Topic: Imports

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6 factors that will determine concessions from Iran

Can war with Iran can be avoided? In recent talks with the West in Baghdad, Iran showed some greater flexibility about its nuclear program. But Iran has a history of trickery in the nuclear arena. Whether Tehran will cooperates with Western demands depends on the following six factors.
Where gas prices are highest

Gasoline is a very visible price, and closely watched by many drivers. Petroleum prices impact many products, from food to industrial production. While the cost of crude is the major factor in gasoline price volatility, some countries levy taxes on fossil fuels. Here are ten countries where high gas prices are the norm, according to British insurance firm Staveley Head.
Border bunglers: 10 odd smuggling attempts foiled by US agents

Drugs are just a few of the illegal products – from the exotic to the mundane – that people attempt to sneak across the US-Mexico border everyday. Here are 10 examples of creative ways people tried to sneak something past Customs.
What sanctions? Top five countries buying oil from Iran.

Iran is the third-largest exporter of crude oil in the world, behind Saudi Arabia and Russia. Its economy relies heavily on oil exports. According to tallies from June 2011, here is a list of the top 5 importers of Iranian oil.
Clint Eastwood in Top 6 Super Bowl 2012 car commercials (+video)

Sure, the New York Giants won the 2012 Super Bowl. But who won the battle of the Super Bowl car commercials? NBC says advertisers paid an average of $3.5 million for a 30-second spot in this year's Super Bowl. Last year, Volkswagon was the biggest crowd pleaser with their Darth Vader "The Force" ad which got millions of views online before it debuted on TV. This year, the early favorite was Ferris Bueller (aka Matthew Broderick) hawking a Honda. But Chrysler's Halftime in America ad, starring Clint Eastwood, is what everyone is talking about now. Here's one viewer's take on the Top 6 Super Bowl car commercials for 2012. Which is your favorite?

All Content

Venezuela's Maduro globe trots: building regional ties or a domestic distraction?

On his first official trip abroad, Venezuela's new leader is visiting Uruguay, Argentina, and Brazil. But a domestic dispute over the legality of Maduro's presidential victory drags on at home.
Ghana is rising, but so are its dump-yards of cast-off appliances

As Ghana's economy booms, its consumers no longer want used appliances shipped in from the West. Now that 'e-waste' is filling dumps and causing environmental woes.
Why Indonesia's farmers have begun to guard their crops like gold

The price of staple crops has skyrocketed in Indonesia - shallots have gone from $1.20 a kilogram to as much as $7 - prompting farmers to take new measures to guard their fields against looters.
Obama's $2 billion plan to wean US off foreign oil (+video)

During a visit to Argonne National Lab, President Obama proposes using royalties from offshore drilling in federal waters to create an 'Energy Security Trust Fund' to pay for research into battery and clean-fuel technologies.
With Hugo Chavez gone, US oil industry eyes Venezuela

Oil analysts don't expect sudden changes in Venezuela oil policies after Hugo Chavez's death. But political change in post-Chavez Venezuela could open its oil industry to much wider foreign investment.
Energy Voices Misunderstanding coal in Europe

Every ton of emissions from American coal burned in Europe means that a ton won’t be burned in a country like China – or even the United States – where emissions are uncapped, Holland writes.
The Monitor's View: Plucking a big bone in free-trade talks: food

President Obama's ambitious goal for free-trade pacts with Europe and Asia depends on solving emotional disputes over food and agriculture. Leaders need to deal with people's deep concerns about what they eat, farming culture, and culinary identity.
US oil imports at lowest level since 1999 as trade gap shrinks

The data lighten the US economic outlook after a negative fourth-quarter report. Forecasters predict modest economic growth in 2013. But the trade gap is still huge.
Robert Reich On guns and debt, Obama should use authority

President Obama's executive authority to pay the nation’s bills or broadly interpret gun laws already on the books could be useful in pending negotiations with congressional Republicans, Reich writes.
In human rights spat, Russia poised to target US adoptive parents

After the US Congress approved a bill to punish Russian officials involved in human rights abuses, Moscow is set to blacklist Americans accused of violating Russians' rights – including US parents accused of abusing adoptive children from Russia.
Energy Voices US energy: What's oil production got to do with national security?

National security and foreign policy planners can make some reasonable assumptions about what the American energy revolution and oil boom could mean for US interests, Rogers writes.
Energy Voices While solar booms, a trade row intensifies

US, EU, and even Chinese solar-panel manufacturers are struggling because of a worldwide glut of panels. Recent moves by the US and EU have escalated the tensions. Could a trade war erupt over solar?
Energy Voices Solyndra sues Chinese solar companies

Solyndra, the recipient of hundreds of millions in government support, has sued Chinese solar companies claiming that their illegal pricing strategies were the reason why Solyndra could not meet the contracts it promised, according to OilPrice.com.
Energy Voices Challenging the oil and gas industry's energy independence message

The oil and gas industry's deceptive campaign to make the public and policymakers believe that the United States is on the verge of energy independence is just a smokescreen for selling the country's oil and natural gas to the highest bidder, Cobb writes.
Energy Voices Obama administration and China feud over clean energy

A battle over cheap solar panels is ratcheting up tensions between the US and China and further complicating the Obama administration's fraught relationship with clean energy.
Stefan Karlsson Germany: taking a deficit for the team

Germany's overall trade surplus continued to increase this year. But in trading with other eurozone countries, its €300 million surplus turned into a €1.1 billion deficit in August.This means that Germany is in fact helping to reduce the deficits of crisis-struck countries like Spain and Italy.
Latin America Monitor Nicaragua: Central Bank says economy up 30 percent under Sandinistas

Though growth for Central America's smallest economy is good news, some economists say it is still insufficient to reduce poverty in Nicaragua.
Energy Voices Energy tycoon Pickens backs Romney

In an interview with CNBC, Pickens said Romney is 'better suited' to deal with the increasingly grave energy problem in the United States, according to Consumer Energy Report.
Mitt Romney's energy plan: What does it promise? (+video)

Mitt Romney unveiled his energy plan Thursday, saying that it would bring energy independence to the US within a decade. But some experts were skeptical of the claims.
Tropical Storm Debby drenches Florida's Gulf Coast (+video)

Tropical Storm Debby, its accompanying winds and rains brought flooding to parts of Florida. Rick Scott, the state's governor, declared a state of emergency. The storm is expected to travel further inland as the week progresses.
Stefan Karlsson Direct effects of debt crisis can't explain away British deficit

Some may say that Stefan Karlsson's assertion that an increasing British trade deficit is a sign of an overvalued pound, arguing instead that it reflects the euro area debt crisis. But Karlsson still maintains that there are other issues at play.
6 factors that will determine concessions from Iran

Can war with Iran can be avoided? In recent talks with the West in Baghdad, Iran showed some greater flexibility about its nuclear program. But Iran has a history of trickery in the nuclear arena. Whether Tehran will cooperates with Western demands depends on the following six factors.
Where gas prices are highest

Gasoline is a very visible price, and closely watched by many drivers. Petroleum prices impact many products, from food to industrial production. While the cost of crude is the major factor in gasoline price volatility, some countries levy taxes on fossil fuels. Here are ten countries where high gas prices are the norm, according to British insurance firm Staveley Head.
Green Economics Anti-dumping policies can have environmental consequences

Anti-dumping laws don't protect the environment in every industry. In some cases, such restrictions can actually do harm.
China rails at 30 percent tariff on solar panels

China says the US is "deliberately provoking trade friction in the clean energy sector." The US says Chinese exporters were dumping cut-price solar panels in the US market.