| Human-trafficking ring hit, agents say
Six people were arrested this week in a human-smuggling operation based in Los Angeles that involved thousands of illegal immigrants held in horrid conditions. Agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement culminated a three-year investigation that began when police found about 140 illegal immigrants locked inside two "drop houses" in South Los Angeles. "We believe this ring was probably bringing 100 aliens a week into the L.A. area," ICE spokeswoman Virginia Kice said. "You're looking at a lot of people - and a lot of money." Agents said the three ringleaders are all named Francisco and worked only in the U.S., picking up immigrants they called "pollos" - Spanish for chickens - who had crossed the border into Arizona. The "pollo books" were seized in raids on Wednesday and show the ring charged clients $1,200 to $3,700 each for transportation to cities across the U.S., according to an affidavit filed in federal court.
'Ugly Monday' for shares
Rising interest rates and the latest surge in the Australian dollar will also weigh on the Australian share market. As such it remains a time for caution." However, shares should put on strong gains on a 12-month view, Dr Oliver said. He said valuations were attractive and lower U.S. interest rates should stimulate global growth next year. "As a result the next three to six months will provide very attractive buying opportunities." There is a big week ahead in terms of economic data, including the monthly inflation gauge today, retail trade figures tomorrow and the national accounts on Wednesday. The market also will be focusing on interest rates, with analysts tipping the Reserve Bank of Australia to lift rates by 0.25 percentage points on Tuesday.
Non-ferrous Metallurgy
On July 6, President Yeltsin signed the decree " On Special Features of the Sale of Shares and Privatization of the Russian State Nonferrous and Precious Metal Concern Norilsk Nickel." The state owned 51% of the voting shares in the company.
On November 4, Mikhail Turushev fired KrAZ's commercial director Yury Kolpakov "for abuses during tolling with the French company Trans Commodities." At about the same time, a number of Trans Commodities employees were also fired, including Mikhail and Lev Chornoi. A new company called Trans-CIS-Commodities was organized, which later joined TWG. Turushev retired a few months later, after he was nearly beaten to death in the entrance of his home. He was replaced by Yury Kolpakov.
AO Alkur was registered in Yekaterinburg on November 22; member companies included AO Sevuralboksitruda and AO Ural Aluminum Smelter (Uralsky alyuminievy zavod).
When the Teacher Becomes the Student
With four months remaining until I head back to the US and still light-years away from the “fluency" I'd once imagined I'd be able to achieve, I decided to look into the private Mandarin schools in the Wudaokou area, not far from where I teach. My first stop was a school run by an American from Chicago. He didn't speak much Chinese but had a very firm handshake and made lots of eye contact-- things I noticed right away only because they are not the norm in China. Several days after I visited, he called to offer a 10% discount on the class we'd talked about. I appreciated the US-style of professionalism but not the US prices, which I couldn't afford on my local salary. The next school I visited offered me a free class. Their method was distinctive; the teacher presented me with a situation and I was asked to invent a story about it.
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