July 29, 2002.
NATIONAL News
- International Travel Industry Shows keen interest to revive Tours to India
- Plans afoot for Indian Universities Abroad.
- New Tape reveals Khalnayak Sanjay Dutt's Underworld links
- NIGERIA: Attack by armed group claims 15 lives in Plateau
- The PowerShot A100: Canon’s new entry-level digital camera
- Kerala Cabinet may clear Rs 6100-cr highway plan
- IFFCO to start fertiliser manufacturing facility in Oman
- Government implementing Electoral Reforms
- First meet of the second national commission on Scheduled Areas/STs.
- Capital Goods Sector meet heavy industry minister.
- Floods-draught situation reviwed
- First Gulf Bank Netr profit grows by 47 per cent in first half of 2002
- FDI in IT and Telecommunications Sectors Increasing.
- Ceramics GmbH & Co. KG to start operations on August 1
- INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT NEWS
- Angola : World Ffoods Programme warning on food crisis
- 500,000 children targeted in anti-polio campaign
- At least 4,000 cases, 24 deaths from measles in Kinshasa
- Volcanic ash threatens animals
- Clove smuggling report prompts heated debates in Zanzibar
- Ethiopian Airlines to modernise fleet
- SUDAN: Bashir, Garang meet for first time
The Minister of State in the Prime Minister's office Shri Vijay Goel presents a bouquet on behalf of the Prime Minister to the ailing Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Shri Murasoli Maran who is recovering in the All India Institute of Medical Sceicne, in New Delhi on July 29, 2002. (Monday).
IFFCO to start fertiliser manufacturing facility in Oman
Bangalore, Jul 29 Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO), world's largest fertiliser producer, will set up a Rs 1200-crore manufacturing facility in Sultanate of Oman, its Chairman K M Srinivasa Gowda announced today.At a press conference here, he said the zero date for the plant would be finalised in August and the production would commence within 36 months. The state-of-the-art plant would manufacture 17 lakh tons granulated urea annually, he explained.
He said IFFCO would divert the fertiliser to Karwar in Karnataka from where it would be distributed in South India. IFFCO was getting Phosphoric Acid and Potash manufactured in its Senegal plant via Kandla port. There was no shortage of urea, he added.
He said IFFCO had registered a record production of 55.50 lakh tones comprising 34.90 lakh tons of Urea and 20.60 lakh tons of NPK/DAP as against 52.07 lakh tons during the previous year. It had registered highest ever sale of 56.52 lakh tons of fertiliser material during 2001-02 as against 55.09 lakh tons during the previous year despite sluggish demand and glut in the fertiliser market. The profit after tax was Rs 308 crore as against Rs 234 crore during the previous year.
Cabinet may clear Rs 6100-cr highway plan
Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 29 - The Kerala cabinet is expected to give the green signal to a Rs 6100 crore express highway project that could change the face of the state.
The 540-km-long six-track express highway, which will connect the state's northern and southern tips, is one of the biggest infrastructure development projects in Kerala.
Public Works Department Minister M.K. Muneer said the draft project report prepared by the New Delhi-based Lee Associates, a subsidiary of the Lee Company in Canada, has been submitted.
Today it takes 17 hours by road from Kasargod, the state's northern tip, to its southern tip, Thiruvananthapuram. But once the express highway comes into being, the distance could well be covered in a matter of six hours.
"We have planned it in such a manner that if the proposal is cleared, the earliest it could take to complete the work is five years and the maximum is 15 years."
The entire project would be operated on a Build Operate Transfer basis. "The project will have 17 connecting links to the express highway from the 11 districts in the state. The highway would not pass through the Alappuzha, Idukki and Wayanad districts," said Muneer.
This proposal - to be undertaken as six different projects - would be open for an international tender, in what is seen as a major investment project to be showcased at the forthcoming Global Investors Meet here this year.
Around 3,200 hectares of land is to be acquired for the project, only 245 hectares of which is developed. The rest of it is agricultural land. "If people owning the land are willing to contribute for free, they would get a share in either the work or a toll charge," said Muneer.
The draft project report is now in the hands of the Road Board committee headed by Chief Minister A.K. Antony. Once the cabinet's approval is secured, Lee Associates would be asked to prepare the final project report. Muneer added that several international companies, and even the Malaysian government, had evinced interests in the project.
New Tape reveals Khalnayak Sanjay Dutt's Underworld links
Mumbai, Jul 29 - The nexus between Bollywood and the underworld has again come to the fore with the Mumbai police releasing tapes with recorded conversations between Karachi-based don Chhota Shakeel and actor Sanjay Dutt, directors Mahesh Manjrekar and Sanjay Gupta as well as producer Harish Sugandh.
