Monthly Archives: March 2014

Sugar ‘could be addictive’; UK health czar urges 20% tax

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“Sugar could be addictive and the government may need to introduce a tax on it in order to combat obesity, England’s chief medical officer said on Tuesday.  Dame Sally Davies made the comments to the Commons health select committee a day ahead of an announcement from the World Health Organisation on new proposed limits for sugar consumption.  UK groups such as the Children’s Food Campaign have been lobbying for a tax on sugar in food and drinks. Doctors also supported the call for a 20% tax on sugary drinks in a report from the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges in February.”

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/mar/04/sugar-addictive-tax

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Arizona deputies bust pot ‘compassion clubs’

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“During the operation, investigators began to target a series of unlicensed medical-marijuana dispensaries known as ‘compassion clubs.’ The clubs emerged in Arizona when medical-marijuana card-holders did not have a dispensary where they could legally buy pot, but as state-sanctioned facilities opened the clubs have become obsolete and illegal.  Many of the compassion clubs were located in shopping centers, he said. Deputies seized marijuana that was baked into brownies and cookies, including Vanilla Critters, he said.  Deputies also seized automatic weapons, eight cars, a house and an ATM that contained marijuana, he said.”

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2014/03/13/phoenix-arpaio-deputies-bust-pot-compassion-clubs/6391771/

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Ron Paul slams US on Crimea crisis: Russia sanctions ‘an act of war’

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“The former Republican congressman and three-time presidential candidate Ron Paul has launched a scathing attack on what he calls a US-backed coup in Ukraine, insisting the Crimean people have the right to align their territory with Moscow and characterising sanctions against Russia as ‘an act of war’.  He also said providing economic aid to Ukraine was comparable to giving support to rebels in Syria knowing it would end up in the hands of al-Qaida.  The libertarian guru’s remarks in an interview with the Guardian are almost diametrically opposed to those of his son, the Republican presidential hopeful Rand Paul, who has called for stiff penalties against Russia.”

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/15/ron-paul-crimea-russia-sanctions-act-of-war

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U.S. swaps watchdog considering bitcoin regulation

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“The U.S. derivatives regulator is studying whether it should regulate electronic currencies such as bitcoin, its chief said on Tuesday, as regulators across the globe start taking the emerging technology more seriously.  ‘We are looking into that,’ Mark Wetjen, acting chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, told journalists after giving a speech at an industry conference. ‘It’s been initiated, there’s been an internal discussion at the staff level.’  Wetjen said the CFTC, which regulates swaps and futures, has broad authority to counter manipulation of commodity markets, and it is studying whether bitcoin falls under those rules.”

http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/03/11/bitcoin-regulation-idINDEEA2A0FL20140311

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Judge Freezes U.S. Assets of Mt. Gox CEO, Related Companies

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“U.S. District Judge Gary Feinerman placed a temporary restraining order on the assets of Mt. Gox CEO Mark Karpelès, along with a related U.S. company and the Japanese company that operates the bitcoin exchange. The Japanese parent company that runs the exchange was shielded from the order because of ongoing bankruptcy proceedings.  The ruling came as part of a lawsuit filed on behalf of bitcoin customers who were unable to withdraw their bitcoins and cash from Mt. Gox as it teetered. The lawsuit is seeking class-action status.  In court, lawyers for exchange customers alleged Mr. Karpelès has been siphoning money from the exchange.”

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304020104579433282831905574

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New York Now Accepting Applications for Digital Currency Exchanges

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“New York’s Superintendent of Financial Services, Benjamin M. Lawsky, has issued a public order that confirms the state is now accepting applications for digital currency exchanges.  Lawsky indicated that these businesses will be regulated under new New York regulation, which he committed to having in place by the end of the second quarter of 2014.  In his remarks, Lawsky struck his usual balance of at once recognizing the promise of digital currencies and stressing that related business activities need to be conducted in a responsible and lawful manner.  Approved applications will need to adhere to the regulatory framework New York plans to introduce later this year.”

http://www.coindesk.com/new-york-accepting-applications-digital-currency-exchanges/

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Texas Tells Company to Stop Investments Using Bitcoin

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“Texas regulators ordered an energy company to stop accepting Bitcoin for investments in oil and natural-gas wells, the first action of its kind by a state securities commissioner. Balanced Energy LLC, in the Dallas suburb of Southlake, was directed to stop selling unregistered securities using the digital currency, Texas Securities Commissioner John Morgan said yesterday in a statement.  The order reflects concern that investors using Bitcoin might not get their money back, said Bob Webster, a spokesman for the Washington-based North American Securities Administrators Association. Webster described the order as the first of its kind.”

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-03-11/texas-company-told-to-stop-taking-bitcoin-in-first-state-order.html

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Bit of Headache for Paris, Bitcoin Regulation Added to EU Agenda

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“On 04 March 2014, Pierre Moscovici urged EU member states to begin talks regarding the regulation of virtual currencies.  As it currently stands, bitcoin is  considered ‘neither a legal currency, nor a means of payment …[and]…  does not fall directly within the scope of supervision and surveillance of competent authorities in payment issues’, according to the Bank of France. The same can be said for the European Central Bank, who mirror these findings and also added that virtual currencies.  Where  publications choose to highlight negative issues, without giving fair exposure to the positive issues, it is no surprise to see the concerned authorities call for regulatory measures.”

https://coinreport.net/analysis-bitcoin-regulation-eu-agenda/

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EU To Ban U.S. Cheese From Using Names Like ‘Feta’ and ‘Parmesan’

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“The EU wants to ban the use of European names for American-made cheeses as they cut into the sales and identity of the original, European cheeses. The EU argues that ‘Parmesan’ should be used only for cheeses made in Parma, Italy. And while ‘feta’ isn’t a place in Greece, the cheese is so uniquely tied to a Greek identity that the EU argues only cheese from that country should be distinguished with the name.  Naturally, U.S. dairy producers, cheesemakers and food companies who participate in the $4 billion industry are fighting the EU’s attempts to clamp down on its regional cheeses as they believe the U.S. popularized them.”

http://mashable.com/2014/03/12/eu-cheese/

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Officer blames psychotic stabbings on antibiotics, gets his job back

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“A Virginia Beach police officer who was jailed for three months after stabbing two Accomack County firefighters and shooting at a third says there should have been warning labels on an antibiotic that briefly turned him psychotic.  In Accomack County, he crashed and called 911. The lawsuit says the responding firefighters’ helmets ‘had the number four on them and that their fire engine was Engine Forty-Four.’ Colas thought they were demons. He stabbed two and shot at a third ‘with the bullet striking the man’s pant leg.’  Prosecutors eventually dropped the charges and Colas returned to his Virginia Beach police job.”

http://wtkr.com/2014/03/12/beach-officer-sues-drug-company-for-psychotic-outburst/

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