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African Food Security to Top G8 Summit

Sat, 19 May 2012 03:04:59 GMT

African Food Security to Top G8 Summit WHITE HOUSE - Europe's economic crisis is expected to dominate the discussions when the Group of Eight nations hold their economic summit near Washington on Friday and Saturday. Food security in Africa will also be high on the agenda. The meeting at the Camp David presidential retreat will be the first G8 summit to include France's new president, Francois Hollande. The French leader was elected on a promise to help move Europe toward a pro-growth economic plan, and away from the austerity policy of his predecessor, Nicolas Sarkozy. Mr. Hollande will meet with President Barack Obama at the White House on Friday, before leaving for Camp David. U.S. National Security Adviser Tom Donilon said Thursday that the Obama administration favors an approach in which Europe balances economic stimulus with austerity. “The United States welcomes the evolving discussion and debate in Europe about the imperative for jobs and growth,' said Donilon. The European Union is America's largest trading partner, and Donilon said the United States has an “extraordinarily significant stake in the outcome” of Europe's economic discussions. President Obama says he is confident that Europe can resolve its economic crisis without significant help from Washington. At Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies, Europe analyst Heather Conley says that Mr. Obama is more closely aligned with Mr. Hollande's views than with those of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who strongly supports austerity measures. “Clearly, I think President Obama will want to send a reaffirming message that better [national budget] balancing is required for Europe, so it can quickly return to economic health,' said Conley. CSIS political economist Matthew Goodman says Mr. Obama hopes the summit will help Europe move toward solutions. “I think the White House does not want to have a sterile debate about growth versus austerity,' said Goodman. 'But inevitably, that is going to be a theme in the conversation.” The other main topic of the summit will be efforts to boost Africa's food security and agricultural productivity. President Obama has invited the leaders of Benin, Ghana, Tanzania and Ethiopia to attend the summit. Analyst Matthew Goodman says those four countries have made progress in improving their food situation. “They were chosen based on the sort of underlying policy efforts that they had made to promote innovative approaches to increasing agricultural productivity and increasing investment and so forth,' he said. Give you a big surprise, We sell the highest quality and cheap oakley sunglasses . Secure worldwide shipping with 100% Money Back Guarantee.Welcome to your cheap oakley outlet store. Goodman says he does not expect any major new commitments of money from the G8 to the African food effort. Other issues expected to be discussed at the summit are post-war economic support for Afghanistan, tightened sanctions on Iran, and the ongoing violence in Syria. White House officials say the G8 Summit will be the largest gathering of world leaders in Camp David's seven-decade history. fake oakleys , fake oakley Sunglasses 80% sale off from oakley sunglasses online store, lower price and free shipping. 100% secure safe and money back guarantee! cheap ray ban sunglasses 85% off online,our discount ray ban sunglasses outlet sale top quality ray ban sunglasses ,100% secure safe and money back guarantee!

