Project Synopsis:
more from S&P Credit Research
Research Update: CNPC Assigned 'AA-' Rating, Subsidiary CNPC Finance (HK) Ltd. Rated 'A+'; Outlooks Stable
Abstract: CNPC has an excellent business risk profile and a minimal financial risk profile. We believe there is an "extremely high" probability of extraordinary government support to CNPC in case of distress. We consider CPFHK as a strategically important subsidiary of CNPC. We assigned our 'AA-' long-term corporate credit rating to CNPC. We also assigned our 'A+' long-term corporate credit rating to CPFHK. The outlooks on both the ratings are stable. On April 8, 2011, Standard&Poor's Ratings Services assigned its 'AA-' long-term corporate credit rating to China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC). We also assigned our 'A+' long-term corporate credit rating to CNPC Finance (HK) Ltd. (CPFHK). The outlooks on both the ratings are stable. At the same time, we
Brief Excerpt: RESEARCH Ratings Definitions PDF Research Update: CNPC Assigned '##-' Rating, Subsidiary CNPC Finance (HK) Ltd. Rated 'A+'; Outlooks Stable Publication date: 08-Apr-2011 Primary Credit Analyst: Lawrence Lu, CFA, Hong Kong (852)...
Datamonitor's Company Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Partnerships & Alliances and Investments reports offer a comprehensive breakdown of the organic and inorganic growth activity undertaken by an organization to sustain its competitive advantage.
Project Description:
Datamonitors' China National Petroleum Corporation Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Partnerships & Alliances and Investments report includes business description, detailed reports on mergers and acquisitions (M&A), divestments(To sell off or otherwise dispose of (a subsidiary company or an investment).), capital raisings, venture capital investments, ownership and partnership transactions undertaken by China National Petroleum Corporation since January 2007.
Scope:
- Provides intelligence on China National Petroleum Corporation's M&A, strategic partnerships and alliances, capital raising and private equity transactions.
- Detailed reports of various financial transactions undertaken by China National Petroleum Corporation and its subsidiaries since 2007.
- Information about key financial and legal advisors for China National Petroleum Corporation's financial deals transactions.
- Financial deals tables and charts covering deal value and volumes trend, deal types and geography-based deal activity.
Highlights:
This report includes China National Petroleum Corporation's contact information and business summary, tables, graphs, a list of partners and targets, a breakdown of financial and legal advisors, deal types, top deals by deal value, detailed deal reports, and descriptions and contact details of the partner, target, investor, and vendor firms, where disclosed.
The profile also includes detailed deal reports for all M&A, private equity, public offering, venture financing, partnership and divestment transactions undertaken by China National Petroleum Corporation. These deal reports contain information about target company financials, sources of financing, method of payment, deal values, and advisors for various parties, where disclosed.
Reasons to Purchase:
- Access comprehensive financial deals data along with charts and graph covering M&A, private equity, and partnerships and alliances.
- Form an independent opinion about China National Petroleum Corporation's growth strategies through the organic and inorganic activities undertaken since 2007.
- Track your competitors' business structure and growth strategies.
Source: Datamonitor Financial Deals
Document ID: 06B92CC0-459B-4C9D-B36F-E7CBAE76B7A9
Industry: Banking
Industry: Chemical
Free Sample: Click Here to Download
Format:
PDF Adobe Acrobat
Sections
Title
TABLE OF CONTENTS
COMPANY OVERVIEW AND KEY FACTS
MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS
--Mergers and Acquisitions - Overview
--Mergers and Acquisitions - Deal reports
CORPORATE VENTURING
--Corporate Venturing - Overview
--Corporate Venturing - Deal reports
PARTNERSHIP
--Partnership - Overview
--Partnership - Deal reports
DIVESTMENTS
--Divestments - Overview
--Divestments - Deal reports
APPENDIX
--About Datamonitor Financial Deals Database
--Deal Definition and Methodology
--About Datamonitor
--Datamonitor Professional Services Knowledge Center
LIST OF TABLES
--China National Petroleum Corporation activity by deal type - volume (trailing twelve months (TTM))
--China National Petroleum Corporation M&A activity by geography (TTM)
--China National Petroleum Corporation activity by deal type - volume (2007 -YTD2011)
--China National Petroleum Corporation M&A average deal size - value ($m) (2007 -YTD2011)
--China National Petroleum Corporation legal advisor ranking by value ($m)
--China National Petroleum Corporation financial advisor ranking by value ($m)
--Top Deals(2007 -YTD2011)
--China National Petroleum Corporation targets and partners (2007 -YTD2011)
--China National Petroleum Corporation M&A volume and value trend (2007-YTD2011)
--China National Petroleum Corporation M&A activity by geography (2007-YTD2011)
--China National Petroleum Corporation corporate venturing volume and value trend (2007-YTD2011)
--China National Petroleum Corporation corporate venturing by geography (2007-YTD2011)
--China National Petroleum Corporation partnership volume and value trend (2007-YTD2011)
--China National Petroleum Corporation partnership trend by key deal type (2007-YTD2011)
--China National Petroleum Corporation divestments volume and value trend (2007-YTD2011)
--China National Petroleum Corporation divestments activity by geography (2007-YTD2011)
LIST OF FIGURES
--China National Petroleum Corporation activity by deal type - volume (trailing twelve months (TTM))
--China National Petroleum Corporation M&A activity by geography (TTM)
--China National Petroleum Corporation activity by deal type - volume (2007-YTD2011)
--China National Petroleum Corporation M&A average deal size - value ($m)
--China National Petroleum Corporation M&A volume and value trend (2007-YTD2011)
--China National Petroleum Corporation M&A activity by geography (2007-YTD2011)
--China National Petroleum Corporation corporate venturing volume and value trend (2007-YTD2011)
--China National Petroleum Corporation corporate venturing by geography (2007-YTD2011)
--China National Petroleum Corporation partnership volume and value trend (2007-YTD2011)
--China National Petroleum Corporation partnership trend by key deal type (2007-YTD2011)
--China National Petroleum Corporation divestments volume and value trend (2007-YTD2011)
--China National Petroleum Corporation divestments by geography (2007-YTD2011)
==
CNPC Completes First Phase of Al-Ahdab Field
Posted on 27 June 2011. Tags: al-Ahdab, China Natational Petroleum Corp, China National Petroleum Company, CNPC, PetroChina
CNPC Completes First Phase of Al-Ahdab Field
Reuters reports that the China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC), the first foreign oil company to sign an oil service contract in Iraq after former president Saddam Hussein was toppled, said on Monday said that it completed construction of the first phase of the Al-Ahdab oilfield.
The parent of PetroChina Co Ltd said it started work on the Al-Ahdab oilfield in March 2009 after successfully renegotiating an old development deal, and hoped to pump 110,000-130,000 barrels per day (bpd) from the field, which had estimated reserves of 1 billion barrels.
Completion of the first phase, with a capacity of 60,000 bpd, was ahead of schedule, marking major progress in building Middle East oil and gas projects, reported the China Petroleum Daily, CNPC’s in-house newspaper.
The field was the first new oil capacity building project in 20 years in Iraq, the report said.
(Source: Reuters)
==
Parent company increases stake in PetroChina Xinhuanet 2011-05-27 17:30
May 27 (Xinhua) PetroChina Co., Ltd., the listed arm of the country's largest oil and gas producer, said Friday that its parent China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) has raised its stake in the company by nearly 0.02 percent to 86.3 percent. CNPC has bought 31.08 million yuandenominated Ashares in the company, accounting for 0.017 percent of PetroChina's total shares,...
CNPC would also continue to buy shares of PetroChina on the secondary market in the next 12 months, but the total increase will not exceed 2 percent of the company's shares, it said.
CNPC also promised that it will not sell any shares in the next 12 months, said the statement.
The share price of PetroChina was up 0.83 percent to 10.97 yuan in Shanghai and jumped 3.8 percent to 10.94 Hong Kong dollars on the Hong Kong bourse on Friday.
news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/business/2011-05/27/c_13897649.htm
==
CNPC, BP start operating largest Iraqi oilfield Rumaila in 20-year agreement
English.news.cn 2010-07-12 17:29:26 FeedbackPrintRSS
BEIJING, July 12 (Xinhua) -- China National Petroleum Corp.(CNPC), China's largest oil company, and British oil company BP PLC (BP) have taken over operation and management of Iraq's largest oilfield, Rumaila, in a 20-year agreement, CNPC said in a statement Monday.
CNPC and BP aim to increase output at the Rumaila oilfield 10 percent to 1.17 million barrels per day by the end of the year, the statement posted on the CNPC website said.
Located in southeastern Iraq, the Rumaila oil field has proven reserves of 17.7 billion barrels.
Kuwait Oil Company Inaugurates Major Oil Project
2001.04.23 00:43:21
KUWAIT CITY, April 22 (Xinhuanet) -- The state-owned Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) Sunday officially inaugurated a major oil gathering center with a production capability of 210,000 barrels per day (bpd).
The project, or GC28, was one of the two oil gathering centers that have been constructed by China Petroleum Engineering Construction Corp. (CPECC) for the KOC in west Kuwait.
The other gathering center, or GC27, with an production capacity of 190,000 bpd, was completed and commissioned last January.
GC27 and GC28, which cover an area of about 500,000 square kilometers respectively, are currently the two largest of such facilities built in West Kuwait, and also the largest oil gathering centers in Kuwait.
They are equipped to process both medium and light crude as well as gas and gas condensate.
The KOC, an affiliate to Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) and in charge of the country's oil exploration and production, has said that GC27 and GC28 are of "enormous importance to the company as they will contribute towards our target in West Kuwait of 500,000 bpd and provide the KOC with strategic flexibility and diversity."
"As part of our overall oil strategy, GC27 and GC28 will help us realize the production capacity target of 3 million bpd" by the year 2005, the company said.
Kuwait, which holds about 10 percent of the world's total crude reserves, currently has a production capacity of some 2.5 million bpd. Enditem
===
Energy deals mark "new era"
Top 10 business photos
President Hu Jintao and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev attend a ceremony to mark completion of an oil pipeline project between the two countries at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Sept 28. (Photo: China Daily)
China and Russia signed more than a dozen agreements Sept 27 to boost energy cooperation as leaders of the two countries hailed a deepening strategic partnership.
President Hu Jintao and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev witnessed the signing of 15 commercial deals as well as one on fighting terrorism, separatism and extremism.
One of the key deals was signed by China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and Russia's Transneft over the operation of the oil pipeline that stretches from Skovorodino in eastern Siberia to Daqing in Northeast China.
(Source: China Daily)
===
TIMELINE-The history of China's Communist Party
01 Jul 2011 09:09
Source: reuters // Reuters
July 1 (Reuters) - China's Communist Party marked the 90th anniversary of its founding on Friday.
Here are some major events in the Party's history:
July 1, 1921 - Communist Party of China founded in Shanghai.
1927 - Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek launches attacks on Communist strongholds in Shanghai, killing hundreds of activists, after party launches a failed uprising. The party retreats, going underground and decamping to the countryside.
