Russia proposes adoption ban

Russian lawmakers are still prepared to introduce a measure that would cut off adoptions of children from Russia to the United States, even after criticism of the move. Russia’s human rights community was upset, accusing the ban’s authors of playing "politics" with the lives of orphans. The issue also appeared to weaken relations between top Russian officials and members of the ruling United Russia party, which proposed the ban.

Epic weekend-long traffic jam in Russia stretched 125 miles

Russia's major highway between St. Petersburg and Moscow that spans 125 miles was backed up to a speed of 3-6mph. Drivers set up tents of the side of the road and government sent out meal trucks for the unfortunate drivers. Psychiatrists were brought on to the seen to help people who were unable to handle the
 nerve-wracking situation.

Former Georgian minister charged with torture

Georgia is charged with false imprisonment and torturing Russian military members. Reports said they were held in unheated cells without food for three days. They were also abused physically and verbally. The Georgian minister, Bacho Akhalia said he was "horrified" at the treatment of the prisoners. Akhalia will be held in custody until the trial starts.

Iraq cancels arms deal with Russia

Iraq cancels the $4.2 billion deal made last month, in which Russia would deliver attack helicopters and mobile air-defense systems to Iraq. Iraq's prime minister stated after a trip to Russia there may be corruption in various government businesses. Russia has stated that the corruption allegations are not a justified reason to end the deal. Some people speculate that U.S. may have affected their decision to cancel, but Iraq has stated that there "was absolutely no pressure by any side. Iraq's sovereignty must be respected."

Russia meets with Envoy to discuss Syrian truce

Russia meets with International envoy to discuss Syrian cease fire that didn't last very long. Both Russia and China have refused to back UN attempts to stop presidential rule from Al-Assad's regime. Russia stated that they would like Syria to create their government based on the people's interest. With neither side of this civil war backing down, those hopes seem a little far fetched.


Source:http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/29/world/meast/syria-civil-war/index.html?iref=allsearch

Russia nuclear partnership not dead, State Department insists

 Russia has reported that the arsenal of weapons acquired from the Soviet Union era is not dead yet. All of the weapons that have been accumulated over a 10 year period have been deactivated. The missiles are to keep peace only. An agreement needs to be made to safeguard the 7,500 nuclear warheads. A report came out of Moscow that the agreement needs "more legal framework."

Russian-made Cluster Bombs Found in Syria

Russia attacks a report from Syria stating that the Syrian Government is using Russian-made cluster bombs. These bombs were claimed illegally according to Russia. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, "There is no confirmation to this. ... There are loads of weapons in this region, including in Syria and other countries of the region, and arms are supplied there in large quantities and illegally." It hasn't been confirmed either way yet so further investigation should be done to find the truth on the issue.

Source: http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2012/10/15/russia-fights-claim-that-syria-is-using-russian-made-cluster-bombs/?iref=allsearch

Russian spies busted for alleged U.S. millitary illegal exports

11 Russians have been charged with exporting U.S. microelectronics used in the military and FBI. An estimated $50 million worth in electronics were stolen. Each Russian was also charged for acting for the Russian government without registration as a foreign agent.

source: http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2012/10/03/russian-ring-busted-for-alleged-u-s-military-export-scheme/?iref=allsearch

Russian hockey team in tragic accident remembered

Russia remembers the Lokomotiv hockey club who ended up in a tragic plane crash. The crash happened last year on September 7th, 2011. 37 members of the team, both athletes and coaches, died in the crash. many people visited the cemetary where many of the players very buried and left flowers. The crash has been blamed on pilot error, but it isnt certain. Just recently, the only surviving player, Alexander Galimov, died a few weeks ago, adding to the mourning.

Russia removes USAID from country

Russia plans on ending USAID activities. They say the U.S. department has "undermined their sovereignty" by monitoring elections and running human rights groups. They also blame Hillary Clinton for giving civilians "a signal" to protest in Russian streets.

U.S. State department official Victoria Nuland had this to say:
     "It is regrettable that the Russian people are not going to be able to benefit from the support that the American people are sending their way in this areas of health (and) environment."

I feel this may hurt relations between Russia and USA. This may hurt both economies if it affects the imports.


source: http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/19/world/europe/russia-usaid-expulsion/index.html?iref=allsearch

weekly reflection Sept. 4-7

Current event week 2 - "No Asians or Indians" ad controversy

An ad at a Coles supermarket last week sparked controversy as the ad stated "no Indians or Asians" should apply. The ad for cleaners was apparently placed without permission from Coles by a cleaning subcontractor. Spokesperson Jim Cooper responded:

       "Coles is a proud, equal-opportunity employer and at no time have we ever issued the directives contained in this ad."

Coles has suspended the subcontractor and are under investigation.

My view: I think Coles has responded to this well and taken the proper steps to show that they do not support prejudice at the workplace. We will know how true their claim is after the investigation.

source: http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/29/world/asia/australia-supermarket-ad-discrimination/index.html?iref=allsearch

3 Australian troops killed by Afghan national guard

source: http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/29/world/asia/afghanistan-troops-killed/index.html?hpt=wo_c2

     A man wearing an Afghan National Army uniform opened fire on three Australian soldiers at their base on Wednesday. Two other people were wounded. The suspect got away by scaling the fence. The total number of deaths due to "green-on-blue" (green referring to Afghan uniforms, blue referring to NATO uniforms) has risen to 14 in august alone.




Australian and US officials are making changes to the military policy, one of which includes carry loaded weapons at all time.

International Business Issue

Language

One common issue in international business is the language barrier. Not everyone can speak English, and many people than do are not fluent in that language. A few common mistakes in international communication is the use of slang and "jargon." Many non-native speakers will not understand your expression, or they may take it literally. Also, numbers are an problem when communicating worldwide. One billion in English is one thousand million, which is a 1 with 9 zeros but in European languages it is a 1 with 12 zeros.