HUMNEWS HEADLINES - August 23, 2010 (North and South Oceans)

FAROE ISLANDS

Britain prepares for mackerel war with Iceland and Faroe Islands

Dana to induce KNOC to increase the takeover offer (energy news)

Minority governments not new in the world  

GREENLAND

Carin focuses on Greenland after Indian sell-off (mining news)

Greenland minerals and energy expects Greenland government announcement this week

Weather-related disasters : the new normal?

ICELAND

EU urged to prop up krona upon Iceland membership

Iceland wage costs rise in July

Angelica used for beer production in North Iceland

Prisoners in Iceland get artificial turf football field

SVALBARD

Arctic explorers seem to be growing more appetizing to polar bears (commentary)  

PAKISTAN: FOREIGN MEDIA-OCRITY (PERSPECTIVE)

By Themrise Khan in Karachi

(HN, August 21, 2010)  --- “It’s such an exciting time to be in Pakistan.” This is a line one hears time and again from every new arrival of foreigners that lands at Islamabad airport. From the US Secretary of State, to the new foreign service employees at an embassy, to the newest international media correspondent, Pakistan seems to be the new land of opportunity.

Except that this opportunity doesn’t really work for us too much, considering we were declared the most dangerous country in the world last year and now, because of natural disasters, are at our absolute lowest point. Sadly, Pakistan is being mined by the rest of the world as an example of how good it can get when it gets really bad.

Unlike most other developing nations that have abject poverty, corrupt economies and poor leadership, Pakistan has still managed to hold onto some semblance of normalcy in its daily suffrage. There is still a sense of survival (just barely), social decadence and just plain old resilience amidst the madness of militant terror and disastrous flooding.  Supposedly this is what makes Pakistan ‘exciting’ for outsiders.

In the age of global communication, there is nothing that doesn’t get out. Not even top-secret documents on America’s war in Afghanistan. But some things don’t get out by agenda. One of these is how the global media wants its audience to view countries like Pakistan. Portrayals include a state that colludes with Islamic militants to encourage global extremism; a country rife with civil and ethnic angst that abuses its justice system; a country constantly plagued with preventable and mismanaged natural disasters. And oh yes, a confused nation of elite party-goers all juxtaposed against the women in black (burqas). Pakistan’s stereotype has come a long way. While most of these claims are admittedly true, is that all there is to us?

Over a year ago, I did a story on the sudden rise in the almost permanent presence of foreign media networks in Pakistan since the Afghanistan invasion in 2001.The bottom line was that the war on terror was the only news that was worthy of the presence of almost 100 foreign journalists in Islamabad. Nothing else figured on the agenda. No economics, no culture, no society, no people, except for those affected by the suicide bombings and drone attacks, or those displaced by army action in the tribal areas and lately, by natural disasters.

To give benefit of the doubt, dirt sells and news is business after all. Even our local television feeds the international media with its tales of graphic horror. We don’t give much airtime to anything else either. But one would expect more from the international media networks, since it is one of the very few ways people abroad have to form an impression about countries like Pakistan. All the more reason the stories going out should show more than just one face of the nation.Foreign journalists fuel "mediocrity and one-dimensionality" CREDIT: Michael Bociurkiw

But the reality is, that there is extremely limited interaction of the foreign media with the ‘real’ Pakistan, with global headquarters dictating what should and shouldn’t be news.

In a country of 170 million, only a handful of ‘key’ persons are introduced to a journalist’s brief international posting. Most of those belong to the elite English-speaking and civil and state bureaucracy. Its not newsworthy enough to venture into other more mundane areas like the informal economy, agriculture, performing arts or local initiatives. Frankly, if its not related to terrorism, its not a story. So what ends up is a life primarily ensconced in Islamabad, mixing with the movers and shakers. There is not even a meager attempt to visit the nether regions of the country to show the world how we really live, both good and bad. Last I checked, journalism was about breaking boundaries, leaving your comfort zone and opening minds to different ideas and opinions. I guess I haven’t checked the latest in a long time.

Even with the coverage of the current flooding, the focus remains on how inept our leaders are (which they are) and how aid is waiting to be mismanaged (which it is). But what about what many are trying to do single-handedly? Ever since the earthquake, if there is one thing Pakistanis (barring the feudal and political elite), have been known for, its plunging into the middle of a natural disaster to do all they can. Doesn’t the world deserve to see that side of us for a change? And then they say we suffer from an international ‘image deficit.’

The perception is further fuelled by the presence of the international diplomatic community, supposedly to ‘foster meaningful relations’ and ‘help end poverty.’ The goodwill doesn’t reach further than the diplomatic enclave as its so much easier to spend money sitting in a cubicle surrounded by barbed wire and your very own panic room. After all, that’s how they do it in Afghanistan and Iraq and see how much good its doing there.

So despite best intentions, the perspective remains skewed, to the networks (and its representatives) benefit, but to our own detriment. The slap in the face is a foreign correspondents ‘observation’ of (a very politicised) Pakistan, in hardback edition.  Three years in a city, and they know the country better than we do apparently.

Journalism unfortunately, is now a well-paid job that can get you around the world, complete with furnished homes, domestic staff and your very own ‘king of the hill’ attitude.

But the mediocrity and one-dimensionality of live international broadcasts from residential rooftops in Islamabad, does eventually show through. Case in point – a message sent out to all invitees last year by one foreign correspondent after a high-profile suicide bombing in Islamabad, in response to a scheduled party hosted by another foreign journalist in the same area that night: “if we cancel the party, the terrorists have won.” Senseless loss of life right outside your doorstep, but the party must go on. Now that’s what I call true dedication to the cause of journalism.

I guess they don’t make them like Robert Fisk anymore.

---HUMNEWS contributor Themrise Khan is a freelance social development consultant based in Karachi who occasionally dares to venture into the Pakistani media. This column originally appeared in The Dawn Online.

PAKISTAN FLOODS UNPRECEDENTED SCALE - UNICEF (UPDATED 1439GMT)

(HN, August 20, 2010) - The area of Pakistan now under water is equivalent to that of Switzerland, Belgium and Austria combined.

"I've never seen an emergency this large," said Daniel Toole, the UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia who has 20 years emergency experience. "In terms of the scope, the scale, the number of displaced...the situation is as grim as any I've seen and it is likely to get worse."UNICEF Regional Director Dan Toole

"There are amazing expanses of water as far as the eye can see."

