IGIHE

Author: Publisher

  • Kenyatta to Push for Termination of ICC Case

    Kenyatta to Push for Termination of ICC Case

    {{The stage is set Wednesday for a major legal duel between President Uhuru Kenyatta and International Criminal Court ( ICC) Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda during a key meeting at The Hague.}}

    The trial Bench has issued a three-point agenda that will be deliberated during the status conference set to last approximately four hours.

    The defence of President Kenyatta will be pushing for the termination of the case, with Ms Bensouda expected to lay bare additional investigative steps her office has undertaken against the Head of State since she requested for an adjournment of the case two months ago.

    The status conference coincides with the date earlier set for commencement of the president’s trial that was, however, put off after the prosecution cited insufficient evidence.

    {{CRITICAL MEETING}}

    But ahead of the critical meeting, Bensouda appeared to shift goalpost asking the judges to adjourn the case until the Government of Kenya cooperates with the court by giving more evidence against Uhuru.

    The Government of Kenya’s non-compliance has blocked an important avenue of investigation in this case and the GoK has failed to provide a supportable explanation for its obstructionism,†Bensouda told the Trial Chamber headed by Japanese judge Kuniko Ozaki.

    On December 19 last year, the former Gambian Attorney General and Justice Minister requested an adjournment of the trial date for three months in order to “undertake additional investigative steps†against the President.

    But in her latest filing, Bensouda conceded that there has been no breakthrough in new investigations.

    capitalFM

  • New Strain of ‘Deadly’ Bird Flu

    New Strain of ‘Deadly’ Bird Flu

    {{Experts are concerned about the spread of a new strain of bird flu that has already killed one woman in China.}}

    The 73-year-old from Nanchang City caught the H10N8 virus after visiting a live poultry market, although it is not known for sure if this was the source of infection.

    A second person has since become infected in China’s Jiangxi province.

    Scientists told The Lancet the potential for it to become a pandemic “should not be underestimated”.

    This particular strain of influenza A virus has not been seen before.

    In recent months, China has already been coping with an outbreak of a similar influenza virus called H7N9, which has killed around a quarter of those infected.

    Pandemic risk
    Scientists who have studied the new H10N8 virus say it has evolved some genetic characteristics that may allow it to replicate efficiently in humans.

    The concern is that it could ultimately be able to spread from person to person, although experts stress that there is no evidence of this yet.

    Dr Mingbin Liu from Nanchang City Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said: “A second case of H10N8 was identified in Jiangxi province, China, on 26 January 2014.

    This is of great concern because it reveals that the H10N8 virus has continued to circulate and may cause more human infections in future.”

    BBC

  • French to Make 1 bn Euro Tax Claim Against Google

    French to Make 1 bn Euro Tax Claim Against Google

    {{French authorities have decided to make a tax claim of 1 billion euros against Google following a probe into the tax strategies by the US Internet giant, Le Point magazine reported Tuesday.}}

    A Google spokesman in France declined to comment on the report, saying the company does not comment on rumours.

    The French finance ministry also declined to comment, citing tax confidentiality.

    France is one of a growing number of cash-strapped nations to pursue more aggressively what they see as abuse of tax and accounting rules that allows some multinational companies to pay less tax.

    French tax inspectors searched Google’s Paris offices in June 2011 as it opened a probe into how the company implements transfer pricing between its different units, a strategy many multinationals use to shift revenue and tax liability between countries.

    Google has reduced the amount of tax it pays in France by funnelling most of its revenue through a Dutch-registered intermediary and then to a Bermuda-registered holding, Google Ireland Limited, before reporting it in low-tax Ireland.

    According to court documents obtained by media, Google France reported 192.9 million euros of revenue in 2012, and paid 6.5 million euros in tax on the 8.3 million euros of net profit it earned.

    Industry analysts estimate that Google generated between 1.25 and 1.4 billion euros in revenue in France in 2011, mainly from Internet advertising.

    Last year the Group of 20 advanced and developing nations endorsed an action plan to clamp down on tax avoidance which its creators say could lead to the biggest change in the global tax system since the 1920s.

