• Chinese president meets Chinese, Nigerian businessmen

loan or whatever form, I don't see any incompatibility with ownership.
Now, to go to your question. I think that, I don't know how much familiar you are with the projects under the new partnership for African development. But the projects that have been articulated under the infrastructure were intended to address some of the issues, which is the point of the talk to this radio. And in fact, I can tell you that there are now two programs.
There was a short-term infrastructure program, cultural development with the help of the African Development Bank. And (unintelligible) the African Development Bank has put its own money worth the tune of several hundred million and has mobilized another $1.6 million in the form of credits and loan. So, the issue, the fact of the matter that the leaders recognize the importance of this issue and are addressing it in the (unintelligible) program.
CONAN: And I don't mean to cut you off, but I wanted to give Stephen Morrison a chance to address this issue before we go. We just have about 30 seconds left or so.
Mr. OTOBO: Okay.
CONAN: So, Steve Morrison?
Mr. MORRISON: A couple of quick closing remarks. One is that this whole concern with infrastructure is getting much higher attention today. Commodity prices for oil and for minerals coming out of Africa are at historic levels. Those countries that are endowed have much higher resources to dedicate today towards infrastructure if they care to and they're committed to that.
Those that are not endowed find themselves even more disadvantaged with much higher bills to pay. You have a reform movement within Africa itself, our most recent caller put an emphasis on that, where you have African leaders stepping forward and saying, we will reform, but we need help from donors, particularly in the poorest, in making the bid back onto infrastructure. And you have new instruments like the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the Chinese coming in, and the South African government putting a region wide push on infrastructure development in southern Africa.
CONAN: Stephen Morrison, we want to thank you very much. He's the Director of the Africa program at the Center for Strategic and International studies.
Our thanks to Eloho Otobo, Chief of Policy Analysis in the monitoring unit of the special adviser for Africa at the UN. This is NPR news.
Document TOTN000020060406e24500003
Nigeria: Trade regulations
2,886 words