1934-35 - Mao Zedong begins ascent to power during the Long March, a series of retreats by the Red Army to evade Chiang's pursuing Nationalist forces.
1936 - Japan expands occupation of northeast China, the Nationalists join fragile "united front" with Communists to defend against the common threat. At the end of World War Two, the Nationalist-Communist civil war resumes.
Oct 1, 1949 - Mao Zedong proclaims the establishment of the People's Republic of China. Chiang Kai-shek and the defeated nationalists flee to Taiwan by late in year.
June 1950-July 1953 - China backs North Korea in Korean War against U.S.-backed South Korea.
1953-57 - China makes "transition to socialism", nationalising industry and putting farmland under collective control, with economic development helped by Soviet aid.
1957 - Anti-Rightist Movement purges intellectuals and liberal reformers, whom Mao earlier urged to speak out and criticise the party's errors.
1958 - Mao launches his "Great Leap Forward," a campaign to catapult China into advanced socialism by massively increasing industrial and farm output through collectivisation. The plan collapses and brings widespread famine by 1961 that killed 30 million people by some expert estimates.
1961 - Relations with the Soviet Union deteriorate over Cold War policy and ideological disputes. China denounces Soviet leadership of the Communist bloc.
1966-76 - Mao, fearing that his revolutionary achievements will be betrayed by compromise and "capitalist restoration", launches the Cultural Revolution, a violent campaign to rid the country of perceived ideological enemies, including senior Party officials.
Feb 1972 - U.S. President Richard Nixon visits China, curtailing the confrontation between China and the United States that began after 1949.
Sep 1976 - Mao dies. His successor Hua Guofeng and other veteran officials engineer the arrest of the "Gang of Four," the group of officials who want to continue the radical line of the Cultural Revolution. Hua Guofeng acts as leader for a few years while Deng Xiaoping, purged during the Cultural Revolution, returns to power and comes to back reformist policies.
Dec 1978 - Party Central Committee holds "Third Plenum" meeting, marking the launch of reformist policies that eventually lead to the break of farm communes in favour of family-contract farms and other steps that develop into market reforms.
Communes: A relatively small, often rural community whose members share common interests, work, and income and often own property collectively.
The people in such a community.
The smallest local political division of various European countries, governed by a mayor and municipal council.
A local community organized with a government for promoting local interests.
A municipal corporation in the Middle Ages.
Jan 1979 - U.S. and China reestablish diplomatic relations.
April-June 1989 - Students and workers protest for political reform and against corruption on Tiananmen Square in Beijing and also in other cities, before the army crushes the movement on June 4, killing hundreds.
1991-92 - Deng takes tour of southern China, accusing central officials of stalling and jeopardising economic reform and relaunching a new wave of market reforms.
March 1993 - Jiang Zemin becomes president.
Feb 1997 - Deng dies.
2002-2003 - Jiang Zemin retires as party chief and then president, opening way to the "fourth generation" headed by Hu Jintao.
July 1, 2011 - The party marks its 90-year anniversary.
2012 - The party will hold its 18th National Congress; Vice President Xi Jinping expected to be named Hu's successor. (Reporting by Beijing newsroom; Editing by Robert Birsel)
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. M&A History
Ocwen Financial Corp acquires Litton Loan Servicing LP from Goldman Sachs Group Inc (pending) Ocwen Financial Corp acquires Litton Loan Servicing LP from Goldman Sachs Group Inc (pending) Jun 05, 2011
…US - Ocwen Financial Corp definitively agreed to acquire Litton Loan Servicing LP (Litton), a Houston-based provider of loan management services, from Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS), for USD ###.# mil in cash. Originally, in December ####, GS was…
GSFS Investments I Corp acquires a minority stake in Clean Coal Solutions LLC from ADA-ES Inc GSFS Investments I Corp acquires a minority stake in Clean Coal Solutions LLC from ADA-ES Inc May 27, 2011
…US - GSFS Investments I Corp, a unit of Goldman Sachs Group Inc, acquired a ##% stake in Clean Coal Solutions LLC, an Aurora-based provider of alternative energy services, and a joint venture between NexGen Resources Corp and ADA- ES…
United States Power Fund III acquires remaining interest in Calypso Energy Holdings LLC from Goldman Sachs Group Inc United States Power Fund III acquires remaining interest in Calypso Energy Holdings LLC from Goldman Sachs Group Inc May 19, 2011
…US - United States Power Fund III LP, a unit of Energy Investors Funds Group LLC acquired the remaining ## % stake which it did not already own in Calypso Energy Holdings LLC, an owner and operator of power plants from Cogentrix…
Investor Group acquires a minority stake in Apple American Group LLC from Weston Presidio Capital Investor Group acquires a minority stake in Apple American Group LLC from Weston Presidio Capital May 10, 2011
…US - An investor group comprised of GS Capital Partners LP (GS), a unit of Goldman Sachs Group Inc's Goldman Sachs & Co subsidiary, Weston Presidio Capital (Weston), and the management Apple American Group LLC (Apple), acquired an undisclosed minority stake…
Goldman Sachs Group Inc seeking buyer for Goldman Sachs-Hongqiao Apt Goldman Sachs Group Inc seeking buyer for Goldman Sachs-Hongqiao Apt Apr 30, 2011
…CHINA - In April ####, Goldman Sachs (China) LLC, a Shnaghai-based investment bank and a unit of Goldman Sachs Group Inc, announced that it was seeking a buyer of its Hongqiao Apartment, located in Shanghai.…
GS Capital Partners LP acquires a minority stake in Enstar Group Ltd from Castlewood Ltd (pending) GS Capital Partners LP acquires a minority stake in Enstar Group Ltd from Castlewood Ltd (pending) Apr 20, 2011
…BERMUDA - GS Capital Partners LP of the US and a unit of Goldman Sachs & Co agreed to acquire a ##.#% stake or #.# mil ordinary shares in Enstar Group Ltd, a Hamilton-based insurance agency, for USD ###…
Investor Group acquires Properties(9) from Goldman Sachs Group Inc Investor Group acquires Properties(9) from Goldman Sachs Group Inc Apr 14, 2011
…FINLAND - An investor group comprised of HGR Property Partners Oy and Sveafastigheter Fund III AB, a unit of Sveafastigheter AB, acquired Nine Properties from NIAM Nordic Investment Fund III, a unit of California Public Employees Retirement System and Whitehall Street…
Goldman Sachs Group Inc acquires Goldman Sachs & Partners AU (pending) Goldman Sachs Group Inc acquires Goldman Sachs & Partners AU (pending) Apr 07, 2011
…AUSTRALIA - Goldman Sachs Group Inc of US (Goldman Sachs), planned to acquire the remaining ##% interest, which it did not already own, in Goldman Sachs & Partners Australia Pty Ltd (Goldman Sachs & Partners Australia), a Melbourne-based investment management firm. Terms…
EIF Calypso LLC acquires remaining interest in Cogentrix Energy LLC-Power from Goldman Sachs Group Inc (pending) EIF Calypso LLC acquires remaining interest in Cogentrix Energy LLC-Power from Goldman Sachs Group Inc (pending) Apr 05, 2011
…US - EIF Calypso LLC, a unit of Energy Investors Funds Group LLC, agreed to acquire the remaining ##% stake, which it did not already own, in the power generating assets of Cogentrix Energy LLC, a Charlotte-based provider of electric…
Goldman Sachs Group Inc acquires Benchmark Ast Mgmt Co Pvt Ltd (pending) Goldman Sachs Group Inc acquires Benchmark Ast Mgmt Co Pvt Ltd (pending) Mar 16, 2011
…INDIA - Goldman Sachs Group Inc (Goldman Sachs) of the US agreed to acquire Benchmark Asset Management Co Pvt Ltd (Benchmark Asset), a Mumbai- based provider of investment management services. Terms were not disclosed. Originally on March ##, Goldman Sachs was…
Ahlsell AB acquires Cento Kullager i Norrkoping AB (pending) Ahlsell AB acquires Cento Kullager i Norrkoping AB (pending) Mar 01, 2011
…SWEDEN - Ahlsell AB, a unit of Alchemy Holding Sarl's Nybrojarl New # AB subsidiary, planned to acquire Cento Kullager i Norrkoping AB, a Norrkoping-based wholesaler of industrial machinery and equipment. Alchemy Holding Sarl was a unit of Cinoven…
AEA Holdings acquires Simplex Investment Advisors from Goldman Sachs Group Inc (pending) AEA Holdings acquires Simplex Investment Advisors from Goldman Sachs Group Inc (pending) Mar 01, 2011
…JAPAN - AEA Holdings of US, a wholly-owned unit of AEA Investors LP, planned to acquire the remaining ##% interest, or #.### mil shares, which it did not already own, in Simplex Investment Advisors Inc, a Chiyoda, Tokyo-based…
Goldman Sachs Group Inc acquires a minority stake in AppSense Ltd Goldman Sachs Group Inc acquires a minority stake in AppSense Ltd Feb 23, 2011
…UK - Goldman Sachs Group Inc of US acquired an undisclosed minority stake in Appsense Ltd, a Warrington-based Developer of performance management software, for GBP ##.### mil (USD ## mil).…
Goldman Sachs & Co acquires a minority stake in EnerSys Inc (pending) Goldman Sachs & Co acquires a minority stake in EnerSys Inc (pending) Feb 15, 2011
…US - Goldman Sachs & Co, a unit of Goldman Sachs Group Inc, agreed to acquire a #. ###% stake, or #.### mil common shares, in EnerSys Inc, a Reading-based manufacturer and wholesaler of industrial batteries, from Metalmark Capital LLC…
Dream Incubator Inc acquires Ipet Co Ltd from Goldman Sachs Group Inc (pending) Dream Incubator Inc acquires Ipet Co Ltd from Goldman Sachs Group Inc (pending) Feb 10, 2011
…JAPAN - Dream Incubator Inc agreed to raise its interest to ##.##% from #.##% by acquiring ##.##% interest, or #.### mil shares, in Ipet Co Ltd, a Chiyoda, Tokyo-based provider of short-period insurance services, and…
Goldman Sachs Group Inc seeking buyer for Seniorenwohn- & Sozialzentrum Goldman Sachs Group Inc seeking buyer for Seniorenwohn- & Sozialzentrum Jan 28, 2011
…GERMANY - In January ####, LEG Landesentwicklungsgesellschaft NRW GmbH, a unit of Whitehall Street Real Estate Fund unit of Goldman Sachs Group Inc's Goldman Sachs & Co unit, announced that it was seeking a buyer for its Seniorenwohn- & Sozialzentrum Betriebsfuehrungs-GmbH…
Goldman Sachs Ast Mgmt LP acquires a minority stake in CII (pending) Goldman Sachs Ast Mgmt LP acquires a minority stake in CII (pending) Jan 27, 2011
…VIETNAM - Goldman Sachs Asset Management LP of United States, a unit of Goldman Sachs Group Inc, agreed to acquire ##.##% stake, or ##. ### convertible bonds, or ##. ### mil shares in Ho Chi Minh City Infrastructure Investment JSC…
Stream AS acquires Ahlsell Oil & Gas AS from Goldman Sachs Group Inc (pending) Stream AS acquires Ahlsell Oil & Gas AS from Goldman Sachs Group Inc (pending) Jan 27, 2011
…NORWAY - Stream AS agreed to acquire the entire share capital of Ahlsell Oil & Gas AS, a Stavanger-based wholesaler of piping equipment and valves, from Ahlsell Norge Holding AS, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Ahlsell AB unit of Alchemy…
Ruby Holdings Co Ltd acquires Primo Japan Inc from Goldman Sachs Group Inc Ruby Holdings Co Ltd acquires Primo Japan Inc from Goldman Sachs Group Inc Jan 21, 2011
…JAPAN - Ruby Holdings Co Ltd acquired an undisclosed majority interest in Primo Japan Inc, a unit of Goldman Sachs Japan Co Ltd's Goldman Sachs Japan Co Ltd unit, Goldman Sachs & Co is a unit of Goldman Sachs Group Inc…
NTUC Income Insurance Co-op acquires a minority stake in Savu Investments Ltd from Goldman Sachs Group Inc NTUC Income Insurance Co-op acquires a minority stake in Savu Investments Ltd from Goldman Sachs Group Inc Jan 17, 2011
…SINGAPORE - NTUC Income Insurance Co-operative Ltd acquired a ##% stake in Savu Investments Ltd, a real estate development firm, a majority-owned unit of Goldman Sachs Group Inc, for SGD ### mil (USD ##.### mil).…
==
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. M&A Summary
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has made 165 acquisitions while taking stakes in 244 companies. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has 110 divestitures during this period.
