Death toll from Philippine typhoons hits 101 (Reuters)

MANILA (Reuters) ? The death toll from the two strong typhoons that cut across the north of the Philippines' main island and left behind widespread flooding has risen to 101, the national disaster agency said Sunday.

Typhoon Nesat hit the Philippines on September 27 and was followed on October 1 by Typhoon Nalgae. Both crossed agricultural provinces of northern Luzon, with crop damage estimated at about 12 billion pesos ($275 million).

Nesat was the more destructive of the two, bringing widespread flooding to provinces north of Manila that is still to recede fully. The typhoon killed 82 people, the disaster agency said in a Sunday morning update.

The death toll from Nalgae was 19, and 27 people were still missing after the storms. The main cause of death was drowning.

The Philippines may have to buy more rice imports than it had planned for next year due to the crop damage, government officials have said.

(Reporting by John Mair; Editing by Daniel Magnowski)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/weather/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111009/wl_nm/us_philippines_weather

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10 Tips For Business Success in Tokyo and Avoiding Cross Cultural ...

Pre-Departure Preparation

If you know you will be traveling to Tokyo with the objective of doing business, take the time to think ahead and prepare yourself as much as possible. Find out about the company you will be visiting and their expectations. If you have colleagues who have already worked in the Tokyo office, talk to them about it. What tips can they give you? It sounds so obvious but it always amazes me how many people arrive here with very little idea of the culture or background of the people they will be working with.

10 tips to help prepare the way for a successful trip to Tokyo:

Leave your usual expectations at home. Don?t assume anything. The unwritten rules that you might rely on back in New York or London, for example, are not the same here. In order to build a working relationship, try and put yourself in the shoes of your Japanese counterparts.

Make your life much easier by not coming over as the arrogant expat who has come to change the way things are done here. This is all too often the method that has been employed and witnessed by Japanese personnel and it is not appreciated. Showing respect and understanding will give you a far higher chance of success in gaining the co-operation of your Japanese counterparts and make the whole experience a far more pleasurable one.

Social Conventions. Most deals, discussions and formal business often take place outside of official working hours over a beer or meal. This is the accepted custom and you will find that people are far more relaxed in this environment than if you approach them over the same matter in the office.

Yes is not always yes. In Western culture, silence is often deemed to mean agreement or acquiescence. Silence in your conference room in Tokyo may not mean the same thing. The Japanese are often difficult to bring the uncertainty to express or clarify information required. In Japanese culture, is the traditional method of meeting, talking to everyone takes their turn. If you want to know the actual temperature of the participants, you need a little "more direct and interaction if you expect people to stop and to express their opinion, you can deal with some problems -.. Global and in most companies, it can be frustrating be, when you reach theAfter a discussion and find out what was thought to be a yes in fact the exact opposite. The golden rule is to confirm and to reach an agreement as you go.

Is that so? Another major difference is the cultural reluctance to say actually, yes! Ask a seller if the item you buy works are traveling abroad, it is very likely that the answer is "maybe." The answer is no longer appropriate in the Western cultural standards. To fix this and use issuesconfirmed by the definition of real actions, dates and times. Again with respect, to do this, but it is the only way to be sure (99%) that they have reached the end of you. Follow this with e-mail and do not forget the important after-hours socializing. That may be true if they feel the feelings, the objections and concerns.

To bow or shake hands with him? As a Westerner, it is customary to shake hands to greet someone and that is good as normal. It takesYears to learn the complexity of the arc. Depending on the seniority of someone depending on how deep and how long bows. If you wish to participate as a sign of respect, then watch that is around you and follow the example of the best advice.

Business cards, or how they know meishi in Japan, are an essential part of your arsenal if you're serious about the business in Tokyo. The cards will be treated with respect and never slipped into pockets or bags. When someonethe paper that I give you with both hands and you have and receive equally. Read the card and then put on the table next to you. After the meeting, place it carefully in your card, or other container.

