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July 18 (Reuters) – The death toll from an attack in southwestern Baghdad by a suicide bomber on a group of government-backed Sunni militiamen reached at least 39, with around 41 wounded, Iraqi police said on Sunday.
The blast occurred as the men, who once fought with al Qaeda against U.S. forces but switched allegiance in 2006/07, were collecting wages outside a military base. (Reporting by Reuters Television; writing by Michael Christie; editing by Philippa Fletcher)
BEIJING, June 25 (Reuters) – China’s Ministry of Commerce, a long-standing opponent of a stronger yuan, fell into line on Friday behind the scrapping of the currency’s peg to the dollar but said the exchange rate would climb only gradually.
The ministry has traditionally resisted a rise in the yuan CNY=CFXS, arguing it would spell bankruptcy for many export-oriented manufacturers working on thin margins.
But Vice Commerce Minister Jiang Yaoping said the impact of the exchange rate was secondary to a host of other factors, including final demand, wages, the cost of raw materials, the level of interest rates and tax rates.
“Looking at the timing of China’s currency reform, we can say that the overall benefits to exports are greater than the damage,” he told a forum.
The People’s Bank of China said on Saturday that it would once again allow the yuan to move more freely after having kept the currency more or less pegged to the dollar for two years to provide stability for exporters during the global downturn.
The yuan has risen about 0.5 percent against the dollar since then to its highest level since its July 2005 revaluation, though gains have been kept in check by big state-owned banks. [CNY/] <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Full coverage [ID:nCHINATAKE]
PDF on yuan: r.reuters.com/fuk43m
Yuan microsite: china.thomsonreuters.com/yuan/
Yuan graphics: r.reuters.com/byq23m
Insider TV
-- Yuan to rise before G20 link.reuters.com/jes92m
-- Yuan shows confidence link.reuters.com/hyc33m
-- Some see delay tactic link.reuters.com/xad33m ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>
Jiang cited conditions in 2005-2008, when Chinese exports continued to grow strongly despite a cumulative 21 percent rise in the yuan against the dollar.
But he said the pace of future currency appreciation would be gradual and rejected charges that China was unfairly holding down the yuan to give its companies an advantage in global markets.
Some Western economists believe the yuan is undervalued by as much as 40 percent.
Jiang sidestepped a question about whether exporters could cope with a yuan rise of 3 to 5 percent within a year, saying the rate of appreciation would be decided by the market.
“First, China’s yuan currency reform will be gradual. Second, accusations that China is manipulating its currency are groundless. The facts have proved that it’s not true.”
NOT TOO QUICK
A second government official also ruled out a big move in the yuan in coming months and said last Saturday’s announcement was timed to take pressure off China at this weekend’s summit of Group of 20 leading economies in Toronto.
“In the longer term, the yuan will appreciate but only very gradually,” the official, who declined to be identified, said.
The comments are likely to be grist for the mill of U.S. lawmakers who are sceptical of China’s willingness to permit a substantial rise in the value of a currency they argue is kept deliberately undervalued, to the detriment of U.S. jobs.
As the dominant player in China’s tightly controlled currency market, the PBOC could let the yuan appreciate more swiftly by scaling back its purchases of dollars.
Thanks to the central bank’s intervention down the years, China has built a stockpile of official currency reserves worth $2.45 trillion at the end of March.
With Congress weighing legislation to prod Beijing to relax its grip, U.S. President Barack Obama said China had made progress by announcing greater currency flexibility, but it was too early to say whether it would go far enough.
“The initial signs were positive. But it is too early to tell whether the appreciation, that will track the market, is sufficient to allow for the rebalancing that we think is appropriate,” Obama said on Thursday. [ID:nN24164984]
The PBOC has said the main aim of reverting to the managed float that it suspended in mid-2008 is to inject more two-way volatility into the currency, not to propel it sharply higher.
Some economists have speculated that the central bank, to underline its point, might let the yuan decline at times, for instance if the euro were to fall further against the dollar.
But the second government official ruled out this option as a political non-starter.
“It would be too costly because it would lead to more criticism and pressure from the international community,” he said.
“You know, so many eyes are now trained on China’s foreign exchange policy.” (Additional reporting by Aileen Wang; Editing by Kim Coghill)
BEIJING, June 25 (Reuters) – China’s Ministry of Commerce, a long-standing opponent of a stronger yuan, fell into line on Friday behind the scrapping of the currency’s peg to the dollar but said the exchange rate would climb only gradually.
