Monday, June 03, 2013
Sunday, June 02, 2013
US Wheat Debacle
Japan and South Korea suspended some imports of American wheat, and the European Union urged its 27 nations to increase testing, after the United States government disclosed this week that a strain of genetically engineered wheat that was never approved for sale was found growing in an Oregon field.
Although none of the wheat, developed by Monsanto Company, was found in any grain shipments — and the Department of Agriculture said there would be no health risk if any was shipped — governments in Asia and Europe acted quickly to limit their risk.
South Korea, which last year purchased roughly half of its total wheat imports of five million tons from the United States, said Friday it would suspend purchases until tests were performed on arriving shipments. Results of the tests, by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, were expected in the first week of June, according to local media.
Seoul also raised quarantine measures on wheat for livestock feed, while Thailand put ports on alert.
The European Union, which has a “zero tolerance” approach to genetically modified crops, said through its consumer protection office Friday that if any shipments tested positive, they would not be sold.
Although none of the wheat, developed by Monsanto Company, was found in any grain shipments — and the Department of Agriculture said there would be no health risk if any was shipped — governments in Asia and Europe acted quickly to limit their risk.
South Korea, which last year purchased roughly half of its total wheat imports of five million tons from the United States, said Friday it would suspend purchases until tests were performed on arriving shipments. Results of the tests, by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, were expected in the first week of June, according to local media.
Seoul also raised quarantine measures on wheat for livestock feed, while Thailand put ports on alert.
The European Union, which has a “zero tolerance” approach to genetically modified crops, said through its consumer protection office Friday that if any shipments tested positive, they would not be sold.
Saturday, June 01, 2013
Turkey: Protest Spreads in face of Police Violence
In one of the biggest challenges to the 10-year rule of the prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, demonstrators took to the streets of Ankara, Izmir, Bodrum and several other cities as well as Istanbul to protest against what is seen to be an increasingly draconian and out of touch administration.
The government nervousness was shown by the blackout that the Erdogan government was imposed on the main television stations - a blackout on the ugly scenes.
Following several days of dawn police raids on the protesters seeking to occupy Gezi park on Taksim Square in Istanbul city centre, the clashes escalated violently, leaving more than 100 people injured, several of them seriously.
Police went on a violent rampage against protesters who had been sitting reading books and singing songs.
There has widespread protest against the pro-corporate intervention and of the government, which is committed to demolishing the park to erect a shopping centre.
What started at the beginning of the week as an environmental protest aimed at saving an Istanbul city centre park from shopping centre developers backed by the government appeared to be snowballing into a national display of anger at the undemocratic and anti-people attitude of the Erdogan government.
"They have declared war on us," said an Istanbul shopkeeper in a back street, as he handed out lemon juice to counter the teargas to protesters. "This is out of all proportion."
"Today is a turning point for the AKP," said Koray Caliskan, a political scientist at Istanbul's Bosphorus University. "Erdogan is a very confident and very authoritarian politician, and he doesn't listen to anyone anymore. But he needs to understand that Turkey is no kingdom, and that he cannot rule Istanbul from Ankara all by himself."
Ugur Tanyeli, an architecture historian, said: "The real problem is not Taksim, and not the park, but the lack of any form of democratic decision-making process and the utter lack of consensus. We now have a PM who does whatever he wants."
"Our government actively supports the Syrian opposition, and they constantly call for more democratic rights in Syria. But look what they do to those who oppose their own ideas and policies – they try to shut us up with teargas and violence," said Nejla Gulten, a 32-year-old sociologist. "When the prime minister speaks about women, he never speaks about the problem of violence against women, but only about how many children we should have. He shapes every issue in Turkey to suit himself."
Brands pull out of Taksim mall project
Several brands have announced they will not participate in a proposed new mall in Istanbul’s Gezi Park amid ongoing protests against its construction. Boyner, YKM, Herry, Silk and Cashmere, Damat and Tween have announced they will not open shops in the mall. Business supremo Ümit Nazlı Boyner quoted her husband Cem Boyner, Boyner Holdings CEO, as saying “I need to listen to my client. It is impossible participate in such a project which is very much objected to by our people and clients".
The government nervousness was shown by the blackout that the Erdogan government was imposed on the main television stations - a blackout on the ugly scenes.
Following several days of dawn police raids on the protesters seeking to occupy Gezi park on Taksim Square in Istanbul city centre, the clashes escalated violently, leaving more than 100 people injured, several of them seriously.
Police went on a violent rampage against protesters who had been sitting reading books and singing songs.
There has widespread protest against the pro-corporate intervention and of the government, which is committed to demolishing the park to erect a shopping centre.