Japanese traditional hierarchy. In the traditional business structures, personnel move through the ranks after their time with the company and age. It is very rare that a new diploma or younger employees to find asenior position. Although this is beginning to change, is still a reality in many national companies. This is almost a culture shock for the West, especially if one looks, good ideas are dismissed because they come from a young colleague.

Appearance. There are many stories about the number of clothes you walk around to see blacks in Tokyo and is a fact that this city is probably one of the strongest and started all over the world. Not all seeds arethe best quality, but men and women in professional positions should be dressed accordingly. If you are attending a meeting, keep the jacket on someone else until you take it. It would be rude if you do this first encounter. In short ? look intelligent.

Common sense. The Japanese are very comfortable in general. It can be difficult to assess as a non-Japanese comprehensively what happens when the tone and gestures are used in different ways and to alesser degree. Don?t be afraid to ask questions but do it in a respectful way. If you are overly direct then your question may be seen as a criticism or as an attack. If this is what you intend then fine, but if you want to build long lasting relationships this is not the best way to go about it.

As a final note, don?t worry about making mistakes. They will happen. But more than anything show a willingness to participate in and understand the culture around you. This simple act can be the key to making or breaking your success.

Want to know more information about the city of Tokyo? Check out TokyoTopia.com developed by a self-confessed UK Tokyoite.

Source: http://business-top7-or-10-tips.chailit.com/10-tips-for-business-success-in-tokyo-and-avoiding-cross-cultural-faux-pas.html

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Is Outsourcing A Smarter Technique For Business? | Webmaster ...

The phrase outsourcing nowadays is frequently heard in the world of small business. Worldwide Outsourcing has influenced the way men and women manage their small businesses to a substantial extent. So, what is it about outsourcing that?s produced a huge amount of transformation within the business world?

To start with, outsourcing is an agreement with a person or organization to execute a specific job for a business. Outsourcing at this time is required by lots of companies by paying an outsourcing company to deal with part of the businesses labor, for example bookkeeping or even logo design. This is achieved to save money in terms of inexpensive services provided by outsourcing organizations, superior or equal craftsmanship in work, and also to unburden the company resources for other important functions to let this company evolve.

Outsourcing jobs started with the data processing sector. Given that many businesses are now realizing the complete possibilities of outsourcing professional services, a lot more services are being outsourced, such as direct marketing companies, tele-messaging, service desk, among others.

The most significant developments of recent years has come from the growth of businesses using web based technology to use outsourcing as a way to develop a stable service delivery business that may be run from almost anywhere worldwide. The low cost contract fees that can be obtained by briefly employing industry experts in particular areas to deliver components of a task solely over the internet ensures that there is a growing quantity of small companies that operate solely on the web employing offshore outsourced contractors to provide the work ahead of repackaging it to supply to the buyer.

One common area where this business model thrives is in website designing, analysis and marketing services. All components can be accomplished off shore and delivered digitally and service providers can leverage the size and financial state of outsourcing to offer top quality services at extremely decreased end customer prices.

Since the supplier of outsourcing services is usually based in developing economies, the rate for its products and services is remarkably less expensive and supplies identical if not better end result. Because of this, large and small companies that require services like these often rely intensely on outsourcing techniques to get it finished on a limited budget.

Outsourced workers is a very cheap and also sustainable strategy to build your business. Outsourcing releases your businesses resources to concentrate more on the development and marketing and advertising.

Listed below are some of the different tasks that businesses are now outsourcing to release their resources:

1) Computer data Analysis
2) Information Technology
3) Research
4) Engineering planning
5) Help Desks
6) Graphics work

These are merely a handful of services getting outsourced these days. Outsourcing techniques is increasing exponentially. On a daily basis fresh solutions are being supplied to benefit business owners. As of this year there are reported to be about 3200 professional services on offer. Internet sites like Odesk are fantastic examples of the range of solutions readily available.

In case you are beginning another company and have minimal start up funds then outsourcing may be the most effective answer for your organization.

