Germany’s Ramsauer calls for Europe air travel tax

July 19, 2010 By Leave a Comment

July 18 (Reuters) – German Transport Minister Peter Ramsauer called for a proposed air passenger tax to be extended to other European countries, according to a German newspaper.

“I am promoting a course of action that is as consistent as possible,” daily Handelsblatt cited Ramsauer as saying in a summary of an article to be published on Monday.

Chancellor Angela Merkel last month announced plans for a German air passenger tax as part of 80 billion euros ($103.8 billion) of budget measures, stunning the aviation industry and sparking protest from airlines and lobby groups. [ID:nLDE6570JJ]

Under the proposal, airlines will be taxed from 2011 according to the distance passengers travel. For shorter trips, in the European Union and countries less then 2,500 km away, the tax is set at 13 euros ($16.90). For longer trips it would be 26 euros.

But according to reports, the country’s Economy Ministry has raised doubts about the proposal due to concern the tax could end up cutting passenger traffic and more than negate any revenue increases the tax would generate. [ID:nLDE66G05F]

German airlines association the BDF has said it expects 10,000 jobs to shift abroad and German passenger volume to drop by 5 million per year due to the tax. In 2009, there were 182 million passengers in Germany.

Germany’s two biggest airlines, Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) and Air Berlin (AB1.DE), have protested against the proposed tax, saying it will burden the industry just as European airlines are struggling to emerge from the industry’s worst downturn in decades. (Reporting by Maria Sheahan; Editing by David Holmes) ($1=.7706 Euro)

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Aboriginal congress attacked as lesser ATSIC

May 4, 2010 By Leave a Comment

There is a new organisation to represent the interests of Aboriginal Australians, but just a day into its existence, questions are being raised about just what it will do.

Human rights groups have hailed the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples as a turning point in Australia’s reconciliation process, but sceptics say the body has limited financial and political power and may follow the same fate as other peak Indigenous bodies.

The congress is the latest incarnation of a national Aboriginal representative group and follows the controversial demise of ATSIC amid corruption scandals in 2005.

ATSIC was succeeded by the advisory National Indigenous Council, which was scrapped in 2008.

Wesley Aird, a former member of the National Indigenous Council, has questioned the purpose of the new organisation.

“Now we’ve got something else and I find myself sort of saying, ‘oh, here we go again’,” he said.

“The Government made an election promise. It has set up a body, so we can tick the box for the election promise that’s been fulfilled. But the big question now is what is this body going to do?

“We know that it’s not going to represent all Indigenous people. It doesn’t have funding to hand out which is a good thing, so we avoid the Indigenous parallel of pork-barrelling.

“But there is a question around its relevance when what we should be doing is spending government money wisely, not on separatist convoluted processes. The money should be going into service delivery on the ground.”

Mr Aird says the biggest challenge is for the congress to stay relevant in a way that encourages the Government and its departments to keep coming back for meaningful advice.

“When you’re relying on government funds as a fallback position, you have to wonder, does that make it too easy and does that mean that they’re able to slacken off a bit, knowing that they’ve got a bit of money in the bank and that they’ll be OK for a while?”

“Whereas some other lobby groups, industry representative groups, they have to work damn hard to make sure their members keep paying their subscriptions and that means they have to keep doing a good, relevant job to those people that they want to influence.”

Structural concerns

The Australian Human Rights Commission has described the congress as groundbreaking and praised the establishment of an Ethics Council to ensure the highest levels of professionalism.

But Dr Thalia Anthony, who has published widely in the area of Indigenous people and the law and is based at Sydney’s University of Technology, is concerned about the structure of the congress.

“It made it very clear at the outset that there can be no national elections,” she said.

“It’s not going to administer services and it’s not going to do what the national steering committee, that recommended this body, wanted it to do, and that’s to provide a future funds to guarantee ongoing income for the body.”

Dr Anthony says the congress is a lesser version of ATSIC.

“[The Government] has put limitations from the outset in order for it to not have a role that it relates to service delivery or relates to election, so a separate governance role.

“I don’t see how it could ever attempt to fill that gap that ATSIC left when it was dissolved.”

Congress co-chairman Sam Jeffries says the political agenda is yet to be established.