4 April 2006

Economist Intelligence Unit - ViewsWire

EIUCP

ViewsWire

15

English

(C) 2006 The Economist Intelligence Unit Ltd.
COUNTRY BRIEFING
FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT
Nigeria’s primary export markets in 2004 were the United States, India, Spain and Brazil. Chief import sources were the US, China, the UK and the Netherlands. Nigeria’s exports consist primarily of crude oil, whereas most of its imports consist of machinery and transport equipment, chemical products and manufactured goods, especially iron and steel.
Nigeria was a member of the Lome IV Convention, under which 72 African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries (mostly former colonies) were affiliated with the European Union. Under the terms of the convention, industrial exports from these countries entered the EU free of duty and quantitative restrictions if they complied with certain rules of origin. Some agricultural products remain subject to restrictions but receive most-favoured-nation treatment. Lome IV expired on February 29th 2000. Negotiations on new arrangements began in September 1998, and an interim agreement was signed at Cotonou, Benin in June 2000. This provided for the continuation of the present favourable terms for access to the EU market for another eight years.
Nigeria is a member country of the Summit Level Group of Developing Countries, known as the G15. This group was established during the ninth Summit of Heads of State/Government of the Non-Aligned Movement held in Belgrade in September 1989. The group, with 16 member countries, aims to achieve effective management of defined economic goals. Nigeria has reaped dividends from participation in the group by increasing trade with other members.
Nigeria also belongs to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which aims to establish a common market among its members. However, the volume of formal trade between Nigeria and other ECOWAS countries is relatively small. The ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS) provides for four successive 25% annual reductions in customs duty on approved manufactured products. Around 50% of the nearly 1,000 industrial products admitted under the trade scheme are manufactured in Nigeria.
To avail itself of the scheme, a company applies to the National Planning Commission, which confirms the claims on local content, plant capacity and related items before forwarding the application to ECOWAS headquarters. Companies registered under the scheme include Cadbury (for confectionery and beverages), Carnaud Metalbox (for packaging), UAC Foods and PZ Industries (a Nigerian-owned consumer-products company). However, companies complain that they cannot take advantage of the preferential tariffs because the institutional framework to implement the scheme is not yet in place. Furthermore, few bona fide manufacturers can compete favourably with the informal sector, which operates a well-run trading system.
The Congress of the United States passed into law the African Growth and Opportunity Act in mid-2000. Under this legislation, specified manufactured goods with predominantly local content and value added can be exported to the US at concessionary or zero-duty rates.
Nigeria adheres to the Harmonised System of Customs Tariff. All duties are levied on an ad valorem basis.
A comprehensive tariff revision is covered by the Customs, Excise Tariff (Consolidation) Decree 4 of 1995, which took effect on March 1st 1995 for 1995–2001. Main features of the regime included the following: a narrower range of customs duties; few exemptions from the rate structure; fewer rates; more uniform rates; fewer import prohibitions; and a generally lower average rate.
In 2001 the federal government undertook a radical review and reduction of tariffs on many items as part of its poverty-alleviation drive. The imported items were mostly major raw materials for manufacturers in the following areas: pharmaceuticals; agricultural production and animal husbandry; petroleum products; soap and detergent; tyres and tubes; papers and printing materials; textiles, plastics and rubber products; engineering parts for assembly plants; paints and industrial chemicals; educational material; essential machinery and spare parts; and fertiliser. Gypsum, a chemical used predominantly in cement production, was removed from the import prohibition list in 2001 but now attracts a 65% duty rate.
Nigeria is a member of the World Trade Organisation and is aware that maintaining a permanent import-prohibition policy would violate its commitments and might attract retaliatory measures from trading partners. Despite that, the Obasanjo administration has been adding items to a growing list of prohibited imports.
Under import guidelines, an importer must first obtain an import-duty report (IDR) from a pre-shipment inspection agency. The importer takes the IDR to any one of the banks designated by the government to collect duties, with the assessed duties calculated at the prevailing exchange rate at the Interbank Foreign Exchange Market, and the importer pays the duty into the government’s import-duty account. The importer can then collect the goods from the ports. Since port personnel are known to demand bribes, however, the number of agencies authorised to operate at the ports has been reduced to six (from 18). An import-duty surcharge of 7% of the import duty assessed is in force, payable to the “Federal Government of Nigeria Surcharge Account”. Value-added tax also is payable at 5% of the duty charged. In addition, landing charges are levied on some imported items that compete with specific locally produced substitutes. For instance, a sugar-development levy of 5% is imposed on the cif value of imported sugar to aid the development of local sugar production. Similarly, for motor vehicles, a landing charge of 2% of the cif value is payable to the government.
Nigeria has in place the Automated System for Customs Data Entry and Control (Asycuda). The civil engineering and installation aspects of the Asycuda project have been completed at the airports (cargo) and seaports in the Lagos area. But certain factors affect its smooth implementation, including the visible dearth of computers needed for the smooth operation of the scheme and the lack of trained workers to use the computers effectively.
Fundamental indicators: foreign trade

Foreign trade (% growth) 2004 estimate 2005 estimate 2006 forecast

Exports of goods and services 8.0 6.8 9.4

Imports of goods and services 6.5 6.6 16.9

Foreign trade (% of GDP)      

Exports of goods and services 56.3 64.7 62.3

Imports of goods and services 39.2 36.8 37.2

Trade figures (US$ bn)      

Current-account balance 3.3 7.7 14.0

as a percent of GDP 4.4 8.0 11.6

Goods: exports fob 37.3 49.5 60.4

Goods: imports fob -19.1 -26.1 -29.9

Trade balance 18.3 23.3 30.5

Services: credit 1.7 2.0 2.1

Services: debit -7.5 -8.6 -9.0

Services balance -5.9 -6.7 -6.9

Source: Economist Intelligence Unit, Country Forecast Nigeria, March 2006.


