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DEPARTMENT OF STATE 22 CFR Parts 122 and 129 [Public Notice 6246] RIN 1400-AC50 Amendment to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations: Registration Fee Change AGENCY: Department of State. ACTION: Proposed rule. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Department of State is proposing to amend the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) by increasing the registration fees, changing the registration renewal period, and making other minor administrative changes. DATES: Effective Date: The Department of State will accept comments on this proposed rule until August 27, 2008. ADDRESSES: Interested parties may submit comments within 30 days of the date of publication by any of...

China's Export Machine Threatened by Rising Costs Orders Drop, Shops Idle in Sweater City; Losing Wal-Mart By JAMES T. AREDDY June 30, 2008; Page A1 HONGHE, China -- As a sign over its main boulevard proclaims, Honghe is "China's Famous Town for Sweaters." But the economy of sweater town is unraveling, providing an early sign that China's manufacturing sector may be entering middle age. WSJ's James Areddy details the decline of a sweater-making town in China that's suffering due to falling demand from a key market: the U.S. (June 30) Over the past two decades, this city about 90 minutes'...

This is one of the most frightening things I've learned in a long time. Over in the US, a bill has passed the House of Representatives and is heading to Congress – with a huge amount of support. The PRO-IP bill, H.R.4279, significantly increases the state's power to detect and prosecute IP infringement, carrying with it a whole host of new law enforcement positions and capabilities. It establishes an IP Czar, someone with the job of overseeing zealous action on behalf of copyright and trademark owners, and includes such powers as the ability to seize equipment if it contains just...

How much do you know about where your food comes from? Take our quiz.

Mar 21, 2008 WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States slapped sanctions on British and Armenian firms Friday for unauthorized re-exports of aircraft to Iran, officials said. The US Commerce Department suspended export privileges of British-based Balli Group PLC and related companies, Armenian-based Blue Airways, and Iran-based Mahan Airways for 180 days. A statement said US officials learned that the companies "knowingly re-exported three US origin aircraft to Iran in violation of the Export Administration Regulations and are preparing to re-export three additional US origin aircraft to Iran in further violation of the (rules)." In addition, the agency said "false statements...

THE COMEBACK OF THE GERMAN DINOSAURS Industry Returns as Economic Engine By Christian Reiermann The comeback of German manufacturing contradicts the notion that the future belongs to the service industry. Manufacturing firms are currently the engines of growth in the German economy, even for the service sector. These days Michael Walter, 43, often finds himself committing what would normally be considered sacrilege in the business world: He's turning customers away before they can even place an order with him. "I simply have to tell them that I won't be able to help them until later, says Walter, the CEO of...

After years of harsh talk and escalating rounds of sanctions against Syria for supporting terror and seeking weapons of mass destruction, the United States is quietly supporting a United Nations program to supply the Syrian regime with sophisticated surveillance equipment and computers to monitor its borders. That surreptitious support emerged in the course of a FOX News investigation that began after a surprise Israeli air strike on September 6 destroyed a mysterious Syrian facility that many experts believe was a North Korean-style nuclear reactor. The gap between the Bush Administration’s anti-Syrian rhetoric and reality emerges in the book-keeping of the...

Space advocates are cheering reports that the federal government is planning to revise the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, rules they say have unintentionally hampered business while trying to prevent critical technologies from falling into the wrong hands. Joseph Rouge, associate director of the National Space Security Office, told a recent gathering of space industry officials that the federal government is in the process of adjusting the rules, referred to as ITAR, and that reforms could come as early as this spring. Rouge made the remarks before the annual Transforming Space Conference in Los Angeles. "The military critical technology list...

NANJING, China -(Dow Jones)- Ford Motor Co. (F) President and Chief Executive Alan Mulally said Monday the company may export China-made small cars to other countries, but will do so only after strong local demand for its cars is met. Such a step would be in line with similar moves by other U.S. auto makers such as Chrysler LLC, which signed a deal earlier this year to export Dodge brand cars around the world made by China's Chery Automobile Co. Mulally also said Ford aims to turn around its unprofitable North American operations by 2009 through more restructuring and by...

