Hedge funds 'grabbing land' in Africa

Hedge funds are behind "land grabs" in Africa to boost their profits in the food and biofuel sectors, a US think-tank says.

In a report, the Oakland Institute said hedge funds and other foreign firms had acquired large swathes of African land, often without proper contracts.

It said the acquisitions had displaced millions of small farmers.

Foreign firms farm the land to consolidate their hold over global food markets, the report said.

They also use land to "make room" for export commodities such as biofuels and cut flowers.

"This is creating insecurity in the global food system that could be a much bigger threat than terrorism," the report said.

The Oakland Institute said it released its findings after studying land deals in Ethiopia, Tanzania, South Sudan, Sierra Leone, Mali and Mozambique.

Risky manoeuvre

It said hedge funds and other speculators had, in 2009 alone, bought or leased nearly 60m hectares of land in Africa - an area the size of France.

"The same financial firms that drove us into a global recession by inflating the real estate bubble through risky financial manoeuvres are now doing the same with the world's food supply," the report said.

It added that some firms obtained land after deals with gullible traditional leaders or corrupt government officials.

"The research exposed investors who said it is easy to make a deal - that they could usually get what they wanted in exchange for giving a poor tribal chief a bottle of Johnnie Walker [whisky]," said Anuradha Mittal, executive director of the Oakland Institute.

"When these investors promise progress and jobs to local chiefs it sounds great, but they don't deliver."

The report said the contracts also gave investors a range of incentives, from unlimited water rights to tax waivers.

"No-one should believe that these investors are there to feed starving Africans.

"These deals only lead to dollars in the pockets of corrupt leaders and foreign investors," said Obang Metho of Solidarity Movement for New Ethiopia, a US-based campaign group.

However, not all companies named in the report accept that their motives are as suggested and they dismiss claims that their presence in Africa is harmful.

One company, EmVest Asset Management, strongly denied that it was involved in exploitative or illegal practices.

"There are no shady deals. We acquire all land in terms of legal tender," EmVest's Africa director Anthony Poorter told the BBC.

He said that in Mozambique the company's employees earned salaries 40% higher than the minimum wage.

The company was also involved in development projects such as the supply of clean water to rural communities.

"They are extremely happy with us," Mr Poorter said.

Source: BBC Africa

Little motivation from Get Motivated Seminars but overall a worthwhile exercise

Rudi Giuliani was a speaker at the event

The last time I personally attended a seminar on motivation was in 2004. It was held at the Key Arena, if my memory serves me correctly and for all intents and purposes, did very little to motivate my left leg, much less my overall being.

Perhaps, it may have been as a result of growing pains. It sure would get better, I thought then.

The only source of motivation I have ever made use of since then has been that most vital of all, intrinsic motivation.

The latest installment of the Get Motivated Motivational Seminars was held at the Key Arena, Seattle on June 7th, 2011.

Among the slated marquee speakers were Rudi Giuliani, Rtd. General Colin Powell, Joe Montana, Laura Bush, Bill Cosby, Dan Rather and Rtd. General Stanley McChrystal.

I unfortunately arrived late for the event and missed Laura Bush's 'motivational' lecture as well as Steve Forbes' supposed forays into political and economic revisionism. I however plan on attending his seminar. Why? Because you can always learn something from people you disagree with ideologically, particularly if they have been quite successful in the business world, of which I am part.

With regard to former FLOTUS (First Lady of the United States) Laura Bush, the peer reviews were not that enthralling. I did wonder exactly what sort of inspiration she would have to offer, given that in 8 years of her husband's presidency, she really never offered much. 

I however had the opportunity to start my day of 'motivation' with the inspiring speech of Rtd. General Colin Powell. Of course, that would be right after the organizers of the event had me and just about everyone in the room feeling 'dirty' by shamelessly promoting an investor's tool from TD Ameritrade.

The tool is obviously supposed to help the individual investor better manage their money and it is, as the 'sales professional' put it, 'what the big boys use.' Really? I thought to myself, in utter amazement at the rather in-your-face plug for the product and the company, by a supposed motivational seminar.

Of course, there is absolutely nothing wrong with providing people with veritable tools for success. It however needs to be done in a way that does not distract from the core subject matter of the event. 

I was rather impressed with Gen. Powell as he stayed on topic and provided insights into his leadership skills, while reiterating the fact that the skill set he had applied all through his illustrious career, was adaptable to any environment.