With in excess of 9 years of practical experience inside the profession of Logo Maker, I don?t just take joy in creating but also composing articles to help small business owners. Together with a verified track record in logo design, and the success of the new website ?online logo design?, still finding time to write can certainly be a struggle yet a great challenge.

No related posts.

Source: http://webmasterarticles.net/is-outsourcing-a-smarter-technique-for-business/

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How are weddings organized in Detroit, Michigan? - ArticlesWide.com

Weddings in Detroit: According to the statistical data almost 25,000 marriages take place each year in the south eastern part of Michigan. Many couples keep wondering whether they will be able to throw a wedding reception that would be exceptional and can stand out from the rest. Next what is ought to come in your minds is what is so exceptional about the wedding in Downtown Detroit? Well if you talk about Detroit weddings; to begin with there are some excellent and elegant architectural work all around and of course grand dcor; so your photographer will get enough opportunities to snap those picture perfect shots you might be looking for.

It is not just about architecture but there is also so much history that dates back to thousands of years to talk about. Every Michigan weddings has to say something about the couples and who the bride and groom are? The way the story can be put forward to your families and your friends entirely depends upon the preparation and the preplanning and doing something out of the box that is put into your wedding. A grand location will be ever cherished while flipping through the pictures in the album. Even if you have a chance to look through the album after years you would have the same sensational warmth flooding you instantly; that is what the specialty about all Michigan weddings is.

Another added feather would be the scenic beauty Detroit will provide to all the Michigan weddings. Be it the Comerica park or the Belle Isle both the places are awesome in beauty. Other trendy places that you can think of would be the Roosertail or the Gem Theatre downtown.

You can also have a way to plan the ceremony as well as the wedding reception in Detroit, Michigan. There would be innumerable number of churches and chapels available in Detroit to support you with the logistics of the Detroit weddings.

Whats next? Reception:

What you must be wondering about is where would the reception take place? Well as already aforesaid, Detroit is land of scenic beauty, so chalking out a place for the Michigan would not be mush of a hassle. There are some places like the Detroit Athletic Club, Detroit Yacht Club, and Belle Isle that could add a stunning dcor to the grand reception of the Michigan Weddings. These places can actually make you feel unto the horizon of elegance.

If you too are looking to have grand Detroit weddings or Michigan weddings followed by an awesome reception you can always choose to visit our website for additional tips.

Article source: http://www.articleswide.com/author/AWEA-113.html

Source: http://www.articleswide.com/article/aw925065.html

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Haiti's long wait for PM ends with 3rd pick (AP)

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti ? The long wait for Haiti to find a prime minister ended Tuesday after its Senate approved Garry Conille to run the government, hopefully jump-starting stalled earthquake reconstruction efforts.

President Michel Martelly's two previous nominees for the post had been rejected by lawmakers and the absence of a fully functioning government had impeded his ability to govern since taking office in May.

Senators voted 17-3 with nine abstentions for Conille, a gynecologist who served as an aide to Bill Clinton in the former U.S. President's role as U.N. envoy to Haiti. Conille had worked for the U.N. since 1999 in countries such as Haiti, Ethiopia, and, for a few months this summer, in Niger.

"Congratulations to the senate that they ratified our choice," Martelly spokesman Lucien Jura told The Associated Press. "There will be a government to implement the Martelly vision that the country needs. The senate made a decision that will improve the lives of the population."

A prime minister is needed to install a Cabinet in Haiti and the rejections of Martelly's candidates had accentuated the slow pace of reconstruction efforts following last year's powerful quake.

The debate to ratify Conille, which lasted about six hours, centered around questions over his residency qualifications. Government officials in Haiti are required to have spent five consecutive years in Haiti under the constitution but French and Haitian Creole versions of the document don't specify when the residency period begins. Conille's job had taken him out of Haiti for years.

In the end, a group of senators from a majority coalition agreed Conille was eligible.

"(We're) going to give Haiti a new prime minister," Jean Joel Joseph, a member of the ruling Unity party, said before the senate voted.

