nice and cheap footballs

When you watch a football match, it's quite probable that the ball has been manufactured in Pakistan.

http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/developing/pitchequipment/football/testcriteria.html
FIFA Quality Concept
The FIFA Quality Concept for Footballs is a test programme for Outdoor, Futsal and Beach Soccer footballs. Manufacturers have the possibility to enter into a licensing agreement for the use of the prestigious 'FIFA APPROVED' and 'FIFA INSPECTED' Quality Marks on footballs which have passed a rigorous testing procedure.

FIFA site includes the list of around 90 manufacturers registered as FIFA licensees, among them many from Pakistan, with their own brands or manufacturing for the most important companies in the market (adidas, Nike, Umbro, Lotto, Kappa,Puma, Wilson, etc.):

http://www.alberta-sports.com/2008/profile.php

http://www.capital-sports.net/profile.html

http://www.craftsmanpk.com/about.php?page=about

http://www.kapur.com.pk/apparels/How.aspx

http://www.madrigalsports.com/

http://www.orbittra.com/about.php

http://www.rectogroup.com/sports/manufacture.htm

http://www.s-stargroup.com/

http://www.temposports.com/about.php?lng=en

http://www.talonsports.com/aboutus.htm

http://www.vision.com.pk/content/view/18/37/

Criticism from those who do not like football can not be avoided though:
　
INTERNATIONAL LABOR RIGHTS FORUM
http://www.laborrights.org/

Special Report 07/06/2010
Missed the Goal for Workers:
The Reality of Soccer Ball Stitchers in Pakistan, India, China and Thailand


This report presents the key findings of the International Labor Rights Forum’s research in the four largest soccer balls producing countries: Pakistan, India, China and Thailand. This report also highlights the need to rethink the strategies being utilized by companies to encourage suppliers to adhere to strong labor standards.

ILRF found that child labor continues to exist.
ILRF found that non-permanent workers are the standard for the hand-stitched soccer ball industry.
Workers are often paid below the legal minimum wage and their incomes can barely cover basic needs. While they are vulnerable to occupational health hazards, their part-time status makes them ineligible for many social protections including health care. The rights to organize and bargain collectively are usually legally barred to workers with informal employment status.

At one Pakistani manufacturer, ILRF researchers found that all interviewed stitching center or home-based workerswere employed on a casual basis and almost all of them were paid below the legally required minimum wage.

To conclude, ILRF calls on the soccer ball industry, in coordination with trade unions and civil society, to take immediate action to address the issues of extremely low wages, proliferation of temporary workers, and a lack of civil society engagement in order to improve conditions for the workers that produce the ball at the center of the World Cup 2010 games.

comprar a Zara és barat

Inditex.es 04.03.2011 Inditex ha aprovechado la oportunidad única de adquirir un local de 3.600 metros cuadrados en el número 666 de la 5ª Avenida de Nueva York (Estados Unidos), en la confluencia con la calle 52, una de las ubicaciones comerciales de moda más importantes del mundo.


El cost? només 330 milions $. No és res per Inditex, amb més de 5.000 botigues, vendes de 15.000 milions € anuals, i amb una caixa de 3.000 milions €. El seu valor en borsa (ITX) és de més de 32.000 milions € el 2011.03.09.

Quin és el secret d'Inditex / Amancio Ortega? Poder vendre a preu baix amb marges de més del 60%, i això requereix produir amb costos molt molt baixos. On?: a Bangladesh és molt barat.

Inditex no té cap empleat a Bangla Desh, allà no hi ha botigues del grup (són pobres), només es fabrica a través de l'outsourcing a proveïdors locals.

Però Inditex vigila als seus proveïdors:

Responsabilidad corporativa:Nos comprometemos con nuestros proveedores y sus trabajadores, con un Código de Conducta que garantiza unas condiciones laborales dignas

Base Code de Ethical Trading Initiative:

Aprobado en 1998 por representantes de la industria textil, sindicatos y organizaciones de la sociedad civil internacional. Se articula en los siguientes 9 principios:

• El empleo se elegirá libremente.

