It's the Law.AGRICULTURE & CATTLE The United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. has resumed imports of beef from Argentina following a ban sparked by foot-and-mouth disease foot-and-mouth disease, highly contagious disease almost exclusive to cattle, sheep, swine, goats, and other cloven-hoofed animals. It is caused by a virus that was identified in 1897. in South America South America, fourth largest continent (1991 est. pop. 299,150,000), c.6,880,000 sq mi (17,819,000 sq km), the southern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. . Beef, chilled or frozen, can be shipped to the United States, provided it does not come from cattle in certain areas bordering Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. www.aphis.usda.gov/lpa/press/2000/12/fmdgllck.txt The United States has eased restrictions on agricultural and medical exports to Cuba. Before entering a contract, U.S. exporters must obtain licenses, valid for a year. Contracts may be signed within that year; shipping must take place within 12 months of the signing. Transactions will need the assistance of a third party not linked to the United States or Cuba since U.S. banks still are not permitted to provide financing. www.fas.usda.gov/itp/cuba/title_ix.html ANTITRUST Mexico and the United States Relations between the United States and Mexico are among the most important and complex that each nation maintains. They are shaped by a mixture of mutual interests, shared problems, and growing interdependence. signed an agreement that opens the door to their cooperation in antitrust cases Although many in the computer field might equate "antitrust" with the long-running Microsoft trial (1998-2004), the U.S. government sued IBM three times in its history for antitrust violations. . The agreement aims to promote legal and technical cooperation in the application of anti-monopoly laws. www.cfc.gob.mx GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION Ecuador's Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of a 1999 agreement that allows U.S. surveillance flights over Colombia to operate from Ecuador's Air Force base in Manta. Opponents say the anti-narcotics flights will pull Ecuador into the worsening conflict in Colombia. In Brazil, employee profit-sharing plan Profit-Sharing Plan A plan that gives employees a share in the profits of the company. Each employee receives into an account, a percentage of those profits based on their earnings. Also known as "deferred profit-sharing plan" or "DPSP". rules, which have been extended via temporary measures for six years, have become law. Although the measure does not alter current rules, it enables companies to permanently plan programs for their employees. Since 1994, the regulations have been provisional ones, renewed every 30 days. www.fazenda Fazenda is a Portuguese word for 'farm', but is used in the English language for the coffee estates that spread within the interior of Brazil between 1840 and 1896, which created major export commodities for Brazilian trade, but also led to intensification of slavery in Brazil. .gov.br HEALTH & MEDICINE Brazil now bans smoking in airplanes and public transportation. A new law also prohibits mail order sales or samples of tobacco products and Internet advertising Delivering ads to Internet users via Web sites, e-mail, ad-supported software and Internet-enabled cellphones. Also called an "ad network," Internet advertising organizations act as a middleman between the advertiser and the Web sites and software publishers that display the ads. of tobacco products. Tobacco companies may not hold promotions at schools or in public places nor sponsor or advertise at cultural and sporting events. The Health Ministry is also drafting rules on maximum tar and nicotine levels in cigarettes. The Superior Court of Justice in Sao Paulo late last year rejected tobacco giant Phillip Morris's request to dismiss a class action suit by smokers. www.saude.gov.br SOURCES: National Law Center for Inter-American Free Trade (natlaw@natlaw.com), Translegal Inc. (translegal@earthlink.net) |
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