In his new job, Conille will help lead reconstruction efforts in the aftermath of the January 2010 earthquake and will assume responsibilities as co-chair of a recovery panel with his former boss, Clinton.

The panel, the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission, has drawn heavy criticism for making little visible progress since the disaster.

Conille now will have to present a government plan to both houses of parliament but he can make revisions to it if lawmakers have questions.

When reached by phone Tuesday night, Conille declined to comment, saying he had to speak to national television first so as to avoid the impression that he was favoring international media over Haitian media.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111005/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/cb_haiti_prime_minister

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Bill extending National Flood Insurance Program to Nov. 18 ...

Legislation extending the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to Nov. 18 passed today (Oct. 4), just days after the federal program, nearing expiration, was extended for a week.

The latest extension earned the approval of insurance groups, although one national coalition says temporary extensions are not enough.

The bill (H.R. 2608) provides short-term appropriated funding for discretionary government operations, including NFIP, through Nov. 18. It passed in the U.S. House of Representatives 352-66. President Obama is expected to sign to bill later today (Oct. 4), according to the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (Big I). The bill was passed by the Senate late last week.

The House and Senate are working on legislation that would provide a five-year extension of the NFIP, which protects about 5.4 million property owners whose properties are in flood-prone areas. The House overwhelmingly passed its version of the legislation (H.R. 1309) July 12. The Senate Committee on Banking passed its version, the Flood Insurance Reform and Modernization Act, but the full Senate must vote on the bill, before the House and Senate can agree on a final bill.

?Today?s action buys Congress more time for work on the long-term reform and extension effort,? said John Prible, vice president of federal government affairs for Big I, in a statement. ?We now urge Senate leadership to quickly bring the reform bill to the full Senate floor for consideration to allow the House and Senate enough time to reconcile their two bills. We are now closer to achieving a long-term reform and extension bill than at any point in recent memory and we urge Congressional leadership to finally push this over the finish line.?

Temporary extensions of the program do not provide Americans with the coverage they need if natural disasters strike, according to SmarterSafer.org, a national coalition supporting environmentally-responsible, fiscally-sound approaches that promote public safety.

?While Congress delays taking action to improve the NFIP, the American people are left without broadly supported reforms that will better protect their lives and property, save taxpayer dollars and promote public safety,? SmarterSafer.org said in its statement. ?Five-day fixes and delays only make the troubled program more unstable.?

Over the last two years, the NFIP has been subject to numerous short extensions, creating uncertainty and confusion for property owners, real estate agents and others, according to advocates. Twice in the last year the program?s funding expired, meaning short-term lapses. Congress in both cases approved retroactive extensions.

?

Source: http://ifawebnews.com/2011/10/04/bill-extending-national-flood-insurance-program-to-nov-18-approved/

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Botanicals: Lavender Aromatherapy Lotion for Hand & Body ...

Lavender Aromatherapy Lotion for Hand & Body ? Organic & Vegan 4 oz

Lavender Aromatherapy Lotion for Hand & Body - Organic & Vegan 4 oz

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  • 85% Organic Hand & Body Lotion
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  • Paraben Free

Lavender Aromatherapy Lotion for Hand & Body - Organic & Vegan 4 oz

List Price: $10.00

Your Price: $8.00- Lavender Aromatherapy Lotion for Hand & Body - Organic & Vegan 4 oz

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85% Organic Hand & Body Lotion

Lavender Body Lotion is a light-weight, yet decadent moisture treat for your entire body!! Slather yourself from head to toe with this softy scented, sinfully sexy, delightfully decadent body lotion.

Our Lavender Lotion is made with Organic Aloe Vera, Lavender hydrosol, Organic Coconut oil, Jojoba & other nourishing botanicals. This softly scented lotion conditions skin so it is soft and glowing, not flaky. Lavender Lotion is beneficial for all skin types including dry skin, itchy skin, eczema, sun burned, wind burned, sensitive & acne-prone.