Obama Prepares for NATO Summit in Chicago

Sat, 19 May 2012 03:03:08 GMT

Obama Prepares for NATO Summit in Chicago After hosting the G8 summit at Camp David on Saturday, President Barack Obama will host the NATO summit, beginning Sunday in Chicago. Mr. Obama is preparing for the NATO gathering, which has Afghanistan at the top of the agenda. The United States last hosted a NATO summit in 1999 - two years before the al-Qaida terrorist attacks on the United States that sparked the first use of the common defense provision in the NATO Charter. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has expanded since then. For more than 10 years, it has been focused on Afghanistan since the 2001 attacks. Last year, it took military action in Libya in support of United Nations resolutions. Under a timetable set two years ago, the United States and NATO are withdrawing all foreign troops from Afghanistan, about 130,000, by 2014. The Chicago summit will approve a formal shift to Afghanistan leading its own security, beginning next year. The first meeting President Obama will have on Sunday will be with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Mr. Obama spoke from Afghanistan earlier this month after he signed a strategic pact with the Afghan government. 'International troops will continue to train, advise and assist the Afghans and fight alongside them, when needed, but we will shift into a support role as Afghans step forward,' said President Obama. U.S. National Security Adviser Tom Donilon says the NATO summit will focus on how to sustain Afghan forces and at what levels after 2014. 'We have made really substantial progress towards burden-sharing, towards a continuing support for Afghan security but with the United States not having to bear the whole load,' said Donilon. NATO has identified a figure of $4 billion as an annual support level for Afghanistan. Analyst Stephen Flanagan is with the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. 'Most allies have not met their pledges to the existing NATO training mission in Afghanistan over the past four years, so their willingness to do so after the ISAF [International Security Assistance Force] forces are withdrawn, when they are even more dependent on Afghan forces for their security, particularly given the incidents we have seen of late, that is a key question,' said Flanagan. NATO leaders also will discuss funding shortfalls. The United States has shouldered an increasing share of the costs of alliance operations. One of the first sessions will be about NATO capabilities - doing more with less amid budget constraints. On missile defense, leaders will declare what is called an interim capability for the NATO missile shield for Europe that is designed to protect against launches from Iran. President Obama and NATO still face Russian objections to the program. NATO begins its summit amid optimism for resolving tensions with Pakistan over supply routes for Afghanistan that have been closed since a cross-border incident last year that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari will attend the summit. National Security Adviser Tom Donilon says there are no plans for a formal bilateral meeting with President Obama, although the two leaders are likely to see each other during sessions. The NATO talks, coming after a G8 summit in the state of Maryland, will mark another appearance on the international stage for French President Francois Hollande. During his election campaign, he pledged to withdraw French troops from Afghanistan by the end of this year. Donilon says Mr. Hollande will need to make his 'national decision' about that issue, but the United States expects it will conform to NATO commitments. Give you a big surprise, We sell the highest quality and cheap oakley sunglasses. Secure worldwide shipping with 100% Money Back Guarantee.Welcome to your cheap oakley outlet store. 'We would look to allies to make their national decisions within the context of the overall alliance approach, which has us in ISAF until the end of 2014,' he said. Donilon calls NATO the cornerstone alliance for the United States, saying reinvigorating and revitalizing alliances has been a strategic priority for President Obama. fake oakleys, fake oakley Sunglasses 80% sale off from oakley sunglasses online store, lower price and free shipping. 100% secure safe and money back guarantee! cheap ray ban sunglasses 85% off online,our discount ray ban sunglasses outlet sale top quality ray ban sunglasses,100% secure safe and money back guarantee!

Zhang Lin's bad result is probably caused by asthma attack, said coach

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 03:33:02 GMT

Chinese swimmer Zhang Lin's disappointing result at the national championships is probably caused by an asthma attack, said his coach Chen Yinghong here on Wednesday. The 25-year-old Zhang, winner of the men's 800m freestyle at 2009 Rome worlds, only managed a fourth-finish at the men's 400m freestyle Tuesday and his result, three minutes and 49.14 seconds, didn't reach the Olympic A standard 3:48.92, which may make him miss the 400m free at the 2012 London Games. Zhang trailed newly-crowned world champion Sun Yang in the first 200m, but was overtaken by Hao Yun and Li Yunqi in the last 100m and seemed totally out of strength. Both the coach and Zhang himself were astonished about the failure as Zhang always swam well in the training. 'It's weird,' said Chen. 'According to his physical conditions, I think the poor result is probably caused by his asthma,' said Chen. 'He has been dealing with it in the past year. The asthma attacks had happened two or three times during his training and affected the results.' 'I had expected that he could swim within 3:42 or 3:43 in the final, but the result was surprisingly bad,' Chen said. 'He told me that he felt stuffy and a little out of breath before the heats earlier Tuesday and didn't feel good before the final either, but I didn't think about the asthma at that time and just gave him some encouragement.' 'Zhang could swim within 3:50 even with a shoulder injury when trained in America, and he is in good condition recently. Even if he had not taken part in competition for a long time, the result should not be so bad,' Chen said. 'We thought about the reason the whole night, and the only explanation is his asthma.' Zhang grabbed a silver medal in the men's 400m free at the Beijing Olympic Games, marking China's first-ever Olympic medal in men's swimming. He won a historic gold in 800m freestyle in 2009 Rome worlds to become the first male Chinese swimmer to break a world record in freestyle in 49 years, and also the first male Asian swimmer to seize gold in a long-distance freestyle event at the Olympic Games or the world championships in 73 years. Zhang also had an asthma attack in the 1,500m free final at the Rome worlds, which made him fail to win a medal. And since then he began to deal with the illness. Some top swimmers in the world also suffers from asthma, Mulberry Bags like Australia's swimming legend Grant Hackott and world champion Lisbeth Lenton. Chen said Zhang was upset after the cheap oakley sunglasses 400m final, but he will do his best in the 200m free on Friday. 'We had a long talk today,' said the coach. 'Now Zhang will focus on the following competitions and try his best to qualify for the London Games. beats by dre studio His training is good, and if he can perform his normal level, he's still hopeful in the 200m free.' DD498373791

