Nigeria-Gunmen Seize Worker; Attack Vessel

show details 11:35 AM (4 minutes ago)

Nigeria: Gunmen Seize Worker, Attack Vessel September 30, 2011 One member of Exxon Mobile Corp.’s Nigerian unit was injured and another was seized when gunmen attacked a ship supplying an oil platform off the coast of the southern Akwa Ibom state, Bloomberg reported Sept. 30. The incident was reported to security and the necessary government agencies, and Exxon does not know where the worker was taken, a spokesman said in an emailed statement.

Malema loses support in urban areas – poll

Malema loses support in urban areas – poll

Miners meet Zimbabwe deadline on ownership

Miners meet Zimbabwe deadline on ownership:

'via Blog this'

NPC Lunch With South Africa's Rocket Man Elon Musk

NPC Luncheon with Elon Musk

September 29, 2011 12:30 PM

Speakers NPC

Location: Ballroom

Elon Musk, CEO/CTO of Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), will discuss the future of human spaceflight in advance of his company’s planned Nov. 30 flight to the International Space Station, the first private mission to ISS for NASA, at a National Press Club luncheon on Thursday, Sept. 29.

SpaceX, which won a NASA contract to replace the cargo transport function of the Space Shuttle, develops rockets and vehicles for missions to Earth orbit and beyond. Musk was chief engineer for Falcon 1, the first privately developed liquid fuel rocket to reach orbit, as well as the company's Falcon 9 and Dragon spacecraft.

Musk also serves as CEO and Product Architect at Tesla Motors, manufacturer of the all-electric Tesla Roadster automobile and Model S sedan, and is the non-executive Chairman of SolarCity, a leading provider of solar power systems in the United States. Earlier, he co-founded Internet payment system PayPal and was the company's Chairman and CEO.

In 2008, Esquire magazine named Musk one of the 75 most influential people of the 21st century, and, in 2010, he was recognized as a Living Legend in Aviation by the Kitty Hawk Foundation. Sometimes likened to the fictional engineering genius Tony Stark in the Iron Man comic franchise, the 40-year-old Musk was a role model for the character in Iron Man II and made a small cameo appearance, with the SpaceX factory also used in the film.

The Press Club luncheon will begin promptly at 12:30 p.m. Remarks will begin at 1:00 p.m., followed by a question-and-answer session. Advance reservations should be made through (202) 662-7501 or reservations@press.org. The cost of luncheon admission is $18 for National Press Club members, $29 for their guests, and $36 for the general public. Tickets must be purchased at time of reservation.

National Press Club Luncheons are webcast live on press.org. Follow the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #NPCLunch, or on Facebook at (facebook.com/PressClubDC) and Twitter (@PressClubDC). Submit questions for speakers in advance and during the live event by sending them to @QNPCLunch on Twitter. Or email a question in advance; type MUSK in the subject line and send topresident@press.org before 10 a.m. on the day of event.

South Africa Reserve Bank Governor Issues A Dire Warning

World near a 'Lehman-type' repeat, says Marcus

 

ECONOMY

Published 28 Sep 2011

 

Article by: Reuters

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The global economy is close to another "Lehman-type" event, and South Africa needs to cushion itself by reducing its dependence on European export markets, South African Reserve Bank Governor Gill Marcus said on Wednesday.

The rand lost 22% against the dollar in the first three weeks of September as investors worried about Europe's deepening debt crisis ditched emerging market assets.

In an article in the Financial Mail magazine, Marcus said such a rapid decline bore similarities to the fallout from the collapse of Lehman Brothers in late 2008.

"The response of the markets to the glaring lack of global leadership and political will to deal with the crisis in a coherent way is indicative of how perilously close we are to another 'Lehman-type' moment, but without the ammunition of 2008," she wrote.

The rand, a deeply traded emerging market currency, hit a 28-month low of 8.4950 on Thursday but has since bounced back to 7.8450, and should recover further given that the difference between emerging and developed world interest rates are here to stay, Marcus said.

"In all likelihood, these exchange rate moves represent an overshoot and may retrace somewhat when risk aversion moderates, given that the underlying reasons for flows to emerging markets in the first place – abnormally low interest rates in the advanced economies – are likely to persist."

South Africa's Reserve Bank last week left interest rates unchanged at three-decade lows, balancing concerns about rising inflation pressures with those for stuttering growth in Africa's largest economy, which relies heavily on exports to Europe.