The ministry has traditionally resisted a rise in the yuan CNY=CFXS, arguing it would spell bankruptcy for many export-oriented manufacturers working on thin margins.
But Vice Commerce Minister Jiang Yaoping said the impact of the exchange rate was secondary to a host of other factors, including final demand, wages, the cost of raw materials, the level of interest rates and tax rates.
“Looking at the timing of China’s currency reform, we can say that the overall benefits to exports are greater than the damage,” he told a forum.
The People’s Bank of China said on Saturday that it would once again allow the yuan to move more freely after having kept the currency more or less pegged to the dollar for two years to provide stability for exporters during the global downturn.
The yuan has risen about 0.5 percent against the dollar since then to its highest level since its July 2005 revaluation, though gains have been kept in check by big state-owned banks. [CNY/] <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Full coverage [ID:nCHINATAKE]
PDF on yuan: r.reuters.com/fuk43m
Yuan microsite: china.thomsonreuters.com/yuan/
Yuan graphics: r.reuters.com/byq23m
Insider TV
-- Yuan to rise before G20 link.reuters.com/jes92m
-- Yuan shows confidence link.reuters.com/hyc33m
-- Some see delay tactic link.reuters.com/xad33m ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>
Jiang cited conditions in 2005-2008, when Chinese exports continued to grow strongly despite a cumulative 21 percent rise in the yuan against the dollar.
But he said the pace of future currency appreciation would be gradual and rejected charges that China was unfairly holding down the yuan to give its companies an advantage in global markets.
Some Western economists believe the yuan is undervalued by as much as 40 percent.
Jiang sidestepped a question about whether exporters could cope with a yuan rise of 3 to 5 percent within a year, saying the rate of appreciation would be decided by the market.
“First, China’s yuan currency reform will be gradual. Second, accusations that China is manipulating its currency are groundless. The facts have proved that it’s not true.”
NOT TOO QUICK
A second government official also ruled out a big move in the yuan in coming months and said last Saturday’s announcement was timed to take pressure off China at this weekend’s summit of Group of 20 leading economies in Toronto.
“In the longer term, the yuan will appreciate but only very gradually,” the official, who declined to be identified, said.
The comments are likely to be grist for the mill of U.S. lawmakers who are sceptical of China’s willingness to permit a substantial rise in the value of a currency they argue is kept deliberately undervalued, to the detriment of U.S. jobs.
As the dominant player in China’s tightly controlled currency market, the PBOC could let the yuan appreciate more swiftly by scaling back its purchases of dollars.
Thanks to the central bank’s intervention down the years, China has built a stockpile of official currency reserves worth $2.45 trillion at the end of March.
With Congress weighing legislation to prod Beijing to relax its grip, U.S. President Barack Obama said China had made progress by announcing greater currency flexibility, but it was too early to say whether it would go far enough.
“The initial signs were positive. But it is too early to tell whether the appreciation, that will track the market, is sufficient to allow for the rebalancing that we think is appropriate,” Obama said on Thursday. [ID:nN24164984]
The PBOC has said the main aim of reverting to the managed float that it suspended in mid-2008 is to inject more two-way volatility into the currency, not to propel it sharply higher.
Some economists have speculated that the central bank, to underline its point, might let the yuan decline at times, for instance if the euro were to fall further against the dollar.
But the second government official ruled out this option as a political non-starter.
“It would be too costly because it would lead to more criticism and pressure from the international community,” he said.
“You know, so many eyes are now trained on China’s foreign exchange policy.” (Additional reporting by Aileen Wang; Editing by Kim Coghill)
June 25 (Reuters) – U.S. aluminium giant Alcoa Inc (AA.N) said it ratified a new four-year contract with the United Steelworkers union covering 5,400 employees at ten of its locations in the United States.
The company, one of the world’s largest aluminum producers, said on its website there would be no wage increases in 2010 and 2011 but all job classes will see their wages go up by 2.5 percent each in 2012 and 2013.
Also, the company’s healthcare program will see increased employee contributions, with price tags increasing every year.
The union contract covers all Alcoa workers in the U.S. under an umbrella deal. (Reporting by Sakthi Prasad in Bangalore; Editing by Mike Nesbit)
June 24 (Reuters) – Denso Corp (6902.T), a parts maker affiliated with Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T), said it had partially restarted operations at a plant in Guangzhou, China, although wage negotiations were continuing.
