• Business Day (South Africa): Emerging markets

Telecommunications, however, is an economic success story. Since deregulation, it has been Nigeria's fastest growing sector. Millions of Nigerians previously lacking communication services are now connected by cell phones. The picture remains far from ideal, however. Despite privatization, service provided by the national telephone company has deteriorated. On the cellular side, infrastructure has not always kept pace with growing demand, leading to service problems. Internet connections are widely available, but expensive and unreliable.
Financial Sector
Nigeria's financial sector has undergone a major restructuring, with new capital requirements forcing a consolidation of the banking sector from about 150 or to just 25 banks. The banking sector still deals with only a limited sector of the Nigerian economy—mainly those sectors like oil an gas with international involvement. Insider trading and the concentration of loans in a few sectors and to a few players present significant risk.
Concomitantly, the Government has reduced the external debt burden to low levels, liberalized foreign currency dealing, introduced regular Treasury bill auctions, and is now working to develop a secondary market. Many Nigerian banks are developing foreign partnerships. New regulations have gone into effect for pension funds and insurance companies, and many officials are focused on changing land tenure law to allow real estate to be used as collateral, and thus allow development of both the mortgage market and greater banking activity in the domestic economy in general.
China
Many U.S. businesses are intrigued by the role that China will play in Nigeria's development and in Nigeria's commercial ties to America. Nigeria's ties with China are complex, even if they are strong and cordial. About 20,000 Chinese live and work in Nigeria. China has now eclipsed the United States as Nigeria's major import partner, with 11% of the trade. (The United States holds over 8%). The average Nigerian resents the use of Chinese laborers in construction projects and perceives the Chinese as harsh employers. Nigeria's pharmaceutical and textile industries are suffering from what appears to be "dumping" of Chinese pharmaceutical and textiles and from counterfeit goods originating in China. Abductions targeting Chinese in the Delta are a growing concern. On the other hand, China is committed to strengthening ties, investing or offering to loan billions of dollars in oil block, railway and road projects. Nigeria's infrastructure clearly could benefit from Chinese aid, but the Chinese are discovering that their largest, and most highly touted, proposed infrastructure projects have not even broken ground because of cultural and market misunderstandings, bureaucratic hurdles, and corruption. We encourage Nigeria to pursue all public tenders in a manner that promotes transparency and competition and likewise also encourage China to promote transparency and competition for its own long-term interests throughout Africa. We believe that China's trade relationship with Nigeria can improve opportunities for economic development and need not be seen as a zero sum competition for U.S. businesses.
U.S. Trade and Investment
Last but not least, I wish to stress the importance of the U.S. - Nigeria trade and investment relationship. Over the past seven years, the United States has provided 53% of Nigeria's foreign investment: an impressive $11.2 billion. Many people do not realize that Nigeria is our second-largest market for the export of U.S. wheat. Opportunities to expand bilateral trade and investment are encouraging in the sectors of oil and gas equipment, healthcare services and medical equipment, electrical power generating equipment, computer hardware/software, telecommunications equipment, automobile parts and accessories, construction, earth moving equipment, agricultural products and equipment, and franchising. In June 2006, Nigeria expressed interest in a Phytosanitary Standards Agreement and a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT), which could help stimulate and "lock in" reforms related to basic protections for investors. We want to work with the Yar'Adua administration and interested U.S. businesses to facilitate improvement to the trade and investment climate. On another positive note, several U.S. carriers will be competing for traffic on new direct flights between the United States and Nigeria by Christmas.
Conclusion
These developments point to the need for robust bilateral engagement, despite the enormous challenges. We are encouraged by President Yar'Adua's public and private commitments to these types of reform, but recognize that he is operating in a complex political environment. Our goal is to help Nigeria establish itself as a fully democratic, free-market reformer. I am glad to have had this chance to highlight Nigeria's importance as a strategic partner of the United States, note those areas where we are working to improve the trade and investment climate, and answer your questions. As you consider Nigeria as a place to do business, we look forward to partnering with you for mutual success.
Thank you.
08/02/07 12:41:15
Document SNS0000020070802e37v000qi
NEWS

Molecular tools for quality improvement in vegetatively propagated crops, including banana and cassava*

