IMF and World Bank Announce US$12.3 billion in Debt Relief for the Democratic Republic of the Congo

2 Jul 2010 12:20 Africa/Lagos

IMF and World Bank Announce US$12.3 billion in Debt Relief for the Democratic Republic of the Congo


KINSHASA, Dem. Rep. of Congo (DRC) July 2, 2010/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank's International Development Association (IDA) have decided to support US$12.3 billion in debt relief to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).


The decisions by the Board of Directors of both institutions1 will generate total debt service savings of US$12.3 billion, which include US$11.1 billion under the enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative, and US$1.2 billion under the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI). Debt relief from the IMF will total US$491 million and from the World Bank's IDA US$1,832 million, with the remainder expected to come from bilateral and commercial creditors. As a result of this relief, the DRC will no longer face a heavy debt service burden in relation to its revenue and foreign exchange resources.


The Boards determined that the country has implemented the policy measures (“triggers”) required to reach the completion point, a stage in which debt relief from both the HIPC Initiative and MDRI becomes irrevocable. The triggers included satisfactory implementation of the country's poverty reduction and growth strategy, maintenance of macroeconomic stability, improvements in public expenditure and debt management, and improved governance and service delivery in key social sectors such as health, education and rural development.


“Reaching the HIPC completion point demonstrates the significant progress that the DRC authorities have made over the past several years in strengthening macroeconomic policy management and performance following a devastating decade-long conflict that destroyed the country's economic and social infrastructure,” said the IMF's Mission Chief for the DRC, Brian Ames. “The conditions for reaching the HIPC completion point provided the authorities with a policy reform framework that guided their efforts to enhance macroeconomic stability, address weaknesses in public financial management and economic governance, and reform the social sectors. Progress in each of these areas also sets a solid foundation for advancing the country's development agenda going forward,” he added.


“We recognize the government's huge efforts toward reaching Completion Point. This could be a turning point in DRC's long troubled history,” said Marie-Françoise Marie-Nelly, World Bank Country Director for DRC. "Going forward, strengthening the rule of law, improving governance – especially in the oil and mining sectors – and improving the business climate are essential next steps to benefit the most vulnerable Congolese citizens,” she added.


The Democratic Republic of the Congo becomes the 30th country to reach the completion point under the HIPC Initiative. The completion point marks the end of the HIPC process for the DRC, which started in July 2003 when the Executive Boards of the IMF and the World Bank agreed that it had met the requirements for reaching the decision point, at which countries start receiving debt relief on an interim basis.


Note to Editors


The HIPC Initiative


In 1996, the World Bank and IMF launched the HIPC Initiative to create a framework in which all creditors, including multilateral creditors, can provide debt relief to the world's poorest and most heavily indebted countries to ensure debt sustainability, and thereby reduce the constraints on economic growth and poverty reduction imposed by the unsustainable debt-service burdens in these countries.


To date, 36 HIPC countries have reached their decision points, of which 30, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, have reached the completion point.


The MDRI


Created in 2005, the aim of the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI) is to reduce further the debt of eligible low-income countries and provide additional resources to help them reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Under the MDRI, three multilateral institutions—the World Bank's International Development Association, the International Monetary Fund and the African Development Fund—provide 100 percent debt relief on eligible debts to qualifying countries normally at the time they reach the HIPC Initiative completion point.


For more information on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, please visit: http://www.imf.org/external/country/COD/index.htm or www.worldbank.org/drc


For more information on debt relief, click:


http://www.imf.org/external/np/exr/facts/hipc.htm,


http://www.imf.org/external/np/exr/facts/mdri.htm and


http://go.worldbank.org/83PZB7FH80.


Source: International Monetary Fund (IMF)

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Come And See Glamrock City At The Eko International Film Festival On July 7

Glamrock City: A Love Story

A thrilling tale of the femme fatale, "ART ET DECES aka Glamrock City," written and directed by Christophe Kourdouly and Stéphane Jauny, screened at the Marche on May 19th. Produced by Antetime Production, the film is of two girls who in search of inspiration kill men to capture their last breath of life and create Art from Death for their next painting exhibition. The film showed great emotion and an intriguing plot line that keeps your attention. In a twist, the directors listed above, including the third director, Luc Job, casted themselves into the final scene. An emotional and riveting tale, Glamrock City is a story of love taken to the extreme.




DATE: JULY 7, 2010

VENUE: EKO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, GENESIS DELUXE CINEMAS, THE PALMS, LEKKI, LAGOS, NIGERIA.

TICKET: N5, 000 ONLY

Evangelist to Jump From Plane in Chains

1 Jul 2010 15:42 Africa/Lagos

Evangelist to Jump From Plane in Chains

OTTAWA, Ill., July 1 /PRNewswire/ -- What do the Bible, a parachute and a pair of handcuffs have in common? Escape Artist Anthony Martin...