Year Acquisitions Stakes Divestitures
2011 1 3 4
2010 9 5 8
2009 6 21 4
2008 13 29 12
2007 28 40 12
2006 14 33 6
2005 22 22 12
2004 5 7 8
2003 10 6 2
2002 1 6 4
2001 5 3 2
2000 13 10 5
1999 9 12 4
1998 9 2 3
1997 3 2 3
1996 5 1 3
1995 2 4 3
1994 2 2 0
1993 1 6 3
1992 0 3 4
1991 0 10 3
1990 2 7 2
1989 0 3 1
1988 0 1 0
1987 1 0 0
1986 2 0 2
1985 0 0 0
1984 1 2 0
1983 0 4 0
1982 0 0 0
1981 1 0 0
Total 165 244 110
…US - Ocwen Financial Corp definitively agreed to acquire Litton Loan Servicing LP (Litton), a Houston-based provider of loan management services, from Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS), for USD ###.# mil in cash. Originally, in December ####, GS was…
GSFS Investments I Corp acquires a minority stake in Clean Coal Solutions LLC from ADA-ES Inc GSFS Investments I Corp acquires a minority stake in Clean Coal Solutions LLC from ADA-ES Inc May 27, 2011
…US - GSFS Investments I Corp, a unit of Goldman Sachs Group Inc, acquired a ##% stake in Clean Coal Solutions LLC, an Aurora-based provider of alternative energy services, and a joint venture between NexGen Resources Corp and ADA- ES…
United States Power Fund III acquires remaining interest in Calypso Energy Holdings LLC from Goldman Sachs Group Inc United States Power Fund III acquires remaining interest in Calypso Energy Holdings LLC from Goldman Sachs Group Inc May 19, 2011
…US - United States Power Fund III LP, a unit of Energy Investors Funds Group LLC acquired the remaining ## % stake which it did not already own in Calypso Energy Holdings LLC, an owner and operator of power plants from Cogentrix…
Investor Group acquires a minority stake in Apple American Group LLC from Weston Presidio Capital Investor Group acquires a minority stake in Apple American Group LLC from Weston Presidio Capital May 10, 2011
…US - An investor group comprised of GS Capital Partners LP (GS), a unit of Goldman Sachs Group Inc's Goldman Sachs & Co subsidiary, Weston Presidio Capital (Weston), and the management Apple American Group LLC (Apple), acquired an undisclosed minority stake…
Goldman Sachs Group Inc seeking buyer for Goldman Sachs-Hongqiao Apt Goldman Sachs Group Inc seeking buyer for Goldman Sachs-Hongqiao Apt Apr 30, 2011
…CHINA - In April ####, Goldman Sachs (China) LLC, a Shnaghai-based investment bank and a unit of Goldman Sachs Group Inc, announced that it was seeking a buyer of its Hongqiao Apartment, located in Shanghai.…
GS Capital Partners LP acquires a minority stake in Enstar Group Ltd from Castlewood Ltd (pending) GS Capital Partners LP acquires a minority stake in Enstar Group Ltd from Castlewood Ltd (pending) Apr 20, 2011
…BERMUDA - GS Capital Partners LP of the US and a unit of Goldman Sachs & Co agreed to acquire a ##.#% stake or #.# mil ordinary shares in Enstar Group Ltd, a Hamilton-based insurance agency, for USD ###…
Investor Group acquires Properties(9) from Goldman Sachs Group Inc Investor Group acquires Properties(9) from Goldman Sachs Group Inc Apr 14, 2011
…FINLAND - An investor group comprised of HGR Property Partners Oy and Sveafastigheter Fund III AB, a unit of Sveafastigheter AB, acquired Nine Properties from NIAM Nordic Investment Fund III, a unit of California Public Employees Retirement System and Whitehall Street…
Goldman Sachs Group Inc acquires Goldman Sachs & Partners AU (pending) Goldman Sachs Group Inc acquires Goldman Sachs & Partners AU (pending) Apr 07, 2011
…AUSTRALIA - Goldman Sachs Group Inc of US (Goldman Sachs), planned to acquire the remaining ##% interest, which it did not already own, in Goldman Sachs & Partners Australia Pty Ltd (Goldman Sachs & Partners Australia), a Melbourne-based investment management firm. Terms…
EIF Calypso LLC acquires remaining interest in Cogentrix Energy LLC-Power from Goldman Sachs Group Inc (pending) EIF Calypso LLC acquires remaining interest in Cogentrix Energy LLC-Power from Goldman Sachs Group Inc (pending) Apr 05, 2011
…US - EIF Calypso LLC, a unit of Energy Investors Funds Group LLC, agreed to acquire the remaining ##% stake, which it did not already own, in the power generating assets of Cogentrix Energy LLC, a Charlotte-based provider of electric…
Goldman Sachs Group Inc acquires Benchmark Ast Mgmt Co Pvt Ltd (pending) Goldman Sachs Group Inc acquires Benchmark Ast Mgmt Co Pvt Ltd (pending) Mar 16, 2011
…INDIA - Goldman Sachs Group Inc (Goldman Sachs) of the US agreed to acquire Benchmark Asset Management Co Pvt Ltd (Benchmark Asset), a Mumbai- based provider of investment management services. Terms were not disclosed. Originally on March ##, Goldman Sachs was…
Ahlsell AB acquires Cento Kullager i Norrkoping AB (pending) Ahlsell AB acquires Cento Kullager i Norrkoping AB (pending) Mar 01, 2011
…SWEDEN - Ahlsell AB, a unit of Alchemy Holding Sarl's Nybrojarl New # AB subsidiary, planned to acquire Cento Kullager i Norrkoping AB, a Norrkoping-based wholesaler of industrial machinery and equipment. Alchemy Holding Sarl was a unit of Cinoven…
AEA Holdings acquires Simplex Investment Advisors from Goldman Sachs Group Inc (pending) AEA Holdings acquires Simplex Investment Advisors from Goldman Sachs Group Inc (pending) Mar 01, 2011
…JAPAN - AEA Holdings of US, a wholly-owned unit of AEA Investors LP, planned to acquire the remaining ##% interest, or #.### mil shares, which it did not already own, in Simplex Investment Advisors Inc, a Chiyoda, Tokyo-based…
Goldman Sachs Group Inc acquires a minority stake in AppSense Ltd Goldman Sachs Group Inc acquires a minority stake in AppSense Ltd Feb 23, 2011
…UK - Goldman Sachs Group Inc of US acquired an undisclosed minority stake in Appsense Ltd, a Warrington-based Developer of performance management software, for GBP ##.### mil (USD ## mil).…
Goldman Sachs & Co acquires a minority stake in EnerSys Inc (pending) Goldman Sachs & Co acquires a minority stake in EnerSys Inc (pending) Feb 15, 2011
…US - Goldman Sachs & Co, a unit of Goldman Sachs Group Inc, agreed to acquire a #. ###% stake, or #.### mil common shares, in EnerSys Inc, a Reading-based manufacturer and wholesaler of industrial batteries, from Metalmark Capital LLC…
Dream Incubator Inc acquires Ipet Co Ltd from Goldman Sachs Group Inc (pending) Dream Incubator Inc acquires Ipet Co Ltd from Goldman Sachs Group Inc (pending) Feb 10, 2011
…JAPAN - Dream Incubator Inc agreed to raise its interest to ##.##% from #.##% by acquiring ##.##% interest, or #.### mil shares, in Ipet Co Ltd, a Chiyoda, Tokyo-based provider of short-period insurance services, and…
Goldman Sachs Group Inc seeking buyer for Seniorenwohn- & Sozialzentrum Goldman Sachs Group Inc seeking buyer for Seniorenwohn- & Sozialzentrum Jan 28, 2011
…GERMANY - In January ####, LEG Landesentwicklungsgesellschaft NRW GmbH, a unit of Whitehall Street Real Estate Fund unit of Goldman Sachs Group Inc's Goldman Sachs & Co unit, announced that it was seeking a buyer for its Seniorenwohn- & Sozialzentrum Betriebsfuehrungs-GmbH…
Goldman Sachs Ast Mgmt LP acquires a minority stake in CII (pending) Goldman Sachs Ast Mgmt LP acquires a minority stake in CII (pending) Jan 27, 2011
…VIETNAM - Goldman Sachs Asset Management LP of United States, a unit of Goldman Sachs Group Inc, agreed to acquire ##.##% stake, or ##. ### convertible bonds, or ##. ### mil shares in Ho Chi Minh City Infrastructure Investment JSC…
Stream AS acquires Ahlsell Oil & Gas AS from Goldman Sachs Group Inc (pending) Stream AS acquires Ahlsell Oil & Gas AS from Goldman Sachs Group Inc (pending) Jan 27, 2011
…NORWAY - Stream AS agreed to acquire the entire share capital of Ahlsell Oil & Gas AS, a Stavanger-based wholesaler of piping equipment and valves, from Ahlsell Norge Holding AS, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Ahlsell AB unit of Alchemy…
Ruby Holdings Co Ltd acquires Primo Japan Inc from Goldman Sachs Group Inc Ruby Holdings Co Ltd acquires Primo Japan Inc from Goldman Sachs Group Inc Jan 21, 2011
…JAPAN - Ruby Holdings Co Ltd acquired an undisclosed majority interest in Primo Japan Inc, a unit of Goldman Sachs Japan Co Ltd's Goldman Sachs Japan Co Ltd unit, Goldman Sachs & Co is a unit of Goldman Sachs Group Inc…
NTUC Income Insurance Co-op acquires a minority stake in Savu Investments Ltd from Goldman Sachs Group Inc NTUC Income Insurance Co-op acquires a minority stake in Savu Investments Ltd from Goldman Sachs Group Inc Jan 17, 2011
…SINGAPORE - NTUC Income Insurance Co-operative Ltd acquired a ##% stake in Savu Investments Ltd, a real estate development firm, a majority-owned unit of Goldman Sachs Group Inc, for SGD ### mil (USD ##.### mil).…
==
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. M&A Summary
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has made 165 acquisitions while taking stakes in 244 companies. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has 110 divestitures during this period.
