UK News 16-06-2005 who: Bob Geldof what: Says $55 billion African debt settlement is "historic" when: Saturday snippet: "He paid tribute to campaigners around the world for the deal announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in London," says The Observer. "Tomorrow 280 million Africans will wake up for the first time in their lives without owing you or me a penny from the burden of debt that has crippled them and their countries for so long," he says. "Money we didn`t even know we were owed, and never wanted in the first place, and money they could never pay." However, in Tuesday`s Guardian, George Monbiot says the G8`s so-called "conditionalities" imposed by this agreement will keep African countries "on a short leash" and are designed to ensure that they must trade freely with the West but ultimately "compete unsuccessfully". Meanwhile, The Scotsman`s website on Monday carried an Edinburgh Evening News report on Ten Alps, the media company co-founded by Geldof, which had reported a pre-tax profit increase of 398.4%. [... more]

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