What started at the beginning of the week as an environmental protest aimed at saving an Istanbul city centre park from shopping centre developers backed by the government appeared to be snowballing into a national display of anger at the undemocratic and anti-people attitude of the Erdogan government.
"They have declared war on us," said an Istanbul shopkeeper in a back street, as he handed out lemon juice to counter the teargas to protesters. "This is out of all proportion."
"Today is a turning point for the AKP," said Koray Caliskan, a political scientist at Istanbul's Bosphorus University. "Erdogan is a very confident and very authoritarian politician, and he doesn't listen to anyone anymore. But he needs to understand that Turkey is no kingdom, and that he cannot rule Istanbul from Ankara all by himself."
Ugur Tanyeli, an architecture historian, said: "The real problem is not Taksim, and not the park, but the lack of any form of democratic decision-making process and the utter lack of consensus. We now have a PM who does whatever he wants."
"Our government actively supports the Syrian opposition, and they constantly call for more democratic rights in Syria. But look what they do to those who oppose their own ideas and policies – they try to shut us up with teargas and violence," said Nejla Gulten, a 32-year-old sociologist. "When the prime minister speaks about women, he never speaks about the problem of violence against women, but only about how many children we should have. He shapes every issue in Turkey to suit himself."
Brands pull out of Taksim mall project
Several brands have announced they will not participate in a proposed new mall in Istanbul’s Gezi Park amid ongoing protests against its construction. Boyner, YKM, Herry, Silk and Cashmere, Damat and Tween have announced they will not open shops in the mall. Business supremo Ümit Nazlı Boyner quoted her husband Cem Boyner, Boyner Holdings CEO, as saying “I need to listen to my client. It is impossible participate in such a project which is very much objected to by our people and clients".
Qld: Outsourcing Scandle
Queeensland's Health Department has become reliant on recruitment agency personnel as a result of widespread job cuts.
The change away from contract employment was part of the Newman Government strategy to improve efficiency and reduce unnecessary cost.
Figures published in the Queensland Government Contracts Directory show hundreds of thousands of dollars is going to employment agencies to provide labour to many departments, including a significant amount on administrative staff.
Recruitment companies are pocketing a small fortune from the State Government which is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on labour hire each month - after getting rid of 14,000 staff.
The Queensland Government Contracts Directory shows administrative staff who were targeted by the LNP's public service efficiency drive are being sought from recruitment agencies, along with specialised workers including nurses, doctors and IT experts.
In April, the Department of Communities paid close to $200,000 to Russo Recruitment and $691,125 to other agencies for labour hire.
Queensland Health was by far the biggest user of contract labour, shelling out more than $1.7 million for administrative staff, and skilled medical professionals in the first week of February.
Alex Scott from public sector union Together Queensland said employing people through personnel companies meant they would not show up in government job statistics.
"The job cuts are unsustainable so departments have to employ people through other means," Mr Scott said.
"Using employment agencies means managers don't have to tell the truth about the number of people working in their building."
He also cast doubt on the Government's assurance that there would be no more job losses in the public service, other than through natural attrition, which was expected to reduce the workforce by a third in the next five years.
"They know the community was appalled by the cuts last year, and the impact on the economy and people so it's not something they want to talk about," Mr Scott said.
"The program the Government's embarking on with contestability is just privatisation by another name, and as such will mean thousands more job losses."
The change away from contract employment was part of the Newman Government strategy to improve efficiency and reduce unnecessary cost.
Figures published in the Queensland Government Contracts Directory show hundreds of thousands of dollars is going to employment agencies to provide labour to many departments, including a significant amount on administrative staff.
Recruitment companies are pocketing a small fortune from the State Government which is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on labour hire each month - after getting rid of 14,000 staff.
The Queensland Government Contracts Directory shows administrative staff who were targeted by the LNP's public service efficiency drive are being sought from recruitment agencies, along with specialised workers including nurses, doctors and IT experts.
In April, the Department of Communities paid close to $200,000 to Russo Recruitment and $691,125 to other agencies for labour hire.
Queensland Health was by far the biggest user of contract labour, shelling out more than $1.7 million for administrative staff, and skilled medical professionals in the first week of February.
Alex Scott from public sector union Together Queensland said employing people through personnel companies meant they would not show up in government job statistics.
"The job cuts are unsustainable so departments have to employ people through other means," Mr Scott said.
"Using employment agencies means managers don't have to tell the truth about the number of people working in their building."
He also cast doubt on the Government's assurance that there would be no more job losses in the public service, other than through natural attrition, which was expected to reduce the workforce by a third in the next five years.
"They know the community was appalled by the cuts last year, and the impact on the economy and people so it's not something they want to talk about," Mr Scott said.
"The program the Government's embarking on with contestability is just privatisation by another name, and as such will mean thousands more job losses."
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