Frenchman to proclaim new pope to world

THE honour of announcing the next leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics will fall to French cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, who will proclaim the outcome of the conclave from St Peter's Basilica.

The Bach-loving former Vatican diplomat will speak in Latin on a porch over St Peter's Square after the conclave of cardinals announces a new pope has been elected by sending out white smoke from the Sistine Chapel.

"Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum. Habemus papam! (I announce to you a great joy. We have a pope!)", Tauran will say and then announce the name of the elected cardinal and the papal title he has chosen.

The 70-year-old from Bordeaux has the official title of "cardinal proto-deacon", meaning he is the most senior cardinal from the order of deacons.

The college of cardinals is divided up into three orders: bishops, priests and deacons.

Tauran used to be the top Vatican official for inter-religious dialogue. He previously served as head of the Vatican's diplomatic service and travelled the world for late pope John Paul II.

His own election is seen as highly unlikely but if this happens then it would fall to another cardinal to announce his name in front of the cheering crowds in St Peter's and TV cameras from around the world.

23.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Greece appoints new privatisation chief

GREECE has appointed its third privatisation chief in less than a year as it struggles to speed up delayed state asset sales to meet bailout goals.

The head of Greece's main water provider EYDAP, Stelios Stavridis, was brought in to spearhead a lagging push to raise 2.6 billion euros ($A3.3 billion) in asset sales this year.

The previous privatisation head resigned on Saturday amid an investigation into his previous position as head of Greece's main power group PPC.

A prosecutor had previously pressed criminal charges against the PPC board over a 2007 power plant construction contract that ran over budget.

The general secretaries of the ministries of finance and development - who previously sat on PPC's board - also stepped down.

The blow came as Greece is in the midst of an audit by international creditors over reforms, including privatisations, that are needed to unlock a new slice of loans this month.

The Greek government had previously pledged to meet, if not exceed, its annual privatisation target this year.

The first official tasked with heading the Greek state privatisation agency resigned in July 2012, citing a lack of government support and planning delays.

23.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

S Africa dragging victim 'in fatal crash'

A MOZAMBICAN taxi driver who was dragged behind a police van and died in custody was in a car accident that killed five schoolchildren just days before his death, a South African court has heard.

Mido Macia, 27, faced charges of culpable homicide over the incident, a lawyer defending the nine policemen charged with his murder said at a bail hearing on Monday.

The defence appeared to argue that some of Macia's injuries uncovered by an autopsy may have been a result of the accident, after prosecutors earlier said Macia was brutally abused before and after his arrest late last month.

No more details about the car accident were given.

Bystanders on February 26 filmed Macia being manhandled, handcuffed to the back of the van and dragged hundreds of metres through the streets of Daveyton, a town east of Johannesburg.

Just over two hours later he was found dead in his cell, with extensive injuries, including cuts and bleeding on the brain, in a case that shocked South Africa and the world.

At Monday's bail hearing, the court heard about the extent of his injuries.

"The deceased died of internal injuries that demonstrate the degree of violence inflicted," said prosecutor December Mthimunye, reading from an internal police investigator's affidavit.

On Friday, the nine policemen said at a hearing at Benoni magistrate's court they were not guilty.

They said Macia, a minibus taxi driver, had assaulted a policeman while resisting arrest after being confronted for parking his taxi on the wrong side of the road.

The driver of the police van claimed he drove away to escape the angry crowd that had gathered, and did not know Macia was being dragged behind.

None of the accused explained how the Mozambican ended up cuffed to the van or dead in his cell.

Footage of the incident went viral and cast a spotlight yet again on the conduct of South Africa's police force.

23.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Icahn in Dell confidentiality agreement

CORPORATE raider Carl Icahn says his investment firm has entered into a confidentiality agreement with Dell, which is facing a battle over its plans to take the computer maker private.

The agreement will allow Icahn access to detailed financial information which is not publicly available.

A brief statement issued by Icahn said the agreement was signed on Sunday.

"Icahn Enterprises looks forward to commencing its review of Dell's confidential information," the statement said.

Icahn has taken a stake in Dell and is opposing the buyout plan led by founder Michael Dell, claiming it undervalues the company, according to documents released by Dell.

Icahn on Friday told AFP he is doing what he has always done: pressing companies and chief executives to perform better and reward investors better.

"What we do by shaking up a large number of companies that need shaking up is very salutary for our economy," Icahn said in an exclusive telephone interview.

