Beedi workers seek viable alternative before anti-tobacco policy is adopted
The Association of Trade Unions, an umbrella organisation of various trade unions fighting for the rights of beedi workers, on Tuesday urged the Union government to protect the livelihood of over 1.3 crore people as they are dependent on the beedi industry before adopting any anti-tobacco policy.Comprising representatives from All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), BharatiyaMazdoorSangh (BMS), Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS) and BeediContractors Union, the association also announced a Delhi Chalo, if the demands are not met by the Union government.
Balakrishna Shetty, president of CITU, Dakshina Kannada, told presspersons here on Tuesday that the Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment should intervene in the matter against “extreme threat to livelihoods being felt by over 1.3 crore beedi workers, in the wake of unfriendly and unproven anti-tobacco policies of the government”.
Liberal MP gives Rolex a hand following fake gift watches story
Backbencher mocked for effusive praise of watchmaker in press release detailing how he bought timepiece to reward himself for all his hard work.
An Australian politician has issued a timeless press release gushing about his Rolex watch in the wake of news that a group of Liberal MPs thought they had received fake versions of the signature timepieces from a Chinese instant noodle billionaire.
In that instance, Tony Abbott among others, assumed they were fakes, but Liberal backbencher Ian Goodenough has stepped in to praise the real thing, which he bought after “after learning of the brand’s history and commitment to achieving the best time piece product possible”.
Two million smuggled cigarettes seized at Dublin Port
Revenue officers, acting on intelligence, commenced an examination of a shipping container that had come into Dublin Port from Vietnam, via Rotterdam, and discovered the cigarettes. The contraband was branded ‘JIM’ and were described as ‘wood pellets’ on the manifest.
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BlockchainStartups Take Aim at Counterfeiting of Luxury Products
The cryptocurrency industry has delivered new technology to the world of luxury commerce, and it’s helping weed out the fakes. It may seem like a frivolous concern, but counterfeit goods are big business. Stopping them is a significant business cost for manufacturers of the real thing. And for consumers who pride themselves on owning luxury goods, getting the real thing is essential to a way of life. That’s where Bitcoin comes in.
“By linking digital certificates to purchased goods, we are able to provide a much higher degree of confidence to buyers, especially when purchasing from online or second-hand retailers,” says Guy Halford-Thompson, founder of Blockchain Tech Ltd.
Greek customs seize large quantities of contraband tobacco in Jan, Feb
European anti-fraud agents netted 54 million contraband cigarettes in Greece in cooperation with Greek and Cypriot customs agents in December and January, according to a statement by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF).
Of the total haul, 33 million cigarettes were seized at Greek and Cypriot customs houses and another 21 million from the port of Piraeus.
Operations in Russia, Germany and Spain increased the size of the haul during the same period to 75 million. According to OLAF, the cigarettes were first shipped to Asia legally before being returned to Europe illegally.
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Hungary’s tax office recruits drones to crack down on cigarette smugglers
Hungaryʼs National Tax and Customs Authority (NAV) acquired drones through HUF 20 million in European Union funding to crack down on cigarette smugglers, Hungarian daily Magyar Idők reported today. NAV is planning to employ heat cameras, night goggles, recording devices and also hovercrafts in the near future to detect smuggling activities, according to the daily.
NAV spokesperson Alexandra Sárközi said the office needs to keep up with the technological developments, adding that with the application of drones the office will be able to track smugglers without them realizing it.
The spokesperson noted that NAV seized more than 43 million contraband cigarettes with a market value of about HUF 1.7 billion last year, along with almost 70 tons of loose leaf tobacco.
Tobacco taxes exacerbate street crime in Chicago neighborhoods
We all understand that the City of Chicago is in dire need of additional revenue; however, it is critical that policymakers do so in a way that does not exacerbate the violence problem in low income and minority communities across the city.
The mayor’s proposal to raise $6 million dollars by further taxing tobacco would have a negative ripple effect that would increase crime, further aggravate police and community relations, and strip opportunity from struggling young people with tremendous odds already stacked against them.In the mayor’s proposal, a pack of cigars would just about double in price to around $15. Secondly, the proposal would set a minimum price on a pack of cigarettes at $11.50.
Producers of fake vehicle products busted
The Administrator of Coscharis Ghana Limited, Samuel Coffi, has charged Government to endeavor to flush out companies that are faking the products of other firms saying the practice has debilitating effects not only on genuine companies but also on the country. He said this after another company, was found faking his company’s products for the past three years. Mr. Coffi also urged the Ghana standards Authority to put in place necessary mechanisms to track fake and substandard goods that reach the market through the country’s porous entry points. The Administrator of Coscharis Ghana Limited was addressing Journalists in Accra, after the High Court General Jurisdiction 3, ordered them to confiscate the products of the illegal company SadhnaImpex Ltd, for faking their products.
http://citifmonline.com/2016/02/06/producers-of-fake-vehicle-products-busted-photos/
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Blowing in the wind: OLAF helps seizing 75 million cigarettes
The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) had a good year’s start by carrying out, between December 2015 and January 2016, several operations in Greece, Russia, Germany and Spain that led to a total seizure of more than 75 million cigarettes.
During an enquiry that lasted several months, OLAF worked closely with Greek and Cypriot authorities to track the shipment and seize more than 33 million cigarettes in Greece. This was the largest of five operations in which a total of more than 75 million cigarettes were seized in Greece, Russia, Germany and Spain between December 2015 and January 2016.
http://neurope.eu/article/blowing-in-the-wind-olaf-helps-seizing-75-million-cigarettes/
Lear MoreSneaking a Smoke
As a small country of 6.9 million inhabitants, Paraguay rarely draws international attention. Unlike some of its neighbors, it does not face debilitating violence, nor is it overwhelmed by paramilitary or gang activity. In fact, Paraguay has enjoyed economic growth in recent years. But beyond its apparent normalcy, the nation is grappling with pervasive corruption and organized crime.
One particular sector seems to play a significant role in the nation’s corruption-related challenges—Paraguay’s tobacco industry. According to a 2009 study by Uruguay’s Tobacco Epidemic Research Center (CIET), Paraguay accounts for approximately 11 percent of the world’s supply of contraband cigarettes. Paraguayan cigarette manufacturers produced 68 billion cigarettes in 2006, more than 20 times what the country consumes. Estimates suggest that 90 percent of the nation’s production—worth an estimated $1 billion—disappears every year to the black market.
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/paraguay/2016-02-05/sneaking-smoke
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