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A California man has pleaded guilty to providing restricted software products to China, marking the first successful U.S. prosecution for illegal exports of military-related software code, U.S. prosecutors said on Thursday. Xiaodong Sheldon Meng, 42, formerly of Beijing and now a resident of Cupertino, California, has pleaded guilty to violating U.S. laws on economic espionage and arms export controls, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement. Prosecutors said Meng improperly installed a demonstration unit of a simulation product at the Peoples' Republic of China Navy Research Center and exported to China a restricted visual...

The last defendant in an extended family charged with conspiring to export U.S. defense technology to China reached a plea deal that brought the case to an abrupt end, authorities said Wednesday. Rebecca Laiwah Chiu, 63, reached the deal with federal prosecutors late Tuesday on the eve of her trial on charges of conspiracy to export defense articles, failure to register as a foreign agent and making false statements to the FBI. Chiu instead pleaded guilty to one count of acting as a foreign agent without registering with the U.S. government and will serve three years in prison, said her...

Testimony in the case of a Chinese-born engineer accused of stealing U.S. defense secrets revolved Thursday around whether he needed government approval to export a document on a quiet submarine propulsion system to China. Authorities believe Chi Mak, a naturalized U.S. citizen, stole thousands of pages of defense documents from his defense contractor employer, Power Paragon, and gave them to his brother, who passed them along to Chinese authorities over a number of years. He was arrested in 2005 in Los Angeles after FBI agents stopped his brother and sister-in-law as they boarded a flight to Hong Kong. Investigators said...

Tuesday April 24, 8:02 AM Momentum seen for allowing some exports of F-22s WASHINGTON, April 23 (Reuters) - Japan is interested in buying Lockheed Martin Corp.'s radar-evading F-22 fighter at a time when sentiment is growing in the Air Force and among lawmakers in favor of allowing selected exports, defense analysts and congressional aides said on Monday. Any move to sell the F-22 or "Raptor" abroad would require a change in federal law and probably some changes in the software currently used by the F-22, they said. But exports would help keep the F-22 production line running until Lockheed is...

[Sudarshan and Gopal], both of Simpsonville, S.C., were arrested March 23 based on a 15-count federal grand jury indictment in the District of Columbia unsealed Friday. According to the indictment, the two conspired with at least two other Indians to circumvent the U.S. Arms Export Control Act between 2002 and 2006 by purchasing U.S. electronic components used in missiles, sending them to Singapore and then re-exporting them secretly to India's missile and space-launch manufacturer.

(2007-03-10) — President George Bush will return from his Latin American tour this week with an agreement-in-principle to aid several nations by providing them with a steady supply of low-cost, American-made anti-Bush protesters. “Our experienced, homegrown protesters will augment the budding anti-me industry in these developing nations,” Mr. Bush said at a news conference today in Uruguay. “I think Latin Americans will be impressed by our high-volume products.” In an extraordinary goodwill gesture, the president did not ask his Latin American counterparts for anything in return. “We’re more than glad to help,” said Mr. Bush. “After all you’ve shipped to...

On Aug. 27, the leading Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun reported: By 2004, when China receives from Russia 38 SU-30 MK fighters, ordered several days ago, China will have 200 units or more of Russian-made SU-27 and SU-30 fighters. In addition, by 2004, the Chinese Air Force will get the recently ordered 28 SU-30 MKK fighters, capable of carrying advanced Russian air-to-ground missiles. The supply of the 66 fighters will increase the number of Russian-made SU-27 and SU-30 fighters in the Chinese inventory to 192...

The article, from one of the world's leading newspapers, touches on what a blessing saying "hasta la vista" to socialism really can be - not to mention future prospects! Ask the people who live in the hottest city of Europe - and they don't speak "cockney" or french with a Paris accent. The fall of Communism in Russia and China in combination with the orientation towards pro-capitalism of Scandinavia has already lead to a explosion of trade between the world's 14th biggest economy, Russia, the world's 4th biggest economy, China and the 8th biggest one, the Scandinavian countries (Source: IMF...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a prison overcrowding emergency Wednesday in California, paving the way for inmate transfers to out-of-state institutions within a month. Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Secretary James Tilton said that the state is on the verge of signing no-bid, sole-source contracts with three private prison companies and that he expects to begin sending inmates to Indiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Arizona at a rate of 100 to 200 a month within 30 days. In a recent survey, Tilton said, 19,000 inmates expressed interest in doing their time in other states. He said his immediate goal is to get...