“We would certainly need the assistance from, not only Government, but from corporate and philanthropic and private sector groups etcetera to work in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres-Strait Islander people to,” he said.

“[We'll] certainly deal with … social issues in the community [and] economic development matters – those sorts of things.”

Mr Jeffries says the congress should be up and running by the end of 2010.

“That will be the measure or be the benchmark of our success,” he said.

It might not have any responsibility for programs in Indigenous communities, but many are hoping the congress can help Government and agencies close the gap of Indigenous disadvantage.

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Voters’ poll favours power sharing deal

April 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment

A new poll shows nearly three quarters of Tasmanians prefer a parliamentary power-sharing agreement, over a minority Government.

The poll was commissioned by the lobby groups GetUp and Our Common Ground and was conducted by EMRS last weekend.

It gave 500 Tasmanians five options to resolve a divided parliament.

Seventy two per cent of respondents said they would prefer a negotiated solution, rather than for one party to try to rule in minority.

More than half of the Labor and Liberal voters polled said they would prefer negotiations, with 93 per cent of Greens voters backing an agreement.

The poll also found 64 per cent wanted four year fixed terms.

The lobby groups say the voters’ message is clear that Labor or the Liberals should not try to go it alone.

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Cotton growers count cost of floods

March 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Cotton growers in the central Queensland town of Theodore are surveying their losses as floodwaters recede.

Up to half of the region’s cotton crops have been wiped out by flooding from the Dawson River.

Grower Fleur Anderson says rural lobby groups and farm financial councillors are expected to visit the town this week.

“It’s a pretty sobering thought, I mean we’ve all gotten over the initial shock,” she said.

“We’ve all done everything that we could at that point and now we need to get on and make sure that we are getting accurate information into those lobby groups so that they are representing the real situation here.”

Queensland Primary Industries Minister Tim Mulherin says he hopes to receive a report today on the flood-affected cotton crop in the Theodore area.

Mr Mulherin says officers from the Department of Employment and Economic Development have been in the area assessing flood damage.

He says once he has the report, he will advise Premier Anna Bligh and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on what further assistance measures might be needed under the National Disaster Relief Arrangements (NDRA).

“We’ll be looking at whether these areas can or meet the requirements under the special assistance grants, which is a $25,000 grant which is another category under NDRA,” he said.

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Netanyahu defies U.S. over Jerusalem settlement

March 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday rejected any curbs on Jewish settlement in and around Jerusalem, defying Washington in Israel’s deepening crisis with U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration.

World | Barack Obama

“For the past 40 years, no Israeli government ever limited construction in the neighborhoods of Jerusalem,” he said in a speech in parliament, citing areas in the West Bank that Israel captured in 1967 and unilaterally annexed to the city.

The United States condemned Israel’s plan to build 1,600 new homes for Jews in Ramat Shlomo, a religious settlement within the Israeli-designated borders of Jerusalem, whose future status is at the heart of the Middle East conflict.

Israel’s announcement of the project during a visit last week by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden embarrassed the White House. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in unusually blunt remarks, called it an insult.

The Palestinians, who had just agreed to begin indirect peace talks under U.S. mediation, have said they will not go ahead unless the plan is scrapped.

Israeli media said Clinton last week demanded a reversal of the decision to build in Ramat Shlomo. Netanyahu’s comments appeared to signal to Washington that he believed he had political backing at home to withstand U.S. pressure.

Israel has said construction at the site will not begin for several years.

The U.S. criticism of Israel prompted a backlash on Monday from U.S. lawmakers and pro-Israel lobby groups who urged the Obama administration to tone down its rhetoric.

“If we want the Israeli government to act in a way that would be more in keeping with our objectives … it doesn’t help them to have public disparagement by the secretary of state,” Senator John McCain, the 2008 Republican presidential nominee, said on the floor of the U.S. Senate.

Clinton called Netanyahu on Friday to convey unspecified demands about the Ramat Shlomo housing project as well as about demonstrating commitment to U.S.-mediated indirect peace talks, the State Department said, without elaborating.

U.S. officials said they were still waiting for Israel’s formal response.