• Se respetará la libertad de asociación y el derecho

a la negociación colectiva.

• Las condiciones de trabajo serán seguras e higiénicas
• No se empleará mano de obra infantil.
• Se pagará un salario digno.
• Las horas de trabajo no serán excesivas.
• No habrá discriminación.
• Se proporcionará un trabajo regular.
• No se permitirá un trato inhumano o severo.


Però no sempre es poden evitar els accidents, com va passar el 2005 a la factoria de Spectrum a Dhaka


New Internationalist, July, 2005
Buried alive: Bangladeshi factory collapse highlights dangerous conditions in global sweatshops
It was 1:00am on 11 April this year and the 250-worker night shift was hard at work in the factory housing the Spectrum Sweater Factory and Shahrair Fabrics Industry in Savar Dhaka, Bangladesh. Without warning the factory crumbled onto their heads. After a desperate eight-day-long search dug out survivors--many of them so badly injured they would never work again--the final death toll rested at 74.
The factory, which produced brands for such well-known European companies as Carrefour of France, Cotton Group of Belgium and Zara, Karstadt Quelle of Germany, had been approved for four stories. The owners had taken advantage of this to push the building up to nine stories. The factory was poorly constructed and built on swampland with limited access for rescue vehicles. Previous worker-complaints about cracks in the factory walls had been ignored. The Bangladeshi engineer Aktar-uz-Zaman - who was charged with investigating the accident--discounted initial speculation that the collapse had been due to a boiler explosion, finding instead that the accident was due to 'a faulty design with cheap construction materials and without a solid foundation.'

Inditex va respondre a l'accident a través dels seus projectes d'inversió social.

Memoria de Inditex 2009:

S'ha de veure com un cost més, que s'imputa a les peces fabricades. A més als que es van quedar sense feina no se'ls va haver de pagar.

I els treballadors segur que es van quedar contents. Calculant que hi va haver uns 70 morts (malauradament no es van trobar tots els cadàvers sota la runa) i 100 ferits, són 3.133 € per damnificat, quan la renda per càpita amb prou feines arriba als 1.400 $.

Es van prendre mesures preventives, encara que ja se sap sempre pot haver acccidents:

alternet.org. 31/12/2010
Vision: Deadly Accidents, Inhumane Conditions -- Why We Must Fight to Stop Abuse of the World's Sweatshop WorkersConditions at sweatshops overseas have not improved as much as they should have over the past several decades. Not by a long shot.
A fire breaks out in a garment factory near Dhaka, Bangladesh. Fueled by mountains of fabric, the ninth and tenth floors of the building are quickly engulfed in flames, and hundreds of workers rush, panicked, toward the exits. But two of the six exit doors are locked, and all of the building's fire extinguishers are either missing or out of order. In the frenzy, many workers are trampled by their colleagues, while others leap out windows, seeing no other means of escape. In all, at least twenty-eight people die, many of them burned alive. Dozens more are injured.
The disaster is reminiscent of the infamous New York City Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911, when nearly 150 factory workers, most of them women, died as a result of locked exits and a lack of fire safety equipment.
But the above story did not occur in the early 20th century; it happened just two weeks ago at the That's It Sportswear Ltd. factory, which manufactures clothing for major American retailers like the Gap, H&M, Target, JC Penney, Walmart, Kohl's and Abercrombie & Fitch.　

That's It Sportwear pertany al grup Ha-Meen group. Entre els principals clients es troba Inditex, encara que per sort aquesta fàbrica no era de les que produïa per a ells, de manera que no hauran de suportar costos. Tal com es veu a la web de Ha-Meen group:

la qualitat és el primer, així que quan compreu a Zara, H & M o Abercrombie, podeu estar tranquils.

Qatar no es España

Avui. 28/02/2001
Qatar destinarà 300 milions d'euros per capitalitzar les caixes d'estalvis Zapatero, de visita al Golf Pèrsic, qualifica de "molt bona notícia" la decisió

　

Zapatero sembla entendre's bé amb els Qataries. Es estrany, perquè no semblar haber afinitats entre Qatar i España.