Fake smokes called big North cash cow August 18, 2006 ¤Ñ North Korea is believed to earn $500-700 million per year by making and selling fake American and Japanese cigarettes, a U.S. radio station reported Wednesday, quoting a former U.S. official. "Counterfeit tobacco is one of the largest, probably the largest, single source of income for the North Korean regime," David Asher said in an interview with the Washington-based Radio Free Asia. Mr. Asher, who until July 2005 worked for James Kelly, then the assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific affairs at the State Department, said the...

A former U.S. Navy intelligence officer who illegally exported military aircraft parts, including nozzles for the engine that powers the "Chinook" helicopter, was sentenced today to a year in federal prison. .....

WASHINGTON, DC - 07/13/06 - California remained the nation's top agricultural exporting state in fiscal 2005, far surpassing all others as its $10.2 billion of agricultural exports is up 7% or $680 million, from 2004. According to the US Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of the US Departnment of Agriculture, California accounts for a full 16% of the total value of all US agricultural exports. The state leads the country in exports of vegetables and preparations, fruits and preparations, tree nuts, dairy products, planting seeds, and "other products," the agency said. California's exports of each of those commodities are 2-3 times...

Pyongyang's Missile Launch 'Was Sales Pitch' North Korea’s test-launch of several types of missile Wednesday was an export blitz, some experts say. Missile exports are one of Pyongyang’s few sources of hard currency since the heavily militarized nation has precious few other export industries. North Korea has been exporting Scud missiles to the Middle East and Africa for up to US$4 million a pop. There is speculation that Iranian officials, who have been in the North since early this month according to press reports, were observing the launches on the spot to see whether they want to buy. According to...

JALLOWAL, India Within days, the monsoon will arrive in India. If generous, it will lend another year of survival to hundreds of millions of villagers. ...But now a country that long struggled to feed itself is making preparations to feed the world. Multinational companies from Wal-Mart to Rothschild Group to PepsiCo are wagering that India could parlay its tropical climate and the latent energies of hundreds of millions of farm dwellers into a position as an agribusiness powerhouse, exporting fruits and vegetables, spices, flowers, wine, ice cream, poultry, shrimp, fish and even pasta. "To my mind, this opportunity of agriculture...

(GRD Photos) Base Camp Adder (Ali Base) Iraq – Al-Basrah’s offshore oil terminal in Umm Qasr has increased its loading capacity due to the recent completion of repairs to six damaged loading arms on Platform B, Berths 3 and 4. Extensive repairs included total refurbishment of the hydraulic systems, vacuums and power lines. The loading arm repairs provide safer, more efficient equipment and contribute greatly to restoring the terminal to full capacity. The repairs will also accommodate a larger number of vessels which means more oil and other goods can be exported from the terminal. This tasking was one of...

ST. PETER, Minn. (AP) - A rapist who broke out of a state treatment center here along with three other men remained on the lam Sunday, authorities said. Michael Dale Benson, 42, squeezed through a broken window Saturday night with the three others, who were later caught. Police scaled back their ground search efforts in the city after 3 p.m. Sunday, believing Benson may have left the area in a stolen car, said police Chief Matt Peters. "We feel that we've run out of our leads in all that regards," he said. Authorities had contacted other law enforcement agencies in...

JAKARTA - The illicit movement of shoes, shrimp and garments that have been repackaged, re-labeled and re-exported after being shipped to Indonesia has established the country as a new regional hub for such activities involving Asian goods - particularly from China - destined for US shores. Historically Hong Kong's domain, with the ease that Asian exporters can obtain fake certificates of origin and an apparent official willingness to look the other way, Indonesian laxity has encouraged a massive tide of such illegal transshipments to the US. Those growing illegal trade flows, also known as re-exporting, are undermining the protectionist quotas...

