You are browsing the archives of 2008 February.

The Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA) has a list of the top ten pirated software by corporations and other organizations in 2007.
From the SIIA Anti-Piracy 2007 Year in Review:
1.  Symantec Norton Anti-Virus
2.  Adobe Acrobat
3.  Symantec PC Anywhere
4.  Adobe Photoshop
5.  Autodesk AutoCAD
6.  Adobe DreamWeaver
7.  Roxio Easy CD/DVD Creator
8.  Roxio Toast Titanium
9.  Ipswitch WS_FTP
10.  Nero Ultra [...]

United States Immigration Officials announced the breakup of a human smuggling ring that brought more than 100 people to the Los Angeles area every week.
From Reuters:
U.S. immigration officials said on Thursday they had dismantled a Guatemalan human smuggling ring that brought more than 100 illegal immigrants a week into the Los Angeles area.
Immigration and Customs [...]

In North Korea, information and news are considered contraband products and must be obtained in the black market. As radios are manufactured to only receive the official station, CNN reports on a defector in South Korea who is attempting to combat the propaganda of Kim Jong-Il.
From CNN:
It broadcasts only three hours a day. Its [...]

Voice of America News reports on the smuggling situation in the Sahara Desert, as smugglers transport goods ranging from counterfeit cigarettes to cocaine.
From VOA News:
The Sahara desert has long been an attractive tax-free zone for entrepreneurs. But getting products through the mostly inhospitable and hostile terrain is hard. There are no auto repair stores for [...]

With a change in leadership, Cubans began speculating that new president Raul Castro would end the two tiered currency system currently in place by trading the country’s convertible peso.
From the Washington Post:
Cubans swamped currency exchange offices Monday and early Tuesday in a brief but intense speculative frenzy fueled by rumors that new President Raúl Castro [...]

Up to ten countries are currently conducting investigations into banks in Liechtenstein to determine whether their citizens are evading taxes.
From the IHT:
Following the lead of Germany and Britain, at least eight other countries, including the United States, said Tuesday that they were investigating whether some of their citizens were using banks in Liechtenstein to evade [...]

Several publications are reporting on the life of Henry Okah, a self-proclaimed militant in the Niger Delta who kidnapped and attacked oil production in the region.
From the BBC:
Little is known about Henry Okah, the Niger Delta militant currently being held by the Nigerian Government.
He has been accused by police of murder, kidnapping, [...]

Newsweek reports on the growing trend in the kidnap and ransom market of Americans being kidnapped and taken into Mexico to be held on ransom.
From Newsweek:
Kidnappings of American residents in the Tijuana area south of San Diego have accelerated dramatically since Roberto’s 2005 abduction. There were 11 such incidents in 2006 and 26 in 2007. [...]

The Associated Press is reporting that FARC guerrillas are increasingly crossing the border in Venezuela to purchase food and weapons and continue their trade in cocaine.
From the AP:
Well inside Venezuela, Colombian insurgents rest, train, buy arms and uniforms, recover from wounds and process cocaine, according to the rebel deserters, Venezuelan opposition politicians and Colombian officials.
Some [...]

Philippine President Gloria Arroyo is facing public demands to resign in the wake of a government inquiry into corruption.
From the AP:
Thousands of Filipinos took to the streets and flocked to churches Monday in a fresh wave of nationwide protests on the anniversary of a 1986 grass-roots revolt, calling for President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to resign.Left-wing [...]