Summit gives business top billing

May 30, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

NICE, France

Piracy, terrorism and climate change get prime billing, but business is the linchpin at a summit between France and African leaders that begins today.

Not on the agenda but a clear subtext is President Nicolas Sarkozy’s desire to assure broader influence and greater economic weight for France in Africa — seen as a new frontier for profit-making a half-century after France lost 14 African colonies to independence.

Many of those countries are now looking to China for trade and investment.

Democrats, GOP split over casino bill

COLUMBUS

Democrats and Republicans drawing up rules for Ohio’s four new casinos are divided over how to spend $200 million for job-training programs.

The money is expected to be raised from one-time licenses charged to casino operators.

Democrats who control the Ohio House want the money to be spent on four job-training programs, including $70 million for a new program announced by Gov. Ted Strickland earlier this year intended to encourage companies in major cities to hire unemployed workers.

Republicans who control the Senate don’t want specific allocations written into the bill because money from the license fees won’t arrive until next year. Their version of casino regulations would leave it up to future legislative actions.

House and Senate staffers were spending the holiday weekend trying to work out various issues before lawmakers return Tuesday. The two sides must reach an agreement by Thursday, the deadline for the state to set casino-industry regulations.

Vindicator wire reports