9 June 2000 : news summary:

Inter. Organisations, Agencies & Partnerships

‘A talking shop that can do a lot of good‘, INDoS, 4/6/00
~ With the Commonwealth facing a series of problems such as Fiji and Pakistan and soon to be under review, Richard Bourne is keen to stress the value of the organisation.

‘Kohler hints at change of tack for IMF‘, FT, 3/6/00
~ Kohler arouses interest by hinting at change of direction for the IMF. (Alan Beattle)

Economic Development

‘The trouble ahead‘, The Economist, 3-9 June 2000, pp84-87
~ Looks ahead to the possible economic and political consequences of the recent coup in Fiji.

‘Turmoil in neighbouring Zimbabwe has added to threat of economic instability‘, T, 7/6/00 ~ S. African business leaders prepare themselves for the economic consequences of the crisis in Zimbabwe.(Caroline Merrell)

‘No fund of love for the IMF‘, The Economist, 3-9 June 2000, p74
~ 40,000 Argentinean protestors demonstrate against severe economic adjustments demanded by the IMF.

Aid & Debt

‘A Jubilee line to hope‘, G, 3/6/00
~ Interview with Ann Pettifor, leader of the Jubilee 2000 campaign for third world debt relief.

‘Moi pleads for aid as crises batter Kenya‘, FT, 8/6/00
~ Kenya’s president has made an appeal for aid to combat "natural calamities", drought, famine and Aids, that are afflicting the nation. (Mark Turner)

Health

‘Incentives do work in the search for vaccines…‘, IND, 6/6/00
~ Governments must act to embrace scheme which provides incentives to make ‘medical success worthwhile for investors’. (Diane Coyle)

‘ILO adds to gloom over impact of Aids‘, FT, 2/6/00
~ Aids will have a huge damaging impact on the working population of countries worst affected and on workers rights according to a forthcoming ILO report.

‘Esther’s family has been…‘, EXP, 5/6/00
~ Ann McFerran visits Kenya with PLAN International to see the fate of families which have been devastated by Aids.

‘Cure is in sight for river blindness‘, EXP, 7/6/00
~ Scientists may have discovered the secret to curing river blindness which affects nearly 18m in Africa. (Michael Hanlon)

Government

‘Labour in drive for socially responsible investment‘, TS, 2 June 2000, p9
~ The government are bringing in new pension regulations to promote socially responsible investment. A new software (Eiris) has been launched that allows the ethical performance of a company to be analysed. Lucy Maggs

Business, Trade & Development

‘Amazon region to benefit from UNCTAD’s Biotrade initiative‘, Unctad NtC #14, May 2 2000 ~ UNF funding for Unctad’s Biotrade initiative will help the Amazon region invest and trade in biodiversity in a sustainable manner and establish public-private links that will promote sustainable business opportunities.

‘Shell charity plan‘, T, 6/6/00
~ A new charity has been set up by the Royal Dutch/Shell Group of companies with initial funds of $30m for sustainable energy and other social investment projects worldwide.

‘Business back in contention…‘, G, 5/6/00
~ After the exposure of Seattle, businesses need to show trading responsibility as a new round of trade talks are on the horizon.

‘World queues up as China opens doors‘, ST, 4/6/00
~ China and foreign businesses set to gain from China’s liberalisation. (Michael Sheridan)

‘Coffee countries find grounds for protest‘, G, 2/6/00
~ Coffee producing countries have sign price support agreement in an attempt to boost commodity prices.

‘Enterprise scheme targets ‘200 new Indo-British partnerships‘, Indo-British Business, Summer 2000, p4
~ British Trade International have formally launched their programme called Global Enterprise Initiative (GEI) aimed at creating new Indo-British partnerships.

‘Investment in Africa: More than expected‘, The Economist, 3-9 June 2000, p123
~ According to a new study* investment flows into Africa have been higher than previously believed.

‘Losing their sparkle’ & ‘Washed out of Africa‘, The Economist, 3-9 June 2000, p17 & pp111-2
~ Focuses on the De Beers cartel and how the diamond trade is changing to accommodate the new politics of "conflict diamonds". Can it be suitably policed to stop it fuelling African conflicts.

‘Durex maker halts aid work‘, G, 7/7/00
~ Durex condom producers SSL International have are to halt supplies of contraceptives for aid projects in developing countries because it has proved to be unprofitable. (Andrew Clark)

Environment

‘Short snubs Greenpeace to back oil project‘, G, 5/6/00
~ Britain is to support an oil pipeline project between Chad and Cameroon despite a Greenpeace campaign calling for the project to be abandoned.
Also: ‘Oil loan for Chad agreed‘, FT, 7/6/00
~ World Bank agree finance for controversial Chad-Cameroon oil pipeline. (Hillary Durgin)

‘Pollution choking China‘, DT, 6/6/00
~ China is at the top of the world’s most polluted cities, state admits it is damaging health and the environment.

‘Time and water run out for China‘, G, 8/6/00
~ After decades of poor water management and environmental concerns taking a back seat to politics over half of China’s cities are suffering from severe water shortages. (John Gittings)

‘Annual Report 1999‘, Asian Development Bank
~ The ASB’s annual report includes a section on a specially chosen theme; this year it is ‘Water in the 21st Century’. This provides a comprehensive overview of emerging water issues and the ADB’s water policies.

‘Alarm over US fungus experiments abroad‘, TWNF, May 2000
~ Despite being banned in the US, US experiments are taking place in Southern nations which uses a microbial fungus to eradicate narcotic crops.

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