Martin, a nationally-recognized escape artist turned evangelist, has announced plans to attempt a "Leap of Faith," in Ottawa, Ill., July 13, at 2 p.m. Martin will be handcuffed by an area locksmith before donning a parachute and leaping from an aircraft at 14,000 feet. He will have to free his hands in order to deploy the parachute and save his life. Martin, 44, an escape artist who has been featured four times in Ripley's Believe It or Not, has reserved July 14 as a rain date should weather conditions prohibit the attempt.


The handcuffs for the escape attempt will be supplied by a Joliet locksmith and verified to be legitimate and unaltered before the leap. The escape is being made possible by the sponsorship of Skydive Chicago, which will both prepare Martin and film the attempt at its skydiving facility located at 3215 E 1969th Road in Ottawa, Ill.


The film of the stunt will be shown at Martin's evangelistic outreaches.


Aerial escapes have been a signature stunt for Martin, who has escaped from a locked box thrown from an airplane as well as a similar handcuffed jump over the Snake River Canyon for the Discovery Channel.


Martin, a Christian since childhood, has been using his unusual talents to evangelize and promote his Christian beliefs for the past 12 years. Ambassador In Chains Ministries, founded by Martin, was launched in 1998 as a resource for local churches. Details of the ministry are available on his website at www.anthony-escapes.com. Martin said he uses his escapes as a metaphor for escaping eternal death through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.


For the moment, Martin will be preoccupied with the prospect of temporal death while he plummets to the Earth at 180 miles per hour. Martin estimates his body position and altitude at the time of the jump should give him between 40 and 50 seconds to free himself if he is to survive.


For more information please visit these helpful websites: www.anthony-escapes.com or www.skydivechicago.com.


Source: Ambassador In Chains Ministries

CONTACT: Skydive Chicago, +1-815-433-0000


Web Site: http://www.anthony-escapes.com/
http://www.skydivechicago.com/

National Association of Black Journalists Letter to Cable News Executives

30 Jun 2010 19:53 Africa/Lagos



National Association of Black Journalists Letter to Cable News Executives

WASHINGTON, June 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following letter was released today by the National Association of Black Journalists:


Dear Cable News Executives:


It is 2010, but the National Association of Black Journalists sees our cable news networks moving backward when it comes to who they believe is worthy of anchoring prime-time news shows.


NABJ was founded in 1975 to encourage news media companies to hire and to promote more Black journalists. At that time, black journalists originally hired to cover riots during the turbulent 1960s found they were not being assigned to other meaningful beats or were only allowed to cover "Black" stories.


NABJ's advocacy for fair hiring practices paid off. Many of our founders, including columnists Les Payne in New York and DeWayne Wickham in Washington, D.C., and anchor Maureen Bunyan in Washington, D.C. remain prominent figures in the media.


NABJ continues this advocacy today. To be candid, we have been focusing our talks with media executives on ways they can increase the diversity of their news management teams. It is our belief that a diverse management team improves coverage decisions and hiring practices. It seems, though, that the companies have taken that to mean that we don't care about who is on the air. We're watching, and we do.


Over the past several years, NABJ Executive Board members have met with leaders of the top media companies. Our message: "Let us help if you are looking for diverse talent."


Some of the companies have reached out, but the names we have submitted never seem to be called in for interviews.


Three years ago, Ebony magazine's Kevin Chappell noted, "While CNN has the most Black news anchors with eight, the other cable networks don't (fare) as well... and none of the national cable stations has any Blacks in prime-time slots."


Nothing has changed. NABJ questions CNN's decision to hire former New York governor/attorney general Eliot Spitzer to co-host a new show in Campbell Brown's old time slot. The company missed another opportunity to place a person of color in prime time. It just seems that cable news can never find diverse candidates who are good enough to meet their standards. We want to know your standards.


Are you telling us that CNN could find no one better than an ex-politician who quit being New York governor after consorting with prostitutes to grace America's living rooms each night?


CNN does have Tony Harris anchoring in the morning, and Fredricka Whitfield, T.J. Holmes, and Don Lemon on the weekends. But that's not prime time. The same can be said about MSNBC which last week named veteran Lawrence O'Donnell as the anchor of its new 10 p.m. show. The prime-time host line-up at Fox News also lacks any racial diversity.


"In his story, Chappell talked with NABJ Member and CBS News anchor Russ Mitchell who summed up what many of us have witnessed over the years. Mitchell told Ebony "I've been to journalism conferences over and over again, and heard some executive say 'I'd like to hire more African-Americans, but I just can't find any qualified ones out there.' That was b.s. then, and that's b.s. now."


