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'W INTERNATIONAL / The Charlotte Post Thursday, October 9,1997 ^umer money comes in handy at U.N. > Farham Haq ^^ERNATIONAL PRESS SERVICE ilJNITED NATIONS iverick U.S. businessman Ted ler stunned U.N. diplomats jpvjien he aimounced that he S>^uld donate $1 billion to the jJ^rld body, sending analysts into I^^enzy of speculation over the ^J^ecedent his gift poses. ler wants his biUion-dollar ation to be used to create a foundation which wUl pro- VvivaHe money for de-mining, envi- nental protection, children’s ^Uses, and other worthy activi- ^|s. But some analysts worry ifet his gift could usher in an era '* which the world's richest indi- uals and corporations can ih their own causes onto the J^N. agenda. r^3The long-run concern is that United Nations, like every- j j^g else in the modem world, (Jpipll become increasingly priva- Jrjti^d as a result of (relying on) ^^i^vate funding,” warned ^^amantia PoUis, professor of jftl^tical science at New York's MStew School for Social Research. t’s a good thing if it doesn't fj^ome widespread, and you don’t have private institutions and corporations begirming to substitute for governments in funding the United Nations,” she said. The billion-dollar offer equals one year of the U.N.’s regular budget, and is several times larg er than the yearly contribution of the entire developing world. But for the United Nations, which has endured a financial crisis largely caused by the non payment of some $1.5 billion in U.S. dues. Turner’s annoimce- ment came as a happy surprise. “It’s a biUion-doUar day at the United Nations,” U.N. spokesman Fred Eckhard said with a smile. Balanced against the good cheer, however, is the sobering work ahead of ensuring that Tlimer’s promised contribution of $100 mUhon annually for the next 10 years meets U.N. regula tions. Tbday, officials from the bil lionaire’s charitable Turner Foundation met with U.N. legal experts to hammer out ways in which the offer could be accepted. U.N. officials noted that the world body is not allowed to use private donations to pay its costs. As a result, Eckhard said. Turner’s offer cannot offset the $1.5 billion that Washington owes the U.N. regular and peace keeping budgets. “No one is off the hook,” he said. The donation puts pressure on Washington, the chief U.N. debtor, to pay its arrears, which the U.S. Senate has only been willing to do partially and with strings attached. “I think (Turner’s offer) is a wonderful gesture, and I hope it is a sign of things to come,” U.N. Secretary General Kofi Arman said. “It shows his belief in the organization and in intemational cooperation, and I hope it will inspire governments to pay what they owe.” That message was driven home more bluntly by 'Ilrmer when he announced his offer, decided on at the spur of the moment, as he received a leadership award by the non-profit United Nations Association-USA “I’ve been thinking about the United States not paying, and it’s been bothering me for a long time,” Turner told the audience, which included Arman and other top U.N. officials. “I even thought about buying the U.S. debt at a discount, and then going to (Republican Senate Foreign Relations Chairman and U.N. opponent) Jesse Hehns and say ing, ‘Pay me or Ill sue you.”" Instead, the founder of the Cable News Network said he would donate $1 billion to help fund U.N. activities, and encour age other wealthy businessmen such as Microsoft founder and chairman Bill Gates and investor Warren Buffett to do the same. “If you’re rich, you can expect a let ter or a call from me,” he said. Turner founded his network in 1970 with a single television sta tion, building it up over the years until he merged it earUer this year with the Time-Wamer Corporation in one of the largest corporate mergers ever. Turner said that as a result of the merger he earned $1 billion in the first nine months of this year. “I’ll be as poor as I was nine months ago,” he said. Subscribe to ®I)e Cljarlotte Your one source for black news in the Queen City. G^K EITH. P.A. ATTORNEY AT LAW - Auto Accidents • Personal Injury Wrongful Death • On-the-job Accidents Occupational Disease • Workers compensation Licensed In North and South Carolina Evening and Weekend Hours By appointment 333-4411 1051 E. Morehead Street orporations blast intemational treaty 'ERNATIONAL PRESS SERVICE Washington - Some of the drld’s largest corporations are spending millions of dollars on advertising in an attempt to block an intemational treaty to restrict emissions of greenhouse gases that are changing the earth’s climate. Even as environmentalists are urging U.S. President Clinton to sign the United Nations agree ment, leading U.S. oil, coal, and automobile producers are calling the treaty unfair. “The agreement will hmt the economy by demanding cuts in energy use by industrialized countries while exempting such countries as India, China, Mexico, and Brazil,” says Jeriy Jasinowski, president of the National Association of Manufacturers. The $13 million campaign, described by advertisers as one of the most intensive campaigns ever mounted over a single politi cal issue, seeks to convince the U.S. pubHc that the agreement is unfair to business and the econo my. “This global agreement isn’t global and puts the entire burden on the U.S. and a few other coun tries,” says one of the many advertisements being aired on radio, television, and in the print media. Environmental groups have been quick to point out that the United States produces more car bon dioxide per person that any other country and say the ads misinform the public and divert attention from industry's contri bution to the problem. As the December U.N. Climate Change Convention in Japan approaches, the debate here over Boom times elude African continent global warming is also heating up. If successful, countries will sign an agreement in Kyoto bind ing targets and deadlines