Denso is aiming for an agreement as soon as possible, a company spokesman said.
Denso (Guangzhou Nansha) Co Ltd halted supply of its fuel injection equipment and other parts to Toyota, Honda Motor Co (7267.T) and other car makers on Monday after workers left production lines demanding higher wages and better benefits.
The strike has forced Toyota Motor’s plant in Guangdong province capable of producing 360,000 vehicles a year to stand idle since Tuesday.
Toyota said it was making preparations to resume production early next week. (Reporting by Yuko Inoue and Chang-Ran Kim; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
June 17 (Reuters) – Norwegian oil workers reached a wage settlement on Thursday, averting a strike that had threatened production in three North Sea oil and gas fields, the state arbitrator said. “There will be no strike,” Nils Dalseide, arbitrator for Norway’s National Arbitration Tribunal, told Reuters.
Around 400 workers on the Gullfaks B and Gullfaks C fields, which are operated by Statoil (STL.OL), and Shell’s (RDSa.L) Draugen field had planned to strike from Thursday if no agreement was reached with management over pay.
Representatives from three trade unions — Industri Energi, SAFE and Lederne — held arbitration talks over wages overnight, negotiating past a midnight deadline on Wednesday to reach a deal.
June 17 (Reuters) – Norwegian oil workers reached a wage settlement on Thursday, averting a strike that had threatened production in three North Sea oil and gas fields, the state arbitrator said. “There will be no strike,” Nils Dalseide, arbitrator for Norway’s National Arbitration Tribunal, told Reuters.
Stocks | Global Markets
Around 400 workers on the Gullfaks B and Gullfaks C fields, which are operated by Statoil (STL.OL), and Shell’s (RDSa.L) Draugen field had planned to strike from Thursday if no agreement was reached with management over pay.
Representatives from three trade unions — Industri Energi, SAFE and Lederne — held arbitration talks over wages overnight, negotiating past a midnight deadline on Wednesday to reach a deal.
June 16 (Reuters) – Nearly 2,000 pilots went on strike in Sweden on Wednesday after several weeks wage negotiations with employers collapsed, leaving thousands of passengers stranded across the country.
Industrials
The pilots’ strike, scheduled to start at 0300 GMT and last for eight hours on Wednesday, will affect all domestic flights and a significant portion of international flights, airports operator Swedavia said in a statement on the Stockholm Arlanda Airport website.
It said Scandinavian airline SAS (SAS.ST), still reeling from the effects of a volcanic ash cloud from Iceland which grounded airlines across the region, would see its Stockholm-based non-intercontinental flights affected.
At least four airlines would not fly for the rest of the day, the statement said.
The Swedish Airline Pilots Association (SweALPA), representing some 1,900 pilots in Sweden, said the union was unable to resolve a dispute over wages with employers.
The union had offered to take a 10 percent wage reduction while employers demanded wage cuts of 20 percent, it said in a statement.
No further negotiations are scheduled. (Editing by Hans Peters)
South Africa, June 14 (Reuters) – South African police fired teargas and rubber bullets late on Sunday to disperse hundreds of stadium workers protesting over wages in the coastal city of Durban, Reuters witnesses said.
Riot police armed with shotguns and riot shields chased the workers, who were deployed as stewards in the ground, out of the stadium where Germany had earlier beaten Australia 4-0 in their opening World Cup game.
At least one woman was injured.
“We were mounting a peaceful protest because they were not paying us what we expected and we were surprised that the police started charging at us. They fired teargas at us,” said one of the workers, Sydney Nzoli. (Reporting by David Clarke and Nick Mulvenney; Editing by Greg Stutchbury)
(Reuters) – Workers at a factory making locks for Honda Motors cars in China remained on strike on Sunday, two workers said, although Honda said the dispute had been resolved and production had resumed.
China
Speaking from Japan, Honda spokeswoman Natsuno Asanuma said the dispute was resolved on Saturday, and production had restarted with the second shift that day at the Honda Lock factory. She could not comment on the situation on Sunday.
But two factory workers contacted by Reuters said management had yet to reach an agreement with most frontline workers and the strike remained in effect on Sunday.
Some managers had agreed to return to work after the company called workers on Saturday night and asked them to come to work on Sunday for a day of overtime, said one worker surnamed Chen.