NABJ couldn't agree more.

Sincerely,

The National Association of Black Journalists

Source: National Association of Black Journalists

CONTACT: Ryan L. Williams of National Association of Black Journalists,
+1-301-405-0717, rwilliams@nabj.org


Web Site: http://www.nabj.org/

Sudan / Widespread Abuses Bode Ill for Referendum / Hold Security Forces Accountable for Violations in April 2010 Elections

30 Jun 2010 19:55 Africa/Lagos


Sudan / Widespread Abuses Bode Ill for Referendum / Hold Security Forces Accountable for Violations in April 2010 Elections


KARTHOUM, June 30, 2010/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- Both national and southern Sudanese authorities should investigate human rights abuses connected to its April 2010 elections and bring to justice those responsible, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today. Addressing the abuses is especially important as the country prepares for a referendum on self-determination in Southern Sudan, Human Rights Watch said.

The 32-page report, “Democracy on Hold: Rights Violations in the April 2010 Elections,” documents numerous rights violations across Sudan by both northern and southern authorities in the period leading up to, during, and following the April elections. These abuses include restrictions on freedom of speech and assembly, particularly in northern Sudan, and widespread intimidation, arbitrary arrests, and physical violence against monitors and opponents of the incumbent parties by Sudanese security forces across the country. The report is based on research carried out between November 2009 and April 2010 in Khartoum and Southern Sudan.

“The national elections were an important milestone of the 2005 peace agreement, which was meant to pave the way forward for Sudan,” said Rona Peligal, Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “But pushing the elections-related abuses under the rug would not bode well for the referendum coming up in January.”

The 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which ended 22 years of civil war between northern and southern forces, called for Sudan to hold national elections and a referendum on southern self-determination. Southern Sudanese, including more than 1.5 million southerners living in Khartoum and northern states, will decide in the January 2011 vote whether to secede from the north.

Human Rights Watch called on the national unity government to enact genuine reforms called for in the peace agreement, including improvements to the national security apparatus. The national security law currently grants broad powers of search, seizure, and arrest, and allows for detention without judicial review for up to four and a half months, in violation of international law.

Human Rights Watch found that in the months leading up to the April elections the ruling National Congress Party suppressed peaceful assembly by opposition party members in the north and prevented free association and speech. During election week, there were fewer cases of such restrictions, but several cases of harassment, intimidation, and arrest of opposition members and elections observers.

In Southern Sudan, Human Rights Watch documented widespread intimidation, arbitrary arrest, detention, and mistreatment of opponents of the southern ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), as well as of election observers and voters, throughout the elections process in several southern states.

In addition to these rights violations, serious irregularities in the conduct of the election – such as multiple voting, ballot-stuffing, and other acts of fraud – undermined their legitimacy.


On April 26, the elections commission declared both ruling parties the winners in their regions following the vote-counting. Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur, was re-elected president of the national unity government.

In the weeks following the April elections, Human Rights Watch documented a worsening human rights situation across Sudan, with renewed repression in the north, incidents of elections-related violence in the south, and ongoing conflict in Darfur.

Human Rights Watch also called on Sudan to cooperate with the International Criminal Court, as required under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1593.

“The elections were supposed to help expand democracy in Sudan, but they have had the opposite effect,” Peligal said. “The electoral victory has essentially emboldened the ruling parties, particularly in the north, to crack down on opponents, activists, and journalists.”

The post-election crackdown in Khartoum included the May 15 arrest and detention of the opposition figure Hassan al-Turabi and of journalists, the arrest of Darfuri students, and the resumption of pre-print censorship leading to the suspension of three newspapers.

In early June, security forces violently repressed a peaceful demonstration by Sudanese doctors striking for better wages and working conditions, and detained six doctors without charge until June 24, when the doctors called off the strike. Two of them were subjected to physical mistreatment by national security officials.

In Southern Sudan, simmering disputes over election results between the ruling party and independent candidates have led to clashes between armed forces. In Jonglei state, for example, forces loyal to General George Athor, who unsuccessfully ran for state governor, have clashed with the southern army on multiple occasions since the results were announced. Vote-rigging and intimidation during the elections have led to anger and frustration in the south.

In Darfur, where many communities boycotted the elections process, the Sudanese government continues to carry out armed attacks on rebel factions and civilians, using both aerial bombs and ground forces. In May, this violence caused the highest death tolls in two years.

“Democracy on Hold” also examines the reaction of the international community to the widespread abuses during the elections. The report highlights how political considerations related to efforts to carry out the 2005 agreement, in particular the referendum, have made many international actors reluctant to criticize Sudan's human rights record.

“Sudan's international partners have a critical role to play in urging Sudanese authorities to end impunity for abuses,” Peligal said. “Timid silence on their part will both jeopardize the prospects for a peaceful and meaningful referendum and derail the democratic transformation envisioned by the peace agreement.”

