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Friday, June 3, 2016

Tata Under 'Massive Pressure' To Stay In UK

The Government has refused to confirm reports it has offered steel giant, Tata, multimillion pound loans if it stays in the UK.

The Indian firm announced its intention to sell its remaining UK steel operations in March, leaving around 11,000 jobs at risk.

Since then at least seven potential buyers are believed to have put forward bids for Tata to consider, but speculation has been growing that the company is considering putting the sale on hold.

Neither Tata nor the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills would comment on claims that the company was being offered state loans on "commercial terms".

But an industry source told Sky News it was no secret that "the Government is putting massive pressure on Tata in the effort to get them to stay".

The reports have led some to question, if true, why the Government would try so hard to persuade Tata to stay when Business Secretary, Sajid Javid, has reiterated on several occasions that just two months ago the company was planning to close all its UK steel operations with immediate effect.

Sources at the Port Talbot plant told Sky News they were worried that the company may look to prolong the sale process because steel prices were rising but when conditions worsened, jobs could again be at risk.

Meanwhile, Stephen Kinnock, Labour's MP for Aberavon said while in principle it would be good news if Tata decided to retain its UK strip products business it should be asked to provide the same guarantees for the future as other potential buyers.

He told Sky News: "The workforce would be forgiven for reacting with a degree of scepticism, and perhaps even an element of anger, to the news that Tata Steel had suddenly decided to recommit to its UK business."

He added: "If Tata Steel has indeed decided to retain ownership then it is essential that they bring forward guarantees that they are recommitting for the long haul.

"The company should provide detailed, cast-iron guarantees in terms of investment in plant, machinery, technology, skills, growth, job security and pension security. A long-term commitment to the two blast furnaces in Port Talbot should also be provided."

The situation has been further complicated by the fact that a Government consultation is currently under way into proposed legal changes that would slash billions of pounds from the liabilities of the British Steel pension scheme.

The idea was aimed at smoothing a potential sale after fears some prospective buyers were being put off by the £485m deficit being carried by the scheme. If passed it would mean 130,000 retired steelworkers would take a cut in their benefits.

Although Tata has refused to comment on the latest reports, just last week it said it was "actively reviewing all options for the Tata Steel UK Business including a potential sale of the business".

Thursday, June 2, 2016

Concern For PM Over EU Scaremongering Claims

David Cameron knows he faces a serious battle over the next three weeks.
It would have been abundantly clear from our audience reaction to him - an audience weighted to reflect a third Leave voters, a third Remain, and a third undecided.
It was not so much that the audience was hostile. We already know that Brexiteers are more enthusiastic for their cause than Remainers, but are they in a mood to listen to a case that relies on economic doom-mongering?
Mr Cameron delivered a closing message imploring the audience not to "roll the dice on our children and grandchildren's economic future".
That is a message to motivate turnout among what I call "reluctant Remainers".
But he will be worried about the message on economic risk being blocked by a perception of scaremongering.
Trust was the thread linking all the questions I asked of the PM on immigration, sovereignty, the economy, and scaremongering.
On immigration, there was some concession from the PM that he might not ever reach his "tens of thousands" migration target.
"I'm not going to put a date on it," he told me after I asked him if the target could be met before he left Number 10 by 2020.
He also suggested to me that migration will fall towards the target after the eurozone crisis finishes.
On sovereignty, he would not directly confirm the supremacy of the Luxembourg-based European Court of Justice over the UK Supreme Court - a key point made by Boris Johnson and Michael Gove.
He rebrands the European Court of Justice's (ECJ) judgements as single rules for a Single Market - the first of many references to it.
At times, it was almost as if he was recasting the whole debate as being about leaving the Single Market ("effectively makes Britain part of the biggest economy in the world") rather than just the EU.
When pushed on the ECJ's extension into opening on child benefits, head-scarves, and foreign criminal deportations, Mr Cameron conceded that the EU "drives me crazy" at times, but the benefits outweigh the costs.
On the economy, Mr Cameron could have and wanted to talk all night.
But he did not choose to defend particularly strongly the "households £4,300 worse off" figure from the Treasury, which the Commons Treasury Select Committee has criticised as "misrepresenting" Government calculations.
Most memorable perhaps was the rowdy hostility of some in the crowd.
They laughed too, more than I might have expected, at my question asking whether Global Brexit Recession would precede World War Three.
The idea that the Stronger In campaign is over-egging post-Brexit fears has clearly "cut through".
This matters, as for Remain to win, the Prime Minister's fear for our economic future needs to be widely believed.
Above all the first TV special showed that the PM needs some backup.
He cannot sustain a winning coalition of voters from pro-EU Tories.
He needs Labour and SNP voters to turn out, and yet the leaders of both those parties, while backing Remain, are critiquing his Brexit economic warnings daily.
If Leave can turn this into a referendum on Mr Cameron, then there are plenty of potential Remain voters who might be persuaded to stay at home.
Such a strategy would destroy any hope of Tory unity after the referendum.
For now, much rests on Michael Gove's performance. He is a formidable debater, but an unknown quantity in this format.
:: Sky News will be hosting another debate on the EU referendum at 8pm on Friday featuring Justice Minister Michael Gove, a leading figure in the Leave campaign.