Many workers showed up at the factory gates, but later left after it became apparent the company would not raise their wages above the 100 yuan ($114) per month it had already offered and workers had rejected, he said.
“Only some managers agreed to go back to work. Most regular assembly line workers are still on strike,” said Chen.
“The company is starting to show some sincerity, but, in my opinion, the local government is the one opposing a higher pay rise. I think they fear that if there’s a compromise and we get what we want, it could cause many other factories and workers in the region to also call for higher wages,” he said.
The strike was the latest in a series to hit factories in south China’s Pearl Delta area and a few other regions by workers demanding a greater piece of China’s growing economic wealth.
Honda’s Asanuma said production at Guangqi Honda, one of Honda’s car-making joint ventures in China, remained normal on Sunday, after being halted for two days last week due to lack of parts caused by previous strikes at two other suppliers.
On Friday, hundreds of workers at Honda Lock, which makes locks for Honda cars in the city of Zhongshan, in Guangdong province, refused to work and demanded higher pay and the right to choose their own representatives instead of state-sanctioned unions seen as subservient to management.
They had first walked off the job on Wednesday.
China’s official Xinhua news agency said on Sunday about two thirds of the lock plant’s 1,400 workers joined the strike and demanded a pay increase of 500 yuan a month.
The strike continued at the plant on Saturday, with workers saying management had not agreed to their wage demands.
The strikers were “irritated by two corporate documents demanding a work resumption pledge, which were distributed to them on Friday and threatened to fire workers if they continued their walkout beyond June 15,” said Xinhua.
They were also angry after senior Honda executives did not visit the lock plant for promised talks, said Xinhua.
The Honda Lock factory is a joint venture between the Japanese company and a company affiliated with the government of Xiaolan Township, where it is located, said the report.
About 500 workers gathered outside the plant on Saturday morning hoping to hear a new offer from management, The South China Morning Post reported.
Dozens of police were at the scene but workers were eventually dispersed later in the morning without any clashes after no new offer was forthcoming.
(Writing by Doug Young; Additional reporting by Chris Buckley in Beijing; Editing by Matthew Jones)
June 13 (Reuters) – Workers at a factory making locks for Honda Motors (7267.T) cars in China remained on strike on Sunday, two workers said, although Honda said the dispute had been resolved and production had resumed.
Speaking from Japan, Honda spokeswoman Natsuno Asanuma said the dispute was resolved on Saturday, and production had restarted with the second shift that day at the Honda Lock factory. She could not comment on the situation on Sunday.
But two factory workers contacted by Reuters said management had yet to reach an agreement with most frontline workers and the strike remained in effect on Sunday.
Some managers had agreed to return to work after the company called workers on Saturday night and asked them to come to work on Sunday for a day of overtime, said one worker surnamed Chen.
Many workers showed up at the factory gates, but later left after it became apparent the company would not raise their wages above the 100 yuan ($114) per month it had already offered and workers had rejected, he said.
“Only some managers agreed to go back to work. Most regular assembly line workers are still on strike,” said Chen.
“The company is starting to show some sincerity, but, in my opinion, the local government is the one opposing a higher pay rise. I think they fear that if there’s a compromise and we get what we want, it could cause many other factories and workers in the region to also call for higher wages,” he said.
The strike was the latest in a series to hit factories in south China’s Pearl Delta area and a few other regions by workers demanding a greater piece of China’s growing economic wealth.
Honda’s Asanuma said production at Guangqi Honda, one of Honda’s car-making joint ventures in China, remained normal on Sunday, after being halted for two days last week due to lack of parts caused by previous strikes at two other suppliers.
On Friday, hundreds of workers at Honda Lock, which makes locks for Honda cars in the city of Zhongshan, in Guangdong province, refused to work and demanded higher pay and the right to choose their own representatives instead of state-sanctioned unions seen as subservient to management.
They had first walked off the job on Wednesday.
China’s official Xinhua news agency said on Sunday about two thirds of the lock plant’s 1,400 workers joined the strike and demanded a pay increase of 500 yuan a month.
The strike continued at the plant on Saturday, with workers saying management had not agreed to their wage demands.
The strikers were “irritated by two corporate documents demanding a work resumption pledge, which were distributed to them on Friday and threatened to fire workers if they continued their walkout beyond June 15″, said Xinhua.
They were also angry after senior Honda executives did not visit the lock plant for promised talks, said Xinhua.