Source: Human Right Watch (HRW)


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Americans Are Getting Fatter and Fatter in 28 States in the US

29 Jun 2010 16:07 Africa/Lagos


New Report: Adult Obesity Increases in 28 States

Striking Disparities Persist; Obesity Rates Highest Among Blacks and Southerners

WASHINGTON, June 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Adult obesity rates increased in 28 states in the past year, and declined only in the District of Columbia (D.C.), according to F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2010, a report from the Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). More than two-thirds of states (38) have adult obesity rates above 25 percent. In 1991, no state had an obesity rate above 20 percent.


(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100204/TFAHLOGO)
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100204/TFAHLOGO)


The report highlights troubling racial, ethnic, regional and income disparities in the nation's obesity epidemic. For instance, adult obesity rates for Blacks and Latinos were higher than for Whites in at least 40 states and the District of Columbia; 10 out of the 11 states with the highest rates of obesity were in the South - with Mississippi weighing in with highest rates for all adults (33.8 percent) for the sixth year in a row; and 35.3 percent of adults earning less than $15,000 per year were obese compared with 24.5 percent of adults earning $50,000 or more per year.


"Obesity is one of the biggest public health challenges the country has ever faced, and troubling disparities exist based on race, ethnicity, region, and income," said Jeffrey Levi, PhD, executive director of TFAH. "This report shows that the country has taken bold steps to address the obesity crisis in recent years, but the nation's response has yet to fully match the magnitude of the problem. Millions of Americans still face barriers - like the high cost of healthy foods and lack of access to safe places to be physically active - that make healthy choices challenging."


The report also includes obesity rates among youths ages 10-17, and the results of a new poll on childhood obesity conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research and American Viewpoint. The poll shows that 80 percent of Americans recognize that childhood obesity is a significant and growing challenge for the country, and 50 percent of Americans believe childhood obesity is such an important issue that we need to invest more to prevent it immediately. The survey also found that 84 percent of parents believe their children are at a healthy weight, but research shows nearly one-third of children and teens are obese or overweight. Obesity rates among youths ages 10-17 from the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH) also were included in the 2009 F as in Fat report. Data collection for the next NSCH will begin in 2011. Currently, more than 12 million children and adolescents are considered obese.


"Obesity rates among the current generation of young people are unacceptably high and a very serious problem," said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D., M.B.A., RWJF president and CEO. "To reverse this national epidemic, we have to make every community a healthy community. Americans are increasingly ready and willing to make that investment."


Additional key findings include:
-- Adult obesity rates for Blacks topped 40 percent in nine states, 35
percent in 34 states, and 30 percent in 43 states and D.C.
-- Rates of adult obesity for Latinos were above 35 percent in two states
(North Dakota and Tennessee) and at 30 percent and above in 19 states.
-- Ten of the 11 states with the highest rates of diabetes are in the
South, as are the 10 states with the highest rates of hypertension.
-- No state had rates of adult obesity above 35 percent for Whites. Only
one state--West Virginia--had an adult obesity rate for Whites greater
than 30 percent.
-- The number of states where adult obesity rates exceed 30 percent
doubled in the past year, from four to eight--Alabama, Arkansas,
Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee and West
Virginia.
-- Northeastern and Western states had the lowest adult obesity rates;
Colorado remained the lowest at 19.1 percent.


The report found that the federal government and many states are undertaking a wide range of policy initiatives to address the obesity crisis. Some key findings include that:


At the federal level:
-- The new health reform law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care
Act of 2010, has the potential to address the obesity epidemic through
a number of prevention and wellness provisions, expand coverage to
millions of uninsured Americans, and create a reliable funding stream
through the creation of the Prevention and Public Health Fund;
-- Community Transformation grants have the potential to help leverage
the success of existing evidence-based disease prevention programs;
-- President Barack Obama created a White House Task Force on Childhood
Obesity, which issued a new national obesity strategy that contained
concrete measures and roles for every agency in the federal
government; and
-- First Lady Michelle Obama launched the "Let's Move" initiative to
solve childhood obesity within a generation.

And at the state level:
-- Twenty states and D.C. set nutritional standards for school lunches,
breakfasts and snacks that are stricter than current United States
Department of Agriculture requirements. Five years ago, only four
states had legislation requiring stricter standards.
-- Twenty-eight states and D.C. have nutritional standards for
competitive foods sold in schools on a la carte lines, in vending
machines, in school stores, or through school bake sales. Five years
ago, only six states had nutritional standards for competitive foods.
-- Every state has some form of physical education requirement for
schools, but these requirements are often limited, not enforced or do
not meet adequate quality standards.
-- Twenty states have passed requirements for body mass index screenings
of children and adolescents or have passed legislation requiring other
forms of weight and/or fitness related assessments in schools. Five
years ago, only four states had passed screening requirements.