El cap d'estat de Qatar és Amir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani des de 1995 quan va deposar al seu pare.
La seva família governa el país sense necessitat d'eleccions, i els seus successors faran el mateix. Que se sàpiga té tres dones i més de vint fills. A més és el cap de les Forces Armades. Sense l'obligació de treballar, té una de les fortunes més importants del planeta, i té temps lliure suficient per dedicar-se a les seves aficions com

la caça:
Dawn.com 10/11/2010
KARACHI: The federal government has issued 28 special permits to the rulers, members of ruling families and other dignitaries of four Gulf states to hunt the internationally protected Houbara bustard during the 2010-2011 season, according to reliable sources.
QATAR
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the amir of Qatar, has been allotted Bahawalnagar district in Punjab.

esports del motor

o la navegació

doncs no, no ho sembla haver afinitats, no.

per valorar millor l'emir, les seves opinions es poden llegir a la web oficial:


　

　
però tot i el seu poder no pot evitar les mentides dels comunistes
　
amnesty.org.
Informe de Qatar:
Violence against women, including rape, other forms of sexual abuse and beatings, is widespread, in
particular against female domestic workers, the vast majority of whom are foreign nationals. The authorities
are often reluctant to treat violence against women as a criminal offence although it constitutes an assault
under domestic law. This reluctance by the police to address the issue of violence against women through the
law tends to deter women from coming forward to report violence within the home and locks women into a
vicious circle of violence and discrimination. Female domestic workers are particularly at risk because, as a
result of their employment conditions, they are generally unable to leave the home in which they live and work
and they are therefore especially vulnerable to rape and other sexual abuse by their male employers.Exploitation of migrant workersForeign migrant workers make up a large proportion of Qatar’s workforce and are often subjected to exploitation by their employers. They are generally employed under exploitative contracts which give their employers extensive powers over them. The contracts often stipulate that they are unable to move jobs or leave the country without obtaining the permission of their employer. In addition, employers often confiscate the passports of migrant workers or arbitrarily withhold payment of wages. Migrant workers are not adequately protected by Qatari law and are generally unable to access the justice system to challenge the decisions of their employers or to seek redress, because they are trapped at home and because of the prohibitive costs of going to court and language barriers.

In 2007, some 20,000 migrant workers were reported to have run away from their employers because they
were not paid their salaries or because of their harsh living conditions. Such conditions reportedly contributed to several fires in workers’ accommodation in different parts of the country in 2008.

s'ha de pagar peatge

La Vanguardia. 2011.03.02. Cullell, a Tabasa i Túnels del Cadí
Josep Maria Cullell, l'històric dirigent de CDC i que va ser conseller de Política Territorial i Economia amb Jordi Pujol, va ser nomenat ahir pel Govern, a proposta de Territori i Sostenibilitat, president dels consells d'administració de les empreses Tabasa i Túnels del Cadí 

El govern dels millors, tot i que encara no està anunciat ni a la web de Tabasa ni a la del Túnels del Cadí.

Però què és Tabasa? = Túnels de Vallvidrera. En principi no sembla molt complicat. Però no és cert. Segons la memòria del 2009, es necessiten 9 membres del Consell (nomes dues dones, el negoci de Tabasa són els cotxes, i els homes condueixen millor) per assessorar sobre decisions estratègiques (enllumenat de túnels, tipus de pintura, etc.) 

Per això, el Consell va cobrar 93.000 € el 2009; si tots cobressin el mateix només seria 9.300 € per persona. Però no n'hi ha prou amb el Consell, també hi ha un director general, que aparentment va cobrar 145.000 € el 2009. Aquest era, almenys fins ara, Albert Vilalta, el mateix que va ser segrestat mentre emulava als del Paris Dakar.
 
Però el negoci es complica (i per això es lògic que el Consell i el director general cobrin més en els propers anys). GISA ha traspassat els túnels i accessos de Bracons a Tabasa. Caldrà preguntar el perquè als membres del Consell o a GISA. 

D'altra banda Tabasa, en ser una empresa molt rendible, s'ha encarregat de les obres de l'estació de Volpelleres a Sant Cugat i de la construcció del carril bus a la C58, els experts sabran els motius.

