Tuesday, he added: “As a result of the globalised and interacting world in which we are included, crime in all its variations is in permanent evolution and permanently refines the techniques and forms of action.” According to the minister, the need for concerted action required a co-ordination of effort among the organs which deal everyday with crime. For this reason, the need for synchronisation among the police forces of the region was a natural consequence of the proliferation of trans-frontier crime, resulting from the migration of people and goods. Referring to the training course, he underlined that it was part of an effort to improve the performance of SADC female police officers. Only with skilled and well prepared staff can the police forces of the region better respond to challenges. According to Leal Monteiro, the course, which will run until March 16, is of great importance, mainly because of southern Africa?s geo-strategic dimensions. As an economically strong region, with various natural resources, it had naturally become an area of greed on the part of various strange interests. Thus, he added, it was up to the police to secure public order, tranquillity and social peace required for the socio-economic development of the countries of the region. The course is being attended by 33 women police officers from SADC states and is intended to equip the women police network with major interaction and skills. The SADC Female Police Network is an organ of the Southern Africa Regional Police Chiefs Co-operation Organization (SARPCCO), intended to group all policewomen from member countries. The SADC groups Angola, South Africa, Botwsuana, Namibia, Zambia, Tanzania, Madagascar (suspended), Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Leshoto, Suaziland, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mauritius and Malawi. — NNN-ANGOP SOUTH AFRICA:
South Africa, Uganda: Sub-Saharan Bond, Currency Preview March 10 (Bloomberg) — The following events and economic reports may influence trading in sub-Saharan African bonds and currencies today. Bond yields and exchange rates are from the previous session. South Africa: Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, visits the country. The rand weakened 0.2 percent to 7.4030 against the dollar as of 5:50 p.m. in Johannesburg. The yield on the benchmark 13.5 percent government bond due September 2015 climbed 5 basis points to 8.25 percent. Uganda: The Treasury will announce results of a bond sale. The Ugandan shilling weakened 0.5 percent to 2,060 versus the dollar at 6:51 p.m. in the capital, Kampala. Zambia: Strauss-Kahn will meet Finance Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane and central bank governor Caleb Fundanga. –Editors: Ana Monteiro, Tim Farrand. Britain gives one million pounds to S.Africa for condoms LONDON — Britain announced Tuesday one million pounds in aid to South Africa for the purchase of condoms to tackle HIV and AIDS in the world’s worst-affected country ahead of the 2010 World Cup. The money, equivalent to 1.1 million euros or 1.5 million dollars, is to bolster the host’s condom supplies, a move health officials predict will be necessary amid the tournament’s “spirit of festivity.” Britain said the aid, announced shortly after a visit to London by South African President Jacob Zuma, would help the country’s aim to buy one billion condoms at a time the AIDS fight has been hit by the economic downturn. “As a consequence we face the very real prospect that progress on tackling HIV will go into reverse,” said international development minister Gareth Thomas. “That is why (Britain) is supporting South Africa’s leadership and drive to turn the tide on their epidemic.” An estimated 5.7 million of South Africa’s 48 million people have HIV, including 280,000 children, according to the UN AIDS agency. A top medical officer unveiled plans last month to increase condom supplies ahead of the football tournament, due to start in less than 100 days. “There’s going to be a large number of people who will be descending onto the country,” said Victor Ramathesele, general medical officer for South Africa’s 2010 organising committee. “There’s going to be a spirit of festivity and… there could be a more than usual demand for measures such as condoms,” he said. Zuma left Britain Friday after a three-day state visit, which was marred by a row over British media coverage of his polygamy and a failure to agree on Zimbabwe. His administration has stepped up the battle against AIDS, and South Africa now boasts the world’s largest anti-retroviral programme after years of government failure to roll out the life-saving drugs. South Africa hosts the continent’s first World Cup in June and July. Kidnapped South African re-united with his wife Nick Greyling, the Supersport sound engineer who was kidnapped in Nigeria, arrived safely in South Africa this morning, the family spokesman said. “He landed from Lagos this morning,” said Johan Russouw. “He is very, very tired; he is exhausted, but under the circumstances, he is doing very well.” Russouw, who is Greyling’s father-in-law, said the family was very grateful to those who helped secure his release after the abduction last Monday. Greyling and his wife would spend a quiet day together. “The first thing they are going to do now is have breakfast together,” said Russouw. “His youngest daughter is sitting on her dad’s lap.” Greyling and his wife have three daughters, aged seven, four and one-and-a-half. “To say that they are happy to see each other will be an under-statement.” Russouw said Supersport was expected to release a media statement later today but no plans had been made for Greyling to address the media. The department of international relations and co-operation said on Tuesday it was up to Greyling if he wanted to talk about the ordeal. Spokeswoman Nomfanelo Kota declined to comment on reports by the international news agency Agence France Presse (AFP) out of Lagos that 15 million naira (US100,000) ransom was paid to secure his release. Russouw said: “As far as I know, no ransom was paid. His release was secured through co-operation between the governments of Nigeria and South Africa and with the help of a negotiating party.” Greyling was released on Monday night. He had been taken hostage with two of his Nigerian Supersport colleagues – cameraman Alexander Effiong and commentator Bowie Attamah – when their bus was attacked in the Imo province, near the Oweri airport. Effiong escaped soon after the attack and Attamah was released on Friday. AFRICA / AU :
