05.06.2012

President Hifikepunye Pohamba

A Cabinet reshuffle was on the cards last year, but was never executed for reasons unknown. During the last Cabinet meeting when the President requested action within the ranks of the permanent secretaries, he at the same time warned the ministers that he would reshuffle them too. This was said after he expressed his dismay with the performance of certain ministries. We dont know when it will take place and are waiting for the President to take action. At least he warned us about the reshuffling, a senior minister told The Namibian. However, political analysts are of the opinion that the chances are slim for a major Cabinet reshuffle with the watershed Swapo congress just around the corner. A total of 11 out of the 24 permanent secretaries were reshuffled, but even Prime Minister Nahas Angula made it clear that ministers are ultimately responsible for their ministries. According to the Constitution, ministers must direct, coordinate and supervise the activities of their ministries, government departments and parastatals and should be held accountable for the administration of their ministries. The executive director of the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), Graham Hopwood, told The Namibian that Cabinet ministers are supposed to ensure that apartheid, tribalism and colonialism do not manifest themselves again in Namibia and to assist disadvantaged citizens. In addition they are not supposed to be using their positions to enrich themselves or expose themselves to conflicts of interest. In an ideal world ministers performances should primarily be measured against these benchmarks and the recent track records of their ministries in terms of improving service delivery. However, Cabinet reshuffles have always been strongly influenced by other factors such as ethnic balancing and pleasing various interest groups within the ruling party. He said a recycling exercise, as was the case with the permanent secretaries, probably wont achieve much in terms of improving service delivery. It would be more invigorating for government performance if some new faces and younger politicians were drafted into Cabinet. However, President Pohamba has, so far, been very cautious in changing his Cabinet. I would expect that any changes would only be limited to a few posts. Particularly with the congress approaching he probably would not want to be seen as upsetting the apple cart by making a lot of changes, said Hopwood. Another political analyst, Bill Lindeke, shares the same sentiments, saying the threat was perhaps made to keep the ministers on their toes. Looking at the track record of the President and the infighting going on in Swapo, it is most unlikely that he will make a major Cabinet reshuffle. He is not a Cabinet shuffler. The head of the Department of Politics and Administration at Unam, Victor Tonchi, said the recycling of ministers is a futile exercise. If they cannot do the job, the appointing authority should get rid of them and bring in new blood. However, in a certain manner the Presidents choices are limited to members of the National Assembly and he might not always find the suitable replacement. He is also sceptical about any reshuffle taking place, adding that the upcoming Congress might be the stumbling block.

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Swapo congress stalls Cabinet reshuffle

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda carried out a Cabinet reshuffle Monday, effectively sacking two censured ministers in a bid to court the Liberal Democratic Party's support to pass contentious legislation to double the 5 percent sales tax.

It is the second time Noda has reshuffled his Cabinet since he assumed office in September. He changed out members in January also in an attempt to push forward talks on the tax issue with the opposition camp, replacing two ministers censured by the opposition-controlled Upper House in December.

Bowing again to opposition pressure, Noda replaced five of his 18 Cabinet members, including Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka and transport chief Takeshi Maeda, both of whom were censured in the Upper House in April.

Their replacement is a condition demanded by the LDP for holding tax talks with the Democratic Party of Japan government.

"The reshuffle aims to strengthen the Cabinet's function and create an environment to move forward various issues, such as the tax and social security reforms," Noda said Monday.

Announcing the new Cabinet lineup, Noda urged the LDP to engage in talks on a compromise over the tax issue and stressed the necessity of holding tax talks "at some stage" with LDP chief Sadakazu Tanigaki, who advocates hiking the sales levy.

To ensure the tax hike bills are passed, Noda said it is "most important" to discuss the issue thoroughly with the LDP.

Noda, who has said he will stake his political career on getting the bills passed in the current Diet session, did not mention if he would try to extend the session beyond its scheduled June 21 end if the legislation hits a snag.

Noda's Cabinet submitted to the Diet in late March bills including one that will double the consumption tax in two stages to 8 percent in April 2014 and 10 percent in October 2015 to help cover the nation's swelling social security costs.

The Cabinet reshuffle comes a day after Noda, who heads the DPJ, failed to win over former DPJ leader Ichiro Ozawa, who strongly opposes the tax hike.

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Noda replaces censured ministers

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda reshuffled his Cabinet Monday in a crucial bid to court the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party's support for securing parliamentary passage of contentious legislation to raise the sales tax in Japan.

