News and interesting stuff

U.S. and China sign trade agreements worth U.S. $ 45 billion

U.S. and China have reached an agreement on the conclusion of trade agreements worth 45 billion dollars, said Wednesday a senior U.S. official quoted by Reuters. Agreements have been obtained during the visit President Hu Jintao made a period of four days, U.S..

According to reports, an agreement aimed at buying Boeing 200 aircraft by the Chinese, for 19 billion dollars.

Also, contracts were negotiated about Honeywell, Caterpillar and Westinghouse Electric, a subsidiary of Toshiba Corp..

The Washington official said on condition of anonymity, the U.S. and China have made progress in several key business areas, from intellectual property, innovation and public procurement.

Tunisia, Twitter and revelations Wikileaks

Ben Ali's dictatorship in Tunisia was very real, as well as formal unemployment had reached 14%. In fact it was more than 20%. Daily shortages and population rises beats basic foodstuffs (flour, oil and sugar) with more than 30% have produced complaints that could be "liquidated" the way it is done in the past - fewer carrots and more bats.

This time they spoke, but a series of catalysts that did not exist five years ago when they produced the last major popular demonstrations. The first catalyst - "evidence of major corruption of the dictator's family, revealed in detail by msajele sent by U.S. Embassy officials in Tunisia and published by Wikileaks. In these messages, 13 in number, the figure for nefarious dictator described "tithe" on presidential family members and learn them every serious business. Nobody can do business in Tunisia without this family represented by dozens of nephews, cousins or brother and not to receive its toll.

Privatization imposed by the so-called democratization process has promoted Ben Ali was there just like in other parts of the world's business, which has depleted the state patrimony and fabulously enriched a few people close to dictatorship.

Reading the messages revealed by Wikileaks you can not make comparisons with other places, at different times, and unfortunately today. Some interesting things to report: first warning people that Wikileaks has made to these disclosures by a sustained campaign of social networks, especially Twitter, and secondly some blogs from outside Tunisia and took their texts and Wikileaks translated into French and Arabic (Tunisia is a Francophone country), the third row to distribute messages and promote those who are not online were prepared "manifest" in Arabic, which contained text messages released by Wikileaks, often amplified or out of context.

Mentioned that most of these leaflets were printed and placed in Tunisia from a neighboring country (from east), with which Tunisia has divergent territorial. If the Romanian Revolution of '89 was considered outside the United States as the first revolution on television, "Jasmine Revolution of Tunisians can be considered the first revolution of the Internet and social networking, course and off-line support!

Interesting to read the article that links between Wikileaks and Tunisia Revolution in Business Insider and of course the 13 negative messages for Ben Ali, published by Wikileaks.

Iran Earthquake of 5.1 degrees

An earthquake measuring 5.1 degrees hit on Saturday morning, Fars province, southern Iran, causing damage in several villages in the area, but to do and no casualties, according to preliminary information broadcast by state television and quoted by AFP . The quake occurred at 3:54 local time (0:24 GMT).

This is the second earthquake that hit Iran in recent days, after Wednesday, another earthquake of 5.3 on the Richter scale, also occurred in southern Iran, leaving 16 injured and causing damage in 17 villages in the south.

In 2003, 30,000 people lost their lives after a devastating earthquake that hit south-eastern Iran.

Last month, seven people were killed and hundreds more were injured after an earthquake in northeastern Iran.

The Hungarian Government intends to lay off 10% of the budget in 2011

The Hungarian government plans to reduce the number of people working in the public sector by 10% and 5% level of spending in 2011, said Friday the economy minister of Hungary, Gyorgy Matolcsy, quoted by MTI.

The minister said she was going to consult with unions regarding public sector wages.

For 2012, the government will maintain the newly introduced tax crisis, will maintain thereal value of budgetary expenditures and reduce costs where possible to maintain abudget deficit of 3.8% of GDP, Matolcsy said.

South African doctors accused of performing illegal transplants of kidneys taken from Romanian and Brazilian

Five South African doctors have been prosecuted on charges that they carried outillegal kidney transplants to wealthy Israeli citizens after the bodies were taken from the Romans and the Brazilian poor, writes SBS.com.

In the same case was indicted Richard Friedland, director of the best private hospitalin South Africa, owned by the Netcare group.

Investigators say that during 2001 - 2003, in St. hospital. Augustine in Durban werecarried 109 illegal transplant operations. 109 defendants have been filed againstcounts, including forgery and organized crime.