U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell, who had planned to leave Washington on Monday for discussions with Israeli and Palestinian leaders on getting the talks under way, put off his departure, two U.S. officials said.

They said Mitchell now aimed to leave on Tuesday but that was up in the air and he might go straight to Moscow for talks among the quartet of Middle East peace mediators: the European Union, Russia, the United States and the United Nations.

MORATORIUM

Netanyahu, who heads a coalition that includes pro-settler parties, including his own, said there was nearly total consensus in Israel that annexed areas of Jerusalem would be part of the Jewish state in any future peace deal.

The Israeli prime minister imposed a 10-month moratorium on new housing starts in West Bank settlements in November, but excluded Jerusalem. The Obama administration, which had earlier pressed for a complete freeze, welcomed the move at the time, but the Palestinians deemed it inadequate.

On Sunday, Netanyahu tried to play down what his envoy to Washington was reported to have described as a “crisis of historic proportions,” voicing regret at a Cabinet meeting for the timing of the Ramat Shlomo announcement.

The rift with Washington has raised concern in Israel that security cooperation with the United States in confronting a potentially nuclear-armed Iran might be harmed.

In the West Bank city of Ramallah, Nabil Abu Rdainah, an aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, pledged again not to return to peace talks until settlement was halted.

Israeli troops wounded at least seven Palestinians at a checkpoint north of Ramallah during a rock-throwing protest against the Ramat Shlomo project and Israel’s consecration of an ancient synagogue in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City, a tinderbox site in the conflict.

Palestinians said the soldiers had fired live rounds but the Israeli military denied that, saying crowd-dispersal measures had been employed.

In a sign the Obama administration may be trying to appear more even-handed, State Department spokesman P.J.. Crowley said Washington was “deeply disturbed” by unspecified Palestinian comments about Israel’s consecration of the synagogue.

“We call upon Palestinian officials to put an end to such incitement,” Crowley told reporters in Washington.

Tensions between Palestinians and Israel, which has occupied the West Bank since 1967, have escalated in recent weeks following an Israeli government decision to include West Bank religious sites in a Jewish national heritage plan.

Citing biblical and historical links, Israel sees all of Jerusalem as its capital, a claim not recognized internationally. The Palestinians want East Jerusalem to be the capital of a future state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Some 500,000 Jews live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and about 2.5 million Palestinians.

(Additional reporting by Ari Rabinovitch in Jerusalem; Mohammed Assadi in Ramallah and Susan Cornwell; Thomas Ferraro and Arshad Mohammed in Washington; Writing by Jeffrey Heller and Arshad Mohammed; Editing by Peter Cooney)

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Mitchell Mideast travel in flux amid U.S.-Israel row

March 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – A U.S. envoy’s plans to visit the Middle East were up in the air on Monday, the State Department said, as it waited for Israel to respond to U.S. demands it show that it is serious about peace talks with the Palestinians.

World | Barack Obama

Israel’s announcement of plans to build 1,600 housing units in East Jerusalem has strained ties with the United States, which has said it regarded last week’s decision — made public while Vice President Joe Biden was in Israel — as an insult.

The announcement has called into question U.S. efforts to revive indirect peace talks between the two sides after a 15-month hiatus in negotiations. The U.S. criticism of Israel has in turn drawn rebukes from U.S. members of Congress and pro-Israel lobby groups.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last week made specific demands of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the project and about showing commitment to U.S.-mediated indirect peace talks, the State Department said, without elaborating.

Netanyahu, however, on Monday rejected any restrictions on Jewish settlement in and around Jerusalem.

While State Department P.J. Crowley did not draw a link, he said plans for George Mitchell, the U.S. envoy for Middle East peace, to fly to the region on Monday were in flux. He also said Washington was waiting for Israel’s formal response.

“George Mitchell intends to be in the region this week, however his schedule is not yet set,” Crowley told reporters. “This is a fluid situation. As of this moment, he is still in the United States.”

Crowley declined to specify what demands Clinton made of Netanyahu, saying they related to the East Jerusalem project, “but really more so about … the willingness of the parties to engage seriously in this peace process.”

MOSCOW MEETING

Another official, who spoke on condition he not be named, said the question of when Mitchell would travel was largely logistical, depending on when Israel responded and whether there would be time for him to discuss the response in the region and attend a meeting on the Middle East in Moscow later this week.