Chevron to keep, possibly expand Coast refinery The announcement came at a time when the corporation is dealing with cutbacks worldwide in its struggling refinery, marketing and transportation operations. The corporate home office in California announced Tuesday that Chevron will cut 2,000 jobs worldwide this year. It also will seek to sell some overseas entities. Executives with the major oil producer are still deciding where and when they will eliminate the jobs as they try to complete a restructuring by the third quarter, company spokesman Lloyd Avram said from California. Additional cuts are expected next year. Chevron refers to its refining, marketing and transportation as the downstream portion of the business. Chevron employs 17,000 in downstream operations worldwide and the projected cuts represent almost 12 percent of those workers, or just over 3 percent of its overall workforce of 64,000. The Pascagoula refinery is Chevron’s largest in the United States with a workforce of about 1,500 and the ability to refine 330,000 barrels of crude oil a day into 5.5 million gallons of gasoline and other fuels. “It’s been selected as one that will continue operations,” Avram said Tuesday. “And the base-oil project at the refinery will continue to be in our plans.” The base-oil expansion for Pascagoula was first announced in 2008, but was put on the back burner. Avram said the company has no start or completion date for the expansion, but “that facility, when completed, will produce 25,000 barrels a day of base oil that is used to produce premium motor oils.” As part of the downstream reorganization, Chevron plans to seek a buyer or buyers for its operations in Europe, including the Pembroke, Wales, refinery, as well as the Caribbean and select Central America markets. It’s also reviewing operations in Hawaii and Africa, outside of South Africa. “We intend to further concentrate our downstream portfolio in North America and Asia-Pacific,” said Mike Wirth, Chevron’s executive vice president, global downstream. “These are markets in which we have our greatest competitive strength. We are also rapidly and aggressively lowering costs, reducing capital spending, improving efficiency and simplifying our organization.” Karen Nelson contributed to this report. Bidvest, Dawn, Metropolitan Group: South African Equity Preview March 10 (Bloomberg) — The following is a list of companies whose shares may have unusual price changes in South Africa. Stock symbols are in parentheses after company names and prices are from the last close. South Africa’s FTSE/JSE Africa All Share Index dropped for the first time in eight days, snapping its longest winning streak in more than three months. The measure fell 218.55, or 0.8 percent, to 27,898.14. Anglo Platinum Ltd. (AMS SJ): The world’s biggest producer of the precious metal, was added to the “CEEMEA Analyst Focus List” at JPMorgan Chase & Co., which said the shares may climb about 44 percent by the end of 2010. The shares fell 7.70 rand, or 1.1 percent, to 696.80 rand. Bidvest Group Ltd. (BVT SJ): The owner of companies from auto dealerships to financial services was rated “overweight” in new coverage by RMB Morgan Stanley with a price target of 159 rand because of the company’s ability to grow its existing businesses. The stock slipped 1.93 rand, or 1.4 percent, to 138.50 rand. Distribution and Warehousing Network Ltd. (DAW SJ): The seller of hardware supplies and branded tools said fiscal first- half net income fell to 62.2 million rand ($8.4 million) from 156.7 million rand a year earlier. The stock decreased 30 cents, or 4 percent, to 7.20 rand. Metropolitan Holdings Ltd. (MET SJ): The insurer which targets low and middle-income earners in South Africa posted full-year net income of 1.1 billion rand from a year-earlier loss of 319 million rand. Metropolitan was unchanged at 14.40 rand. Mondi Group (MND SJ): Europe’s largest maker of office paper and paper bags was upgraded to “buy” from “neutral” by Bank of America Merrill Lynch analyst Ross Gilardi as the earthquake in Chile increased chances that prices will increase. Mondi declined 19 cents, or 0.4 percent, to 49.06 rand. Uranium One Inc. (UUU SJ): The mining company reports annual earnings. Uranium One dropped 1.67 rand, or 7.7 percent, to 20.16 rand. Shares or American depositary receipts of the following South African companies closed as follows: Anglo American Plc (AAUKY US) fell 1.9 percent to $19.74. AngloGold Ashanti Ltd. (AU US) dropped 1.2 percent to $37.42. BHP Billiton Ltd. (BBL US) declined 1 percent to $66.65. DRDGold Ltd. (DROOY US) shed 4.5 percent to $5.91. Gold Fields Ltd. (GFI US) retreated 1.1 percent to $12.16. Harmony Gold Mining Co. (HMY US) slipped 2.1 percent to $9.60. Impala Platinum Holdings (IMPUY US) climbed 0.2 percent to $26.35. Sappi Ltd. (SPP US) fell 0.7 percent to $4.11. Sasol Ltd. (SSL US) dropped 1.1 percent to $39.11. –Editors: Vernon Wessels, Alastair Reed. UN /ONU :
Gabon president ties UN peace costs to climate Gabon’s president is urging world leaders to reduce the costs of U.N. peacekeeping by doing more to prevent armed conflicts in the first place _ including adopting long-range plans on climate change. He outlined his “ambition to offer to contribute to any conflict prevention strategy” as his oil-rich nation holds the presidency of the U.N. Security Council this month. The son of Gabon’s late dictator won a contested presidential election last year. The former French colony in central Africa has a non-permanent council seat through 2011. U.N. Calls for Justice after Nigerian Sectarian Massacre March 10, 2010/ www.pbs.org Transcript A warning: You may find some of the images in our story disturbing. Victims of the massacre were buried in mass graves yesterday, one day after as many as 500 people were killed, shot and hacked to death with machetes. This injured man said he was sleeping when the ambush came. Witnesses told of people caught in fishing nets as they ran from burning huts. Most of the victims were women and children. DAVID KENG, eyewitness: We heard gunshots. Then, we had — we had phone calls from the people of this area, calling — want us to come and assist them. By the time we are nearby, we — we heard the sound of the guns. GWEN IFILL: The attackers struck three Christian villages near Jos, at the crossroads between Nigeria’s Muslim north and its Christian south. It appeared to be retaliation for violence last January that killed more than 300 people in nearby Muslim settlements. Nigerian police said they have arrested 95 people for the Sunday attacks, and they appealed for patience. GREGORY YENGLONG, acting police commissioner: We have no option than to ask the people to remain calm and be patient, as government steps up security. GWEN IFILL: Thousands have died in Nigeria’s religious and ethnic violence during the past decade. But the recent trouble underscores increasing instability in Africa’s most populous country. Nigeria is also a major oil exporter, sending half its output to the U.S. The vice president, Goodluck Jonathan, was named acting president last month, filling a power vacuum left when President Umaru Yar’Adua went to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment in November. Jonathan is a Christian from the south. Yar’Adua is a Muslim from the north. Adding to the uncertainty, Yar’Adua has not been seen in public since he returned to the capital last month. ADEMOLA ABASS, professor of international law and organizations, Brunel University: What you have now, there is no credible governance structure in the country now. And the manifestations of that dysfunctional system is what we are beginning to see in places like Jos. GWEN IFILL: In the president’s absence, Jonathan has attempted to assert control, most recently by firing his security chief. But it remains unclear that he has sufficient authority to restore calm. The U.S., the U.N., and human rights groups called on Nigeria today to punish those behind Sunday’s deadly violence. Agro-investment in Africa requires N2.22tr If agriculture is to be the mainstay to stimulate economic growth, then investments in the sector should go beyond improvements in on-farm productivity to also cover agribusiness and agro industrial development. Geoffrey Mrema, Director, Rural Infrastructure and Agro-industries Division, Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), a unit of the United Nations, said Africa needs an accelerated investment in agribusiness and agro industries to the tune of $15bilion (N2,22trillion) annually between now and 2015, to achieve food security in the continent. Speaking on Monday at the High Level Conference on Development of Agribusiness and Agro Industries in Africa, held in Abuja, he insisted that there is a need to increase investments in downstream activities of the agri food value chain, that is, the industries and services that allow food products to match consumers’ demands. Agency’s projection Mr. Mrema explained further, “If you look at FAO projections for the whole Africa, from now to 2015, African countries need to invest $15 billion a year in post production activities. This is first stage processing, rural infrastructure and mechanisation, in addition to what they are now doing.” He said that the UN agencies, including United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO); United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA); International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD); and Africa Development Bank (AfDB) are collaborating to ensure that agriculture is given a boost in Africa. To this end, they have provided technical support not just for the three-day conference but for developing the African Agribusiness and Agro-Industries Development Initiative, 3ADI. “Our agencies are convinced that 3ADI will play a critical role in promoting the agricultural-led economic growth and social development that Africa is so well positioned to achieve,” he said. Food sufficiency Achike Udenwa, Minister of Commerce and Industry, thanked the development partners for their efforts in assisting the continent to achieve food sufficiency, stating that it is worrisome that there is recognisable increase in export of primary products but the reverse is the case in the agro processing sector. “Agriculture remains the mainstay of African economies in terms of national output and employment generation. However, the potential of this sector have neither been fully developed nor realised. “Significant increases have been recorded in the export of primary and semi-processed agricultural products. The agro-processing sector, on the other hand, has not witnessed corresponding growth due to the peculiar constraints of the industrial sector.” Agro investment Abbah Ruma, Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources, who commended the efforts being made by the development partners in encouraging investment in the agric sector, said Nigeria is determined to make investment in the sector attractive. He said, “Along with the Central Bank of Nigeria, we have floated a N200billion credit facility at single digit of seven year tenure to facilitate agro business development in Nigeria. “It is a credit facility for agribusiness enterprise development in Nigeria which the agric ministry, CBN, and Debt Management Office is providing and a number of states have indicated interest in this for their different farmers processing group.” USA :
Chevron ax misses U.S. refineries Chevron Corp. intends to keep its U.S. refineries open — including the vast complex in Richmond — at least for now, the energy giant said Tuesday amid a far-reaching restructuring. Still, Chevron’s quest to slash its global refinery, retail and marketing operations, also known as the downstream business, will unleash job cuts totaling 2,000 worldwide during 2010. Some of the employment losses for Chevron’s downstream units could surface in the Bay Area, where the job market is already dismal. The full extent of the downstream restructuring won’t be known until late September or early October. For the moment, though, the Richmond refinery appears to have dodged San Ramon-based Chevron’s ax. That seemed to be the case in the wake of comments by Chevron Chief Executive Officer John Watson after a company meeting in New York City with analysts Tuesday. “We don’t contemplate closing refineries,” Watson said. “Our refineries are competitive, but the industry conditions are difficult.” However, on Tuesday, Chevron did say it will seek a buyer for its refinery in England and other assets in Europe. The company will also review operations in Hawaii and Africa. Prospects for refineries in Richmond and elsewhere could gyrate. “We will not speculate on potential outcomes from the global restructuring process,” Comey said. Chevron has yet to complete a full assessment of how to downsize its retail and refinery operations. It’s too soon to determine the effects in the Bay Area of the company’s sweeping restructuring, the company said. “We continue to review potential changes to ensure profitable operations,” Comey said. “That review also involves refineries, including the ones in California.” The oil company’s move to scale back downstream operations may be part of a strategy by Chevron to intensify its focus on its upstream business, which consists of exploration, development and production of energy. “The integrated major oil companies can make so much more money on upstream,” said Tina Vital, an oil and gas equity analyst with rating firm Standard & Poor’s. “That’s what Chevron is doing.” Increasingly, Chevron has expanded its pipeline by launching or developing mammoth projects such as liquefied natural gas sites in Australia and oil and gas fields in the Gulf of Mexico, South America and Africa. “Chevron has quietly transformed itself into a producer of huge legacy projects,” Vital said. “These projects will last 30 to 50 years.” The company said it would intensify exploration for new energy fields in Thailand, Australia, Africa and the Gulf of Mexico. It also plans to drill 68 exploration wells in 2010. The