NEWS,19.07.2012

Border strike threatens to disrupt Olympics

 

The British government has warned unions that they risk public anger if strikes by train drivers and passport officials, which threaten to cause major disruptions to the London Olympics, go ahead.The Aslef rail union announced on Thursday that 450 of its members in central England would walk out between August 6-8 in a dispute over pensions, affecting passengers travelling from cities such as Sheffield, Nottingham and Derby to the capital.The decision coincided with a move by border officials to strike on July 26, the day before the start of the Games, potentially delaying thousands of visitors arriving for the showpiece event."They are holding a strike on what is one of the key days for people coming into this country for the Olympic Games," Home Secretary Theresa May said."They risk damaging people's enjoyment of coming through into the UK," she told Sky News. "We will of course put contingency arrangements in place to ensure we can deal with people coming into the country as smoothly as possible."The threat of transport chaos added to pressure on the government, which has already had to call in thousands of extra soldiers to guard the Games after a failed private sector recruitment drive left an embarrassing hole in security.The wet weather, too, has dampened spirits ahead of the sporting showcase, which has earned the nickname the "Soggy Olympics" in the British media.Perhaps it was no coincidence that Police lyrics "sending out an SOS", from the song "Message in a Bottle", blared out before the daily news conference at the Olympic Park in east London.Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt rejected accusations that the buildup to the Games had been a shambles, arguing that for such a major operation preparations had been remarkably smooth."Actually I think it has been a very smooth process," he told reporters, after a barrage of questions on issues ranging from security shortfalls to sanitation at the main Olympic site. "I think it has been an encouraging first week."I think it is very important that people understand that of course you are going to have a few hitches on a project of this scale, but actually things have gone pretty smoothly, and the athletes are getting a fantastic welcome in the village, and I think morale is very high."On the issue of the strikes, he said "It would be completely out of tune with the mood of the British public. This is a moment when Britain wants to show its best face to the world, and that is what the vast majority of the public wants as well."I would strongly counsel any unions thinking of disrupting this very important period, I think they would lose huge amounts of public support if they really tried to do this."The security glitch came after G4S said it could not provide a promised 10,400 security guards to staff Games venues, forcing the defence ministry to call up an extra 3,500 troops to take the armed forces contribution to 17,000.A further 2,000 troops may be required if G4S fails to find a minimum requirement of 7,000 staff, and on Thursday the government said 1,200 soldiers had been put on standby as a precaution.Hunt reiterated government assurances that the Games would be safe in a city where suicide bombers killed 52 people in attacks on the transport system in July 2005.Wednesday's suicide bomb attack on a bus carrying Israeli tourists at Burgas airport in Bulgaria could raise further concerns."Obviously we are monitoring the whole time what's happening with respect to the changing security situation, and we have extremely competent intelligence services who are giving us advice and we are responding to that on an ongoing basis," Hunt said when asked about the Burgas attack."The world can be absolutely certain that we will deliver a safe and secure Olympics. It has always been our number one priority."

China bolsters Africa ties with $20bn loans

 

Chinese President Hu Jintao on Thursday offered $20bn in loans to African countries over the next three years, boosting a relationship that has been criticised by the West and given Beijing growing access to the resource-rich continent.The loans offered were double the amount China pledged for the previous three-year period in 2009 and is the latest in a string of aid and credit provided to Africa's many poverty-stricken nations.The pledge is likely to boost China's good relations with Africa, a supplier of oil and raw materials like copper and uranium to the world's most populous country and second-largest economy.But the loans could add to discomfort in the West, which criticises China for overlooking human rights abuses in its business dealings with Africa, especially in Beijing's desire to feed its booming resource-hungry economy.Hu brushed off such concerns in his speech at the Great Hall of the People, attended by leaders including South African President Jacob Zuma and Equatorial Guinea's Teodoro Obiang Nguema, a man widely condemned by rights groups as one of the world's most corrupt leaders."China wholeheartedly and sincerely supports African countries to choose their own development path, and will wholeheartedly and sincerely support them to raise their development ability," Hu said.China will "continue to steadfastly stand together with the African people, and will forever be a good friend, a good partner and a good brother", he added at the summit held every three years since 2000.Hu also pledged to "continue to expand aid to Africa, so that the benefits of development can be realised by the African people". He did not provide an amount.Hu said the new loans would support infrastructure, agriculture, manufacturing and development of small and medium-sized businesses in Africa. Critics say China supports African governments with dubious human rights records as a means to get access to resources.The EU has rejected what they call China's "cheque book" approach to doing business with Africa, saying it would continue to demand good governance and the transparent use of funds from its trading partners. Such criticism draws rebukes from China that the West still views Africa as though it were a colony. Many African countries say they appreciate China's no-strings approach to aid."Africa's past economic experience with Europe dictates a need to be cautious when entering into partnerships with other countries," Zuma told the forum."We are particularly pleased that in our relationship with China we are equals and that agreements entered into are for mutual gain," Zuma added."We certainly are convinced that China's intention is different to that of Europe, which to date continues to intend to influence African countries for their sole benefit."China's friendship with Africa dates back to the 1950s, when Beijing backed liberation movements in the continent fighting to throw off Western colonial rule.Chinese state-owned firms in Africa also face criticism for using imported labour to build government-financed projects like roads and hospitals, while pumping out raw resources and processing them in China, leaving little for local economies. "Certainly quite a number of us are thinking we need to move into more value addition," South African's Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies told Reuters."We need to export mineral products in a more processed form ... We need to bite this bullet very seriously." Trade has jumped in the past decade, driven by Chinese hunger for resources to power its economic boom and African demand for cheap Chinese products.China's trade with Africa reached $166.3bn in 2011, according to Chinese statistics. In the past decade, African exports to China rose to $93.2bn from $5.6bn.Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, for example, the world's most valuable lender, has invested more than $7bn in various projects across the continent.