Clinton and Mitchell are scheduled to travel to Russia for a meeting of the quartet of Middle East mediators that groups the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States. The meeting is expected to occur on Friday.

Several prominent U.S. lawmakers, including House of Representatives Republican leader John Boehner, former Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain and independent Senator Joe Lieberman, a former Democrat, urged the Obama administration to temper its comments about Israel.

“The Administration’s decision to escalate its rhetoric … is not merely irresponsible, it is an affront to the values and foundation of our long-term relationship with a close friend and ally,” Boehner said in a written statement.

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel lobby, called on the administration to “defuse the tension” with Israel and to “make a conscious effort to move away from public demands and unilateral deadlines directed at Israel.”

In a sign the administration may be trying to appear more even-handed, the State Department said it was “deeply disturbed” by unspecified Palestinian comments about Israel’s consecration of an ancient synagogue in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City, a tinderbox site in the conflict.

“We call upon Palestinian officials to put an end to such incitement,” Crowley said.

(Additional reporting by Susan Cornwell and Thomas Ferraro; Editing by Peter Cooney)

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New air filter system can destroy up to 99.9 per cent of bugs on aircraft

September 17, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, September 16 (ANI): British researchers have developed an air filter system that destroys up to 99.9 per cent of infectious viruses and bacteria as well as pollutants that can circulate in the confines of an aircraft, especially on long-haul flights.

According to a report in The Times, the machine has been developed by aerospace giant BAE Systems, in collaboration with Quest International, a small company based in Cheadle, South Manchester, UK.

The device, called AirManager, uses a controlled electric field to filter out and destroy any airborne particles or germs as they pass through an aircraft’s air conditioning system, emitting only clean, sterilized air.

After four years of development and tests, BAE says it has received its first orders from a major European airline and announced the technology is also being considered for use in NHS hospitals as a way to stop the spread of “superbugs” such as MRSA and Clostridium difficile.

The air on board a passenger jet must be pressurized in order for passengers to be able to breathe, but scientists and lobby groups have previously claimed that passengers can be exposed to toxins as a result of the “bleed air” system that is used to redirect air from the engines to the cabin and cockpit.

Air inside the cabin is then circulated and re-circulated up to 30 times an hour, far more than in conventional air conditioning systems, meaning that infectious viruses and bacteria can quickly spread.

Unlike conventional filters, which are designed to sieve out particles from the air as it passes through perforated barriers at high speed, David Hallam, an engineer and founder of Quest International, said that the AirManager used an “avalanche of electrons” emitted in a closed electric field to break down and destroy the atomic structure of any pollutants or germs.

“This works with swine flu, avian flu, norovirus, MRSA, even a modified form of anthrax,” Hallam said.

Hallam said that he originally designed the “close coupled field” in the late 1990s to rid nursing homes of biological odours caused by bacteria.

But, the filter was later found to have an effect in reducing the airborne transmission of bacteria such as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and Clostridium difficile.

BAE Systems expressed interest in the technology four years ago for use on aircraft and the system was recently tested on the flight deck and cabin air systems of Boeing 757 and Avro RJ passenger jets by five European airlines, with successful results. (ANI)

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Victoria footie club under probe for stripper’s act

May 18, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Melbourne, May 18 (ANI): In the latest sex drama to engulf the sporting world, the Prahran Football Club is under investigation for hiring a stripper to perform for the team minutes before a game.

The management of the club has been ordered to appear before the Victorian Amateur Football Association’s integrity sub-committee tonight to explain the sordid stunt.

The change-room strip show has angered women’s lobby groups and is set to turn the spotlight on Aussie Rules after rugby league’s week of shame, reports the Herald Sun.

The Premier of the Australian state of Victoria, John Brumby, wants the football club at the centre of the strip shame to apologise.

“It’s just an appalling example to set young people and to set families. It’s just completely inappropriate behaviour and one of the things that we’re trying to do in Victoria is encourage young people to play sport, to take up sport and you open the paper today and you read about a football club that got a stripper in before a game, it’s absolutely, completely unacceptable and inappropriate and it sends all the wrong messages,” the paper quoted Brumby, as saying.

