Cape Verde goings on

Source: AllAfrica.com ()

One hundred and four general and superior officers of the three sectors of the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA) and some of the National Police (PN) this Thursday here concluded three one-year courses, in separate, at the High Military Education Institute (ISEM).

It is the 13th high course of Command and Management, the 8th course of Command and General Staff and the 4th course of Promotion to Superior Officer, which were attended and also concluded, by 15 superior officers of some African countries (Zimbabwe, Cape Verde and Republic of Congo).

At the closing ceremony, the chief of staff of the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA), general Francisco Furtado, who presided over the ceremony, stressed that with these courses the army aims at improving the human capital’s performance, especially the modernisation of the Armed Forces, in a binominal efficiency-modernisation, for the complete execution of missions, in the framework of the global perspective of assistance to the country’s development".

To the top military officer, this activity also represents, in the institutional and personnel field, a battle won by ISEM, by FAA and all those who unite for an efficient service, with scientific and cultural strictness, striving to place the team at the top of the military art knowledge.

According to the top general, the courses should be regarded as an integral intervention in the individual, therefore it should be sufficiently expanded and multipurpose, so as to promote intellectual flexibility, the critical sense, openness, culture and social responsibility.

General Furtado praised, in the gender sphere, the participation of three superior female officers, including one of the National Police, and who obtained pleasant results.

The ceremony, attended by general and superior officers of various Angolan structures, defence attachés accredited in Angola, advisers, assistants and foreign teachers working for the National Army, …

Source: Xinhua ()

    DAR ES SALAAM, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) — Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete has put his personal weight behind the Brazilian coach who has been training the Tanzanian National Eleven but was criticized by some local fans for poor farings in some matches.
    The Tanzanian president told local editors of mass media institutions on Thursday that it was still too early to blame Marcio Maximo.
    ”The coach has been in charge of almost one year and in soccer there are ups and downs, therefore let us give Maximo time to prepare the team,” said the president who has been following the improvement and development of the country’s national soccer team.
    ”I have confidence in Maximo and I will continue to support him,” added the president.
    Marcio Maximo from Brazil was given a four-year development program on the national team. The Brazilian coach took over the charge in July last year.
    The government of Tanzania has decided to resort to the experienced Brazilian to train the national squad for the 2008 African Cup of Nations and the 2010 World Cup qualifiers.
    When Marcio Maximo took over, the Tanzanian National Eleven were ranked 167th on the FIFA worldwide rankings. Now they are the 89th on the latest FIFA list and second highest among east African countries.
    Of the 18 international matches the team has played so far, the national squad has won eight, drawn seven and lost three.
    Though having failed to qualify for the Ghana finals of the African Cup of Nations, the Brazilian coach is busy preparing his team for the South Africa World Cup qualifiers.
    Tanzania was drawn into the African Group One qualifying tourney with Cameroon, Mauritius and Verde. Tanzania has never played Cameroon or Cape Verde. It tied Mauritius 0-0 at home and …

Source: Toronto Star ()

VANCOUVER –Leisure Canada, a Vancouver-based developer of Cuban luxury resorts, says its board has approved a deal to sell 46 per cent of the company to Dubai-based Profile Investments LLC.

The two-step transaction, announced yesterday, is valued at about $20 million. Leisure will issue about 60 million shares and half-warrant units to Profile at 25 cents each to raise $15 million. In addition, Profile and affiliates have agreed to invest $5 million (U.S.) in the company’s operating subsidiary, Wilton Properties Ltd.

Profile is an investment company with global interests in real estate and related services India, the Persian Gulf, Cape Verde and North Africa.

The transaction is slated to close Feb. 29.

The Canadian Press

Source: ReliefWeb (press release) ()

This appeal seeks CHF 36,634,285 (USD 32,767,696 or EUR 22,202,596) to fund the planned programmes that are to be implemented in 2008-2009.
Current context
The West and Central African zone is a diverse region comprising 24 countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo) and has an estimated population of 350 million people.
A number of diseases take a heavy toll on the population across the zone, such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, measles, waterborne diseases, cholera, meningitis and Ebola. Underlying the serious health challenges is widespread general poverty and 55 per cent of the population live on less than USD 1 per day and seven of the ten countries with the highest under-five mortality rates in the world are in this zone.
The Red Cross/Red Crescent societies in the zone, together with the International Federation, are committed to improve the health conditions of the vulnerable populations. In collaboration with their respective governments, Ministries of Health (MoH) and various partners, they are putting their impressive network of approximately one million dedicated and motivated volunteers into action.
Thousands of people across the zone have been made homeless due to heavy rains and floods, partly influenced by climate change but also due to poor infrastructure, others have fled their countries due to civil unrest and conflict. Drought, locust invasion, crop failure and poor harvest as well as conflict have all contributed to widespread food insecurity and malnutrition across the zone.
Contact information
For further information, please contact:
- In Senegal: Alasan Senghore, Federation Head Zone for West and Central Africa, Dakar; email: alasan.senghore@ifrc.org; telephone: +221.869.3641; Fax: +221.860.2002