Year Acquisitions Stakes Divestitures
2011 1 3 4
2010 9 5 8
2009 6 21 4
2008 13 29 12
2007 28 40 12
2006 14 33 6
2005 22 22 12
2004 5 7 8
2003 10 6 2
2002 1 6 4
2001 5 3 2
2000 13 10 5
1999 9 12 4
1998 9 2 3
1997 3 2 3
1996 5 1 3
1995 2 4 3
1994 2 2 0
1993 1 6 3
1992 0 3 4
1991 0 10 3
1990 2 7 2
1989 0 3 1
1988 0 1 0
1987 1 0 0
1986 2 0 2
1985 0 0 0
1984 1 2 0
1983 0 4 0
1982 0 0 0
1981 1 0 0
Total 165 244 110
WorleyParsons Wins Rumaila Oilfield Contract
Posted on 13 December 2010. Tags: Australia, BP, CNPC, Rumaila, South Oil Company, WorleyParsons
WorleyParsons Wins Rumaila Oilfield Contract
Australian engineering contractor WorleyParsons (WOR.AU) has won a contract to carry out engineering and design work at BP’s giant Rumaila oilfield in southern Iraq.
Sources familiar with the deal said the front-end engineering and design (FEED) contract was awarded to WorleyParsons by the consortium which includes Iraq’s state-run South Oil Company, BP and China National Petroleum, which jointly operate the Rumaila field.
WorleyParsons will carry out FEED work for the project, although the contract has yet to be approved officially by the Iraqi government, a sources told Dow Jones.
BP and CNPC, both of which signed a 20-year service contract in November last year with Baghdad to develop Rumaila, plan to increase production by 10 per cent this month from 1.06 million barrels a day.
The group has already started drilling at the field as they awarded earlier this year contracts worth up to $500 million to drill 49 wells. $15 billion is expected to be invested in the project over the 20-year duration of the contract.
The BP-led consortium has pledged to almost triple production at the field to 2.85 million barrels a day. BP holds a 38 per cent stake in the venture, while CNPC has 37 per cent and Iraq’s SOC holds the remaining 25 per cent.
The three contractors will receive a fixed fee of $US2 for each additional barrel of oil produced from Rumaila.
(Sources: Dow Jones, The Australian)
===
Hermes Datacomms Wins BP Contract in Iraq
Posted on 28 June 2011. Tags: BP, Hermes
Hermes Datacommunications Middle East, a key specialist providing Wide Area Network communications to the upstream oil and gas industry has won a contract to continue providing VSAT communications to support BP’s operations in Iraq. Hermes will continue supporting degassing stations, rigs and static life support camps.
Included in this contract renewal is additional bandwidth to the South and North Rumaila sites to offer load sharing, whilst also providing full redundancy across the BP Iraq network. Hermes will be using a separate satellite provider, Yamal 200 to ensure complete independence from their existing link.
Kevin Thorley, CEO, Middle East says:
“We are delighted by the BP contract win. We believe this renewal demonstrates not only our ability to more than satisfy our customers’ needs but also highlights our strengths as a key player in Iraq, as well as the rest of the Middle East markets. We look forward to continuing a strong and fruitful relationship with BP.”
To facilitate this win, Hermes has further increased the Middle East team to include a dedicated Account Manager and technical team. This expansion includes the move of one of Hermes’ top Engineers from their Head office in the UK, Vincent Davies.
Davies says, “I am thrilled to join the emerging Middle East team and to contribute towards the continuing success of the BP account”.
Davies brings with him a wealth of international experience including three and a half years as Project Engineer, Algeria. He has worked on some very significant client accounts including Petrofac, KBR, BP and Weatherford.
BP's Iraq contract leads way as Petrofac reveals £1.3bn deals
Published Date: 01 July 2011
By Dominic Jeff
http://business.scotsman.com/business/BP39s-Iraq-contract-leads-way.6793976.jpg
ENERGY services group Petrofac said it has gained $2.1 billion (£1.3bn) in orders in the first six months of the year, including a contract with BP in Iraq announced this week.
The London-listed firm - which has a large operations base in Aberdeen and a training centre in Montrose - said in a trading update yesterday that it had a backlog of work of about $11.4bn, which it predicted would remain stable for the rest of the year.
Chief executive Ayman Asfari said: "We continue to deliver good operational performance across our portfolio of projects, including on the South Yoloten project in Turkmenistan, and we are well on course to deliver like-for-like net profit growth in 2011 of at least 15 per cent, in line with our previous guidance."
Petrofac's new one-year deal with BP is its second in Iraq and marks a further expansion in the war-torn oil producer. The $90 million inspection, maintenance and repair contract for the Rumaila oil field in southern Iraq will be shared with a Chinese joint venture partner but will be led by Petrofac's offshore engineering and operations business and is worth $63m to the group.
Petrofac also announced that its long-standing chief financial officer, Keith Roberts, will retire from the group at the end of the year.
Roberts, 54, joined the firm in early 2002 and played a leading role in its 2005 flotation.
He will be replaced by Cable & Wireless Worldwide director Tim Weller.
Tony Shepard, analyst at Charles Stanley, said he was surprised by the change but added that Roberts was leaving the group in "excellent health".
"It has a strong order book which gives excellent revenue visibility and the balance sheet is strong," he said.
Despite being impressed by the figures, which suggest it could double its recurring 2010 earnings by 2015, Charles Stanley rated Petrofac a "hold" in the short term, noting that shares were already "up with events".
===
Two bombs hit Iraq Rumaila oil pipelines-official
07 Oct 2011 20:16
Source: Reuters // Reuters
BASRA, Iraq, Oct 7 (Reuters) - Two bombs hit pipeline networks transporting crude from Iraq's Rumaila oilfield, a senior Iraqi oil ministry official said on Friday.
The impact on production from Rumaila was not immediately clear, but firefighters were working to put out blazes caused by the blasts, two sources said. (Reporting by Aref Mohammed and Ahmed Rasheed; Writing by Patrick Markey; Editing by Jon Hemming)
====
You are here: Home » Security » Energy Sector » Explosions considered terrorism in Basra oil field
Explosions considered terrorism in Basra oil field
Smoke billows from the Zubair tank farm June 5, 2011, after a bomb exploded on a storage tank. (Source: Olive Group incident report)
By ALI ABU IRAQ, BEN LANDO AND STAFF of Iraq Oil Report
Published October 8, 2011
At least two explosions rocked areas in southern and south of the Rumaila oil field late Friday, cutting crude and increasing concerns over security, in an attack seemingly timed with the visit by the oil minister.
There were few details as of press time, with officials difficult to reach late evening on Friday, the one traditional day off in Iraq, and a general reluctance to discuss security issues in the oil sector as the country opens up to foreign investors.
Thus, there were conflictin...
===
You are here: Home » Security » Energy Sector » Explosions considered terrorism in Basra oil field
Explosions considered terrorism in Basra oil field
Smoke billows from the Zubair tank farm June 5, 2011, after a bomb exploded on a storage tank. (Source: Olive Group incident report)
By ALI ABU IRAQ, BEN LANDO AND STAFF of Iraq Oil Report
Published October 8, 2011
At least two explosions rocked areas in southern and south of the Rumaila oil field late Friday, cutting crude and increasing concerns over security, in an attack seemingly timed with the visit by the oil minister.
There were few details as of press time, with officials difficult to reach late evening on Friday, the one traditional day off in Iraq, and a general reluctance to discuss security issues in the oil sector as the country opens up to foreign investors.
Thus, there were conflictin...
===
Two bombs hit Iraq Rumaila oil pipelines-official
Link this
Share this
Digg
Email
Print
PICTURE GALLERY
Strange and unusual
Our photographers sometimes capture moments that are strange and offbeat. Slideshow
Celebrating Dussehra and Durga Puja
Jobs' Apple creations
Celebrity sightings
Being a living god
Well of Death
» Click here for more slideshows
BASRA, Iraq | Sat Oct 8, 2011 1:46am IST
Oct 7 (Reuters) - Two bombs hit pipeline networks transporting crude from Iraq's Rumaila oilfield, a senior Iraqi oil ministry official said on Friday.
The impact on production from Rumaila was not immediately clear, but firefighters were working to put out blazes caused by the blasts, two sources said. (Reporting by Aref Mohammed and Ahmed Rasheed; Writing by Patrick Markey; Editing by Jon Hemming)
=====
===============
UPDATE 1-Petrofac teams up with Schlumberger for big projects
Thu, Jan 05 03:00 AM EST
* Says tie-up will enable it to work on larger scale projects
LONDON, JAN 5 - British energy services firm Petrofac said it will team up with Schlumberger, the world's largest oilfield services company, to enable it to bid for bigger projects with national oil companies and other firms.
DEALTALK-Under Fu, Sinopec M&A machine overtakes Exxon, BP
Thu, Jan 05 02:34 AM EST
* Sinopec has racked up deals worth $10.4 bln since June
* Most acquisitive energy major in past 6 years
==============
CORRECTED-BRIEF-Guide Exploration to buy certain natural gas properties
Wed, Jan 04 17:06 PM EST
- Jan 4 (Reuters) - Guide Exploration Ltd : * Announces agreement to purchase long life natural gas properties and $36.6 million bought deal equity financing * Deal for $61.5 million * The properties are currently producing approximately 20 mmcf/d of sweet natural gas (3,330 boe/d) * Says acquired properties are accretive on both a production and reserves per share basis * Acquisition will be funded by bought deal equity financing of $36.6 mln,co's credit facilities * Says acquired properties are expected to be accretive, on a cash flow per share basis, in 2012 * Says based on field production report estimates, 2011 exit production rate was approximately 12,000 boe/d * Says average 2012 production is expected to range from 15,800 to 16,600 boe/d
WorleyParsons Wins Rumaila Oilfield Contract
Australian engineering contractor WorleyParsons (WOR.AU) has won a contract to carry out engineering and design work at BP’s giant Rumaila oilfield in southern Iraq.
Sources familiar with the deal said the front-end engineering and design (FEED) contract was awarded to WorleyParsons by the consortium which includes Iraq’s state-run South Oil Company, BP and China National Petroleum, which jointly operate the Rumaila field.