various upstream initiatives will likely increase annual production by 4 percent to 7 percent from 2014 through 2017, Chevron told analysts. That would be a jump from the annual production growth of 1 percent that’s projected from now through 2014. It’s no surprise that Chevron has decided to trim its refinery, retail and marketing operations, said Robbert Van Batenburg, head of equity research with Louis Capital Markets. “Downstream is a horrible business to be in,” Van Batenburg said. “Demand for gasoline has struggled because of the recession and the credit crisis.” During the final three months of 2009, Chevron’s refineries lost more than $600,000 a day, analysts estimated. “The integrated oil and gas producers have decided to scale back or largely divest themselves from downstream,” Van Batenburg said. During 2009 and 2010, the Chevron job cuts in the downstream business are expected to total 3,900, including 1,900 in 2009 and the 2,000 this year. More job cuts could occur in 2011. “We are concentrating on markets that represent our greatest competitive strength and opportunities for growth,” Comey said. Eritrean pleads not guilty to aiding terrorists NEW YORK — Evidence collected by the United States against an East African charged with providing support to a Somali terrorist organization linked to al-Qaida includes lengthy statements he made to authorities, a prosecutor told a judge Tuesday. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher LaVigne made the revelation during a plea proceeding for Mohamed Ibrahim Ahmed in Manhattan. Ahmed’s lawyer, Sabrina Shroff, entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. Ahmed, 35, a citizen of Eritrea, was brought to the United States on Saturday from Nigeria on charges that he supported al-Shabaab, a violent extremist group in Somalia. Prosecutors say he gave the organization 3,000 euros and studied weapons and explosives at a training camp. They say he bought an AK-47 rifle, ammunition and two grenades in April in Somalia. Al-Shabaab was designated by the U.S. as a terrorist group in 2008. LaVigne told U.S. District Judge Kevin P. Castel that evidence the government will turn over to the defense in the case includes extensive statements Ahmed made in Nigeria, along with items recovered from him. The prosecutor said Ahmed’s statements were in six reports that amounted to 10 to 13 pages. As the prosecutor spoke, Ahmed nodded his head as he listened to a translator. The government wouldn’t disclose details on Ahmed’s statements. His apparent cooperation with authorities seemed evident in court. At the end of the proceeding, which lasted only a few minutes, Ahmed leaped from his chair and headed toward the door leading to the cell block next to the courtroom. The marshals who accompanied him did not appear alarmed by his rapid movement. Court papers indicated Ahmed might have been held by authorities since November, when officials say he was found in possession of documents reflecting bomb-making instructions. The indictment also said his crimes stretch from at least January 2009 through last November. U.S. authorities would likely welcome any information Ahmed can provide about al-Shabaab. An indictment charging Ahmed with providing material support to the organization and receiving training from the group said a former leader of al-Shabaab who trained with al-Qaida in Afghanistan prior to 2001 had called for foreign fighters to go to Somalia to join al-Shabaab in a “holy war” against the Ethiopian and African Union forces in Somalia. The indictment said al-Shabaab’s recruitment efforts had led men from other countries including the United States to go to Somalia to engage in violent jihad — holy war. The indictment said al-Shabaab was believed to have provided protection and safe haven for al-Qaida operatives wanted for a 2002 hotel bombing in Kenya and the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that resulted in 224 deaths, including 12 Americans. It said al-Shabaab in April declared it was responsible for mortar attacks against a U.S. congressman visiting Somalia. A year before that, al-Shabaab leaders declared that their fighters would “hunt the U.S. government” and warned that the U.S. and Ethiopia should keep its citizens out of Somalia, the indictment said. Al-Shabaab is the most active group of violent extremists targeting Somalia’s weak U.S.-backed transitional government. The indictment said it has carried out assassinations of civilians and journalists and had distributed a videotape depicting the slow decapitation of an accused spy. Somalia, an impoverished East African nation of about 10 million people, has not had a functioning government for more than a decade. Federal prosecutors said al-Shabaab, hoping to impose strict Islamic law throughout Somalia, has claimed responsibility for suicide bombing attacks in recent years, including five simultaneous suicide bombings targeting government, Ethiopian and United Nations facilities in October 2008. Herpes Infects One in Six in U.S. TUESDAY, March 9 (HealthDay News) — As many as one in six Americans is infected with herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), health officials said Tuesday. HSV-2, one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in the United States, is a serious, incurable infection that lasts a lifetime, causing recurrent and painful genital sores, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Preventing STDs is a public health challenge that we, as a nation, cannot afford to ignore,” Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of the CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, said Tuesday during a news conference. The CDC estimates that 19 million new STD infections occur every year in the United States, almost half of them among young people, Fenton added. “Young women, African Americans, and gay and bisexual men are especially hard hit,” he said. “It is unacceptable that STDs remain such a widespread public health problem in the United States today.” The new findings on herpes, which were presented at the agency’s 2010 National STD Prevention Conference, represent data from the 2005 to 2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which involves households from across the country. The prevalence of HSV-2 has remained stable, at about 17 percent of the U.S. population, since the last survey, which was done from 1999 to 2004. “This stabilization in herpes rates follows a period of declining prevalence, down from 21 percent for the years 1988 to 1994,” La’Shan Taylor, an officer with the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service and author of the report, said during the news conference. According to the report, women and blacks are the most likely to be infected. In fact, the prevalence among women was 20.9 percent, nearly twice that of men, at 11.5 percent. Among blacks, 39.2 