Gov. Christie Signs Bill to End Cargo Fees
MarineLink.com / http://www.marinelink.com/news/christie-signs-cargo363342.aspx
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Philly CBP Intercepts Port’s First Anatolian Brown Tick
U.S. Customs & Border Protection / http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/local/01162014_4.xml
Philadelphia – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed Thursday that U. S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agriculture specialists recorded the area’s first interception of Rhipicephalus bursa (Ixodidae), or Anatolian brown ticks, December 23, 2013.
CBP discovered the ticks at Philadelphia International Airport on untanned ruminant hides that a passenger brought from Macedonia and Greece.
The USDA further reported that this is only the nation’s fourth documented interception of Anatolian brown ticks. This species was previously intercepted at John F. Kennedy International Airport in 1966 on a live horse imported from Italy; on trophy hides of Spanish ibex that arrived at Minneapolis – St. Paul International Airport in 1995; and trophy hides of four big game species from Spain that arrived at JFK International Airport in July 2010.
According to the USDA, this tick occurs commonly in most countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea and in the Middle East. All active life stages (adult and immature) feed on the same hosts, which most commonly are larger hoofed mammals. This tick is a known vector of infectious diseases of cattle, sheep, and horses. It also may cause tick paralysis in sheep, and it may occasionally bite humans.
Macedonia is a country that is affected with Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD).
“Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists take their job of detecting dangerous insect pests very seriously, and any introduction of potential animal disease to the U.S. livestock industry is of grave concern to us,” said Tarance Drafts, Acting CBP Port Director for the Port of Philadelphia. “This is an excellent example of our agriculture specialists performing a thorough inspection and finding a new potential threat to U.S. agriculture.”
The passenger, who arrived from Rome December 23, was referred to a secondary agriculture inspection after he reported possessing goat skins. During close examination, CBP agriculture specialists discovered that the hides were heavily infested with both live and dead ticks.
CBP submitted seven live ticks to the USDA tick specialist for identification.
On December 31, the USDA tick specialist determined the ticks to be Rhipicephalus bursa (Ixodidae), commonly known as Anatolian brown ticks.
CBP agriculture specialists destroyed the ruminant hides.
CBP agriculture specialists work closely with USDA’s, APHIS, PPQ to protect our nation’s agriculture resources against the introduction of foreign plants, plant pests, and animal diseases.
For more on the USDA, APHIS, PPQ program, please visit the USDA APHIS web site. ( USDA - APHIS )
CBP agriculture specialists have extensive training and experience in the biological sciences and agricultural inspection. On a typical day, they inspect tens of thousands of international air passengers, and air and sea cargoes nationally being imported to the United States and seize 4,380 prohibited animal products and plant materials, and intercepts 440 agriculture insect pests and diseases.
USITC News Releases and Documents
United States International Trade Commission / http://www.usitc.gov/
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued the following statement on today’s implementation of the interim nuclear deal recently agreed to by the Obama Administration, Iran, and other world powers:
"The U.S. now begins suspending its sanctions against Iran in return for limited nuclear concessions. While the positive economic impact on Iran will go beyond this relief, as foreign investors are rushing in, our leverage over Iran shrinks. Meanwhile, Iran's nuclear program continues."
Note: Chairman Royce is the author of the bipartisan Nuclear Iran Prevention Act (H.R. 850), which overwhelmingly passed the House in July and is currently pending in the Senate. The legislation would increase pressure on the Iranian regime amid its continued attempt to acquire a nuclear weapons capability. The legislation would broaden economic sanctions, strengthen human rights sanctions, and increase oversight of the implementation and enforcement of existing sanctions.
FMCSA Finalizes Rule to Shut Down Carriers based on Patterns of Safety Violations
U.S. Department of Transporation - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Adminstration / http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/about/news/news-releases/2014/digest-14-01-17.aspx
Next week, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) will publish a Patterns of Safety Violations Rule which implements the agency’s authority to shut down a bus or truck company if the company, or a company officer, has a history of purposely violating federal safety regulations. The rule is one of the new enforcement tools that the agency has developed in recent years to target high-risk carriers that endanger travelers by avoiding or covering up their negative history of safety compliance. FMCSA intends to apply the rule in egregious cases in which it finds that a motor carrier has committed a pattern of unsafe practices, even if that particular investigation alone does not result in a downgrade of the carrier’s safety fitness rating. The new rule complements a rule adopted by the agency in 2012 to apply out-of-service orders to reincarnated or chameleon carriers and to consolidate their enforcement histories. Today’s rule goes one step further by authorizing a complete revocation of the motor carrier’s authority to operate. For a copy of the Federal Register announcement, see: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/administration/rulemakings/rule-programs/rule_making_details.aspx?ruleid=470.
Acetaminophen Prescription Combination Drug Products with more than 325 mg: FDA Statement - Recommendation to Discontinue Prescribing and Dispensing
U.S. Food & Drug Administration / http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/SafetyInformation/SafetyAlertsforHumanMedicalProducts/ucm381650.htm
FDA is recommending health care professionals discontinue prescribing and dispensing prescription combination drug products that contain more than 325 milligrams (mg) of acetaminophen per tablet, capsule or other dosage unit. There are no available data to show that taking more than 325 mg of acetaminophen per dosage unit provides additional benefit that outweighs the added risks for liver injury. Further, limiting the amount of acetaminophen per dosage unit will reduce the risk of severe liver injury from inadvertent acetaminophen overdose, which can lead to liver failure, liver transplant, and death.
Cases of severe liver injury with acetaminophen have occurred in patients who:
• took more than the prescribed dose of an acetaminophen-containing product in a 24-hour period;
• took more than one acetaminophen-containing product at the same time; or
• drank alcohol while taking acetaminophen products.
