In the papers
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Sunday, July 06, 2008
By Katherine Spencer
The Observer (UK)
"Shell ready to quit Zimbabwe as Mugabe cronies hoard fuel"
The international press is increasingly focusing on calls for targeted economic sanctions against Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. Criticism has been heaped upon companies operating within Zimbabwe and the pressure is starting to show.
According to The Observer, oil giant Shell is considering pulling out of the country amid claims that Mugabe is reserving the distribution of fuel at petrol pumps for his cronies.
Shell is not the only company reconsidering its options in the country. Munich-based company Giesecke and Devrient has been shamed by the German government into stopping its supply of blank paper for Zimbabwe’s bank notes. British supermarket chain Tesco has also stopped buying produce from Zimbabwe while the political crisis persists.
Mail and Guardian (South Africa)
"The big firms that prop up Zim"
Many other companies are standing by their investments in the country. The Mail and Guardian, a South African daily, has an article on "big firms that prop up Zim".
Mining and agro-industry giant Anglo American Corporation has announced plans to invest 400 million dollars in a platinum mine in Zimbabwe. To give an idea of the scale of this investment, the newspaper says it is equivalent to the total foreign direct investment Zimbabwe received in 1998.
Despite Mugabe’s rants against British imperialist designs on Zimbabwe, British companies still control vast swathes of the country’s economy, with interests ranging from petroleum to banking.
The Japan Times
"Still 'efficient' G8 faces new realities"
On Monday, leaders of the Group of Eight of the world's major industrialized democracies will sit down to tackle a diverse range of the world’s problems, including global warming, increasing oil and food prices and a slowdown in the global economy.
The editorial in the Japan Times says that it’s unrealistic to expect solutions to all these problems to be produced by the summit. But it points out that the summit chairman, Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, should strive to establish a path of cooperation to bring about the resolution of these pressing issues.
The New York Times
"Man-Made Hunger"
The New York Times editorial focuses on the global food crisis. It is highly critical of Western governments’ energy and agricultural subsidies, which it says are contributing to the spread of hunger throughout the world.
The article says that while some of the causes of the food crisis are out of governments’ control – like rising energy and fertilizer costs – there are plenty of things that can be done to make things better.
It calls for an end to the "tangle of subsidies, mandates and tariffs designed to encourage the production of bio-fuel". The article concludes pessimistically that there is no sign that leaders of the developed countries are ready to do what is needed.
Aujourd’hui en France
"Télé publique : 71% des Français contre le projet Sarkozy" ("Public television: 71% of French oppose Sarkozy's plan")
There is outrage in France as President Nicolas Sarkozy tries to tighten his grip on the media. He wants to change the way the head of public broadcasting in the country is appointed.
At present it is up to an independent body, the High Council for Broadcasting, to choose who runs France Televisions. But if Sarkozy has his way, he will be the one to have the final say.
According to a poll, 71 percent of those questioned were against the move. There are already concerns that Sarkozy has too much influence over the media due to his close friendships with a number of media bosses.