Nair, Ashalatha S; Chikelu, Mba

2,182 words

25 July 2007

Current Science

ICUS

128

Volume 93; Issue 2; ISSN: 00113905

English

© 2007 Current Science. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All Rights Reserved.
MEETING REPORT
Banana and cassava play an important role as staple food in developing countries, contributing calories, nutrients, and to a limited extent, proteins to the diet. It is ironic therefore that relatively less attention has been given to genetic improvement of banana and cassava in comparison to other major food crops such as rice, wheat and maize. Most cassava and banana are grown by small holders for selfconsumption and traded in the local market, providing income for the rural population in many low-income, food-deficient countries. In most of sub-Saharan Africa, where the green revolution had failed miserably, banana and cassava are providing food security for the people. Genetic improvement of these important crops will help directly to meet the UN Millennium Development Goals, particularly those related to health and nutrition, and the reduction of poverty and hunger. However, research in banana and cassava is largely under-funded.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have, in recognition of the paramount socio-economic importance for the tropics and for a number of their developing member States through their Joint FAO/IAEA Programme for Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, empanelled a Coordinated Research Project (CRP) to use innovative molecular approaches to address some critical production constraints to both crops. Both banana and cassava lack in the availability of genomics tools that could enhance crop improvement programmes. Also, in order to increase the yield that will be required to meet the expected population growth in Africa, Asia and Latin America, researchers must increase and stabilize yields by developing disease-resistant and stress-tolerant varieties. The FAO/IAEA Programme therefore addresses these issues by undertaking this CRP titled 'Molecular tools for quality improvement in vegetatively propagated crops, including banana and cassava'. The CRP emphasizes the application of induced mutations and new tools of functional genomics to solve the constraints of quality and related traits in banana and cassava. There are 12 research contract holders from the National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) of Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Cuba, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria and the Philippines and five research agreement holders from the advanced laboratories in the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom. Two centres of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT, its Spanish acronym), Cali, Colombia; and the International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantations (INIBAP) of Biodiversity International, Montpellier, France, are also participating as Research Agreement holders.
The first Research Coordination Meeting (RCM) was held at the headquarters of the IAEA in Vienna, Austria from 18 to 22 July 2005. At the end of this RCM India, also a centre of origin of banana, was selected as the venue for the next RCM. Thus the second RCM was hosted by the University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram.
The RCM was attended by 18 participants, including the Scientific Secretary and two observers: John Mba Chikelu Heslop-Harrison, the University of Leicester, UK and Urna Binita, National Research Centre for Banana, Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, India. The presentation and peer discussion of progress reports was followed by the presentation by participants, of the proposed work plan and discussions aimed at fine-tuning and/or streamlining proposed activities to tally with set objectives.
The RCM was inaugurated by K. Raghuraman (BARC, India). He noted that India has contributed greatly towards the genetic diversity of Musa species. In India, bananas are popularly known as 'kalpatharu' (meaning herb with all imaginable uses). Also cassava has become a staple food in South India. Hence the outcome of this CRP will have direct impact on the socio-economic development of the member nation.
