W Africa-Europe drug trafficking warning

21 June 2011 Last updated at 04:20 GMT West Africa has become a major transit hub for drugs to Europe UN anti-drugs officials believe cocaine trafficking through West Africa to reach the lucrative markets in Europe is getting increasingly sophisticated.

The regional head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, Alexandre Schmidt, said cocaine seizures had gone down.

But he had every reason to believe the trade was still increasing, and was now worth some $800m (?494m) a year.

There was also increasing involvement by West Africans themselves, with regional cartels emerging, he added.

Submarines

At a conference in the Senegalese capital, Dakar, Mr Schmidt said seizures of cocaine bound for Europe in West Africa had dropped from 47 to 35 tonnes between 2008 and 2009.

But he said that the illegal trade had not followed the same trend and might even be increasing.

"There has been a repositioning of the drug routes and the drug traffickers have much more sophisticated means and they are using more routes," he explained.

There is anecdotal evidence to suggest cartels have used submarines, as they have done off the South American and Caribbean coasts.

"We are not talking about military vessels here, but rather smaller ones which can be bought freely on the international market by anybody who has a couple of million dollars to spare," he said.

Mr Schmidt also said a few hundred people from Latin America still dominated the trade in West Africa, but that more and more locals were becoming involved.

Drug cartels had started to emerge within the region, and they were managing to stay one step ahead of transnational crime units, who were finding it harder to intercept the smuggled goods.

Mr Schmidt also said that although there was no evidence al-Qaeda's North African wing, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, was organised in drug trafficking, the group was certainly providing intermediary services in return for money.

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Wildlife warning over EU funding

21 June 2011 Last updated at 13:08 GMT Farmers can receive thousands of pounds for initiatives boosting wildlife on their land More than ?400m worth of funding from Europe to promote wildlife on farmland in the UK could be about to be stopped, conservationists have warned.

The RSPB fears the money provided through the Common Agricultural Policy will be the victim of EU spending cuts.

The charity said such a move would be "savage" and could threaten the recovery of many wildlife species.

The government said the initiative was good value and any cuts should target farm subsidies for food production.

Under the terms of the Common Agricultural Policy, farmers are paid subsidies for the food they produce. Officially these direct payments - the lion's share of the CAP - are known as "Pillar One".

Many farmers across Europe also receive payments which can amount to thousands of pounds for developing initiatives on their land aimed at promoting biodiversity and wildlife. These rural development payments are called "Pillar Two".

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Our countryside has faced many threats, but this would be really savage. We're staggered.”

End Quote Martin Harper RSPB conservation director 'Ultimate extinction' The RSPB said it understood the European Union was considering scrapping the Pillar Two payments to save money.

RSPB conservation director Martin Harper said: "Our countryside has faced many threats, but this would be really savage. We're staggered.

"Rewarding farmers for protecting threatened wildlife has provided a lifeline to many sensitive species, which would otherwise have ebbed away.

"If the EU continues with this plan there is no doubt that wildlife will suffer, with the possible ultimate UK extinction of some threatened species including the turtle dove and cirl bunting."

The RSPB, the UK's largest conservation group, said hedges, stone walls and waterways could also be affected.

The UK's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) echoed the RSPB's concerns.

A Defra spokesperson said the CAP budget "needs to decrease very substantially - but cuts should be focused on Pillar One. We're concerned by rumours that Pillar Two may be disproportionately in the firing line.

"Pillar Two is better value for money, contributing to economic growth, supporting the environment and agricultural competitiveness, and should have a larger share of a smaller CAP budget."

Proposals for the EU's new budget will be announced on 29 June.

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Carrefour shares fall on warning

17 June 2011 Last updated at 10:06 GMT Carrefour has announced a new head to run its French operations Shares in Carrefour have fallen 6% after Europe's biggest retailer issued a warning that profits in its core French market were set to fall.

Carrefour, which issued two profit warnings last year, is facing fierce competition from rivals in France.

The company said late on Thursday that first-half results would be below expectations.

Analysts had feared a warning since May, when the head of operations in France unexpectedly left the company.

Carrefour, the world's second largest retailer behind Wal-Mart, has been under pressure from rivals E Leclerc and Auchan.

Carrefour shares have now fallen 14% since the start of the year.

Chief executive Lars Olofsson had taken personal control of the French business, while at the same time delivering a global turnaround strategy.

But on Thursday Carrefour announced that it had named company veteran Noel Prioux to take charge of its French operations.

France accounts for 40% of Carrefour's sales and is under pressure as rivals keep prices low to gain market share.

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