The conversations were taped in December 2000 when Sanjay Dutt and one of his friends were at a hotel in Nasik.This taped conversation has been submitted as evidence in the Bharat Shah case.Film star Govinda figures in the conversation, as does Hrithik Roshan, whose life seems to be under threat.In the conversation, Dutt refers to Roshan as chikna and tells Shakeel that Hritik had called up actress Karishma Kapoor and abused her, to which Shakeel replies that Roshan will not be around for too long.
It may be recalled that Hrithik's father Rakesh Roshan was shot and injured for refusing to partake with the underworld the profits from the blockbuster Kaho Na Pyar Hai.The conversation is peppered with expletives and laughter.In the tape, Dutt also complains to Shakeel about actor Govinda's tantrums and not arriving on time for the shooting. Shakeel assures him that the matter would be taken care of.
In this half-an-hour-long conversation, Sanjay Gupta and Harish Sugandh too chip in and director Mahesh Manjrekar says that he planned his next film on Shakeel's life.
Manjrekar, who directed Dutt in Vaastav, a story about the underworld, tells Shakeel that he wants to make a film on his life, to which Shakeel says that he would chip in with inputs about, as well as his escape from Thailand. Even Vastaav was allegely financed by underworld funds.
In the tape, Harish tells Shakeel that he does not call up too often as the conversations are taped by the police.There is also a reference to the film Devdas where Shakeel asks Harish about the film's financiers, including Bharat Shah.
Despite the incriminating evidence, questions are being raised as to why the tapes relating to Dutt have been released now, whereas the ones in which Bharat Shah figured had been released by the police much earlier, leading to Shah's arrest and jail for more than a year.
Election Commission Team to Gujarat
The Election Commission of India has decided to depute a nine member team consisting of two Deputy Election Commissioners and other senior officers of the Commission to Gujarat to review the existing situation and preparedness of the State machinery for conduct of fee and fair elections in the State. The team will be commencing its work from Wednesday, July 31, 2002 from Ahmedabad. They will also be visiting other districts in the State.
The PowerShot A100: Canon’s new entry-level digital camera
Dubai, UAE, 29 July 2002 -- Canon Middle East has announced the Middle East
availability of its new entry-level digital camera, the PowerShot A100 with
direct print capabilities. The PowerShot A100 is the entry point to the
Canon digital camera line-up, delivering high quality digital images at an
extremely competitive price – this is the ideal camera for beginners in
digital photography.“Digital is rapidly becoming the format for choice for consumers in the
Middle East,” said Gordon Jones, President of Canon Middle East. “While 35mm
traditional cameras are still extremely popular with those who want the
image fidelity of film, many of our customers love the convenience of
digital… you can swap images easily over the Internet, and Canon’s direct
print technology makes producing hardcopy prints quick and easy. The new
PowerShot A100 gives buyers Canon quality, at a really affordable price.”
Canon image processing expertise in the PowerShot A100, optimises output
from the 1.2M pixel CCD sensor to create images that are ideal for use on
websites or emailing. The bright F2.8 lens ensures pictures that are clear
and sharp no matter what the occasion.Packed with Canon’s innovative technology, this camera makes it unbelievably
simple to take great digital photos. An example of this is the latest
intelligent three point focussing system, AiAF (Artificial intelligence Auto
Focus), featured in the A100. With AiAF the subject is always in focus, no
matter where they are in the frame: simply point and shoot for great digital
images. The PowerShot A100 is not just a still camera; it is also capable of
capturing short video clips for memories that last just a little longer.
Going digital means easy connectivity between the camera and the PC’s USB
port for a new way to enjoy a whole new world of digital imaging. Canon’s
software suite for PC/Mac includes user-friendly Canon ZoomBrowser EX,
PhotoStitch and PhotoRecord.The PowerShot A100 takes advantage of Canon’s pioneering technology by being
directly connectable to the ground-breaking Canon Direct Printers.
The Card Photo Printer CP-10 is ideally suited for credit card size prints
and stickers while the new CP-100 also has the capability for printing 10x15
cm*1 photos. Canon’s direct printers CP-100 and CP-10 are the easiest way to get superb photo prints from a Canon digital camera in no time at all. By simply
connecting the digital camera to the direct printer by means of a dedicated
cable and selecting an image, a perfect print can up to 10x15cm in size be
created and passed around in just over 80 seconds.
The PowerShot A100 supports Exif Print.International Travel Industry Shows keen interest to revive Tours to India
New Delhi- July 29, 2002. A large number of world tour operators have communicated to the Government of India that they are very keen to revive tours to India and India would figure as an important destination in their future programmes. In response to the letter written by Secretary, Tourism Smt. Rathi Vinay Jha as confidence building measure among International Travel Industry, number of tour operators have come forward to announce that they would start trips to India in upcoming tourism season. Stephen Fallows from Australia says "Interpid Travel has every intention of running trips in India in the upcoming season." Balan Kolazhi of Service Longs Courriers, France has communicated "Our first group is arriving in India again on August 4 and we shall develop India as an important destination."