The presentations of the research group working on banana started with Robert Miler (University of Católica de Brasilia, Bazil). He presented the development of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) and resistance gene analogues (RGAs) related to resistance to Musa fijiensis. It is envisaged that the simple sequence repeat (SSR), EST and RGA-derived functional markers to be developed from these resources, in addition to the ESTs to be incorporated in a gene expression array, will lead to the identification of genes implicated in resistance to this fungal disease in Musa. Jorge Lopez Torres (Institute de Investigaicones en Viandas Tropicales, Cuba) presented activities relating to in v/rro-induced mutagenesis, somatic embryogenesis from cell suspension cultures in Musa, and production of régénérants with minimal chimeras. The genetic stability of plants obtained via embryogenesis through embryogénie cell suspensions showed the possibility of using the new expiants for developing somatic embryos. Jaroslav Dolezel (Laboratory of Molecular Cytogenetics and Cytometry, Czech Republic) have recorded significant progress towards the development of a cytogenetic Musa map using the BAC FISH strategy. Three repetitive units were mapped to a chromosome. Additionally, almost 600 repetitive DNA clones that represented various types of DNA repeats were selected for the assembly of a boutique DNA microarray which would lead to a better understanding of the genome organization in Musa. Ashalatha Nair (University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram) reported the progress made in Indian activities aimed at the development of di-haploid plants. Friable brown and white calluses and globular somatic embryos were obtained from anther cultures of different diploid genomes. The successful completion of this will arm Musa scientists with a tool that will facilitate the generation of homozygous starting materials for induced mutagenesis. Andrew James (Centro de Investigation Científica de Yucatan, Mexico) reported the development of conserved orthologous (COS) markers for drought stress tolerance-related and starch biosynthesis. Catabolism genes and their allelic diversity is at the core of the activities of the Mexican counterpart. Significant progress has been made in this through amplification of the desired genomic regions. The sequencing of these amplified regions is in progress.
The work by Golam Ahmed (Institute of Radiation Biology, Bangladesh) highlighted significant progress in the development of doubled haploid plants through banana anther culture. These plants have been potted and their ploidy levels will be determined using flow cytometry in due course. This development opens the way for exposing the anthers to mutagens and later generating di-haploid (equivalent to diploid) plants that would be homozygous for the different loci. The other option of generating di-haploid plants from the anthers of putative mutants would also enhance efficiency for induced mutagenesis in this crop.
Emma Sales (University of Southern Mindanao, the Philippines) presented her work on 'Molecular marker techniques for selection of induced mutation of banana with improved post harvest qualities'. Trude Schwarzacher (University of Leicester, UK) presented an in-depth over view on the 'Application of PCR and molecular cytogenetic tools to support breeding and exploitation of biodiversity in vegetatively propagated crops'. She has used IRAP as a marker for measuring genetic diversity in Musa species.
The section on the work on cassava started with Emmanual Okogbenin (National Root Crop Research Institute, Nigeria). He reported the preliminary evaluation of induced cassava mutants. The activities of the Nigerian counterpart indicated the development of variants with significantly elevated levels of dry matter and carotenoid contents.
John Beeching (University of Bath, UK) reported work on cDNA microarray and highlighted the central role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) together with enzymes and compounds that modulated them in the post harvest physiological deterioration (PPD) response in cassava. In addition, the significant changes in expression of pro- and anti-apoptotic genes during PPD suggested that PPD is also a senescence or apoptotic event. The tentative conclusion was that PPD is a ROS-mediated senescence phenomenon. The next stages will involve the test of this conclusion through the use of these genes in transforming cassava. Once established, molecular markers will be developed from these genes and used in routine assays of germplasm characterization or marker-aided selection. Zaochang Liu (Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China) presented a protocol for the induction of somatic embryos from axiliary buds of a Chinese cassava genotype grown in Hainan Island, China. Somatic embryogenesis in cassava has proven to be recalcitrant, as there have been strong genotypic responses. It would be worthwhile therefore to establish these protocols for a wide spectrum of cassava genotypes spread over different agro-ecologies where the crop is cultivated. Luiz Carvalho (EMBRAPA, Brazil) presented the biochemical characterization of carotenoid and starch profiles of spontaneous mutant cassava landraces, and their inclusion in gene expression assays is contributing to the elucidation of the functions of genes. Additionally, the development of ESTs relating to these traits by this counterpart contributes to the identification of genes and eventual development of molecular genetic markers for assaying these traits. Elizabeth Okai Parkes (Crop Research Institute, Ghana) discussed her work on 'Adding value to cassava: using induced mutation breeding and marker assisted introgression of genes for delayed PPD and high quality starch into Ghanaian gene pools'. Two landraces were selected for in vitro culture and induction of mutation. John Ndung'u ng'ang'a (Kenyan Agricultural Research Institute, Kenya) was working to develop superior, well-adapted cassava varieties with high root quality traits through induced mutation and markeraided breeding. Enny Sudramonowati (Research Center for Biotechnology, Indonesia) talked about improvement of Indonesian cassava through irradiation and molecular markers.