Import bans apply to certain locally produced agricultural products or to locally sourced raw materials and semi-processed raw materials, certain finished goods, items considered unsafe because of poor quality control and items in which Nigeria has attained self-sufficiency. The import prohibition list has grown over the last few years, reversing the trend since 1996 of opening the market to competition. The long list of goods that may not be imported into Nigeria include furniture items such as curtains; building materials such as corrugated boards; personal clothing items such as men shoes and bags; hygiene products such as soap, toothpaste and detergents; and assembled bicycles. Officials claim that the additional prohibitions are designed to stop the dumping of cheap and substandard imports, from Asia in particular.
Having banned more than 40 products since August 2002, the Obasanjo administration’s trade policy is probably as restrictive as any pursued by previous military governments. There is little evidence, however, that the non-tariff barriers have helped local industries. Instead, import prohibitions have encouraged smuggling through Nigeria’s porous borders. Even if import bans were successful in removing foreign goods from the market, local industries would still need to tackle the array of factors that now make them uncompetitive; these include the lack of investment in machinery upgrades, dilapidated infrastructure and poor management.
The government restored pre-shipment inspection on September 1st 1999. Bureau Veritas, Societe Generale de Surveillance, Swede Control Intertek and Cotecna Inspections are the government’s appointed inspection agents. All goods except personal effects, used motor vehicles and perishables imported into the country are subject to pre-shipment inspection in the country of supply. Commercial imports must be accompanied by the final invoice bearing the CRI (clean report of inspection) number with an adequate description of the goods, packing list and transport documents. The CRI number must be stated on the relevant bill of lading and also written against each item in the cargo manifest. Apart from those items exempt from pre-shipment inspection, all goods entering the country without a CRI are impounded. Exempt items include the following: gold, precious stones, explosive and pyrotechnic products, art works, military items, weapons, used motor vehicles, perishables and parcel posts or samples. Personal items are imported at zero duty as certified by the pre-shipment inspection agents. All unaccompanied personal items are subject to pre-shipment inspection, regardless of value.
With the implementation of the Automated System for Customs Data Entry and Control (Asycuda) and the installation of x-ray inspection machines at the ports, every importer must have an Asycuda number, issued by the Nigerian Customs Service. In addition, a local clearing agent is required for clearance of goods from the ports.
Form M (visibles) documentation is required for statistical purposes and to aid import-duty assessment. Importers must process the Form M through any authorised commercial/merchant bank, whether or not the import is valid for foreign exchange.
Labelling requirements do not pose a major problem, but health, safety and environmental standards are becoming increasingly significant issues for importers. Two entities that have gained in prominence in recent years are the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC). The SON issued guidelines in June 1996 for product-quality inspection and the provisional release of imported goods. If the SON receives a timely application along with photocopies of the bill of lading, a CRI, the packing list/invoice and other specified identification documents, the goods should be released within the 48-hour period approved by the government for clearing goods at the ports.
NAFDAC regulates and controls import, export, manufacturing, advertisement, distribution, and safe use of food, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices, bottled water and chemicals. NAFDAC now requires that all such items to be imported for distribution in Nigeria must first be registered with it. The Central Bank of Nigeria announced in February 1999 that importers and exporters of regulated products would not be permitted to participate in the Interbank Foreign Exchange Market without proof of NAFDAC registration. NAFDAC guidelines also stipulate that labelling must be informative and accurate, and it sets minimum requirements in this respect. It also conducts inspections at the ports, for which it charges a nominal fixed fee. There is still demand from pressure groups for streamlining the functions of NAFDAC and SON to eliminate areas of conflict between the two bodies in their operations at the ports.
To guard against sub-standard equipment, the National Communications Commission (NCC) approves any telecommunications equipment for use in Nigeria by any of the licensed private telecoms service providers. For this purpose, the NCC has installed a type-test laboratory at its facilities in Nigeria. But with specialised high-technology equipment, such as for providers offering private network links or cellular systems, NCC officials will travel abroad to inspect and test the equipment at any convenient location at the proposed importer’s cost. The Nigerian Communications Act was passed in July 2003; it grants the NCC its independence as the regulator for the industry.