"Many of our companies, but with many exceptions, are run by CEOs that should not be running them," Icahn said. "And as a result, these corporations are not as productive as they should be."

Some reports indicate other offers could be made for Dell which are higher than the $US24.4 billion ($A24.02 billion) buyout. Icahn's letter last week suggested a special dividend paid to shareholders would be a better plan.

23.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

EU bans comestics tested on animals

AFTER years of trying, the EU has finally put into effect a complete ban on the sale of cosmetics developed through animal testing.

The EU has progressively clamped down on animal testing since the 1990s and banned most such products in 2009, but it left a few exemptions for several toxicity tests which will now cease.

The ban applies to all products, wherever in the world they come from.

The European Commission has "thoroughly assessed the impacts of the marketing ban and considers that there are overriding reasons to implement it", it said in a statement on Monday.

"This is in line with what many European citizens believe firmly: that the development of cosmetics does not warrant animal testing."

EU Health Commissioner Tonia Borg said Brussels would continue "supporting the development of alternative methods and to engage with third countries to follow our European approach".

Earlier this month, Japanese cosmetics giant Shiseido said it was dropping animal-tested products, with some exceptions where such tests were the only way of proving the safety of goods already on sale.

"Our business partners that supply material to us will not rely on animal testing while we will no longer outsource such testing to outside labs," Shiseido said.

Activists have for years pressured cosmetic firms and other companies that use animal testing to find alternatives to the practice, which they say is cruel and unnecessary.

Shiseido, which dropped animal testing at its own labs in 2011, said it could ensure the safety of its products through other means, including using data from past experiments, human volunteers and other kinds of testing.

23.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Muscat sworn in as Malta's new PM

MALTESE Labour leader Joseph Muscat has been sworn in as prime minister after his party swept to power for the first time in 15 years in the eurozone's smallest member state.

The 39-year-old Muscat, an ex-journalist and former member of the European Parliament, scored a landslide win against the incumbent Nationalist Party of Lawrence Gonzi in elections on Saturday.

"We want to work with the opposition and all those who do not agree with us but who are willing to work with us. Yesterday, this government received a historic mandate," Muscat said after being sworn in on Monday.

Labour won 54.83 per cent against 43.34 per cent for the Nationalist Party. The rest of the vote went to the Green Party and independent candidates.

The Labour Party will have a majority of between seven and nine seats in the 65-seat parliament.

23.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

S Africa state TV reels as directors quit

SOUTH Africa's troubled public broadcaster has revealed the chairman of the board and his deputy have resigned amid allegations of political interference.

Ben Ngubane was appointed chairman by President Jacob Zuma in 2009, and his deputy Thami ka Plaatjie joined in June 2012.

The South African Broadcasting Corporation reported the resignations came as Communication Minister Dina Pule "appealed for the board to resolve its internal disagreements".

No further reasons were given for their departure.

Zuma's office said in a statement he had received the resignation notices and was considering them.

Ngubane has been criticised for allowing the state broadcaster to become a mouthpiece for the ruling African National Congress and for Zuma.

"They blatantly abused the SABC's platforms," to support Zuma's re-election at an ANC conference last year, the opposition Democratic Alliance alleged, urging Zuma to accept the resignations.

Ngubane and Plaatjie join a long list of SABC board members who have left the broadcaster or were fired before the end of their term.

The giant broadcaster is also under fire for a range of maladministration problems, including excessive pay for its top brass.

In 2011, Ngubane told parliament the loss-making corporation was almost insolvent and on the brink collapse.

The broadcaster employs 3600 people and broadcasts in the country's 11 official languages.

Its management exodus comes after mass resignations last year at another state-owned entity, South African Airways (SAA), the national carrier.

23.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Latvia enjoys strongest growth in EU

LATVIA'S economy grew 5.6 per cent last year - the best performance among the 27-country European Union - thanks to robust trade and manufacturing.

The national statistics agency said on Monday that growth accelerated from 5.4 per cent in 2011.

In the fourth quarter of 2012, gross domestic product increased 5.1 per cent.

Though Latvia is enjoying fast growth, it remains one of the poorest of the bloc's 27 members.

After several years of rapid expansion, the country's economy entered a deep recession in 2008 and had to be bailed out by international lenders such as the EU and the International Monetary Fund.

The Baltic state's centre-right government hopes to phase in the euro in 2014, which would make it the 18th member in the currency union.

23.23 | 0 komentar | Read More