Taylor Swift named ACM Entertainer of the Year for 2nd year

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 03:32:36 GMT

Taylor Swift named ACM Entertainer of the Year for 2nd year Country music superstar Taylor Swift was named entertainer of the year at Sunday night's Academy of Country Music Awards (ACM) in Vegas, repeating her victory of last year. Miranda Lambert, Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson were the night's top winners, with two awards each. Swift joins Carrie Underwood as the only performers to win the coveted award two years running. 'I want to say to my fellow nominees in this category, I respect you so much, and I love you,' Swift said when accepting the award. 'We work hard, and we try to give back.' In a side note to the night, 22-year-old Swift invited Kevin McGuire, a cancer-sticken 18-year-old high school footballer from New Jersey, to the awards show, promising to give him a 'shout-out.' The youth had asked Swift to be his prom date, but Swift asked him to be hers for the ACM event. McGuire was forced to cancel his trip to Las Vegas when he was admitted back into the hospital due to complications last week. 'Just talked to Kevin McGuire,' Swift said in her Twitter account. 'He' s not well enough to join me at the ACMs. Please keep him in your thoughts. I'll make it up to you, Kevin!' Lambert won top female vocalist trophy and the album of the year honor for her fourth album, 'Four the Record', her third win in both categories. Her husband Blake Shelton, who hosted the show alongside Reba McEntire for the second year in a row, won best male vocalist, making the event a family affair. Aldean and Clarkson scored wins in the single record of the year and vocal event categories for their collaboration on 'Don't You Wanna Stay.' Lady Antebellum, which led in group nominations with five, won the vocal group of the year award. American Idol alum Scotty McCreery won for new artist. One of the first awards of the night, Song of the Year, went to The Eli Mulberry Bags Young Band, their first ACM award, for their hit, 'Crazy Girl', co-written by Lee Brice and Liz Rose. Underwood, Keith Urban, Toby Keith, Brad Paisley and Sara Evans performed during the three-hour show, broadcast live by CBS. The event also featured a bona fide onstage wedding for New Jersey couple Christina Davidson and Frank Tucci, a surreal meeting of cartoonish hard rock band KISS and country cheap oakley sunglasses trio Lady Antebellum, as well as Keith singing a loopy love song to a plastic beverage container. The ACM is the West Coast counterpart to beats by dre studio the Nashville-based Country Music Association. DD498373791