percent are infected, a rate more than three times that of whites, at 12.3 percent, according to the report. Black women had the highest prevalence of HSV-2, at 48 percent. “As dark as these numbers are, they are not substantially different from CDC’s previous estimates of these populations,” Taylor said. The report noted that women also are more susceptible to other sexually transmitted diseases and that the racial disparities found with HSV-2 may be due to more infections among blacks that make them more likely to be exposed to herpes. The infection rates should also be considered serious because people with herpes are two to three times more likely to become infected with HIV and because having herpes makes it more likely that an HIV-infected person will give HIV to others, according to the CDC. Taylor said the survey also found that the prevalence of herpes increases with age, from 1.4 percent among those aged 14 to 19 years to 26.1 percent among people aged 40 to 49. “This reflects the fact that, once you are infected with herpes, the infection is lifelong since no cure currently exists,” she said. The prevalence of herpes was also higher among those who reported having many sex partners, Taylor said. About 4 percent of those with one lifetime sex partner were found to have herpes, compared with about 27 percent of those who reported having 10 or more partners. In addition, more than 80 percent of people infected with herpes don’t know they are infected, Taylor said, in large part because symptoms can be mild or absent altogether. Symptoms also are often taken to be the sign of another infection. But people with herpes infection can transmit it to others even if they have no signs of the disease, health officials stressed. “This latest analysis emphasizes that we can’t afford to be complacent about this infection,” Dr. John M. Douglas Jr., director of CDC’s division of STD prevention, said during the news conference. “It is important that we promote steps to prevent the spread of genital herpes, not only because herpes is a lifelong and incurable infection but also because of the linkage between herpes and HIV infection.” Dr. David L. Katz, director of the Prevention Research Center at the Yale University School of Medicine, described herpes as a “bellwether for sexually transmitted diseases … because it suggests that other such exposures may have occurred and because it increases vulnerability when they do.” “Unfortunately, we have no perfect defense against herpes since it cannot be cured and there is, as yet, no vaccine,” Katz said. Though he predicted that a vaccine would eventually be developed, increased diligence is needed in the meantime, he added. That should include “heightened awareness among both clinicians and patients, routine dialogue on the topic in all primary care settings, guidance to all patients on prevention strategies and routine availability of condoms and other barrier contraceptive devices,” Katz said. “The high prevalence of herpes, and the disparities with which it is associated, indicate we can do this job better and more equitably,” he said. Though there is no cure for HSV-2, drugs can be effective in treating and preventing outbreaks, according to the CDC. However, the agency recommends not having sex during an outbreak, using condoms and limiting the number of sex partners. Although the CDC does not recommend that people generally be screened for herpes, it says that those at high risk for the infection might want to be screened. They include people with multiple sex partners, those who are HIV-positive, and gay or bisexual men. Another report presented at the STD conference focused on why young women, no matter what race, appear to be reluctant to be tested for STDs. Heather Royer, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, surveyed 302 women, 18 to 24 years old, about their beliefs about STD testing. She found that barriers to testing included: The majority of women (88 percent) were uncomfortable being tested by a man. Moreover, women who said they were embarrassed to talk about sex with their doctors or fill out questionnaires about their sexual history were twice as likely to have never had an STD test, the survey found. To reduce the stigma of STDs, Royer said that doctors should be encouraged to make sexual history part of routine care for young women. More information The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on sexually transmitted diseases. SOURCES: David L. Katz, M.D., director, Prevention Research Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn.; March 9, 2010, teleconference with: Kevin Fenton, M.D., Ph.D., director, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; La’Shan Taylor, Dr.P.H., officer, Epidemic Intelligence Service, CDC; John M. Douglas Jr., M.D., director, division of STD prevention, CDC; 2005-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, CDC Folly in Somalia I could view the situation with icier detachment if I had not served as the last U.S. ambassador and special envoy to Somalia in 1994 and 1995. This role allowed me to get to know some Somalis and to gain a certain understanding of the country, so it is difficult for me to view it coolly, from afar. The Somalis have made an awful mess of their country. There has been no government with national authority since 1991, moving its population of 9 million toward two decades of chaos. (I, for one, refuse to take seriously the appeal that an absence of government might have for America’s own tea party movement.) No government in a place like Somalia means no health care, no education, no infrastructure maintenance and the absence of law and order that comes when everyone is armed to the teeth and perhaps high on drugs. Somalia has suffered an amazing amount of foreign intervention from 1991 to the present. The United Nations and then the United States intervened in the early 1990s to prevent Somali militias from interfering with humanitarian efforts to meet famine and other disasters in Somalia in the wake of the collapse of government and subsequent clan fighting. The problem came when the United Nations and the Clinton administration turned from the humanitarian mission to nation re-building. It would have been difficult to keep the humanitarian program going without foreign troops unless a viable government were in place to assure law and order. But it was a question of how to get from a state of almost total disorder to the re-creation of viable government. When the world tried to take on that chore, the Somalis began to concentrate their efforts on making the foreigners’ presence unbearable. Worse, the foreigners had their own view of which Somalis should be running the show. The Somali leader who had led the forces that had overthrown the previous dictator was Gen. Mohamed Farrah Aideed, who was not only unacceptable to many Somalis but also