The Niger Delta Avengers: Nigeria's newest militants

With a name that sounds like it has come from the pages of a superhero comic book, the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) is the latest militant group to emerge in Nigeria - attacking oil installations in a campaign which threatens the economy of Africa's most populous state. 
"We are a group of educated and well-travelled individuals that are poised to take the Niger Delta struggle to new heights that has never been seen in this nation before," the NDA proclaimed in one of their first statement's on their website in April.
"We have well-equipped human resources to meet this goal."
It was not an idle threat. The NDA has carried out a barrage of attacks on oil installations in the Niger Delta region, causing a huge decline in oil production, which is the mainstay of the West African state's economy. 
"The renewed activities of the militants in the Niger Delta is seriously affecting our oil production," Minister of Finance Kemi Adeosun admitted on state-owned NTA television.

Who is their leader?

This is the first armed group to emerge in the region - where most people are poor despite the fact that it is rich in oil - since late Nigerian President Umar Musa Yar'Adua granted amnesty to militants there seven years ago. 
At the time, militants in the region said they wanted a better deal for their people who have suffered environmental degradation and economic dislocation because of oil production by some of the world's leading firms. 
Many of the militants were encouraged to drop their arms and agitation in exchange for some cash incentives and training. Former President Goodluck Jonathan, who comes from the Niger Delta, continued the scheme.
The amnesty programme, which provides tens of thousands of former oil militants with a monthly stipend from the government, stemmed the level of violence.
But in the latest budget, President Muhammadu Buhari reduced funding for it by 70%, and has spoken of phasing it out entirely by 2018.
It is difficult to identify or determine who the members of the NDA are - their Twitter handle currently has an AFP photo of a Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend) militant taken in September 2008 as its profile picture.
Local people in the region believe members of the group are largely elements of previous militant groups like Mend - led by Henry Okah, who has been incarcerated in South Africa - or the Niger Delta People's Salvation Front led by the vocal Mujahideen Asari Dokubo. They were left out of the government's amnesty programme. 
Many say the NDA militants are followers of former Niger Delta warlords like Government Ekpemupolo, who has the alias Tompolo.
He signed up to the amnesty programme but has been on the run since February, refusing to be questioned by Nigeria's anti-corruption agency in connection with $231m (£163m) in missing government funds.
Mr Ekpemupolo has dissociated himself from the group - but none of the former militant leaders have commented.
Others believe the new militants are criminal elements that want to draw attention to themselves now that their kinsman, ex-President Jonathan, is out of power.
Currently, it is not known who officially leads the group, although a Col Mudoch Agbinibo has been signing press releases on behalf of the NDA. 
There are suggestions that "Mudoch" is a pseudonym, like the one-time "Jomo Gbomo" of Mend.
Whatever perceptions people might have of the group, its activities in the Niger Delta appear well co-ordinated with a high level of technical expertise.

