• This Day (Nigeria) aagm: Political Economy of Sustainable Democracy in Nigeria (2)

aid to nations already skirmishing with their neighbors over disputed drilling areas.
China's oil deals with Iran and Sudan have made it hard, perhaps impossible, for the United Nations to sanction those two countries over Tehran's nuclear weapons ambitions or the ongoing genocide in Darfur. That, analysts say, is just the beginning of how U.S. diplomatic efforts will be complicated in the future by oil for China, a veto-holding member of the U.N. Security Council.
With China knocking on their door, countries such as Venezuela and Nigeria have begun to play an oil card aimed at countering U.S. leverage on issues like good governance and human rights.
"In the long run we will see more of the same, political and diplomatic disagreements or problems, because China will be in bed with all kinds of countries," Luft said. "They're going to need a lot of oil, and they're going to do everything they can to get it."
That could help explain why President Bush was holding hands --- literally and figuratively --- with Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah when the oil sheik visited his Texas ranch last month. With nearly one-fifth of the world's proven crude oil reserves, the Saudis are a key part of the administration's efforts to ensure steady and affordable supplies.
Beijing, not surprisingly, rejects the blame for surging oil prices, which last week climbed back above $50 for a 42-gallon barrel, about $9 a barrel shy of their April peak.
Chen Tonghai, chairman of the Chinese oil giant Sinopec Corp., told reporters this month that a slumping U.S. dollar had forced oil prices up.
Economic heft
Oil is but one area in which the burgeoning East Asian superpower is beginning to challenge the U.S. position in the world.
Its economic heft is giving China clout in global trade and finance, even as it hunts down still other strategic commodities abroad --- uranium, iron ore and copper among them. Some analysts, recalling the shortages of oil and industrial metals that led Japan to attack Pearl Harbor six decades ago, wonder whether China and the United States aren't on a similar collision course.
Others, though, say the two countries' common oil needs provide a chance for the United States and China to cooperate on the development of conservation technologies, improved extraction techniques and alternative fuels such as hydrogen cells and biomass.
"It's very easy for anything involving oil to become encrusted with myths and caught up in nationalist fervor," warned Yergin, president of Cambridge Energy Research Associates.
Rather than taking that approach, he said, "it's really very important that we have as clear a dialogue as we can with the Chinese on energy."
ID: Type: Photo Name: Date: 05/29/2005 Page: C1 Edition: Home Pub: AJC Caption: GREG BAKER / Associated Press Chinese oil demand will grow 33 percent more than previously forecast this year, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. | ID: Type: Graphic Name: OILROUTES052905 Date: 05/29/2005 Page: C7 Edition: Home Pub: AJC Caption: MICHAEL DABROWA / Staff MAJOR OIL ROUTES There is more international trade in oil than any other commodity. In general, crude oil and petroleum products go to the nearest market first because transportation costs are less. Graphic shows: Oil to Brazil and U.S. from Middle East Oil to U.S. from Europe (North Sea) Oil to U.S. from Canada Oil to U.S. from Mexico Oil to U.S. from Venezuela Oil to Japan and China from Middle East Oil to Japan and China from Indonesia Oil to Europe from Russia Oil to Europe from Nigeria MAJOR CHOKEPOINTS: 1. Bab el-Mandab: Used by Persian Gulf tankers bound for the Suez Canal. 2. Bosporus/Turkish Straits: Transit point for 5,500 tankers a year. The largest outlet for most Russian oil 3. Strait of Hormuz: The exit point for Persian Gulf tankers headed for Arabian Sea. 4. Strait of Malacca: Transit point for oil headed for Pacific Rim countries. 5. Suez Canal/pipeline: Major transit point for Saudi Arabian oil headed to Europe and the United States. TOP THREE CONSUMING NATIONS United States: 20,520,000 barrels a day China: 6,630,000 barrels a day Japan: 5,440,000 barrels a day 2004 estimates Proven worldwide crude oil reserves: 1,277,702,000,000 barrels Total worldwide petroleum production*: 82,972,000 barrels a day (2004 average) Crude oil production worldwide: 72,477,000 barrels a day (2004 average) *Includes crude oil, natural gas plant liquids, other liquids and refinery processing gains Source: Energy Information Administration Graphic includes world map. Research by WAYNE SNOW / Staff | ID: GAS STATION Type: Graphic Name: OILFRONT052905 Date: 05/29/2005 Page: C1 Edition: Home Pub: AJC Caption: MICHAEL DABROWA / Staff WHERE THE CRUDE OIL RESERVES ARE 2005 estimate of proven reserves worldwide (2004 average production) U.S.: 21,891 (5.43) Canada: 4,300 (2.39).....174,500 (oil from tar sands) Mexico: 14,600 (3.38) Colombia: 1,542 (.52) Ecuador: 4,630 (.52) Venezuela: 77,226 (2.55) - OPEC member Argentina: 2,675 (.69) Brazil: 10,600 (1.47) U.K.: 4,487 (1.84) Norway: 8,500 (2.97) Denmark: 1,320 (.37*) Azerbaijan: 7,000 (.32) Kazakhstan: 9,000 (1.19) Russia: 60,000 (8.80) China: 18,250 (3.48) India: 5,371 (.68) Malaysia: 3,000 (.75) Brunei: 1,350 (.16*) Indonesia: 4,700 (1.11) - OPEC member Australia: 1,491 (.43) Algeria: 11,800 (1.67) - OPEC member Nigeria: 35,255 (2.50) - OPEC member Gabon: 2,499 (.23) Angola: 5,412 (1,052) Egypt: 3,700 (.59) Congo: 1,506 (.24*) Libya: 39,000 (1.51) - OPEC member Qatar: 15,207 (.81) - OPEC member Syria: 2,500 (.41) Saudi Arabia: 261,900 (9.1) - OPEC member Iraq: 115,000 (2.01) - OPEC member Iran: 125,800 (4.00)- OPEC member Yemen: 4,000 (.44*) Oman: 5,506 (.89*) Kuwait: 101,500 (2.37) - OPEC member U.A.E.: 97,800 (2.47) - OPEC member Reserves in millions of barrels; production figures are in millions of barrels a day. CHINESE OIL DEMAND (In millions of barrels a day) '00: 4.80 '01: 4.92 '02: 5.16 '03: 5.55 '04: 6.63 Annual average Sources: Energy Information Administration, National Geographic Research by WAYNE SNOW / Staff
Document ATJC000020050529e15t0003q