had a personality and sense of entitlement to the job of president that made him unacceptable to most of the foreigners, including the Americans. By the time I got there in 1994, the “Blackhawk Down” killing of 18 American troops and the subsequent withdrawal of almost all of the rest had taken place and the United Nations was reduced to paying the Somalis just to meet with each other, a sad state of affairs. Soon, the U.S. government decided, against my recommendation, that it was too dangerous to maintain an embassy and special envoy there and we were withdrawn. U.N. forces were taken out months later. Since then, there have been two streams of effort on the part of the world to try to reestablish government in Somalia. One cobbled together a government after months of talk in Kenya. This produced the one that now holds a few blocks of Mogadishu with the help of African Union forces. The other has been up-and-down efforts of an Islamic group called the Shabab to establish rule in Somalia. The American government has decided that the Shabab is too infected with Islamic extremism, including perhaps influence by al-Qaida, to be permitted to take power, even though it probably would if the African Union withdrew. In the name of keeping the Shabab out, the United States provided air and intelligence support for an invasion of Somalia by Ethiopia in 2006. The Ethiopians eventually found trying to keep the provisional government in power such a miserable business that they withdrew last year. Now, apparently, U.S. forces are providing arms, advisers and other military support to the African Union and newly trained forces of the provisional government to try to enable them to enlarge the small area of Mogadishu they currently control. There is reason to believe this effort will fail, partly because the Shabab are determined and their forces large, partly because the African Union forces are not highly motivated to die in Somalia and partly because the provisional government forces are likely to fragment into clans, be ineffectual and eventually loot the American arms, perhaps diverting them to the Shabab and other militias. So why, apart from the only lightly documented charge of Islamic extremism among the Shabab, is the United States reengaging in Somalia at this time? Part of the reason is because the United States has its only base in Africa up the coast from Mogadishu, in Djibouti, the former French Somaliland. The U.S. Africa Command was established there in 2008, and, absent the willingness of other African countries to host it, the base in Djibouti became the headquarters for U.S. troops and fighter bombers in Africa. Flush with money, in spite of the expensive wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Department of Defense obviously feels itself in a position to undertake military action in Africa, in Somalia. Whether it makes sense to do so, or whether the Somalis would be more likely to set up and consolidate a working government in Mogadishu in the absence of foreign intervention, is another question altogether. When I left the issue in 1995 I was persuaded that the best thing for Somalia — and therefore for America and the rest of the world — was to leave the Somalis to sort out their problems. Given what has happened since, and what is likely to happen now with the new U.S. military effort, I still think so. Why not let the Shabab take the place and then do business with them? Dan Simpson, a former U.S. ambassador, is a Post-Gazette associate editor (dsimpson@post-gazette.com, 412 263-1976). More articles by this author Female Condoms Being Distributed March 10, 2010/www.empowher.com Our nation’s capitol has become the first city in the US to distribute female condoms for free. While many cities have given out male condoms for free to individuals in an attempt to curb STDs and promote sexual health, Washington D.C. is the first to distribute female condoms for free. The campaign is part of a larger project to promote safe sex and fight against the city’s high HIV and AIDS rates. Salons, corner stores and high schools will distribute the 500,000 contraceptives to individuals. Certain neighborhoods will be targeted, namely wards that have been shown to involve high rates of unsafe sex and high rates of infection. These wards 1, 2, 3, 6 and 7 are populated by large numbers of African American heterosexuals, according to the Washington Post. A largely black city, D.C.’s stats suggest that many African Americans have less access to sexual health resources and sexual health education, thus making the community more susceptible to infection, STIs and HIV. The distribution of female condoms is a step towards advocating for safe sexual practices. Relying on male condom distribution alone ignores the opportunity for women to protect themselves against HIV and STIs through female condoms. The hope is that by having access to female and male condoms, more people will utilize these contraceptives and lower the rates of HIV and AIDS (infections that are particiularly prominent among the black community). Research has shown that HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death among black women between 25 and 34. The project has been made possible through a $500,000 grant from the MAC AIDS Fund, which provides money for various city programs including needle exchange campaigns throughout D.C. The grant enabled the city to purchase condoms for wholesale prices and distribute them throughout various organizations. This seems like a step in the right direction for at-risk populations, particularly poor women of color and black women, who need more resources to take care of their bodies. Studies have shed light on the unsafe sex practices that are prevalent among many D.C. communities and female condoms can encourage women to use protection even if their sexual partners refuse to use male condoms. The female condom only recently began selling in the U.S., first at CVS, next to male condoms. Spokespersons for the pharmacy have noted that sales for the female condom have been slow – suggesting that more awareness must be raised about its use and its effectiveness. By educating communities about a wide array of contraceptives, cities will have a better chance of curbing STIs. CANADA :