Full_Report …

Source: PR.com (press release) ()

Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom, December 20, 2007 –(PR.com)– Nick Pendrell, author and Chief of international property investment portal, Propertastic!, today announced the publication of the first book to be written on the Egyptian property market, ‘Propertastic’s Complete Guide to Hurghada Property and Egypt’s Red Sea Riviera Real Estate - Apartments, Flats, Villas and Houses on the Egyptian Property Market’, released today by MX Publishing.

The author explains, “The Egyptian property market is currently where the market in Morocco was in 2006, or Turkey in 2004. Egypt is just reaching ‘the tipping point’ of going from being an emerging market known only to well-informed semi-professional investors to becoming a mass-market property buying destination, well-covered by the media and considered as a mainstream investment.”

“The benefits of Egypt as a tourist destination are clear to see,” he continues. “There are few other destinations that are only 4-5 hours by air from most of mainland Europe which have sunshine 365 days per year. Add to this the fact that Egypt’s Red Sea Riviera has some of the best diving and watersports facilities in the world, and it’s easy to see why visitors to the region are increasing rapidly.”

“Despite all of these advantages, property prices in Egypt are still very low in comparison with the newest of the other developing markets such as Cape Verde and Brazil, and a fraction of equivalent property across much of the Mediterranean, with prices starting from £15,400 (€21,500/$31,800) and frontline beach properties from just £19,950 (€27,850/$41,200).”

Containing over 30,000 words over 108 pages, the Propertastic! Guide gives a general introduction to Hurghada and its immediate surroundings, Sahl Hasheesh and El Gouna, giving an overview of the current real estate market and general …

Source: Xinhua ()

    MOSCOW, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) — Russia is likely to join the World Trade Organization (WTO) in the third quarter of 2008, a senior economic official said Wednesday.
    ”If everything proceeds as expected, Russia may become a WTO member in the third quarter of 2008. That means its responsibilities under the WTO come into force from January 1, 2009 and the first tariff reductions will occur from January 1, 2010,” Deputy Director of the Economic Ministry’s trade negotiations department Andrei Kushnirenko was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying.
    Kushnirenko said there were only two countries to negotiate with, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, “the motifs of which are not totally clear from a purely economic standpoint, since the volume of trade with them is quite small.”
    The talks are to be wrapped up between January-February 2008.
    ”We believe that most issues will be finalized in January-February and that of agriculture — in March-April of 2008,” Kushnirenko said.
    The technical procedures for WTO entry could then be and Russia would become a fully-fledged WTO member in the third quarter of 2008 after 13 years of talks.

Source: AllAfrica.com ()

The debate on the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) is not going away as it surfaced in Parliament last Friday with the Member of Parliament (MP) for Kumawu, Hon. Yaw Baah, making some startling revelations on the impact it would have on West African countries particularly Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire.

According to him, under the EPAs, Ghana, Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire considered as the three non-Least Developed Countries (LDC) among the ECOWAS countries would not enjoy preferential treatment status granted to other ECOWAS countries and risk losing out under the new trade arrangement.

He thinks that Nigeria now predominantly an oil economy would escape the imminent danger that would befall the largely agro-based products of Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire.

" It is the economies of the three that will be badly hit. Nigeria’s economy is no longer agro-based since it is more than 95% petroleum based. In the circumstance it is quite clear that it is Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire and to a little extent, Cape Verde, which are at the greatest risk," he submits.

Last Thursday after intense protests and controversy over the trade partnership agreement between the European Union and Africa Caribbean and Pacific countries, Ghana government decided to sign what is referred to as an interim Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA)-light with the European Commission.

The trade deal, which made Ghana the second after Cote d’Ivoire, would immediately eliminate tariffs on virtually all of the country’s exports to Europe and on 80% of imports from Europe over 15 years.