Oil production down

The NDA has stated unambiguously what it is setting out to achieve: "Our goal is to cripple Nigeria's economy." 
After declaring what it called "Operation Red Economy" in February, it blew up an underwater pipeline forcing Royal Dutch Shell to shut down a terminal which normally produces 250,000 barrels of oil a day (bpd).
Last month, Shell declared a force majeure, which excuses a company from contractual agreements because events beyond its control, on exports of high grade crude oil after an attack on one of its trunk lines.
A few days later, US firm Chevron shut its Valve Platform following another attack, also claimed by the Avengers. 
And ahead of President Buhari's first expected visit to the region on Thursday, the NDA said it had blown up two Chevron export terminals.
These attacks have dealt a huge blow to the revenue of the Nigerian government, which says the renewed activities of the militants are seriously affecting oil production.
In fact the country's production has dropped to 1.65 million bpd, as against the projected 2.2 million bpd.
The military has issued a stern warning that it will deal decisively with any group fermenting trouble in the country, including those it has described as "criminal elements in the Niger Delta".
But this appears to have emboldened the Avengers into more attacks that have had a knock-on affect on the supply of electricity that depends on gas from the oil-producing companies. 
For President Buhari, who just marked one year in office, the NDA presents another fresh security challenge to the government which has been grappling with Islamist insurgency in the north-east of the country.

Prince death: Singer died of fentanyl painkiller overdose

US singer Prince died from an accidental overdose of the painkiller fentanyl, medical examiners have found.
The report, from Midwest Medical Examiner's Office in Minnesota, comes more than a month after the singer was found slumped in a lift at his home.
Detectives have already questioned a doctor who saw the 57-year-old twice in the weeks before he died.
Prescription painkillers were in the singer's possession following his death, officials told US media in May.
A police warrant has also revealed that Dr Michael Schulenberg prescribed medication to the singer on 20 April - the day before he died.
The warrant does not say what was prescribed or whether Prince took the drugs.
According to the autopsy report, Prince self-administered fentanyl, an opioid many times more powerful than heroin.
Prince was found unresponsive in a lift at his Paisley Park Studios on the morning of 21 April, local officials said. First responders tried to revive him with CPR but he was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.
Artists from around the world and Prince's numerous fans later paid tributes to the star.
Prince was cremated in a private ceremony on 24 April. The singer's family are understood to be planning to stage a public memorial in August.
He was a prolific writer and performer from a young age, reportedly writing his first song when he was seven.
A singer, songwriter, arranger and multi-instrumentalist, Prince recorded more than 30 albums. His best known hits include Let's Go Crazy and When Doves Cry.

Major Powers Urge UN To Start Syria Air Drops


Britain, the US and France have urged the United Nations to start humanitarian aid air drops ahead of a Security Council meeting to discuss the crisis in besieged areas.
The calls came after a 1 June deadline for aid convoys to reach all areas besieged by the Syrian government passed - although land deliveries made it into Daraya for the first time since 2012 on Wednesday.
Supplies also made it into Moadamiyeh for the first time since March.
Russia's ambassador Vitaly Churkin welcomed the aid deliveries as a positive step and suggested that plans to air drop humanitarian relief could be put on hold for now.
Aid reaches Daraya
But French ambassador Francois Delattre, who holds the council presidency this month, said access to the towns and villages under siege remained blocked and blamed the Syrian regime.
He said: "France is asking the United Nations and in particular the WFP (World Food Programme) to begin humanitarian air drops for all the areas in need, beginning with Daraya, Moadamiyeh and Madaya, where the civilian population including children risks dying of hunger."
The 20-nation International Syria Support Group (ISSG) asked the WFP to prepare for air drops if aid remained blocked, although it is unclear if the Syrian regime will allow planes carrying relief supplies into its airspace.
In Washington, US State Department spokesman John Kirby said deliveries to the two towns were "far from sufficient" and that the United States supported moving forward on plans for the air drops.
While the diplomatic wrangling rumbled on, thousands of Syrian refugees arriving in Jordan's Azraq refugee camp - and considered a security risk - have been isolated by barbed wire-topped fencing.
The Village 5 camp within a camp was set up in late March as part of a deal between Jordan and international aid agencies to speed up admissions of refugees.
Under the deal, Jordan agreed to let in about 300 Syrians a day, or five times more than before, on condition that newcomers are isolated in Azraq for more security checks. 