To enhance the prevention of obesity and related diseases, TFAH and RWJF provide a list of recommended actions in the report. Some key policy recommendations include:


-- Support obesity- and disease-prevention programs through the new
health reform law's Prevention and Public Health Fund, which provides
$15 billion in mandatory appropriations for public health and
prevention programs over the next 10 years.
-- Align federal policies and legislation with the goals of the
forthcoming National Prevention and Health Promotion Strategy.
Opportunities to do this can be found through key pieces of federal
legislation that are up for reauthorization in the next few years,
including the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act; the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act; and the Surface Transportation
Authorization Act.
-- Expand the commitment to community-based prevention programs initiated
under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 through new
provisions in the health reform law, such as Community Transformation
grants and the National Diabetes Prevention Program.
-- Continue to invest in research and evaluation on nutrition, physical
activity, obesity and obesity-related health outcomes and associated
interventions.


The full report with state rankings in all categories is available on TFAH's Web site at www.healthyamericans.org and RWJF's Web site at www.rwjf.org. The report was supported by a grant from RWJF.


STATE-BY-STATE ADULT OBESITY RANKINGS


Note: 1 = Highest rate of adult obesity, 51 = lowest rate of adult obesity. Rankings are based on combining three years of data (2007-2009) from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to "stabilize" data for comparison purposes. This methodology, recommended by the CDC, compensates for any potential anomalies or usual changes due to the specific sample in any given year in any given state. States with statistically significant (p<0.05) increases for one year are noted with an asterisk (*), states with statistically significant increases for two years in a row are noted with two asterisks (**), states with statistically significant increases for three years in a row are noted with three asterisks (***). Additional information about methodologies and confidence intervals is available in the report. Individuals with a body mass index (BMI) (a calculation based on weight and height ratios) of 30 or higher are considered obese.


1. Mississippi*** (33.8%); 2. (tie) Alabama (31.6%); and Tennessee*** (31.6%); 4. West Virginia (31.3%); 5. Louisiana* (31.2%); 6. Oklahoma*** (30.6%); 7. Kentucky* (30.5%); 8. Arkansas* (30.1%); 9. South Carolina (29.9%); 10. (tie) Michigan (29.4%); and North Carolina*** (29.4%); 12. Missouri* (29.3%); 13. (tie) Ohio (29.0%); and Texas* (29.0%); 15. South Dakota*** (28.5%); 16. Kansas*** (28.2%); 17. (tie) Georgia (28.1%); Indiana* (28.1%); and Pennsylvania*** (28.1%); 20. Delaware (27.9%); 21. North Dakota** (27.7%); 22. Iowa* (27.6%); 23. Nebraska (27.3%); 24. (tie) Alaska (26.9%); and Wisconsin (26.9%); 26. (tie) Illinois* (26.6%); and Maryland (26.6%); 28. Washington*** (26.3%); 29. (tie) Arizona (25.8%); and Maine** (25.8%); 31. Nevada (25.6%); 32. (tie) Minnesota (25.5%); New Mexico*** (25.5%); and Virginia (25.5%); 35. New Hampshire* (25.4%); 36. (tie) Florida** (25.1%); Idaho (25.1%); and New York (25.1%); 39. (tie) Oregon (25.0%); and Wyoming (25.0%); 41. California* (24.4%); 42. New Jersey (23.9%); 43. Montana*** (23.5%); 44. Utah* (23.2%); 45. Rhode Island* (22.9%); 46. Vermont*** (22.8%); 47. Hawaii** (22.6%); 48. Massachusetts* (21.7%); 49. District of Columbia. (21.5%); 50. Connecticut (21.4%); 51. Colorado (19.1%).


STATE-BY-STATE ADULT OBESITY RANKINGS FOR BLACKS


Note: 1 = Highest rate of adult obesity, 51 = lowest rate of adult obesity. Rankings are based on combining three years of data (2007-2009) from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to "stabilize" data for comparison purposes. This methodology, recommended by the CDC, compensates for any potential anomalies or usual changes due to the specific sample in any given year in any given state.