"With growth in the US and Europe likely to remain anaemic for some time, South Africa would do well to diversify its trade ties ... and reduce its dependence on European export markets," Marcus said.

Edited by: Reuters

 

Gonzalo Lira: Forget Gold—What Matters Is Copper

Gonzalo Lira: Forget Gold—What Matters Is Copper: People are freaking out that gold has fallen to $1,650, from its lofty highs above $1,800—they are freaking out something awful. “Gold has f...

20,000 SurfaceTo Air Missiles Missing In Libya

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/nightmare-libya-20000-surface-air-missiles-missing/story?id=14610199

My dear readers I want to share with you a story that I just picked up on the Huffington Post. Some 20,000 shoulder-fired surface to air missile from the Libyan arsenals are missing. One of these missiles could be used to shoot down an airliner full of people. US officials said in the past that it was highly unlikely that these missiles could fall into the hands of terrorists. They have now said that it is highly-likely that such missiles could fall into the hands of terrorists. All of us who fly should be aware of this. Senator Barbara Boxer is fighting to get legislation passed that would require military-type missile counter measures to be installed on each civilian airlines at a cost of $1 million US per airlines. The total cost of the program would be $6 billion US dollars.
Colonel Gadhafi also has a supply of mustard gas. This same gas was used in World War I and when Iraq and Iran went to war.
I also wonder if the mad colonel has some enriched uranium left.

Nigeria: Boko Haram's Unlikely Threat

Nigeria: Boko Haram's Unlikely Threat September 27, 2011 | 1209 GMT PIUS UTOMI EKPEI/AFP/Getty Images Nigerian soldiers provide security at a U.N. building in Abuja following an Aug. 26 bombing by Boko Haram Summary Nigerian Islamist militant group Boko Haram is planning bombing attacks in southern Nigeria, including in the Niger Delta, according to intelligence reports from Abuja. Lacking any notable presence or support base in the south, Boko Haram would have a difficult time following through on these alleged plans and instead could be trying to raise its profile to extract political concessions. If the group did conduct an attack in these regions, it would likely trigger a harsh counteraction by militants in the Niger Delta — not to mention regular Nigerian armed forces, such as the Joint Task Force, deployed to the oil-producing region. Analysis Related Special Topic Page Special Series: Niger Delta Politics and Militancy (With STRATFOR interactive map) A spokesman for the Niger Delta Liberation Front (NDLF), a militant group based in Nigeria’s south and affiliated with the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), said in a Sept. 20 statement that NDLF fighters were prepared to work with Nigerian security forces to defend the delta against attacks from Islamist militant group Boko Haram. NDLF spokesman “Captain” Mark Anthony cautioned that an NDLF response to a Boko Haram attack would be disastrous for the Islamist sect. The NDLF statement came after Nigerian intelligence reports indicated Boko Haram was planning to carry out bombings in the Niger Delta as well as in the country’s southeast and southwest areas. Boko Haram claimed responsibility for two vehicle-borne improvised explosive device attacks in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, this year — the first on June 16 targeting police headquarters and the second on Aug. 26 targeting a U.N. compound. Despite these attacks, Boko Haram has not demonstrated the capability to attack regions of the country farther from its base of operations in the northeast. If the group were to try to move into the south, as Anthony’s statement suggests, the repercussions would be severe. The vast majority of Boko Haram’s attacks have taken place in Borno state in the northeast, with a few possible ones occurring in northwestern Nigeria. Attacks in these areas, which lack oil installations, Western facilities and even notable Nigerian federal government institutions, have attracted very little international attention. Boko Haram’s bombings in Abuja, however, brought tremendous international visibility to the group, including attention from top U.S. military officials such as Gen. Carter Ham, commander of U.S. Africa Command. The Islamist sect’s stated ambition, according to a spokesman, is to implement Shariah throughout the country (12 of 36 states, all located in northern Nigeria, already are governed by Shariah), but an equally powerful objective is to use high-profile attacks to extract concessions and political patronage for the northeast, one of the most impoverished and least politically represented regions in the country. The Nigerian government has worked to counter militant threats by stepping up coordination with foreign intelligence agencies. British Ambassador Andrew Lloyd was in Nigeria on Sept. 20 to follow up on an earlier discussion between British Prime Minister David Cameron and Nigerian officials on the creation of an intelligence fusion center in the country. Additionally, the United States is providing training and material to set up a 200-strong Nigerian special operations unit designated for counterterrorism purposes. Western governments are concerned about Boko Haram’s growing aggressiveness as well as reports about possible exchanges between the Islamist sect and al Qaeda in the Islamic Magreb and al Shabaab, an Islamist militant organization based in Somalia. Apart from a few Nigerian radicals who have traveled to cities in the Sahel, however, there has been no evidence to substantiate these reports. In reality, Boko Haram’s capacity to attack southern targets is very much in doubt. The group has no presence or popular support in the south, which means it would have to conduct its own pre-operational surveillance, explosives acquisition, bombmaking and execution. Boko Haram militants would be especially vulnerable to detection during this process, as there are physical and linguistic differences between them and the native population in the south. Boko Haram’s will to attack in the south is even more uncertain. Boko Haram knows that attempted attacks in the south would almost certainly trigger a conflict with Niger Delta militants, who are effectively proxies of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, as well as with the Joint Task Force in the Niger Delta. If such a threat exists, it is more likely a ploy aimed at extracting patronage from northern politicians. In fact, the Nigerian government has quietly engaged local politicians from the country’s northeast with the expectation that the local elders will be able to settle down Boko Haram through amnesty talks, a process that has worked with Boko Haram in the past. This sort of politicization of violence is not unusual for Nigeria and has been seen in use most often by militants in the Niger Delta. Give us your thoughts on this report For Publication Not For Publication Read comments on other reports Reader Comments