Ryanair To Customers: Register For EU Poll


Ryanair is intensifying its barrage of communications supporting a 'Remain' vote in the EU referendum by urging millions customers to register ahead of next week's deadline.
Sky News has obtained an email that will be sent on Friday by the Dublin-based carrier to more than five million UK-based passengers and 300,000 British citizens living elsewhere in the European Union (EU).
Michael O'Leary, the Ryanair chief executive, has been increasingly voluble about the importance of retaining the UK's EU membership as polling day has drawn nearer.
Ryanair Michael O'Leary EU Campaign
In the latest email, the airline will tell customers: "As the UK’s largest airline, we are absolutely clear that the UK economy and its future growth prospects are stronger as a member of the European Union than they are outside of the EU.
"A Remain vote will lead to more job creation, stronger economic growth, more foreign direct investment – and more importantly, even more low fares.
"We agree the EU needs reform, but we need the UK to remain in the EU to drive this change.
"We urge all British citizens to vote Remain on 23 June. Just don't miss the registration deadline of 7 June."
A Ryanair source confirmed the contents of the email, which follow warnings from Ryanair executives that it would redirect future investment from Britain to elsewhere in the EU if the referendum results in a decision to exit.
Mr O'Leary's claims have drawn strong criticism from Vote Leave, the pro-Brexit campaign group, which denies his argument that leaving the EU would result in higher air fares.
Ryanair's email to customers is a rarity in the extent to which it communicates an explicit corporate view from a big company during a strictly regulated campaign.
The email also includes a broader promotion of its current European seat-sale, which insiders said reflected advice taken by Ryanair regarding referendum-related promotional activity.
Vote Leave has already complained about a previous Ryanair advertisement which offered discounted flights to customers who wanted to return to the UK to register a vote in favour of staying in the EU.
The CBI, Britain's biggest employers' group, said last month that its members should seek to explain the implications of the referendum to their workforces, although many have been reluctant to do so.
On the pro-Brexit side of the debate, the pub chain JD Wetherspoon this week printed 200,000 beer-mats pouring scorn on the credibility of Christine Lagarde, the IMF managing director, who has warned that leaving the EU would be economically damaging.

Missing Boy Left In Japan Forest Found Alive


A seven-year-old boy who went missing after his parents left him in a Japanese forest "as punishment" has been found alive and unharmed.
A police spokesman said Yamato Tanooka was discovered by a soldier at a military base in northern Hokkaido island.
Manabu Takehara, a spokesman for the Self-Defense Forces, said the boy "looked in good health", adding that he was taken to hospital by helicopter for a medical check.
It is understood he will remain in hospital overnight as a precaution.
Speaking outside the hospital, the boy's father apologised and thanked rescuers who took part in the search.
"My excessive act forced my son to have a painful time," he said.
Japanese Self-Defense Force soldiers riding motorbikes search for a 7-year-old boy who went missing on May 28, 2016 after being left behind by his parents, in Nanae town on the northernmost Japanese main island of Hokkaido, Japan
"I deeply apologise to people at his school, people in the rescue operation, and everybody for causing them trouble."
According to the police spokesman, the boy "walked through the mountains" until he found the army building, broadcaster NHK reported.
He also reportedly drank water and slept on mattresses spread on the floor.
Army personnel, emergency services and volunteers had been searching for the boy since Saturday.
His parents initially said they had lost him when they were out hiking to gather wild vegetables.
They subsequently admitted they made him get out of their car on a mountain road for misbehaving.
The boy was abandoned on the northern side of the road on a slope of Mount Komagatake, which rises to an altitude of 1,131 metres (3,710 feet).
He was reportedly without food or water.
Police have said they are considering filing charges against the boy's parents, according to Kyodo News.