statism

Prices Fuel Outrage in Brazil; ’46 New Tax Rules Per Day’

"Brazil’s street protests grew out of a popular campaign against bus fare increases. Renting an apartment in coveted areas of Rio has become more expensive than in Oslo, the capital of oil-rich Norway. Soaring prices for basic foods like tomatoes prompted parodies of President Dilma Rousseff and her economic advisers. Inflation stands at about 6.4 percent, with many in the middle class complaining that they are bearing the brunt of price increases. Companies grapple with 88 federal, state and municipal taxes, a number of which are charged directly to consumers. The Brazilian authorities issue an estimated 46 new tax rules every day." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPrices Fuel Outrage in Brazil; ’46 New Tax Rules Per Day’

EU plan to cut credit and debit card fees is confirmed

"Plans to cut transaction fees on debit and credit cards in the European Union have been published - but there is disagreement over the potential impact. The European Commission estimates that the EU payment market is worth 130bn euros (£112bn) but is 'fragmented and expensive'. It wants to cap 'interchange fees' to a maximum of 0.3% of a transaction. The fees involved are paid by shops and businesses to banks, every time a consumer uses his or her card. But banks argue that consumers will instead end up paying higher charges to use debit and credit cards." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEU plan to cut credit and debit card fees is confirmed

Bribery keeps Chinese public hospitals running

"China is an appealing market for pharmaceutical firms and medical-equipment makers, with spending in the industry expected to nearly triple to $1 trillion by 2020 from $357 billion in 2011, according to consulting firm McKinsey. The corruption stems largely from doctors’ low base salaries, which are set in line with a pay scale for government workers. Hospitals can pay bonuses but, given public hospitals are strapped for cash, compensation is usually low, say doctors and industry experts. A doctor fresh out of medical school in Beijing earns about 3,000 yuan ($490) a month including bonuses — roughly the same as a taxi driver." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBribery keeps Chinese public hospitals running

Chinese airline passengers face worst travel delays

"Air passengers in China experience the world’s most disrupted travel plans, according to a report which names two of the country’s major airports and its leading airlines among the most delayed. Beijing International Airport is the world’s most delayed airport, with just 18.3 percent of commercial passenger flights leaving on schedule, the report claims. Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport reported the second worst departure record with 23.5 percent leaving on time, according to the study by FlightStats, a US-based air travel information service. About 42 percent of flights from Beijing and 40 percent of flights from Shanghai suffered delays of 45 minutes or longer." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingChinese airline passengers face worst travel delays

Chinese man kills two ‘one-child’ policy officials

"A knife-wielding man stormed an office enforcing China’s one-child policy on Tuesday, stabbing two officials to death and injuring four people after a row over his offspring, state media said. Bureau staff had earlier refused to give the man, surnamed He, the papers he needed to obtain a residency permit for his fourth child, the official Xinhua news agency said, as he had not paid a 'social compensation fee' for having it in violation of the family planning policy. Outrage spread online last year after a woman who had been forced to undergo an abortion seven months into her pregnancy was pictured alongside the bloody foetus." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingChinese man kills two ‘one-child’ policy officials

Activists file first lawsuit over “Ag Gag” industrial filming law

"RT has been following the story of Amy Meyer, who became the first person the state of Utah tried to prosecute under its new Ag Gag law. She was being pursued for filming a slaughterhouse from a public street. Her case garnered so much attention that it was dismissed, but the ag gag law is still on the books. A new lawsuit looks to change that. [Various parties] have come together to bring a constitutional challenge to the law. They argue that it pits journalists and whistleblowers against the state, encroaches on the public's right to know and hinders independent regulation of these industries." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingActivists file first lawsuit over “Ag Gag” industrial filming law

Colorado Springs bans recreational marijuana shops

"Officials in Colorado’s second-largest city voted on Tuesday to ban recreational marijuana shops, becoming the largest community in the state to utilize an opt-out provision of a law that legalized the non-medical use of pot. Colorado Springs has a population of about 420,000 with a large military and evangelical Christian presence and is one of the most conservative and Republican areas in a state which in recent election cycles has turned leftward. The federal government lists cannabis as a dangerous narcotic and considers it illegal for any purpose, a point underscored by Colorado Springs residents who spoke on Tuesday in favor of the ban." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingColorado Springs bans recreational marijuana shops

Bloomberg vetoes bill to halt New York’s stop-and-frisk policy

"New York City Michael Bloomberg on Tuesday vetoed two measures meant to curb the city’s controversial stop-and-frisk policing policy, setting up a likely showdown with the City Council. One measure would create an independent inspector general to monitor the New York City Police Department. The other would expand the definition of racial profiling and allow people who believe they have been profiled to sue police in state court. Opponents of stop-and-frisk, among them minority groups, civil libertarians and some of the Democratic mayoral candidates, have said police officers disproportionately target young black and Hispanic men." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBloomberg vetoes bill to halt New York’s stop-and-frisk policy

Feinstein, Chambliss object to proposal to defund NSA mass phone surveillance

"The heads of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday voiced their opposition to a proposal that would defund some of the National Security Agency’s domestic surveillance programs. 'The FISA business records program has contributed to disrupting numerous terrorist attacks against our nation. It has been reviewed and authorized by all three branches of government and is subject to strict controls,' Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Vice Chairman Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) said in a joint statement." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFeinstein, Chambliss object to proposal to defund NSA mass phone surveillance