Prahran Club XVIII coach Craig Berger said a former player organised the stripper to perform about 30 minutes before a night match against St Bernard’s on May 1.

“One of the past players set it up to gee up some of the blokes who were struggling a bit, to stir them up a bit,” he said.

Berger said he first became aware of the stunt when the stripper came into the trainers’ room.

“The stripper came in and I heard some noise (in the change room) and she was asking for music,” Berger said.

“I walked in, and when I realised what was going on, I said, ‘What’s going on here?’ and then left the room. They (the players) were fully aware that I wasn’t happy about it. I think she was only there for a couple of minutes. Only a couple of the guys actually knew about it . . . it didn’t last long at all because they knew I wasn’t happy about it,” Berger added.

The incident happened at Elsternwick Park, the VAFA’s administrative headquarters.

VAFA chief executive Michael Sholly said representatives from the club, including Berger, would be asked to explain tonight.

Prahran could be charged with conduct unbecoming a member of the association. (ANI)

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Europe seeks to put stop to loss of biodiversity by 2010

May 3, 2009 By 2 Comments

Athens – The European Commission will seek to put a stop to the loss of biodiversity in Europe by 2010, EC President Jose Manuel Barroso said at the start of a biodiversity conference in Athens Monday.

The two days of talks in Athens attended by 230 environmental chiefs, trade associations, non-governmental organizations and lobby groups, have found a new momentum following a G8-Plus charter to protect biodiversity adopted on April 24 by environmental ministers from Group of Eight members Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States.

The 25-point G8 Syracuse Charter explicitly links safeguarding biodiversity to the fight against global warming.

The G8 charter also urges raised awareness that “ecosystems provide a steady flow of goods and services – by providing clean drinking water, pollinating crops and decomposing waste.

Climate change, land use change, habitat destruction, pollution and waste disposal all pose a growing threat to biodiversity at a time when most of Europe’s species and habitats are at the risk of extinction.

There is growing evidence that the decline of ecosystems and species is continuing despite the progress made with the establishment of the Natura 2000 network, the largest network of protected areas in the world.

“The protection of biodiversity lacks sanctions, legislative muscle and political will,” said Tony Long, the Brussels director of conservation group WWF.

According to EC President Barroso, the European Union’s objective of stopping biodiversity loss will be met by “implementing existing legislation such as the Birds and Habitats Directives, completing the network of protected areas in Europe and agreeing on new policies to address deforestation and to reduce the EU’s ecological footprint.” (dpa)

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Banks asked to cut rates; push loan growth to 24 pct

April 3, 2009 By Leave a Comment

The government has asked state-run banks to review their lending rates and aim for a robust 24 percent loan growth to help pump-prime a slowing economy, the country’s top bureaucrat said on Thursday.

Cabinet secretary K.M. Chandrasekhar, who reviewed the credit situation at a meeting with bankers and industrialists, said some sectors were still facing a shortage of loans.

He said state-run banks had stepped up lending and a “growth rate of about 24 percent in the credit is anticipated this year.”

Bank loans were up 18 percent by early March year on year, central bank data showed.

Since October, the Reserve Bank has cut its benchmark lending rate by 400 basis points in five stages, while government has rolled out a series of fiscal stimulus measures to limit the impact of the global financial crisis on the country.

“We are here in a situation where all of us have to work together and we have to see … to what extent we can bring it (interest rates) down together,” Chandrasekhar said, without giving any details of the meeting.

Officials of industry lobby groups present in the meeting said there was a scope for banks to further lower lending rates by 50-100 basis points.

Aggressive monetary easing was only partially benefiting the economy as banks are yet to match the central bank’s rate cuts, and this posed risks to the recovery of the Indian economy.

“One point that came out very clearly from the industry was that the stimulus packages are working,” Chandrasekhar said.

But policy makers say there was a need for more fiscal and monetary stimulus to protect growth and jobs.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Wednesday the economy may have grown at less than 7 percent in 2008/09, slower than 9 percent or more in the previous three years.

Analysts say the Indian economy is expected to grow less than 6 percent in 2009/10.