Two lectures relevant to the implementation of the CRP were delivered by John Heslop-Harrison on 'Association genetics' and by John Beeching on 'Good experimental methods'. This helps underscore the communal philosophy of the CRP mechanism and the implicit mentoring atmosphere it nurtures among member countries. The discussions were characterized by high level of synergies amongst the participants. This was evident in the probing to ensure not only that participants had not strayed from set goals, but also that the holistic goals would be achieved through identification and exploitation of the complementarities between the activities of different participants.
The proposed activities were treated in a similar manner, evaluated to ensure that the expected individual outputs would, as much as possible, dovetail with those of other participants and as a community lead to a successful CRP implementation. To achieve this part of the exercise, the meetings were frequently broken into working groups along crop lines, banana and cassava. Additionally, field trips to Indian R&D facilities of critical importance to the CRP were conducted. The choice of India as a venue for the meeting was predicated upon the country's possession of abundant genetic resources for one of the CRP crops, Musa. A field trip was therefore undertaken to the Banana Research Station, Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur. This trip provided an opportunity to interact with the scientists at the station with the possible result of eventual exchange of germplasm and relevant information for genetic improvement of the crop and other research activities. Thiruvananthapuram is also home to the Central Tuber Crop Research Institute, with cassava as one of its mandate crops. Participants at this RCM also visited this institute, again providing an opportunity for forging collaborative initiatives. Participants also visited the Department of Botany, University of Kerala, and Agriculture University, VeIlanikkara, providing an opportunity to interact with Indian researchers.
Genomic resources exist for banana and cassava, but they are yet to be widely deployed in breeding and integration with germplasm enhancement through induced mutagenesis. The goal of this CRP is the development of well-characterized mutants, advanced and pre-breeding lines, applicable data about genes, and genomic tools that can be combined with field-based breeding methods to increase the efficiency and reduce the time for improvement of multiple quality and related traits in banana and cassava. The RCM, as envisioned in the CRP mechanism, provided the participants and the sponsoring organizations with a veritable opportunity to review progress and plan for future activities for this project. Also, the mentoring aspect of a CRP, though subtle, was a major driving force for the successful implementation of collaborative activities and was obvious also in the interactions amongst the counterparts.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have, in recognition of the paramount socio-economic importance for the tropics and for a number of their developing member States through their Joint FAO/IAEA Programme for Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, empanelled a Coordinated Research Project (CRP) to use innovative molecular approaches to address some critical production constraints to both crops. Two centres of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT, its Spanish acronym), Cali, Colombia; and the International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantations (INIBAP) of Biodiversity International, Montpellier, France, are also participating as Research Agreement holders.
Copyright Weekly Reader Corporation Jul 25, 2007 | * A report of the Second Research Coordination Meeting held at the University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram from 5 to 9 February 2007. | Ashalatha S. Nair*, Department of Botany, University of Kerala, Kariyavattom, Thiruvananthapuram 695 581, India and Mba Chikelu, Plant Breeding Unit, Joint FAO/IAEA Agriculture and Biotechnology Laboratory, International Atomic Energy Agency Laboratories, A-2444 Seibersdorf, Austria, *e-mail: [e-mail]
Document ICUS000020070831e37p0000b
Tullow group embark on mission of mercy for orphans in Belarus
2,094 words