MOSCOW, March 21 (RIA Novosti) - Russian natural gas supplies to China will help Russia end its dependence on European markets, several prominent political scientists said Tuesday after the two countries' energy giants signed a memorandum. Alexei Miller, the chief executive of Russian energy giant Gazprom, and China National Petroleum Corporation head Chen Gang put pen to paper in Beijing, where President Vladimir Putin had earlier arrived on a two-day visit. Gas exports to China will come from West Siberia during the first stage of the project to build a gas pipeline system to meet the energy-consuming giant's needs and...

The Dubai Ports World deal is waking Americans up to a painful reality [...] we've abandoned the principles of tariff-based trade that built American industry and kept us strong for over 200 years. The old concept was that if there was a dollar's worth of labor in a pair of shoes made in the USA, and somebody wanted to import shoes from China where there may only be ten cents worth of labor in those shoes, we'd level the playing field for labor by putting a 90-cent import tariff on each pair of shoes. Companies could choose to make their...

Last update - 09:38 27/02/2006 U.S. demands Israel change defense export practices By Ze'ev Schiff, Haaretz Correspondent Israel will institute a number of comprehensive changes to its defense export arrangements at the insistence of the United States, following the crisis over Israel's export of attack drones to China. The status of several central divisions in the Defense Ministry will be changed, including that of the head of security and the division for assistance and export. A new division will be established in the Defense Ministry, and Foreign Ministry representatives will sit on a supreme advisory council for defense exports. The...

Chinese tiger runs towards the trap The Daily Telegraph 02/14/06 author: Ambrose Evans-Pritchard China's trade surplus surged 46.7pc in January year-on-year as the emerging giant continued to shoot up the technology ladder, becoming a net exporter of cars for the first time. Copying the export models of Japan and South Korea, China is now building auto production plant at breakneck speed, with plans to double its current capacity of 8.7m vehicles a year. Analysts warn that China's industrial strategy is leading to rampant over-investment, unmatched by growth of internal demand. The mix is posing an increasing threat to the global...

The world champion of export defends its title. In 2005 Germany exported goods worth 786,1 billion Euros. Altogether the balance of trade closed with a surplus of 160,5 billion Euros. Compared with 2004 when trade surplus was only at 156.1 billion Euros it is a plus of 7.5%. The balance of activities under regard of services was about 90,4 billon Euros. The imports to Germany also grew about 8.7% to 625,6 billion Euros. Germany is for this reason 3 times in succession the "world champion of export".

It didn't take long for me to get an answer to the question I posed in a recent column concerning whether it is possible to be both a Muslim and an American citizen. According to "Document 44" published and distributed by the Saudi Arabian embassy: "It is forbidden to be a Muslim and to become a citizen of a country governed by infidels." (That's us!) I read a report entitled "Saudi Publications on Hate Ideology Invade American Mosques." There are of course millions of Muslims. And each practices his or her religion in the best way they can given their...

Norway's peacekeeping profile stands in stark contrast to its success as a weapons exporter. New figures show that Norway is the world's biggest arms exporter in relation to its population. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) figures reveal Norway as a leading arms exporter, with its industry enjoying strong growth. "The Socialist Left Party's disarmament profile has been pulverized by the Norwegian arms industry and LO (The Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions). An increasing share of Norwegian weapon production is being used in war situations, the export to the USA is colossal," reports financial magazine Økonomisk Rapport. In five...

Wiggles named top Australian export Four men in colourful T-shirts and a backup cast that includes a spotted dinosaur called Dorothy have been named Australia's Exporter of the Year. Last year the Wiggles sold more than 17 million DVDs and videos and five million CDs around the world. The children's entertainers beat banks, airlines and mining multinationals to take the top honour in the government-sponsored annual award ceremony. The Wiggles' Exporter of the Year award was one of 10 business gongs presented at the 42nd Australian Export Awards. The Wiggles' export business now includes television rights, franchises and a licence...

MADRID, Oct 5 Asia Pulse - Iranian Oil Ministry Deputy for International Affairs Hadi Nejad-Hosseinian said that Iran could run out of oil reserves in nine decades. Speaking at a gathering dubbed "Iran in the 21th century: Energy and Security" here Monday, he cited latest figures which put Iran's crude oil reserves at 137 billion barrels, accounting for 11.6 per cent of the world's total reserves. He also said that Iran has about 29,000 billion cubic meters of gas which is 15.3 per cent of the world's total gas reserves. Quoting research findings, the official said that due to the...