After a one hour lunch, Bill Cosby was next and funny enough (quite apt qualification by the way), his session seemed to wake up the room and although it had little to do with motivation, his demeanor and seeming sense of assuredness, was probably more inspirational than any motivational insights he would have provided.

Then came another sales pitch by another 'relative unknown', at least to most of the audience. This time, it was on the importance of time management, family, spirituality and purpose. Or so I thought, but for the intermitent interjections of unbecoming innuendo, that bothered on self aggrandizement. This gentleman was supposed to either be an adviser to leaders in politics and business or a real estate mogul? I really wasn't sure (as I am sure others weren't either) and he will forever remain nameless.

Former New York Mayor Rudi Guiliani came next. He of course really never disappoints. He was true to his ever calm and composed disposition and carefully delivered his points with the precision of a dartsman. He however veered into political territory with jabs at disgraced Congressman, Anthony Weiner, albeit unnecessary, but never distasteful.

Former NFL great, Joe Montana then followed. His delivery was as exact as a perfect spiral dart to Jerry Rice and I believe he needs to be a staple of these seminars, going forward.

Rtd. General Stanley McChrystal, former Afghanistan troops commander, was next. I decided to leave at this time.... simply on the basis of principle. What exactly did he have to offer I asked, as did quite a few of those present? Insights into the art of gross insubordination and professional indiscipline?

I am sorry, the organizers had no business inviting a man with no claim to fame, except wanton disrespect of his civilian superiors, namely the Vice-President of the United States and other top administration officials. I presume his motivational line would be "how to get fired for not learning to think before you speak". 

I had my motivational fix for the day however it had been packaged and all-in-all, not a bad day out of the office for most, I would presume, but with a lot of room for improvement. 

Splitville USA: Bachmann and Palin camps at loggerheads?

Bachmann (L) and Palin - AP Photo

Political observers have been trying for weeks to cast a potential 2012 catfight between tea party poster girls Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann—even though Bachmann has long been a vocal supporter of Palin and vice versa.

But as the Minnesota lawmaker prepares to launch her White House bid, it appears at least one person in the Bachmann camp is willing to take on Palin.

Per Politico's Ben Smith, Ed Rollins, Bachmann's newly hired political adviser, let loose on the former Alaska governor in a radio interview today with Fox News's Brian Kilmeade, implying she's a joke of a candidate.

"Sarah has not been serious over the last couple of years," Rollins said. "She got the vice presidential thing handed to her. She didn't go to work in the sense of trying to gain more substance. She gave up her governorship."

Bachmann, he said, is the more established GOP candidate; he called her the 2012 field's "best communicator" since Mike Huckabee decided to skip the race.

"Michele Bachmann and others [have] worked hard, she has been a leader of the tea party, which is a very important element here," he said. "She has been an attorney. She has done important things with family values."

It's unclear if Bachmann agrees with her new political strategist's comments, but Rollins' remarks are notable in that Bachmann will have to seek to distinguish herself from Palin sooner rather than later, especially as the ex-Alaska governor considers her own 2012 run.

So far, few candidates—with the exception of Rick Santorum—have been willing to aggressively go after their potential opponents, out of fear of alienating GOP supporters. The dirty work is usually left to political strategists, and Rollins, long a vet of bruising presidential campaigns, has proven repeatedly in the past to be up to the task.


Source: Associated Press

Obama in statistical dead heat with Romney amid voter anxiety over the economy

President Obama tonedeaf to economic problems?

The Ticket - President Obama is statistically tied with Mitt Romney ahead of next year's presidential election, as a new poll finds voters increasingly pessimistic about the nation's economy.

An ABC News/Washington Post poll released Tuesday finds Obama's ratings bounce in the aftermath of Osama bin Laden's death has completely dissipated in the last month over concerns about how he's handling the slow pace of economic recovery.

According to the poll, Americans are closely divided over Obama's job performance--49 percent disapprove, 47 percent approve. By comparison, Obama's approval was at 56 percent in a Washington Post/Pew poll and at 52 percent in a Gallup poll conducted in the days after bin Laden's death.

According to the latest ABC/Post survey, 59 percent of respondents disapprove of Obama's handling of the economy—the highest number of his presidency. Perhaps most troubling to Obama's upcoming re-election bid is that slightly more voters--45 percent—now trust congressional Republicans over him—42 percent—to handle the economy. Those numbers mark an 11 point improvement for the GOP since March.