Although travel to India has suffered due to negative advisories and issues relating to travel insurance, tour operators have assured to step up their promotional efforts. A number to familiarization trips of foreign travel agents are also planned to educate the members of the travel industry on the ground of realities and also uniqueness of India’s tourism product.
Some suggestions have been made by the foreign tour operators to maintain India’s market share. These range from extensive use of media overseas for reassurance, image building and product promotion to lowering of hotel taxes and the entry fee at the monuments. Dick Cijffers of Journeys Worldwide, Australia suggested a series of measures to stimulate new business. These suggestions are being considered for incorporation in the marketing strategy. The Secretary, Tourism, Government of India, addressed leading tour operators in the main tourist generating countries to allay the fears of tourists about the region, and to assure tourists that India is a safe destination
First Gulf Bank Netr profit grows by 47 per cent in first half of 2002
Abdulhamid Saeed, FGB Chief Executive Officer
Dubai -July 27, 2002 keralamonitor.com
First Gulf Bank (FGB) is well on the way to achieve a sound and all round remarkable financial growth for this year. The bank achieved AED 36.8 million in net profit in the first half of 2002, a 47% growth compared to the same period last year.
Abdulhamid Saeed, FGB Chief Executive Officer, said: "The UAE market has a lot of growth opportunities in the banking sector, and FGB is committed to expand its business, offering comprehensive financial products and services.
In line with First Gulf Bank's strategy to generate more fee based income, the non interest income for the first half of the year reached AED 37.4 million, an increase of 260% compared to first half 2001.
First Gulf Bank's business plans have resulted in a stable growth of the total loans and advances portfolio reaching AED 2 billion, an increase of 30% compared to AED 1.5 billion during the same period last year. Total assets grew to AED 3.9 billion, a 32% increase since June last year.
FGB's business plan to diversify into treasury and investments has led to a growth of AED 1 billion, a 559% jump since June 2001. Customer deposits reached AED 3 billion, an increase of 31% compared to the same period last year.
FGB was listed in the Abu Dhabi Securities Market on June 22 this year, allowing 15% foreign ownership on its shares. The share price started at AED 4.05 and reached a high AED 4.52 per share. The ADSM witnessed high volume trading on FGB shares and it was one of the highest traded shares last month.FGB's financial performance reflects its commitment of 'Putting the First into Banking'.
FDI in IT and Telecommunications Sectors Increasing.
India accounted for around 76% of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows into South Asia during the year 2000 as reported in the World Investment Report, 2001 published by UNCTAD. India is emerging as an important destination for FDI in the areas of Telecommunications and Information Technology.FDI received in the country during the period from 1/8/1991 to 31/5/2002 in Information Technology (computer software, electronics, computer hardware and other software) and Telecommunication sector is as under:
Sector Amount of FDI inflow * % of total (in Rs. Crore)
Information Technology 6569.96 9.50
Telecommunications 9230.16 13.35
The total FDI received during this period in all sectors is Rs. 1,19,088.52 crore.
* This excludes inflows against ADRs/GDRs, acquisition of existing shares, RBI’s – NRI schemes and advances pending issue of shares.
Government implementing Electoral Reforms
New Delhi --July 29, 2002. keralamonitor.com
Based on the recommendations of the Committee on Electoral Reforms (Dinesh Goswami Committee) and the Committee on State Funding of Elections (Indrajit Gupta Committee) on Electoral Reforms, the Government introduced four Bills in the Rajya Sabha in 1990 and one Bill in the Lok Sabha in 2002. The Bills that were introduced are ‘The Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Conditions of Service) Bill, 1990, the Constitution (70th Amendment) Bill, 1990, the Constitution (71st Amendment) Bill, 1990 and the Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill, 1990. Of these, the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Conditions of Service) Bill, 1990 was converted into an Act of Parliament (Act No. 11) in 1991. The other three Bills were withdrawn in 1994 for introducing a more comprehensive Bill on Electoral Reforms.
The Government introduced on March 19, 2002, the Election and Other Related Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2002, based on Indrajit Gupta Committee Report and following an intensive discussion with the leaders of the political parties on September 13, 2001. This Bill, which is intended to provide for State Funding of Elections, is pending before the Standing Committee of Parliament on Home Affairs.
Mongolia bestows top honour on Joshi.
Plans afoot for Indian Universities Abroad.
India is planning to go global in higher education and proposes to set up Indian universities abroad during the Tenth Five-year Plan, said Dr. Manohar Joshi, the Minister for Human Resource Development, Science and Technology and Ocean Development. A policy framework for such educational ventures is presently being worked out, to promote Indian education abroad. Setting up of Indian universities in Mongolia is also on the agenda, Dr. Joshi said.Mongolia, a traditionally old friend of India with ethnic, cultural and linguistic similarities, bestowed today in Ulan-bator, its top honour the ‘Friendship Medal’ on Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi,. The award was conferred on Dr. Joshi by the Mongolian President Mr. N. Bagabandi at a special ceremony coinciding with the birth anniversary celebrations of Chengis Khan. The award is in recognition of Dr. Joshi’s contribution towards promoting and strengthening the age-old ties, friendship and cooperation among the two countries.