European politician supports continued arms ban on China BY SHIH HSIU-CHUAN STAFF REPORTER Tuesday, Oct 04, 2005,Page 3 Advertising A member of the European Parliament and leader of the pro-Taiwan group inside the legislative body said yesterday that he is strongly opposed to lifting the EU's arms embargo on China. George Jarzembowski, who arrived in Taiwan yesterday for a six-day visit, made the remarks when meeting with Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Chairman Joseph Wu (…Çá“ÛÆ) yesterday. Jarzembowski has made significant efforts to win the support of EU members for Taiwan's bid to join the World Health Organization, and has urged...

Cohiba cigars move over: the new gift of choice between wealthy American gourmets with a penchant for illegal luxuries may soon become beluga caviar. From today, the US Fish and Wildlife Service is suspending imports of beluga sturgeon caviar and meat from the Caspian sea basin, including Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. The decision comes after those countries failed to submit laws and plans for conserving the species, which was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act last year. Black Sea countries, which also produce beluga caviar, could face similar measures in the future. Conservationists applauded the decision....

MANITOWOC MAN FOUND GUILTY OF EXPORTING RESTRICTED ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS TO CHINA MILWAUKEE — The United States Attorney’s Office announced yesterday that a jury in Federal Court in Milwaukee, Wis., convicted Ning Wen, 56, of Manitowoc, to nine counts of conspiring to export more than $500,000 in restricted electronic components to the People’s Republic of China. The charges also include money laundering and making false statements to the FBI. U.S. Attorney Steven M. Biskupic stated, “The case involved the export of restricted electronic components that had a wide variety of uses including military radar and communications applications. The verdict helps insure...

from the September 22, 2005 edition - http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0922/p01s02-woap.html China's model for a censored Internet Some worry China's controls could be copied elsewhere. By Kathleen E. McLaughlin | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor SHANGHAI, CHINA - As China began to go online, observers made brash predictions that the Internet would pry the country open. Cyberspace, the thinking went, would prove too vast and wild for Beijing to keep under its thumb. Now these early assumptions are being sharply revised. Under an authoritarian government determined to control information, China has grown a new version of the Internet. As former US President...

***PLA Generals Convert Boeing Jet Into Flying HQ *** The Chinese army has converted a U.S.-made airliner into an advanced military command aircraft. The conversion is a direct violation of U.S.-Sino trade agreements and U.S. export laws. Officials at the U.S. State and Commerce departments refused to comment on the illegal Chinese modification. Photographs of the converted jet surfaced earlier this year and were the subject of an article by investigative reporter Bill Gertz. Now new, close-up photos of the converted jetliner have appeared. The aircraft, identified as a Boeing 737, tail number B-4052, was sold to China United Airlines...

Britain will lead a drive to have Iran referred to the UN security council, with the possibility of sanctions being imposed if the newly elected hardline president does not stop uranium enrichment or restart negotiations with Europe and America. Reflecting the level of concern about Iran's intentions, foreign secretary Jack Straw was due to meet President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad yesterday on the sidelines of the United Nations summit to try to resolve the stand-off. Mr Straw was making a joint approach with French prime minister Dominique de Villepin and German foreign minister Joschka Fischer. The Europeans have been pursuing the diplomatic...

Located at the mouth of Mississippi River, the Port of New Orleans is America’s gateway to the global market. New Orleans has been a center for international trade since 1718. Today, the Port of New Orleans is at the center of the world’s busiest port complex — Louisiana’s Lower Mississippi River. Its proximity to the American Midwest via a 14,500-mile inland waterway system makes New Orleans the port of choice for the movement of cargoes such as steel, grain, containers and manufactured goods. The Port of New Orleans is the only deepwater port in the United States served by six...