The UN now estimates that there are 15.4 million people affected, and nearly 7.5 million very severely affected. UN agencies say some 3.5m people are at very serious risk of water borne diseases. Toole said that at a health unit in the Punjab he had visited, of the 950 patients about 80 percent had been diagnosed with diarrhea. "The situation for health, nutrition is quite severe."

UNICEF estimates about 5,000 schools are still occupied by displaced people and nearly the same number destroyed or partially damaged. The number of health centres damaged equal about 5,000.

More than 20 days after the floods hit, Toole, who spoke to journalists by phone from the affected area, did not mix words to underline how crucial it is for donors to release funds now. "It's too little and too slow for cash."

Toole said that the joint appeal the UN initially issued - when only 3.5 to 4.5 million people were affected - is now out of date. "We now have 5 times that many affected," he said. UNICEF initially appealed for $47 million people but now needs at least $141 million to deal with the numbers of people it is trying to assist. The children's agency now has only $8 million in cash and has mobilized $7 million of its own funds. Although UNICEF has $35 million in pledges, "we cannot pay with pledges, we cannot find cash from commitments to buy sanitation supplies, water supplies, medicines and nutritional supplies. The situation is very, very difficult."

UNICEF is now providing water to 1.5 million people, but only a fraction of what is needed. "We all need to scale up, we need a long term commitment. We urgently therefore need funding - and not pledges, but actual cash in the bank."

Toole said UNICEF prefers to purchase supplies like soap and buckets locally but the scope of the disaster makes that difficult. "The Pakistani economy is wounded seriously by the disaster and local suppliers cannot possibly keep up with the demand we have. We put an SOS to all of our offices in South Asia to source supplies."

With temperatures hovering around 35C - but with the heat index in places like Sukkur about 54C - and plenty of water, Toole said "the conditions are absolutely perfect for malaria, acute watery diarrhea and cholera."

All UN agencies predict the emergency will last for quite some time to come. Aside from the homeless situation and the large probability of disease, lack of food will be a problem.

Officials in Sindh Province said this year's rice crop is gone and that farmers will likely be unable to plant rice next year.

Yesterday US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced $60 million I'm fresh emergency aid funding - bringing to $150 million committed earlier. She said the waters are not expected to recede until mid-September.

And speaking before the UN General Assembly this morning, Pakistan's Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani said an astonishing one in ten Pakistanis are now destitute.

At the same session, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon compared the floods to "a slow-motion tsunami."

He added: "At least 160,000 square kilometers of land is under water. Fifteen to 20 million people need shelter, food and emergency care. That is more than the entire population hit by the (2004) Indian Ocean tsunami, the Kashmir earthquake, Cyclone Nargis, and the earthquake in Haiti - combined."

Pakistanis are not the only ones affected by the flod waters. With 1.7 million Afghan refugees, the country has one of the world's largest refugee populations. More than 1.5 million of these are in affected provinces, dozens of Afghan refugee villages have been damaged, and several are completely destroyed, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Click here to view an exclusive photo essay on the Pakistan flood emergency by photographer Asad Zaidi

INTERVIEW: WORLD HUMANITARIAN DAY - AN AID WORKER SPEAKS OUT

HUMNEWS’ Michael Bociurkiw has been working on and off as an aid worker for UNICEF since 2001. Here are excerpts from our interview with him on World Humanitarian Day.

Credit: Katie Grusovin

I have worked mostly as a Communication Officer - or spokesperson - both in emergencies and country office settings. Lately I have taken on more work in the donor relations and programmatic areas. I’ve also worked for a brief period as global spokesperson in Geneva. The 2005 Pakistan earthquake and the 2008 Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar are the two largest emergencies I’ve worked on. In both cases, the devastation was vast and millions were displaced.

UNICEF’s mission in more than 100 countries is to create a protective environment for women and children. The organization’s ability to respond quickly in major emergencies is well-known and usually focuses on health, water and sanitation, nutrition and child protection.

Previously I was a journalist, working for major media outlets in Canada and Asia. I was led to UNICEF by pure chance immediately after 9-11, when the Afghanistan emergency was taking hold. My only experience before that with UNICEF was carrying the UNICEF Trick-or-Treat box during Halloween as a kid growing up in Canada.

Most of my work has involved informing the media and donors about UNICEF’s interventions - both during emergencies and in our day-to-day work. I love working in emergencies as the needs are great and so is the adrenalin rush. It's not uncommon to work 16-18 hour days for very long periods under very trying conditions. You can feel the difference you are making. In the first few hours and days after an emergencies strikes, it's important to get the crucial details out - as well as photos and videos - to the media and donors as quickly as possible. Transparency and accuracy are paramount in our messages. We dont work alone: we work with other UN agencies, government, NGO’s, donors and others. In emergencies - such as the ongoing floods in Pakistan - we arent able to respond fully unless donations are extended and for this we normally issue an emergency appeal. UNICEF depends entirely on voluntary donations - from ordinary people, governments and corporations. (With one-fifth of Pakistan now under water, I urge donors to respond to the appeal for immediate resources).

My longest posting was in our East Jerusalem office, where I led the communication section. We worked primarily in Gaza and the West Bank and the challenges, to say the least, were daunting. I’ve also worked in Pakistan, Tajikistan, Africa, Southeast Asia - and for the Canadian and US fundraising arms of UNICEF.

It seems that, no matter where you look on the world map, the needs of women and children are great. While there are countries where some of the indices we normally track are worsening (i.e. maternal and infant mortality, HIV AIDS, nutrition, school enrollment), for the most part we are seeing quantifiable improvements. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are due in 2015 - that’s not very far away - and there are many countries that will miss certain targets. What we are also finding is that as human development statistics are improving, there are still large groups of people - the poorest families, people in rural area, girls - that have been left behind. We often find ourselves scratching our heads, trying to find answers to vexing questions: why is it, for example, that despite free primary education, many boys and girls in rural Lesotho don't go to school?

I am often asked how I cope in emergencies - where you see some pretty gruesome scenes or where your life is often at risk. It's the encouragement and support of family and friends that keeps me going. UNICEF has no shortage of competent, well-meaning professionals and being able to work with the best in the business is a privilege.