Conferring the award, Mr. Bagabandi said, it is a fitting tribute not only to Dr. Joshi but also India which has been a stead-fast friend and partner. He expressed the confidence that in the time to come Indo-Mongolian cooperation and friendship will grow from strength to strength to attain new heights, in today’s era of globalisation. The Mongolian President has specially invited Dr. Joshi to the State Banquet he is hosting on the occasion of Chengis Khan birth anniversary celebrations.
Accepting the award with humility, Dr. Joshi assured the Mongolian President that India will continue to do all possible especially in the area of human resource development in Mongolia.
India and Mongolia with deep commitment to environment, can usher in a new century of the ‘soft power’ of cultural and ecological concerns, Dr. Joshi pointed out. It was in March last during the visit of the Mongolian Minister of Education, Science and Culture Mr. A. Tsanjid, the two countries agreed to maintain the age-old traditions in the face of globalisation. Under the treaty of friendly relations signed in 1994 Dr. Joshi said that both the countries will work closely within the framework of the United Nations and other international organisations, to promote peace and global security. He assured the Mongolian President that the A.B. Vajpayee Centre of Excellence in Information and Communication Technology will soon start shining as a symbol of Indo-Mongolian friendship in Ulan-bator
.Floods-draught situation reviwed
Sharad Yadav, Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution reviewed the situation arising out of heavy rains and floods as well as drought in several parts of the country with senior officers of the Ministry and Food Corporation of India here today. Shri R.D. Kapur, Secretary, Department of Food and Public Distribution and Shri Naresh Chaturvedi, Managing Director, FCI were among the officers present.
It was decided that in all the drought-affected and flood-affected regions of the country FCI will ensure at least two months’ requirement of foodgrains in all its godowns in these states. Special arrangements will be made to rush foodgrains in areas wherever it is required.
A special meeting will be convened by the Minister by the end of this week to assess the requirement of foodgrains for the States of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Assam. This is in view of the situation arising out of unprecedented rains in these States as well as to discuss measures to be taken to tackle drought situation in certain parts of UP.
Shri Yadav also reviewed the stock of damaged foodgrains with the Central Pool. The existing stock unfit for human consumption is only 1.63 lakh tonnes out of the total stock of 630.11 lakh tonnes and it was decided that FCI would take immediate action to offer this stock of damaged foodgrains as cattle feed to State Governments. The Minister also instructed the officers to constantly review the flood and drought related operations and remain in continuous touch with the officers of the Ministry of Agriculture on a daily basis.
First meet of the second national commission on Scheduled Areas/STs.
New Delhi --July 29, 2002. The newly constituted Second National Commission on Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes met here today for the first time under the Chairmanship of Shri Dilip Singh Bhuria to plan its strategies of functioning. Presiding over the first meeting , the Union Minister for Tribal Affairs, Shri Jual Oram said that the second National Commission was constituted on July 18, 2002 by the Government. The first Commission was set up in 1961 under the chairmanship of Shri U. N. Dhebar. The Commission would suggest measures to strengthen the administration for effective implementation of various policies and programmes in the Scheduled tribal areas of States and Union Territories.
The Minister of State for Tribal Affairs, Shri Faggan Singh Kulaste appealed the members to prepare a comprehensive report which will go a long way to solve the various problems of the STs and Scheduled Areas of the country. The Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Shri B. S. Baswan said that the Ministry has already placed Rs. 10 lakh initially for the functioning of the Commission.
The members threw light on ongoing development plans, tribal sub-plan approach, administrative deficiencies and suggested ways to review them thoroughly. They stressed on programme and area-specific review approaches and collection of first hand information for study.
The Member-Secretary, Shri P.S.Negi laid stress on the terms of reference of the Commission including strict adherence of time-frame of one year for submission of the Report to the President of India.
Capital Goods Sector meet heavy industry minister.The Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises along with the Minister of State, Secretary, Heavy Industries and senior officials of Government of India met the captains of the Capital Goods Industry in a meet organized by CII here today. The Minister shared the concern of the Ministry at the declining trend of growth witnessed during the last 3-4 years. The meeting reviewed the present status of the industry including the problems faced in the context of liberalization and steps required for sustainable growth. The Minister felt that the issues confronting the industry are two fold; one relates to certain disadvantages on account of infrastructural constraints, high cost of finance, inadequate investments, obsolescence of technology etc. while the other relates to in-house constraints faced by the industry viz. low productivity of labour, quality, contemporary technology etc. He stressed the need for productivity and quality improvement and for giving greater thrust on export. He called for joint and collective efforts for this.