WorleyParsons will carry out FEED work for the project, although the contract has yet to be approved officially by the Iraqi government, a sources told Dow Jones.
BP and CNPC, both of which signed a 20-year service contract in November last year with Baghdad to develop Rumaila, plan to increase production by 10 per cent this month from 1.06 million barrels a day.
The group has already started drilling at the field as they awarded earlier this year contracts worth up to $500 million to drill 49 wells. $15 billion is expected to be invested in the project over the 20-year duration of the contract.
The BP-led consortium has pledged to almost triple production at the field to 2.85 million barrels a day. BP holds a 38 per cent stake in the venture, while CNPC has 37 per cent and Iraq’s SOC holds the remaining 25 per cent.
The three contractors will receive a fixed fee of $US2 for each additional barrel of oil produced from Rumaila.
(Sources: Dow Jones, The Australian)
===
Hermes Datacomms Wins BP Contract in Iraq
Posted on 28 June 2011. Tags: BP, Hermes
Hermes Datacommunications Middle East, a key specialist providing Wide Area Network communications to the upstream oil and gas industry has won a contract to continue providing VSAT communications to support BP’s operations in Iraq. Hermes will continue supporting degassing stations, rigs and static life support camps.
Included in this contract renewal is additional bandwidth to the South and North Rumaila sites to offer load sharing, whilst also providing full redundancy across the BP Iraq network. Hermes will be using a separate satellite provider, Yamal 200 to ensure complete independence from their existing link.
Kevin Thorley, CEO, Middle East says:
“We are delighted by the BP contract win. We believe this renewal demonstrates not only our ability to more than satisfy our customers’ needs but also highlights our strengths as a key player in Iraq, as well as the rest of the Middle East markets. We look forward to continuing a strong and fruitful relationship with BP.”
To facilitate this win, Hermes has further increased the Middle East team to include a dedicated Account Manager and technical team. This expansion includes the move of one of Hermes’ top Engineers from their Head office in the UK, Vincent Davies.
Davies says, “I am thrilled to join the emerging Middle East team and to contribute towards the continuing success of the BP account”.
Davies brings with him a wealth of international experience including three and a half years as Project Engineer, Algeria. He has worked on some very significant client accounts including Petrofac, KBR, BP and Weatherford.
BP's Iraq contract leads way as Petrofac reveals £1.3bn deals
Published Date: 01 July 2011
By Dominic Jeff
http://business.scotsman.com/business/BP39s-Iraq-contract-leads-way.6793976.jpg
ENERGY services group Petrofac said it has gained $2.1 billion (£1.3bn) in orders in the first six months of the year, including a contract with BP in Iraq announced this week.
The London-listed firm - which has a large operations base in Aberdeen and a training centre in Montrose - said in a trading update yesterday that it had a backlog of work of about $11.4bn, which it predicted would remain stable for the rest of the year.
Chief executive Ayman Asfari said: "We continue to deliver good operational performance across our portfolio of projects, including on the South Yoloten project in Turkmenistan, and we are well on course to deliver like-for-like net profit growth in 2011 of at least 15 per cent, in line with our previous guidance."
Petrofac's new one-year deal with BP is its second in Iraq and marks a further expansion in the war-torn oil producer. The $90 million inspection, maintenance and repair contract for the Rumaila oil field in southern Iraq will be shared with a Chinese joint venture partner but will be led by Petrofac's offshore engineering and operations business and is worth $63m to the group.
Petrofac also announced that its long-standing chief financial officer, Keith Roberts, will retire from the group at the end of the year.
Roberts, 54, joined the firm in early 2002 and played a leading role in its 2005 flotation.
He will be replaced by Cable & Wireless Worldwide director Tim Weller.
Tony Shepard, analyst at Charles Stanley, said he was surprised by the change but added that Roberts was leaving the group in "excellent health".
"It has a strong order book which gives excellent revenue visibility and the balance sheet is strong," he said.
Despite being impressed by the figures, which suggest it could double its recurring 2010 earnings by 2015, Charles Stanley rated Petrofac a "hold" in the short term, noting that shares were already "up with events".
===
Two bombs hit Iraq Rumaila oil pipelines-official
07 Oct 2011 20:16
Source: Reuters // Reuters
BASRA, Iraq, Oct 7 (Reuters) - Two bombs hit pipeline networks transporting crude from Iraq's Rumaila oilfield, a senior Iraqi oil ministry official said on Friday.
The impact on production from Rumaila was not immediately clear, but firefighters were working to put out blazes caused by the blasts, two sources said. (Reporting by Aref Mohammed and Ahmed Rasheed; Writing by Patrick Markey; Editing by Jon Hemming)
====
You are here: Home » Security » Energy Sector » Explosions considered terrorism in Basra oil field
Explosions considered terrorism in Basra oil field
Smoke billows from the Zubair tank farm June 5, 2011, after a bomb exploded on a storage tank. (Source: Olive Group incident report)
By ALI ABU IRAQ, BEN LANDO AND STAFF of Iraq Oil Report
Published October 8, 2011
At least two explosions rocked areas in southern and south of the Rumaila oil field late Friday, cutting crude and increasing concerns over security, in an attack seemingly timed with the visit by the oil minister.
There were few details as of press time, with officials difficult to reach late evening on Friday, the one traditional day off in Iraq, and a general reluctance to discuss security issues in the oil sector as the country opens up to foreign investors.
Thus, there were conflictin...
===
You are here: Home » Security » Energy Sector » Explosions considered terrorism in Basra oil field
Explosions considered terrorism in Basra oil field
Smoke billows from the Zubair tank farm June 5, 2011, after a bomb exploded on a storage tank. (Source: Olive Group incident report)
By ALI ABU IRAQ, BEN LANDO AND STAFF of Iraq Oil Report
Published October 8, 2011
At least two explosions rocked areas in southern and south of the Rumaila oil field late Friday, cutting crude and increasing concerns over security, in an attack seemingly timed with the visit by the oil minister.
There were few details as of press time, with officials difficult to reach late evening on Friday, the one traditional day off in Iraq, and a general reluctance to discuss security issues in the oil sector as the country opens up to foreign investors.
Thus, there were conflictin...
===
Two bombs hit Iraq Rumaila oil pipelines-official
Link this
Share this
Digg
PICTURE GALLERY
Strange and unusual
Our photographers sometimes capture moments that are strange and offbeat. Slideshow
Celebrating Dussehra and Durga Puja
Jobs' Apple creations
Celebrity sightings
Being a living god
Well of Death
» Click here for more slideshows
BASRA, Iraq | Sat Oct 8, 2011 1:46am IST
Oct 7 (Reuters) - Two bombs hit pipeline networks transporting crude from Iraq's Rumaila oilfield, a senior Iraqi oil ministry official said on Friday.
The impact on production from Rumaila was not immediately clear, but firefighters were working to put out blazes caused by the blasts, two sources said. (Reporting by Aref Mohammed and Ahmed Rasheed; Writing by Patrick Markey; Editing by Jon Hemming)
=====
Landmines hamper Iraq oil boom, delay investment
RUMAILA, Iraq |
(Reuters) - In Iraq's vast southern desert, red sandbags stretch along roadsides to warn of the danger from Saddam-era landmines that litter the prized Rumaila oilfield. White ones signal areas safe to walk or drive.
Now recovering from decades of conflict, Iraq may have 25 million landmines and millions of other unexploded bombs that are slowing development of some of the world's largest fields and one of Iraq's key cities, the southern oil hub Basra.
"Landmines and (unexploded) war remnants are the silent enemy," said Ali al-Maliki, head of the municipal security committee in Basra, where leftover ordnance is slowing the construction of bridges, homes and commercial districts.
The red- and white-painted sandbags seem a fragile safety barrier for the thousands of workers now striving to ramp up production from 17-billion-barrel supergiant Rumaila and the other massive fields surrounding Basra.
There was no protection for six de-miners killed recently when a pile of recovered mines and old ordnance exploded.
"The demining workers, along with Iraqi army officers, ignited a fuse to detonate a land mine pile close to Rumaila North, but nothing happened. When the team went back to check, the pile exploded," said a Basra oil police investigator.
The threat of landmines extends far beyond the small army of workers now trying to clear the southern oilfields. The United Nations Development Programme says mines caused 14,000 casualties in Iraq between 1991 and 2007. More than half died from their wounds.
MINES BY THE MILLIONS
The environment ministry estimates that 25 million landmines are scattered around Iraq, many along the border with Iran, a legacy of the 1980-88 war between neighbors that killed a million people. UNICEF puts the number of anti-personnel mines around 20 million, along with 50 million cluster bombs.
Mines can block developers from sinking new wells in promising areas and building pipelines and other infrastructure needed to fulfill Iraq's ambitious goal of ramping up capacity to 12 million barrels per day by 2017, a figure that would rival top global producer Saudi Arabia.
Iraq's current production is 2.9 million bpd.
Many of the mines are deeply buried in the sand after so many years in place, and removal efforts have delayed plans to sink wells, notably at 12.9-billion-barrel supergiant West Qurna Phase Two, being developed by Russia's LUKOIL and Norway's Statoil, said a report by the state-run South Oil Company.
"Landmines are buried to around three meters, and that makes it difficult to spot them," the report said. "Landmines and unexploded ordnance have cause a delay in developing some fields and the preparation of drilling pads, as at West Qurna 2 and other border fields like Fakka and Badra."
The international companies investing billions of dollars in Iraq's lucrative fields have hired demining companies to clear them, and under their service contracts with Baghdad, Iraq must repay firms for the considerable cost.
Arab Gulf Co. was hired to demine Rumaila, West Qurna, Zubair and Badra. Some of its workers are Saddam-era army officers with demining experience.
Most of the landmines around oil production facilities in the south were planted by Saddam's army in the 1980s to prevent Iranian attacks on key oil infrastructure.
"Until now we have managed to defuse around 8,900 landmines and unexploded ordnance from Rumaila North and South ... we have cleared around 45 million square meter of Rumaila," said Nawaf Abdulla, head of operations at Arab Gulf. "Our contract with BP covers 125 million square meters."
"Decades have passed and lifting landmines becomes nearly impossible. We have to detonate mines at the location as a last resort," he said.
DREAM OF BRIDGES, MALLS, HOMES
Under its economic development plan, Iraq aims to attract $86 billion in investment by 2014 as it tries to rebuild more than eight years after the invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.
Authorities in Basra, one of Iraq's largest cities and the hub of oil production and exports, say mines are hampering billions of dollars worth of development projects.
"We have ambitious plans to revive the eastern part of the city, building new bridges, residential complexes and markets, but landmines from the Iraq-Iran war are discouraging foreign investors from coming here," said Haider Ali, the Basra investment office spokesman.
Located about 420 km (260 miles) south of Baghdad, Basra has been relatively peaceful in recent years while many areas battle a stubborn Sunni insurgency and Shi'ite militias responsible for scores of bombings and other attacks each month.