Air Canada, Emirates war of words escalates “Simply put, the market between Canada and the UAE has not developed to the point where more capacity is warranted. Period. Full stop,” Mr. Rovinescu told the Vancouver Board of Trade in a speech. “There are already more airline seats being flown between Dubai and Canada than there are people to fill them,” he said. But Emirates has been aggressively lobbying for greater access to the Canadian market in recent years. Under federal regulations, it is currently limited to sharing six flights a week with Abu Dhabi carrier, Etihad Airways. The Dubai-based carrier claims that if it were allowed to increase its flights to daily service to Toronto and add flights to markets like Vancouver and Calgary, it could potentially create 2,800 jobs across the country and generate up to $480-million in additional economic activity. Those claims have caught the attention of the premiers of both B.C. and Alberta, who support the plan. More recently, the Dubai government has stepped up its own efforts to improve access for Emirates by linking the successful outcome of those talks to the continuation of Canada’s lease on its base in the Middle East, “Camp Mirage”, when it comes up for renewal in June. But Transport Canada and Air Canada oppose the plan. Mr. Rovinescu said Emirates plans to simply fly passengers through its base in Dubai en route to destinations in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, eroding Air Canada’s international business and those of its Star Alliance partners. “Those who understand airline traffic flows will see through this sort of subterfuge,” Mr. Rovinesu said, “no matter how much confusion is created around linking Open Skies with the UAE to military bases necessary for our country’s operation in Afghanistan.” Financial Post India gets big response at global mining meet 10 Mar 2010/economictimes.indiatimes.com TORONTO: India has drawn a huge response at the world’s biggest mining conference here, with Ontario province signing a memorandum of understanding Canada is the world leader in mining with cutting-edge technology in mining development, exploration and safety. More than 60 percent of the world’s mining companies are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. “Canada is the mining capital of the world. We will sign a MoU with India, the world’s fastest growing economy. We know its importance for us,” said Ontario Mining Minister Michael Gravelle. He was speaking at the ‘India Day’ function at the mining conference here Tuesday. Under the agreement, Canada will invest and provide know-how and equipment for mining in India. “Canada is a one-stop shop in mining. The MoU will benefit India from the first to the last stage of its mineral development,” said Canada-India Business Council (C-IBC) mining committee chairman Hemant Shaw, who is leading the largest-ever mining delegation to India in November this year. “Global mining companies are waiting for India to legislate its new mineral policy. But when will the government announce it? It has been only talked about for four years,” said Shah. Lauding India for its new mineral policy, Jon Baird, president of the organisers Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) and who has been to India for about 30 times, said: “India is refining its mining laws, and I am very pleased about that. It has a bigger job, but it is doing its job.” Vijay Kumar, secretary in the Indian ministry of mines who has authored the new mining policy, said: “We have drawn very good response from the participants. The new policy will be tabled in parliament this month, and is likely to become law by the end of the year. It will bring global mining players into India with their investment, know-how and technology.” Referring to India’s mining partnership with Canada, Kumar said, “Canada has many strengths. India has strengths (like geological data). The MoU is ready and India’s new mineral policy will strength our mining ties.” He said: “Potentially, India is sitting on rich mineral resources as its geology (of South India) is similar to that (of) western Australia and southern Africa which are rich in mineral resources. The new policy will help exploit this potential.” Apart from seven states governments and the Federation of Indian Mineral Industries, major Indian mining companies, including Hindustan Copper, Rio Tinto (India), National Mineral Development Corp and Anglo American, are participating in the global gathering. About 300 major mining companies from around the world are taking part in the conference which ends Wednesday. AUSTRALIA :
US’ Valmont to buy UK engineered steel products manufacturer Delta Valmont, which seeks to expand outside the US, said that the price was decided on the basis that Delta will not pay a final dividend for the year ended December 31. Valmont is to take over the UK-based manufacturer’s 2,500 employees spread across Australia, Asia, South Africa and the US, including its management. Delta Group produces steel poles and structures and offers galvanizing services. Shell Australia Official Set to Begin Amid Arrow Bid (Update1) March 10 (Bloomberg) — Royal Dutch Shell Plc, bidding with PetroChina Co. to acquire Arrow Energy Ltd., said Ann Pickard is expected to start this month as the executive vice president leading oil and gas exploration and production in Australia. Pickard, previously based in Lagos, Nigeria in charge of Shell’s operations in Africa, will move into her new role the last week of March, overseeing business in Australia including the company’s proposed liquefied natural gas projects, Shell spokeswoman Penny Walsh said in an e-mail late yesterday. Pickard takes over from Jon Chadwick as Shell and PetroChina negotiate an offer worth as much as A$3.3 billion ($3 billion) to buy Arrow Energy, the Australian coal-seam gas producer. The oil companies offered A$4.45 a share for Arrow’s Australian business, Brisbane-based Arrow said on March 8. The executive will be based in Perth, the e-mail said. The company will announce plans for Chadwick, who has been executive vice president in Australia, at a later date, Walsh said by phone. Russell Caplan is chairman of Shell Australia. Shell, which employs about 2,500 people in Australia, is a partner in the Chevron Corp.-led Gorgon venture off northwestern Australia and has an interest in Woodside Petroleum Ltd.’s North West Shelf project. The Hague-based company is among energy producers in Australia seeking to tap increasing Asian demand for fuel that produces lower emissions than coal or oil. Fortune magazine in November 2008 called Pickard “the bravest woman in oil” for her role in Nigeria, where attacks by armed groups cut oil output between 2006 and 2009. Production recovered after a government program led fighters to disarm. Shell’s Australia Plans Shell plans a project on Curtis Island, off the central Queensland coast, that is expected to produce as much as 16 million metric tons of LNG annually, the company said in a document filed last year with the state government. An Arrow Energy acquisition would give Shell additional gas reserves to support multiple LNG production units in Queensland, Nik Burns, an analyst at RBS Morgans in Melbourne, said March 8. The European oil company intends to pioneer the use of floating LNG technology to develop the Prelude and Concerto fields in the Browse Basin off Australia’s Kimberley coast and is a partner in the Sunrise gas venture in the Timor Sea. Shell is also the largest shareholder in Perth-based Woodside. Shell Australia managers have a “list of local challenges,” Aiden Bradley and Mark Wiseman, analysts at Goldman Sachs JBWere in Sydney, said in a March 8 report. The stakes in Woodside, Australia’s second-largest oil and gas producer, and the Sunrise project, in addition to the viability of floating LNG, are among “domestic issues that need to be looked at,” they wrote. –Editors: Ang Bee Lin, Amit Prakash. EUROPE :