Aloe barbadensis (Organic Aloe) Juice, Lavendula angustifolia (Organic Lavender) Distillate, Cocos nucifera (Organic Coconut) Oil, Kosher Vegetable Glycerin, Emulsifying Wax NF, Palm Stearic Acid, Simmondsia chinensis (Jojoba) Oil, Hamamelis virginiana (Witch Hazel), Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Phenoxyethanol, Lavandula officinalis (Lavender) Essential Oil, Xanthan Gum (Polysaccharide Gum), Salix nigra (Organic Black Willowbark) Extract, Mannan, Azadirachta indica (Neem) Oil, Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary) Oleoresin, Tetrasodium EDTA, Citric Acid & lots of love!!

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Your Price: $8.00 ? Lavender Aromatherapy Lotion for Hand & Body - Organic & Vegan 4 oz

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Source: http://optiononeinfoseeker.com/2011/10/02/botanicals-lavender-aromatherapy-lotion-for-hand-body-organic-vegan-4-oz/

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Pest Control -- Why It's Not the Same as Termite Control

by Richard A. Manfredi

to Richard A. Manfredi

Tweet This When you have a pest problem, it can be downright annoying. You may see ants crawling around your kitchen, cockroaches in your garage, or even spiders in your basement. But when you have a termite control problem, things can get downright devastating. Termites cause more than a billion dollars' worth of damage every year -- more than natural disasters, like fires and storms!

If you think you have termites, you don't have time to waste. You need a professional exterminator who can get in your house and get rid of them. The longer they have time to hang out inside your home, the more damage they're going to cause.

But before you call your neighborhood pest control company, you have to make sure they're well-versed in termite control.

Why?

It's one thing to be a pest control expert; it's another to be a termite control expert.

Termites operate very differently than the average pest, so they have to be treated differently than the average pest.

You may think that because you don't have any cracks or tiny holes in your walls that termites can't get in. However, that's not the case! Termites are capable of coming up with sophisticated ways to get into your home. Don't live on the ground floor? It doesn't matter to a termite! That's because they construct "mud tubes" made out of their own feces to travel from underneath the ground up into your home's foundation. Then, they can use these "mud tubes" to go back and forth to get more food.

If you keep a sharp eye out, you can see these mud tubes. A termite control specialist should be able to spot them very easily.

But the way they get in isn't the only thing that makes termites different.

Unlike the average pest, termites live deep inside your house. Your odds of actually seeing one scamper across the floor are very, very slim. That's because they're far more interested in the wooden studs inside your walls. To them, that wood is far more delicious than anything you may have left out on the kitchen counter!

So, what can a termite control specialist do?

Unfortunately, if your exterminator comes to spray or put down baits geared for "traditional" pests -- like ants and roaches -- it will not help your termite problem. Instead, termite control has to be centered at the core of your home -- like inside your walls and underneath your foundation. It may take sophisticated tenting techniques or even drilling and trenching to get to the source of your termite infestation. Every exterminator doesn't know how to do it -- which is why it's so important to find the right expert!

Keywords: pest control md, exterminator dc, bed bugs dc, termites virginia, pest control services Virginia

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Cartilage materials Sharp Can be a Popular Type of Hearing Sharp ...

Normal ear lobe piercing continues to be well-known for the whole lot of decades in a selection of cultures, in any other case for centuries. Using pierced earlobes to help keep adornments for example earrings in addition to danglers is very easily probably the most common type of entire body jewelry next finger bands, although it gives these days flip out to be trendy to make usage of other parts in the ear, in addition to in the entire body, to be diverse. The actual tragus had been the apparent prospect with this, in addition to tragus piercings have increased in recognition above the past numerous decades.

What is Cartilage Sharp?

Cartilage is constructed, not only of skin in addition to skin since the earlobes are usually, but additionally of a challenging ligament meant to supply framework to functions inside one?s body. Your joints take advantage of cartilage to protect the actual bone fragments from scratching since they rub with each other, in addition to your rib crate is made up of a whole lot of cartilage tissue. With respect to that particular person, onto your nose is mostly cartilage, as is the principle framework of your respective ear that is becoming more and more well-known with this form of decoration.