25 July 2007

Carlow Nationalist

CARLON

English

Copyright (c) 2007 Carlow Nationalist. Thomas Crosbie Media, TCH
A GROUP from the Tullow area will take the emotional journey to Chernobyl in Belarus, next week to help out at the orphanage Zhdanocichy.
The group is part of Chernobyl Childcare Group and while for some it is their fourth trip to the orphanage for others next week will be there first time to volunteer for the challenge.
During their stay the local crew will join volunteers from all over the country to participate in an 18-day summer camp hosted for the children from the orphanage and local foster care.
The orphanage is home to many of the children and while they are well cared for, all the little extras and treats that are the norm for Irish children are a world away from these children’s humble upbringing.
Among those taking the trip for the first time are Margaret McHutcheon of St Austin’s Terrace and Sharon Hennessy of Hawthorn Drive, Tullow. They will travel out this Saturday, July 28.
Also taking the trip are: Geraldine Byrne of Ardattin; Ann Doyle and her son, John, from Tullow; Louise Noctor, Ballyconnell; Cora Murphy, Ardattin; Nicola Ward, Tullow; Anna Cosgrave, Clonegal; Sinéad O’Keeffe and Brigid McAssey, Carlow.
"Myself and Sharon will be teaching to the pre-school in the mornings because that’s our training. We are childcare lead-ers in the Resource Centre," explained Margaret.
"Then in the afternoons we’ll be working with the summer camps," she added.
The summer camps will provide a host of activities for the children, from sport and games to arts and crafts. Margaret and Sharon will be involved in the art and craft initiatives, opening up a whole new source of enjoyment and fun to the children.
"It’s something we always wanted to do and then I heard Geraldine Byrne from Tullow taking about it, this will be her fourth trip out there, so this year I decided to go," said Margaret.
"We work with children here every day so it’s good to be able to do something for other children," Margaret said.
Understandably, the trip to Belarus can be a moving experience for volunteers and a certain amount of trepidation is common.
"We are a bit nervous but we are really looking forward to it. It’s great to think we’ll be giving all those small things to the children that are normal here.
"We do arts and crafts with the children here every day and think nothing of getting out the paints and all the things we need but they are a novelty in Belarus," Margaret added.
Each of the volunteers had to raise •500 each for the trip to cover their own flight costs and stay, so everything extra raised is given to the summer camp to help pay for equipment, material and supplies.
In this regard, the Tullow crew have again excelled, raising way above the standard •500.
Margaret and Sharon combined to raise in excess of •4,000 and are delighted with the support they received from the local community.
A table quiz was held in the Tara Arms with the support of John Colgan and the staff to raise •1,400, the staff themselves very kindly raising •160.
Tullow Sporting and Game Club also came on board and held a clay pigeon shoot which raised a terrific •2,070. All the members of the club donated the prize money won on the day while many local businesses got on board with sponsor-ship.
Many individuals and business have also approached Sharon and Margaret directly to give generously to this very worthy cause.
Tullow pharmacy staff strike gold
BY GERALDINE GITTENS
"PROUD… very proud!" is the message that comes through when talking to Peg Brennan, the Area Manager of Stack’s Pharmacies. "As employ-ees we’re delighted to be involved!"
Such a jubilant bunch is the staff at Tullow and Castledermot pharmacies, and deservedly so, after news of their winning the gold Excellence Through People Award.
"It’s an award that recognises high-quality human resources practises, and strong training and development of staff," explains Peg. The award is a prestigious one which provides a platform for firms which meet the required standards.
"We’re delighted that as a company we’ve been able to take the ownership on ourselves to achieve this award, as each member of staff had a role to play," says Diane from the Castledermot pharmacy.
Brought about by FÁS, the Excellence Through People Award aims to crack the vicious circle of high labour turnover and effectively bring a real improvement to customer care. The award is designed to improve the skills of staff members and to motivate them, thus ensuring improvements in customer service.
On the matter of staff training, Stack’s is meticulous.
"If a member of staff needs training in over-thecounter drugs or dressings for example, we run in-house courses, and we also avail of some courses which are run by the Carlow Chamber," explains Peg.
Dedicated to the wellbeing of employees, the award recognises companies which look after their staff well. Here, Stack’s surely measures up. The company provides VHI healthcare to all employ-ees working longer than six months. A further incentive for long-term employees is an extra day of annual leave, after three years of service.
And to make sure that the morale continues, there’s an entertainment fund for staff, for social events.
At the counter of every Stack’s Pharmacy, customers will notice a bowl of fruit. The company wants both staff and customers to be aware of healthy eating, and the value of a good diet. All employees are well informed on the food pyramid and customers can take a piece of fruit while doing their shopping.
The Excellence Through People Award also credits the company on its health and safety practises. "We have a health and safety officer, Andrew Stack, to oversee everything. All members of staff have a copy of health and safety regulations in their staff handbook; manual handling training is reviewed on a six-monthly basis; there’s risk management for pregnant staff, and proper rest periods for all staff," says Diane, who is involved in staff training.
