Category Archives: International

Business/Economics, International, Technology

Argentina bans Smokeless cigarettes, U.S. FDA will treat them as real cigarettes

Argentina has banned smokeless cigarettes (aka electronic cigarettes), because there is no proof they help people stop smoking real cigarettes.

Electronic cigarette makers say their product is not dangerous, but Argentina says some of the aerosols used in the cigarette actually contain nicotine.

In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration lost a court battle to regulate the e-cigarettes as “drug delivery devices”.  Now the FDA says it will regulate the e-cigarettes as if they were real cigarettes.

Some U.S. states have banned smoking the e-cigarettes indoors, because they can contain nicotine.

It seems the makers of the electric cigarette don’t understand the problem with real cigarettes; they contain nicotine and are addictive.  So how can they claim you can quite smoking if their product contains nicotine?

Business/Economics, International

Argentina warns South Africa: WalMart will destroy your economy

“WalMart does not take ownership of the goods until a product is sold.”-Sofia Scasserra, FAECYS

At a labor conference in South Africa, the Argentine Federation of Commerce and Service Workers ( FAECYS ) warned of allowing WalMart to set up shop.  The warning wasn’t about labor issues, but supply issues.  They claim that since WalMart was allowed to operate in Argentina, the affects on business supply has almost destroyed the business middle class.

In Argentina WalMart operates a “spot sale” deal with its suppliers.  Basically WalMart doesn’t pay anything for the products it stocks, until they sell.  On top of that, WalMart takes three months to pay suppliers.

Another trick WalMart plays; it ships its own products in from China.  First the the products go to Brazil, then Argentina, thus avoiding tariffs.

In the case of home appliances is was discovered that WalMart forced suppliers to sell below their cost, and even give them to WalMart for free.

The result is that Argentine suppliers are going out of business.  And the result of that, is that small manufacturers in Argentina are going out of business as well.

 

International, U.S.

A Clue that U.S. plans on staying in Iraq & Afghanistan: Romania

On May 11, the President of Romania got a visit from USAF General Duncan J. McNabb.  Was it because the Romanian government agreed to let the United States base a “missile shield system” in their country?  No, it was because, in a quietly done deal, Romania agreed to be used as a transit point for troops and supplies going to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Two bases shall be used for the “multi-mobile” operations.  General McNabb thanked President Traian Basecue for the agreement.

President Basecue hinted at U.S. money for Romania: “I am thanking you for the attention granted to Romania’s infrastructure.”

If the U.S. is supposed to leave Iraq at the end of 2011, and then Afghanistan in 2012 (as originally stated), then why do they need to establish new “multi-mobile” (quoting Gen. McNabb) bases to support operations in those countries?

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

China gets to open factory in United States

Days after the U.S. and China signed an agreement to promise to work together, a Chinese company announces they will spend $161 million building an aluminum plant in the U.S.

Shandong Nanshan Aluminum company will open an extrusion plant in Lafayette, Indiana.  If there are no complications with the deal, they hope to start building the plant next year.  It could employ 150 people, and produce 40,000 tons of aluminum per year.

International

Gaddafi international man of mystery, Libyan TV says he is alive, NATO bombs again

Libyan state TV showed video of Gaddafi meeting with tribal leaders.

On April 30, Gaddafi’s youngest son, and three grand children were killed by a NATO airstrike.  Italian media has been speculating that Gaddafi was also killed, because he stopped making public appearances.

Libyan TV did not give a date for when the video of Gaddafi was made.  Hours after the video was aired NATO bombed Tripoli.

 

International

Egypt defies Israel, will open Gaza border

A day after Israel invades northern Gaza, Egypt says it will open its border with Gaza.

Egypt will allow aid convoys to enter Gaza.  Prior to the Egyptian Revolution, Egyptian President Mubarak closed the border, in cooperation with Israel.

Mubarak’s government also worked with Israel to keep Hamas and Fatah separated.  The new transitional government of Egypt worked to bring Hamas and Fatah together, which greatly angered Israel.

The first aid convoys are planned to cross the Gaza border on May 15 (the anniversary of the Nakba, Israeli occupation of Palestinian land).

International

Reports show that you can not trust a British bobby

Recently British Home Secretary Theresa May said they “…trust the police.” But several reports say otherwise.

A report by the Howard League of Penal Reform shows that 278,000 children under the age of 18 were arrested in 2009.  Of that 5,176 ended up in juvenile prison.  The report condemned the British bobbies for “…excessive and inappropriate use of arrest for children.”

Why arrest so many kids?  The report suggests that since Police Commissioners are elected, they go after the easy to arrest youth, because then Police Commissioners can run for election on the grounds that they have high arrest records.

In another scandal, the London Times reports that an average of 160 British bobbies lose their jobs for breaking the law, every year.  The law violations include everything from carrying their gun while drunk to assault and tampering with evidence.

In the past three years, 477 bobbies were fired or forced to quit, hundreds were fined, and 52 demoted.

The reports come at a time when the British government is considering giving police the authority of prosecutors.

International, U.S.

Iraqi officials say again, U.S. get out

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, said the United State needs to get its troops out of Iraq by the agreed date of December 2011.

Zebari denied that the Iraqi government was working with the U.S. to keep troops past the 2011 deadline.  Recently Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maiki said that the only way U.S. troops could stay is if the U.S. and Iraq agreed to a new withdrawal date.

Also recently, Russian and Iraqi officials announce deals that include military equipment.  Iraq might be trading one military super power for another, getting a better deal from the Russians.

Business/Economics, International

If you’re wasting food then you’re part of the cause of Global Food Crisis

Maybe your not old enough to remember when parents in the United States used to tell their kids, “Eat all your food, there’re starving people in China/Africa!”   A new study by the United Nations proves that kind of reasoning correct.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization released findings of a study on wasting food.  The study found that people, in the more wealthier countries, who buy food they don’t eat are a major contributor to the global food crisis.

People buying food in bulk, or ordering large meals at restaurants, and then they can’t eat it all, have just thrown huge amounts of cash down the toilet.  The UN estimates that 222 million tons of food is just thrown away in the wealthier countries.  That’s almost all the food produced in sub-Saharan Africa!

The United Nations points out that it’s not just food that’s being wasted but the land, water, labor and even investments used to grow the food.

Here’s another point; those people buying huge quantities of food are driving up the prices for food, because they’re increasing demand.   Help bring down the price of food: If you’re not going to eat it, don’t buy it!

 

 

International

Israel invades Gaza

Israeli ground troops have invaded the northern half of Gaza, Wednesday, May 11.  Reports say troops, tanks and armored bulldozers are advancing towards Gaza City.

Israeli officials say they are destroying “possible tunnels”.  Palestinians think the Israelis are trying to provoke action by Gazans, that would then be used to justify a larger military operation.

Recently Hamas and Fatah unified, a move deplored by the Israeli government.  Israel responded by withholding Palestinian taxes (which Israel controls) from the government of Palestine.