Canada's trade with China triples in decade

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 03:32:02 GMT

Canada's international merchandise trade with China has more than tripled in the past decade, according to data released by Statistics Canada on Wednesday. Canada's imports from China amounted to 48.2 billion Canadian dollars (about 48.4 billion U.S. dollars) in 2011, compared with 16.0 billion Canadian dollars in 2002, while exports to China reached 16.8 billion Canadian dollars, a four-fold increase over 4. 1 billion in 2002. China remained Canada's second-largest source of imports for the 10th consecutive year, Statistics Canada said. Meanwhile, Canada's share of exports to the United States declined further from 74.9 percent in 2010 to 73.7 percent last year, Mulberry Bags although the total amount rose by 10.4 percent to 330.1 billion Canadian dollars. In 2002, the figure stood high at 87.1 percent. The share of goods imported from the United States now accounts for less than half of total imports, declining cheap oakley sunglasses from 62.6 percent in 2002, and 50.4 percent in 2010 to 49.5 percent in 2011. In 2011, the total import from the United States increased 8.6 percent from 2010 to 220.8 billion. With exports of 457.6 billion Canadian dollars and imports of 456.4 billion, Canada's trade balance of the year went from a beats by dre studio deficit of 9.0 billion in 2010 to a surplus of 1.2 billion, marking Canada's first annual trade surplus since 2008. (One Canadian Dollar equals 1.0038 U.S. dollars) DD498373791

Russian Arms Trafficker Viktor Bout Gets 25 Years in US Prison

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 03:31:28 GMT

A federal judge in New York Thursday sentenced Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout to 25 years in prison for conspiring to sell weapons to a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist group based in Colombia. U.S. District Judge Shira A. Scheindlin could have sentenced Bout to three life terms for his conviction on four counts of conspiracy to kill Americans, to sell anti-aircraft missiles, and to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. She chose instead to depart from sentencing guidelines, imposing 15-year terms on three counts and a required 25-year-minimum for a fourth, all to serve concurrently. The judge also ordered Bout to forfeit $15 million dollars, an amount equivalent to the value of the arms he had offered to sell U.S. informants posing as rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. The judge said she was imposing the lighter sentences because Bout was arrested in a U.S. sting operation in 2008 and had never before expressed any interest in harming Americans. Before the Drug Enforcement Administration went after Bout, she said, there was no evidence that Bout had broken U.S. laws or those of any other country - although he had violated international laws in his past arms dealing, she said, and was a dangerous man. The judge said it was not clear if Bout was even still in the arms trade for several years before he traveled to Thailand to meet with DEA confidential informants posing as FARC rebels who had offered to pay him millions for arms. Before the sentencing, Bout addressed the judge, repeating his claims of innocence, and turned to wag his finger at the DEA agent in charge of the case, saying, 'Let God forgive you and you will answer to him, not to me.' Kathi Lynn Austin, an arms control advocate, said that the trial did not address Bout's past dealing arms in conflict regions in Africa -- or his air cargo contracts with the U.S. government during the Iraq war, even after United Nations sanctions against him in 2004. 'The most Mulberry Bags disappointing aspect of the trial is that it doesn't set any precedent for what we need to do to go after criminal arms traffickers in the future. The prosecution's decision to hide the past of what activities had been committed on U.S. soil, possibly hiding previous U.S. government collusion with Viktor Bout, actually cheap oakley sunglasses worked against them,' Austin said. Bout's attorney, Albert Dayan, said that Bout would appeal his conviction. An official for Russia's consulate in New beats by dre studio York refused to comment after the sentencing, although Russia's government has urged Bout's release. DD498373791

US Labor Strengthens

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 03:30:40 GMT

The number of unemployed U.S. workers seeking new jobless benefits fell to a four-year low last week, as the labor market strengthens in the world's largest economy. The government's Labor Department said that 357,000 workers made first-time claims for unemployment compensation, down 6,000 from the week before. That was the lowest total since April 2008. The government is set to release its jobs report for March on Friday, with economists projecting that another 200,000 or more jobs were added last month. But with more unemployed workers starting to look again for jobs, the economists are also predicting that the national unemployment rate will remain at 8.3 percent. The jobless rate had fallen for five straight months Mulberry Bags in the latter half of 2011 as the U.S. economy slowly recovered from the depths of the country's worst economic downturn in seven decades. The current unemployment figure is still high by U.S. historical standards. The country's economic performance cheap oakley sunglasses is at the center of the U.S. presidential campaign, leading to the November election. President Barack Obama, a Democrat, is defending his handling of the country's economic recovery and has pointed to the recent increase in hiring as evidence. His leading Republican opponent, one-time venture beats by dre studio capitalist Mitt Romney, says the U.S. economic advance has not been fast enough and that he would cut governmental regulations to give the economy even more momentum. DD498373791