But the city saw fierce fighting in 2008 when Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki ordered the Iraqi army to crush Shi'ite militias and criminal gangs. Now Basra is focused on reconstruction.
In the eastern Basra district of Shatt al-Arab, Mayor Haider al-Ibadi has been trying to lure investors to build housing and entertainment areas.
"Investors are not ready to risk billions of dollars in a land mine area," said Ibadi. "If we could overcome this issue, billions in investments could be secured for this area."
(Writing by Ahmed Rasheed; Editing by Jim Loney and Richard Balmforth)
Monday, June 27, 2011
Pakistan's MQM quits governing coalition
Pakistan's MQM quits governing coalition
27 Jun 2011 14:28
Source: reuters // Reuters
(Adds comment from minister, analyst, background)
By Imtiaz Shah
KARACHI, Pakistan, June 27 (Reuters) - Pakistan's Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) said on Monday it was quitting the ruling coalition, raising fears of growing violence in Karachi, the country's commercial capital and the party's political base.
Senior party official Farooq Sattar said the MQM could no longer work with the "dictatorial" government. Although the move was a blow to the government, it was not expected to collapse as it enjoys a comfortable majority in parliament.
"After looking at the undemocratic and dictatorial behaviour of the government, we have come to the conclusion that now it has become impossible for the MQM to go with this government," Sattar told a news conference.
The MQM said in a statement the long-standing governor of Sindh province, of which Karachi is the capital, would also stand down. Ishrat-ul-Ebad Khan is a member of the MQM.
The MQM was a junior partner of the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP) of President Asif Ali Zardari in both the Sindh provincial government and the federal government.
The MQM largely draws its support from the descendents of Urdu-speaking migrants from India who dominate Karachi and other urban centres of southern Sindh province.
The city was the scene of intense ethnic violence in the 1990s between Urdu migrants and Sindhis, who are the main supporters of the ruling PPP.
The ethnic picture has become more volatile since then with a large influx of Pashtuns from areas bordering Afghanistan, but some political analysts said tension had to some degree been kept in check by the MQM's involvement in government.
"Whenever the MQM gets angry, the level of conflict in Karachi increases and that is a big fear," said political analyst Hasan Askari Rizvi.
MQM leader Altaf Hussain lives in self-imposed exile in London after being accused of murder in the last round of blood-letting in the 1990s.
Karachi, according to some officials, contributes 68 percent of the government's total revenue and 25 percent of gross domestic product. It is home to the central bank, Pakistan's main financial markets and its main port.
The MQM quit the federal government in January to protest against a rise in petrol prices but later rejoined the coalition after the government scrapped the increase.
PILING ON POLITICAL INSTABILITY
Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan said the government would try to address the MQM's grievances.
"We will try to remove misgivings and our leadership will do this through consultation with MQM," she told a news conference.
The departure of the MQM will add to political instability in a country which is already battling an Islamist insurgency and has faced fresh upheaval since U.S. forces found and killed Osama bin Laden in the Pakistani town of Abbottabad on May 2.
Its army, the most powerful institution in the country, has been the target of unprecedented criticism both over its failure to find bin Laden and to detect the unilateral U.S. raid to hunt down the al Qaeda leader.
It is also facing intense pressure from Washington to take tougher action against Islamist groups - action that it has said in the past could make Pakistan even more unstable driving some militants into a dangerous coalition and fragmenting other groups.
The weak civilian government meanwhile has clung to power by manoeuvring between different coalition partners, but has been unable to introduce the reforms or governance Pakistan needs.
"No good can come of this political matrix. It is inherently unstable," wrote political commentator Najam Sethi in an editorial at the end of last week.
"Our tragedy could be compounded by the impatience and arrogance of America. It is forcefully staking its claims in the region while we are scrambling for countervailing space within our own country." (Additional reporting by Sahar Ahmed and Faisal Aziz; Writing by Zeeshan Haider; Editing by Myra MacDonald and Robert Birsel)
27 Jun 2011 14:28
Source: reuters // Reuters
(Adds comment from minister, analyst, background)
By Imtiaz Shah
KARACHI, Pakistan, June 27 (Reuters) - Pakistan's Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) said on Monday it was quitting the ruling coalition, raising fears of growing violence in Karachi, the country's commercial capital and the party's political base.
Senior party official Farooq Sattar said the MQM could no longer work with the "dictatorial" government. Although the move was a blow to the government, it was not expected to collapse as it enjoys a comfortable majority in parliament.
"After looking at the undemocratic and dictatorial behaviour of the government, we have come to the conclusion that now it has become impossible for the MQM to go with this government," Sattar told a news conference.
The MQM said in a statement the long-standing governor of Sindh province, of which Karachi is the capital, would also stand down. Ishrat-ul-Ebad Khan is a member of the MQM.
The MQM was a junior partner of the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP) of President Asif Ali Zardari in both the Sindh provincial government and the federal government.
The MQM largely draws its support from the descendents of Urdu-speaking migrants from India who dominate Karachi and other urban centres of southern Sindh province.
The city was the scene of intense ethnic violence in the 1990s between Urdu migrants and Sindhis, who are the main supporters of the ruling PPP.
The ethnic picture has become more volatile since then with a large influx of Pashtuns from areas bordering Afghanistan, but some political analysts said tension had to some degree been kept in check by the MQM's involvement in government.
"Whenever the MQM gets angry, the level of conflict in Karachi increases and that is a big fear," said political analyst Hasan Askari Rizvi.
MQM leader Altaf Hussain lives in self-imposed exile in London after being accused of murder in the last round of blood-letting in the 1990s.
Karachi, according to some officials, contributes 68 percent of the government's total revenue and 25 percent of gross domestic product. It is home to the central bank, Pakistan's main financial markets and its main port.
The MQM quit the federal government in January to protest against a rise in petrol prices but later rejoined the coalition after the government scrapped the increase.
PILING ON POLITICAL INSTABILITY
Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan said the government would try to address the MQM's grievances.
"We will try to remove misgivings and our leadership will do this through consultation with MQM," she told a news conference.
The departure of the MQM will add to political instability in a country which is already battling an Islamist insurgency and has faced fresh upheaval since U.S. forces found and killed Osama bin Laden in the Pakistani town of Abbottabad on May 2.
Its army, the most powerful institution in the country, has been the target of unprecedented criticism both over its failure to find bin Laden and to detect the unilateral U.S. raid to hunt down the al Qaeda leader.
It is also facing intense pressure from Washington to take tougher action against Islamist groups - action that it has said in the past could make Pakistan even more unstable driving some militants into a dangerous coalition and fragmenting other groups.
The weak civilian government meanwhile has clung to power by manoeuvring between different coalition partners, but has been unable to introduce the reforms or governance Pakistan needs.
"No good can come of this political matrix. It is inherently unstable," wrote political commentator Najam Sethi in an editorial at the end of last week.
"Our tragedy could be compounded by the impatience and arrogance of America. It is forcefully staking its claims in the region while we are scrambling for countervailing space within our own country." (Additional reporting by Sahar Ahmed and Faisal Aziz; Writing by Zeeshan Haider; Editing by Myra MacDonald and Robert Birsel)
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Sharmila Farooqi & ancestors: “Sir do you really watch us on TV?”
Sharmila Farooqi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
As venomous as it gets
Aisha Aijaz on Jul 18th, 2011 // % Comments
5Share
You thought they were liberators, your representatives whom you elected and sent forth with hopes in your heart and responsibilities on their shoulders. You thought they were there because their prime interest was to lead the way towards betterment of the country, and make you a force against all the monstrous problems the country is facing. How naive! No doubt we are always told “jaisey awa , waisey hukmaran”, (like people like leaders). But I must say they probably are worst of us.
Sindh’s Senior minister Mr. Zulfiqar Mirza’s tone and derogatory language, gave us a shock not for the first time. There are many others out there, who hold very important positions but have given us mini heart attacks with their venomous tongues. Mr. Mirza calls the people who migrated to Pakistan from India as “bhookey nangey” and goes on to claim to be a part of people who helped them to get back to normal life. He further attacks the leader of Karachi’s biggest party as ‘badmaash’ and urges the people of Karachi to rise and get rid of them,“In kambakhtoN say Jaan ChhuraeiN”. His eyes, language and words had nothing constructive, nothing to bring hearts close, nothing to work for the better, nothing but hate! So he was bound to be summoned by the honorable President, who must have given him a hard time extracting a quick apology for his most irresponsible speech.
But who would summon Mr President who holds the highest office in political world of Pakistan and whose words and tones were no better than those of an illiterate/uneducated class who have never attended school and have never learnt any manners to get along in society. He makes a funny sound and labels PML-N leadership having mentality of blacksmith (lohaar) and Maulvi; both probably abusive words in his vocabulary, and leaves both his friends and foes shocked.
His obedient servant, Mr. Faisal Raza Abidi in one of the talk shows defended his master in a manner even worse. He adds the term “Burqa” in the list of abusive words which Mehar Bokhari challenged very intelligently. Mr Abidi showed same instincts as his beloved leader and program ended in a furious dog fight (reminds me of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan’s masterpiece in urdu literature)
The trend is not new or confined to one party. It’s become a norm to attack each other’s human shortcomings or private lives, be it personal or family.
Mr. Chaudhry Nisar, who seems to be a sensible man, in his mission to humiliate MQM’s leadership, discusses Mr Hussain’s medical /psychological problems, his rehabilitation treatment and his ex-wife’s views about him; all unacceptable on religious, moral and ethical grounds.
He gets a response, ten times worse. Mr Waseem Akhtar directly asks Sharif brothers as to “what sort of ‘treatment’, do they keep visiting London for. The nation needs leadership and their problem is hair transplant to hook girls” He warns, “we know whose daughter ran away with whom and we know all about their illegal activities, so they better keep their mouth shut”.
Mustafa Kamal is simply outraged by PML-N’s comments against his leader and in a talk show asks one of their representatives “mard kay bachhey bano”. He asks Jasmine Manzoor to turn off his mic and labels him and his leadership as ‘pimps’ and “jaanwar log “ and again targets PML-N’s leaders’ daughters. He threatens, this PML-N man would never be allowed to enter Karachi and even leave his own house in Punjab if he uses any bad words against his Quaid. Mr Nazim finishes his talk with his favorite term, “Ulloo ka patha” (I could not find a translation for the word, can anyone help?)
Not long ago, Mr Babar Ghauri battles Imran Khan not on a logical or statistical ground but reminds him that he was a playboy in the past (which is between him and Allah, might not be true, he might have repented but Allah forgives, man does not). He waves a child’s picture in the TV show and asks Imran Khan, who her father was, as she resembles him. A cheap shot indeed!
Imran Khan with all the qualities of a true leader holds his anger and talks about real issues on the TV show. But he forgets it’s a YouTube world and his fans and followers proudly posted his unofficial reply on social media where he laughs and makes everyone around laugh as well, with his comments “I can show you thousands of children in Africa who resemble Babar Ghauri”; an equally cheap shot, purely based on Mr Ghauri’s complexion.