Scarlett Johansson Helps Starving People In East Africa

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scarlett-johansson/food-crisis-in-east-africa_b_979003.html

Jack's South America: An Argentine Who's Now Chief Prosecutor At The Wor...

Jack's South America: An Argentine Who's Now Chief Prosecutor At The Wor...: September 23, 2011 5:10 pm Lunch with the FT: Luis Moreno-Ocampo By William Wallis The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Cour...

A New President For Africa's Biggest Copper Producer

ZAMBIA

New President for Africa's biggest copper producer

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By: Reuters

23rd September 2011 

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LUSAKA – Zambian opposition leader Michael Sata was declared the winner of the presidential election on Friday, defeating incumbent Rupiah Banda to head Africa's biggest copper producer after polls marred by violence.

Sata, 74 and nicknamed "King Cobra" because of his sharp tongue, toned down his rhetoric against foreign mining firms, especially from China, in the closing stages of the six-week campaign but his victory could still cloud the investment outlook.

Zambia's kwacha fell to a 12-month-low of 5 030 against the dollar after Sata's victory and traders said it would remain vulnerable until he has given clearer indications on his future policies.

Sata, the leader of the Patriotic Front (PF), told Reuters last week he would maintain strong commercial and diplomatic ties with China and would not introduce a minerals windfall tax, but implied he might impose some form of capital controls to keep dollars in the country.

Chief Justice Ernest Sakala declared Sata the winner after he received 1 150 045 votes compared with Banda's 961 796 with 95.3% of constituencies counted. Sata received 43% of the vote also contested by many minor parties.

Rupiah Banda, 74 and leader of the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) party that has run Zambia since one-party rule ended in 1991, was expected to make a statement about the vote.

Supporters of Sata, who will be sworn in as president later on Friday, celebrated the win.

"At long last the will of the people has been respected. The people wanted change," said street vendor Peter Musonda.

Sata secured support among the youth on the back of campaign promises of creating more jobs and his criticism that Banda's government failed to let ordinary Zambians share in the proceeds from the country's copper mines.

"We are now a relieved nation. God has finally answered our prayer," said Emmanuel Mwanza, a student at the Zambian Open University.

Election monitors from the European Union and regional grouping the Southern African Development Community said the polls were largely fair although there was some violence.

Youths fought running battles with riot police on Thursday in the towns of Ndola and Kitwe, 250 km north of Lusaka, setting fire to vehicles and markets in the normally peaceful mining heartland.

CHINA FACTOR

Chinese companies have become major players in Zambia's economy, with total investments by the end of 2010 topping $2-billion, according to data from the Chinese embassy.

But Sata accused Chinese mining firms in the earlier stages of the campaign of creating slave labour conditions with scant regard for safety or the local culture.

Sata had strong backing in urban areas and the economic centre in the Copper Belt, while Banda, a farmer and former diplomat, relied on votes from rural areas.

Analysts said younger voters also helped propel Sata to victory with youth using the ballot box to bring about change in a continent that has seen the long-standing rulers of Egypt and Tunisia toppled by mass street protests.