It is the second time for Noda to rearrange his Cabinet since he assumed office in September, the last time coming in January in a similar attempt to push forward talks on the tax issue with the opposition camp by replacing two ministers censured by the opposition-controlled House of Councillors in December.

Bowing again to opposition pressure, Noda is expected to replace several Cabinet members, including Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka, and Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Takeshi Maeda, both of whom were censured in the upper house in April.

The premier is set to appoint Satoshi Morimoto, a professor at Takushoku University graduate school and a security issues pundit in Japan, as Tanaka's successor, political sources said.

He will be the country's first nonparliamentarian defense chief since World War II, including the period before the Defense Ministry was upgraded from the Defense Agency in 2007.

Morimoto entered the Foreign Ministry in 1979 after serving as a member of the Air Self-Defense Force and became adviser to the defense minister in 2009, according to his website.

Yuichiro Hata, the ruling Democratic Party of Japan's chief negotiator on parliamentary proceedings in the upper house, will replace Maeda, while Noda will promote Senior Vice Justice Minister Makoto Taki to replace Justice Minister Toshio Ogawa.

Senior vice reconstruction minister Tadahiro Matsushita of the DPJ's coalition partner People's New Party will become financial services minister to replace Shozaburo Jimi, who also doubles as postal privatization minister, they said.

Akira Gunji, a former senior vice minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, will become farm minister, replacing Michihiko Kano, who came under fire over spying allegations related to a Chinese diplomat involved in a farm ministry project.

Noda will retain 13 of the 18-member Cabinet and keep the DPJ executive lineup apart from Hata, who is to quit as head of the party's Diet Affairs Committee in the upper house, the sources said.

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Noda reshuffles Cabinet in bid for tax hike support

OFF TO SC? Will De Lima or Henares be appointed chief justice?

MANILA, Philippines - So will President Benigno Aquino III consider one of his Cabinet members for the post of chief justice or not?

The names of tax commissioner Kim Henares, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and Solicitor-General Francis Jardeleza have been floated as possible replacement for ex-Chief Justice Renato Corona. He was removed from his post on May 29 after the impeachment court found him guilty of failing to disclose in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth US$2.4 million and P80 million.

But Aquino told Rappler on June 1, Friday, that while he "doesn't want to stop anybody's progress," they are already effective members of the Cabinet and pulling out any of them from his team will only give him another problem: "Who will fill in their shoes?"

He said he's not even sure if Henares will even consider being a judge. Jardeleza, on the other hand, had just recently been appointed solicitor-general after serving as deputy ombudsman for Luzon for less than a year.

De Lima said, however, she's not closing her doors to being nominated chief justice.

Decisions, decisions

In an interview with Ted Failon of broadcast network ABS-CBN, however, Aquino said he is still studying if having De Lima or Henares appointed chief justice -- and letting them go from his cabinet -- would do more good than harm. He said he believes both of them are competent.

Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima has expressed support for Henares' possible nomination to the post of chief justice, but the head of the Bureau of Internal Revenue said she would rather stay and finish her job at the BIR. Yet, she also indicated a degree of openness to an appointment when she later said, Lets cross the bridge when we get there.

Henares is one of the witnesses in the impeachment trial against Corona. She testifed that Corona's wife Cristina bought an P11-M property in La Vista even if she had no declared source of income.

Originally posted here:
PNoy's CJ choice: Will it be Henares or De Lima?

Tues., May 29: "The Catalina"

(8 p.m. ET on The CW) series premiere

The young, wild staff of The Catalina Hotel in Miami's South Beach are a fun-loving group that work hard during the day, while at night they party even harder than their guests. When the hotel hosts a spring break pool party, it takes an unexpected turn when the clouds come rolling in. Sparks fly between bartenders and former flames Kris and Nancy. Meanwhile, restaurant general manager Morgan is taken out of the kitchen and competes on behalf of the hotel in a beach volleyball tournament.

(8 p.m. ET on ABC) season finale

When Grayson complains that he's living the movie "Groundhog Day" because the gang shows up at the same time every day at Jules' house, Jules asks for a "Groundhog Day"-themed bachelorette party so that Ellie and Laurie can explain the movie to her. Then, fed up with the lack of privacy, Grayson convinces Jules to elope to Napa, but the cul de sac crew happily tags along. These are the last two episodes before the show moves to TBS in the fall.