1. Wisconsin (44.0%); 2. Mississippi (42.9%); 3. Kentucky (42.6%); 4. Kansas (41.9%); 5. Alabama (41.7%); 6. (tie) Tennessee (41.1%); and North Carolina (41.1%); 8. Ohio (40.9%); 9. Delaware (40.6%); 10. Arkansas (39.8%); 11. South Carolina (39.4%); 12. Louisiana (38.7%); 13. (tie) Missouri (38.4%); Pennsylvania (38.4%); and Oregon (38.4%); 16. Michigan (38.2%); 17. Wyoming (37.9%); 18. Texas (37.6%); 19. Idaho (37.3%); 20. (tie) West Virginia (37.2%); and Maine (37.2%); 22. (tie) California (37.1%); and Oklahoma (37.1%); 24. Nebraska (37.0%); 25. Georgia (36.5%); 26. New Mexico (36.4%); 27. (tie) Florida (36.3%); and Maryland (36.3%); 29. New Jersey (36.1%); 30. Indiana (35.9%); 31. Alaska (35.7%); 32. Illinois (35.5%); 33. (tie) Connecticut (35.4%); and Virginia (35.4%); 35. Utah (34.5%); 36. District of Columbia (34.4%); 37. Iowa (34.1%); 38. Arizona (32.5%); 39. Washington (32.2%); 40. North Dakota (31.3%); 41. Rhode Island (30.8%); 42. New York (30.6%); 43. Hawaii (30.4%); 44. Vermont (30.1%); 45. Massachusetts (29.0%); 46. Minnesota (28.6%); 47. Colorado (28.1%); 48. South Dakota (27.5%); 49. New Hampshire (27.2%); 50. Montana (26.2%); 51. Nevada (25.8%).


STATE-BY-STATE ADULT OBESITY RANKINGS FOR LATINOS


Note: 1 = Highest rate of adult obesity, 51 = lowest rate of adult obesity. Rankings are based on combining three years of data (2007-2009) from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to "stabilize" data for comparison purposes. This methodology, recommended by the CDC, compensates for any potential anomalies or usual changes due to the specific sample in any given year in any given state.


1. Tennessee (39.5%); 2. North Dakota (37.4%); 3. (tie) Missouri (34.0%); and Texas (34.0%); 5. (tie) Michigan (33.4%); and Arizona (33.4%); 7. Pennsylvania (33.3%); 8. Alabama (33.2%); 9. Kansas (32.8%); 10. (tie) Ohio (32.5%); and Alaska (32.5%); 12. Louisiana (30.8%); 13. New Mexico (30.7%); 14. Illinois (30.6%); 15. Oklahoma (30.4%); 16. Nebraska (30.3%); 17. (tie) Georgia (30.2%); and California (30.2%); 19. Wyoming (30.0%); 20. Washington (29.9%); 21. Arkansas (29.6%); 22. Iowa (29.4%); 23. Virginia (29.2%); 24. Idaho (29.1%); 25. West Virginia (28.5%); 26. (tie) South Carolina (28.4%); and Nevada (28.4%); 28. New York (28.0%); 29. Kentucky (27.9%); 30. Florida (27.8%); 31. Hawaii (27.7%); 32. Massachusetts (27.1%); 33. Rhode Island (27.0%); 34. (tie) Delaware (26.8%); and Indiana (26.8%); 36. (tie) Minnesota (26.4%); New Hampshire (26.4%); and Connecticut (26.4%); 39. South Dakota (26.2%); 40. North Carolina (25.7%); 41. Mississippi (25.6%); 42. New Jersey (25.4%); 43. Wisconsin (24.9%); 44. Colorado (24.5%); 45. Maryland (24.4%); 46. Oregon (23.7%); 47. Utah (23.6%); 48. Montana (23.2%); 49. Maine (21.0%); 50. Vermont (20.8%); 51. District of Columbia (20.6%).


Trust for America's Health is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to saving lives by protecting the health of every community and working to make disease prevention a national priority. www.healthyamericans.org


The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 35 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. Helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need--the Foundation expects to make a difference in our lifetime. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.


Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100204/TFAHLOGO
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100204/TFAHLOGO
Source: Trust for America's Health

CONTACT: Elle Hogan, +1-202-223-9870 x 21, ehogan@tfah.org, Laura Segal,
+1-202-223-9870 x 27, lsegal@tfah.org, both of Trust for America's Health; or
Susan Levine, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, +1-609-627-6343,
slevine@rwjf.org


Web Site: http://healthyamericans.org/

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President Obama Nominates a New Ambassador to Nigeria

29 Jun 2010 14:47 Africa/Lagos


USA / Nigeria / President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts, 6/28/10


WASHINGTON, June 29, 2010/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individual to key administration posts:

Terence P. McCulley, Nominee for Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Department of State

Terence P. McCulley is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, with the rank of Minister-Counselor. He served most recently as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen, Denmark. Prior to this, Mr. McCulley was the U.S. Ambassador to Mali, and he has served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassies in Tunisia, Senegal and Togo. Other overseas postings include Niger, South Africa, India and Chad. In Washington, Mr. McCulley was the senior desk officer for Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo), and Deputy Coordinator for Iraq Assistance. A native of Oregon, he is a graduate in History and French of the University of Oregon in Eugene.