Importers must buy their foreign exchange from the Interbank Foreign Exchange Market (IFEM). The exporter is allowed to hold export proceeds in an export domiciliary account or trade them through any bank of the exporter’s choice on the IFEM. The initial validity of an appropriate Form M for general goods is 180 days. Validity may be extended more than once by an authorised dealer if, with the extension, the validity of the Form M does not exceed the maximum of 360 days.
There are no special industry or favoured-nation provisions in Nigeria. Nigeria does not generally discriminate against imports from any country except in suspected cases of dumping or subsidies, when special import levies may be imposed.
No quantitative restrictions or quotas apply to imports into Nigeria, and there are no prior-deposit requirements. The impediments to imports—mostly corruption at the ports—are being systematically addressed by the streamlining of personnel and administrative functions.
Agricultural commodities destined for export are subject to export levies of up to 10%; exports of unprocessed cocoa beans (Nigeria’s second-largest export by value) are subject to a special 10% levy. The Central Bank of Nigeria collects these on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Export Commodities Co-ordinating Committee. The levies are government revenues used primarily for servicing Nigeria’s financial obligations to international commodity organisations to which it belongs.
All exporters are liable for regular port charges.
The Nigerian Export Processing Zone Act of 1992 empowers the president to designate areas as export-processing zones (EPZs). There is an EPZ in Calabar, and the Ogun and Ondo state governments are constructing an EPZ in Olokola.
Under the law, benefits to enterprises within the EPZ include exemption from taxes, duties, foreign-exchange restrictions and import/export licence requirements. Such enterprises also enjoy a rent-free period during factory construction. Enterprises wishing to operate in the EPZ need to apply to the Nigerian Export Processing Zone Authority. Required supporting documents include a feasibility study and evidence of available resources to execute the project. (For the latter, the track record of the project sponsor may suffice.) Companies in an EPZ may sell up to 25% of their production domestically on payment of import duty. EPZ rent, payable annually, is to be used to help fund the costs of national infrastructure projects.
The Oil and Gas Free Zone, announced in 1996 pursuant to the Oil and Gas Export Free Zone Act 8 of 1996, was inaugurated on March 8th 1997 in the town of Onne (Rivers state), where a new deep-water port is being constructed. The law creates an authority responsible for granting or cancelling licences to operate in the zone. DMS of the UK and Intels Services, an Italian port and marine oil terminal-management company already offering port services at Onne, operate the zone.
The Nigerian Export Processing Zone Authority is receiving proposals from various state governments including Lagos for a zone along its coastline in Lekki, Jigawa, Akwa Ibom, Kwara, Borno and Oyo states.
All exports are subject to pre-shipment inspection under the Nigerian Export Supervision Scheme (NESS), mainly to ensure that exporters repatriate their correct foreign-exchange earnings. The exporter completes a Nigeria Export Proceeds (NXP) form in sextuplicate at least ten days prior to export, and the forms must be deposited with the exporter’s bank for registration, from which four copies are sent to the inspection agent. The exporter pays the bank an NESS administrative charge of 1% and a fee of 0.15% ad valorem of the fob value of the non-oil and oil goods, respectively, which the bank remits to the Central Bank of Nigeria. If on inspection the goods are valued higher, the exporter is liable for additional payments. Loading takes place only after the exporter receives a clean report of inspection (CRI) from the inspection agent. The export-inspection scheme adds to the cost of exports from Nigeria, making them less competitive in international markets.
Licences are required to export petroleum products. Export is prohibited for a few items (such as rough and sawn timber, scrap metals, and raw hides and skins) for conservation reasons and to protect some local industries (like tanneries). In practice, significant amounts of hardwood logs are exported, particularly cut timber, which exporters classify as “completely knocked-down” furniture parts. Exports of unprocessed rubber latex and rubber lumps also are banned. As with wood, few bans are wholly effective.
To encourage more non-oil exports, clients may use the Negotiable Duty Credit Certificate in lieu of cash to settle claims of beneficiaries under the manufacturer-in-bond scheme (MIBS). The grant given to exporters of processed products is 10% of annual export turnover.
The Nigerian Export Credit Guarantee and Insurance Corp (Nexim), created in 1990, handles the government’s export guarantee scheme, which protects non-oil exports against political risks. Exports may be made against bills for collection (that may be financed through the Interbank Foreign Exchange Market) or irrevocable letters of credit. Exports of crude oil are usually insured overseas under special arrangements.
Nexim also provides export credit, related guarantees and refinancing of Nigerian banks’ short-term advances to exporters. Since the refinancing rate is set below the market rate for similar deposits, this facility improves lending banks’ margins on export finance while providing a subsidised rate to the exporter. But Nexim’s cumbersome procedures and cash-strapped condition (from widespread defaults on an African Development Bank loan) greatly affected its operations through 2000.
EIU ViewsWire 04 Apr 2006 (T15:01), Part 15 of 43
Document EIUCP00020060406e2440000f