China finances Nigeria to upgrade rural telecommunications
265 words

24 May 2005

07:56 AM

BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific

BBCAPP

English

(c) 2005 The British Broadcasting Corporation. All Rights Reserved. No material may be reproduced except with the express permission of The British Broadcasting Corporation.
Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency)
Abuja, 23 May: Two Chinese companies have provided a 200m US dollars concessionary loan to Nigeria for a rural telephony project, Nigerian Communications Minister Cornelius Adebayo said here Monday [23 May].
At this year's ministerial briefing in the capital Abuja, Adebayo said the Nigerian government still considers it prudent to invest in rural telephony, explaining that the greater percentage of Nigerians in the rural areas needed to be covered and provided access to telecommunications.
He said Nigeria, the most populous African country with a population of over 130m, was mostly rural in composition.
"To reach the greater majority, a sustained but deliberate effort should be made to provide affordable telecom services to the people," he said.
Most telecom operators concentrated their service delivery to the commercially viable towns and cities, he said, adding that it was better to cover the entire country in a world that had become a global village.
On how the government could recoup its investment in the rural telephony project, Adebayo said commercially-oriented firms would be invited to operate and run the project.
He said equipment worth 100m dollars had been imported while project execution had since begun at different levels in 108 local government headquarters and locations.
Adebayo said 42 Nigerian engineers and technical staff were undergoing various training, while microwave frequencies had been acquired and discussions held with other networks for inter-connectivity.
Source: Xinhua news agency, Beijing, in English 1823 gmt 23 May 05
Document BBCAPP0020050524e15o001up
China finances Nigeria to upgrade rural telecommunications
240 words