For those of us in the communications business, I think what helps keep us going is that, as a spokesperson, you get in front of millions of viewers at a time and share with them what you are seeing, what we are doing as aid workers. We explain what people are going through, how many are affected, what the needs are and what UNICEF is doing to alleviate their suffering and keep them alive. It’s an important role to play and, in this 24-hour news cycle, you are often called upon anytime of day and night. Honesty and accuracy are crucial when you are on the air, and I think most people can tell if you are being evasive or are exaggerating. I've worked on many occasions with CNN, BCC, CBC and Al-Jazeera. CNN and CBC have been especially good to us - with air time and informed interviewers. I am glad that aid workers, journalists and technology people are now coming together to think up new, innovative ways to better cover the uncovered parts of the world - what HUM calls the "geographic gap" in news coverage.

Have I ever faced danger? Yes - I have fallen off a helicopter, been in the cross-hairs of snipers, searched at gunpoint on a Jerusalem highway, threatened by a gun-totting farmer in the Gaza Strip and sustained a bloody head injury in the desert in northern Nigeria. But my brains and limbs are still intact - and my heart is still in this!

Thankfully I havent lost any close colleagues, but we feel it deep down when anyone in the UNICEF family - or in the aid business for that matter - dies in the line of duty. I think about my compatriot and colleague,Chris Klein-Beekman died at the age of 32 in the bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad. Credit: UNICEFChristopher Klein-Beekman, who at 32-years-old, died in the line of duty in the 2003 bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad. His parents live near me on Vancouver Island and I really choked up when I met them for the first time. The recent killing of aid workers in northern Afghanistan - an area I am familiar with - was horrific and shocked many of us to the core.

On World Humanitarian Day, I think of people like Chris and his parents. I think of the young Pakistani women near Mansehra, cradling her terrified child after losing everything to the South Asian earthquake. I think of the farmers in the Irrawaddy Delta in Myanmar, their land inundated by salt water brought by an unforgiving Cyclone Nargis. And I think of the teenage girl I met in Kano State in Northern Nigeria, her limbs rendered lifeless because she didn't receive a polio vaccination.

We are often prevented from reaching beneficiaries by washed out roads, bad weather, road blocks, lack of air transport or heavy lift capacity, or violence started by state or non-state actors. It's important for us to be seen as neutral actors and to convince those in positions of power that we are there for one simple reason: to save lives. All kinds of live-saving materials pass through the cargo holds of airplanes we've managed to borrow, through the trucks we've leased and - ultimately through our hands and the hands of our partners: insecticide-treated bed nets, blankets, tents, water purification tablets, water pumps, high energy biscuits, syringes and medicines - you name it.

All-in-all, this career has exceeded my expectations by far. I count myself as extremely lucky and feel I have one of the best jobs in the world. On top of that I get to help people in need, help find solutions to their pressing problems. I am learning new things all the time, see the word and get to work with an awesome and diverse group of professionals!

EXCLUSIVE PHOTO ESSAY - Devastation in Pakistan - By Asad Zaidi

Pakistan faces an unprecedented humanitarian crises due to flash floods triggered by torrential rains that began three weeks ago. The floods have killed about 1,500 people, left approximately 20 million homeless and inundated 1.7 million acres (700,000 hectares) of wheat, sugar cane and rice crops, raising the prospect of food shortages in the coming months in the already-poor nation. The crisis could yet worsen, as authorities warn that the swollen Indus River may burst its banks again in the coming days. Freelance journalist and photographer Asad Zaidi brings to us a look at the devastation from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.

 

A young boy stands in front of his destroyed house that was collapsed by heavy monsoon rains in Khwas Koorona village, Union council Pir Sabaq of Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.

A man sifts through his belongings of his flood destroyed home in Pushtoon Garhi in Pabbi Union council of Nowshera district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan  

A young boy leads his donkey as he carries belongings retrieved from his home that was collapsed by heavy monsoon rains in Khwas Koorona village, Union council Pir Sabaq of Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.

Young girls and boys sitting in their makeshift shelter located on the roadside after having abandoned their flood-destroyed homes in Pabbi Union council of Nowshera district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan

A resident walks past destroyed home that was collapsed by heavy monsoon rains in Sheenky village, Union council Mirza dher of Charsadda district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.  

A family walks through a flood affected street in Khwas Koorona village, Union council Pir Sabaq of Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.

Abbas Shah (2 years old) with his father in Khwas Koorona village, Union council Pir Sabaq of Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. They have lost everything when their house destroyed by heavy monsoon rains.

A young girl and her father sort out blankets salvaged from his flood-destroyed home in Pabbi Union council of Nowshera district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.  

Pakistani flood affected girl waits in a crowd to receive donated food in Khwas Koorona village, Union council Pir Sabaq of Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan

- Source, HUM files, UN News  - Photography Asad Zaidi

REFLECTING ON RAMADAN IN CAIRO (PERSPECTIVE)

by Michael Bociurkiw in Cairo

(HN, August 16, 2010) - It's always a joy to return to Cairo during the holy month of Ramadan, which debuted last Wednesday and continues into September.

The streets seem calmer, without the usual impossible traffic and choking fumes. In the moments leading up to iftar - the meal that marks the end of the daily fast - a frenetic atmosphere takes hold as people rush to set up dining areas for impossibly large feasts.

This is a time for large, festive gathering of families and friends - with tables groaning under the weight of traditional dishes. Into the late hours of the night, many companies treat their employees and partners to large, elaborate, pre-dawn receptions known as Suhoor. One that I attended by the telecommunications giant, Mobinil, on the banks of the Nile River, even had a small shooting gallery to keep guests entertained!A Palestinian man prepares the traditional Ramadan sweet katayif in the West Bank town of Bethlehem. (Haythem Othman, Maan Images)

With all the family and corporate gathering in Egypt, it is said that the country is the only spot on the map in the Muslim world where people actually gain weight during the holy month of fasting!

I will remember this year’s Ramadan for an iftar I shared with a dear Egyptian friend at the El Sit Hosneya Restaurant in Cairo’s Dokki district. Aside from the food being outstanding, there was so much served that I took the leftovers to my friends at my next destination - it was enough to feed three adults and one toddler!

When I think of the Ramadan table I think of energy-packed dates, a milk drink filled with dried fruits and almonds, lentil soup, kubbe, moutabel, fattoush, babaganoush, hummus, labaneh, fresh salads and stews, falafel - and of course freshly-baked bread and kataiaf - or filed pancakes.

With the special dishes that fill a traditional Ramadan menu, it’s easy to see why people cant resist over-eating. But many say people have gone overboard.

