Source: Wall Street Journal
Zheng Xiaoyu, ex-commissioner of China’s Food and Drug Administration, was sentenced to death on May 22 after pleading guilty to corruption and accepting bribes to issue drug production licenses. China has been subject to increased scrutiny since the pet food recalls earlier this year, in addition to exporting antifreeze laced toothpaste this past May and cough syrup that killed 100 people in Latin America in 2006. Domestically, China administered phony or tainted medications to its citizens, resulting in the deaths of at least 17 people and the illness of at least 80. Last year the US FDA blocked twice as many shipments from China as from all other countries in the world combined. Many of these shipments are foods officially labeled as “filthy” which smell rotten or are obviously contaminated. Others, typically seafood shipments, have been tested and found to be contaminated with antibiotic and antifungal residues. Over the last year, China has increased its exports to the US by 20 percent. The US FDA inspects one percent of all food that crosses the border and tests half of one percent.
Source: New York Times and National Public Radio
On Monday, June 4, the Federal Trade Commission moved to block the proposed merger of Whole Foods Market and Wild Oats Markets, two of the country’s largest premium natural and organic supermarkets. The FTC contends that Whole Foods’s $565 million acquisition of Wild Oats would create a near monopoly in the natural and organic food sector. Jeffrey Schmidt, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition, said, “If Whole Foods is allowed to devour Wild Oats, it will mean higher prices, reduced quality, and fewer choices for consumers.” Stephen Calkins, a law professor at Wayne State University and former FTC general counsel, said that the complaint was reminiscent of a successful effort by the agency in 1997 to thwart a merger of Staples and Office Depot. While the stores argued that office products were widely available at other stores, the FTC said that prices at both stores depended on the proximity of other office superstores. “In terms of Whole Foods,” Calkins said, “the single most important question will be: Are prices higher when the other store is not present?” Executives at Whole Foods said they were disappointed with the FTC’s decision to stop the merger and intended to challenge the commission’s action vigorously.
Source: New York Times
On Sunday, May 27, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad won 97.6 percent of the vote in a national referendum that won him a second seven-year term in office. The 41-year-old president was the only person allowed to put his name forward in the run-up to the referendum, which was boycotted by the opposition and widely regarded as a formality. “This great consensus shows the political maturity of Syria and the brilliance of our democracy and multi-party system,” Interior Minister Bassam Abdel Majeed said at a news conference, declaring the results. “There has been some repetition of votes but we caught them by reviewing the voting lists,” Majeed said in response to a question about the possibility of vote-tampering. The US denounced the election, citing that the Syrian people were not offered any choice between candidates.
Source: Reuters
Fox News Channel apologized on-air on June 5 for running footage of House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers of Michigan while reporting on the indictment of Rep. William J. Jefferson on bribery charges. Both congressmen are black. Fox blamed the snafu on a 22-year-old production assistant, who mistakenly grabbed the wrong videotape. “Fox News has a history of inappropriate on-air mistakes that are neither fair, nor balanced,” Conyers said on June 5. “This type of disrespect for people of color should no longer be tolerated. I am personally offended by the network’s complete disregard for accuracy in reporting and lackluster on-air apology.” Fox was moved to air a second apology a day later after Conyers criticized the network for broadcasting a tepid and nonspecific apology which did not acknowledge that he was the misidentified legislator. Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum explained to viewers on June 6: “We regret this mistake. We in no way meant to suggest that there was any connection between the Jefferson indictment and Congressman Conyers. We have extended our apology privately to the congressman and we do so here as well.”