Source: The White House


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Nigerians Should Forgive and Give IBB Another Chance

IBB


I beg, please, if you have anything against former military President, General Ibrahim Babamosi Babangida, forgive him so that God will also forgive you too.

True Christians must be willing to forgive those who repent.
Or have you forgotten your Holy Bible.
Say the Lord's Prayer again.

What of those who murdered Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola?

The irony of it all is the fact that, even the millions of criminals and sinners and their accomplices, including the devil incarnates who hide their transgressions in Nigeria are casting stones at IBB.
SHAMELESS HYPOCRITES AND INGRATES.
Tuffia kwa!

if everyone who has committed an offence in Nigeria is doing as IBB is begging for forgiveness, Nigeria will soon become heaven on earth.


Whoever covers over his sins does not prosper. Whoever confesses and abandons them receives compassion.
~ Proverbs 28:13
FINIS.

Two Nigerian Women Scientists Win the Elsevier Foundation TWOWS Awards

Two Nigerian Women Scientists Win the Elsevier Foundation TWOWS Awards


Dr. Uchechi Ekwenye, a biologist at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture in Abia state and Dr. N.A. Ezejiofor of the Dept. of Pharmacology at the Abia State University Teaching Hospital lead the only three women from Africa among the 12 winners of the 2010 Elsevier Foundation TWOWS Awards.

The 12 winners are outstanding young women biologists, chemists, physicists and mathematicians recognized across the developing world.

The following is the news release from the Elsevier Foundation.


27 Jun 2010 09:00 Africa/Lagos


Twelve Women Scientists Announced as Winners of Elsevier Foundation TWOWS Awards

BEIJING, June 27, 2010/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --

The Elsevier Foundation, TWAS and TWOWS announced today that they are recognizing twelve talented women scientists from Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean for their research excellence. The announcement was made at the Third World Organization for Women in Science (TWOWS) 4th General Assembly and International Conference, Women Scientists in a Changing World, hosted by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in Beijing from 27-30 June 2010. Each winner will receive a cash prize of US$5,000.


Through a grant from the Elsevier Foundation ( http://www.elsevierfoundation.org/) , the TWOWS Awards for Young Women Scientists were expanded to cover three disciplines in each region - Biology, Chemistry, and Physics/Maths. The grant was made as part of The Elsevier Foundation New Scholar's program, which supports programs for women scholars during the early stages of demanding careers in science and technology. After a rigorous review by the four regional TWOWS committees, shortlisted candidates in each discipline were nominated and subsequently ranked by the regional vice presidents and Kaiser Jamil, the current TWOWS president. The twelve winners include:


Region Subject Nominee Country Institution

Asia.
Biology: ZENG, Fanyi China Shanghai Institute of Medical Genetics.

Chemistry. ORHAN, Ilkay Turkey Dept. of Pharmacognosy, Gazi University.

Phys/Maths. MAHADEVAN, P. India S,N. Bose National Centre for Basic.

Sciences

Africa
Biology: EKWENYE, Uchechi Nigeria Michael Okpara University of Agriculture.

Chemistry: EZEJIOFOR, N.A. Nigeria Dept. of Pharmacology, Abia State University Teaching Hospital.

Phys/Maths: STEENKAMP, C.M. S. Africa University of Stellenbosch.

Arab R.
Biology: ABDEL-SALAM, Ghada Egypt National Research Centre
Chemistry ALSAKA, Lilyan Iraq Environmental & Pollution Control
Research Centre.

Phys/Maths: ALI, Sakina F.A. Yemen Dept. of Physics, Sana'a University.

LAC
Biology: AMEZCUA-ALLIERI, Mexico Mexican Institute of M.A. Petroleum.

Chemistry: RIVERA, Aramis Cuba Institute of Science and Technology of Materials, University of Havana.

Phys/Maths: PELAIZ-BARRANCO, Cuba Physics Faculty, Aime University of Havana.

"It gives us great pleasure to announce the twelve recipients of the TWOWS Awards for Young Women Scientists," says Kaiser Jamil, President TWOWS. "The recognition that this provides will undoubtedly provide an invaluable boost to the promising careers of these young women scientists. TWOWS extends a warm thanks to the Elsevier Foundation for making this possible."


"The Elsevier Foundation is honored to be able to recognize and reward talented young women scientists from around the world," noted David Ruth, the Executive Director of the Elsevier Foundation. "Encouraging the work of promising scientists in the developing world helps to promote wider participation and excellence in science, a key objective of the Elsevier Foundation's New Scholars program."