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Banks asked to cut rates; push loan growth to 24 pct

April 3, 2009 By Leave a Comment

The government has asked state-run banks to review their lending rates and aim for a robust 24 percent loan growth to help pump-prime a slowing economy, the country’s top bureaucrat said on Thursday.

Cabinet secretary K.M. Chandrasekhar, who reviewed the credit situation at a meeting with bankers and industrialists, said some sectors were still facing a shortage of loans.

He said state-run banks had stepped up lending and a “growth rate of about 24 percent in the credit is anticipated this year.”

Bank loans were up 18 percent by early March year on year, central bank data showed.

Since October, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cut its benchmark lending rate by 400 basis points in five stages, while government has rolled out a series of fiscal stimulus measures to limit the impact of the global financial crisis on the country.

“We are here in a situation where all of us have to work together and we have to see … to what extent we can bring it (interest rates) down together,” Chandrasekhar said, without giving any details of the meeting.

Officials of industry lobby groups present in the meeting said there was a scope for banks to further lower lending rates by 50-100 basis points.

Aggressive monetary easing was only partially benefiting the economy as banks are yet to match the central bank’s rate cuts, and this posed risks to the recovery of the Indian economy.

“One point that came out very clearly from the industry was that the stimulus packages are working,” Chandrasekhar said.

But policy makers say there was a need for more fiscal and monetary stimulus to protect growth and jobs.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Wednesday the economy may have grown at less than 7 percent in 2008/09, slower than 9 percent or more in the previous three years.

Analysts say the Indian economy is expected to grow less than 6 percent in 2009/10.

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Domino Pizza sponsorship of Simpsons violates anti-junk food guidelines

February 24, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, Feb. 24 (ANI): Domino Pizza’s sponsorship of the cartoon series ‘The Simpsons’ has broken strict guidelines against junk food companies advertising on television for the first time since they were set up to combat childhood obesity, a ruling says.

The rules, which were introduced in April 2007, prohibit advertisement of food that is high in fat, sugar and salt during programmes, which are mainly watched by children.

The regulator body Ofcom ruled against Sky One channel after The National Heart Forum complained about the sponsorship deal, which saw the pizza company promote its delivery service at the start of each cartoon and the start of each advertising break, the Daily Telegraph reports.

Domino’s argued that it was advertising its delivery service, rather than its pizzas and pointed out that 47 per cent of its products would not fall foul of the junk food rules.

The National Heart Forum, an umbrella group of health charities and lobby groups, said the sponsorship broke the spirit as well as the letter of the rules.

Ofcom agreed and has given Sky One a yellow card, as no fine will be levied.

In October, while Ofcom was still investigating, Domino’s dropped its sponsorship. The Simpsons is now sponsored by the directories service 118 118.

According to the rules, pizza and burger companies cannot promote their products, but they can promote their brands.

During the introduction of the rules, they were highly opposed by the food campaigners for being full of loopholes, while those in the food industry pointed out that guidelines would make many mainstream foods ‘banned’, such as some cheese, Marmite and most breakfast cereals. (ANI)

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Domino Pizza sponsorship of Simpsons violates anti-junk food guidelines

February 24, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, Feb. 24 (ANI): Domino Pizza’s sponsorship of the cartoon series ‘The Simpsons’ has broken strict guidelines against junk food companies advertising on television for the first time since they were set up to combat childhood obesity, a ruling says.

The rules, which were introduced in April 2007, prohibit advertisement of food that is high in fat, sugar and salt during programmes, which are mainly watched by children.

The regulator body Ofcom ruled against Sky One channel after The National Heart Forum complained about the sponsorship deal, which saw the pizza company promote its delivery service at the start of each cartoon and the start of each advertising break, the Daily Telegraph reports.

Domino’s argued that it was advertising its delivery service, rather than its pizzas and pointed out that 47 per cent of its products would not fall foul of the junk food rules.

The National Heart Forum, an umbrella group of health charities and lobby groups, said the sponsorship broke the spirit as well as the letter of the rules.

Ofcom agreed and has given Sky One a yellow card, as no fine will be levied.

In October, while Ofcom was still investigating, Domino’s dropped its sponsorship. The Simpsons is now sponsored by the directories service 118 118.

