World

Arizona lawmaker calls drug trafficking organizations a threat to the United States

October 15, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords today called for an increased federal focus on strengthening security along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Speaking at a hearing of the House Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, the Arizona lawmaker noted that the U.S. Department of Justice considers Mexican drug traffickers the “greatest organized crime threat” to the United States.

“I remain very concerned about stemming the flow of fugitives, drugs and guns across our southern border,” Giffords told committee members.    » read more »

Washington, DC (Oct. 15, 2009) – The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) began their investigation of the trade case filings by the United Steelworkers (USW) and three domestic companies against coated paper imports from China and Indonesia at a preliminary hearing yesterday.

“We have seen thousands of job losses by multiple plant shutdowns in coated paper manufacturing caused by imports since the period examined in the last petition to enforce fair trade rules against the flood of subsidized imports from Asia,” said Leo W. Gerard, USW international president.    » read more »

October 15, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. - Congressman Howard L. Berman (CA-28), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, today issued the following statement regarding the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act (H.R. 2194):

“The committee will mark up the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act on Wednesday, October 28. By then it will be nearly six full months since I introduced this legislation, now cosponsored by 327 Members.    » read more »

Report Fails to Indicate Chinese Currency Manipulation

October 15, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) issued the following statement in response to today’s release of the U.S. Department of Treasury’s semiannual Report to Congress on International Economic and Exchange Rate Policies:

“China’s unfair currency manipulation hurts Ohio manufacturers and workers. For the better part of this decade, the federal government has ignored this unfair advantage while our trade deficit with China has grown from $85 billion in 1999 to $268 billion in 2008. As a result, we have lost more than four million manufacturing jobs. Best estimates show that currency manipulation amounts to a 40 percent subsidy for Chinese products.    » read more »

WASHINGTON, Oct. 14, 2009 – Defense Department officials have been straightforward about the number of U.S. troops flowing into Afghanistan, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said here today.

As deliberations on the way forward in Afghanistan continue at the White House, Morrell addressed media reports that implied the department was sending an extra 13,000 servicemembers to Afghanistan as enablers for added combat forces.    » read more »

WASHINGTON, Oct. 14, 2009 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates will kick off a whirlwind trip this weekend that will begin with a change of command ceremony at U.S. Pacific Command in Hawaii, followed by visits to South Korea, Japan and a NATO defense ministers conference in Slovakia.

Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell announced the around-the-world trip during today's Pentagon media briefing.

Gates is slated to preside at the Oct. 19 Pacom change of command ceremony at Camp H.M. Smith in Honolulu, where Navy Adm. Timothy J. Keating will pass the helm of the oldest and largest U.S. combatant command to Navy Adm. Robert Willard.    » read more »

Call for Stricter Guidelines

14 October 2009 -- In October 2006, the military affairs journal Jane's Intelligence Weekly reported that U.S. Army officials detected a “sudden decline” in the effectiveness of some its spy satellites throughout the fall as they passed over China.

Before receiving an explanation from the Chinese military, initial fears were that the country had intentionally aimed ground-based lasers at the U.S. satellites to temporally disrupt their ability to collect information, or worse, materially damage them.

Was this a hostile attempt by the Chinese to test its laser anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons, obstructing U.S. military reconnaissance missions in Low Earth Orbit?    » read more »

Seattle, WA - 10/13/2009 - Steve Kallick, director of Pew Environment Group’s International Boreal Conservation Campaign, issued the following statement today commending Premier Gary Doer and the Province of Manitoba, Canada, for creating a fund for a proposed World Heritage Site (WHS). The $10 million trust will support the establishment of Pimachiowin Aki, a WHS candidate area covering over 10 million acres of pristine boreal forest.    » read more »

October 14, 2009 -- (Washington, DC) -- The United States House of Representatives today passed H.R. 1327, the Iran Sanctions Enabling Act of 2009, of which Congresswoman Gwen Moore (D-Wisc.) is a cosponsor. The bill gives federal authority to state and local governments that want to divest their public pension funds from foreign companies with more than $20 million invested in Iran’s energy sector.

The bill also removes legal barriers that would prevent mutual fund and corporate pension fund managers from cutting ties with these companies.    » read more »

Overwhelmingly bipartisan bill divests from Iran's Energy Sector

10/14/09 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today Rep. Eric Massa voted to help pass the overwhelmingly bipartisan Iran Sanctions Enabling Act of 2009. This bill, which passed by a vote of 414-6, is designed to authorize State and local governments to direct divestiture from, and prevent investment in, companies with investments of $20,000,000 or more in Iran's energy sector. This is just one step in the overall effort to hold those that enable Iran accountable.    » read more »

October 14, 2009 -- Washington, DC - Today, a strong, bi-partisan majority in the House of Representatives voted to pass the Iran Sanctions Enabling Act of 2009 (HR 1327). This legislation would ease the path for state and local governments and pension plans to divest themselves of investments in Iran's oil or natural gas sectors. Congressman Charlie Gonzalez (TX‑20), a co-sponsor of the legislation, issued the following statement on the 414-6 vote.    » read more »

10/14/2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C.– Today at a joint press availability, Senate Foreign Relations Chairman John Kerry, House Foreign Relations Chairman Howard L. Berman and Pakistani Foreign Minister Qureshi announced the release of a joint explanatory statement to accompany Senate Bill 1707, the Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act of 2009.

Chairman Kerry made the following remarks at today’s press availability:    » read more »

Washington, DC, Oct 13 - On Tuesday, Congressman Scott Murphy applauded the passage of the Iran Sanctions Enabling Act of 2009, which authorizes state and local governments to divest their pension funds from companies that invest in Iran’s energy sector.

The bill, HR 1327, targets companies that provide at least $20 million in credit or investment in Iran’s energy sector. The bill also gives approval for state and local governments to enforce similar local laws that have already been enacted before the bill takes effect.    » read more »

Washington, Oct 13 - Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), a long time advocate for peace and nuclear abolition, was today the only Member of Congress to speak out against H.R. 1327 - Iran Sanctions Enabling Act of 2009.

“In 1996, Congress passed the Iran-Libya Sanctions Act which sanctioned foreign investment in Iran’s energy sector. There are those who have said it didn’t accomplish much. There are those who are now saying, that if we move forward with sanctions it would undermine the interests of nations, like China and Russia, which the U.S. needs to work with in order to bring Iran into the international community in a way that promotes international security.    » read more »

Average Net Worth of Hong Kong HNWIs Remains Highest in the Region

NEW YORK, Oct. 13 -- Asia Pacific's population of high net worth individuals (HNWIs)(1) fell 14.2% to 2.4 million in 2008 amid a global economic downturn and market volatility, according to the Asia-Pacific Wealth Report released today by Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management and Capgemini. The combined wealth of the region's HNWIs dropped 22.3% to US$7.4 trillion.

Ultra-HNWIs, or individuals with investable assets of at least US$30 million, witnessed steeper wealth erosion than the HNWI population in the region. The number of ultra-HNWIs in Asia Pacific fell 29.6% to 14,300 and their total wealth shrank 35.1%.

China and India to Lead Growth in Asia Pacific HNWI Wealth    » read more »