What this country needs is $4-a-gallon gasoline or, maybe, $5. We don't need it today, but we do need it over the next seven to 10 years via a steadily rising oil tax. Coupled with stricter fuel economy standards, higher pump prices would push reluctant auto companies and American drivers away from today's gas guzzlers. That should be our policy. ... Hurricane Katrina's message is clear: We are vulnerable to any major cutoff of oil. This cutoff came from a natural disaster, but the larger menace is a political cutoff. ... Government needs to foster a market for fuel efficiency....

USMC_Vet from The Blue State Conservatives has exposed China in what can only be described as an amoral act of barbarism. He begins... The debate is endless. Is China an economic partner or a strategic adversary with regards to America? Countless hours are dedicated to determining the nature of the relationship. Yet, at the end of the day, it should boil down to basic principle amidst all of the nuanced and persuasive arguments. China, or more accurately it's Chinese Communist Party dictatorship and the environment it cultivates, is a Moral Adversary. Exhibit 'A': Skin of Executed Prisoners Harvested for Cosmetics...

Iran received a military delegation from China, paving the way for cooperation in the defense field, citing Brigadier General Nasser Mohammadi-Far, the commander of the Iranian army's ground forces. The Chinese delegation is in Iran for talks on "developing military relations, deepening bilateral ties and paving the way for military cooperation," the state-run Iranian news agency said. The press office of China's Ministry of Defense in Beijing declined to comment on the delegation's visit. "Our mutual enemies possess advanced military technology, and undoubtedly they would rely on this technology in any possible future wars," said Mohammadi-Far. "Therefore, it seems necessary...

Ukrainian oil exports dropped 58.9 percent to 91,796 tons in the first half of this year against the same period in 2004, according to RBC. Gasoline exports advanced 5 percent to 336,750 tons. Ukraine exported 667,332 tons of diesel fuel in the period in question - a 20.2-percent decrease against the first half of 2004. As reported earlier, the country's government banned export of crude oil produced in Ukraine for April to December 2005.

U.S. Policy Options for Iran: Sham Elections, Disinformation Campaign, Human Rights Abuses, and Regime Change Excerpt from Executive Summary While the Bush administration has been reluctant to adopt an unambiguous policy of regime change for Iran, the outcome of the Iranian electoral process, disinformation campaign, and violations of human rights require adoption of an explicit regime change policy for Iran.  An ambiguous American policy was somewhat effective prior to the June 2005 Iranian elections. That policy allowed Washington to support the European diplomatic initiative toward Iran without fear of being blamed for sabotaging negotiations by threatening the regime’s existence....

The 278-149 roll call Thursday by which the House rejected an effort to restrict gun manufacturers' exports of high-powered, .50-caliber rifles. A "yes" vote is a vote to pass the amendment restricting the gun exports. A "no" vote is a vote to reject the amendment. Voting yes were 134 Democrats, 15 Republicans and no Independents. Voting no were 65 Democrats, 212 Republicans and 1 Independent. X denotes those not voting.

Giant Balls of 'Snot' Explain Ocean MysteryBy Bjorn Carey LiveScience Staff posted: 10 June 2005 06:22 am ET Scientists have discovered giant sinking mucus "houses" that double the amount of food on the sea floor. The mucus houses, or "sinkers," are produced by tadpole-like animals not much bigger than your index finger. As sinkers drop to the sea floor, small sea critters and other food particles get stuck to the mucus and end up on the bottom of the ocean. For years scientists have observed loads of life at the bottom of the ocean. But they weren’t able to find...

/begin my translationN. Korea Exported to Russia 4,500 Missiles In last ten years, N. Korea exported thousands of anti-tank missiles and SAM's to Russia, according to 'SIPRI Yearbook 2005' published by SIPRI(Stockholm International Peace Research Institute) on June 7th. According to SIPRI Yearbook, N. Korea exported 3,250 anti-tank missiles and 1,250 surface-to-air missiles(SAM) to Russia between 1992 and 2005, and 45 SCUD-C missiles(range 500km) to Yemen between 2001 and 2002. In addition, N. Korea imported 34 MIG-21 from Kazakstan in 1,999, and 34 Infantry Fighting Vehicle(IFV) from Russia between 2,000 and 2,001. N. Korea spent 24 million dollars for importing arms...