Republicans Accuse Obama of Delaying Agreement on Fiscal Crisis
Ohio Republican Congressman and Speaker of the House of Representatives, John Boehner, on Tuesday blamed President Barack Obama for the impasse in negotiations on the so-called tax gap.
Boehner called on the president to specify what budget cuts he want to implement, and reiterated the dangers that the failure of the talks means for the country.
In this first public comments after his meeting with Obama this weekend, Boehner said he still feels optimistic that an agreement can be reached.
Meanwhile, negotiations took on new shades after Republican threats to impose a legislative war next year and obvious signs of fatigue of the U.S. public.
That organization is losing ground in their opposition to the proposal from the White House to raise taxes on those earning more than 250,000 dollars a year and, therefore, aims to change tactics and focus their fire on executive positions around the limits of U.S. public debt.
Obama wants to increase the current limit of 16.4 billion of the said debit to eliminate the possibility of a crisis possibly mid-February.
But Republican Senator from South Carolina, Lindsey Graham, promised Monday that Obama would have “a rude awakening” in 2013 if he persists in his plan.
The conservative politician reiterated that his party will not allow an increase in the legal limit of indebtedness of the country, and said his coreligionists are not going to let Obama to ask for more loans “until we take the necessary steps to prevent the country from becoming a new Greece “, in reference to the crisis in the European nation.
Some Republicans conservatives on fiscal issues try not to interfere in the difficult negotiations conducted by Boehner, although in this as in other cases they do not always match their opinions with the legislative leader.
That is why most of them have remained in relative silence, even though many are unaware that the final compromise with the White House could include “concessions” that they would normally reject, today said the Washington Post.
Anyway, Democrats and Republicans today put into question the possibility of a consensus in the 20 days remaining before the country falls into the “tax gap,” which is the combination of tax hikes and cuts of expenses that would take effect in 2013 if they do not reach a negotiated settlement.
Pharmaceutical Industry Faces Dangers of Counterfeiting
The global pharmaceutical industry today faces serious dangers of counterfeiting that lower reliability among patients primarily in major brands and products.
A report from the industry indicates that sales of counterfeit drugs represents one percent of the overall market, but in some cases, as remedies against malaria, this ratio can reach up to 15 and 50 percent in Asia and Africa, respectively.
In rich countries, fraudulent medications are usually distributed by Internet, but in Europe and North America they also penetrate the legal systems of marketing.
Research from University College of London, points to the dangers that engender such fakes for patient health. This is a school of pharmacy that works for the International Federation of Medicines.
The study indicates the number of cases affected by counterfeiting in 2011, with 40 percent of damages in Asia, 16 percent in Latin America, 15 percent in Europe and 10 percent in North America.
It emphasizes the need for more investment by agencies such as the World Health Organization so that inquiries have wider reach.
The research welcomes positive developments in China in this regard, one of the leading global producers of drugs in combating counterfeiting.
US Military Launches Mysterious Mini-Shuttle into Space
The United States Air Force successfully launched an unmanned Atlas V rocket Tuesday from Cape Canaveral, Florida carrying a small robotic military space shuttle, kicking off a month long classified operation.
“The focus of the program remains on testing vehicle capabilities and proving the utility and cost-effectiveness of a reusable spacecraft,” Air Force spokeswoman Tracy Bunko wrote in an email to Reuters in an apparent attempt to debunk the speculation.
Closely resembling a miniature space shuttle, the top-secret X-37B space vehicle soared into the atmosphere just after 1 p.m. EST (6 p.m. GMT).
About 15 minutes into the launch, mission control reported the rocket was flying at 13,000 mph (20,921 kph) and performing perfectly according to media reports.
Two minutes later, launch commentary ended according to the Associated Press, and a news blackout followed, adding yet another layer of mystery to the secret mission.
Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, speculates the mini-shuttle is carrying sensors for spying and likely serving as a testbed for future satellites, according to the Associated Press.
This is the second flight for the original X-37B space vehicle. It circled the Earth for seven months in 2010. Another X-37B spent more than a year in orbit.
The Air Force would not comment on how long this mission will last.
Via PL