Said an editorial in Egypt’s Al -Ahram: “Public consumption dramatically rises during Ramadan...it poses a huge financial burden on the average citizen and forces him sometimes to borrow to be able to buy the goods he wants, and satisfy the consumption culture which now controls our behaviour in Ramadan.

The consumption culture in Ramadan is not only in consuming more food, but also in wasting time and forgetting that Ramadan is the month of virtue and worship. It should not be the time for amusement and spending time in matters that distort the minds of our nation.”

Local observers say this year, Ramadan has been more subdued as families cut back on festivities due to the spiraling cost of meat and other products. Some critics say that opportunistic food traders deliberately raise prices during Ramadan as they know families have an obligation to feed their friends and the poor. Basic commodities such as sugar, rice and eggs are reportedly up by more than 40 percent over the past year in Egypt.

Combine sticker shock at the markets with unbearable heat, lack of power and growing disenchantment with government officials and you get some seriously unhappy people.

Spiraling costs have also reportedly forced soap opera producers - who vie for the peak viewing hours of Ramadan - to dump first tier talent for less expensive stars. For example, Donya Ghanem and Maged El-Kadwani will co-star in El-Kebir Awi (The Biggest of All) - a comedy about a village mayor who marries and American woman who gives birth to twins. It features humorous encounters between the two, one brought up in Upper Egypt and the other in America.

Also a surprise for visitors coming to Cairo this month is that huge swaths of the city are darkened at night due to electricity load management by the power authority. Due to a record-setting heat, the surge in demand for power has put a huge strain on the Egyptian capital’s creaky power system. The new system means that there are far fewer fanouss - or Ramadan decorations - to be seen in the middle of alleyways or by the doors of businesses in Cairo.

The lack of power will undoubtedly darken the TV screens of millions of television addicts who flock to their sets during Ramadan to watch the hundreds of hours of extra programming laid on by Arab terrestrial and satellite TV channels. Egyptian columnist Mohamed Sultan says that for one person to watch the 120 Egyptian and Arab TV series scheduled for the month, he would need 2,500 watching hours - leaving not much time for prayer and reflection.

Speaking of prayer - Egypt’s Minister of Endowment introduced measures this year to unify the five-time-a-day call to prayer by the start of Ramadan - by linking all of Cairo’s 4,500 mosques by a call transmitted from a radio station. The move is designed to reduce noise pollution but some see it as running against tradition.

Another change this year was brought about by a controversial, last minute move by the Government to ease the strain of fasting on the faithful - and on the electricity grid - by introducing a special one-month time change. The move was done to make Iftar - the traditional breaking of the fast - an hour earlier during the most hot and humid time of the year.

Al-Ahram columnist Youssef Rakha criticized the move, saying that once Eid al-Fitr - the feat that marks the end of the holy month - comes, Egypt returns to summer time for 20 days only, before switching again to winter time. “Who came up with this brilliant plan, nobody knows,” wrote Rakha.

In past Ramadans - whether here or in Jerusalem - I have sympathetically observed friends and colleagues struggle to adjust to the new sleeping and eating schedule. The faithful awake before daybreak to dine before beginning their daily fast. The first few days of Ramadan are difficult for those who work regular hours as their bodies adjust to the new regime.

Three years ago, during a visit to the Egyptian port city of Alexandria, a recall listening to a radio talk show where the manager of a large factory chastized his staff for using Ramadan as an excuse to decrease their output. While the manager said he sympathized with their plight, he stressed that it hurt his company’s standing with overseas buyers. Some offices - including many UN offices in the region - deliberately shorten the workday during Ramadan to allow those with families more time to prepare for iftar.

HUMNEWS' Michael Bociurkiw is Founder and Editor of Savvy Traveller - a member of the HUM CSR Co-op

HUMNEWS HEADLINES - August 16, 2010 (Africa and the Middle East)

AFRICA

African immigrants gravitating to China

The land rush doesn’t have to end in a poor deal for Africans

ALGERIA

Evangelization campaign: Foreign languages and visas to lure Algerians

Siddiqui: (commentary) De-encrypting hypocrisy of BlackBerry issue

Cuba’s cash-for-doctors program (opinion)  

ANGOLA

President highlights Congo’s contribution to national liberation

Chevron spends USD 20 million on social projects

“Angola key to understanding earth history”

Oil profits: Transparency should be strictly adhered to (commentary)

Lovers of African cinema remember Rui Duarte (entertainment)

BENIN

NAPTIP to prosecute 3 for human trafficking

BOTSWANA

Botswana will not deploy troops to Somalia

Takeover bid for African diamonds

BURKINA FASO

East Africa is under the spotlight as explorers search for mineral wealth  

CAMEROON

Public screenings of games in Ghana, Cameroon a big hit (sports)

DJIBOUTI

Translator’s Tales

EQUATORIAL GUINEA

POSCO ICT to manage water and sewage systems in Equatorial Guinea

Equatorial Guinea and Chile advance (sports)

ERITREA

Exiled Eritreans hail Ethiopia’s out-of-camp policy shift

Milking fog: the science of collecting drinking water  

Sinai traffickers gun down four migrants

GABON

Gabon to get $4.5bn Asian investment

GHANA

Will Ghana choose China over ExxonMobile for Kosmos’ jubilee stake?

Ghana: Kufuor’s ‘secret children’, new youth policy dominate Ghana media

Selective justice in Ghana – says Nana Darkwah the Seer (commentary)  

LESOTHO

Every reason to be proud (sports)

LIBERIA

Liberia: A nation of receivers (opinion)

Liberians confident of 3^rd appearance in CFA’s finals (sports)

CBL Inaugurates banking institute  

Bad roads affect sub-regional economic growth

LIBYA

Libya: BP to start drilling by October

Nigeria, Libya mend diplomatic ties

Libya: new oil well found  

MALAWI

197 people died from measles in Malawi since January

Kamwendo quits Flames (sports)  

MOZAMBIQUE

Mozambique’s Central bank to pay fuel imports

Phone glitch reported in central, northern Mozambique

Portugal’s Portucel plans on second factory in Mozambique

Germany supports Mozambican education sector

NIGER

Niger gets tough on ‘pure water’ producers  

NIGERIA

Unlike the Gulf, Niger Delta oil spills have no end in sight

QATAR

Qatar cuts key deposit rate to boost economy

WOQOD – Qatar fuel achieves 34% increase in net profit

SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE

Commercial importance of existing hydrocarbons in Sao Tome and Principe to be known in due time