Obama: Republicans Want 'Radical Vision' for America

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 04:36:44 GMT

In remarks in Washington on Tuesday, President Barack Obama denounced a $3.5-trillion Republican budget plan, saying it would harm middle class Americans and set back the nation's economic recovery. Mr. Obama's speech sharpened his message to voters about the difference between what he calls his balanced and fair budget proposals, and those of opposition Republicans, including that party's presidential hopefuls. Last week, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives approved a 2013 federal budget proposal, a $3.5-trillion plan that Republican frontrunner Mitt Romney has endorsed. It would cut deficits over the next decade by trillions of dollars more than President Obama has proposed, by eliminating tax loopholes and targeting programs that primarily help low income Americans. It also includes tax cuts that favor wealthier Americans. Addressing Associated Press editors and publishers here in Washington, Mr. Obama, a Democrat, called the Republican proposals a 'recipe for decline' that would have devastating consequences for the middle class. 'It is a Trojan horse. Disguised as deficit reduction plans, it is really an attempt to impose a radical vision on our country. It is thinly veiled social Darwinism. It is antithetical to our entire history as a land of opportunity and upward mobility for everybody who is willing to work for it,' he said. Mr. Obama said the Republican budget would 'gut' investments in education, training and research necessary to build a strong U.S. economy. The president said broad-based prosperity has never 'trickled down from the success of a wealthy few,' but has come 'from the success of a strong and growing middle class.' He accused Republicans of promoting a radical plan. 'This isn't a budget supported by some small rump group in the Republican Party. This is now the party's governing platform. This is what they are running on,' he said. Mr. Obama repeated his call for Congress to make the tax code fairer by requiring wealthy Americans to pay higher federal income taxes. He said the Republican budget would 'end Medicare as we know it' and again said he is confident that the Supreme Court will exercise 'restraint' and uphold the constitutionality of his signature health care law. Republican reaction was swift. beats by dre studio A Romney campaign spokesperson called Mr. Obama unqualified to lecture on responsible federal spending because he had 'piled on' trillions of dollars in new debt while in office. The Republican Speaker Mulberry Bags of the House of Representatives, John Boehner, accused Mr. Obama of 'resorting to distortions and partisan potshots' and recommitting to policies that have worsened the U.S. debt crisis. President Obama's speech came as Romney cheap oakley sunglasses hoped to further solidify his frontrunner status for the Republican presidential nomination in primary contests in Wisconsin, Maryland and Washington. BB498373791

