Archive for July, 2008
Tobacco companies in Canada fined for smuggling
Canadian tobacco companies Imperial Tobacco Canada and Rothmans were fined 1 billion Canadian dollars ($980 Million) for their role in smuggling cigarettes.
From Reuters:
The charges relate to the years between 1989 and 1994, when tobacco taxes, especially in Eastern Canadian provinces were so high that they prompted widespread cigarette smuggling. The taxes were intended to reduce [...]
42 confirmed cases of diplomats trafficking humans
A report released by the United States General Accountability Office (GAO) states that it found 42 confirmed cases of abuse committed by Foreign diplomats who were protected by diplomatic immunity.
From the Results in Brief:
We identified 42 distinct A-3 and G-5 visa holders who alleged that they were abused by foreign diplomats with some level of [...]
Mexican drug cartels no longer aiming their guns
In recent weeks, the drug cartels in Mexico are increasingly killing innocent bystanders in the ongoing battle against each other and state officials.
From the Washington Post:
In the past, cartels have killed their rivals, as well as police and public officials. Occasionally even family members have been slain. Yet in recent weeks, an increasing number of [...]
Law enforcement, not military, should pursue Al Qaeda: Study
In a critical assessment of the Bush Administration’s strategy on terrorism, the Rand Corp. argues in a new study that attacking Al Qaeda militarily is ineffective and would be better of by concentrating on law enforcement agencies.
From the Washington Post:
The Bush administration’s terrorism-fighting strategy has not significantly undermined al-Qaeda’s capabilities, according to a major new [...]
Price increase of ivory
Price of ivory has increased from $200 a kilo in 2004 to $850 to $900 in 2008.
Source: The Economist, “Call of the wild,” March 8, 2008, pg. 85.
Decline of Rhino population
In the early 1970s, the global rhino population stood at 75,000. In 2008, it stood around 11,000.
Source: The Economist, “Call of the wild”, March 8, 2008, pg. 86.
530 to 710 tonnes of cocaine enter the US through Mexico each year
Source: The Economist, “Marching as to war,” February 2, 2008.
Drugs contribute roughly 4 percent of Mexico’s GDP
Source: The Economist, “Marching as to war,” February 2, 2008, pg. 45.
40 percent of drug arrests in US for marijuana
According to Foreign Policy Magazine, in the United States “roughly 40 percent of the country’s 1.8 million annual drug arrests are for cannabis possession.”
Source: Ethan Nadelmann, “Think Again: Drugs,” Foreign Policy, Sept/Oct 2007.
3 million illegal cbale subscribers in the Phillippines
Source: Lenie Lectura, Losses from cable-TV piracy may hit P7B in ’08 with only 2% growth in paying subscribers, Business Mirror.