Sao Tomean Premier praises Angola’s role in sub-region  

SIERRA LEONE

Sierra Leone and the white shoppers’ burden

SUDAN

Darfur kidnappers file demands to release Jordan’s peacekeepers

Egypt, Sudan urged to sign Nile pact

Sudan claims Ugandan land, halts construction  

SWAZILAND

Swaziland’s press proves loyal to the king

We need to have pride in our system (commentary)

UGANDA

Trauma needs serious address by the government (commentary)

YEMEN

Yemen, World Bank fighting QAT addiction among youth

Obama’s multigenerational shadow war (opinion)

US admits military involvement in striking al-Qaida in Yemen, embarrassing Yemen gov’t

Yemen says new gas discoveries in several oil sectors to mull investment  

HIV Rising Fastest in Eastern Europe; Central Asia: UNICEF

(HN, August 16, 2010) - Confirming what has been observed for quite some time, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) has identified the Eastern Europe and Central Asian regions as Ground Zero of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.Young people are disproportionately impacted by HIV AIDS in the region. Credit: UNICEF Ukraine

In a 68-page report titled Blame and Banishment, the authors blame drug abuse, high-risk sex and social stigma for increasing the incidence of HIV/AIDS.

The region has 3.7m drug users, nearly a quarter of the global total, an over 1 million street children, according to the report, which was released at the XVII International AIDS Conference in Vienna last month.

"Eastern Europe and Central Asia are the only parts of the world where the HIV epidemic remains clearly on the rise. Increases of up to 700 per cent in HIV infection rates have been found in some parts of the Russian Federation since 2006," says the report.

In the region, young people disproportionately bear the brunt of the epidemic: one third of new HIV infections are among the 15–24 age group and more than 80 per cent of people living with HIV are under 30 years old. Women now account for some 40 per cent of new cases compared to just 24 per cent under a decade ago,

Access to treatment is an enormous problem in the region. Only 24 percent of those in need of treatment In Eastern Europe and Central Asia receive it - the world's second lowest ratio of treatment coverage, said UNICEF Executive Director Tony Lake as the report was being released.

HIV and AIDS is growing faster in Ukraine and Russia than anywhere else outside Africa. According to UNAIDS, Ukraine has the most severe AIDS epidemic in Europe. If progress isn't stepped up soon, the adult prevalence rate could reach a staggering 3.5 per cent by 2014.

(HUMMONEY) - (Carolina’s Library) – (A BOOK REVIEW)

(VIA: Amazon)

Your Credit Score: Your Money & What’s at Stake by Liz Pulliam Weston

(FT Press, May 2009)

It’s been said that love makes the world go ‘round. Well, actually, it’s credit.

We live in a global economy that depends on credit in order to make things work. Those of us in the business also refer to this as leverage. Not only are private enterprises, municipal and federal governments, and all of our large banks built on the foundation of leverage; individuals require it in order to buy the goods and services deemed both necessary and simply desirable.

And while we could talk ad nauseam about what caused the current credit crisis—not to mention what to do about it—the bottom line for the individual investor is that your personal credit score holds the power to shape your financial future. Period. Whether you call FICO a four-letter word because it has meant the demise of your financial life as you once knew it, or you savor its three-digit number because it has allowed you to move towards financial freedom: your credit score can literally determine your long-term success as an investor and as one seeking financial independence and freedom. This is heavy stuff.

This was the major takeaway I gleaned from Liz Pulliam Weston’s Your Credit Score: Your Money & What’s at Stake. I had never before fully respected and appreciated its value. Fearing that a book written entirely about credit scores might have the emotional appeal of sawdust, I was most pleasantly surprised to learn both the facts about credit scores and as importantly, the myths about scores, and how separating fact from fiction has the potential to impact one’s long-term financial future. This book is particularly needed today! Weston states: “Although most people had heard of credit scores, I’d found relatively few really understood the pervasive impact these numbers have in our financial systems and our day-to-day lives.”

Of course, pre-credit Crisis, most of us took our credit scores for granted. During the go-go years, we pretty much bought whatever we wanted, whether we needed it or could afford it. Or not. Our credit score was just one more piece of information woven into the fabric of our financial quilt. Other facets of our lives were examined with the same degree of intensity: our professional job titles, our income, assets, liabilities and long-term prospects for prosperity. But in today’s world, our credit scores can make or break us, literally, allowing us to live out the life we had imagined or depriving us from that dream entirely. For a poor credit score wipes out options, leaving us holding the leftovers of our hopes and dreams instead of the fullest possible package imaginable.

Consider that in 2007, before the Crisis, auto lenders approved two out of three borrowers with poor credit scores. By mid-2008, they were approving less than one in four applications from potential buyers who simply had bad credit. Mortgages became difficult to acquire as well. Today, home equity lines of credit, or HELOC’s, have all but disappeared. No bank wants to assume the liability, even for people with great credit. The rules of engagement have changed, and you need to learn how to participate to your best advantage.

Weston has enthusiasm for this subject area and desires to help you understand why your credit score matters, how it is calculated, how you can use it to buy the goods and services that you desire, and how you can repair yours should it need a major revision. If you’ve suffered through a credit disaster, Weston will lead you down the path towards reconstruction. If you’ve had your identity stolen, as I have along with the estimated nine to ten million people per year who have fallen prey to this crime, you will learn how to go about re-building your good credit and protecting yourself from further fraud. In fact, Weston’s chapter titled “Identity Theft and Your Credit” was one of the most practical; anyone who has endured the frustrating and time-consuming pathway towards restoration will learn the exact steps needed in order to make things right again.

Lastly, Weston debunks the ten most commonly-held myths about credit scores, surprising readers like me who assumed that, as financial service professionals, we really understood these things.

• Does closing out credit card accounts help or hurt your score?
• Do you raise or lower your score by asking your credit card company to lower your limits?
• What’s the truth about checking your own credit report and its effect on your score?
• Does shopping around for the best rate affect your score?
• Do you need to use credit in order to get a good score?
• Do you need to pay interest to get a good score?
• If you have an unresolved dispute with your lender, does sending in some of your sample writing help or hinder your score?
• Do you need to edit your closed accounts with verbiage in order to not get whacked on your score?
• Which is worse for your score: credit counseling or bankruptcy?
• Can you ever fully recover from bankruptcy?

This is recommended reading not only for investors who are looking into making a major purchase in the near future and who might be overly concerned with scoring; this is recommended for every investor who wants to learn and understand the truth about credit in order to better plan for long-term financial empowerment. Thumbs up to Liz for enthusiastically pointing us all in the right direction.