(9 p.m. ET on ABC) special presentation

For monarchists, Anglophiles and those who just want to swoon over William and Harry, ABC's Katie Couric interviews the princes and a number of other notable royals in celebration of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

(9 p.m. ET on TLC) season premiere

For the first time in nine seasons, Stacy and Clinton plan an entire makeover in less than a day -- a makeover that would normally take a week -- and will conduct this makeover in front of a live studio audience of close to 200 people, which has also never been done before. The fashion victim, Ana, who is the self-proclaimed Lady Gaga of Long Island, has one of the most "unique" wardrobes the "WNTW" team has ever seen. TLC also turns to the viewers for the first time to help in the makeover process, with fans voting through Facebook on hair styles, mannequin outfits and the "trashing" portion of the show.

(10:30 p.m. ET on Comedy Central) season premiere

It's the Season 3 premiere of the single-camera comedy featuring three friends who work together from 9 to 5, live together from 5 to 9 and party together 24/7. Dress codes, deadlines and waking up before noon are not things these guys are used to. They do their jobs and sometimes, they even do them well, but they show up late, leave drunk and always live for the day ... even if they don't know what day it is.

(8 p.m. ET on CBS) series premiere

New York City dog guru Justin Silver works with "Beefy," a celebrity skateboarding bulldog who is making his owner's new wife feel like the third wheel, a model agency owner who starts a war of words with Justin over his take on how to handle her aggressive dog, and a single father and his young daughter who are relying on Justin to help their obese dog lose the excess weight that's threatening her health.

(8 p.m. ET on ABC Family) one-hour season premiere

In the Season 2 premiere episode, Mel is feeling the pressure of balancing the massive home renovation with her duties at work. Determined to have the house fixed as quickly as possible, Joe convinces a reluctant Mel to put him in charge of the construction. But Joe's management style only makes things worse. In the second episode, Mel is charmed by her "cabinet guy," but is less charmed by Joe's reaction to him, leading them to a fight about being too involved in each other's lives. However, their decision to give each other privacy does not turn out as planned.

(9 p.m. ET on The CW) season finale

Laura and Sophie participate in their Covergirl commercial and photo shoot, during which one of the women has a panic attack and is taken to the hospital. For the first time in "Top Model" history, the women will take part in a holographic runway show interacting with lifelike images and also walk in sync with the outline of their own bodies. Kelly Cutrone, Nigel Barker, Jay Manuel and Tyra Banks sit on the judges' panel to choose the winner. Enjoy Jay, Nigel and Miss J. while you can, since they won't be involved next season.

(8 p.m. ET on The CW) series premiere

This reality series goes behind the stage curtain for an intense, unfiltered look at one of the most competitive ballet companies in the country, Ballet West, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Beneath the beauty and glamour of the dance and costumes is a gritty dog-eat-dog world of extreme athleticism, focus, dedication, passion, pressure and, of course, the hunt for the unattainable: perfection.

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'Duets': John Legend Has To Find A Replacement, And She Blows The Judges Away (VIDEO)

General News of Thursday, 31 May 2012

Source: Daily Graphic

A government report has revealed that public officers at the Lands Commission, the Ministry of Works and Housing and the Town and Country Planning Department designed various illegal schemes to allocate government bungalows and parcels of land to politicians, government officials and their friends, without Cabinet approval and direction.

According to the report, the first phase of the Cabinet-approved allocation of government bungalows for redevelopment took place between 2000 and 2003.

However, at the time of operating the redevelopment programme, other schemes targeting government bungalow plots were also being operated outside the Cabinet-approved scheme.

The illegal schemes were operated by public officers at the Lands Commission, the Ministry of Works and Housing and the Town and Country Planning Department, it said.

Giving a background to the redevelopment scheme which was initiated in 1998 by the Rawlings administration and continued by the Kufuor administration, the report, excerpts of which are available to graphic.com.gh said the government targeted the redevelopment of plots of land with government bungalows in the prime areas of Ridge, Cantonments, Kanda, the Switchback Road and the Airport Residential Area.

Most of the bungalows were put up in the 1940s and 1950s and were in deplorable states.

To guide the execution of the redevelopment project, it said, the Cabinet, in 2000, discussed and approved a fair and transparent competitive bidding process.

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Public Servants Illegally Allocated Government Property - Report

Almost one year ago, Springfields Hope Institute for Children and Families welcomed a member of outgoing Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daleys cabinet as Hopes new president and chief executive officer.

Hope officials had hoped Chicago resident Mary Ellen Caron would be a long-term replacement for Joseph Nyre, who resigned to become a college president after almost eight years at the helm of Hope, a 55-year-old education, health and social-service agency for children with autism and other developmental disabilities.