The Minister agreed to set up a Joint Working Group to be formed between the Government and the industry for regular interaction to remove impediments to industrial growth. He also advocated setting up of a joint export cell, organizing a joint international seminar and also to consider ways of joint funding of R&D programmes. He announced setting up of an inter-ministerial coordination committee under the Chairmanship of Secretary, Heavy Industries for resolution of issues concerning various Ministries.
Shri B.N.Jha, Secretary (Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises) highlighted the need for strengthening partnership between the industry and the Government in the new economic regime. He suggested that industry should look at positive factors prevailing in the country like low cost inputs, lower labour cost, strength in IT sector, wide range of manufacturing capability etc. The Indian products could carry not only "Made in India" mark by also "Thought in India" mark. He emphasized the need to take advantage of shifting of manufacturing bases globally and be ready to have a good share of manufacturing relocation globally. He highlighted the need to have a strategic approach to make India a manufacturing base for select industrial commodities.
Speaking on the occasion, Minister of State, Dr. Kathiria suggested setting up of a task force to resolve policy related issues including duty structure, funding for R&D programmes etc. for development and growth of the industry. He also suggested setting up of a suitable mechanism by CII to have regular interactive programmes with leading global manufacturers of repute for exchange of information on technology, processes and marketing to provide necessary boost to the Capital Goods Industry.
Angola : World Ffoods Programme warning on food crisis
JOHANNESBURG, 29 July (IRIN) - The UN's World Food Programme (WFP) has
warned that it does not have the resources to assist 1.5 million Angolans
in need of aid over the next 18 months.WFP's Marcelo Spina told IRIN the agency had received about 12 percent of
its US $241 million appeal."Twelve percent [of the appeal] at this point is a relief compared to two
weeks ago when we had almost nothing, at least now we can [say] that our
operations will definitely be running until December. It's still very
worrying [the shortfall] but it's somehow a relief that we now have
[resources for] a few more months [of WFP operations]," Spina said.The full extent of the humanitarian crisis in Angola only became known
following the 4 April ceasefire agreement, that ended a decades-long war
between the government and UNITA rebels and allowed aid agencies to access
previously isolated areas.WFP and other humanitarian actors have also been providing relief food to
former UNITA soldiers and their families in quartering areas set up as
part of the demobilisation process.In its latest update on the situation in Angola, WFP said: "As of 19 July,
WFP has provided food aid in 35 of the 42 Family Reception Areas (FRAs)
assisting 287,500 new beneficiaries. In addition, food has been
distributed in 18 of the newly accessed locations around the country, to
over 92,800 people."In Bengo province, WFP will provide food to support a new supplementary
feeding centre in Mimbota, with an average admission of 125 malnourished
children daily. A polio vaccination campaign will also begin soon in the
province. WFP is to provide food-for-work incentives to the vaccination
team.In Benguela province, the second round of general food distribution in the
FRAs was to continue this week. While in Huambo province, following
verification and registration of the population in FRAs of Sambo, Lunge,
Mega and Chiteta, WFP intends to target 75,850 beneficiaries for food
assistance.However, poor transport infrastructure and the danger of landmines has
served to halt the registration and verification process in Huila
province. The "exercise scheduled for last week has been suspended until
the completion of the de-mining activities on the road between Dongo and
Matome. De-mining is also needed on the axis Matala-Chicomba that remains
cut-off from the other provinces," WFP said.Spina told IRIN that although the government had begun a programme to
repair roads and bridges, emergency repairs were needed where the delivery
of aid was being hampered."What we need right now is emergency road repairs, there's still a lot to
be done. Our operations, especially in the eastern and northern parts of
the country are really difficult, we are still not able to reach certain
parts because of problems with roads and bridges and mines," said Spina.In central Malange province, 10,150 vulnerable persons are targeted for
the next food distribution. In the northern provinces of Uige and Zaire
provinces, WFP resumed general food distribution to the FRA of
Mandimba/Zaire after having overcome a number of logistical constraints,
the agency said.Meanwhile in Kuanza Norte province, an inter-agency mission conducted a
nutritional assessment in the municipality of Samba Caju and the FRA of
Mussabo. The mission recommended that nutritional feeding programmes be
established for children at risk.Said Spina: "It's quite amazing that we have reached more than 50 new
areas since the ceasefire took place, which means about 400,000 new
beneficiaries have been receiving food on a regular basis. We still
continue to work round the clock in order to reach more areas and more
people, we know there are still people in need of assistance."Unexpected population movements made it difficult to estimate the numbers
of those in need and where they were."The movement of people in Angola right now has been astonishing, it's
hard to keep up with the result of so many people moving, inside and out
of Angola. Normally we hear of the inflow from Zambia and other countries,
a lot of those people are not accounted for. It's a very, very difficult
matter to say how many people are still moving in the bush and are in need