---The author is Carolina Fernandez, vice president of investments at Source Capital Group and founder of the SHEeo network at The Cornell Club.

HUMNEWS HEADLINES - August 12, 2010 (The Caribbean)

ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA

Wendy’s chain to expand into the Caribbean

Nicaragua finds huge patron in Venezuela’s Chavez

BAHAMAS

Over 500 illegal immigrants nabbed in two weeks

Discrepancy between FBI, Bahamas police over ‘Barefoot Bandit’ reward

Medical tourism has landed in the Bahamas

Mixed fortunes for Ja at Carib Volleyball (sports)

Tar heels light up in the Bahamas (sports)

Tigers learning who’s got game in the Bahamas (sports)  

Bahamas government in talks for regional Judo training center (sports)

BARBADOS

T&T teams tackle Barbados (sports)

West Indies Cricket Players Association slam board (sports)  

Shropshire man in plea for help to open garden safe

BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS

LIME makes US$100m investment

Digicel sponsored rugby team performs creditably in Caribbean tournament (sports)

Willock & Parker no longer part of BVIEC tendering process  

CAYMAN ISLANDS

Farming to be third leg of the economy

Fund director stole $19m

PPM opposes sixth minister

Airports Authority conducts emergency drill  

GRENADA

LAIT settles with Grenada workers

JAMAICA

Jamaica’s renewed trade policy

MARTINIQUE

Dengue : le risque d'épidémie en métropole reste faible

NETHERLANDS ANTILLES

Family denied permission to homeschool in Curacao, Netherlands Antilles

PUERTO RICO

VoIP Innovations launches origination in Puerto Rico, Hawaii

Rowdies tie Puerto Rico 1-1 in US soccer federation division 2  

SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS

PM Douglas points out benefits of VAT

SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES

Women legislators of the Americas meet in Ecuador

THE POST WORLD CUP MOOD IN SOUTH AFRICA (Perspective)

By Roxy Marosa

(HN, August 11, 2010) -- Many South Africans seem to be proud of the upbeat mood generated by the World Cup 2010. After all, it was the first time that the world’s most watched sporting event was hosted on African soil. It was also a coming out party of sorts for cool South Africa, for a post-apartheid country yearning to shake off years of being seen an ostracized state.

South African President Jacob Zuma said the World Cup is "the single greatest opportunity we have ever had to showcase our diversity and potential to the world."

National and regional governments spent an estimated 40 billion rand ($5.2 billion) to host the games. When all is said and done it could boost economic growth in South Africa by as much as 0.5 percentage points this year.

On the first day of the World Cup on June 11, many companies closed early allowing for their employees to join in the festivities. Some people described this day to be more festive than Christmas or New Year’s day.

A white Afrikaner friend, Sandra Barr, who owns a modelling agency, said she and her husband, James, did something June 11 they’d never contemplated doing before. They travelled by train from their safe suburb of Bellville - about 20kms west of Cape Town - to one of the main fan parks in the city. Sandra says the mood on the train was surprising, with people chatting amicably.

Even though they were of a different race and colour, the camaraderie on the train got everyone interacting with each other. This is something they had not witnessed in years, given South Africa’s racial historical background.

Arriving in Cape Town, Sandra and James walked through the streets, taking in the festive mood. They even treated themselves to a traditional Cape Malay meal – Vetkoek (a traditional Afrikaner pastry) and curry mince, and ate while walking in the street – all unusual to them. They felt safe and later took the train back to Bellville.

Being enthusiastic rugby fans who always have season tickets, Sandra said they rarely watched soccer games from home. Many rugby fans not keen on soccer say that during the World Cup, they actually enjoyed the soccer more than the concurrent rugby games. Some say that they are still surprised at their newfound curiosity and love for a game that has been traditionally embraced by black South Africans.

In the immediate aftermath of the World Cup, one could still hear the vuvuzela’s been blown as pedestrians were walking in the streets. Of course this happened a lot during the eight weeks the World Cup was being played in our country. 

Even though it’s now been almost a month since Spain’s Andres Iniesta scored his victorious goal over the Netherlands in Johannesburg’s Soccer City, many people say that they are still recovering from the hectic socialising and outdoor life of the World Cup. I have spotted some cars still driving around with the South African flag, a patriotic symbol that was commonly seen during the games period. Yet some people miss the ‘vibe’ and the mood. In the streets, the improvements are visible and many people are glad to be enjoying the roads, train links, new signage and other upgrades that brought our cities up to world class standards. 

Though not everyone had smiles during this euphoric period. Some businesses took a knock, and one of the activities forced to cease during this time was filming in public areas. That meant the film industry - which employs 30,000 people and has an annual turnover of more than R2.65 billion - and especially production of commercials, took a painful hit. Sandra said her agency had little to no work coming in for her models and talents. Some agencies are said to have closed down. Fortunately, the challenges she experienced in the years previous running her business were great lessons for her to manage in this challenging time. 

Clearly, the socialising and the hustle and bustle of the World Cup encouraged many people to spend a lot of money during this time. The street dwellers also seem to have benefited from people’s generosity, although they are still living in the streets. 

In short, the World Cup was a badly-needed shot in the arm for a country mired in tough economic times. It also demonstrated that a once-divided South Africa can come together. 

As retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu said during the World Cup: “Yet again we've been shown just how we are a rainbow people..that we are there for one another."

---Cape Town-based Roxy Marosa is host of the Roxy Marosa Show and runs several projects assisting people affected by HIV and Aids in South Africa

(HUMMONEY) - THE DEVALUATION OF KNOWLEDGE (Perspective)

“Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”  - Winston Churchill

We just finished the worst decade ever for stock market performance. What did you learn from it? What changes have you made? Before you answer these questions you probably should be able to answer the most basic question: Why did it happen? With that knowledge in hand maybe then you can answer the prior two questions and plot a new more profitable future.

There has been a lot of coverage and opinions about why the last decade’s investment performance was historically terrible. The reasons given cover all the traditional topics such as debt levels, politics, policy, war, terrorism, excessive risk taking, etc. These all have a place but in our assessment are terribly incomplete. We say this because if you look back at many different market cycles, combinations of these factors were always present and never did they result in such calamitous results. So what was unique to this period of time that could have made the financial performance so much worse than all the previous market cycles?  We believe that it was the change in the market place itself that was the cause of the poor performance. We are referring to the explosion of information, instant access, available to everyone everywhere 24/7.