Egyptian Entrepreneurs Hope Technology, Google Will Spur Economy

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 04:36:05 GMT

The Egyptian revolution sent the country's economy into a tailspin. Egypt was already plagued by high unemployment, particularly among those under the age of 30. Amid ongoing unrest, foreign investors have put projects on hold. Once-reliable industries like tourism are struggling. But several dozen technology entrepreneurs think they have what it takes to spur job creation, despite political uncertainty. They are taking part in a competition sponsored by Google, which will award a $200,000 prize to one business. In a conference room at the elegant Fairmont Hotel in Cairo, two young men are playing a fierce game of table tennis. Around them, youthful entrepreneurs slouch in bean bag chairs, pecking furiously at their laptops. Hundreds of Egyptians are jammed into small booths around the perimeter of the room. Each one is ready to explain how his or her tech business has the potential to be the next big thing. 'With IntaFeen,you can share your location with friends and family on the go. Whether you are in a restaurant, watching a movie, eating ice cream, in a park, you share this information with your friends and family,' said Adel Youssef, the founder and CEO (chief executive officer) of Wireless Stars. He said spent five years working in the United States but moved back to Egypt because he saw unexploited opportunity. He and his team have created a mobile application called IntaFeen. It's a location-based social network. Users write reviews of restaurants and movies. They earn “badges” for places where they check in frequently. Youssef says the idea is based on the popular “Foursquare” application, but has a different cultural sensibility. 'If you see the badges of Foursquare they are designed for U.S. culture or West culture. My favorite badge is gym rat. A gym rat in the U.S. is someone who is actively working in the gym. If you see someone here and you give him this badge, that is insulting,' he said. About 110,000 people from Egypt to Ghana to Pakistan have downloaded the IntaFeen app. Organizers say the point of the competition is not just for Egypt's young techies to show off, but to address one of Egypt's most pressing problems: unemployment. Egypt's official unemployment rate is 12-point-4 percent, but many believe it to be much higher. Around 90 percent of the unemployed are young, under the age of 30. But can tech companies really create jobs? Maha Elbouennein, the head of communications for Google in the Middle East and North Africa, said 'These are 50 companies that didn't exist six months ago. In order to be participating in the program, they have to be registered, legal entities. This isn't a business plan competition. So the evidence in itself, that 50 companies exist today that didn't six months ago is evidence enough about how it's helping the economy and it's growing. It's creating jobs.' Elbouennein says, of course, Google has its own financial interests in the region. 'Google basically wants people to live on the Internet,' he said. If technology businesses get bigger in Egypt, inevitably, so will Google. Some of the entrepreneurs have set their sights beyond North Africa and the Middle East. Yasmin Elayat is the CEO of Groupstream, a storytelling platform that lets users interact with one another by adding photos, tweets and blog posts into an online “stream.” Groupstream is going to launch in the United States, first. beats by dre studio 'The idea started when we noticed that during the Egyptian revolution, Egyptians were documenting our country's history in real time on social media and Facebook and Twitter and on photos and videos on cell phones and cameras,' she said. Elayat turned that initial spark of an idea into a crowd-sourced documentary project called 18 Days in Egypt. But she says she soon realized that the same technology could be useful for those who did not have anything Mulberry Bags quite so dramatic as a revolution to document. 'It doesn't even have to be news. I see my cousin, she's like 11 and her whole life is on social media. She doesn't even know what it feels like to hold a photograph anymore,' she said. Google has narrowed a list of 4,000 entrants down to 20 businesses and will pick a winner in May. But win or lose, many of the entrepreneurs cheap oakley sunglasses share the same hope: that Egypt's youth, which have been at the forefront of so much political change and upheaval in the last year-and-a-half might now become the leaders of a technological revolution. BB498373791

Global Economy Improves, but Remains Fragile

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 04:35:12 GMT

The head of the International Monetary Fund says the global economy is improving after a difficult time, but remains fragile. In a Tuesday speech to journalists in Washington, Christine Lagarde warned against complacency or insularity. She said Europe's economy is showing some encouraging signs, but remains under strain, while the United States is seeing improved signs of growth and employment. Lagarde called for continued U.S. leadership on economic issues, and argued the world is so interconnected that problems around the world directly affect Americans. The Managing Director of the IMF says the economic crisis was eased by bold actions by major central banks that calmed financial markets. She said the world needs a stronger and safer financial system that puts societal interest ahead of financial gain, and called for improved regulations coordinated across nations to reach that goal. Lagarde said boosting economic growth is critical to helping the 200 million unemployed people around the world. Mulberry Bags She says it is too soon for policymakers to cut back efforts to stimulate the economy, and warned that cutting government spending too soon could hamper the recovery. She says Washington must cut its deficit with a balance of spending cuts and tax increases. She also noted continuing problems in the housing sector, beats by dre studio and said banks were helped out by the taxpayers, and said households now need help. The IMF managing director also called for greater financial resources for the global organization, but did not specify how much money is needed. cheap oakley sunglasses Lagarde said the IMF is an 'economic club' 187 nations focused on global economic stability who help each other in times of need so everyone can prosper. She said the IMF is a good investment for member nations. BB498373791