TWRAQ, XKEM, CGXP, CHTP, IWEB, LXRS Have Also Been Removed From Naked Short Lists Today
2,028 words

4 April 2006

M2 Presswire

MTPW

English

(c) 2006 M2 Communications, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
www.buyins.net , announced today that these select companies have been removed from the NASDAQ, AMEX and NYSE naked short threshold lists: Tower Automotive, Inc. (OTC: TWRAQ), Xechem International, Inc. (OTCBB: XKEM), Ceragenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (OTCBB: CGXP), Chelsea Therapeutics International, Ltd. (OTCBB: CHTP), IceWEB, Inc. (OTCBB: IWEB), Lexington Resources, Inc. (OTCBB: LXRS). For a complete list of companies on the naked short lists please visit our web site. To find the SqueezeTrigger Price before a short squeeze starts in any stock, go to www.buyins.net .
Tower Automotive, Inc. (OTC: TWRAQ) engages in the design and production of structural components and assemblies used by vehicle manufacturers. Its products comprise body structures and assemblies, lower vehicle structures, suspension and powertrain modules, and suspension components. Tower Automotive's body structures and assemblies include large metal stampings, such as body pillars, roof rails, side sills, parcel shelves, and intrusion beams. It also comprises exposed sheet metal components, such as body sides, pick-up box sides, door panels, and fenders. The company's lower vehicle structures consist of heavy gauge metal stampings from both traditional and hydroforming methods, including pickup truck and SUV full frames, automotive engine and rear suspension cradles, floor pan components, and cross members. Its suspension and powertrain modules include axle assemblies, which comprise stamped metal trailing axles, assembled brake shoes, hoses and tie rods, and front and rear structural suspension modules/systems. These modules/systems comprise control arms, suspension links, value-added assemblies, and powertrain modules. The company's suspension components consist of stamped, formed, and welded products, such as control arms, suspension links, track bars, spring and shock towers, and trailing axles. Tower Automotive also manufactures various other products, including heat shields and other precision stampings for its original equipment manufacturer customers. It has production and engineering facilities in the United States, Canada, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Poland, France, Spain, Brazil, India, Slovakia, Korea, Japan, China, and Mexico. Tower Automotive was formed in 1993 and is headquartered in Novi, Michigan. The company filed to reorganize under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in February 2005. Tower Automotive operates its business as a debtors-in-possession. With 58.53 million shares outstanding and an undisclosed short position, there is no longer a failure to deliver in shares of TWRAQ.
Xechem International, Inc. (OTCBB: XKEM) a development stage biopharmaceutical company, engages in the research, development, and production of generic and proprietary drugs from natural sources. Its principal product under development is NICOSAN/HEMOXIN, which would be used for the treatment of sickle cell disease. The company also applies its proprietary extraction, isolation, and purification technology to the production and manufacture of Paclitaxel, which is an anti-cancer compound used for the treatment of ovarian, breast, small cell lung cancers, and AIDS related kaposi sarcomas. In addition, Xechem International engages in the research and development of other compounds using traditional medicinal plants, microbial fermentation, or semisynthesis to produce anti-cancer, anti-fungal, anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, and memory enhancing compounds. The company has operations in the United States, India, China, and Nigeria. Xechem International was founded in 1994 by Ramesh C. Pandey and is headquartered in New Brunswick, New Jersey. With 259.69 million shares outstanding and an undisclosed short position, there is no longer a failure to deliver in shares of XKEM.
Ceragenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (OTCBB: CGXP) a development stage biopharmaceutical company, engages in the development and commercialization of products in dermatology and infectious disease based on its two patented technologies, skin barrier repair and cationic steroid antibiotics (CSAs). The company is developing two topical creams, Epiceram and Neoceram. Epiceram is its first prescription dermatological product being developed based on the skin barrier repair technology. Its skin barrier repair technology is licensed from the University of California. Epiceram is intended for use as primary or adjunct therapy for the treatment of various dermatoses, including atopic dermatitis (eczema), radiation dermatitis, end stage renal disease associated pruritus, and adjunct therapy for precancerous skin lesions (actinic keratoses). The company filed its 510(k) application for Epiceram with FDA and would commercially launch the product on receiving the clearance. Neoceram, its second planned product, is a pediatric barrier repair cream. It is intended for use to reduce excessive water loss through the fragile skin of premature infants. The company plans to file its 510(k) application for Neoceram after receiving clearance for Epiceram. Its CSAs technology is based on patents licensed from Brigham Young University covering a novel class of cationic molecules. The CSAs technology provides the basis for its novel antimicrobial medical device coating that may be attached to various medical devices to provide long duration antimicrobial activity. Ceragenix plans to develop CSAs for use as topical and systemic antibiotic therapies in the treatment of skin infections (MRSA), burn wound infections, eye infections, and gram-negative bacteria. The company is headquartered in Denver, Colorado. With 15.53 million shares outstanding and an undisclosed short position, there is no longer a failure to deliver in shares of CGXP.
Chelsea Therapeutics International, Ltd. (OTCBB: CHTP) a development stage company, engages in the acquisition, development, and commercialization of pharmaceutical products for the treatment of immunological diseases. The company has completed phase Ib trial of its leading drug candidate, CH-1504, an orally available, metabolically inert, anti-inflammatory, and anti-tumor agent for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease, and certain cancers. Chelsea Therapeutics was incorporated in 2002 and is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. With 12.38 million shares outstanding and an undisclosed short position, there is no longer a failure to deliver in shares of CHTP.
IceWEB, Inc. (OTCBB: IWEB) provides integrated enterprise networking and security solutions, content delivery software, and professional consulting services to both public and private enterprises. The company's products primarily include IceWEB CMS, IceWEB Studio, IceSHOW, Propster, IceWEB Portal, and Learningstream.com. These products enable users to independently manage, create, and deliver mission critical information and data. Its security and networking solutions enable its customers for data management and system control. The company sells its products primarily through direct sales force and online Web site. IceWEB is headquartered in Herndon, Virginia. With 6.33 million shares outstanding and an undisclosed short position, there is no longer a failure to deliver in shares of IWEB.
Lexington Resources, Inc. (OTCBB: LXRS) engages in the exploration, acquisition, and development of oil and gas properties in the United States. The company holds 80% working interest and a 60.56% net revenue interest in approximately 590 gross acres of a gas lease, known as the Wagnon Property, located in the Arkoma Basin of Pittsburg County, Oklahoma. It also holds an option to acquire interests in up to 3,687 acres of Barnett Shale gas targeted properties located in the Dallas Fort Worth Basin of Jack and Palo Pinto Counties, Texas. Lexington Resources is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. With 17.60 million shares outstanding and an undisclosed short position, there is no longer a failure to deliver in shares of LXRS.
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Document MTPW000020060404e244003bh