En qualsevol cas, caldrà millorar la gestió:

   
Cost de l'obra de l'estació de Volpelleres: 

comsaemte.com 07/06/2010. Nova estació d'FGC de Volpelleres (Sant Cugat) (la constructora)

La nova estació de Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC) de Volpelleres ja ha entrat en funcionament. La posada en marxa del servei va tenir lloc el passat dissabte 5 de juny i va comptar amb la visita del president de la Generalitat, José Montilla, i el conseller de Política Territorial i Obres Públiques, Joaquim Nadal. COMSA ha emprès les obres abans del previst, en un any i mig, i amb un cost final de de 19,6 milions d'euros. 

Web de Túnels de Vallvidrera. 5/06/2010 
http://www.tunelsdevallvidrera.cat/seccions/empresa/noticia.aspx?seccio=empresa&subseccio=noticies&id=93  
El president de la Generalitat, José Montilla, i el conseller de Política Territorial i Obres Públiques, Joaquim Nadal, han visitat Avui la nova estació d'FGC de Volpelleres, coincidint amb la seva posada en funcionament. Aquesta estació es situa entre les estacions actuals de Sant Cugat i de Sant Joan i donarà servei a 850.000 passatgers cada any. Serà la setena estació d'FGC al terme municipal de Sant Cugat del Vallès i facilitarà l'Intercanvi amb els Serveis de Rodalies. L'actuació, que ha comporta't una inversió d'uns 23,3 milions d'euros...

Web de la Generalitat 15/09/2010. 18:30 
http://premsa.gencat.cat/pres_fsvp/AppJava/notapremsavw/list.do?pageCount=128&idioma=0 
Els fons europeus mobilitzaran 3.265 milions d'euros d'Inversió pública a Catalunya fins al 2013. En les infraestructures de transport, a mes del Finançament de l'estació intermodal del Prat, la UE subvencionarà el 40% de la construcció del carril BUS-VAO a l'accés a Barcelona per la C-58, que te un cost total de 115,45 Milions.  
Cost de l'obra de l'estació de Volpelleres: 24,6 millions. Ajuda comunitària 9,84 millions.
 

Memòria de Tabasa  
Inversions fins 31/12/2009. Estació de Vollpelleres (no acabada): 11,8 millions.
 
És evident que Cullell posarà ordre. 

El Punt. 08/02/2010.
Però el 1994, durant les sessions parlamentàries que investigaven el cas de Torelló, es va produir la primera dimissió en quinze anys de govern de CiU, la del conseller de Política Territorial, Josep Maria Cullell, al cap d'un any d'haver accedit al càrrec. La relació de Cullell amb la requalificació d'uns terrenys rústics al municipi propietat del seu cunyat van acabar amb la dimissió del conseller, tot i que la comissió parlamentària el va exculpar.

How to do business in Africa: copper-cobalt (II)

According to wikileaks, one of the cables from USA Embassy in Kinshasa (11/07/2007) mentions rumors (always rumors) that several copper mining companies were exporting uranium from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the most important being Malta Forrest Company. The cable also suggests high level of corruption.

Why they should export uranium? The trade of copper and cobalt is very profitable, they do not need to play dirty games.

According to several sources, the forecast in DRC calls for copper output to increase from an estimated 409,935 tonnes in 2010 to 851,608 tonnes in 2012. At the same time, cobalt output is forecast to increase from an estimated 39,327 tonnes in 2010 to 91.355 tonnes in 2012.