23 May 2005

Xinhua News Agency

XNEWS

English

(c) Copyright 2005 Xinhua News Agency
ABUJA, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Two Chinese companies have provided a 200 million US dollars concessionary loan to Nigeria for a rural telephony project, Nigerian Communications Minister Cornelius Adebayo said here Monday.
At this year's ministerial briefing in the capital Abuja, Adebayo said the Nigerian government still considers it prudent to invest in rural telephony, explaining that the greater percentage of Nigerians in the rural areas needed to be covered and provided access to telecommunications.
He said Nigeria, the most populous African country with a population of over 130 million, was mostly rural in composition.
"To reach the greater majority, a sustained but deliberate effort should be made to provide affordable telecom services to the people," he said.
Most telecom operators concentrated their service delivery to the commercially viable towns and cities, he said, adding that it was better to cover the entire country in a world that had become a global village.
On how the government could recoup its investment in the rural telephony project, Adebayo said commercially-oriented firms would be invited to operate and run the project.
He said equipment worth 100 million dollars had been imported while project execution had since begun at different levels in 108 local government headquarters and locations.
Adebayo said 42 Nigerian engineers and technical staff were undergoing various training, while microwave frequencies had been acquired and discussions held with other networks for inter- connectivity.
Document XNEWS00020050523e15n006si