In 2008 Sata lost to Banda by just 35 000 votes, or 2% of the electorate, in a presidential run-off triggered by the death in office of Levy Mwanawasa.

Edited by: Reuters

Sudan Pushes TO Remove South's Influence From Border States

show details 5:42 AM (7 minutes ago)

Sudan Pushes To Remove South's Influence from Border States September 23, 2011 | 1159 GMT Trevor Snapp/AFP/Getty Images The Sudan People’s Liberation Army in the Nubu Mountains of South Kordofan on July 11 Summary The Sudanese government has begun military operations against a South Sudan-affiliated militant group in the Sudanese border states of Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan. These states, north of the border but containing regions politically and ethnically linked to South Sudan, are key areas for both countries because of their oil reserves, and both countries can be expected to put significant resources toward controlling them. The contest will be protracted, and the possibility of U.N. involvement means it will not be settled for some time. But no matter the length, it is highly unlikely that South Sudan will formally engage in fighting. Analysis The government of Sudan since the beginning of September has been moving to consolidate its hold over its territory, particularly in the border states of Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan, in the wake of South Sudan’s July declaration of independence. Fighting broke out June 5 between the Sudanese army and South Sudan-affiliated militant group Sudan People’s Liberation Army-Northern sector (SPLA-N) after the group and its political wing, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-Northern sector (SPLM-N), failed to heed a mandate to disarm or relocate to South Sudan by June 1. In the three months that these rebels have remained, aerial bombardments have spread from Southern Kordofan to Blue Nile state, where the north has escalated fighting. On Sept. 2, Sudanese President Omar al Bashir declared an emergency in the state, deposing Gov. Malik Agar and other members of the SPLM-N in Sudan. The Sudanese parliament Sept. 12 approved military operations against SPLA-N forces in Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan, and heavy fighting, including new aerial bombardments, was reported in the states starting Sept. 19. Since South Sudan’s independence, neither Sudan nor South Sudan has endorsed U.N.- and U.S.-mediated peace negotiations with the SPLM-N. (click here to enlarge image) The border states are key areas for both Sudan and South Sudan due primarily to their oil reserves. Both can thus be expected to expend significant resources — Khartoum through its military and Juba by aiding the SPLA-N — to try to control them. Juba is aware of what little chance it has of controlling these Sudanese states and is instead hopeful that these rebels can help it maintain strategic military depth. Though a full-blown war between the two countries is unlikely, as each requires the other to ensure continued oil revenue, Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan will continue to serve as leverage in ongoing negotiations between north and south. Many parts of Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan, while north of the Sudan-South Sudan border, are politically and ethnically linked to the south. Before its members were removed from office, the opposition SPLM-N, itself an offshoot of South Sudan’s ruling party, represented 44 percent of government positions in both states per a previous agreement. During the yearslong secession negotiations, South Sudan funded rebel groups in the states as a means of achieving a better negotiating position through the creation of a buffer zone between oil resources in the south and Sudanese military forces in the north. Though it is not clear to what degree South Sudan still supports these rebel groups, historically it has served as the primary benefactor of the SPLM-N. Subsequently, Juba’s reluctance to encourage these affiliated rebels to relocate since independence has become suspect, eliciting warnings from both the United Nations and United States over potential linkages. This buffer zone of South Sudanese support in Sudanese territory gives Juba leverage in continued border transit, demarcation and oil-revenue sharing negotiations. For Khartoum, these states contain almost all of the oil-rich regions within Sudanese territory after the South’s independence (about two-thirds of the countries’ total oil reserves are south of the border). Sudan’s freedom to maneuver in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile had been hampered by the presence of peacekeeping troops from the U.N. Mission in Sudan, but these troops were removed prior to independence, creating an opportunity for the Sudanese to engage in unfettered fighting over the territory with the SPLA-N. Around the time of independence, Ethiopian U.N. peacekeepers were deployed in the central oil-rich region of Abyei, but authorities from both Sudan and South Sudan have blocked the United Nations and other international organizations and governments from accessing these eastern states since the renewed fighting began. Each side has a few options in their attempts to gain the upper hand. South Sudan, still reliant on a pipeline that runs through the north as its only means of oil exportation, is very unlikely to start a full-scale armed conflict with Sudan. However, it does have the ability to continue funding Sudanese militant groups, such as the SPLA-N, which has held alignment talks with Darfur-based Justice and Equality Movement. If Juba can increase funding to these groups — while mitigating risk to itself by publicly dismissing its connection to them — it will force the Sudanese army to stretch its resources across the country. Nevertheless, Sudan has an interest in crippling both militant groups, so it will not hesitate to put all its resources toward such an offensive. It already has seen some success in its aerial bombing, driving thousands of people from Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan into Ethiopia and South Sudan, and it has called up more ground troops to assault remaining pockets of insurgents. Sudan will attempt to keep access to the area restricted; a renewed U.N. presence at the behest of the south would again limit Khartoum’s options and provide Juba with a buffer force. However, the reintroduction of the United Nations to the area will only serve to stagnate the conflict and restrict Sudanese and Southern Sudanese access to these states. Juba will use that option only as a last resort as it would likely expose their support of these rebel militias and delay cross-border transit and trade. As neither country has enough resources at its disposal to overwhelmingly defeat the other, the contest over Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan will be long and involve several rounds of likely fruitless negotiations. South Sudan will continue to denounce their affiliation with SPLM-N, as South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit did in Khartoum on Sept. 21 in order to ensure oil-revenue negotiations continue. Juba’s support for SPLM-N also will be under increased scrutiny now that U.N. and South Sudanese forces have begun joint patrols just south of the conflict. Though the mission is to contain southern intra-tribal conflict, it allows both South Sudanese forces and the U.N. closer proximity to the fighting just north. This proximity could be used by South Sudan to more easily move equipment across the border to SPLM-N or give the U.N. more ability to cite injustices, mounting pressure to intervene. This mission alone means the conflict will not be settled for some time.