At 9.800$/Tn and 39.000$/Tn prices for copper and cobalt, it gives a market of $12 billion. To make a comparison, it represents more than 50% of GDP of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The most active companies in copper and cobalt mining in DRC are:

Malta Forrest Company-George Forrest

http://www.forrestgroup.com/fr/index.html

Private company. Belgium

 

Anvil Mining

http://www.anvilmining.com/

Public company. Canada

"The Company subscribes to the principle that the most important thing a corporation can do for both the country in which it operates, as well as its host communities, is to authentically contribute to a prosperous national economy"

Freeport McMoran

http://www.fcx.com/

Public company. USA

"Safe workplaces, trained and motivated employees, and engaged communities are key concepts of sustainable development"

First Quantum

http://www.first-quantum.com/s/Home.asp

Public company. Canada

"The overall objective of our socio-economic development program and projects is to improve the quality of life for our employees, their families and their immediate communities"

Lundin Mining

http://www.lundinmining.com/s/Home.asp

Public company. Canada

"Lundin Mining is supportive of the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights, which provides guidance to companies in maintaining the safety and security of their operations within an operating framework that ensures respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms"

Katanga Mining/Glencore

Public company. Canada/Private company. Switzerland

These companies have certain common factors. Apart from a coincidence that most are placed in Canada, all of them are headquartered out of Africa. 

Of the 45 members of the board of directors of these companies, 0% are black and 0% are women, which is somehow different from the average in DRC, but very African!

Last but not least all of these companies  have suffered from false accusations, but that's another story.

Investors: Be alert. 
The market is moving. Lundin has acknowledged announcement of unsolicited take-over by Equinox Minerals Limited (28/02/2011), and Glencore could go public through an IPO. In this case the company could be obliged to disclose aditional information, but this is a small price to be paid for a rumored $60 billion IPO. The investment bankers' fee could be in the range of $500 million. Do not ask if this money could be used elsewhere in DRC for hospitals, schools, waste treatment plants or similar. 

We will offer them to purchase shares:

 

How to do business in Africa: copper-cobalt

http://www.katangamining.com/kat/

Nice photograph of black workers.

Creating a Leading African Copper & Cobalt Company

Sure, guess how many blacks are in the board of directors:

http://www.katangamining.com/kat/about_us/bod/

Katanga Mining is listed in the Toronto Stock Exchange (KAT), and on 01/03/2011 is trading at $1.76; a sharp increase from $0,60 in July 2010; not that bad.

Its main asset is  a large scale copper-cobalt project in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in the region of Katanga.

As stated in their web:
DRC challenges
We believe the DRC’s vast mineral resources represent a tremendous opportunity to improve the lives of Congolese citizens while creating value for our stakeholders.

That's exactly what happened in Katanga. The increasingly demand for this type of minerals lead to many citizens, including children, to work in the mining activity, which is a clear factor for improving its lives.

And once we develop the industry, people of the DRC will also acquire our culture and customs

What it's not so aparent from Katanga Mining website is that the main stockholder is the Swiss group Glencore, one of the most powerful companies of the world:

http://www.glencore.com/index.html

and as African as Katanga:

Just as an anecdote, Glencore was founded by trader Marc Rich, who was charged with tax evasion and illegal business dealings with Iran in the U.S., but pardoned by President Bill Clinton in 2001, as it could not be otherwise.


Be alert; a Glencore IPO could come soon...
Remember, buying shares you will contribute to improving the lives of Congolese citizens

How to do business in Africa: oil

Eerybody coulld become an oil baron (much better word than mogul). To prove that, the case of Dr. Kase Lawal. He was born in Nigeria, but convinced his parents to study in USA. He began his own business trading agriculture commodities, but not much later took advantage of his background as chemical engineer and oil experience in the 70's. He convinced Conoco to drill oil In Nigeria. This was the origin of CAMAC group.

http://www.camac.com/corpsocial.aspx

As part of their business, CAMAC participates in CAMAC Energy, a listed company.

http://www.camacenergy.com/about.php

Its main asset, wihout counting integrity, is an oil field (Oyo oilfield) offshore the coast of Nigeria (the same country of the fruitful Pfizer experiments), in partnership with a subsidiary of the Italian ENI. The production began at the end of 2009, and apparently a recent small problem with more gas than needed has been sorted out.

Dr. Lawal has been very intelligent. From its headquarters in Houston, he has cultivated important relationships, including Clinton family (Lawal was a fundraiser of  Hillary's campaign) and Bush. 

USAfricaonline. 20/09/2010. U.S President Barack Obama has appointed one of the leading executives across the United States and Africa continents, Dr. Kase L. Lawal, to his 30-member Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiation.