    {AFP}

  • $4bn Needed to Prevent Zimbabwe’s Economic Collapse

    $4bn Needed to Prevent Zimbabwe’s Economic Collapse

    {{Zimbabwe urgently needs $4 billion to prevent its economy from collapsing, former Finance minister Tendai Biti has said.}}

    The southern African country’s economy is expected to grow by a slowed 4.2 percent this year due to the collapse of the manufacturing sector and a slowdown in agriculture.

    Mr Biti, now the shadow the Finance minister for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), told journalists on Tuesday in Harare that President Robert Mugabe’s government should act to prevent a collapse of the economy.

    “The government needs to arrest the deflationary situation. In our opinion as MDC, we think that this economy is in urgent need of a stimulus package to the tune of $4 billion,” he said.

    Mr Biti said so far the government did not seem to have any ideas to reverse the economic challenges characterised by tight liquidity and massive company closures.

    “We don’t believe that the solutions offered in the 2013/14 budget will succeed,” he said.

    “We do not believe that the African Import and Export Bank will offer $100 million to the government of the day.

    “The Afrexim bank is a trade bank and it is not designed to offer this kind of assistance.”

    The former Finance minister said the government could seek loans from neighbours such as South Africa.

    “It is important to engage South Africa like the Rhodesian (colonial) government that arranged an overdraft facility for companies then,” he said. “They should just tuck their tails between their legs and go to negotiate with Pretoria.”

    Mr Biti said the government could be forced to re-introduce the Zimbabwe dollar, which was abandoned in 2009 due to hyperinflation, as it battles liquidity constraints.

    President Mugabe’s government has repeatedly denied reports that the local currency would be brought back anytime soon.

    Last week, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe widened the multi-currency basket to include currencies of China, India, Japan and Australia alongside the greenback, South African Rand, Botswana Pula, British Pound and the Euro.

    {Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)’s Tendai Biti in picture. The shadow finance minister for Zimbabwe’s main opposition party said urgent action is need to save the country’s economy.}

    {africareview}

  • Justin Bieber Trial Set for March

    Justin Bieber Trial Set for March

    {{A trial date has been set for Justin Bieber after his recent arrest on charges of driving under the influence.}}

    A Miami-Dade County judge set the date for 3 March. The Canadian singer’s lawyers have already filed a written plea of not guilty.

    He is also charged with resisting arrest and driving with an invalid licence.

    Bieber, 19, was arrested on 23 January after police said he was racing his sports car on a Miami Beach street.

    The singer is currently on bail, set at $2,500 (£1,500).

    Prosecutors will formally file charges at an arraignment on 14 February.

    R&B singer Khalil Sharieff, the driver of the car Bieber was allegedly racing against, was also arrested after being reportedly found to be under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

    A week after the alleged road racing incident, the singer was charged with assaulting a limousine driver in Toronto in December.

    A lawyer for the singer said his client was innocent of that charge.

    The teen star has had several run-ins with police over the past year.

    Earlier in January, police in California searched Bieber’s home after he allegedly threw eggs at his neighbour’s house.

    The outcome of that search remains unclear, though one of the singer’s associates was arrested amid the search and charged with drug possession.

    In a separate incident in November, Brazilian police charged the star with illegally spraying graffiti in Rio de Janeiro.

    {wirestory}

  • Saudi Arabian Firm Begins iron ore Exploration in Mauritania

    Saudi Arabian Firm Begins iron ore Exploration in Mauritania

    {{Chemical company Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) has entered joint venture agreements with Mauritanian National Company for Industry and Mining and has commenced iron ore exploration in the Atomai Mines}}

    Saudi Arabian conglomerate SABIC, which is 70%-owned by the government and has interests in chemicals production, fertilisers, industry polymers and metals, has been exploring the Atomai Mines in Zouerate, northern Mauritania and has been conducting a series of feasability studies.

    The site is believed to hold more than 500mn tonnes of iron ore reserves, according to initial estimates.

    Technical studies reveal that there could be even higher reserves of up to a billion tonnes.

    According to Arab News, the Atomai Mines are known for their high content of high-quality iron and are among the best in the world, with a low cost of extraction.

    Abdulaziz Al-Humaid, executive vice president, metals strategic business unit, SABIC, stated that excavation work as part of the agreements began in September 2013 and is expected to continue for three years.

    SABIC has been aiming to shore up raw material sources for its plant in Saudi Arabia, with surpluses expected to be sold to targeted markets.