of aid," Spina said.During the first three weeks of July, the office of the UN High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported the arrival of 115, mostly
Angolan, refugees in Namibia."UNHCR attributed these new arrivals to the deterioration of the
humanitarian situation in Angola. Some refugees also crossed the border to
join their family in Osire camp," the WFP report said.BURKINA FASO-NIGER: 500,000 children targeted in anti-polio campaign
OUAGADOUGOU, 29 July (IRIN) - Burkina Faso and Niger are to conduct a
joint campaign to vaccinate at least 500,000 children aged 12 months to
five years, officials of the World Health Organization (WHO) in the
Burkina Faso capital, Ouagadougou, told IRIN.The first phase of the cross-border campaign, which targets 512,906
children, is due to be conducted from 1 to 7 August. The other phases will
be run over four months. The children will include 218,265 from Burkina
Faso and 291,641 from Niger.The decision to administer the vaccines was taken after a child was found
infected with polio in the northern Burkina Faso district of Seba, close
to Niger, officials said on Monday. Investigations by WHO confirmed that
the child had left Niger already infected and had visited a health center
in Burkina Faso seeking treatment.Before that no polio case had been reported in Burkina Faso for four
years. "We were in the phase in which a country that has not had a case
for a given number of years can be declared free of polio," WHO's Chantal
Kambire said in Ouagadougou. "But one case can jeopardise all efforts and
gains made so far."Officials from the two countries and WHO met on Friday at Torodi, Niger,
and agreed to vaccinate children up to five years of age in all health
districts close to the border to avoid any possible spread of the virus,
WHO said.The vaccination will be conducted in the districts of Seba, Gorom and Dori
in northwestern Burkina Faso, Fada and Diapaga in the northeast, and Kolo,
Say and Tera in Niger.Burkina Faso had already vaccinated 2.5 million children by 2001 as part
of a "kick polio out of Africa" campaign that has made anti-polio vaccines
available to millions of children in Africa since 1988.DRC: At least 4,000 cases, 24 deaths from measles in Kinshasa
NAIROBI , 29 July (IRIN) - A measles epidemic in the Democratic Republic
of the Congo capital, Kinshasa, has resulted in 24 deaths out of over
4,000 cases recorded since the outbreak of the disease at the beginning of
the year, Dr Jean Kintwanda of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said."The epidemic began in the eastern neighbourhoods of the city and is now
moving towards the centre and western districts," he told IRIN. "The
mortality rate is 0.8 percent."The eastern neighbourhoods affected coincide with those found to be food
insecure by UNICEF, the UN World Food Programme, and the UN Food and
Agriculture Organisation.UNICEF has reported that 60 percent of children affected by measles are in
the age category of five years and under, while 40 percent are in the age
bracket of six to 15 years. "These figures bear witness to the
effectiveness of vaccination, and they show that children who have been
vaccinated are better protected," Kintwanda said.To fight the epidemic, an accelerated vaccination campaign has been
launched in Kinshasa. A similar campaign is scheduled to begin in Kongolo,
some 700 km north of Lubumbashi in the southeastern province of Katanga,
where a measles outbreak was reported two weeks ago.
DRC: Volcanic ash threatens animals
NAIROBI, 29 July (IRIN) - A large plume of ash over Mount Nyimuragira,
which erupted on Thursday, poses no immediate danger to man, but may hurt
animals in the Masisi area, west of the volcano, Dario Tedesco, the
resident volcanologist of the UN Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs, said on Sunday.Reporting on the activity of Nyimuragira and the nearby Mount Nyiragongo,
he said Nyiamuragira’s eruptions were continuing to produce "huge
quantities" of ash, which was being blown in a westerly direction. These
ashes contained "extremely sharp" glassy needles and other particles,
often eaten by cows and other animals, he said, and were responsible for
stomach haemorrhage leading to death.He also warned that harvests might be in endangered in "all regions" in
the path of ash clouds, and by local acid rain. However, he said there
were no reports of danger to the quality of water in the area. But
villagers living downwind of the direction of the plumb could suffer eye
irritations due to halogens and sulphur, and particularly fluorine. Others
might suffer breathing problems associated with the heavy ash emissions.Scientists said there were gas discharges and "large amounts" of magma
close to the nearby Mount Nyiragongo, which last erupted on 17 January,
causing extensive damage to the lakeside town of Goma. That eruption
caused thousands of people to flee, some to neighbouring Rwanda.Ethiopian Airlines to modernise fleet
ADDIS ABABA, 29 July (IRIN) - Ethiopian Airlines (EAL) on Friday announced
plans to modernise its fleet with 12 new state-of-the-art Boeing jets.The move – which was agreed in a US $480 million deal - is a setback for
the European-led Airbus consortium which had been trying to woo EAL.EAL, which employs almost 4,000 people, is to buy six “New Generation”
planes for US $480 million and lease a further six from the American
airline giant.There had been speculation that Airbus had clinched the deal, which would
have ended some 35 years of EAL using Boeing airplanes.Bisrat Nigatu, the chief executive of the company, told a press conference
that the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia had financed the deal.“Both Airbus and Boeing have been campaigning hard over the last few years
for this deal, with Airbus proposing its A319-100 and A330-200 airplanes,”
he added.Ethiopian Airlines, which last year made around US $8 million in profit,
currently has 12 jets and 12 turbo prop planes for domestic flights.The airline also recently announced that more than a million passengers