Sorts of Cartilage Sharp

Cartilage is more difficult to stab compared to delicate tissue of the ear lobe, in addition to extra treatment should be taken when it?s completed. There are several sorts of cartilage piercing that happen to be well-known, these becoming:

Helix
Your helix may be the outdoors fringe of the actual ear, which waves to form an audio funnel, directing seem to be spherical into the principal a part of your own personal middle ear. A typical helix may possibly permeate the actual ear once while a commercial piercing may possibly permeate this two instances.

Conch
The actual conch will get it?s title inside the seashell this resembles. It is the central cartilaginous segment of your own personal ear, in addition to relatively simple to stab. If you determine to have conch bands, they are relatively difficult to match to one yet another.

Tragus Sharp
A pierced tragus is yet another common type of cartilage piercing. The actual tragus may be the triangular in shape nub of cartilage near to your own personal cheekbone in addition to relatively above earlobe. This can be quite a heavy little bit of cartilage, that is maybe why it has just fairly current achieve recognition rather of other parts in the ear. It really is typically adorned as well as rings, barbells as well as tragus pubs.

Pain of Cartilage Sharp

The pain involved in having cartilage pierced depends upon the spot, the actual dimensions in the jewelry in addition to in case the tissue is pierced when or 2 times. Orbital in addition to industrial models are usually double pierced, and therefore are far more unpleasant than simple. Even when you don?t actually experience a whole lot along the way by alone, you will be conscious about this all the way through recovery ? but it?s worthwhile.

Cartilage Recovery

Time taken to recuperate once again depends upon precisely in which it?s and just how massive the outlet is. To be able to aid recovery, your own personal jewelry should be clean and sterile or bacterial infection will hold up the recovery procedure. You?ll be able to expect to wait nearly anything from 2 months into a yr for any cartilage piercing to recuperate completely, which can be important which you preserve your jewelry each of the whilst it?s recovery ? it could be taken away, for just for some moments around to completely clean before disinfecting the genuine wound.

Source: http://www.thebooklistings.org/books/cartilage-materials-sharp-can-be-a-popular-type-of-hearing-sharp/

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Lavish summit could pay off for African ruler

The African heads of state who converged on the capital of Equatorial Guinea this summer are used to life's finer things ? yet even they were impressed.

The minuscule nation located on the coast of Central Africa spent several times its yearly education budget to build a new $800 million resort in which to house the presidents attending this summer's African Union summit.

Besides an 18-hole golf course, a five-star hotel and a spa, the country built a villa for each of the continent's 52 presidents. Each one came with a gourmet chef and a private elevator leading to a suite overlooking the mile-long artificial beach that had been sculpted out of the country's coast especially for them.

Western diplomats say that the charm offensive worked, and on Friday the United Nations' cultural arm may be forced to create a prize named after Equatorial Guinea's notoriously corrupt president, due to a resolution passed in June by the presidents staying at the lavish resort.

If that happens President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, a man whose regime is accused of gross human rights violations, will be associated with an organization whose stated mission is the promotion of peace and human rights through cultural dialogue.

During the AU summit this summer, Obiang succeeded in getting the body to pass a motion calling on UNESCO to approve a prize named in his honor.

Armed with this resolution, the 13 African delegates on UNESCO's executive board are threatening to force a vote on the UNESCO-Obiang Nguema Mbasogo Prize for Research in the Life Sciences as early as Friday when the board meets in Paris, said five officials taking part in the discussion.

The $3 million prize was first proposed in 2008 and UNESCO initially agreed to create it, only to suspend it as outrage erupted over the provenance of the money and accusations of abuses by Obiang against the people of his Maryland-sized nation.

A senior Western diplomat in France who is close to the negotiation, said that Obiang, as the rotating chairman of the African Union, forced through a resolution during the AU summit that unified the African position.