    The agreement has seen the establishment of Mauritania Saudi Mining and Steel Company (TAKAMUL), launched to acquire the necessary mining licenses, carry out feasibility studies and exploration work.

    The mining industry is particularly attractive to keen investors, with total industry production accounting for over 65% of total exports. Iron ore alone represents more than 35% of the north-west African country’s exports.

    It is the most important sector of the country’s economy, contributing an estimated 12% of total gross domestic product (GDP).

  • Colombia Army Dismissal Over Spying

    Colombia Army Dismissal Over Spying

    {{Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos has dismissed the army’s intelligence head over allegations of spying on government officials negotiating with Farc rebels at peace talks in Cuba.}}

    Gen Mauricio Ricardo Zuniga and another officer were relieved of their duties while a full investigation takes place.

    An elite military group was set up to intercept the officials’ mobile phone calls, the magazine Semana reported.

    Mr Santos called the alleged interference “totally unacceptable”.

    The director of the army’s technical intelligence centre, Gen Oscar Zuluaga, was also dismissed.

    The sacking of both army officers was announced on Tuesday by the defence minister, Juan Carlos Pinzon, after a meeting with the Colombian chief prosecutor, Eduardo Montealegre.

    {wirestory}

  • Toyota to Produce New Corolla Model in South Africa

    Toyota to Produce New Corolla Model in South Africa

    {{Toyota announced at the ceremony that it had invested R1bn in the manufacturing facility in South Africa to produce a new model Toyota Corolla.}}

    The new model would be built in left hand and right hand drive variants and it would be available both for local and export markets, Toyota spokesperson Leo Kok said in a statement.

    The KwaZulu-Natal provincial government on Tuesday said it would work with Toyota SA to strengthen the automobile sector in South Africa.

    The Toyota Durban manufacturing plant had an annual production capacity of about 220 000 units and contributed in the creation of more than 8 000 jobs in both Durban and Johannesburg, KwaZulu-Natal premier Senzo Mchunu said at the official launch of the new Toyota Corolla at Durban’s Prospecton.

    {news24}

  • Libya ‘Destroys all Chemical Weapons’

    Libya ‘Destroys all Chemical Weapons’

    {Mohamed Abdelaziz: “Libya has become totally free of usable chemical weapons.”}

    {{Libya has destroyed all its chemical arsenal, the country’s foreign minister has announced.}}

    Mohamed Abdelaziz said that this included bombs and artillery shells filled with mustard gas.

    In 2004, Libya said it had 25 tonnes of sulphur mustard and several thousand unfilled aerial bombs for use with chemical warfare facilities.

    Tripoli has committed itself to getting rid of all its chemical arms by signing the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).

    {{‘Significant milestone’}}

    “Libya has become totally free of usable chemical weapons that might present a potential threat to the security of local communities, the environment and neighbouring areas,” Mr Abdelaziz said on Tuesday in the capital Tripoli.

    He added that this “would not have been possible in such a short time” without international support, including technical assistance from Canada, Germany and the US.

    Libya’s foreign minister said the process was completed on 26 January.

    Mr Abdelaziz was speaking a joint news conference with Ahmet Uzumcu, the head of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

    {BBC}

  • US Presses Egypt to Release Al Jazeera Staff

    US Presses Egypt to Release Al Jazeera Staff

    {{The US White House has condemned the detention of Al Jazeera journalists in Egypt and called for their release}}.

    On Tuesday, it was 38 days since Egyptian authorities detained Mohammed Fahmy, Baher Mohammed and Peter Greste at their hotel in Cairo.

    Their Al Jazeera Arabic colleagues Abdullah Al Shami and Mohammed Badr are also in Egyptian custody.

    The three Al Jazeera English journalists have been held without charge in prison in Cairo. They are accused of spreading false news and having links to the Muslim Brotherhood, which Egypt classified as a terrorist organisation.

    The government in Cairo said their cases have been referred to the criminal court. However Al Jazeera has not been notified of any formal charges.

    The White House said that it is deeply concerned about the recent crackdown by the Egyptian government on journalists and academics.

    “These figures, regardless of affiliation, should be protected and permitted to do their jobs freely in Egypt,” White House spokesman Jay Carney told Al Jazeera’s Patty Culhane at a White House briefing.

    “We have strongly urged the government to drop these charges and release those journalists and academics who have been detained,” he said.

    {wirestory}