A Summary of Illinois News
By The Associated Press

1,906 words

4 April 2006

04:46 AM

Associated Press Newswires

APRS

English

(c) 2006. The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS, Ill. (AP) - In the fickle world of severe weather, the difference between life and death can be a matter of a few feet. Doug Young is proof.
Sensing trouble the instant he saw debris swirling Sunday outside the Fairview Heights clothing store where he worked security, the off-duty police officer barely mustered a warning and a couple strides of retreat when the small tornado hit.
Part of K&G Fashion Superstore's roof and wall came crashing down, killing Young's best friend since youth, Delancey Moore, 54, of East St. Louis. But Young also got lucky -- an air pocket helped him survive in a cocoon of debris for about 45 minutes before being freed.
"I'm so blessed," Young, 54, said Monday by telephone from his hospital bed in Belleville, where he had a bruised chest, 10 stitches in a knee, and various cuts and bruises on his back and elbow.
Not bad for a guy who first thought he'd be missing some limbs.
"I was thankful to God that he delivered my prayers," Young said.
CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill. (AP) -- It would seem a simple question: Whether to give rowers a permit to have a boat race this summer on a small man-made lake about 50 miles northwest of Chicago.
But because the rowers are gay -- participating in something called the Gay Games -- what would normally be a mundane debate about parking and street closures is instead a heated battle between those who see the event as a threat to their small town way of life and those who see those views as simply small-minded.
On Tuesday, the City Council is scheduled to discuss whether to allow the Gay Games to hold its rowing event in this bedroom community of 40,000 residents. One look at the angry letters to the editor that have frequently appeared in the local newspaper reveal it isn't the logistics of the race that's on residents' minds.
"Make no mistake: The purpose of the Gay Games is to legitimize homosexuality and make it appear as a wholesome lifestyle choice," wrote Tim Coakley, a critic of the games.
In the same day's paper, Perry and Christine Koste dismissed such views. After wondering if Crystal Lake's motto should be "homophobic capital of the Midwest," they asked, "How proud are we to live in such a narrow-minded, backward hateful community?"
The debate over the Olympics-style Gay Games was the subject of two contentious hearings before the city's park district last month. The full board ultimately voted to approve the race, sending it to the City Council. If the council approves it, the race would only need permission from a neighboring town that borders the lake before the event can be held.
CHICAGO (AP) -- Terria Dunlap got in her car and headed for the expressway at the center of Chicago's web of interstates on Monday morning despite weeks of warnings that the highway's $600 million massive overhaul would cause unimaginable traffic headaches.
"I'm going to take my chances and try my luck," Dunlap, 30, said before driving onto the Dan Ryan Expressway, Chicago's busiest highway and also the most direct route between Minneapolis and Pittsburgh, Milwaukee and Detroit.
Monday marked the first rush hours on the 11-mile expressway since it was slashed to six lanes from as many as 14 as part of the largest highway rehabilitation project in Chicago's history.
Officials had predicted a traffic nightmare, but congestion on the Dan Ryan resembled normal rushes. Suggested alternate city streets had more drivers, but Illinois Department of Transportation spokeswoman Marisa Kollias said traffic also moved well there despite increased volume.
"From this point, we need for the community to continue to cooperate," she said Monday night. "We don't want the public to wake up one morning and think `what's one more car on the Ryan?' If we have 30,000 waking up and saying that, then we'll have a traffic jam."
The rehab began Friday night as IDOT crews shut down express lanes and pushed all traffic to three local lanes with no emergency shoulder areas.
When it's done, the rebuilt expressway will have a new lane in each direction, a better surface and rehabbed access ramps. Traffic planners hope the changes will reduce chronic congestion on a road that handles 320,000 vehicles a day, more than twice the number it was designed for 45 years ago.
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (AP) -- The defense says it will rest its case Tuesday after six days of testimony in the murder trial of a man charged with drowning his then-girlfriend's three young children in Clinton Lake 2 1/2 years ago.
Attorneys say a jury could begin deliberations by Thursday in the trial of Maurice LaGrone Jr., who is charged with nine counts of first-degree murder and faces the death penalty if convicted.
Defense attorneys also planned to ask a judge Tuesday to reconsider a ruling that bars evidence about tests they say support LaGrone's account of how he escaped the car as it slipped into the lake on Sept. 2, 2003.
DeWitt County Judge Stephen H. Peters barred evidence about the re-enactments Monday after prosecutors argued that what happened after the car went into the water is irrelevant in the murder case against LaGrone.
"How is this going to aid the jury in determining ... whether this was intentional or an accident?" prosecutor Roger Simpson argued.
Prosecutor Ed Parkinson said outside court that "means a lot" to the state's case against LaGrone, 30, charged in the deaths of 6-year-old Christopher Hamm, 3-year-old Austin Brown, and 23-month-old Kyleigh Hamm.