In another bad sign for Obama, 66 percent of those polled say the nation is on the wrong track, the highest number since he was elected in 2008.

Not surprisingly, the poll finds Obama's 2012 bid has taken a hit amid economic worries. The poll finds Romney with a narrow lead over Obama among registered voters—49 percent to 46 percent, within the margin of error. But Obama leads all other 2012 GOP hopefuls tested in the poll, including Sarah Palin who trails Obama by 15 points--more than any other potential Republican candidate.


Memo to President Obama: "It's the economy stupid".....

Steve Jobs to deliver Apple keynote speech

Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs

NEW YORK – Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs will take a break from medical leave to deliver the keynote speech at next week's Apple conference, the company said Tuesday.

The keynote will feature a new "iCloud" service, the company said. It didn't explain what the service will do, but Apple has been in talks with all four major recording companies on allowing users to store their songs on Apple-run servers rather than on their home PCs, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The person was not authorized to speak publicly on the deals and spoke recently on condition of anonymity.

Jobs went on medical leave in January for unspecified reasons, handing over day-to-day control to chief operating officer Tim Cook. Investors were rattled because Jobs is seen as the creative force behind the company, crucial to shaping hit products like the iPod, iPhone and iPad.

Even while on leave, Jobs has remained involved in larger decisions at the company, and demonstrated the new iPad model at a news conference in March.

Apple shares rose $10.42, or 3.1 percent, to close at $347.83.

Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference kicks off Monday in San Francisco.

Jobs decision to appear at the conference indicates he believes iCloud will be another breakthrough service for Apple.

ICloud could give users a wide array of music for their iPhones, iPads and Wi-Fi-capable iPods, without having to connect them to their home PCs to transfer songs. Google Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. have recently launched similar services.

The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter, that iCloud would allow users to scan their home music collections and have it duplicated in the "cloud" of Apple-run computers. That would remove the time-consuming hassle of having to upload every song to the online storage locker.

Eliminating that hurdle would give iCloud a leg up over the comparable services from Google and Amazon.com, which requires uploads of existing song collections. Neither Google nor Amazon has secured deals with the recording companies.

It's unclear how Apple intends to make money from the iCloud service, although a subscription plan seems likely.

Apple's statement also said the keynote speech will feature Apple's new Mac software, Lion, and the next version of Apple's iPhone and iPad software.

The June developers' conference has in years past been the opportunity for Apple to reveal the year's new iPhone model, ahead of a retail launch a few weeks later. But this year, analysts are speculating that the new iPhone won't arrive until the fall. Apple launched a version of the iPhone 4 for Verizon's network in February, and a June-July release of a new model could disappoint new owners of that phone.

Tuesday's brief statement did not mention any new hardware.

Source: Associated Press

Sudan army guilty of war crimes, again (while Obama continues to turn a blind eye)

Omar al-Bashir is wanted for war crimes

Satellite images cited as proof that one-third of all civilian buildings in Abyei were burned out during takeover. 

New satellite images provide evidence that northern Sudanese troops have committed war crimes, including ethnic cleansing, in the contested border town of Abyei where the forces took over more than a week ago, according to an advocacy group. 

The Satellite Sentinel Project said in a statement on Sunday that satellite images by DigitalGlobe show that the Sudanese army burned about one-third of all civilian buildings in the north-south border town, used disproportionate force and indiscriminately targeted civilians.

"The totality of evidence from satellites and ground sources points to state-sponsored ethnic cleansing of much of the contested Abyei region,'' the group said.

The Satellite Sentinel Project said the evidence is being sent to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the UN Security Council for assessment.

Omar al-Bashir, Sudan's president, is already wanted by the ICC for war crimes in the Darfur region.

Northern Sudanese tanks rolled into the town of Abyei on May 21, scattering southern troops that were there as part of a joint security unit.


Thousands displaced 

The seizure of Abyei followed an attack on a convoy of northern soldiers by southern forces on May 19 and two days of aerial bombardment of the area by the north.

The northern takeover has displaced tens of thousands of civilians who now live in squalid conditions in southern villages.

On Sunday, Save The Children's UK office warned that a new wave of violent conflict has displaced up to 35,000 children.

The group said in a statement on Sunday that children who have been separated from their families since fighting broke out are at "grave risk'' of being targeted for sexual and physical abuse or recruited into the armed conflict.