And of course we haven’t forgotten PTI Sindh’s representative hurling a glass of water at Chief Minister’s advisor as they exchange abusive language in a live TV show.
Women have been equally vocal in their attempt to be “mardoN kay shaana bashaana” (shoulders to shoulder with men). No doubt they are equally talented.
Dr Firdaus Ashiq Awan engaged in shameful discussion, not very long ago, when Kashmala Tariq teases her about her background and her activities in FJ Medical College. Dr Awan throws this back in a most unacceptable fashion, leaving Javed Chaudhari and Shireen Mazari both shocked and embarrassed. She says that “She is ‘’at least’’ not from Heera Mandi and was not elected through someone’s bedroom”.
Another masterpiece, I remember was Samina Khawar Hayat’s performance in Jasmine Manzoor’s show, where she takes a ‘Lota’ out of her handbag to practically demonstrate why politicians (her opponents, of course) are called Lotas. She spins it like a spinning top (Lattoo) on the desk and as a part of her demonstration breaks a clay pot in studio, the manner in which these Lotas should be taken to task.
Enough of entertainment videos I have provided in this blog to keep you amused for days. But one question we should ask ourselves. Are they liberators? Are they capable of leading us? All they have and all they display is hate, immaturity and non-professional attitude. They widen gulfs between us and divide the nation. Their prime interests are personal or party issues. They spit venom because their leaders are targeted not because you and I are in trouble, not because we are dying every day and not because the main issue of this nation is survival. They are far from goals and far from national interests.
They make and break alliances, they stab and apologize each other, they group and regroup, and they manipulate and maneuver, just to stay in power.
A total overhaul is required. The change needs to come from within. We need to educate masses and choose carefully. Once we are educated/intelligent and sincere to the country, we’ll have similar leaders; educated and cultured for whom national interest would be the decisive factor for making and breaking political relationships.
They are from us, so let’s change ourselves. Change the language, the patience level and mentality of the ones who elect them. We can make a better choice next time, can’t we?
Aisha Aijaz, the writer of this blog, is a medical doctor, specialising in Acute Medicine. She writes about Pakistan politics and current affairs and likes to read Urdu poetry.
Sharmila Farooqi is a Pakistani politician who served Chief Minister of Sindh, information and media.[1][2] She is the maternal grand daughter of N M Uqaili and daughter of Usman Farooqi, who was a bureaucrat and former chairman of Pakistan Steel Mills .She is the niece of Salman Farooqi, a well-known confidante of President Asif Ali Zardari.
[edit] References
^ "SINDH CABINET". Government of Sindh. Retrieved 2011-01-21.
^ Tunio, Hafeez (2010-10-14). "Sharmila Farooqi: Miss Information". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 2011-01-21.
[edit] See also
N M Uqaili
Allah Baksh Sarshar Uqaili
N. M. Uqaili was the Finance Minister of Pakistan and chairman of Pakistan Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation (PICIC). He headed the privatisation commission during the Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq government to study the state of the State enterprises and served as the Governor of State Bank of Pakistan. Also he was internationally known as a perstigious and successful business personale having his business throughout the world.
====
Allah Baksh Sarshar 'Uqaili was a Sufi poet from the Sindh province of Pakistan.[1][2][3]
Contents
[hide]
1 Early life, education
2 Work
3 See also
4 References
5 External links
[edit] Early life, education
Allah Baksh was born on January 21 in 1907 in the city of Karachi. After his matriculation, Allah Bux went to the D.J Science College earning a B.A with Honors. During this period he begain participating in Sindhi culture and poetry, in which he had had deep interest since his childhood.
[edit] Work
Allah Bux published his first book, Ramooz-un-Nisa in 1920, his second in 1923, Dawat-e-Islam, in 1924 Manasik-e-Hajj and in 1929 Khalid bin Walid. During this time his poetry and articles used to appear in magazines like Al-Waheed, Sindh Madarisa magazine, Al-Hafiz al-jamia Sindh College. He wrote in Urdu for the magazine Tasawuff, published in Lahore under the pen name "Sarshar 'Uqaili".
He also served as the editor of Al-Waheed newspaper for four years. From 1942 till 1945, Uqaili served as chief Officer of District Local board in Karachi, in the same period he was the president of Rajmikal music club in Karachi and wrote a book entitled as The history of Sindhi Rag (Sindhi mystic folks).
Also, books like ilm-e-hinat (The study of astronomy) appeared in his name. In 1947, when Pakistan and India separated, he was given the office of "food and live stock" in the government of Sindh and used to broadcast historical and literary speeches from Radio Pakistan, and wrote for Nai Zindagi magazine[4].
From 1950 to 1953, Sarshar Uqaili served as City Mayor of Karachi.
In October 1950, he founded a centre for literary studies and served as its President, and served in many other such centres. His affection for Sindh poetry led him to compile a large collection of Sindhi national poems with the title SINDH JO TARANO, which was published by the Sindh Society. In November 1955, he founded the Sindh Library in Karachi and at the same time founded the Bazm-Talib-ul-Mola academy in Hyderabad. Due to all these efforts, Makhdoom Muhammad Zaman Talib-ul-Mola declared him as his vice gerent in 1952.
After that he ran the office of Director of Settlement Services in Hyderabad. Following his tenue at that post, he was designated as Commissioner and District Magistrate of Hyderabad and stayed as chairman of the Sindhi Adabi Board from March1955-September1961
Amongst his other contributions is that he collected his family tree. In his last days, 'Uqaili suffered dacoity at his house in Thatta. His personal library, with all his of writings, was stolen and many of his works were lost. Since then, much of his work is believed to have been plagiarized.
On January 15, 1971, when he was 64, the sufi poet died and was buried in his ancestral graveyard in Thatta, leaving behind a widow, his younger brother N M Uqaili, four daughters and a son who married the grand daughter of Allama Makhdoom Muhammad Hashim Thattvi.
===
Sharmila Farooqi: Miss Information
By Hafeez Tunio
Published: October 14, 2010
Sharmila replaces Soomro as govt PR machine gets a facelift
KARACHI: Sindh’s information setup went through yet another shake-up on Tuesday when Sharmila Farooqi, adviser to the chief minister without a portfolio, was given charge of the department. She is the third person to be given the responsibility of media management by Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah in his two-and-a-half year tenure.
Sharmila is a known face on TV and in the newspapers. Not at all publicity-shy, she has been on the offensive from day one of her appointment as an adviser. The niece of Salman Farooqui, top mandarin with President Zardari, Sharmila has been at the forefront of defending the rights and wrongs of the government with such conviction that her appointment does not come as a surprise.
But there are those who doubt her still. She is not seen as a true-blooded PPP supporter, argue critics, who have questioned her appointment. Despite the opposition, Sharmila took charge from Jameel Soomro, who was appointed in January 2010.
Soomro was appointed by Qaim Ali Shah in place of Shazia Marri. Marri who originally belongs to Sanghar, is the daughter of Atta Muhammad Marri and Parveen Marri, both parliamentarians. Despite her political credentials, she failed to keep this high-profile job.
While seen as a popular minister, Shazia Marri was abruptly removed from her ministry under the cloud of various allegations.
Official sources said that she stopped giving advertisements to different vernacular newspapers and issued advertisements to the papers of her choice on her own terms and conditions. A few newspaper owners and employees started campaigning against her and staged demonstration and rallies in Karachi and other districts of the province.
Meanwhile, a senior PPP leader told The Express Tribune that the advertisement issue was actually an excuse to get rid of Marri.
The real reason was that in the provincial and federal capital, Shazia Marri was becoming more popular than the CM himself.
On one occasion President Zardari criticised all Sindh cabinet ministers but appreciated Shazia Marri and Sharmila Farooqi, saying that these two “are very active and know very well how to fight the party case. I watch them on television.”
As the president completed his sentence, Sharmila Farooqi exclaimed in obvious delight, “Sir do you really watch us on TV?” To this, Zardari looked away and ignored her. But he meant what he said.
Party insiders say that while Sharmila Farooqi continued to work under the CM’s command, after the public endorsement by the president, Shazia Marri became more independent and this led to her dismissal by the CM.
In her place came Jameel Soomro, who had started his career as an activist of the Sindh People Students Federation and later he was given the responsibility of media in-charge of Bilawal House. After the assassination of Benazir Bhutto he became close to the president and worked at the media section of President House in Islamabad until he was given the information ministry in Sindh.
However, Soomro was not a PR man and soon complaints surfaced of his inability to keep the media happy. There were also stories of advertisements being given to favourites. The last nail in the coffin was the fact that Soomro could not ensure prominent publicity for the president during his long stays in Karachi.
Now with the appointment of Sharmila Farooqi as the de-facto information minister of Sindh, there are questions about how the media set-up will be managed in the province. Farooqi is a Zardari loyalist and knows how to be on the right side of the president’s sister Faryal Talpur, who onec scolded her in a meeting for her inability to deliver. Many predict she will last longer than both her predecessors.
DESIGN: AMIR MIRZA
Published in The Express Tribune, October 14th, 2010.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
As venomous as it gets
Aisha Aijaz on Jul 18th, 2011 // % Comments
5Share
You thought they were liberators, your representatives whom you elected and sent forth with hopes in your heart and responsibilities on their shoulders. You thought they were there because their prime interest was to lead the way towards betterment of the country, and make you a force against all the monstrous problems the country is facing. How naive! No doubt we are always told “jaisey awa , waisey hukmaran”, (like people like leaders). But I must say they probably are worst of us.
Sindh’s Senior minister Mr. Zulfiqar Mirza’s tone and derogatory language, gave us a shock not for the first time. There are many others out there, who hold very important positions but have given us mini heart attacks with their venomous tongues. Mr. Mirza calls the people who migrated to Pakistan from India as “bhookey nangey” and goes on to claim to be a part of people who helped them to get back to normal life. He further attacks the leader of Karachi’s biggest party as ‘badmaash’ and urges the people of Karachi to rise and get rid of them,“In kambakhtoN say Jaan ChhuraeiN”. His eyes, language and words had nothing constructive, nothing to bring hearts close, nothing to work for the better, nothing but hate! So he was bound to be summoned by the honorable President, who must have given him a hard time extracting a quick apology for his most irresponsible speech.
But who would summon Mr President who holds the highest office in political world of Pakistan and whose words and tones were no better than those of an illiterate/uneducated class who have never attended school and have never learnt any manners to get along in society. He makes a funny sound and labels PML-N leadership having mentality of blacksmith (lohaar) and Maulvi; both probably abusive words in his vocabulary, and leaves both his friends and foes shocked.
His obedient servant, Mr. Faisal Raza Abidi in one of the talk shows defended his master in a manner even worse. He adds the term “Burqa” in the list of abusive words which Mehar Bokhari challenged very intelligently. Mr Abidi showed same instincts as his beloved leader and program ended in a furious dog fight (reminds me of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan’s masterpiece in urdu literature)
The trend is not new or confined to one party. It’s become a norm to attack each other’s human shortcomings or private lives, be it personal or family.