CHINA :
China World Cup mascot factory defends itself 10 March 2010 /www.france24.com Global Brands Group, the master licensee for all FIFA World Cup 2010 merchandise, said Tuesday it had withdrawn manufacturing approval for the Shanghai Fashion Plastic Products after an audit showed standards had been flouted. The Global Brands Group investigated the factory, which produced figures of the tournament’s dreadlocked leopard mascot Zakumi, following reports that it employed teenage workers, ran 13-hour shifts and paid just three dollars a day. “Considering China’s actual conditions … the environment in our factory, if not the best, is very good indeed,” a company official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. The toy and gift manufacturer also produced merchandise for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and is a supplier for this year’s World Expo in Shanghai, according to its website. The company official confirmed production of the Zakumi toys had halted and said the company had been cooperating with Global Brands Group’s investigation, which began last month. She said factory conditions would be improved to meet Global Brands’ requirements. “In terms of environment and social responsibility, we are quite a good company in the country,” the official said. The Shanghai company was contracted to make the mascot last year, she said. India, China to formally back Copenhagen Accord NEW DELHI: India and China have decided to formally back the Copenhagen Accord worked out at the climate summit in December. While neither India nor Informing Parliament about India’s decision, environment minister Jairam Ramesh said, “after careful consideration, India has agreed to such a listing.” India has set out three conditions for it assent, which it has asked be indicated “in an appropriate footnote.” India made its decision known to UNFCCC in a letter dated March 8, which is in response to the convention’s executive secretary Yvo de Boer’s letter of February 3, regarding listing in the chapeau of the Copenhagen Accord. Meanwhile, in an official letter signed by Chinese climate negotiator Su Wei, China informed the UNFCCC it could “proceed to include China in the list” of countries supporting the deal reached at the Copenhagen summit in December. Elaborating on India’s decision, Mr Ramesh told the Lok Sabha that “listing in the chapeau of the accord implies that we participated in the negotiations on the Copenhagen Accord and that we stand by the accord. We believe that our decision to be listed reflects the role India played in giving shape to the Copenhagen Accord. This will strengthen our negotiating position on climate change.” The minister also explained that India’s decision comes with three conditions, which have been communicated to the UNFCCC. New Delhi has made it clear that the accord is a ‘political document’ and ‘is not legally binding.’ Mr Ramesh stressed that the Accord “is not a template for outcomes.” India has made it clear that the Accord, “is not a separate, third track of negotiations outside UNFCCC.” Third, that the ‘purpose’ of the accord is to “bring about a consensus in the existing and on-going, two-track multilateral negotiations process under UNFCCC.” In its letter, New Delhi informed UNFCCC, “with the above understanding, India may be listed in the chapeau of the Copenhagen Accord with the understanding indicated in an appropriate footnote.” Ministry officials said the decision came after Brazil, South Africa and China also associated themselves with the deal. Brazil and South Africa, informed UNFCCC of their decision to be listed in the preamble in early February. INDIA :
BRASIL:
To Punish US Brazilians Will Have to Pay More for Bread The Chamber of Foreign Trade of Brazil (Camex) has released a list of products imported from the United States that it intends to slap surtaxes on totaling US$ 591 million in retaliation for US cotton subsidies. The list is a mixed bag, going from automobiles to chewing gum, tooth paste, shampoo, cologne, fish, pears, beer and potatoes. But the most controversial item on the list is wheat (the import surtax will go from 10% to 30%), which it is believed will mean an increase in the price of bread for Brazilian consumers. However, the secretary for Foreign Trade (Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade), Lytha Spindola, says this will not happen as Brazil has alternative sources of wheat imports. “This matter was studied together with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Brazilian import needs were considered. We have greater domestic production and suppliers like Argentina, Uruguay and Canada, among others,” she said. Brazil plans to collect another US$ 238 million from the services sector, and intellectual property and patents the US holds, in order to reach the US$ 829 million retaliation ceiling authorized by the World Trade Organization. Carlos Márcio Cozendey, director of the Economics Department at the Foreign Ministry, says it was decided to expand the list of retaliation products beyond the farm sector (which was directly harmed by US cotton subsidies) in order to put some pressure on the US Congress. It is expected that producers of some of the products on the list will be calling their congressmen complaining about the surtaxes and asking why they have to lose market share in Brazil because of US cotton sector polices which harm developing nations all over the world and especially poor nations in Africa. The retaliation may be put into practice in 30 days and the new import fees selected by the Camex should be valid for a year. Last year, the World Trade Organization (WTO) authorized the government of Brazil to retaliate the United States by up to US$ 829 million after a Brazilian appeal against subsidies that do not comply with the organization’s rules, but granted by the United States to cotton farmers. In early February, the list had already been approved, but it needed technical adjustment. The government of Brazil hopes that the US government will accept the measures. The 30-day period also grants some more time for dialogue, according to Cozendey. Therefore, he hopes that next year the establishment of a new list of goods and services for retaliation should not be necessary. ABr
EN BREF, CE 10 mars 2010 … AGNEWS / OMAR, BXL,10/03/2010 |
BURUNDI – AFRICA / INTERNATIONAL : 10 MARS 2010 [East Africa: Rwanda, DRC Women Denounce Sexual Abuse]
