1. Approximately 4 million Toyota cars with faulty gas pedals are being recalled. The pedals can get stuck on the floor mats, creating a dangerous situation for drivers. Beginning in January of next year, new gas pedals shortened by about three-fourths of an inch will be available from Toyota dealers. New pedals will be installed beginning in April. The Camry, Avalon and Lexus ES350, IS350 and IS250 models will additionally have break override systems installed and will be standard in all Toyota and Lexus vehicles by the end of next year. According to the government, five deaths and two injuries have occurred because of accidental acceleration from floor mats and 100 incidents have been reported in which the accelerator may have been stuck. The recall was announced in September and owners were prompted to remove the driver’s side floor mats until the manufacturer decided on a solution. However, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration accused Toyota of reporting deceptive information regarding recall and that removal of floor mats did not “correct the underlying defect.” This occurred despite Toyota’s November statement that NHTSA found “that no defect exists in vehicles in which the driver’s floor mat is compatible with the vehicle and properly secured.”
2. British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy proposed a $10 billion fund to aid developing nations in decreasing their greenhouse gas emissions at the Commonwealth summit in Trinidad. Brown said that one-half of the funds will help reduce emissions and the other half will help these nations adapt to climate change. The U.K. will offer $800 million during the next three years with the first portion of the funds being available next year. Sarkozy proposed that the program fund $10 billion annually from next year to 2012, but did not state how much France would contribute. Both leaders said the measure could encourage developing nations concerned with the economic outcomes of reducing emissions to include themselves in a climate treaty. This was the only issue brought up on the Commonwealth summit’s agenda for the first day. This is the last major world discussion before the global meeting on climate change in Copenhagen, Denmark next month.
3. Iran has denied Norway’s claim that the Nobel Peace Price for human rights activist, Shirin Ebadi, was confiscated by the Islamic republic. Norwegian officials suggested the issue was implicated by tax evasion. Ebadi won $1.3 million for the prize and news reports claim Tehran’s Revolutionary Court demanded $410,000 in taxes and froze her bank accounts. Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehman-Parast denies these reports. Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store wrote in a statement that “the medal and the diploma have been removed from Dr. Ebadi’s bank box” and it was the “first time a Nobel Peace Prize has been confiscated by national authorities.” Mehman-Parast was quoted saying Norway needed to see both sides of the issue while also saying that tax evasion is a crime in Iran. Ebadi was awarded her prize for activism in human rights, particularly for women and children.
4. China has reported eight patients with a mutated strain of the H1N1 virus. However, infectious disease experts claim that while these cases might be a mutated strain it is not a reason to be alarmed. According to Dr. Mary Nettleman at Michigan State, mutations are not uncommon, whether they are significant is a completely different factor. She also stated although there have been several mutations; many have not had any significance in the virus. Chinese officials have indicated antiviral drugs can still keep the mutated viruses controlled, but officials are concerned that the virus might mutate into a form with antiviral resistance. Scientists have been observing the virus for mutations. According to the World Health Organization, the same mutation has been found in other countries, including Japan, Ukraine, Mexico, Brazil, and the United States. China’s Health Ministry has reported a total number of 104 H1N1 fatalities.
5. The federal government will soon finalize a new tax-supported program to increase the sales of energy-efficient appliances. The program, known as “Cash for Appliances,” will offer rebates from $50 to $200 to consumers that replace their older appliances with newer, energy-efficient appliances. The initiative is supported by $300 million from the economic stimulus plan, but has economists questioning on how well governmental spending will work for the economy. Economists also note unemployment rates that might affect the success of the program. Manufactures are worried that consumers will delay their purchases until the start of the rebate, resulting in an initial decrease in sales. The program will be directed by state governments that will determine whether or not consumers can only qualify if an old appliance is recycled and how many jobs will be created. The program is scheduled to begin some time between January and April of next year with California planning to begin in March.
6. The Mexican government will soon be updating its border security to help reduce the amount of drug money and weapons smuggled by Mexican organized crime groups. A gate will keep motorists from driving straight onto Tijuana streets, cameras will be installed to take photographs of license plates, and scales and vehicle-scanning systems will be used to detect cars that are weighed down with illegal objects. Businesses and trade groups may be threatened by the new barriers while others, including Baja California Gov. Jose Guadalupe Osuna Millan, worry about declining tourism in the already crumbling industry. President Felipe Calderon says the actions are needed to show improvement against drug cartels after more than 1,000 people have been killed in Tijuana with guns that may have been obtained in the United States since last year. Daily border crossers will be mostly affected by the increased security and Mexican officials estimate the new process to take eight seconds per car, translating to waits of at least an hour.
—Compiled by Contributor Aileen Pantoja
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