Save the Children said it is "desperately worried about those children currently beyond the reach of humanitarian assistance".

George Clooney, the Hollywood actor, urged the UN to protect civilians in Abyei, saying the north's takeover was meant to disrupt the south's upcoming independence in July.

"We now have undeniable proof of the Khartoum regime's war crimes in Abyei. We've captured visual evidence of the Sudan Armed Forces ransacking and razing Abyei town," Clooney said.

Clooney initiated the Satellite Sentinel Project along with John Prendergast, co-founder of the Enough Project, after they travelled to Southern Sudan in October 2010.


Visual evidence 

The Satellite Sentinel Project was established to use satellite images and on-the-ground reports to help deter the resumption of full-scale civil war between Sudan's north and south.

In its statement, the group said the new visual evidence shows that the government of Sudan has committed grave violations of the Geneva Conventions and other war crimes, some of which may also constitute crimes against humanity.

North and south Sudan ended more than two decades of civil war in 2005 with a peace deal that promised both Abyei and the south a self-determination vote.

The south voted overwhelmingly in January to secede and will become an independent nation July 9. Abyei's vote never happened, so its future is being negotiated by the north and south.

Prendergast on Sunday urged Obama administration to punish Sudan by isolating it diplomatically and denying it debt relief. He also asked the Abyei matter to be referred to the ICC.

"What is happening in Abyei is what the international community feared would happen in Benghazi, Libya," he said.

"We're not advocating military intervention, but we do think the Responsibility to Protect doctrine requires more assertive action in support of ongoing emergency diplomacy."


Source: Associated Press

South African president: Gadhafi ready for truce

South African President Zuma (L) meets Gadhafi (R)

TRIPOLI, Libya — Moammar Gadhafi is ready for a truce to stop the fighting in his country, the visiting South African president said Monday after meeting the Libyan ruler, but he listed familiar Gadhafi conditions that have scuttled previous cease-fire efforts. Rebels quickly rejected the offer.

South African President Jacob Zuma said Gadhafi is ready to accept an African Union initiative for a cease-fire that would stop all hostilities, including NATO airstrikes in support of rebel forces. "He is ready to implement the road map," Zuma said.

Zuma said Gadhafi insists that "all Libyans be given a chance to talk among themselves" to determine the country's future. He did not say Gadhafi is ready to step down, which is the central demand of the rebels. He was speaking to reporters from South African and Libyan TV, which broadcast his remarks late Monday.

In April, Zuma led a delegation of the African Union to Tripoli with an AU proposal for a truce. Gadhafi said he would accept the truce but quickly ignored it and resumed his attacks, while the rebels rejected the cease-fire out of hand because it did not include Gadhafi's exit from power. Since then many cease-fire efforts have failed for similar reasons.

In Benghazi, the de facto rebel capital, rebel Foreign Minister Fathi Baja rejected the African Union plan.

"We refuse completely, we don't consider it a political initiative, it is only some stuff that Gadhafi wants to announce to stay in power," he told The Associated Press.

He said he believes Zuma is in Tripoli to negotiate an exit strategy for Gadhafi, though Zuma's office denies that. Baja also said the rebels would launch an offensive against Gadhafi soon.

For decades Gadhafi has identified Libya as an African as much as an Arab nation. He disbursed millions of dollars in aid to African nations and built himself up as a leader of the continent.

Zuma was greeted with all the requisite fanfare by Gadhafi's beleaguered regime. Dozens of Gadhafi supporters, bused in for the welcoming, waved green Libyan flags and chanted slogans denouncing the NATO bombing campaign against Libyan government targets.

NATO temporarily lifted its no-fly zone over Libya to allow Zuma's South African air force plane to land at the main military air base next to Tripoli.

In Rome Monday, an indication that Gadhafi's regime is losing support came from eight top Libyan army officers, including five generals, who defected from Gadhafi's military. They appealed to their fellow officers to join the revolt.

Several senior officials, including at least three Cabinet ministers, have abandoned Gadhafi during the uprising that began in February. Even so, he clings tenaciously to power, and the military units still loyal to him are far superior to the forces available to the rebels.

One of the officers, Gen. Melud Massoud Halasa, estimated that Gadhafi's military forces are now "only 20 percent as effective" as what they were before the revolt broke out in mid-February, and that "not more than 10" generals remain loyal to Gadhafi.