"Israeli citizens who urgently needed a kidney transplant at the hospital were brought toSt. Augustine. They paid him the organ suppliers to make faster operations, "the dailyTimes quoted SBS.com.

Kidneys were harvested, initially, all the Israeli citizens, and later the Romans andBrazilians.

Israelis who have donated their organs illegally received approximately 20 thousanddollars, while the Brazilians and the Romans were paid about $ 6,000.

South African police tried, unsuccessfully, since five years ago to bring him to trialleader in network doctors who performed illegal transplants, the Israeli Ilan Perry.

France Telecom: five suicides in the last 15 days

Five employees of France Telecom were killed in the last 15 days, thus bringing to 23 the number of employees in this group who have committed suicide since the beginning of the year, unions announced. The company's management agency confirmed to AFP the deaths. 

"With dismay and great sadness we learned of several employees of the group suicide," said a spokesman. He said that employees do not know each other and had different jobs. 

The CFE-CGC-UNSA, two employees were in the region of Rennes, one of the North, one of the Toulouse region and one in the Paris. Four of them worked directly for France Telecom and the fifth for Equant, a subsidiary 100% controlled by France Telecom. 

"Until now no correlation has been established between these dramas. We will carry out a thorough investigation of the professional situation of each employee in part," said company spokesman. None of them committed suicide at work but one of them jumped off a bridge located near the head after he left the job, said the CFE-CGC-greased. 

Since January 2010, 23 employees of the group were killed. France Telecom was in the center of a scandal sparked by a series of suicides at the end of 2009, which revealed a serious social crisis within the group. In total, management and unions have counted 35 suicides, some of them at work, between 2008 to 2009. That crisis, much-publicized, forced the company to open negotiations on the stress level at which employees are exposed.

Earthquake of 4.8 degrees on the island of Crete

An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.8 degrees occurred in Crete on Saturday, CNNannounced, citing the American Geological Institute. The quake occurred at 7:06 local time, not damage or casualties reported.

The quake's epicenter was located between the towns of Chania and Heraklion, 220miles away from the Greek capital, Athens.

New heat record registered in Moscow

Moscow has posted a new temperature record, surpassing the historical maximum of70 years, the mercury thermometer showing 33 degrees Celsius Friday, RIA Novosti.

"At 15.00 (14.00 - time), the temperature was 33 degrees Celsius, surpassing therecord 0.2 degrees recorded in 1938, told a news agency specialized in FobosMeteorological Center.

According to him, more accurate data will be available Friday evening at 22.00 (local time).

Moscow is the third time recorded record temperatures this summer, after those of 25and 26 June.

Queen Elizabeth II gave his first speech before the UN in 50 years

Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain will play Tuesday in New York, a speech on world peace before the UN General Assembly, for the first time in 53 years, the BBCtransmits. The Queen will then visit "ground zero" site of the former World TradeCenter, where he will make a crown.

The trip to New York is first in 1976 and comes after a nine-day visit of the monarch in84 years of age in Canada, with the Duke of Edinburgh.

Queen's speech will play in his capacity as head of state of Great Britain and the Commonwealth, which includes Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados,Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia SaintVincentuiu and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda and St. Kitts and Nevis.

The queen will give a speech with political implications, BBC commented.

Duchess of York, about the bribery scandal of 500 thousand pounds: I was drunk when shot

Duchess of York, former wife of Prince Andrew of Great Britain, said the show madefamous by Oprah Winfrey, that he consumed alcohol on the day he was shot byundercover reporters while a British tabloid require 500 000 pounds bribe to facilitateaccess to a fake businessman ex-husband, wrote BelfastTelegraph.

"I am aware that I had, you know, I was not comfortable in my day, "said SarahFerguson.

Sarah Ferguson called an undercover journalist from the tabloid News of the World "$ 40,000 cash, promising him that he will present to Prince Andrew. Also, the Duchesscalled "business man" Indian £ 500,000 directly deposited into his bank account.

Sarah Ferguson (50 years) insisted and receive a commission of 1% of all businessesthat would be achieved as a result of intermediation of it.

The video was released early last week. News of the World has reported that there was no evidence that Prince Andrew would know of meetings Duchess of York andBuckingham Palace declined to comment on the incident.

Duchess of York and Prince Andrew divorced in 1996 and have two children together.