Engaging in multiculturalism, the company employs staff from ten different countries. Proving to be a useful tool, this means that members of staff can help customers who can’t speak English. As well as Ireland, employ-ees come from Poland, Germany, China, Uganda, Nigeria, Russia, Latvia, Estonia, and Spain. "All of these staff members are available on the phone to help any customer who needs it," enthuses Peg.
Having achieved the second highest level of the award (gold), the company is now working hard to achieve top marks at the platinum level.
Bill is 105 and still going strong - hard to keep a good man down
AN AMAZING man who belies his tremendous age, Bill Burgess of Tobinstown, Tullow, recently celebrated his 105th birthday, making him not only Co. Carlow’s oldest resident but one of the country’s most senior citizens!
Bill is pictured here at his home with Jimmy Daly of the Department of Agriculture.
Jimmy met Bill recently in Tullow Mart, which Bill still regularly attends, an energetic feat for a man of his advanced years. However, as an agricultural man all his life Bill still enjoys keeping in touch with what’s happening in the farming community throughout the county.
Jimmy then later met Bill at his home to continue their chat. Bill is in good health and enjoys the care and support of his family.
Sam pays tribute to local music legends
A WONDERFUL evening of music and song awaits, as the Sam Anderson Summer Show comes to Mount Wolseley, Tullow, on Wednesday, August 8.
This tribute evening of entertainment, music and dance will be held in memory of those legends of the entertainment business the late Bal Moane and Rose Tynan, with all proceeds in aid of the Sudan while the raffle will be in aid of the Niall Mellon Township Trust.
This year Ardattin native Sam celebrates an incredible four decades in the business and, coupled with the launch of his recent CD, the night is one not be missed by his legions of fans.
A host of special guests from around the region will join Sam for the event including Peter Fleming, John Gorman, John Fingleton, Liz Wolfe, The Cantons, Owen O'Neill, Harry Donoghue, Dermot Whelan, John Lawlor, Jimmy Byrne, Parkie Hurley, Shamróg, Laz Murphy, Paschal Tomlinson, Martin Lacey, Paudge Coady, Mary Darcy and Paul and Claudia Dargen School of Dancing.
Mary Darcy will be MC on the night for what promises to be a great evening beginning at 9pm for a full three hours of action-packed entertainment.
All of the artists are very generously working free of charge for this very special cause, while the event itself is being organised once again by Simon Ronan.
"It should be another great night and it's for a very good cause," said Simon. "Everyone is working completely free of charge," he added.
Tickets at •10 are on sale at the following locations: Murphy's Butchers, Tullow; Noleen Browne's, Tullow; Gem Coaches, The Gem, Hacketstown; Mount Wolseley; Tullow Day Care Centre; Tullow Parish Centre; Forward Steps Resource Centre and from Simon Ronan.
Lowdown on Tinahely Show, the highlight of the summer
Tinahely Agricultural Show, taking place at Fairwood Park, Tinahely on the bank holiday Monday of August 6, will commence with classes for livestock and home industries, all of which are pre entered.
On show day entries are invited for the dog show, carriage driving, unregistered pony show jumping, horse show jumping, pets, donkeys, vintage, baby show, Little Miss and Little Master competitions, glamorous granny, parent and child lookalike competitions, most appropriately dressed lady and gent and You're A Star for children aged between eight and 12.
If none of the above is of interest there is a lot more to see, including a tug of war, sheaf tossing and horse-shoe throwing.
An **Out Of Africa** Nigerian display of cookery and jewellery making will take visitors back to the bronze age for fashion ideas and smelting skills while the sheepdog trials will demonstrate the bond between one man and his dog.
South American alpacas will also be at the show this year. They are related to the lama and bred for their luxurious, soft and warm fibre. Intelligent animals they like to be in a small group and their carers are promoting the Irish Horse Trust.
The Tinahely Show Queen Final will take place on the day with interviews and chat with the girls and the crowning of the 2007 Show Queen.
The IFA Food Hall is a must, full of mouth-watering edibles for tasting and buying. The craft village has a wide display of home-made crafts suitable for that special present or those items you have always wanted.
Visit the quilt marquee and hear the stories relating to each quilt, the skill, colour, style and stitching shows the dedication and patience of each quilter and an art that is being revived in the 21st century. There will be full catering and field facilities on the day. An information centre will be situated on the main roadway on the park across from the secretary's office. Tinahely Show is a real family fun festival day full of carnival atmosphere. Children are free as is car parking. Enquiries to (0402) 34922.
Swedes go trad in Mt Wolseley
FUINNEAMH Music-Together Group, based in Blessington, Co. Wicklow recently hosted 26 young musicians from Sweden and USA.
The visit was funded by Leargas, which is an organisation that promotes better understanding between young people from EU countries.
They brought a unique musical event to Mount Wolseley Hotel in Tullow with a concert followed by sessions in several locations in the hotel.
Vikarbyns Lilla Spelmanslag (a 22-fiddle group) presented the wonder-fully vibrant traditional music of Sweden. The Moja Fiddlers from the US put on a great show, too, and local young musicians from the group Rí Rá of Carlow, who are pupils of Dave Sheridan, were there, too. These groups captivated the audience with their performances and made the event a unique occasion which the local organisers hope can be repeated again next year.
Document CARLON0020070726e37p00010