Defense attorney Jeff Justice speculated Peters' ruling may have been influenced by a long day in court, coming about nine hours after the trial opened Monday.
CHICAGO (AP) -- The Associated Press is responding to the demands of the digital era for additional content by introducing news video for the Web, a multimedia young readers' service, more sports and financial information, expanded choice in photos, and new formats like blogs and podcasts, Tom Curley, AP's president and CEO, said Monday.
"We know the digital era requires more content, not less," Curley told executives representing AP member newspapers and broadcast companies at the cooperative's annual meeting. "And it requires content edited and packaged in ways that help user access and allow for advertising placement."
Immediately following Curley's speech, the attendees heard four AP reporters from around the world discuss one of the most pressing issues of our era, the growing demand for and cost of oil, and the strains that puts on both producing and consuming nations.
The presentation was moderated by Kathleen Carroll, AP's executive editor, and included Ed Harris, who is based in West Africa, Robert Tanner, based in New York, Chelsea Carter, based in Los Angeles, and Elaine Kurtenbach, who spoke by satellite from China.
Harris discussed how impoverished residents of countries like Nigeria -- which accounts for 15 percent of American oil imports -- fail to benefit from their nations' coveted natural resource.
He said 10,000 people have died and 3 million been left homeless in strife since the end of military rule in Nigeria in 1999.
CHICAGO (AP) -- Motorola Inc. said Monday it is selling its automotive electronics business to German tire company Continental AG for about $1 billion, enabling the cell-phone maker to focus more exclusively on communications technology.
The 4,500-employee unit, which had about $1.6 billion in sales last year, makes telematics products used for vehicle navigation and safety services, as well as sensors used in steering, braking, and power doors and windows. The companies said the cash deal is expected to close by the end of June.
Continental, a leading automotive supplier, said the acquisition will boost overall sales of its $6.5 billion-a-year automotive systems division while also adding telematics products. Manfred Wennemer, its executive board chairman, called the business "a perfect fit with our strategy of providing sophisticated safety systems to our customers."
"It makes a lot of sense for us to invest in a (North American) market where we see in the future more than 16 million cars being built," Wennemer said on a conference call from Frankfurt.
Continental said it will keep the telematics business and its several hundred employees in Chicago while maintaining Auburn Hills, Mich., as the headquarters of its automotive systems division. Wennemer said there will be "hardly any reduction in force" as a result of the acquisition.
Motorola has been looking into selling the unit since last fall. The business has been overshadowed by the handset unit, which accounts for more than half of the company's $35 billion in sales and is runner-up in the world market behind Finland's Nokia Corp. Results also have been weakened by the struggles of its automotive-supply customers.
CHICAGO (AP) -- There are far more ads for fast food and snacks on black-oriented TV than on channels with more general programming, researchers report in a provocative study that suggests a link to high obesity rates in black children.
The results come from a study that lasted just one week in the summer. Commercials on Black Entertainment Television, the nation's first black-targeted cable channel, were compared with ads during afternoon and evening shows on the WB network and Disney Channel.
Of the nearly 1,100 ads, more than half were for fast food and drinks, such as sodas.
About 66 percent of the fast-food ads were on BET, compared with 34 percent on WB and none on Disney. For drinks, 82 percent were on BET, 11 percent on WB and 6 percent on Disney; and for snacks, 60 percent were on BET, none on WB and 40 percent on Disney.
The study in a pediatric medical journal accompanies separate research: a study indicating kids consume an extra 167 calories, often from advertised foods, for every hour of TV they watch; and a report suggesting even preschoolers get fat from watching more than two hours of daily TV.
The articles appear in April's Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, a theme issue on media and children's health released Monday.
CHICAGO (AP) -- Two separate studies show a woman's risk for a first bout with depression rises sharply as she approaches menopause.
One of the studies measured hormone levels in 231 Philadelphia-area women over eight years and found that a woman's chances of tumbling into depression grew as her hormones changed.
The message for women at mid-life?
"It's not all in your head," said Ellen Freeman of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and a co-author of the Philadelphia study.
Most women reach menopause without suffering depression, but both new studies suggest that some may be more sensitive to the transition.
"There is a subgroup of women who, for multiple reasons, may be more vulnerable," said Dr. Lee Cohen of Harvard Medical School, a co-author of the second study, which followed 460 Boston-area women for six years.
The Philadelphia study found that women with a history of premenstrual syndrome, or PMS, were more likely to experience depression when they neared menopause.
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Document APRS000020060404e2440016z
Letters