New fraud charge for UBS trader - Business News | IOL Business | IOL.co.za

New fraud charge for UBS trader - Business News | IOL Business | IOL.co.za

Portfolio: Stabilizing Markets in West Africa | STRATFOR

Portfolio: Stabilizing Markets in West Africa | STRATFOR

The Ugly Face Of Famine In Somalia

The Faces of Famine BY TYLER HICKS
A malnourished child at Banadir Hospital in Mogadishu, Somalia. More than 500,000 Somali children are verging on starvation. Photo by Tyler Hicks	Famine is sweeping across southern Somalia and sending a stream of desperate people into Mogadishu. Tens of thousands of children are said to be dying there, and there's not enough help to meet the demand for food and medical care. The Shabab, the Islamic militant group with ties to Al-Qaeda, has made delivery of aid to remote areas, and even to the capital Mogadishu, not only difficult but also unreasonably slow, further reinforcing the crisis. I was recently on assignment to photograph the crisis in Mogadishu. Just a few miles from where our plane landed I was taken to a refugee camp where hundreds of new arrivals, those who walked there with their belongings – and children – on their backs, waited for help and a place to settle. The sight of foreigners, and their hope that help had arrived, created a steady appeal for help. A bundle under a woman's arm revealed an emaciated child, then another in the same state carried by someone else. I motioned to my camera in an attempt to show I was with the news media and couldn't help them with what they needed: food, clean water, medicine, mosquito nets, shelter. The worst cases were at the crowded hospital. That's where I found the hardest hit, mostly children, some unable to walk or even sit up, others vomiting and all suffering from dysentery. In the hallway every available surface was used for another sick child. I've seen bad conditions in hospitals, but this was one of the worst. Swarms of flies infested the mouths and eyes of children too weak to move. Their parents spent the day swatting the flies away from them and doing whatever else they could to keep them alive. I photographed a father carrying his lifeless daughter, wrapped in cloth, out of the hospital for burial. Mogadishu is unsafe for foreigners, and journalists rely on local fixers and security to help do our job. Time on the street is very limited, and you're never left in one place for long before moving. This means you're forced to work quickly, even inside the hospital. I found this frustrating, but I reminded myself to trust our guides and allow them to make those decisions. In early August, The New York Times ran a front-page photograph of a child who was reduced to the frail framework of a starved body. The image showed the child in a fetal position, arms wrapped around the head, almost in a protective gesture. I could see that this image, however disturbing to view, would give proof of how desperate the situation had become. I enthusiastically support the image chosen for Page 1. The public reaction was overwhelmingly positive, and a reminder of the impact The Times can generate – not only among our readers, but also among other news media organizations and humanitarian aid groups. This is an example of the raw, unfiltered definition of news photography. It doesn't happen every day, and it might not come your way in the course of a year. But sometimes you land on a story, a cause, something that has meaning to you, and the resulting photographs have an impact. They are seen and spur reaction. In a digital age, that's when you're reminded of the impact that a still, motionless photograph can have.