for countries to reduce their emis sions of greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases are produced mainly by the bmning of fossil fuels - oil, gasoline, and coal - on which much of modem society runs. Most scientists believe that, once in the atmosphere, these gases trap heat and increase the earth's surface temperature. Over time, they can cause changes in climate, including increased frequency and intensi ty of storms, floods, heat waves, and droughts, scientists say. VETERANS Borrow Up To $203,000 With No Money Down!!! Call Gary Landin, 'VA Mortgage Specialist, .Sunbelt '"•’’today for more information on how you NalionaJ Mortgage — may be eligible to finance your new home Charlotte,NC MONEY DOWN! 1-800-614-5672 IN-TERNATIONAL PRESS SERVICE ^•JBONN, Germany - The Jjl^erld’s poorest countries, jjj,«{(qstly in Africa, are being left Jjj^hind as other developing g^ations take advantage of SSwreasing flows of foreign ^jjfcestment to the south. ‘Africa, home to 34 of the fJjijirld's 48 lesser-developed jJtSfcntries, is lagging behind as pJ^TOwth in foreign direct invest- i^»(i«nt in the Asian and Latin ifjIjnerica-Caribbean regions Si^ts new records, say experts Sfrpm the United Nations K a-'i^Lnference on Trade and velopment. Overall, Africa's share [eluding South Africa) of fSojveloping country inflows was Sites than four percent in 1996, I”, (fs lowest share since the early ;^~J&80s, and a further indication '^iffet the region is not partici- pating in the global FDI boom,” T.says UNCTAD’s “World Ifivestment Report 1977: i'Transnational Corporations, • Market Structure and i Competition Policy.” If South Africa is added, FDI inflows into Africa were slight ly ahead of 1995 levels at $5.3 billion, compared to $4.9 bil lion, but below the continental record of $5.8 billion in 1994. Africa’s oil-producing countries took shghtly more than 70 per cent of the FDI that did come to BRIEFS Africa in 1996, with Nigeria by far the largest single recipient. Nigeria drew $1.71 billion in FDI in 1996, followed by Egypt, which drew $740 million. The LDCs, countries with a per capita gross national prod uct of less than $699 and a maximum population of 75 mil lion, can only stand and watch as new FDI flows into resource rich countries like Nigeria, bur geoning new markets like China, or strategic traders like Singapore. FDI into Latin America and the Caribbean rose by 52 percent in 1996, the largest increase attained by any region of the developing world. With inflows of $39 bil lion, in comparison to $25 bil lion in 1995, Latin America and the Caribbean accounted for 30 percent of all FDI flows into developing countries. Made-in-Nigeria car PAN-AFRICAN NEWS AGENCY OWERRI, Nigeria - The first made-in-Nigeria saloon car known as Z-600 has been launched in the eastern city of Owerri. Nigerian engineer and chief executive of Izuogu Motors, Ezekiel Izuogu, said he con ceived, designed and manufac tured the car, which has been tested by the country’s vehicle inspectors and found road wor thy. “The entire body work and chassis frame is our design from first principles. We also made the mold from which the body can be stamped out to produce hundreds of thousands of cars,” Izuogu said at the elaborate presentation ceremony. The Z-600, built on 4-stroke 1800 cc engine, Izuogu said, could cover some 30 kilometers on one gallon of petrol. The engine could also be mass pro duced and put to other uses like agricultural mechanization, standby electricity generator and tricycles, among others, he said. The unit price of the new car is put at between 150,000 and 180,000 naira (between $1,800 and $2,000 U.S.). Nigeria has several vehicle assembly plants, but new cars have been priced beyond the reach of the average salary earner, forcing many to patron ize the booming market of imported used vehicles mainly from Europe. Izuogu said it would require some 200 million naira or $2.4 million U.S. to set up a factory that would be able to produce about 30 Z-600 saloon cars a year. pi^a 'HuU Cllittll For Carry Out or Delivery Neai Real Deal Pizza Call us tonight CAll for Delivery or Carryout Pizza Hut 1909 Milton Road • 535-0694 CALL US FOR • Monday Night Football • Church Events • School Parties Lower’s Une PEPPERONi LOVER’S MEAT LOVER’S GGIE LOVER’S CHEESE LOVER’S to being your Testing criticized by U.S. senator Government officials say research could save lives Continued from page 1A children who might otherwise contract AIDS through parental transmission. Supporters also say that the studies were reviewed by ethics committees in the U.S., Europe and in the countries were the studies are being con ducted. Preliminary research has found that when taken during pregnancy, AZT reduces the risk of transmitting the AIDS virus to the fetus by two-thirds. But the treatment costs over I $1,000 per mother. The contro versial study is trying to find out if the treatment can be as effective with lower and there fore less costly doses. Critics, like the Washington, D.C.-based group Public Citizen, say it is unacceptable in the name of saving money, to doom unsuspecting mothers and children to death when it can be prevented. In a letter to Donna Shalala, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Public Citizen contends that, “Researchers involved in these experiments have exploited the inadequacies of the health-care systems in these developing countries to conduct research they would never even consider in the U.S.” The studies included 12,2111 women in Thailand, The Dominican Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania and Malawi. Funding was provided by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Go on-line with The Post http://www.thepost.mind- spnng.com Come visit your MniDNRD. Pizza Hut. We are community oriented providing the best service in pizza delivery DEUVERY DRIVERS WANIEiHiREATPAY
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