US Now Has Developed World's Highest Corporate Tax Rate

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 04:34:37 GMT

The United States, with the world's-largest economy, now has claimed the dubious distinction of having the industrialized world's highest corporate tax rate. Japan dropped its corporate tax rate slightly on Sunday, to just more than 38 percent. That moved the United States to the top spot, with a 39.2 percent rate. The U.S. has maintained that rate for two decades and it is unlikely to be changed in the coming months. The United States is in the early stages of the political campaign leading to the national presidential election in November. The country's politicians have offered widely varying tax proposals, but have shown little inclination to reach agreement before the election. Despite the official corporate tax rate, many U.S. businesses pay a sharply diminished proportion of their profits in taxes, sometimes nothing. They are able to legally reduce their taxes by deducting business expenses, and U.S. tax laws exempt some types of income from taxation. One beats by dre studio by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development [OECD], concluded American corporations paid an effective tax rate of about 24 percent. That was slightly less than the average for the 34-nation OECD coalition that promotes global economic advancement. The OECD said that Ireland has the lowest tax rate among its members, a 12.5 percent rate. The island nation has used the rate to Mulberry Bags boost its economy, but other European nations have said it gives Ireland an unfair advantage in attracting corporations to locate there. Four other countries - the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic, Hungary and Poland - have a 19 percent corporate tax rate. U.S. President Barrack Obama, a Democrat, has called for corporate tax reform with a top rate of 28 percent. he leading Republican seeking to oust him, cheap oakley sunglasses one-time venture capitalist Mitt Romany, says he wants to cut the rate to 25 percent. Both say they want to overhaul the country's complex tax code, which would also affect the size of the tax bills that all American workers pay. BB498373791

Economic Issues, Drug Violence, Issues in North American Summit

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 04:32:59 GMT

Economic Issues, Drug Violence, Issues in North American Summit President Barack Obama hosted the sixth North American Leaders' Summit on Monday, welcoming Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to the White House. They discussed economic, trade and energy issues and joint efforts against transnational drug gangs. The last North American summit was in 2009, though the three men have met at the G8 and G20, and summits of APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation). The U.S., Mexico and Canada are linked in the North American Free Trade Agreement signed in 1994. Last year, total U.S. trade in goods with its two neighbors exceeded $1 trillion for the first time. President Obama noted that this supports about 2.5 million American jobs. He said the leaders discussed ongoing steps to create economic opportunity, and increase exports. 'We are doing everything we can to speed up the recovery and that includes boosting trade with our two largest economic partners. As president, I have made it a priority to increase our exports and I am pleased that our exports to Canada and Mexico are growing faster than our exports to the rest of the world,' Obama said. Another major focus of the summit was the high stakes battle against trans-national drug and criminal organizations that are challenging governments in Mexico and Central America. The United States is providing $1.6 billion in aid to Mexico, where drug-related violence has left as many as 50,000 people dead since a government crackdown began in 2006. U.S. aid to Central American nations exceeds $300 million. In translated remarks, President Calderon said he urged President Obama and Prime Minister Harper to continue their efforts against weapons trafficking and to reduce the demand for drugs. 'The fight that Mexico is experiencing for a safer North America also requires a strengthening of national actions, among other things to stop the trafficking of weapons, to combat with greater strength money laundering, and of course to reduce the demand for drugs that strengthens criminal organizations,' Calderon said. President Obama said drug violence can undermine institutions in Mexico and elsewhere and praised the Mexican government's response so far. 'I think the Mexican government has taken this very seriously, at great cost to itself. We have an obligation to take it just as seriously in part because we are the ultimate destination for a large chunk of this market,' Obama said. Prime Minister Harper said trans-national drug crime requires a unified response. 'The security challenge, particularly around the drug trade, is a serious regional problem throughout our hemisphere,' Harper said. President Obama also reiterated his determination to achieve comprehensive reform of the U.S. immigration system. beats by dre studio Opposition from Republicans in the U.S. Congress has frustrated his efforts. The three leaders also discussed Mulberry Bags the emerging Trans-Pacific Partnership, which Canada and Mexico wish to join. Obama said each country in the group, and aspiring members, will have to make adjustments to maintain high standards. Monday's summit was the last for Mr. Calderon, whose six-year term as president ends in November. Mexico holds presidential elections on July 1. President Obama, who is running for a second term, said he looks cheap oakley sunglasses forward to having an 'excellent working relationship' with the next president of Mexico. BB498373791