Mr. Chaudhry Nisar, who seems to be a sensible man, in his mission to humiliate MQM’s leadership, discusses Mr Hussain’s medical /psychological problems, his rehabilitation treatment and his ex-wife’s views about him; all unacceptable on religious, moral and ethical grounds.
He gets a response, ten times worse. Mr Waseem Akhtar directly asks Sharif brothers as to “what sort of ‘treatment’, do they keep visiting London for. The nation needs leadership and their problem is hair transplant to hook girls” He warns, “we know whose daughter ran away with whom and we know all about their illegal activities, so they better keep their mouth shut”.
Mustafa Kamal is simply outraged by PML-N’s comments against his leader and in a talk show asks one of their representatives “mard kay bachhey bano”. He asks Jasmine Manzoor to turn off his mic and labels him and his leadership as ‘pimps’ and “jaanwar log “ and again targets PML-N’s leaders’ daughters. He threatens, this PML-N man would never be allowed to enter Karachi and even leave his own house in Punjab if he uses any bad words against his Quaid. Mr Nazim finishes his talk with his favorite term, “Ulloo ka patha” (I could not find a translation for the word, can anyone help?)
Not long ago, Mr Babar Ghauri battles Imran Khan not on a logical or statistical ground but reminds him that he was a playboy in the past (which is between him and Allah, might not be true, he might have repented but Allah forgives, man does not). He waves a child’s picture in the TV show and asks Imran Khan, who her father was, as she resembles him. A cheap shot indeed!
Imran Khan with all the qualities of a true leader holds his anger and talks about real issues on the TV show. But he forgets it’s a YouTube world and his fans and followers proudly posted his unofficial reply on social media where he laughs and makes everyone around laugh as well, with his comments “I can show you thousands of children in Africa who resemble Babar Ghauri”; an equally cheap shot, purely based on Mr Ghauri’s complexion.
And of course we haven’t forgotten PTI Sindh’s representative hurling a glass of water at Chief Minister’s advisor as they exchange abusive language in a live TV show.
Women have been equally vocal in their attempt to be “mardoN kay shaana bashaana” (shoulders to shoulder with men). No doubt they are equally talented.
Dr Firdaus Ashiq Awan engaged in shameful discussion, not very long ago, when Kashmala Tariq teases her about her background and her activities in FJ Medical College. Dr Awan throws this back in a most unacceptable fashion, leaving Javed Chaudhari and Shireen Mazari both shocked and embarrassed. She says that “She is ‘’at least’’ not from Heera Mandi and was not elected through someone’s bedroom”.
Another masterpiece, I remember was Samina Khawar Hayat’s performance in Jasmine Manzoor’s show, where she takes a ‘Lota’ out of her handbag to practically demonstrate why politicians (her opponents, of course) are called Lotas. She spins it like a spinning top (Lattoo) on the desk and as a part of her demonstration breaks a clay pot in studio, the manner in which these Lotas should be taken to task.
Enough of entertainment videos I have provided in this blog to keep you amused for days. But one question we should ask ourselves. Are they liberators? Are they capable of leading us? All they have and all they display is hate, immaturity and non-professional attitude. They widen gulfs between us and divide the nation. Their prime interests are personal or party issues. They spit venom because their leaders are targeted not because you and I are in trouble, not because we are dying every day and not because the main issue of this nation is survival. They are far from goals and far from national interests.
They make and break alliances, they stab and apologize each other, they group and regroup, and they manipulate and maneuver, just to stay in power.
A total overhaul is required. The change needs to come from within. We need to educate masses and choose carefully. Once we are educated/intelligent and sincere to the country, we’ll have similar leaders; educated and cultured for whom national interest would be the decisive factor for making and breaking political relationships.
They are from us, so let’s change ourselves. Change the language, the patience level and mentality of the ones who elect them. We can make a better choice next time, can’t we?
Aisha Aijaz, the writer of this blog, is a medical doctor, specialising in Acute Medicine. She writes about Pakistan politics and current affairs and likes to read Urdu poetry.
Sharmila Farooqi is a Pakistani politician who served Chief Minister of Sindh, information and media.[1][2] She is the maternal grand daughter of N M Uqaili and daughter of Usman Farooqi, who was a bureaucrat and former chairman of Pakistan Steel Mills .She is the niece of Salman Farooqi, a well-known confidante of President Asif Ali Zardari.
[edit] References
^ "SINDH CABINET". Government of Sindh. Retrieved 2011-01-21.
^ Tunio, Hafeez (2010-10-14). "Sharmila Farooqi: Miss Information". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 2011-01-21.
[edit] See also
N M Uqaili
Allah Baksh Sarshar Uqaili
N. M. Uqaili was the Finance Minister of Pakistan and chairman of Pakistan Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation (PICIC). He headed the privatisation commission during the Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq government to study the state of the State enterprises and served as the Governor of State Bank of Pakistan. Also he was internationally known as a perstigious and successful business personale having his business throughout the world.
====
Allah Baksh Sarshar 'Uqaili was a Sufi poet from the Sindh province of Pakistan.[1][2][3]
Contents
[hide]
1 Early life, education
2 Work
3 See also
4 References
5 External links
[edit] Early life, education
Allah Baksh was born on January 21 in 1907 in the city of Karachi. After his matriculation, Allah Bux went to the D.J Science College earning a B.A with Honors. During this period he begain participating in Sindhi culture and poetry, in which he had had deep interest since his childhood.
[edit] Work
Allah Bux published his first book, Ramooz-un-Nisa in 1920, his second in 1923, Dawat-e-Islam, in 1924 Manasik-e-Hajj and in 1929 Khalid bin Walid. During this time his poetry and articles used to appear in magazines like Al-Waheed, Sindh Madarisa magazine, Al-Hafiz al-jamia Sindh College. He wrote in Urdu for the magazine Tasawuff, published in Lahore under the pen name "Sarshar 'Uqaili".
He also served as the editor of Al-Waheed newspaper for four years. From 1942 till 1945, Uqaili served as chief Officer of District Local board in Karachi, in the same period he was the president of Rajmikal music club in Karachi and wrote a book entitled as The history of Sindhi Rag (Sindhi mystic folks).
Also, books like ilm-e-hinat (The study of astronomy) appeared in his name. In 1947, when Pakistan and India separated, he was given the office of "food and live stock" in the government of Sindh and used to broadcast historical and literary speeches from Radio Pakistan, and wrote for Nai Zindagi magazine[4].
From 1950 to 1953, Sarshar Uqaili served as City Mayor of Karachi.
In October 1950, he founded a centre for literary studies and served as its President, and served in many other such centres. His affection for Sindh poetry led him to compile a large collection of Sindhi national poems with the title SINDH JO TARANO, which was published by the Sindh Society. In November 1955, he founded the Sindh Library in Karachi and at the same time founded the Bazm-Talib-ul-Mola academy in Hyderabad. Due to all these efforts, Makhdoom Muhammad Zaman Talib-ul-Mola declared him as his vice gerent in 1952.
After that he ran the office of Director of Settlement Services in Hyderabad. Following his tenue at that post, he was designated as Commissioner and District Magistrate of Hyderabad and stayed as chairman of the Sindhi Adabi Board from March1955-September1961
Amongst his other contributions is that he collected his family tree. In his last days, 'Uqaili suffered dacoity at his house in Thatta. His personal library, with all his of writings, was stolen and many of his works were lost. Since then, much of his work is believed to have been plagiarized.
On January 15, 1971, when he was 64, the sufi poet died and was buried in his ancestral graveyard in Thatta, leaving behind a widow, his younger brother N M Uqaili, four daughters and a son who married the grand daughter of Allama Makhdoom Muhammad Hashim Thattvi.
===
Sharmila Farooqi: Miss Information
By Hafeez Tunio
Published: October 14, 2010
Sharmila replaces Soomro as govt PR machine gets a facelift
KARACHI: Sindh’s information setup went through yet another shake-up on Tuesday when Sharmila Farooqi, adviser to the chief minister without a portfolio, was given charge of the department. She is the third person to be given the responsibility of media management by Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah in his two-and-a-half year tenure.
Sharmila is a known face on TV and in the newspapers. Not at all publicity-shy, she has been on the offensive from day one of her appointment as an adviser. The niece of Salman Farooqui, top mandarin with President Zardari, Sharmila has been at the forefront of defending the rights and wrongs of the government with such conviction that her appointment does not come as a surprise.
But there are those who doubt her still. She is not seen as a true-blooded PPP supporter, argue critics, who have questioned her appointment. Despite the opposition, Sharmila took charge from Jameel Soomro, who was appointed in January 2010.
Soomro was appointed by Qaim Ali Shah in place of Shazia Marri. Marri who originally belongs to Sanghar, is the daughter of Atta Muhammad Marri and Parveen Marri, both parliamentarians. Despite her political credentials, she failed to keep this high-profile job.
While seen as a popular minister, Shazia Marri was abruptly removed from her ministry under the cloud of various allegations.
Official sources said that she stopped giving advertisements to different vernacular newspapers and issued advertisements to the papers of her choice on her own terms and conditions. A few newspaper owners and employees started campaigning against her and staged demonstration and rallies in Karachi and other districts of the province.
Meanwhile, a senior PPP leader told The Express Tribune that the advertisement issue was actually an excuse to get rid of Marri.
The real reason was that in the provincial and federal capital, Shazia Marri was becoming more popular than the CM himself.
On one occasion President Zardari criticised all Sindh cabinet ministers but appreciated Shazia Marri and Sharmila Farooqi, saying that these two “are very active and know very well how to fight the party case. I watch them on television.”
As the president completed his sentence, Sharmila Farooqi exclaimed in obvious delight, “Sir do you really watch us on TV?” To this, Zardari looked away and ignored her. But he meant what he said.
Party insiders say that while Sharmila Farooqi continued to work under the CM’s command, after the public endorsement by the president, Shazia Marri became more independent and this led to her dismissal by the CM.
In her place came Jameel Soomro, who had started his career as an activist of the Sindh People Students Federation and later he was given the responsibility of media in-charge of Bilawal House. After the assassination of Benazir Bhutto he became close to the president and worked at the media section of President House in Islamabad until he was given the information ministry in Sindh.
However, Soomro was not a PR man and soon complaints surfaced of his inability to keep the media happy. There were also stories of advertisements being given to favourites. The last nail in the coffin was the fact that Soomro could not ensure prominent publicity for the president during his long stays in Karachi.
Now with the appointment of Sharmila Farooqi as the de-facto information minister of Sindh, there are questions about how the media set-up will be managed in the province. Farooqi is a Zardari loyalist and knows how to be on the right side of the president’s sister Faryal Talpur, who onec scolded her in a meeting for her inability to deliver. Many predict she will last longer than both her predecessors.
DESIGN: AMIR MIRZA
Published in The Express Tribune, October 14th, 2010.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