Factiva Aviation Insurance Digest - May 23, 2005
1,531 words

23 May 2005

Factiva Aviation Insurance Digest

AVINS

English

(c) 2005 Dow Jones Reuters Business Interactive LLC, trading as Factiva
* Man jailed for taking grenade onto UK-bound plane
* Air India plane makes emergency landing in Bombay
* Unions vow to protect workers in US airline merger
* Hungary's Malev to offer Bourgas-Budapest flights
* Private firms outbid Air China for Shenzhen Airlines
* Nigeria urged to open routes to more airlines
* Singapore firm wins deal to expand Myanmar airport
* America West deal could threaten rival airlines
* Fraport seeks damages over Turkish airport
* Turk airline says inspectors find no plane faults
* U.S. judge to rule May 31 on UAL labor deals
* FTSE extends advance as BA buoyed by oil dip
* Italian airport firm SAVE sets IPO price at 21 euros
* U.S. House panel moves to shield Boeing from EADS
* America West shares rise following merger deal
* India's Jet Airways repays 2.24 bln rupees in debt
* Air Canada parent ACE to spinoff part of Aeroplan
* EBRD-Ryanair boss says summer bookings going well
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* Man jailed for taking grenade onto UK-bound plane
LONDON, (Reuters) - A depressed Venezuelan man who smuggled a grenade onto an airliner bound for Britain where he intended to blow himself up to highlight humanitarian causes, , was sentenced to 6 years in jail by a judge on Friday.
Former mosque worker and devout Muslim Hasil Mohammed Rahaman-Allan, 39, had no links to militant groups and the grenade - hidden in a knee massager - had been disarmed.
* Air India plane makes emergency landing in Bombay
BOMBAY, (Reuters) - An Air India flight bound for Paris made a safe emergency landing in Bombay on Friday after reporting a technical problem, an airport official said.
The Boeing 747, carrying more than 400 passengers, landed about 11.40 a.m. (0610 GMT), almost three hours after take off, Bombay international airport director Sudhir Kumar said.
* Unions vow to protect workers in US airline merger
WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - Labor unions at US Airways Group Inc. and America West Holdings Corp. vowed on Friday to protect members as the companies' $1.5 billion merger unfolds.
Some critical decisions about work force integration will be up to the unions and could revolve more around scheduling, duties and pay rather than layoffs, union officials said. Labor leaders are forming merger committees, bringing on consultants and briefing members on procedures.
* Hungary's Malev to offer Bourgas-Budapest flights
SOFIA (Dnevnik BFNS) - Hungarian national air carrier Malev will launch a Budapest - Bourgas - Budapest service on June 5, Dnevnik daily reports on Friday quoting the management of the Bourgas airport.
Malev will fly to Budapest from the Bulgarian coastal every Sunday until September 25. No regular international flights have been available from the Bourgas airport since 1990.
* Private firms outbid Air China for Shenzhen Airlines
SHENZHEN, China, (Reuters) - Two privately run firms outbid flag carrier Air China on Monday for control of Shenzhen Airlines with a joint offer of 2.72 billion yuan (US$328.5 million), the auction house said.
Air China, which industry insiders had considered the front runner in the bidding, lost out to Yi Yang Group and Hui Run Investments when it declined to up its final offer of 2.71 billion yuan.
* Nigeria urged to open routes to more airlines
LAGOS, (Reuters) - Nigeria's privately run Bellview Airlines asked authorities on Friday to enable more Nigerian operators to service the lucrative routes reserved for the national carrier.
Nigeria has reserved routes to London, New York, Dubai, Jeddah and Johannesburg for Virgin Nigeria, set up last year in a joint venture with British tycoon Richard Branson, after the liquidation of debt-laden Nigeria Airways in 2003.
* Singapore firm wins deal to expand Myanmar airport
SINGAPORE, (Reuters) - A Singapore firm has won a $10.6 million deal to expand the Yangon International Airport in Myanmar.
Singapore information technology company CNA Group said in a statement that under the deal, the firm will design and install engineering systems at Yangon airport.
* America West deal could threaten rival airlines
NEW YORK (Reuters) - America West Holdings Corp.'s planned takeover of US Airways Group Inc. bolstered industry shares on Friday, but analysts warned that rival airlines could suffer long-term as a result of the deal.
America West, with help from investors putting up about $1.5 billion in new capital, on Thursday unveiled its long-rumored plan to acquire bankrupt US Airways in a deal that would create the nation's sixth-largest airline.
* Fraport seeks damages over Turkish airport
FRANKFURT, (Reuters) - Frankfurt airport operator Fraport is seeking damages from the authorities at Turkey's Antalya airport, claiming they breached a contract with the German company.
Fraport has filed a lawsuit with Turkey's highest court, a company spokesman said on Friday, confirming a report in the Financial Times Deutschland.
* Turk airline says inspectors find no plane faults
ISTANBUL, (Reuters) - Turkish budget airline Onur Air, temporarily banned by several European countries on safety grounds, said on Friday Dutch and German officials who inspected its planes found no faults that would prevent them flying.
The Netherlands and Germany temporarily withdrew landing rights from the airline last week, saying its planes were unsafe. The action left many tourists stranded in Turkey. France and Switzerland have also imposed a ban on the airline.
* U.S. judge to rule May 31 on UAL labor deals
CHICAGO, (Reuters) - A federal bankruptcy judge on Friday said he would rule May 31 on a request by United Airlines to void the collective bargaining agreements of two key unions.
The decision by Judge Eugene Wedoff effectively sets that date as the deadline for United, a unit of UAL Corp. , to reach a deal with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers on a concessions package.
* FTSE extends advance as BA buoyed by oil dip
LONDON, (Reuters) - Britain's top shares nudged ahead on Monday to extend last week's robust performance, as banks and telecoms stocks firmed and airline British Airways as well as other stocks exposed to fuel costs were lifted by an easing in oil prices.
BA shares added 1.4 percent and hotels and gaming firm Hilton was another early riser with a 1.1 percent gain after a report said it had sounded out possible buyers for its LivingWell chain of health clubs, worth about 80 million pounds.
* Italian airport firm SAVE sets IPO price at 21 euros
MILAN, (Reuters) - Italian airport operator SAVE set a price of 21 euros ($26.6) for its initial public offering, at the top of its 17-21 euro price range after the IPO was more than six times oversubscribed.
In an interview with Il Sole 24 Ore on Sunday, Chairman Enrico Marchi said SAVE would use some of the 159 million euros it stands to raise for acquisitions.
* U.S. House panel moves to shield Boeing from EADS
WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - The House of Representatives' Armed Services Committee said on Friday it had voted in effect to shield Boeing Co. from competition from Europe's largest defense contractor for a projected $50 billion U.S. aerial-refueling aircraft market.
The panel neither singled out nor named EADS , which wants to offer a tanker version of its Airbus A330 to the U.S. Air Force.
* America West shares rise following merger deal
NEW YORK, (Reuters) - Shares of America West Holdings Corp. rose more than 8 percent on Friday after the parent of America West Airlines late Thursday said it agreed to buy bankrupt US Airways in a deal that would create the sixth-largest carrier in the United States.
America West shares rose 38 cents, or 7.9 percent, to $5.19 in morning trading on the New York Stock Exchange, bringing their gains for the past week to 26 percent.
* India's Jet Airways repays 2.24 bln rupees in debt
BOMBAY, (Reuters) - Jet Airways Ltd. , India's top domestic airline, has returned subordinated debt worth 2.24 billion rupees ($51 million) to Infrastructure Development Finance Company (IDFC), the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) said on Monday.
A company official told Reuters the remaining 1.1 billion rupees of subordinated debt would be paid to IDFC by the end of May.
* Air Canada parent ACE to spinoff part of Aeroplan
TORONTO, (Reuters) - Air Canada parent ACE Aviation Holdings Inc. said on Friday it will partially spin off its Aeroplan rewards program into an income fund and offer units to the public.
The new Aeroplan Income Fund will hold a 15 percent stake in the Aeroplan rewards program, said ACE, which announced on Thursday that it was considering the partial spinoff.
* EBRD-Ryanair boss says summer bookings going well
BELGRADE, (Reuters) - Ryanair's summer bookings are going well, the budget airline's boss said on Monday, adding he was comfortable with an expected 246 million euro ($311 million) net profit for the year just ended.
"That's the general range of analyst expectations and we are not unhappy with that," Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O'Leary told reporters on the sidelines of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development's annual meeting in Belgrade.
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Full versions of these and other insurance stories are available from Factiva.com
Document AVINS00020050523e15n00001