Prior to the year 2000 broadband penetration of US households was approximately 3%. In the following 5 years penetration climbed to 60% and now is above 80%. The standards for 3G wireless communications were not even established until 1999, and the first 3G phone was introduced in Japan in October 2001. The first Blackberry 2- way pager was brought to market in 1999 and their first smart phone arrived in 2002. And we are all familiar with the pace of wireless adoption that followed these and many other 3G wireless devices to come. So the primary tools used in the ubiquitous distribution of rich media and content - broadband for the internet and 3G wireless phones - arrived just at the start of the decade and rapidly expanded in the following years.

Wall Street is a market place where knowledge is sold for profit. Since profits in this arena are black and white the price a client had been willing to pay could be quite handsome. When it comes to knowledge its value is inversely proportional to the number of people who share it: the fewer that share useful information the more valuable it is. And this is how the internet hijacked Wall Street. The old model relied on in depth research into companies, industries and markets to generate insight, but now the internet makes it virtually impossible to limit the distribution of the knowledge product to just those willing to pay.  Information now finds its way to the net and then explodes exponentially. As it does it depreciates rapidly in value. Therefore, if you can’t charge a reasonable price for your efforts, why invest money and resources in generating the product? In my way of thinking, knowledge has been devalued and in exchange we now produce and distribute information (facts and figures with a thin layer of opinion spread on top), which has very little investment value. As my father told me, you get what you pay for. The natural response of Wall Street and the investors they service is to try to capitalize on the more modest value of information through rapid fire high volume trading. Now the process in pursuit of profit is trying to capture pennies versus the old model which focused on dollars.   

A second by-product of the post internet environment is that Wall Street is now both servicing investors and competing with them. Not only are they in the business of collecting fees and commissions but in a move to capitalize on the post knowledge revolution they have become amongst the biggest traders of securities for their own account.  Now you pay the house while you compete with the house in a game where you are chasing pennies in timeframes measured in seconds. And you wonder why returns disappeared for the past decade. My advice, find a new casino…fast.

So investors must now decide if they will choose to learn from history or be doomed to repeat it.

---The author, HUMMoney editor Greg Lewin is currently a General Partner at TLF Capital, an investment management firm. He also is founder of Wall4Main, a financial information website dedicated to helping investors help themselves. During the past 26 years he has been a senior money manager or partner in Wall Street firms including Neuberger Berman, Charter Oak Partners and Sailfish Capital.  

(HEADLINES) - Asia and the Pacific - August 9/10, 2010

American Samoa

Spending outweighs revenue in American Samoa

Bhutan

A Fresh Start: refugees from Bhutan arrive in the UK

The Housing Problem – A Public-Private Solution (Perspective)

Brunei Darussalam

Four Bruneian women honoured for achievements at the “Womens’ Forum”

Big or small, a business must have a conscience (Perspective)

Cocos Island

Regulator tightens rules on remote-island fuel demands

Cook Islands

Fiery end to Parliament session

Cook Islands: On island time in paradise

East Timor

Indonesia, Portugal to step up ties, assist Timor Leste development

A barbed-wire election campaign in Australia and the “East Timor” solution (Perspective)

Fiji

Fiji splits Pacific region (Analysis)

Fiji to chair UN committee on Pacific Island Representation

French Polynesia

Assessing the Pacific Islands Forum Outcomes For French Polynesia (Analysis)

Guam

Fena Reservoir Low; Navy Declares Water Conservation Level 3

Laos

Laos speeds up construction of power plants

Vietnamese youth volunteers visit remote areas of Laos

Macau

Work on Macau light railway to start at beginning of 2011

Macau records 778 new companies in Q2

Maldives

Maldives almost ended up without its Supreme Court

Maldives keen to import Bangladeshi sands

Marshall Islands

Republic of Marshall Islands Sign Pacific Petroleum Project MoU

Micronesia

Micronesian leaders launch green energy initiative

New Caledonia

Lagoons of New Caledonia 

Don't miss: Melanesian Arts Festival

NIUE Island

Niue declared a republic in Shanghai Expo gaffe

Norfolk Island

Fishers sore over restricted zones in Coral Sea

Norfolk Island: Where time stands still

North Korea

Floods hit North Korea

Northern Marianna Islands

Small reactor a nuclear solution for Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands

Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands librarians learn how to make libraries relevant to the times

Palau

Palau wins support for whale sanctuary

Papua New Guinea

PNG working on sewage issues to tackle cholera

West Papua Longing for Freedom (Perspective)

Pitcairn

Economy thriving on Pitcairn Island

Samoa

Pacific nation media owners set up new body

Students help deliver Samoa's presence at the World Expo

Solomon Islands
Tribute to Solomon Islands women – a high cost in the rise to the top

Former Solomons’ rebel wins seat as lawmaker after serving prison term for his violent past

Upsets throw Solomons’ election wide open, leading to questions of next prime minister  

Tokelau

Airstrip not a priority

Studies show coconut oil good for the heart; Tokelau islands derive 35% dietary fat from coconut oil

Tonga

NZ parliamentarians in Tonga to explain democracy

Tonga’s PM says further steps needed to protect regional fish stocks

First anniversary of Tonga ferry sinking

Tuvalu Island

Mass migration as a result of environmental changes

Vanuatu

PIF: Vanuatu stands alone on West Papua human rights violations

Wallis and Futuna

Wallis and Futuna authorities say electricity crisis resolved

HUMNEWS - Photo's of the week - August 8, 2010

 Pakistan Floods: An estimated 13 million Pakistanis affected by the worst floods in the country’s history are bracing from more misery as heavy rains further bloat rivers and streams. Many aid agencies have already begun to respond to the situation. Approximately 1600 people have died. (SOURCE: Irish Times)

Mongolian neo-Nazis: Anti-Chinese sentiment fuels rise of ultra-nationalism -  Alarm sounds over rise of extreme groups such as Tsagaan Khass who respect Hitler and reject foreign influence. (SOURCE: The Guardian)

 

Russia fires: The capital city of the Russian Federation is covered in thick smog, based on reports from Moscow. The problem is reportedly causing several businesses and schools to close down due to health risks. Moscow has a population of some 10 million people, about the same as the entire population of Hungary. A thick blanket of smog was allegedly caused by uncontrollable ongoing peat fires burning just outside the capital. The problem is also disrupting air traffic at major airports. Television coverage showed how commuters and residents wear masks and ambulances and paramedics are reportedly also on alert as summer temperatures reached 40C. At the same some 700 wildfires are raging in various parts of the country due to the severe drought. (SOURCE: The Budapest Report)