SLW

Lions of many shades; Singapore's banking on foreign talent to reach the second round of the 2010 World Cup qualifiers

Jose [e-mail]

1,403 words

21 July 2007

TODAY (Singapore)

TDAYSG

AM N PM

62

English

(c) 2007. MediaCorp Press Ltd.
Born in England, Daniel Bennett, 29, is a tough-tackling left-back with a powerful shot.
From Nigeria, Precious Emuejeraye, 25, and Moudorou Moise, 21, are uncompromising central defenders.
High-energy Shi Jiayi, a 25-year-old from China, ploughs the midfield, with Serb-born Mustafic Fahrudin, 26, the central figure in the engine room, keeping the team ticking over. Attacking midfielder Qiu Li, 25, from China, and 22-year-old Agu Casmir from Nigeria are potent offensive weapons, bright and comfortable on the ball.
Barring injury, loss of form and, in the case of Qiu Li and Moise, citizenship, Singapore will open their 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign early next year with a first XI made up of these seven foreign-born footballers, along with four other local stars.
Launched in June 2000, the Football Association of Singapore's (FAS) foreign talent scheme has clearly become a vital production line for the national team.
But with possibly 64 per cent of the first team made up of foreign-born footballers, have the FAS gone too far in the other direction and ignored local talent?
Zainal Abidin Nordin, 47, a manager in the service industry, thinks so. He currently has one son in the national under-17 side and another in the under-23 squad.
Insisting the FAS have invested too much in the foreign talent scheme, he said: "The young boys in the youth teams are always touted as our future national footballers.
"But so many just drop away and leave after some time, disillusioned by the selection of so many foreign players.
"It is demoralising for many of the young boys in the youth teams to see the FAS continue bringing in foreign players to the national team.
"What chance do they have of getting a place in the team?"
At this year's Asean Championships, the winning Singapore team featured Bennett, Precious, Shi, Mustafic and Dickson and with more foreign talent "graduates" to come, Singapore die-hard fan Azman Nizam Salleh, 42, who has been following the Lions for the last 30 years, says the make-up of the national team is just so strange. "The identity of the Singapore national team seems to be missing. I remember the Quahs and Dollah Kassim and Fandi Ahmad and Sundram.
"We don't have such names anymore and fans are having problems identifying with the Lions."
After leading the Lions to back-to-back Asean championship titles, Radojko Avramovic is Singapore's most successful football coach. He is now plotting to take Singapore into the second round of the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, a feat the country has never achieved. The Serb's long-term goal is to make Singapore one of the top eight nations on the continent.
If the Lions are to achieve those targets, he believes the country has no choice but to rely heavily on recruiting foreign talent.
He said: "I've been here four years now, and I know there are just not enough players coming through the ranks who are good enough to make the grade for us to take on the top Asian sides.
"The current Asian Cup has shown that while teams like Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia can put up a fight, they all fall short.
"They lack players with the X-factor, players who are able to win you games at the highest level. Today, Singapore have talented local footballers like Lionel Lewis, Khairul Amri, Indra Sahdan and Noh Alam Shah.
"But unless we produce such talent consistently, we must rely on foreign talent. If we want to challenge the best in Asia, this is what we have to do. Of course, this is a short-term measure. It is not a long-term solution.
"The whole idea is to kickstart a generation of youngsters who see what can be achieved when they look at the current Singapore team and get hooked on football. "
Lawrence Lau, the club manager of S-League giants Woodlands Wellington, knows there is widespread disaffection among Singapore fans that their national team has turned to so many foreign-born players.
But he said: "Which local boy is good enough to take over the duties players like Mustafic Fahrudin and Shi Jiayi perform for the Lions?