According to Hon. Joe Baidoe-Ansah, Minister for Trade and Industry, Private Sector Development and PSI, Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire-the world’s top two cocoa exporters- had taken the move to avoid disruptions to their exports after preferential trade terms expires at the of 2007.

Ghana’s horticultural exporters have recently urged their government to sign the EPA-light in order to …

Source: InTheNews.co.uk ()

Tigers tamed by Toulouse

Sunday, 16 Dec 2007 17:30

The Tigers have suffered two defeats in the pool stages

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Leicester’s hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages of the Heineken Cup have been wrecked after a 22-11 loss to Toulouse at the Stade Ernest Wallon.

The French side took the lead thanks to a Valentin Courrent drop-goal on three minutes but the Tigers hit back with a try from Tom Varndell.

Toulouse led 14-8 at the break after Clement Poitrenaud’s try and Jean-Baptiste Elissalde’s drop-goal.

Andy Goode kept Leicester in the hunt with two penalties in the second half but Vincent Clerc’s try sealed victory for the home side.

The Tigers are mathematically in the competition but they lie in the second place, five points behind leaders Toulouse.

Elsewhere, Bristol have kept their hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages alive after a 20-7 win over Harlequins at the Memorial Stadium.

After a scoreless first-half, Bristol clinched victory with tries from David Lemi, David Blaney, and Roy Winters.

Tom Williams crossed the line for Quins which was converted by Tom Jarvis.

The win for Bristol moves them up to second place in pool three, level on 12 points with leaders Cardiff Blues, while Quins remain bottom.

Munster have destroyed Llanelli Scarlets’ hopes of qualifying after a 22-13 win at Thomond Park.

The Irish side, who led at the break, were led to victory by tries from Jerry Flannery and Brian Carney while …

Source: InTheNews.co.uk ()

Virgin ‘to lose bidder status’

Friday, 14 Dec 2007 12:14

Richard Branson says Virgin’s bid is the best offer on the table

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A consortium led by Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group is to effectively lose its status as Northern Rock’s preferred bidder, reports have claimed.

Without citing sources, Sky News said it had been informed of the planned move, while the Times newspaper claims the development took place last night after rival bidder Olivant threatened to walk away from the Northern Rock race.

The investment firm, headed by former Abbey chief executive and veteran troubleshooter Luqman Arnold, said it would abandon its offer for the Newcastle-based lender unless its bid was placed on an equal footing with Virgin’s, the paper reports.

It says Northern Rock bosses agreed to the measure during a meeting with representatives of the Olivant consortium and officials from the Treasury, Bank of England and Financial Services Authority (FSA).

Olivant has also demanded the sale process be speeded up, it has been claimed.

However Virgin chairman Richard last night claimed his company had more than a 50/50 chance of its £1.5 billion …

Source: December 2007 - AllAfrica.com ()

Broadcast media survey launched

Research has begun for a major new twelve-country survey of public service broadcasting in Africa jointly hosted by AfriMAP and the Open Society Institute’s Network Media Program (NMP). The survey will examine issues of impartiality, independence and quality in public service broadcasting (including not only the public service broadcaster but relevant private media), with a view to producing recommendations for better regulation of the sector, especially in the context of the expected digitalization of broadcast media.

The editor-in-chief for the survey is Hendrik Bussiek, a specialist in broadcasting reform issues based in Cape Town. Regional editors are: Jeannette Minnie for Southern Africa, Peter Mwesige for Eastern Africa and Ibrahima Sané for West/Central Africa. The advisory committee for the project is: John Barker, Guy Berger, Kwame Karikari, Alfred Opubor, Zoe Titus and Muthoni Wanyeki. A research guide for the survey was finalized at meetings in Johannesburg in September 2007 and Accra in November, in consultation with AfriMAP and NMP staff, the OSI foundations in Africa, the advisory committee, editors and country researchers. The countries covered in the research are: Benin, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Publication of the final report is anticipated in early 2009.

AfriMAP submission to the Audit of the AU Institutions

AfriMAP made a submission to the ‘audit review’ of the African Union institutions being carried out by a panel of eminent persons appointed in accordance with the Accra Declaration on Union Government adopted at the AU summit in July 2007. The AfriMAP submission was based on the findings and recommendations in the report Towards a People-Driven African Union and other research and engagement with the debates around the proposed Union Government. It emphasised that ‘any …