Niger-Delta: Floating Mega Stations to the Rescue
by Onwuka Nzeshi

1,952 words

20 May 2005

04:05 PM

All Africa

AFNWS

English

(c) 2005 AllAfrica, All Rights Reserved
Lagos, May 19, 2005 (This Day/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX) --
Owing to the peculiar terrain of the Niger Delta, it is always difficult to get fuel to the reverine areas. The conventional filling stations cannot be of much help in redressing the situation. In realisation of this, the authorities have come out with an initiative to build six mobile filling stations that will float on water.
In the last few years, the Niger Delta region of Nigeria has been on the front burner of national discourse. Years of neglect by successive governments combined with environmental degradation resulting from oil exploration activities engendered youth restiveness unprecedented in the history of Nigeria.
The multinational oil companies did not help matters as they carried out their activities with very scant regard for their host communities.
The youth took up arms against the government and the oil companies. Even local leaders that were suspected to be collaborators were not spared.
But as has been noted several times, poverty is at the root of the crisis in the Niger Delta. If a people suffer deprivation or perceive that they have been deprived of what rightly belongs to them, they have no option than to take steps to redress the situation as they see fit.
However, since coming to power in 1999, President Olusegun Obasanjo has taken steps to ameliorate living conditions in the Niger Delta.
In a report submitted to the Urhobo Historical Society, Dr Emmanuel Ojameruaye of the
International Foundation for Education and Self-Help (IFESH), Arizona, USA, noted that: "The Niger Delta region covers an area of about 70,000 sq. km. In strict sense (as was in the past), the Niger Delta is limited to the geo-political area occupied by minorities of Southern Nigeria (South-South zone) currently comprising the six states of Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo and Rivers. In recent years, however, especially since the establishment of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the Niger Delta region seems to have been redefined and enlarged to include the contiguous oil producing states of Abia, Imo and Ondo. About 13 million people currently live in the "original" Niger Delta region in a few large cities and over 3,000 small and often remote communities/villages in the mangrove, swamp and lowland rain forests. However, not all the communities in the Niger Delta are oil producing or are sufficiently close to oil producing wells or facilities. While the upland areas of the Niger Delta are densely populated, the swamps have scattered settlements that take advantage of higher ground. Farming and fishing are the main economic activities in the communities while commerce and oil-industry related activities dominate the urban areas. The terrain is extremely difficult and a substantial portion of the region falls under the 'world's fragile ecosystem'.
"Many communities live along creeks and are accessible only by boats. The riverine communities are particularly vulnerable to climatic changes and man-made disasters (floods, sea encroachment, oil pollution, piracy, hostage taking, communal conflicts, etc). The region is faced with a lot of developmental and environmental challenges including high level of poverty, decline in agricultural production, low level of industrial activities, environmental degradation and social conflicts."
He said Nigeria has much to learn from the Chadian model, especially in the following areas:
- Application of the principles of institutional transparency and accountability in the management of oil revenue.
-Use of a substantial portion of the oil revenue to improve the quality of life of the poor through