Letters

1,071 words

3 April 2006

Fortune European Edition

FORTUE

8

English

Copyright (c) 2006 Fortune European Edition. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All Rights Reserved.
Deadly Caution
"FIRST DO NO HARM" works pretty well unless it is carried to extremes ("Deadly Caution," Feb. 20). When the public is informed enough to appreciate the damage that can result from new drugs' not being approved expeditiously, the political aspects of the FDA's decision-making process will probably change to reflect that perspective. That calls for significant representation of patients on review panels, since their interests are necessarily different from those of others on the review panel.
A cost-effective program could also be instituted to capture better information on the effects of drugs after they have been approved and are on the market. That would reduce the risk for the FDA of okaying a drug, since it would tend to lower the extent of post-approval damage.
STEVE REED Lebanon, Ill.
YOUR STORY has merit in its premise that "our national obsession with drug safety is killing people"--especially as it applies to cancer drugs for terminally ill patients.
If you ever decide to do a story showing the flip side to your argument, psychiatric drugs are a good rock to look under. Quite a few bodies are buried there, and I truly wish the FDA had exercised the same caution in approving them that it apparently has in drugs to treat cancer.
If there is something wrong with the FDA's process for getting promising drugs to market quickly enough, certainly there is also something wrong with the oversight process--if such could even be said to exist--when approved drugs show serious side effects. Once a drug receives FDA approval, the chances of getting it taken off the market are very small, and the amount of data that must be submitted and reviewed to support its removal is enormous.
ERNEST RYAN Temperance, Mich.
For more on this subject, see David Stipp's "Trouble in Prozac Nation" in this issue.
Thinking Globally EAMONN FINGLETON'S "Manufacturing Matters" (Dispatches, March 6) should be required reading for all CEOs of American corporations and all national leaders. Fingleton hits the nail on the head about the shortsightedness of American industry for not investing intensively to maintain the nation's manufacturing base, and consequently depending increasingly on imports. Furthermore, American managers and national leaders have yet to incorporate into their strategic thinking the need to look beyond the domestic market and to manufacture for export, a notion ingrained in the mindset of industrial countries with high per capita income and trade surpluses--Germany and Japan being leading examples. Americans will have to double their exports just to match their level of imports.
JACQUELINE BUGNION St. George, Switzerland