| Andrew Neff : Sakhalin-1 Under the Microscope
When officials from Rosprirodnadzor, the Russian environmental watchdog agency, last year launched a barrage of criticism about violations of the country's environmental regulations by foreign consortia operating oil and gas projects on Sakhalin Island in Russia's Far East, the main target was the Sakhalin-2 project, at the time led by Dutch/U.K. supermajor Shell. The subsequent pressure campaign against Sakhalin-2 eventually prompted Shell and its Japanese partners to concede by selling a 50% stake in the project to Gazprom in December (see "Related Articles"). TNK-BP, which holds the rights to the 1.9-Tcm Kovykta gas field in eastern Siberia via its controlling stake in RUSIA Petroleum, and Total, the operator of the Kharyaga production-sharing agreement (PSA) in northern Siberia, are also facing heavy pressure from the authorities.
Once Called the 'Sick Man' of Europe, Germany Is Showing New Signs ...
Talk about good timing. With Germany assuming the rotating presidencies of the European Union and the Group of Eight (G8) developed nations, the country is enjoying an economic resurgence. It remains a formidable exporter of goods worldwide, its unemployment rate has eased and a recent major tax increase has not dampened economic activity as much as many had feared. Still, there is some question whether the recovery is sustainable and whether Germany is up to meeting such long-term challenges as an aging population and a declining birth rate, according to faculty members at Wharton and German business schools, as well as other experts. The country continues to grapple with labor market issues that inhibit corporate flexibility at a time of increasing pressures from globalization.
Agilysys to Accelerate Growth as IT Solution Provider With Close ...
BOCA RATON, Fla. | Agilysys, Inc. (NASDAQ:AGYS) announced today it closed the sale of its KeyLink Systems Distribution Business assets to Arrow Electronics, Inc. Agilysys is now exclusively a leading provider of innovative IT solutions to the corporate and public sectors, with special expertise in select vertical markets, including retail and hospitality. The purchase price was $485 million in cash. Taxes payable on the gain on the sale are estimated to be approximately $145 million. Based on the purchase price, Agilysys expects to realize after-tax proceeds of $340 million. The purchase price is subject to a working capital adjustment. Arthur Rhein, Agilysys chairman, president and chief executive officer, said, "The close of the sale completes the strategic transformation we began in 2003 when we exited our former electronic components distribution business.
Conn. professor-activist attempts to spark resistance
HARTFORD, Conn. — The words “Third World" might bring to many minds images of countries reeling with problems like famine, hunger and anarchy on the streets. Vijay Prashad, professor of international studies, and George and Martha Kellner Chair of South Asian History, has a different take on the Third World, which he explains in his recent book, “The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World." “The whole premise of the book is that the Third World is not a place, it's a project," says the 40-year-old Prashad, a resident of Northampton, Mass. “What I was interested was to demonstrate that it is not enough to say there are some places in the world that are ingovernable, or have famine, or other negative stuff. That is unpersuasive." Instead, he argues in the book, the Third World needs to be examined as a project, and a movement brought together by anti-colonial sentiments.
US echoes Pak’s thirst for democracy
We believe that President Musharraf has made a commitment to change Pakistan and we think that is a positive thing... Of course we can offer guidance and counsel and encouragement to continue along the pathway to democracy. The US State Department is not the only major institution to speak about the democratic process in Pakistan. Two UN human rights experts said on Thursday that the UN has expressed serious distress at the situation in Pakistan. In a strong call to reinstate the independence of Pakistans judiciary, Hina Jilani, the Secretary-Generals special representative on human rights said, We call on the Pakistan government to follow scrupulously the constitutional procedures for an inquiry related to the Chief Justices conduct, to immediately halt the excessive force applied by law enforcement authorities and to investigate thoroughly these actions, and to do its utmost to ensure a continued functioning of the administration of justice in conformity with international standards.
South Africa: Oscars for Mugabe And Country's 'Internal Zimbabwe'
WHILE the movie The Last King of Scotland was being shown around the country, our own cricket-loving survivor of the British empire, Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe, received a standing ovation and a few Oscars from the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Just last week, Mugabe demonstrated his hold over the club by using the full might of his repressive state to persecute his opposition, knowing full well that not one African leader would dare oppose him. He knows the quest for solidarity with brothers in arms overrides the quest for renewal. He knows his fellow liberation leaders will not let him down, even if he instructs his goons to clobber Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), to death. He knows that support for the MDC as an alternative government is anathema to African despots keen to preserve liberation movements as ruling parties.
Titan's Sleep and Giant's Wakefulness
Legend has it that Napoleon Bonaparte pointed to China on a map of the world and said to those around him: "There is a sleeping giant. Let him sleep! If he wakes, he will shake the world." Perhaps the day predicted by the French emperor is imminent or has already come. After waking up from its long dormancy, the People's Republic of China now has economic, military and political superiority that makes it able to compete with the world's superpowers in these three fields and nominates it to be an alternative power to that of the US, which has started to become like a snowball rolling down a mountain, increasing in size and picking up speed as it rolls down. There are indications that there is a rising international star that will impose itself as an alternative in the future.
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