had travelled with EAL in less than a year – a first for the company.NIGERIA: Attack by armed group claims 15 lives in Plateau
LAGOS, 29 July (IRIN) - At least 15 people died when an armed group
launched an attack on policemen deployed to trouble spots in Nigeria’s
central Plateau State, police sources said on Saturday.Plateau State's commissioner of police, Innocent Ilozuoke, told reporters
that scores of armed men suspected of being from Niger and Chad fired on
anti-riot policemen in the state's Wase District on 23 and 24 July, "but
they were overpowered by my men". He said one policeman, five civilians
and nine of the attackers were killed while three of the latter were
captured and were being interrogated.The motive of the attackers was not immediately clear, but in recent years
there have been many reports of former rebels from Niger and Chad crossing
into Nigeria and Cameroon to engage in banditry.Last week's incident adds a new dimension to intermittent communal unrest
that has rocked Plateau State since September 2001, when fighting between
Muslims and Christians in the capital, Jos, resulted in the loss of over
1,000 lives. Clashes that have occurred this year in parts of the state
have pitted indigenous people, most of them Christian, against more recent
Muslim settlers from farther north. This is the first reported incident
involving foreign elements.The governor of Plateau State, Joshua Dariye, appealed on Sunday for the
National Emergency Management Agency to help the state's authorities to
deal with thousands of people displaced by the clashes. "We have spent so
much to cater for victims of these clashes, in terms of provision of
shelter, food and other materials for their rehabilitation," he said.
"These have overstretched our lean resources and we are being weighed
down."SUDAN: Bashir, Garang meet for first time
NAIROBI, 29 July (IRIN) - Sudanese President Umar Hasan al-Bashir and
southern rebel leader, John Garang, on Saturday held their first ever
face-to-face meeting in the Ugandan capital Kampala, and endorsed the
recent signing of a framework peace deal.A communique issued by the Ugandan government said Bashir and Garang
"applauded the breakthrough" and "undertook to ensure that all efforts are
deployed to resolve outstanding issues".Siraj al-Din Hamid, the Sudanese charge d'affaires in Kampala, told IRIN
on Monday that the two leaders would have discussed peace and "made
expressions of seriousness about the Machakos agreement."The meeting had served to "break the ice" between the two men after 19
years of war, and had prepared the ground for the next round of talks, he
added.The two leaders have attended peace talks in the past, but have conducted
negotiations through mediators, never meeting face-to-face.The framework peace agreement, formulated under the auspices of the
regional Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), was reached
on 20 July in the Kenyan town of Machakos, and included broad agreement on
two of the most difficult problems facing negotiators: the right to
self-determination for the south, and the relationship between church and
state.Further talks are scheduled in Kenya for the middle of August, during
which negotiators will focus on a comprehensive ceasefire, reform of the
central administration to include southerners, and the sharing of Sudan's
oil wealth.While welcoming the Machakos agreement and the leaders' meeting, aid
agencies say a workable, comprehensive peace agreement is still some way
off. In the coming talks, "the warring parties will be tasked with
establishing a peace agreement that makes unity an attractive option for
all Sudanese. This will not be an easy task," a spokesperson for CARE
International told IRIN on Monday.The meeting took place after a recent thaw in relations between Khartoum
and Kampala, with the two countries in April agreeing to re-establish full
diplomatic ties, severed in 1995 after Khartoum accusing Uganda of
supporting the rebel SPLM/A.The Sudanese government in March gave the Ugandan army permission to
pursue the rebel Lord's Resistance Army in Sudanese territory, and said it
had stopped supporting the Ugandan rebel movement.In separate talks with Museveni, Bashir reiterated his government's
"commitment to continue cooperation with Uganda regarding the current
military measures" being undertaken by the Ugandan army against the LRA in
southern Sudan."The relations with Uganda are quite perfect," Al-Din Hamid said.Clove smuggling report prompts heated debates in Zanzibar
DAR ES SALAAM, 29 July (IRIN) - Discussions about findings of a recent
report into clove smuggling from Zanzibar turned to heated debates in the
House of Representatives last week, as it emerged that "almost everybody"
was implicated in the illicit trade, sources on the island told IRIN.The report, which was commissioned by the House, "spares no one", they
said.However, during a tempestuous session, one member described the report as
"full of lies" and the Speaker of the House reportedly had to intervene to
restore order.Meanwhile, opposition politicians have called the smuggling "a silent
protest" to show that something is wrong and there is a need for change to
the clove policy.At the moment, clove farmers on Zanzibar are supposed to sell all their
cloves directly to the government. However, given the discrepancy between
the official price, 3,500 Tanzanian shillings ($3.5) per kilo on Zanzibar,
and the black market price - reportedly between 7,000 and 10,000 Tanzanian
shillings in Kenya - many farmers take the illicit option."With all these costs and efforts he incurs, he [the farmer] is still
getting a profit if he ships the cloves across the channel to Kenya. Why
is it that the Zanzibar government cannot catch that market?" asked Juma
Duni, Deputy Secretary General of the opposition Civic United Front (CUF)."Things need to change - they tried to raise the price but that was not
enough. There is too much competition from the smugglers," he added.