According to the rules, pizza and burger companies cannot promote their products, but they can promote their brands.

During the introduction of the rules, they were highly opposed by the food campaigners for being full of loopholes, while those in the food industry pointed out that guidelines would make many mainstream foods ‘banned’, such as some cheese, Marmite and most breakfast cereals. (ANI)

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Domino Pizza sponsorship of Simpsons violates anti-junk food guidelines

February 24, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, Feb. 24 (ANI): Domino Pizza’s sponsorship of the cartoon series ‘The Simpsons’ has broken strict guidelines against junk food companies advertising on television for the first time since they were set up to combat childhood obesity, a ruling says.

The rules, which were introduced in April 2007, prohibit advertisement of food that is high in fat, sugar and salt during programmes, which are mainly watched by children.

The regulator body Ofcom ruled against Sky One channel after The National Heart Forum complained about the sponsorship deal, which saw the pizza company promote its delivery service at the start of each cartoon and the start of each advertising break, the Daily Telegraph reports.

Domino’s argued that it was advertising its delivery service, rather than its pizzas and pointed out that 47 per cent of its products would not fall foul of the junk food rules.

The National Heart Forum, an umbrella group of health charities and lobby groups, said the sponsorship broke the spirit as well as the letter of the rules.

Ofcom agreed and has given Sky One a yellow card, as no fine will be levied.

In October, while Ofcom was still investigating, Domino’s dropped its sponsorship. The Simpsons is now sponsored by the directories service 118 118.

According to the rules, pizza and burger companies cannot promote their products, but they can promote their brands.

During the introduction of the rules, they were highly opposed by the food campaigners for being full of loopholes, while those in the food industry pointed out that guidelines would make many mainstream foods ‘banned’, such as some cheese, Marmite and most breakfast cereals. (ANI)

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Domino Pizza sponsorship of Simpsons violates anti-junk food guidelines

February 24, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, Feb. 24 (ANI): Domino Pizza’s sponsorship of the cartoon series ‘The Simpsons’ has broken strict guidelines against junk food companies advertising on television for the first time since they were set up to combat childhood obesity, a ruling says.

The rules, which were introduced in April 2007, prohibit advertisement of food that is high in fat, sugar and salt during programmes, which are mainly watched by children.

The regulator body Ofcom ruled against Sky One channel after The National Heart Forum complained about the sponsorship deal, which saw the pizza company promote its delivery service at the start of each cartoon and the start of each advertising break, the Daily Telegraph reports.

Domino’s argued that it was advertising its delivery service, rather than its pizzas and pointed out that 47 per cent of its products would not fall foul of the junk food rules.

The National Heart Forum, an umbrella group of health charities and lobby groups, said the sponsorship broke the spirit as well as the letter of the rules.

Ofcom agreed and has given Sky One a yellow card, as no fine will be levied.

In October, while Ofcom was still investigating, Domino’s dropped its sponsorship. The Simpsons is now sponsored by the directories service 118 118.

According to the rules, pizza and burger companies cannot promote their products, but they can promote their brands.

During the introduction of the rules, they were highly opposed by the food campaigners for being full of loopholes, while those in the food industry pointed out that guidelines would make many mainstream foods ‘banned’, such as some cheese, Marmite and most breakfast cereals. (ANI)

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India’s exports to grow 12-15 percent this fiscal, says Kamal Nath

February 15, 2009 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Feb 14 (ANI): Union Trade Minister Kamal Nath has said that India’s exports, which have been hit hard by the slowdown in global markets, will grow 12-15 percent in the current fiscal year.

Talking to reporters here on Friday, Kamal Nath said, “When we close this year on March 31, we will not have a negative growth, we’ll have a positive growth. And I expect that we will see growth of 12-15 percent in export despite the downturn.”

Exports fell an annual 1.1 percent in December to 12.69 billion dollars, according to government data, a third straight month of losses.

Kamal Nath also said that the 51 percent cap for foreign direct investment in retailers offering one brand of goods remained. No foreign direct investment is allowed in retailers offering a variety of brands.

The government is also considering the demands of exporters for tax breaks and lower borrowing costs, as industry lobby groups project 10 million job losses in the year to March. (ANI)

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