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The White House has announced that President Obama has cancelled his trip to Bali for APEC, where the political trade-offs on the TPPA were expected to get underway.
Obama had already canned the Malaysia and Philippines legs of his Asia trip, which was seen as a blow to the US strategy to reassert its presence in the region and impress on its political leaders that the US takes Asia seriously.
Secretary of State John Kerry will apparently replace Obama at APEC. Presumably, this means Kerry will also chair the meeting of leaders from TPPA countries on the margins at Bali.
A meeting of the chief negotiators last week made no significant progress on key areas of disagreement.
More at Voxy
Workers at the Port of Rosario — home to Cargill, Bunge and Louis Dreyfus operations — handle nearly 80 percent of the grains and derivatives shipped from Argentina, the world’s top soymeal and soybean oil exporter.A spike in shipping costs and lower profits resulting from a series of union protests at Argentina’s Rosario port, one of the world’s biggest grain export centers, has raised concerns among the country’s agricultural companies.
Strikes by powerful unions representing river pilots, longshoremen and soy crushing workers have been frequent at the port, about 300 kilometers (200 miles) north of Buenos Aires, where some of the world’s top grain traders – such as Cargill, Bunge and Louis Dreyfus – operate.
Protestors have been demanding pay increases to compensate for eroding purchasing power caused by inflation in Argentina, one of the world’s highest rates, estimated by private analysts at about 25 percent.
More at Reuters
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Thursday that … Geraldine Knatz, who has been running the nation’s busiest port since 2006, will retire at the end of the year. Garcetti also announced that Gary Lee Moore, currently the city engineer, will serve as acting general manager at the harbor until a permanent replacement is found.
Knatz, 61, was hired by Garcetti’s predecessor, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and was earning $332,159 annually, according to the city controller’s office. In a statement, she said she would help with a “smooth transition” and is proud of her accomplishments at the agency.
Knatz’s retirement news comes three days after port officials announced the resignation of retired U.S. Coast Guard Capt. John Holmes, who was the deputy executive director of operations for the harbor department.
More in the Los Angeles Times
Source: Unions for Single Payer Health Care
Source: RNZI
Source: Cosatu
Source: Georgetown Voice
Source: Daily Tribune
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