Gen. On Ali On read an appeal to fellow army officers and top police and security officials "in the name of the martyrs who have fallen in the defense of freedom to have the courage" to abandon the regime.

The general, wearing street clothes like his fellow defectors, denounced both "genocide" and "violence against women in various Libyan cities."

An anti-government activist based in Tripoli said that dozens of residents angrily chanted against Gadhafi's rule in a rare demonstration in the Libyan capital on Monday. His claims could not be confirmed because of restrictions placed on reporters in Tripoli. The activist sent reporters a YouTube video showing the men chanting, "There is only one God and Moammar (Gadhafi) is his enemy." The timing and authenticity of the video could not be independently confirmed.

The Zuma visit came during relentless NATO bombing runs on Tripoli and other parts of the country, aimed at weakening Gadhafi's military and giving the outgunned rebels a chance in their battle against the longtime ruler.

Though relations between Gadhafi and the African Union have been strained, Zuma has joined other African leaders in accusing NATO of overstepping its U.N. mandate to protect Libyan civilians and calling for an end to the air-strikes.

Zuma's meeting with Gadhafi at his Bab al-Aziziyah compound was attended by only two other people, according to a Libyan official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not at liberty to discuss the talks.

Source: AP News

Jazz Hearted Fridays

Sade Adu: "Nothing Can Come Between Us....

Obama says U.S. will see through Libya mission

US President Barack Obama

DEAUVILLE, France (Reuters) – President Barack Obama said on Friday that the United States and France were in full agreement on sticking with the NATO-led intervention in Libya until the crisis there is resolved.

Obama, speaking after talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy as Group of Eight leaders met for their annual summit in the northern French seaside town of Deauville, said Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi had to leave the country.

"We agreed that we have made progress on our Libya campaign but that meeting the U.N. mandate of civilian protection cannot be accomplished when Gaddafi remains in Libya, directing his forces in acts of aggression against the Libyan people," Obama told a news briefing at the G8 summit.

"We are joined in resolve to finish the job," he said.

A NATO coalition led by France and Britain has been bombing Gaddafi's army bases since March, under a U.N. mandate to protect civilians caught up in a battle with rebel forces intent on ending Gaddafi's 41-year rule.

NATO air strikes on Tripoli overnight left smoke rising from Gaddafi's compound, after Washington said a ceasefire offer from his government was not credible.

In its summit communique, the G8 said Gaddafi had no future in a democratic Libya and demanded his forces cease their use of force against civilians. The communique also said those behind civilian killings would be investigated and punished.

"We are committed to supporting a political transition that reflects the will of the Libyan people," said the statement, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters in advance of publication.

Obama said he and Sarkozy agreed that democratic movements in North Africa and the Middle East made the pursuit for peace between Israelis and Palestinians "more urgent, not less."

He said the two leaders would coordinate closely to get the parties to negotiate to create a Palestinian state that is sovereign and an Israeli state that is secure.

Maid in Strauss-Kahn case may pursue civil action

NEW YORK – The hotel maid whom Dominique Strauss-Kahn is accused of sexually assaulting has added two attorneys to her legal team as she considers a possible civil action, the attorney already representing her said.

Kenneth Thompson, a former assistant U.S. attorney in New York, and Norman Siegel, a former director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, took part in a meeting with the woman and her family on Wednesday afternoon.

"They decided that they should have enhanced representation," Jeffrey Shapiro, who had been the woman's sole attorney until now, told Reuters late on Wednesday. One reason for adding the attorneys was to decide "whether there is a civil case going forward," he said.

Strauss-Kahn has been charged with sexually assaulting and attempting to rape the maid at the upscale Sofitel Hotel in New York on May 14. He was head of the International Monetary Fund and had been considered a contender in France's presidential race until the incident took place.

Shapiro said any civil action against Strauss-Kahn or any other party would need to be filed within one year of the incident. If filed while the criminal case against Strauss-Kahn is pending, it would likely be stayed until the criminal case is concluded, he said.

The two lawyers were added to the team at the urging of male relatives, Shapiro said. There had been no discussion of a civil suit before Wednesday, he said.

Thompson, a partner at Thompson Wigdor & Gilly in New York, successfully prosecuted New York police officers accused of brutality against Abner Louima in 1997. Siegel, who headed the New York Civil Liberties Union from 1985 to 2000, is in private practice in New York.

Source: Reuters