  Kashmir flash floods: At least 115 people confirmed dead and about 412 injured in flash floods near Leh on Thursday night news has also come in that 25 Army jawans in the area are missing after their posts and houses were washed away, Army sources said. (SOURCE: Indian Express/ PHOTO: Video Grab - PTI/Doordarshan)

Jamaica Dengue fever: Health Minister Rudyard Spencer told journalists at a press briefing at Jamaica House in Kingston this week that of the 77 cases, seven have been confirmed as of the more severe form of the illness -- the dengue haemorragic fever. Spencer, however, said no cases of dengue shock syndrome have been reported so far nor any related deaths. The health ministry, said Spencer, is on high alert in light of the growing number of cases of dengue fever and dengue haemorragic fever in the country and region. Consequently, he said, all parishes have intensified their fogging and oiling activities. Fogging is being carried out in approximately 800 communities across the island. (SOURCE: The Jamaica Observer)  

Kyrgyzstan protests: The authorities in Kyrgyzstan's southern city of Osh have prevented a mass protest against the deployment of an international police force in the Osh and Jalal-Abad regions, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports. Sonunbek Junusbaev, one of the activists who planned the protest, told RFE/RL that the Osh commandant ordered the removal of a yurt -- the traditional Kyrgyz nomadic dwelling -- from in front of a local theater on August 4. The protest organizers had set up the yurt earlier this week as a symbol of their protest. The 52 unarmed international police are expected to arrive in Osh and Jalal-Abad in early September to accompany police on patrols, engage in training and advising local police, and to monitor the human rights situation. The OSCE and the Kyrgyz government decided to send the police mission in an effort to restore order after clashes between ethnic Uzbeks and Kyrgyz killed at least 356 people and uprooted hundreds of thousands more in June. International human rights groups have reported that Kyrgyz police and other security forces are arbitrarily detaining ethnic Uzbeks and also beating them.The OSCE police are to stay in the southern regions for four months (SOURCE: Radio Free Europe)

  Aura Borealis: NASA announced the discovery of a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) on August 1, 2010. The CME resulted from a class C3 solar flare and was aimed towards Earth. The coronal mass ejection should reach Earth on the night of August 3/4, 2010. The CME will cause a higher than normal possibility of aurora, also called northern lights, activity on the evening of August 3 and the morning of August 4. During a CME the Sun releases high energy charged particles, protons and electrons. When these particles, particularly the electrons, interact with atoms in Earth's upper atmosphere they cause northern and southern lights, which are more properly called the aurora borealis and the aurora australis. Earth's magnetic field causes the auroral displays to be more easily visible near the north and south magnetic poles, but in extreme cases aurora can be visible at lower latitudes. (SOURCE: Examiner.com)

Africa broadband: The East African Submarine System (EASSy) undersea cable, which now has an upgraded 3,84-Tb/s design capacity, has entered commercial operation, ahead of schedule and about 10% below its budgeted $300-million in capital expenditure.Dr Angus Hay, the chief technology officer of Neotel – one of the consortium of investors in the cable – on Thursday announced that the undersea cable had started commercial operations on July 30.The launch of the EASSy cable follows a year after the 1,28-Tb/s Seacom cable, which also runs along Africa’s East Coast, went live on July 23, 2009.The EASSy cable, which has a 25-year life, connects South Africa, Mozambique, Madagascar, Tanzania, Kenya, Somalia, Djibouti and Sudan with multiple other submarine cable networks from Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the Americas. (SOURCE: Engineering news)

Cluster bomb ban: Effective Aug.1, an international treaty bans the cluster bomb, one of the world’s worst hazards for millions of farmers. To date, 108 countries have signed and 38 have ratified the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which bans the production, use, stockpiling or transfer of cluster bombs. No country suffers the hazards of cluster bombs more than Laos. Per capita, it’s the most heavily bombed country on earth. Up to 30 percent of all bombs dropped on Laos did not detonate. They remain in the soil today, deadly as ever. (SOURCE: The Faster Times)

 

Salvador Dali moves to Andorra: The Salvador Dali sculpture, the ‘Nobility of Time’ has been placed in Andorra’s capital city, in the Piazza Rotonda Andorra la Vella. It was donated to the Andorran government by Enric Sabater, who was Dali’s agent, collaborator and confident between 1968 and 1982. The stunning five meter high sculpture has been placed in the city’s most prestigious and historic square, in the towns oldest quarter which dates from the twelfth century. The bronze sculpture is one of the melted watch series of sculptures which was created by Dali to symbolise the passage of time. The soft melting watch is draped around a tree trunk; atop the watch face is a crown, symbolising time’s master over humanity. Beniamino Levi, President of the Stratton Foundation and curator of over eighty Dali exhibitions worldwide, has expressed his approval of the donation and is delighted that the sculpture is now the main artistic attraction in Andorra la Vella. “It is going to be one of the major attractions of the capital and of the country”, pointed out the town’s parish minister Antoni Armengol, who described the donation as akin to ‘a Christmas present in the summer’. Andorra’s minister of Education Culture and Youth, Susanna Vela agrees that the sculpture is certainly , ‘a great point of attraction’. The sculpture ‘ Nobility of Time’ has also been displayed in other European locations such as London, Paris, Berlin, Vienna and most recently Courcheval, France.  (SOURCE: artdaily.org)

 

HUMNEWS HEADLINES - August 6, 2010 (North and South Oceans)

ANTARCTICA

Photographer captures images from ‘ends of the earth’  PHOTO: Steve Gould (SOURCE: LaJolla Light)

Climate change and the beauty of Antarctic icebergs

FAROE ISLANDS

Fisherman act to block Faroese landing

Vaccines less effective in kids exposed to PCB’s

Scots look to on-form Feruz (sports news)

GREENLAND

Scientist finally reach Greenland ice sheet bedrock

Greenland’s farmers welcome global warming

Large electromagnetic storm hits Nordic region

ICELAND

Iceland credit rating slashed again

Councils count cost of Iceland banks disaster

MSU looks to Iceland for answers about global warming

Icelandair and Alaska Airlines announce frequent flier partnership

SAINT HELENA ISLAND

Customs officer makes his mark in St. Helena