The Honda Lock factory is a joint venture between the Japanese company and a company affiliated with the government of Xiaolan Township, where it is located, said the report.
About 500 workers gathered outside the plant on Saturday morning hoping to hear a new offer from management, The South China Morning Post reported.
Dozens of police were at the scene but workers were eventually dispersed later in the morning without any clashes after no new offer was forthcoming. (Writing by Doug Young; Additional reporting by Chris Buckley in Beijing; Editing by Matthew Jones)
June 13 (Reuters) – Workers at a factory making locks for Honda Motors (7267.T) cars in China remained on strike on Sunday, two workers said, even as Honda said the matter had been resolved and operations had resumed.
Speaking from Japan, Honda spokeswoman Natsuno Asanuma said the dispute was resolved on Saturday, and production had resumed since the second shift that day at the Honda Lock factory. She could not comment on the situation on Sunday.
But two factory workers contacted by Reuters said management had yet to reach an agreement with most frontline workers and the strike remained in effect on Sunday.
Some managers had agreed to return to work after the company called workers on Saturday night and asked them to come to work on Sunday for a day of overtime, said one worker surnamed Chen.
Many workers showed up at the factory gates, but later left after it became apparent the company would not raise their wages above the 100 yuan ($114) per month it had already offered and workers had rejected, he said.
“Only some managers agreed to go back to work. Most regular assembly line workers are still on strike,” said Chen.
“The company is starting to show some sincerity, but, in my opinion, the local government is the one opposing a higher pay rise. I think they fear that if there’s a compromise and we get what we want, it could cause many other factories and workers in the region to also call for higher wages,” he said.
Honda’s Asanuma said production at Guangqi Honda, one of Honda’s car-making joint ventures in China, remained normal on Sunday, after being halted for two days last week due to lack of parts caused by previous strikes at two other suppliers.
On Friday, hundreds of workers at Honda Lock, which makes locks for Honda cars in the city of Zhongshan, in Guangdong province, refused to work and demanded higher pay and the right to choose their own representatives instead of state-sanctioned unions seen as subservient to management.
They had first walked off the job on Wednesday.
The strike continued at the plant on Saturday, with workers saying management had not agreed to their wage demands.
About 500 workers gathered outside the plant on Saturday morning hoping to hear a new offer from management, The South China Morning Post reported.
Dozens of police were at the scene but workers were eventually dispersed later in the morning without any clashes after no new offer was forthcoming.
The strike was the latest in a series to hit factories in south China’s affluent Pearl Delta area and a few other regions, by workers demanding a greater piece of China’s growing economic wealth. (Writing by Doug Young; Editing by Alex Richardson)
Jaipur, June 6 (ANI): The silver-foil making artisans of Jaipur are facing an unprecedented lean period and there seems to be no end in sight.
The famous ‘Vark’ makers of the Pink City have been registering poor collections because the price of their craftsmanship remains stagnant while that of its raw-material, silver, keeps fluctuating and has skyrocketed in the past few months.
“When the rate of silver goes high, then we face problems …the wage decreases…because the rate of silver may go up whereas the labourers” wages are fixed and the income decreases,” said Attah-Ullah Padal, owner of a silver foil making unit.
Silver prices in Jaipur almost touched rupees 30000 (640 US dollars) for a kilogram as compared to rupees 25000 (around 534 US dollars) over the past couple of months.
Ayurdvedic and Unani preparations also contain ‘Vark’ as it is believed that the silver possesses healing properties.
“There are many pharmaceutical companies such as Charak, Baidyanath, and other so many companies where the silver foil is used for medicinal purposes and foil from Jaipur is supplied to these companies,” said Gulam Ali Khan, supplier.
The popular ‘Vark’ has its biggest consumer base in the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat.
The 2,500 ‘Vark’ making artisans live in a colony named Pannighar first set up by Maharaja Jai Singh who ruled Jaipur around three centuries ago. (ANI)
Agartala, June 4 (ANI): The Tripura Gramin Bank (TGB), one of India”s 84 Regional Rural Banks (RRBs), posted a net profit of Rs.35.35 crore in 2009-2010, the highest among RRBs in Tripura.
The bank has 111 branches across the state, which gives flexibility to its customer to open account in any branch.
“We are satisfied. So many people cannot come to Agartala to open an account, so they open an account in Jotanbari, so it is very helpful, we can come any time and open an account,” said Edison Uchoi an account holder.