"In the past our ability to keep the prize in the deep freezer depended on divisions within the African group," said the diplomat, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter. "At UNESCO on the executive board, the African group makes up a large percentage of the board ? and when they are completely unified they can always count on complete support from the Arab group."

Together, the Arab and African delegations account for 20 out of 58 votes. Thirty is needed for the measure to pass; fewer if some governments abstain. The diplomat said the Equatoguinean delegation has been hanging out in the halls outside of the board's meeting room in Paris, trying to influence the vote of undecided delegates when they step outside. Among the ambassadors from Africa, there are misgivings about the prize and several have privately said they feel embarrassed voting for it, but believe their hands are tied due to the African Union resolution.

"What Obiang has been able to set up here is a dynamic by which the ambassadors are constrained ? their backs are against the wall because their position has been mandated by their heads of state," said the official.

The diplomat's account of the situation was confirmed by a senior European diplomat who is also on the UNESCO executive board, as well as by leading rights groups including New York-based Human Rights Watch and London-based Global Witness which have been at the forefront of trying to stop the creation of the prize.

The Western nations opposing the measure are hoping to avoid a vote on Friday, the diplomats say, on the argument that forcing one is against UNESCO's tradition. They fear that if it goes to a vote, the measure will pass, forcing the body to implement the prize.

Obiang seized power in a coup 32 years ago after toppling the former leader, who was executed. The United Nations Rapporteur on Torture toured the country's prisons in 2008 and determined that torture is systematic, including using electroshocks through starter cables attached to the detainees' body with alligator clips.

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In February, the government imposed a blackout on news regarding the Arab Spring uprising. A disc jockey who dared refer to Libya during his music program had his microphone cut off minutes into his show and the program was pulled off the air for two months.

Another concern is the provenance of the $3 million that Obiang has said he will donate to endow the prize. The Obiang family has become fabulously wealthy during the president's reign and is accused of pilfering the nation's oil wealth.

The United States Senate's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations held hearings to discuss how Obiang's son used lawyers, realtors and bankers to help him transfer $110 million of suspect funds to the U.S. The money was used to purchase a $30 million mansion in Malibu and a $38 million plane, according to a separate Justice Department inquiry.

On Thursday, French officials in Paris seized 16 luxury cars, including a Bugatti Veyron worth more than $1.3 million allegedly belonging to Obiang's son, in a probe into claims that the Equatoguinean leader had misspent public funds in France. And earlier this month, a lawyer close to former French President Jacques Chirac claimed in a memoir that Obiang had tried to give the French government suitcases of cash in order to secure favor.

Equatorial Guinea's Minister of Information Jeronimo Osa Osa Ecoro told The Associated Press by telephone from his nation's capital that the claims of theft, corruption and abuse by Obiang and his entourage are unfounded.

"They want to dirty the image of our country. This is a nation that wants to share $3 million of its money for a UNESCO prize that will save human lives ? this is a gift to humanity!" he said, adding: "There is no poverty in Equatorial Guinea, and as for the respect of human rights, which country can say that it respects human rights 100 percent of the time?"

In an Op Ed piece published Thursday online in Think Africa Press, Nobel Peace laureate Desmond Tutu said that the people of Equatorial Guinea need justice, not a $3 million science prize funded by their president.

"In numerous speeches to international audiences, including many in his role as the rotating African Union chair, President Obiang has stated his commitment to democracy, human rights, and good governance. His words, however, ring hollow since they are often not applied inside his own country," Tutu wrote. "It is unfortunate that the time and resources expended by President Obiang to establish the prize are not directed at implementing the reforms that he regularly mentions."

In Equatorial Guinea, the new town of Sipopo was built for nearly $800 million. It's an investment that the country's opposition leader Placido Mico said is an insult to the nation's population. He points to the country's 2011 budget, where only $40 million is allocated in the line for education. He said it appears that the sole purpose of the resort was to impress the heads of state of AU nations, and possibly to lure tourists.

Equatoguineans who have tried to go there after the end of the summit were turned away and told that they needed a special authorization.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44722379/ns/world_news-africa/

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