But after 4 1/2 months on the job, Caron resigned unexpectedly last fall with no apparent job prospects elsewhere, according to Hope spokesman Mark Schmidt.

We went through a large nationwide search to find her, Schmidt said last week. We hated to see her go.

He said Caron decided on her own that the job wasnt a good fit for her.

Hopes chief financial officer, Springfield resident Clint Paul, was named interim president and CEO effective Nov. 1, and Hope officials have begun to look for someone to fill the permanent leadership post.

A search is under way, Schmidt said. The process is active and ongoing.

Springfield ties

Paul, 39, a certified public accountant who previously worked as controller for Bunn Capitol, is being considered for the permanent position.

This is an exciting time to be part of The Hope Institute, and I am pleased to have the support of our directors, trustees and an excellent staff as we move this organization forward, Paul said in a statement.

Read more:
Hope Institute seeking second new president in last year

May 24, 2012 12:28 am

From staff and wire reports

Toilet and Cabinet Locks

Dorel Juvenile Group Inc., of Columbus, Ind., is recalling about 183,000 toilet locks and 685,000 cabinet locks because children can disengage them.

The recall involves Safety 1st Sure Fit toilet locks with model numbers 48003 and 48103 and Safety 1st cabinet slide locks with model numbers 12013 and 12014. Model numbers can be found on the back of the locks.

They were sold at Bed, Bath and Beyond, Burlington Coat Factory, Home Depot, Target and Walmart from January 2005 through April 2010 for between $8 and $20 for the toilet locks, and from January 2000 through March 2009 for between $2 and $11 for the cabinet locks. Amazon.com sold both locks through April 2012.

Consumers should contact DJG for a free replacement.

For more information, contact DJG toll-free at 1-877-416-8105 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, or visit the firm's website at http://www.djgusa.com.

Desk Lamps

L G Sourcing Inc., of North Wilkesboro, N.C., is recalling about 33,000 LED Clip-On Desk Lamps because the power cord can detach where it meets the clamp, posing an electric shock risk.

Excerpt from:
Featured recalls | 5/24/12

By Anatoly Medetsky

The St. Petersburg Times

Published: May 23, 2012 (Issue # 1709)

Members of the Cabinet, appointed Monday by President Vladimir Putin, from top left: Shuvalov, Kozak, Surkov, Rogozin, Khloponin, Dvorkovich, Golodets, Abyzov, Belousov, Donskoi, Fyodorov, Govorun, Ishayev, Kolokoltsev, Konovalev, Lavrov, Livanov, Manturov, Medinsky, Mutko, Nikiforov, Novak, Puchkov, Serdyukov, Siluanov, Skvortsova, Sokolov and Topilin.

MOSCOW President Vladimir Putin on Monday appointed a Cabinet that has a strikingly familiar look.

Most ministers held on to their seats, received promotions from deputy ministers or came over from the Kremlin.

The shuffle cements Putins grip on power while fulfilling a promise by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev that three-fourths of the faces would be new.

Igor Shuvalov will be the second-in-command in the Cabinet, retaining the rank of first deputy prime minister.

He will be the only first deputy prime minister: Putin named no replacement for the other person with this rank in the previous Cabinet, Viktor Zubkov.

In other organizational changes, the Health and Social Development Ministry will be split in two, the Sports Ministry lost its tourist portfolio, and a new ministry was created to develop the Far East.

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Putin’s New Cabinet Has Many Familiar Faces

Cameron green light to new generation of nuclear subs Lib Dems wanted downgrade to reflect end of Cold War

By Tim Shipman

PUBLISHED: 02:47 EST, 21 May 2012 | UPDATED: 04:52 EST, 21 May 2012

David Cameron has given the green light to a new generation of Trident nuclear submarines, pitching the coalition into civil war over the future of Britains deterrent.

The Ministry of Defence will next week reveal the names of defence firms who have won 350million of contracts to design the new super subs.

The decision means the UK is set to replace the four giant Vanguard class boats with a new Bravo class of submarines, rather than downgrade the deterrent as the Lib Dems want.

Making waves: David Cameron has given the go-ahead to a new generation of nuclear submarines to replace the current Vanguard class of boats, which includes HMS Vanguard (above)

The successor submarines are due to come into service in 2028.

And the design of the new submarines will use a new nuclear propulsion system to make the next generation of boats longer lasting and more cost effective.

The rest is here:
PM signals that Trident replacement is on the way despite Lib Dem unease