BACKGROUND: In January 2011 FDA asked manufacturers of prescription combination drug products containing acetaminophen to limit the amount of acetaminophen to no more than 325 mg in each tablet or capsule by January 14, 2014. FDA requested this action to protect consumers from the risk of severe liver damage which can result from taking too much acetaminophen. This category of prescription drugs combines acetaminophen with another ingredient intended to treat pain (most often an opioid), and these products are commonly prescribed to consumers for pain, such as pain from acute injuries, post-operative pain, or pain following dental procedures.
Acetaminophen is also widely used as an over-the-counter (OTC) pain and fever medication, and is often combined with other ingredients, such as cough and cold ingredients. FDA will address OTC acetaminophen products in another regulatory action. Many consumers are often unaware that many products (both prescription and OTC) contain acetaminophen, making it easy to accidentally take too much.
More than half of manufacturers have voluntarily complied with the FDA request. However, some prescription combination drug products containing more than 325 mg of acetaminophen per dosage unit remain available. In the near future FDA intends to institute proceedings to withdraw approval of prescription combination drug products containing more than 325 mg of acetaminophen per dosage unit that remain on the market.
RECOMMENDATION: FDA recommends that health care providers consider prescribing combination drug products that contain 325 mg or less of acetaminophen. FDA also recommends that when a pharmacist receives a prescription for a combination product with more than 325 mg of acetaminophen per dosage unit that they contact the prescriber to discuss a product with a lower dose of acetaminophen. A two tablet or two capsule dose may still be prescribed, if appropriate. In that case, the total dose of acetaminophen would be 650 mg (the amount in two 325 mg dosage units). When making individual dosing determinations, health care providers should always consider the amounts of both the acetaminophen and the opioid components in the prescription combination drug product.
Health care providers and pharmacists who have further questions are encouraged to contact the Division of Drug Information at 888.INFO.FDA (888-463-6332) or druginfo@fda.hhs.gov.
Healthcare professionals and patients are encouraged to report adverse events or side effects related to the use of these products to the FDA's MedWatch Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program:
•Complete and submit the report Online: www.fda.gov/MedWatch/report.htm
•Download form or call 1-800-332-1088 to request a reporting form, then complete and return to the address on the pre-addressed form, or submit by fax to 1-800-FDA-0178
FTC Settles with Twelve Companies Falsely Claiming to Comply with International Safe Harbor Privacy Framework
Federal Trade Commission / http://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2014/01/ftc-settles-twelve-companies-falsely-claiming-comply
Twelve U.S. businesses have agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that they falsely claimed they were abiding by an international privacy framework known as the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor that enables U.S. companies to transfer consumer data from the European Union to the United States in compliance with EU law.
The companies settling with the FTC represent a cross-section of industries, including retail, professional sports, laboratory science, data broker, debt collection, and information security. The companies handle a variety of consumer information, including in some instances sensitive data about health and employment. The twelve companies are:
- Apperian, Inc.: Company specializing in mobile applications for business enterprises and security;
- Atlanta Falcons Football Club, LLC: National Football League team;
- Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP: Accounting firm;
- BitTorrent, Inc.: Provider of peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing protocol;
- Charles River Laboratories International, Inc.: Global developer of early-stage drug discovery processes;
- DataMotion, Inc.: Provider of platform for encrypted email and secure file transport;
- DDC Laboratories, Inc.: DNA testing lab and the world’s largest paternity testing company;
- Level 3 Communications, LLC: One of the six largest ISPs in the world;
- PDB Sports, Ltd., d/b/a Denver Broncos Football Club: National Football League team;
- Reynolds Consumer Products Inc.: Maker of foil and other consumer products;
- Receivable Management Services Corporation: Global provider of accounts receivable, third-party recovery, bankruptcy and other services; and
- Tennessee Football, Inc.: National Football League team.
“Enforcement of the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Framework is a Commission priority. These twelve cases help ensure the integrity of the Safe Harbor Framework and send the signal to companies that they cannot falsely claim participation in the program,” said FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez.
According to the twelve complaints filed by the FTC, the companies deceptively claimed they held current certifications under the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor framework and, in three of the complaints, also deceptively claimed certifications under the U.S.-Swiss Safe Harbor framework. The U.S.-EU and U.S.-Swiss Safe Harbor frameworks are voluntary programs administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce in consultation with the European Commission and Switzerland, respectively. To participate, a company must self-certify annually to the Department of Commerce that it complies with the seven privacy principles required to meet the EU’s adequacy standard: notice, choice, onward transfer, security, data integrity, access, and enforcement. A participant in the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor framework may also highlight for consumers its compliance with the Safe Harbor by displaying the Safe Harbor certification mark on its website.
The FTC complaints charge each company with representing, through statements in their privacy policies or display of the Safe Harbor certification mark, that they held current Safe Harbor certifications, even though the companies had allowed their certifications to lapse. The Commission alleged that this conduct violated Section 5 of the FTC Act. However, this does not necessarily mean that the company committed any substantive violations of the privacy principles of the Safe Harbor frameworks.
Under the proposed settlement agreements, which are subject to public comment, the companies are prohibited from misrepresenting the extent to which they participate in any privacy or data security program sponsored by the government or any other self-regulatory or standard-setting organization.
Consumers who want to know whether a U.S. company is a participant in the U.S-EU or U.S.-Swiss Safe Harbor program may visit http://export.gov/safeharbor to see if the company holds a current self-certification.
These cases are being brought with the valuable assistance of the U.S. Department of Commerce. These companies were also the subject of complaints filed in 2013 by Chris Connolly and Galexia, Inc.
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