"If we did not have these players in the national team, I don't think we would have become Asean kings and been able to give some of the top teams on the continent a run for their money."
The use of foreign football talent is not unique to Singapore. Qatar became Asian Games champions for the first time last year with four foreign-born footballers in their ranks - Sebastian Quintana (Uruguay), Mohammed Saqr (Senegal), Abdullah Koni (Senegal) and Talal Al-Bloushi (Kuwait).
The current Philippines national team boasts two Englishmen and a Spaniard in the side, while Hong Kong have four "foreign imports" in their side.
Oil-rich kingdom Bahrain had two Nigerian-born players in their Gulf Cup team in January.
It is significant that like Singapore, Bahrain, Qatar and Hong Kong all have a small population base, while football does not have a major following in the Philippines.
Along with Mirko Grabovac (Croatia) and Bennett, Brazil-born Egmar Goncalves made history when he represented Singapore in the 2002 Tiger Cup - one of the first three graduates of the FAS' foreign talent scheme.
Goncalves, who played in the S-League from its inaugural year in 1996 right up to 2006 representing Home United (previously Police FC), returned to his native Brazil earlier this year.
In a phone interview, the former striker who was capped 14 times by Singapore, said: "My roots are in Brazil. I agreed to take up citizenship to help Singapore achieve its football dreams. I feel that until Singapore is able to produce world-class footballers, then you will have to rely on foreign talent if you want to challenge for titles."
Besides the possible seven first-team starters, the Singapore squad next year could also feature two other foreign-born players on the bench in John Wilkinson and Dickson.
Englishman Wilkinson, the SAFFC midfield star, became a Singaporean after marrying a local girl, while Nigeria-born Dickson is also a graduate of the foreign talent scheme.
Singapore coach Avramovic insists it is a level playing field in the battle for first-team places. "The foreign-born players fight for their spots and are subject to the same rules," said the 56-year-old coach.
"Players like Hariss Harun, who is just 16, Indra, Khairul and Alam Shah have all proven they are better than the foreigners available.
"Indra, Khairul and Alam Shah continue to put in good performances, so they command places in the starting line-up. Hariss is already in the national team and if he continues to develop, he will take over Mustafic's role."
Moise and Qiu Li have already applied for Singapore citizenship.
Avramovic would like Moise to marshal the Singapore under-23 team's defence at the SEA Games in Thailand in December. The 20-strong squad bound for Thailand will feature only one other foreign-born player in Agu and the team have targeted a place in the final.
With a few players of international experience - Khairul, Shahril Ishak, Hassan Sunny and Fazrul Nawaz - in the squad, a battle for gold is possible.
While he waits to see if the local boys in the under-23 team can go on and become top players in the senior side, Avramovic is setting the bar high for the current pride, when the Lions' World Cup campaign kicks off. "Our target is the second round of qualifiers, where the top eight teams will do battle," he said.
"In recent years, we have proven that with a little help from foreign talent, we have been able to match Iraq, who beat Australia at the Asian Cup, and we only lost narrowly to teams like Saudi Arabia, China and Japan.
"We are a cut above the Asean sides. But this is not enough. With our foreign talent, we must aim to go far in the World Cup qualifiers next year.
"That is a sign football in the country is progressing. That is why we use the foreign talent."
Document TDAYSG0020070720e37l0000w
EQ/Money Market Portfolio - Class IB - Part 9
16,241 words

16 July 2007

Mutual Fund Prospectus Express

MFPE

English

(c) 2007 NewRiver Format. Data Licensing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Family: EQ Advisors Funds
Nasdaq-Symbol: No
Fund Type: NRMF
Filing: July 16, 2007
Effective: May 01, 2007
Type: Statement Of Additional Information
Sequence: 1

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