But do not think that with this type of friends, business in Nigeria becomes easier. It takes a lot of efforts and knowledge to be granted with an oil licence.

wikileaks. cable from Abuja 21/02/2008. Rumors abound alleging that the First Lady, Special Advisor Tanimu Yakubu, and Minister of Agriculture Sayyadi Ruma are involved in corrupt practices. Reports of both the First Lady and Yakubu's taste for the high life and tendencies toward illicit enrichment surfaced during a December 2007 debrief by XXXXXXXXXXXXX outlined problems he saw in the Villa and cases XXXXXXXXXXXXXwas closely watching (Ref A). Several contacts from XXXXXXXXXXXXX, moreover, maintain that while the President "appeared incorruptible" during his tenure as governor, his wife siphoned off millions in public funds for private use.

Rumours, only rumors, and in any case it could be his wife, not the president (Mr. Yar'adua, who died in May 2010), that "appeared incorruptible".

Then, why do not buy CAMAC shares? Well, it's a complicated world, suitable only for profesionals. First of all take a look to this page of important events where the rich people of Houston (including Dr. Lawal) help the poorest.

http://www.newyorksocialdiary.com/node/71677

If you don't throw up, then you are ready for the next step.

According to Forbes, CAMAC was among the top 200 USA private companies, with a turnover of $2,5 bllion. But do not get confused. This is CAMAC International. The listed company is CAMAC Energy, the one  with the oilfield in Nigeria, trading in AMEX with the code CAK. If you go to the SEC filings and see no revenues, do not worry. Oil will flow. Of course if you bought shares nine months ago at $6 or even in December capital issue at $2.20, do not lose your patience. On 28/02/2011 it is quoting at $1.72, but this is temporary of course.

As always, the world and the net are crowded with envious persons and liars:

2011 The Associated Press. Feb. 20, 2011, 7:53PM DALLAS — A private jet owned by a North Texas company has been impounded for the past 2 1/2 weeks and its passengers and crew detained by the Congolese government in central Africa, where officials say it was used to smuggle gold from rebel territories in the nation's eastern provinces. The plane was leased by Southlake Aviation, based in suburban Dallas-Fort Worth, to a subsidiary of CAMAC International, The Dallas Morning News reported in its Sunday editions. The jet's passengers and crews have been detained since Feb. 3, when the jet was seized before leaving the airport in Goma, on Congo's eastern border with Rwanda. Congolese officials say the plane was loaded with about $20 million in gold and several million dollars in cash. The passengers included Mickey Lawal, brother of the Texas oilman, and Houston diamond merchant Edward "Carlos" St. Mary, a longtime Lawal family friend, the newspaper reported.

McCLATCHY. 03/04/2008. Another Clinton fundraiser has a suspect past HOUSTON — A Texas oilman who's accused of defrauding the Nigerian government by illegally pumping and exporting 10 million barrels of oil is a major fundraiser for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. Kase Lawal of Houston is at least the fourth person accused or convicted of criminal wrongdoing to help finance Clinton's political ambitions since 2000 and the second in her quest for the White House. The list also includes Chinese and Pakistani fugitives and a former Miami lawyer who was convicted of defrauding Cuba.

Sahara reporters. 14/01/2009. Sources knowledgeable about crude oil lifting contracts in Nigeria told SaharaReporters that it remains the biggest source of quick but questionable wealth for top-level Nigerian officials especially at the presidency as well as officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). The sources revealed that companies lifting crude oil have to pay bribes on a “per barrel” basis to the president and favored members of his cabinet.
Other companies in the crude oil lifting business include CAMAC Petroleum, a company owned by the controversial Houston-based Nigerian-American, Kase Lawal, Sahara Energy, Oando, which belongs to former Governor Bola Tinubu’s cousin, Petro Energy, which belongs to Nigeria’s highly connected cross-border smuggler and Yar’adua’s front man, Alhaji Dahiru Barau Mangal, Isla Oil, said to represent the interests of the current GMD of the NNPC, Mr. Abubakar Yar’adua.