"There has always been a squeeze on the farmers' price but they have
grabbed an opportunity because there is someone ready on the other side."An agricultural analyst agreed, saying that in the past there had been a
lot of money because of the dominance of Zanzibar cloves on the world
market. However, this has diminished in terms of earnings for the
government from being about 65 percent in the 1970's to only 2 -3 percent
now."To try to cover the parastatal's costs, it [the government] has tried to
squeeze the growers and hence the recourse to smuggling, where the
earnings can be up to 200 percent more than through the official
channels," he told IRIN. "There are calls for a review of the overall
clove marketing and this should be made a priority for Zanzibar."Jim Adams, former World Bank country representative in Tanzania, believes
there is a strong case for a liberalisation of the clove markets in
Zanzibar."There have been some historical reasons, but I think much along the lines
of liberalisation on the mainland," he told IRIN. "We [the World Bank]
think that paying the farmers a competitive market price for cloves is the
way, both to increase farmers' incomes but also to increase the overall
incomes too, because that will stimulate increased production and, we
hope, increased income for the country as well."Other than acknowledging the significance of the clove industry,
Zanzibar's ministry of trade, industry, marketing and tourism declined to
comment as the minister is out of the country.Siemens Power Generation sells its ceramics business
Ceramics GmbH & Co. KG to start operations on August 1.
July 29, 2002, Erlangen/Redwitz: The Siemens Power Generation Group (PG) is selling its ceramics business headquartered in Redwitz, Upper Franconia, and further locations in Jedlina Zdrój, Poland, and Alpharetta, Georgia, USA, to the U.S. private equity company Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P. (KKR). The sale is in conjunction with an overall solution that Siemens AG has concluded with KKR as part of an optimization of its portfolio. In total, the package contains seven major Siemens projects worldwide. The agreement with KKR makes provision for the business activities concerned to be assigned to a holding company, with KKR holding a stake of 81 percent and Siemens 19 percent. The purchaser intends to continue the activities of the Ceramics Subdivision (CE) in the current form.For legal and organizational reasons the PG ceramics activities will – as announced – prior to a sale be spun off from Siemens AG and from Siemens Westinghouse Power Corporation and transformed into independent legal entities. Until complete acquisition by the purchaser, these companies will be operated effective August 1, 2002 as fully owned Siemens subsidiaries under the names Ceramics GmbH & Co. KG based in Redwitz and Ceramics LLC (Limited Liability Company) with headquarters in Alpharetta. The executive management of Ceramics GmbH & Co. KG will be in the hands of the current heads of CE, Dr. Gerhard Angermüller, and the head of business administration, Peter Arend.
"Detached from PG with its focus on the power generation business, Ceramics can in the future have an even stronger focus on ceramics business", said CE head Dr. Gerhard Angermüller.
The steps toward the subdivision’s achieving independence were discussed and negotiated intensively at meetings with the central employees’ council of Siemens AG and the location employees’ council of CE in Redwitz. At these meetings the terms of employment for the employees in the new unit were also appropriately regulated in a so-called transition agreement. For example, income levels will remain unchanged for the same weekly work hours and company pension rights will be transferred to Ceramics GmbH & Co. KG. CE will also continue to train apprentices, and existing apprenticeship contracts will be transferred to Ceramics GmbH & Co. KG.
At the Redwitz manufacturing plant of the Ceramics Subdivision (CE) of Siemens Power Generation (PG), research & development, manufacture, sales & marketing and services for engineered ceramics are concentrated on the premises measuring approximately 165,000 m². With a workforce of around 850, including around 40 trainees, CE in Redwitz is active in the fields of SINOx catalysts, insulators, piezoproducts, tools and alumina ceramics. It also has a manufacturing plant for medium-voltage insulators at Jedlina Zdrój (Poland) with a workforce of around 130 as well as a marketing center in Alpharetta, Georgia (USA) with around 20 employees. In fiscal 2000/2001 (which ended on September 30) CE posted sales totaling EUR 123 million and received orders worth EUR 138 million.