The bank”s credit-deposit ratio is now 39 percent.
“We did a total business of 2850 crore rupees, in which there is a deposit of 2550 crore rupees and advance of 800 crore rupees and we have achieved a profit of Rs.35crore, 35 lakh in 2009-10. This is the highest amount of profit by any rural bank in the northeast or eastern India,” said D Mushahary, chairman, Tripura Gramin Bank (TGB).
He further claimed that TGB also attained a record in per branch business and per staff business with rupees 2,567 lakh and rupees 438 lakh respectively in fiscal 2009-10 and has targeted to achieve a net profit of rupees 500 lakh (50 million) in the current financial year.
The TGB has issued 1,500 biometric cards to disburse wages under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) and pension under National Old Age Pension (NOAP) schemes.
Tripura is the second state after Andhra Pradesh to use biometric cards for payments under the NREGA and NOAP. (ANI)
Washington, May 14 (ANI): A study has shown that if skilled foreign IT professionals were restricted from working in the United States, it would actually affect American workers, as it would lead firms into hiring IT pros to work outside the US.
According to the Management Insights feature, the study, which relies on salary data of more than 50,000 IT professionals, puts into doubt calls for more restrictive policies for workers in the United States on H-1B visas.
H-1B is a temporary work visa issued to employers allowing them to hire professionals in occupations that require a bachelor’s degree and highly specialized skills.
The authors warn that enacting policies that restrict the number of skilled IT professionals would lead American companies off-shore, hiring IT pros to work outside the U.S.
They say that reports of Microsoft hiring foreign IT professionals in Canada, who were denied visas to work in the U.S., suggests that the damage may already be happening.
In a worst case scenario, they warn, policies restricting immigration of specialized workers will hurt the long-term competitiveness of U.S. firms and the domestic economy.
The authors argue that higher quotas for specialized workers benefit American companies.
“A culturally and globally diverse workforce, even if it comes at a higher price and means paying higher wages for foreign IT professionals, may prove highly effective in capitalizing on opportunities for leveraging foreign countries as source or as markets for improved competitiveness,” the authors wrote.
The findings appear in the current issue of Management Science, the flagship journal of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS). (ANI)
London, May 6 (ANI): French striker Nicolas Anelka is all set to stay at Chelsea for another two years after getting an extension to his existing contract after the FA Cup final.
Anelka has agreed a deal, which will keep him at Stamford Bridge until 2013, but will see no great advance on his 80,000 pound-a-week wages.
Anelka, who has scored only one goal in his last 17 games, had one year left on his contract and seemed expendable in any planned summer clear out.
But he does not want to move and is ready to accept younger players being brought in to provide increased competition, the Daily Express reports.
“At the end of the season every contract will be discussed, but I want Nicolas to stay,” Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti said.
Michael Ballack has also been offered a one-year deal with a one-year extension, but wants a straight two-year contract.
Schalke coach Felix Magath, whose club are set for Champions League football next season, hopes to lure him home.
“I think Michael Ballack would be willing to accept a drop in salary for the chance to return to Germany,” said Magath. (ANI)
London, Apr.28 (ANI): Premier League star pay has soared to an average 1.5 million pounds a year.
Their wages have doubled in the past four years, The Daily Star quotes figures released yesterday, as saying.
There are now calls for players’ wages to be capped so cash-strapped fans can see ticket prices fall.
The top earners come from mega-rich Manchester City, with Emmanuel Adebayor, 26, and Carlos Tevez, 26, each earning more than seven million pounds.
The top-paid English stars are reportedly Chelsea’s John Terry, 29, and Frank Lampard, 31, and Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard, 29, on around 6.5 million pounds. (ANI)
Perth Glory will make their pitch to former Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler on Friday night, with owner Tony Sage scheduled to speak to the A-League star in England.
And Ian Ferguson, who quit as head coach of the financially-stricken Fury earlier this month to link up with Perth as an assistant, hopes Fowler joins him at the Glory.
Fowler’s future is up in the air after North Queensland hit financial trouble and the FFA were forced to step in to secure its short-term future.
Sydney FC is keen to secure Fowler but Perth is also desperate to snare the classy striker.
However, with Mile Sterjovski already signed up as its marquee player and Socceroos Chris Coyne and Jacob Burns also on its books, it seems unlikely Perth will have room in its salary cap to accommodate Fowler’s hefty wages.