About TWOWS


The Third World Organization for Women in Science (TWOWS) is an international sister organization of TWAS, The academy of sciences for the developing world. TWOWS is headed by eminent women scientists from the south, consisting of more than 3,000 members. The central role is to promote women's access to science and technology, enhancing their greater involvement in the decision-making processes for the development of their countries and in the international scientific community. Created in 1989, TWOWS' overall goal is to work towards bridging the gender gap in science and technology. TWOWS uses its forum for intellectual discussions to assist in the development of national capabilities to evolve, explore and improve strategies for increasing female participation in science.


About TWAS


TWAS, the academy of sciences for the developing world is an autonomous international organization, based in Trieste, Italy, that promotes scientific excellence for sustainable development in the South. Originally named "Third World Academy of Sciences", it was founded in 1983 by a distinguished group of scientists from the South under the leadership of the late Nobel laureate Abdus Salam of Pakistan. The Academy's strength resides in the quality and diversity of its membership - internationally renowned scientists elected by their peers. TWAS currently has more than 900 members from 90 countries, 73 of which are developing countries. It is administered by The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and financially supported by the Italian government.


About The Elsevier Foundation


The Elsevier Foundation (http://www.elsevierfoundation.org/) provides grants to institutions around the world, with a focus on support for the world's libraries and for scholars in the early stages of their careers. Since its inception, the Foundation has awarded more than 60 grants worth millions of dollars to non-profit organizations working in these fields. In January 2010, $600,000 in grants was awarded to 12 organizations selected for their innovation and potential for impact in the developing world and academic workplace. Through gift-matching, the Foundation also supports the efforts of Elsevier employees to play a positive role in their local and global communities. The Elsevier Foundation is funded by Elsevier (http://www.elsevier.com), a leading global publisher of scientific, technical and medical information products and services.


About Elsevier


Elsevier is a world-leading publisher of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. The company works in partnership with the global science and health communities to publish more than 2,000 journals, including The Lancet (http://www.thelancet.com) and Cell (http://www.cell.com), and close to 20,000 book titles, including major reference works from Mosby and Saunders. Elsevier's online solutions include ScienceDirect (http://www.sciencedirect.com), Scopus (http://www.scopus.com), Reaxys (http://www.reaxys.com), MD Consult (http://www.mdconsult.com) and Nursing Consult (http://www.nursingconsult.com), which enhance the productivity of science and health professionals, and the SciVal suite (http://www.scival.com ) and MEDai's Pinpoint Review (http://www.medai.com), which help research and health care institutions deliver better outcomes more cost-effectively.


A global business headquartered in Amsterdam, Elsevier ( http://www.elsevier.com) employs 7,000 people worldwide. The company is part of Reed Elsevier Group PLC (http://www.reedelsevier.com), a world-leading publisher and information provider, which is jointly owned by Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV. The ticker symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).



Media Contacts:

TWOWS
Daniel Schaffer, Information Officer
Tel: +39-040-2240 571
Email: schaffer@twas.org

Web: http://www.twows.org

Tasia Asakawa
Tel: +39-040-2240-516
Email: asakawa@twas.org

Elsevier Foundation
Ylann Schemm
Corporate Relations Manager
Tel: +31-20-485-2025
newsroom@elsevier.com
Elsevier@kaizo.net




Source: The Elsevier Foundation

TWOWS, Daniel Schaffer, Information Officer, Tel: +39-040-2240 571, Email: schaffer@twas.org; Tasia Asakawa, Tel: +39-040-2240-516, Email: asakawa@twas.org, Elsevier Foundation, Ylann Schemm, Corporate Relations Manager, Tel: +31-20-485-2025, newsroom@elsevier.com, Elsevier@kaizo.net


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DBN TV and Supple Communications Sign MoU on Eko International Film Festival

DBN TV AND SUPPLE COMMUNICATIONS SIGN MOU ON EKO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

The first private TV station in Nigeria Degue Broadcasting Network (DBN) Television has signed a four-year MOU with Supple Communications Limited as a major project partner for the organization of Eko International Film Festival (EKOIFF).
The inaugural Eko International Film Festival comes up in the city of Lagos from July 7-12, 2010.

Award winning filmmakers from Germany, UK, Spain, France, Albania, Kenya and Nigeria are participating in the film fiesta with over 25 films including the thrilling Glamrock City and the King of Palma.

Osa Sonny Adun

Mr. Osa Sonny Adun, the Chairman/CEO of DBN TV and Vice-Chairman of the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON) believes that the Eko International Film festival is a very ambitious project that will increase the global mileage and patronage of the Nigerian film industry and the multiplier spinoffs will boost the economy.

Hope Obioma Opara


Mr. Hope Obioma Opara, the President/Co-founder of Eko International Film Festival commends the foresight of DBN TV to partner with Supple Communications Limited to bring the film world to the shores of Nigeria.