“I believe Tony’s going to be speaking with Robbie tonight,” Ferguson said on Friday.
“I’ve spoken to Robbie over the last two or three weeks and we’ve had good conversations.
“I know Tony’s very interested and we’ll see where it takes us.
“I’m sure there’s going to be two or three other teams interested in Robbie.
“He’s a quality player and puts bums in seats.
“He got me nine goals last season playing for the Fury.
“I do believe if we can get Robbie in the right frame of mind and get him over here he will be a great plus for us.”
Ferguson again quashed speculation he and Fowler do not get along.
Fowler refused to take part in a game last season when Ferguson dropped him to the bench.
But Ferguson insisted the bust-up was only momentary.
“Me and Robbie are fine,” Ferguson said.
“I’ve spoken to Robbie over the last month or so about four or five times.
“I’ve always said it and I keep repeating myself, there’s nothing wrong with me and Robbie Fowler, there never has been.
“A lot of people with hidden agendas made us out to be at each other’s throats and that was never the case.
“Myself and Robbie have always had respect.
“Robbie knew I was a head coach, (I) made some decisions he probably didn’t agree with but he respected it and went on and it was never held in any shape or form in any bad malice.”
Ferguson said Fowler would be a great addition to Perth’s squad.
“Last season I thought they (Perth) played very well at times but were just lacking that firepower,” he said.
“With (Michael) Baird coming in, hopefully we can try to get Robbie Fowler there, it would give us a good partnership up front.”
The union representing Qantas engineers claims details of recent incidents have not been shared with senior engineers.
APESMA is calling for a full investigation by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority of recent safety incidents.
The union is currently involved in a pay dispute with Qantas.
This week a plane heading to London was forced to return to Bangkok with engine trouble, while a flight from Melbourne to Los Angeles was delayed by a cracked windscreen.
And Qantas passengers on a flight from Los Angeles were 17 hours late arriving in Brisbane on Monday night after two of the airline’s jumbo jets reported technical problems.
Senior industrial officer at APESMA, Alison Rose, says Qantas should share all information on these and other incidents.
“This would normally be the case that our members would have access to all the information, documentation, et cetera, on each aircraft that they do any work on,” she said.
“So our members are concerned that due to this practice of not providing information, they are effectively working in the dark.”
Qantas spokesman David Epstein says the union’s claims are outrageous and nothing more than opportunism to disguise the industrial action the union is taking in regards to engineers’ wages.
South African President Jacob Zuma called for calm on Sunday after the murder of white far-right leader Eugene Terre’blanche fanned fears of growing racial tension.
Police have detained two black farm workers aged 16 and 21 and suspect Terre’blanche was killed in a dispute over unpaid wages, but his Afrikaner Resistance Movement (AWB) says he was battered and hacked to death in an attack with political overtones.
Zuma, who has courted white Afrikaners, called it a “terrible deed” and urged “South Africans not to allow agent provocateurs to take advantage of this situation by inciting or fuelling racial hatred”.
Terre’blanche, 69, was the voice of hardline opposition to the end of apartheid in the early 1990s although his party has played a marginal role since then and does not have a big following among the 10 per cent of white South Africans.
“We are calling on the supporters of the AWB to stay calm for the moment so that we can finalise the funeral,” said AWB spokesman Andre Visagie, adding that next steps would await a party meeting in May. “We will decide upon the action we are going to take to avenge Terre’blanche’s death.”
Concerns over increasing racial polarisation have been thrown into the open by a row over the singing of an apartheid-era song with the lyrics Kill the Boer by the youth leader of the ruling African National Congress.
The ANC has defended the song as no more than a way to remember a history of oppression, but it has worried minority groups and white farmers, some 3,000 of whom have been killed since the end of apartheid.
Terre’blanche’s party did not hesitate to link the murder to the song. He had always described himself as a Boer. “That’s what this is all about,” Visagie said.
Zuma’s spokesman Vincent Magwenya said, however, there was no evidence at this stage linking the killing to the song sung by firebrand ANC youth wing leader Julius Malema.
Terre’blanche had lived in relative obscurity since his release from prison in 2004 after serving a sentence for beating a black man nearly to death.
The party — whose flag resembles a Nazi swastika — was revived two years ago and he had begun efforts to try to build a front to fight for a white homeland.
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